Bond

1.

“Hi. You must be Sophie.”The tall, bespectacled man in his mid-forties spoke to Sophie Harris.“I’m afraid so, but I’m James Cooper, your biological father.”The gentleman introduced himself.Sophie froze. She had been on her way from college to her part-time job.

Suddenly, this strange gentleman had appeared and revealed that he was her father.“I’m sorry. I understand why you’d doubt me, and I expect you might even think I’m some kind of criminal.”“...Sir, may I invite you to the place where I work?”Sophie asked modestly, pointing to the cozy little coffee shop where she worked every day after college.

“If you feel okay with it, I’d be happy to go with you.”The older, sophisticated gentleman nodded.Sophie stepped forward toward her workplace, and Mr. Cooper followed, watching her as if dazzled.She was his Sophie, the one he had been searching for all these years.

“Soph.”A tall, blond-haired young man approached Sophie from the back of the shop.He was very tall and well built.“Hi, Kelly.”Sophie smiled, and the young man smiled back.“Who’s that man?”He pointed at Mr. Cooper with his chin.His blue eyes watched the strange newcomer.“He is Mr. Cooper,” Sophie said.

Sophie introduced Mr. Cooper to her part-time pal.“I’m Kelly, Sophie’s old friend,” the young man said.The two men met each other’s eyes.“I’m James, Sophie’s father,” Mr. Cooper replied.“What?!”Kelly froze, then turned to Sophie.“Soph, are you sure?”

Sophie looked confused but nodded. “Mr. Cooper just told me a moment ago.”Kelly walked up to her in long strides and took her hand.“Hold on a second. Sophie already has a great dad, and he’s a detective.”

Mr. Cooper adjusted his spectacles.“I know. Mick is my old friend. We were in the same squad, but we split up and went our separate ways.”

Sophie was silent, overwhelmed by the facts she could not fully digest.

“I had to leave the U.S. and my kid behind,” Mr. Cooper said quietly.

“I phoned Mick, so he must know about our relationship.”

“………”

Kelly seized Sophie by the wrist and pulled her into the circle of his well‑trained arm.“I’m just her friend now, but I’d like to be something like her boyfriend. I’ll become a business owner in the near future, and then I’ll court her.”At his proclamation, Jay watched the young lad, whose face was a good one.

“I don’t think I’ll stand in the way of you two. I’m simply her dad,” he commented.

Then Jay looked for a table and sat down.He spread his documents out on the table."I have a law office on East Second Street in Manhattan, and I have an apartment near your college. Please move into my place.”

Then he placed a paper on the table.

“Look, this is your birth certificate. It states that I am your biological father.”

“Sophie, look. I’m your dad.”

Jay handed the paper to her.

Sophie hesitated, but she took it and read the statements carefully. She majored in law at college, and then she nodded.

“I think it’s a genuine document.”

Jay smiled in relief.

“That’s it.”

“Mr. Cooper, I understand what you’re saying, but please give me some time. I need to talk to my papa.”

Her voice was clear and lovely.

“Of course, dear,” he said.

“But please be aware that I’m currently undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, and I may not have much time left.”

Sophie was puzzled to hear that.

She turned to face Mr. Cooper, who was standing beside her.

His light green eyes behind his spectacles felt somehow nostalgic to her.

Sophie nodded.

2.

Mick listened to the story his daughter told and fell silent.The father and daughter were sitting at their dining table.Mick had just returned home from his shift.“Sorry, sweetie. We made you anxious and uneasy.”He touched Sophie’s cheek with his fingers.“Two weeks ago, Jay came to my station.”

He continued.“Jay said he wants to meet you and live with you. He had surgery, and he doesn’t know how long he can live.”Sophie’s eyes welled up with tears.“I’m sorry I couldn’t decide. I asked Jay to leave you alone.”

Mick Harris was forty‑seven, tall and slender, with a handsome, ageless look.

His pale light‑blue eyes were a living copy of Sophie’s.Mick looked so much like her that she never doubted they were real father and daughter.

“Hey, guys.”

Kelly, who had been preparing supper in the kitchen, raised his voice.

“Dinner is ready, and I’m going to head out.”

He turned off the gas flame and walked toward the two of them.

Sophie lifted her pretty face and looked at him.

He nodded.

“The talk you two are having is really confidential, so I should leave now.”

“No, please stay here,” Mick said.“If you’re okay with that…”Kelly murmured, took off his apron, and sat down beside Sophie.

“Sophie, I’m going to tell you everything,” Mick began.“Jay and I were lovers once, and we had a child.”

Sophie nodded modestly.

But many questions flashed through her mind.

Mick had told her that Sophie’s mom passed away when she was one.

Mick looked at his daughter, took her fair hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“I used to be a woman, and I had surgery to become male.”

“……”

Sophie froze. Her understanding could not keep up.

“Mick…”

Kelly was just as shocked as Sophie.

“Does my sis know?”

Mick was dating Kelly’s sister, Joan.Mick nodded.Kelly stared at Sophie, who was sitting like a stone.He felt an urge to comfort her.“But…” Kelly began.“I never noticed you were…”He had been playing on the same baseball team as Mick.“Well then… Mick, you’re Sophie’s mother.”

“Yes, I gave birth to her.”

Sophie stared at her father, who was genuinely manly.

She tried to look Mick in the eye, but she couldn’t, and she began to cry softly.

3.

Kelly stroked Sophie gently on the back. He was staying in her cozy room.

They were neighbors.

Mick and Sophie had moved into the apartment next to Kelly’s seventeen years ago, in the same building. Kelly had been friends with them ever since.

He felt her tears soaking through his shirt. He embraced her firmly.

He had loved this beautiful girl next door since the day he met her.

They had had a few physical encounters while Mick was away. Sophie had agreed to Kelly’s desire a few times in the past.

He wanted to be her real boyfriend, but Sophie refused.

When she slept with him, she had just turned eighteen, but she was still a child. Besides, she barely knew anything about sex.

Kelly felt guilty, as if he had taken advantage of an innocent girl.

The beautiful Sophie was famous among the boys, and every single one of them tried to approach her and ask her out. But whenever Kelly noticed, he threatened the boys and made them back off from her.

Kelly gently kissed the top of her head. He liked her beautiful blond hair.

He wanted to kiss her on the lips like a real lover, but Sophie was reluctant, so he held back.

When Mick found out that Kelly and Sophie had had sex, he drove a hard punch into Kelly’s stomach and told him never to hurt her again.

“Kelly, thank you. I’m okay,” Sophie said softly, stroking the back of his hand.Her eyes were red.“Sure, I must go back to my room,” Kelly said, standing up from her bed.

Honestly, he was full of confusion. His sister knew everything about Mick and was dating him.

Kelly watched Sophie with all his affection. He wanted to comfort her more.

But he could read her feelings.

“Bye, Soph.”

He was an old‑fashioned guy, unlike his tattooed arms and torso.

He had decided that Sophie was his fate.

4.

After Kelly left, Mick entered her room with a calm knock.

Sophie stared at her father in silence.

Mick was almost 180 centimeters tall, with a slender, flexible physique, truly manly.

Even after his confession, she couldn’t believe he had once been a woman.

Mick settled himself beside her.

The two of them sat on the bed in silence.

“Sophie, I feel you’re different from us. We live in different worlds. Right now you’re still a student, but you’re brilliant, and when you graduate from university, you’ll go far on a very different path from ours.”

Mick continued.

“So, Kelly is a really good boy, and I like him a lot. He has a promising future. But he and you live in different worlds. Someday he’ll realize that, and it will hurt him. You’re really smart, so you already understand that.”

Mick stroked her hair gently and put his arm around her shoulders.

“Jay may be able to give you a more suitable life. Because he had to hide himself, he couldn’t spend time with you.”

Sophie wanted to ask why Mick had changed his sex and why he hadn’t waited for Jay. But she realized she shouldn’t ask.

5.

When he walked into the dining room of his luxurious apartment, Jay smiled to see Sophie sitting there, eating her breakfast.

“Good morning, Mr. Jay.”

Sophie lifted her doll‑like face and greeted him shyly.

“Good morning, Sophie.”

“This meal is really delicious,” she said with a smile as she placed her silverware back on the table.

“Good for you. Sophie, tonight I’m closing up early, so let’s go out to dinner,” Jay said to his daughter.

“Sorry, I promised Kelly I’d have dinner with him.”

Sophie said this apologetically.

Jay tried to hide his disappointment.

She read it in his face and spoke to him gently.

“If it’s okay with you, would you like to come with me?”

Sophie smiled. She was tender‑hearted.

Sophie had moved into his apartment last month.

She had been living with him on weekdays, except for weekends.Sophie was very attentive and took care of his daily chores. Even though he had hired two housekeepers, Sophie filled in the gaps in their work.And her lovely smile made him laugh naturally. Jay Cooper was now a happy father.

“If we won’t be disturbing you young people, I’d like to join you,” Jay said.

“I’d love to have you with us,” Sophie said with joy.

Jay smiled back.

Just looking at her innocent face could blow away his bitter past experiences.

He remembered Mick, who had slipped away from him. He had been deeply shocked when he learned that Mick had cut their bond.

Jay swore to himself that he would never let his daughter go.

6.

The three of them met at a small diner that evening.

Kelly and Sophie had already taken the seats by the window.

When they saw Jay come in, they stood up from their chairs.

Jay raised a hand and greeted them.

“Hi, Mr. Cooper,” Kelly said.

Jay nodded and studied the tall, well‑built young man.

Jay remembered him.

He was quite different from Sophie. His tattooed arms and neck and his pierced nose didn’t match her neat, well‑organized appearance.

This young man’s heart had been completely captured by Sophie. Jay realized it at a glance.

Sophie seemed to like him and confide in him, but Jay couldn’t quite grasp this young girl’s true feelings.

Kelly was really a nice lad. During the time he spent with him, Jay felt favorably toward him.

Kelly was a good listener and always tried to understand what the others were talking about.

After dinner, they said goodbye on the street.

“Thanks for the nice time,” Jay said to them.

Kelly nodded shyly.

He placed his large hand gently on Sophie’s back, but when Kelly noticed Jay looking at them, he quickly took his hand away.

“Good night, Mr. Cooper. Good night, Sophie,” he said, waving.

On the way home, they sat in the back seat of the cab.

Jay asked her casually,

“Are you going out with him?”

After a short pause, Sophie shook her head.

“He is my best friend, and I really like him,” she answered.

Perhaps that was truly how she felt.

Jay glanced out the window and shifted his attention.

“Mr. Jay, may I ask you a favor?”

Sophie said in a calm, sweet voice.

Jay turned his gaze back to her.

Sophie asked him shyly,

“Can I call you Dad?”

Jay was surprised and stared at her.

Then he nodded again and again.

Sophie smiled and gave him a quick hug.

7.

On Sundays, Kelly sold his handmade accessories at street markets, including Artists & Fleas.

He dreamed of building a business under his own brand.

“These are nice,” someone said to him from above.Kelly looked up.“Hi.”Jay was standing in front of his booth.

Kelly stood up from behind his booth.Jay was looking at the accessories with respect.The accessories Kelly made were mainly earrings made with glass.Kelly smiled shyly.“Would you like one? I’d like to give you one,”he said to Jay.

At his suggestion, Jay carefully looked over the pieces on the shelves and picked one up.

“I’ll take this one.”

“Oh, that one is very popular with customers,”

Kelly said with a smile.

Jay slipped the accessory into the pocket of his suit.

“Thank you,” he said.

After thanking him, Jay changed the subject.

“Kelly, I’d like to talk with you. Could you spare a little time?”

8,

The two of them moved to a small space near the riverside.

“You’re a really talented artist,” Jay said, praising him.

“I want to support your business.”

Kelly was a bit surprised.

“You already have a solid customer base for your products, so you can gain even more customers in the near future,” Jay added.

Kelly contemplated for a while.

“I really appreciate your kind offer, but I don’t think I could afford to run my own business,” Kelly said, looking down at his hands.

“Kelly, I know a few people through my practice, so I can be your ally,” Jay said, gripping his hand firmly.

“I’d like you to do something for me. It’s about Sophie.”

“Sophie?”

Kelly frowned.

“You must love her. You want to marry her, don’t you? I’m not against that.”

“…”

“Kelly, don’t worry about that. I won’t oppose you and her. I’ll even tell her to marry you.”

“What?!”

“In return, I want you to keep an eye on her. Please do that for me.”

“Sorry, no. I can’t do that. She’s not in the mood for that now, and I can’t force her,” Kelly said.

Jay stared at him.

“But you slept with her.”

Kelly was stunned into silence.

“I knew that. I won’t blame you. Besides, she accepted you. That’s enough.

Look, I don’t want to lose her like I lost Mick.”

Jay gripped both his hands firmly.

“Please cooperate with me, Kelly. Or you can win the girl you love and get your own shop.”

9.

Sophie looked uneasy.

She glanced at Kelly, who was sitting beside her on the bed in Jay’s apartment.

His large hand was wrapped around her waist.

She tried to focus on talking with him, but something about him felt different.

She could feel his hand gently stroking her long hair.

“Sophie, I am your eternal sla―”

“Kelly, no.”

Sophie shook her head.

“I love you. I’m really serious about you.”

He stroked her cheek with all his affection.

“We’re friends,”

she replied.

At those words, Kelly shook his head hard.

“Friends don’t sleep together. I’m fully responsible for you. I’ve been physical with you more than once. I’m not just your friend. Our relationship is simply that we’re lovers.”

“But…”

Sophie stammered, trying to explain how she felt.

“I only wanted to show you how much I liked you at that moment. You were so sad at that time, so…”

Suddenly she burst into tears.

“I don’t even know how I feel about myself.”

Kelly hurriedly pulled her into his arms.

“Sorry. I promise I’ll never do that again,”

he said.

10.

When he left the apartment, Kelly saw Jay waiting for him at the entrance.

Kelly shook his head.

“Sorry, Mr. Cooper. I’m backing off.”

Jay nodded.

“It’s no use. Please try again next time.”

Kelly noticed that he looked pale.

“Jay, you don’t look well.”

At his words, Jay nodded.

“I’ve changed my chemotherapy regimen.”

“You okay?”

Kelly asked.

Jay nodded, waving his hand.

“I’ll get used to the new regimen soon.”

“Does Sophie know?”

Jay shook his head.

“I’ll explain it to her when my condition stabilizes.”

After thinking it over, Kelly finally said,

“Jay, please trust Sophie. I’ve known her since she was an infant. She’s always sincere and would never leave the people she loves alone.”

11.

Jay had been living in a bad dream.

He had had to leave the state and go into hiding from assassins sent by organized crime groups because of his investigations.

Fifteen years later, he finally returned to the States and tried to build a new life with Mickaella and Sophie.

But Mickaella rewrote her history.

She had become the man named Mick.

Mick had an attractive girlfriend, so there was no home for Jay to return to.

“Papa…”

After a few calls from Sophie, James finally came back to consciousness.

It had looked as if he were just sleeping.

“Good morning, sweetie,”

Jay said with a smile.

He checked the clock by his bedside. It was evening.

He pushed himself up from the bed he had been lying in without even realizing it.

“Papa, you were about to leave home. You lost consciousness. I called the doctor in charge of you.”

Her small hand held his hand tightly.

Jay kept staring at the beautiful, promising girl.

Mick came to his mind again.

He vaguely thought he might have to give Sophie back to Mick someday.

“Papa… you were crying in your sleep, calling Mickaella and Sophie,”

Sophie said, her eyes welling up.

“Please don’t cry.”

Sophie said that.

“Yep,” Jay nodded.

“Maybe… I’m so happy that it makes me cry.”

12

Sophie invited Jay to the home where she lives with Mick this Sunday.

Jay felt a bit hesitant because he was nervous about meeting Mick.

But Sophie was cheerful and carefree about going back home.

Sophie explained to Jay that the residents of her apartment have a potluck party on the rooftop on Sundays.

Sophie escorted Jay up to the rooftop on the fifth floor.

When she opened the door, a refreshing breeze brushed his cheek.

He instinctively closed his eyes.Then he opened them again.“Happy birthday, Mr. James Cooper.”Kelly approached him, holding a box with a light blue ribbon.

Jay turned to look at Sophie, who was standing beside him.

Sophie gave him a quick hug and pecked him on the cheek.

Jay patted her on the head, then looked out across the wide rooftop.

Mick was standing there.

“Hi, Jay.”

He greeted Jay.

He was always beautiful, whether he was a man or a woman.

And Jay realized he still loved him.