Chapter 1: Tokyo... to Home
Tokyo... to Home.
3 years. A new name.
Before, I was just Sarina.
Now I am Sarina Kurosaki.
The plane’s wheels touched the ground.
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I’m going home after a long time.
Air Hostess: Ma’am, please fasten your seatbelt. We’re about to land.
Sarina: Yes… Today I’m going home after 3 whole years. I’ve graduated. Maybe Taro has been missing me too.
She runs out of the airport, thinking everything has changed, everything will be good now, going happily. At the airport, she bumps into someone.
Sarina: I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention, she says and walks away.
Sarina goes to her home. She rings the doorbell. Her sister Akiko opens the door.
Sarina: You didn’t come to pick me up? I thought you’d be waiting for me.
Akiko: Mom, she’s here… Come inside. I’m not going to carry you in.
Sarina: Yes, I know. I wouldn’t want you to either.
Akiko: I thought you’d go meet your boyfriend first. Didn’t expect you to come here.
Sarina: You are my family.
Akiko starts laughing.
Akiko: Sorry, it just slipped out. I just couldn’t help but laugh.
Sarina: Yes, it’s okay. Mom, it’s been so long since we met.
Sarina’s Mom, Erica: Yes, I know.
Sarina: Mom, you shouldn’t use cigarettes inside the house.
Erica: You’ve grown so big that now you’ll tell me what to do and what not to do?
Sarina: I’m sorry… How are you? Dad, I wish you were here too. I keep thinking what you’d be thinking about me now? Are you proud of me or will you taunt me like Mom does? I’ve finished my graduation. Now I just need to get a good job. I’ll take care of Mom and Akiko, then maybe you’ll be proud of me.
Sarina cries a lot. Looking at her Dad’s photo she says, “Say something, Dad. Please answer me.”
Sarina’s Dad had passed away long ago. Erica was her stepmother. Akiko wasn’t her real sister either.
Erica: Are you done? Now go make food. I’m tired of cooking for so many days.
Sarina: Yes, I’m coming Mom. Erica, you can say anything else to me too. Let out your anger. I know you hate me.
Sarina was smiling.
Sarina: No, it’s not like that, Mom.
Erica: You fool.
Sarina: I just hope I get a good job soon so I can be more useful to you.
Erica: Yes, go find a good job. Just stay away and keep sending money, then maybe I’ll be proud of you.
Sarina says in a very soft voice, “Yes, I’ll do that, Mom.”
Akiko: Aren’t you going to meet your boyfriend?
Sarina: I’ll meet him tomorrow. Today I just want to stay with both of you.
Akiko: Can’t you see? Mom doesn’t want to stay with you and neither do I. So just leave from here.
Sarina: How’s the food?
Akiko: Unbelievable. She doesn’t listen to a single thing. What a fool.
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Next Day
Sarina goes to Taro’s restaurant to meet him.
Taro: Sarina, when did you come? He looks a little nervous seeing Sarina.
Sarina: I sent you a message, didn’t you see it?
Taro: Sorry, I was really busy. You know that, right?
Sarina: Yes… Sarina wasn’t happy to meet Taro. Taro’s reaction wasn’t one of happiness seeing Sarina.
Taro: I need to talk to you. Will you wait a bit? My work is almost done, just wait until then.
Sarina: Okay.
Taro was with his friends. Taro was older than Sarina. He was her senior in high school.
Taro: Look, you know I’m older than you. Sarina, you’re 23 now. You’re a genius, you even finished college. But you know, I’m about to turn 26.
Sarina: Yes, and you have your own restaurant too.
Taro: It’s my dad’s, not mine.
Sarina: Well, the dad’s business is run by the son anyway.
Taro: Yes, I know. I just mean, my family wants me to get married. Sarina, right now, right now…
Taro: Look, you’re not understanding. I know you have a lot of dreams, but my family is forcing me to get married soon because I’m the oldest in my whole family.
Sarina felt a little restless.
Sarina: Even before I left, you talked about marriage.
Taro: Exactly. Ever since they found out I have such a lovely girlfriend, they’ve been after me. So what will you say?
Sarina looks at him. He was just smiling. He didn’t care about Sarina’s feelings.
Sarina: Taro, I’m only 23 right now. I want to find a job, take care of my family.
Taro hugs Sarina.
Taro: Yes, you can definitely do a job, do whatever you want. We’ll do a job together. Let’s just get married.
Sarina pushes him away and says, “I need time.”
Sarina pushes him away and says, “I need time.”
One of Taro’s friends comes to Sarina. “Come on, Taro is a good guy. You were the one who chased him. Now he’s asking you to marry him.”
Sarina: “I’m going home. I’ll message you.”
Taro’s friend: “Yes, sure. Taro, will you really marry her?”
Taro looks at Sarina angrily.
Taro [in his mind]: “Yes, she’s a genius and a fool too. She’ll never refuse me. Especially if I threaten to leave her, she’ll definitely marry me.”
Taro was proud that Sarina wouldn’t refuse him.
Taro’s friend: “Why do you want to marry her?”
Taro: “For her money. Her father wrote the entire property in her name. It’s not a lot, but whatever there is, it’s in her name. If she just says yes to marriage…”
Sarina was in her room, thinking about what she should do now.
Akiko: “He proposed to you, right, Sarina? How do you know? Is he going to be my brother-in-law? I can’t know. Just say yes to him.”
Sarina was very sad. “No, I’m not old enough yet. I want to do something first.”
Erica: “This is enough. You should marry him now. You’ll be happy too,” saying this, Erica hugs Sarina. It was the first time Sarina had hugged Erica.
Sarina, crying: “Okay Mom, I’ll do whatever you say.”
Akiko: “So you’ll get married?”
Sarina: “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” Sarina goes to her room.
Akiko: “Isn’t this too much, Mom?”
Erica, laughing: “Now she won’t refuse, that’s why I did it.”
Sarina was happy thinking that Erica now considers her own.
Taro gives Sarina a ring.
Akiko: “It’s nice, right? So when are you two getting married?”
Taro: “This year.”
Sarina says yes but she wasn’t happy. There was no happiness on her face, but she was still smiling. She keeps looking at the ring and taking it off. “Did I make the right decision?”
Some time passes.
Akiko: “There are only a few days left until your wedding, right?”
Sarina: “Yes, I know.”
Akiko: “So will you still live here after marriage?”
Sarina: “No. Taro said he’ll live somewhere else, so I’ll live with him.”
Akiko: “Oh really? Anyway, I have to go out, bye.”
Sarina: “Yes.” Akiko goes out and goes to the restaurant.
Taro: “You came, Akiko.”
Akiko says “Yes, darling” and hugs Taro and kisses him. Sarina didn’t know about their relationship.
Akiko: “Now we can live in peace. I’m tired of meeting like this.”
Taro: “Yes, we just have to get her out of the way. Then we’ll be together.”
A guy comes to Taro’s restaurant.
Akiko: “I thought the restaurant was closed.”
Guy: “Don’t worry. I didn’t come to eat. I just came to give you an offer.”
On the wedding day, Sarina was getting ready. “Is this the right decision?”
Akiko: “Yes, don’t back out now. I’m happy for you.”
Sarina says in a low voice, “I know Erica… you look so pretty. If your dad or your real mother were here, they’d be happy seeing you.”
Sarina: “You two are enough for me. I wasn’t happy about this marriage, I’m only doing it because of Erica.”
In the wedding hall, Sarina was so nervous she couldn’t even look up. “Am I even ready for this marriage? What should I do?”
The marriage officer asks for her consent to the marriage. Sarina’s voice becomes very low. She starts to get scared and thinking about Erica, she says ‘yes’.
Someone holds Sarina’s hand, but Sarina keeps looking down. She only looks at his hands and gets scared. She thinks, “Should I run? Can I still run? Will he let me run? Should I kick him? Should I just run like this? Will Mom forgive me? What should I do now?”
Marriage Officer: “Now you two kiss and complete the wedding ritual.”
Sarina thinks, “I’ll have to hit him and run.” When Sarina looks at him, she’s shocked. Because it wasn’t Taro. It was some other guy.
Sarina steps back and says, “Who are you?” She looks around. In the wedding hall, only men in black clothes were sitting. There was no Taro, no Erica, no Akiko.
Sarina: “Who… who are you?”
To be continued...
