My Soul Will Find Yours : The Fulfillment of the Promise

Saved By His Hangover

“Friend?” I sat up. “So Brandon considers me as his friend? Huh, that’s interesting. To me, he’s nothing but someone that I used to know.”

“I was right then,” Kaname replied through clenched jaw. “He was indeed talking about you.”

“He and aunt Susan gave us a surprise visit minutes after you left,” I told him honestly.

“What did they want?” he sounded uninterested but before he covered his eyes with one of his arms, I caught a glimpse of his glacial blue eye.

“I don’t really know, to be honest. When they arrived, the very first thing his mother did was comment on how wan and pallid I looked.” I tried to pry his arm his arm off his eyes but he stubbornly resisted. I sighed and added, “I didn’t realize that mum was scared the entire time, she was shaking when they left.”

“What?” he uncovered his eyes, revealing how dark and dangerous they’ve become. “Did they dare hurt you and okaa-san[1]?”

“They didn’t do anything bad, okay?” I hurriedly told him as his expression frightened me so much… It reminded me of the beheading of the Hasekura's. “Mum was afraid Brandon would do something along the lines of what he did during your first shoot, but like I said he didn’t do anything. In fact, he seemed like he didn’t want to be here… It was like aunt Susan forced him to come.”

“He was forced?” he sneered. “What a load of crap!”

“But I’m telling you the truth! You can confirm everything I just said with mum later if you don’t believe me!”

“Hina, if you only heard how he phrased his excuse earlier, you’d understand why I’m boiling mad right now!”

“Wait, where did your concern for mum and I go?”

“Why are you changing the topic? Is this your way of defending them?” he sat up and stared at me with narrowed eyes.

I couldn’t keep myself from rolling my eyes at him. Yes, he frightened me but his question was very absurd. “Oh, so I’m changing the topic huh! And defending them? Are you seriously asking me that?”

“Yes, I am!”

“Okay, now why would I defend him after what he did to me? No, make that why do you think I’ll disrespect you that way?? Geez, it seems like modern day alcohol not only knocks you out, it also fuels your jealousy!”

He wanted to rebut but his stomach started churning once more. He ran to the toilet and vomited. Disregarding my annoyance with him, I went to the kitchen to make him a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. I also brought him a banana because I heard it helps fight hangovers as well. When I got back, he was still retching in the bathroom.

“I squeezed you some orange juice… I also have a banana for you,” I said after giving the door a soft knock. I intentionally made myself sound like I brought him a peace offering, I stood by bathroom door and waited for him to react.

“Now I know why you almost always seemed like you wanted to eat me alive these past few weeks,” he rinsed his mouth, pulled a couple of tissues from the dispenser, and wiped his entire face. “Kudos to you for surviving morning sickness. This is my first time feeling this way yet I already feel like I’m about to die.”

I bit my lower lip and walked towards him.

“Drink this while it’s still cold, I promise you’ll feel so much better afterwards.”

The ice cubes clinked as I brought the glass next to his lips. Like a child, he drank as I held it. His eyes were staring into mine the entire time. He then ate the banana and insisted on brushing his teeth afterwards.

~~~

Kaname slept until lunchtime. When he joined us for lunch, he looked so much better. His pallor was gone although he still looked a tiny bit exhausted. All the vomiting earlier shook him really hard. As funny as it may sound, his hangover kept us from worsening our argument earlier. Saved by his hangover, if you will.

I secretly heaved a huge sigh of relief when he sat next to me, scooped me some rice, and piled food on my plate as if nothing happened. The rest of the day passed with neither of us mentioning his most hated person in this century once more.

~~~

A few days later, Kaname's TV commercial as well as print ads for Gyudon Restaurants were released. People in the office were asking me nonstop if he indeed knew how to cook (he portrayed a chef in both the TVC and ads). As a response, I’d just wink and tell them it’s a secret.

Because his popularity soared once more, it became more difficult for us to go out without people recognizing him and asking for his pictures. To be perfectly honest, I can’t blame his fans. He looked extra appealing in traditional itamae[2] ensemble.

Unfortunately, like every popular person out there, Kaname also had anti-fans. Not everyone admired and sang him praises. The fan-made Instagram account dedicated to him started getting more and more hate comments from people who simply didn’t like him. Some accused him of being a snob after he politely refused a photo op with a fan because he was running late for a meeting while some made up stories about how he went under the knife to look attractive. Photoshopped images of how he allegedly looked like prior to his surgery surfaced in the internet. These photos amused us the most because if these people knew who he really was, they’d probably be scared out of their wits.

Amidst all the hate, there were people who defended him. My husband’s amazing and growing fan base staunchly opposed his detractors. They fiercely argued with his haters and protected his image as if their lives depended on it. When he saw how faithful they were towards him, Kaname decided to record a video of him thanking his supporters for their love. With the help of Sabrina, the video was uploaded in the #TheRealMan campaign website.

He was probably really born with it because in just a day, the video garnered thousands of views and once again gave attention to the project Sab started months ago. Not only that, sales for the shoes as well as the restaurant he was endorsing saw considerable growth.

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[1] An honorific form of address used to refer to another person’s mother or, in Kaname’s case, your mother-in-law.
[2] A cook in a Japanese kitchen or a chef of a large restaurant (especially of high-end Japanese cuisine). The term can be translated literally as “in front of the board,” referring to a cutting board. (Wikipedia.org)