Kyoto, 2 years ago, Spring
Somewhere in Gion
It was him again. He was not dressed up as Dragonball but she could recognize his deep set eyes and that burning gaze. This time, he looked relaxed and was smiling a lot. Her heart skipped a beat. That smile. Those eyes when he smiled. They literally lit up. She caught herself smiling. But stopped herself in time.
Today was a test. She would need to present herself as a maiko, geisha apprentice in the public's eyes. While most maikos took six years to train and graduate as a geisha, she had only six months to learn traditional dance and singing, play the shamisen and the etiquette of a geisha. It was an eye-opener for her.
She had been intrigued her whole life about geishas but now that she was experiencing herself, it was hard work. She had to talk in a certain manner, her hand gestures needed to be soft (Okami said she was stiff) and wide smiling or big laughing was not permitted.
She straightened herself and took small steps. Her geisha sensei or Okami, as she called her, had taught her this "Walk softly. Don't stride. Make a figure of eight with your feet." For someone who had never walked gracefully in a kimono, that was a huge task. But she was doing her best.
She noticed his gaze turned towards her as she walked in his direction. He stopped talking to his friend. Then, he nodded and smiled. Her upper lip curled slightly upwards. She noticed that a professional camera hanging around his elegant neck. Was he a tourist?
Shifting her feet in her tight red and white kimono, she finally reached in front of him. He was taller than she remembered. She bowed low and asked in Japanese, "Sumimasen. Do you happen to know if Nagari-san is in the theater today?"
She must have caught him off guard as he looked flustered and stammered a little "Sumimasen, wakarimasen. I'm not familiar with this area yet." Her eyebrow raised, questioningly. His friend elbowed him and laughed. "Sumimasen, my friend just came back here. He grew up in China."
She smiled. So, he was also Chinese. "Ah, so-desu-ne, wakata. Sumimasen. I will be on my way. Arigato." She bowed again, her eyes skittering, instead of looking right at him and walked away. When she was quite a distance away, she turned to look at him. What a beautiful creature. When will she meet him again?
A maiko geisha is a geisha apprentice.
The studio was opened but looked deserted when Yue arrived. She had a discussion with Dudu this morning and decided to arrive early.
She sat at the lounge, flipping a magazine when a loud crash from inside the recording studio startled her. She peeped through the window of the door. It was Dudu and his assistant. She believed she called him Xiong.
"I DON'T CARE!! HE IS FIRED!! How dare he disobey my rules!" she screamed.
"Dudu, please. He is my cousin. He needs the job. Can you just let go this time?" Yue had never heard him spoken much when she was around with Dudu. He was so quiet that sometimes she would forget he was in their midst. Only now, Yue noticed that Xiong was actually quite expressive.
"Texting and driving is illegal! It's dangerous. He will get us killed. Or kill someone!"
"He was at the traffic light, Dudu." He sounded exasperated.
"I said it once! You know me well through all these years, Xiong. The last thing I expect from you is this." She turned her head. "Do you want to be fired too?"
Yue saw how Xiong dropped his head. She had never seen Dudu that angry and flustered before. She always looked calm and collected.
"I wouldn't leave you no matter what. After all that we've been through. You know that. I will tell my cousin." He turned to her again and said "But you need to promise me to get help. You haven't been sleeping lately," putting his hand on hers.
"I'm fine." She snapped, flinching from him.
Yue decided to stop listening. She moved back to her chair quietly, feeling slightly uneasy. She did not expect them to have a close relationship. They looked like boss and employee in front of everyone else.
"Yue! You're here early." Dudu gushed giving her a hug. "Come, let's go in. We need to discuss the songs and recording schedule for your new album. Are you excited?" There was hardly a trace of anger on her face. How did she do it?
She gave a big smile "Yes!" At the corner of her eye, she saw an unhappy Xiong slipping out to the exit.
She could not help feeling curious. Were they lovers? Ex-lovers? Her detective instincts lighted up and she started formulating theories in her mind when Dudu drew her back to reality.
"By the way, did you know that Deng Zi Qi had given permission for you to sing covers for two of her songs? Ms. Similar and Heartbeat."
Yue's eyes brightened up immediately. "She did? That is so amazing! Thank you Dudu-jie!"
"You deserve it." Dudu beamed, then added. "I hope you got a ticket to her One-night-only concert in Suzhou. The organizer managed to squeeze her in at the Wave. A detour before Shanghai concert."
"When? No, I didn't know. I haven't been paying attention." She suddenly felt like someone had just burst her happy bubble.
"Gosh, Yue! I'm so sorry. If i knew, I would have gotten for you. The tickets were sold out yesterday."
Her heart sank. She felt like crying. "But I could still see her in Shanghai, right?"
"If the tickets are still available."
"Dudu, please help me! Send a word to her or something. Even if I had to sit at the far end." she pleaded. How could she missed out on this?
Dudu smiled. "Okay, let me see what I can do." Yue gushed a thank you before Dudu continued, "We need to discuss the direction of your songs and album today. I'd like to know what ideas you have."
Yue looked surprised. "You mean I get to have a say in it? I totally didn't expect this for my first album."
"You are talented and I value it. Besides, I want you to carry your own brand, identity and music. Don't worry, I will guide you." she smiled.
Yue could not help but reached out and hugged her. "Thank you, Dudu." She had always heard that new singers should follow certain pop culture to be popular among masses. Perhaps, KIO was an independent label, therefore their artists are allowed certain freedom or say.
"Don't thank me so soon. The next few months will be hard work for you." Dudu winked, patting her shoulder.
And Yue could not wait to get started.
"YUE YUE, WE LOVE YOU!!!"
The crowd was so huge that night that it was a standing room. When the performance started, the crowd went wild.
Didi was surprised at how popular Yue was. He stood at the side of the room near the front stage with the rest of the boys as she sang and danced with the crowd. A sense of pride washed over him. His girl. Soon-to-be-his-girl, to be exact.
For the rest of the night, he could not get close to her. He decided that he would talk to her when the crowd went home but would it be too late? Talking to Justin kept him distracted.
"Aren't you going to tell Yue what you're up to?" Justin asked.
Didi shook his head. "It's a surprise. She will know when the project is completed. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Totally! It's an honor. Once you're done with your part, I will compose the music." Justin said, grinning. They high-five each other.
"Hey, why are you guys so happy?" asked Xi Ze, who had his arm over Jia Qi.
"Secret."
"Didi does not keep secrets well. Anyone can read him like an open book." Jia Qi teased.
"Yeah, like how he feels about Yue." Kuan chipped in, as he came and stood next to Didi.
Didi smirked but his face was red. "Kuan, you have elephant ears even from over there." Kuan laughed.
"I make myself an open book if I want to. Being open and honest always work for me." He checked his watch. "Are you guys going to be here till the club closes?"
"No, we are about to go but it doesn't seem like this crowd is going anywhere." Justin looked around.
Didi bit his lower lip. He was feeling a little tired.
Ever since he fell sick, he had been having sudden dives of energy and sometimes, tightened chest. He went back to Dr. Jerry a week after his bedrest but they did not find anything wrong with him.
He decided to work from home for the rest of the week and refrain from alcohol. This will be my last one, he told himself, looking at his glass.
The performance had ended thirty minutes ago and Yue was still talking to groups of people. She looked gorgeous tonight. She had chosen a smoky eye look, paired up with a black leather skirt with a red glittered top and high boots. She made hair extensions and tied them up in braids.
He sighed. He longed to speak with her before he leaves.
"Are you okay, Didi? You look a little pale," commented Jia Qi.
"Do I?" He said. "I can't wait any longer. Jia Qi, hold my drink." He pushed his glass towards her hand before Jia Qi could refuse him.
He walked straight up to where Yue was chatting animatedly and stood next to her. He cleared his throat.
"Excuse me, Ms Shen Yue. May I have a word with you, please? It won't take long." He said, being aware of eyes staring at him. The eyes of human 'vultures.'
Yue looked up at him and pursed her lips. He normally had that look when he was about to say something important. "Okay, Didi."
"Yue Yue, is this your friend? Introduce us. He is so shuai." One of the girls giggled. Didi guessed she was around his age.
Yue smiled. "Sure! This is Wang He Di. Didi, these are the girls who have been following my music since I started singing at this club."
He smiled. "Nice to meet you too." Instead of extending his hand, he bowed a little. Yue thought he had never looked so shy before.
The girls looked at each other, and at once they started asking him questions excitedly.
"Where are you from?"
"Have you eaten?"
"What do you do?"
"How do you know Yue?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
He was taken aback by their eagerness but being polite, he tried answering them "I'm half Japanese and I write rap. I met Yue through friends. And..." he skimmed his eye across at Yue. "I'm still single at the moment." No one noticed Yue emitted a small cough.
Again, another string of questions came. Didi glanced at Yue pleadingly.
"Okay girls, that's all for tonight. Remember to buy my album when it's out!" She smiled and pulled his hand away from the group. Why is his hand cold? She had noticed his slightly pale face earlier. Is he still sick?
She led him to their changing room behind the stage. "Have you been waiting for me? Sorry, it's been so crazy here tonight!"
He smiled. In the slightly dimmed room, Yue looked so captivating. His hand reached out and brushed her cheek slightly with the back of his hand. "You were great tonight. I'm so proud of you, Yue. You worked hard. And I know you will be a star in your own special way."
His low gentle voice and that brush on her skin sent shivers down to her toes. She gazed at him, absorbing his distinctive features.
Since she last saw him almost a week ago at his house, she had not stopped thinking about him. Especially that dream. That kiss. She shuddered.
"Did you want something, Didi?" She finally asked.
"Yes. I'm going to take you out for our third date in two weeks' time. You must save the date."
"Oh?" she said, surprised at the disappointment in the tone of her voice.
He grinned. "You sounded like you wanted the date to be tomorrow."
She averted her eyes quickly and looked down. "No. I just thought it would be good for us to get it over and done with. So I don't owe you anything."
"Your words don't match with your feelings. Did you really want to get rid of me quickly, Yue?" he asked, moving a step closer to her.
The room was small when she took a step back and brushed slightly against the wall. "You know that we can always change our agreement. I don't plan to stop seeing you." he said softly.
Yue looked up into his eyes. She regretted immediately. It was the same burning gaze that he had given her on their first date at the bridge. Her heart started to race. She smacked her lips.
He took her hand and placed a piece of paper on her palm. It looked like a concert ticket. "It's in two weeks because Zi Qi can only be in Suzhou on this date."
"You....you mean Deng Zi Qi's concert?" she stammered.
"That's your ticket. Don't lose it." He flashed his boyish grin.
She blinked and flipped the ticket back and forth. Wang He Di had gotten them VIP tickets to GEM's One-Night-ONLY concert! Her heart burst with excitement.
"AAAHHHHHHHHH!! OH MY GOD! WANG HE DI, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!"
She flung her arms around his neck and started jumping up and down. Didi laughed and held her around her waist. "Didi, I could kiss you!" she shouted, pulling his neck towards her face.
They were merely inches away when suddenly, she realized they were hugging, his hands were on her back and she was leaning against him. She quickly released her grip. A hot blush went to her face.
"Dudu. She told me it was a sold-out concert. How did you get the VIP tickets?" she asked, straightening her skirt, which was lifted up when she hugged him.
Yue, what are you doing?
Didi smiled "A month ago. Marco knew a friend working as the organizer."
"A month ago? We just met." She asked, raising one of her eyebrow.
He nodded. "I bought them after the first time I heard you sang her songs."
"But....how do you know I would agree to go with you?" she asked, the sides of her mouth quirked up.
"I took a chance. If not, I can still bring Chao Yue. She likes G.E.M too." he said smugly, watching her expression. Her smile disappeared.
"Or I can give them to Xi Ze and Jia Qi or Kang and his mystery girlfriend whom now I know is Sun Qian. Or I can even bring-" he could not finish his sentence when Yue interrupted him, "The ticket is mine. I will meet you at the concert. It's a deal." She extended her hand to him.
Didi groaned. "We are beyond handshake buddies, Yue." He leaned down and kissed her on her cheek.
A warm surge shot right through her. Before she could protest, he patted her head and smiled "I been wanting to do this."
"Wang He Di!!!"
"Good night, Shen Yue. Don't miss me so much." He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and winked before exiting the room, leaving her gaping at him.
Breathe, Yue, breathe.
Still annoyed at how conceited he was, she went to the mirror and checked her hair. "No one pats my head!" she said, loudly. "I shall let you go this time, Wang He Di. For Zi Qi's sake."
Glancing at the ticket in her hand, she started moving her body and singing G.E.M's Heartbeat song on top of her lungs. Two weeks was an eternity to her.
Was it too long to watch her favorite idol perform live? Or too long to see him again?
Author's notes:
Are you ready for their third date? Will it be their final date? If not, how do you think Didi will persuade her for more dates with him? How else can he romance her? What is an ideal date for you? I would love to hear from you!!
💜💛 Hsien
14.3.2020