Chapter 1
My first week of living here in Japan, a different country, alreadypassed. I still remember the last time I saw my mother's face at the airporttelling me in the middle of her tears:
“It’s hard to leave you, overall in a very far place but I can't forceyou to stay. You have to take your own path and be happy with it. Never forgethow special you are: you can speak many different languages that you know. It’syour gift that will help you to have more friends around you. Everything willgo well and I'm always here everytime that you need me. You are never alone,ok?”
Those words I'll always bring in my heart. Why my phone is ringing?? Idon’t have time now. Again this number? No thanks I don’t answer to spam Idon’t want to lose my money where I work hard for. Hope to get the apartmentsoon, it’s the cheapest one I found here in Japan, it’s already late, dark andcold, I don’t want to be left outside I wouldn’t be happy with the agency. Hopewell please. Oh here is the office finally I’m on time, they kept me at workwith the kids for longer time because these parents take it easy and don’t careabout how much I do most of the time me and my coworkers.
“Excuse me” gosh I struggle to breath I ran so fast to make sure toarrive on time come on Neve go with your Japanese skills. “I have to go to mynew apartment.”
“Oh I see. Is this Neve O’Sullivan?” Their pronunciation of my full namein Japanese sounds so hilarious.
“Yes. It’s me.”
“Where is your fiance or husband?”
“Excuse me?” What’s going on with that question if I have to go to myapartment that I already payed?
“Didn’t the agency tell you? The apartment you payed is for couples, ifyou don’t…”
“Now I found you my love!” What is going on? Wait who spoke?? Now theguy walked closed to me a bit higher than me.
“And you are?” The landlord was asking not this time looking at me.
“It’s obvious. Her husband.” The new stranger suddenly puts one of hisarms around my shoulders?
“What...?”
He’s moving his head close to my ear? He starts to whisper, gosh itgives me shivers. “You really can’t recognise me? Little pinguin isdisappointing me.”
‘Little penguin’? What? Wait, that sounds familiar. Here the flashbackcoming:
‘”What is your favorite animal?” my little friend is asking me during meand him are playing chess in my family’s house.
“Penguins.”
“Penguins? Really? Oh yeah they are nice the way they are walking asyou.” He started to laugh.
“Oh stop it! What about you?”’
Then suddenly the flashback stops and I find myself back to normalrealising now looking at him better, the handsome guy wearing a nice blacksmoking matching with his nice short hair with those deep blue eyes is mysecret first old crush childhood friend neighboor I ever had and now he issmiling at me, better than me wearing my blue elegant sweater with my blacktrousers and white shoes, a black shoulder bag, my short brown straight hairset up in order on the best I could as my eyes colour the same. I think he realised that I recognised him andI’m surprised that he soon recognised me first. Then he moves his sight from meto the landlord and starts to give her his personal information, then afterthat the landlord reminds him to give her soon the documents of marriage proof.Gosh I’m shocked how come that my old friend is here and now...oh he grabbed myhand and is guiding me. His hand is so warm and holding mine gently and firm.
“Wait!”
“We have to go!”
He is guiding me taking with the other hand our suitcases till we are infront of the elevator and now he is pressing the botton to call the elevator,then he looks backwords to the others like checking then as soon as theelevator opens the doors he soon drags me in.
“What..?” But he closes my lips with his fingers. My heart gives a smalljump, oh please don’t.
“Ssssshhhh. Not here.”
Then as soon as we get inside the new apartment I barely could speakthat he soon surrounds me with his arms.
“Can’t believe that I finally found you. I looked for you everywhere. Itdrew me insane.”
His body is so warm and his smell so good. Oh no, Neve, don’t, oh why amI crying? Dang it not here in front of him. I know in the past I cried manytimes in front of him but not now not here. Then he leaves his hug and one ofhis warm fingers is drying my tears.
“Please, don’t cry.”
“You left without even saying bye to me.”
“I tried to but you weren’t home that day and my mother didn’t let mebreath, you know her. But all this time I studied and worked hard to come backto you. It was hell and you neither contacted me.”
“I thought you forgot about me.”
“How can I forget about you? I missed you all these awful 10 yearsseemed an eternity without you. But now you’re here and I can’t believe it. Ithas been a long time, penguin, how have you been?”
“What do you think? I had to go on. It was hard but I had to.”
“Yes, of course. Gosh you look shattered. I guess you had a long day.”Oh no shud up stomach. He laughs. “What if I order some pizza?” I nod. He takeshis phone and starts to make the order. “Hello, 2 pizzas please: 4 cheese andchips with sausages.” He didn’t forget what I like. Neve control yourself, nofake hopes. He finally close the call, gosh is being late. “What are youdoing?”
“What do you think? Booking a taxi for after. Ehy!” He took my phone.
“Are you crazy? As my wife..”
“What? You know it isn’t true. We aren’t married.”
“I know but we are going to lose the apartment if we don’t take care.”
“What do you mean? We are going to lose it anyway.”
“Neve,” Oh my gosh my name from him sounds so nice.
“Are you crazy?!?”
“Listen, it won’t be for a long time and soon we’ll get the divorce ok?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem right.”
“I know. We have to be careful, people will always watch us and emailsand calls. It’s too late and we don’t have another place available at thistime. Let’s keep this acting till we get better places ok?”
But...oh ok I nod. He smiles at me again. Gosh he is so handsome oh Nevecontrol yourself. Finally the pizzas arrive. “Let’s go there.” He wasindicating a table with a few chairs free for us. I obeyed following him, itlooked all so nice and white and elegant as in the pictures I saw online duringlooking for the apartment. It was a nice large room with a simple wardrobe andbathroom, a little kitchen, and obviously a big large bed, a balcony, a bigwindow. Such a situation..
He lets me try a piece of hispizza and I do the same with him as seeming old times came back again.
“I saw you became so great with languages. Tell me more.”
“Thanks. Well I am a teacher. I always loved to teach and the languagesand with creativity I’ve always been good in it.”
“Amazing. I see how much you love what you do and how smart you are andthat you work so hard in it. I need your help. Would you like to work for mycompany?”
“It sounds great but it’s also hard for me because I love the job whereI am now.”
“Yes, I know that and of course I don’t want to force you at all. I justwanted to let you know how much your help would be needed. I bet you lovekids?”
“Yes, I do.”
“My company is international about working, helping orphans, immigrants,poor people. I think it can connects to what you do, right? It’s not the samebut you still would work with kids and help others and I desperately needsomeone that can speak many languages to translate for me. I imagine you mustbe confused right now.” He continued. “I think it would be a big lose for thisopportunity for you. But I’ll give you time to think about it, you don’t haveto answer me now. But in case you change mind, I’ll be happy to work with mypenguin.”
I went first to the bathroom and changing myself and then him.
“Nice pijiama.”
“Thanks.”
Well let’s go to sleep, hope to be able to do it since I never sleptwith a guy before, oh my gosh what the heck is he doing?!?
“Ehy! Why are you taking off..”
“Calm down,just my t-shirt, I’ll be with my shorts so don’t freak out.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Good.”
Oh my gosh I feel my face going on fire. Go to sleep Neve, it’s better.Gosh he’s so handsome I feel things will be harder than I thought could be.Take a breath. Gosh I feel so tired. Is he..?
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think? I go to sleep.”
“On the floor??”
“It will be fine.”
“Don’t even joke about it. It’s cold. Here and if you kick you’re dead.”
He laughs and obeys. Why breathing is becoming so hard?
“Neve.” Gosh I love when he calls me. I turn to him. “Look.” I followhis gaze looking up where in opposite of being covered by the wall, it wasshowing the night sky full of stars that left me speechless. “It’s nice,right?”
“Yes.”
Then the tiredness won me. Where am I? This place looks so scary. Whatis that?!?! Oh my..
“Neve, calm down. Calm down. It’s a dream. It’s alright.”
Kym Soo-hyun? What? Oh it’s still night. I guess I had a nightmare. Ohmy gosh, I’m crying. He’s hugging me.
“It’s ok. It was just a bad dream. It ended. I’m here. Nothing bad willhappen.”
He’s caressing my hair and back being surrounded from his warm skin.
“Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. Are you ok?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Let’s sleep now.”
Darkness came again but I felt happy knowing that Kym Soo-hyunwashugging me like protecting me.
