[Multi Chap] Dreaming For Reality (Jun x OC) Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Title: Dreaming For Reality
Paring: Matsumoto Jun x OC
Rating: PG (G at this moment)
Matsumoto Akira placed a glass of whisky on the coffee table in front of his old friend.
Sudesh moved his one year old daughter from his lap to the carpeted floor. The fat baby now sulkily stared at Jun’s back, who was leaning against his father’s legs, staring wistfully at the doorway, waiting for his sister to come home from kindergarten.
“Whisky now, Akira? At 11 in the morning?” Sudesh smirked as Akira poured himself a glass.
“Shut up and drink.” Akira commanded coldly and downed his glass in one burning gulp. Sudesh drank up, obediently listening to his boss.
“When do you want to go?”
“In two months, permanently. But I’ll be flying in and out before that, though. Leena and Saesha will stay here until then.” Sudesh answered quietly, running his fingertips softly over the top of his daughter’s head.
Silence settled over the sofa occupied by the two old friends. They had always been together, since their days from Harvard Business School. Both Asians, sent away from their warm home and families to thousands of miles away, to fulfil the dreams of their parents.
The two had only each other to seek comfort in. Sure, there were others who shared their predicament, but things just always seemed to click for them at the right time, strengthening their bond from day one.
Graduation hadn’t separated them. Neither had marriage. Sudesh had moved to Tokyo immediately accepting an offer from Akira’s uncle who ran his own dental technologies research company.
“Take this company international!” The elderly man had jovially instructed the two boys, fresh out of college. A daunting task, they accepted it, filled to the brim with excitement and adopting the old man’s dream as their own. Their parents were proud as well, the fortune spent on schooling them was not going to waste.
Things were going well. Akira’s girlfriend got pregnant, and he married her 7 months before they had a baby girl, Rei. Jun followed three years later. Sudesh married his childhood sweetheart and they moved to Tokyo together, Saesha was born after two years.
If there was one regret both men had when they were studying, it was that they couldn’t be with their families. They vowed to each other on their graduation day that they will keep their families as close as possible and never leave them again.
Akira kept up his end of the deal. His young family are always together, and he takes good care of his mother who lives in the country, visiting her with his family every weekend without fail. Sudesh however, had his wife and daughter with him, but his parents and siblings lived 3000 miles away in Thailand.
Sudesh never said anything aloud, but Akira knew he was itching to go home. Both men now loathed the vow they had made. Fulfilling it meant leaving each other.
Sudesh was now proposing an expansion of the company to Thailand. And part of the proposal was that he personally saw to the affairs of the Thai office. Business wise, it was perfect. He had the knowledge and know-how of the parent company, its operations, and he also knew the market in Thailand. It was his turf. Akira silently wished his uncle wouldn’t approve it. His uncle was elated and asked them to begin immediately.
Both men lost in their own thoughts, Jun got up and ran to the door when he thought he heard someone opening it. There was nobody there. Disappointed, he dragged his feet back to his father’s study to find that the baby had crawled after him. Sidestepping her, he ran to the couch and jumped onto his father’s lap, surprising the two men.
“Tou-san, when’s Nee-chan coming back?” he lisped through a gap in his teeth.
Akira grinned widely hearing his son’s lisp.
“Don’t you think his lisp is adorable?” he asked Sudesh who hurried to catch his daughter before she got any further.
Jun started whining and palming his father’s face when his question wasn’t answered, only earning more laughs, and in the end, was severely tickled as punishment.
“I’m never sending my kids away” Akira declared as he let his son lean on his chest to catch his breath.
Sudesh smiled at him, “You know what they say about kids, Akira. Send them away, and they’ll want to come home. Keep them at home, and they’ll want to go away. Exactly what happened with us.”
Akira thought about this for a while, running his fingers through his son’s thick hair.
“Nah, he can study here, work here, and live here. They both have everything they could ever want.”
Sudesh simply smiled in response and turned back to the gurgling baby in his lap.
****25 years later ****
“Thank you.” Saesha inclined her head and stepped out of the audition room.
Closing the heavy wooden oak door, she headed for the administrative secretary’s table to sign off her attendance.
“Thank you for your participation, Miss Saesha, we will contact you if your application is successful.” The young girl smiled sweetly up at her.
Saesha smiled back and gathered her bag, heading out to the lift lobby. As she did, she passed by 6 more applicants waiting for their turn to audition.
Once out of the hallway, her shoulders slumped and she let her bag fall to the ground. The confident smile and posture was now gone and a depressed look came over her face. Whimpering, she tried her best to hold back her tears. Feeling ridiculous standing in the middle of the lift lobby, she dragged her bag to the glass window in the far corner of the room. She was now hidden from sight of anyone who walks through the lift lobby.
Resting her forehead on the cold window, she looked out at the raining sky.
“I haven’t lost the audition yet, why do you have to cry so soon?” she mumbled to the rumbling sky.
She heaved another heavy sigh, fogging the glass with her breath for a second.
She looked down on the traffic filled road below.
Damn, it’s jammed up already, I better leave now or I’ll take forever getting home!
Straightening up, she looked at her reflection in the window. The person staring back at her was a smartly dressed young woman, looking like she was ready to take over the world. Powerful, bold, and stylish to boot! Then her gaze rested on her face, and there she saw the most inexpressive eyes she had ever seen. Disappointed, she turned away and headed to the lift.
*****
Saesha pulled up in front of her home 45 minutes later and turned off the ignition. The rain was pounding heavily on the windows. Ten minutes later, the rain didn’t look like it was going to stop. Holding her coat tight around her shoulders, she positioned a big umbrella near the top of the car door. She pulled the latch and opened the car door a crack to wedge the umbrella through first. No use, she was getting increasingly wet when she kicked open the door and made more room for the umbrella to open. Clutching her bag tightly to her chest, she dashed to the front door of the house, the umbrella sheltering only her head.
“Mama, I’m home!” She called out when she walked in through the door, leaving her bag and wet coat on the living room sofa.
Not at home? She thought, removing her watch and earrings one by one as she headed to the kitchen. The house felt strangely dark and quiet.
Saesha stopped when she got to the dining room. Her parents were seated at the dining table, some papers spread out in front of them. Papa had his glasses in one hand, and the other was rubbing his eyes wearily. Mama was seated silently next to him, patting his back.
“Papa! What are you doing home so early?” Saesha asked, breaking the silence and momentarily breaking the apparent sadness that hung over her parent’s heads.
“Ah Saesha, you’re home!” Mama got up and Papa put his glasses back on and gathered his papers together.
Saesha’s eyes were drawn to her father’s figure.
Something is wrong. But what? She mused as she sat down next to him and continued to watch. Papa gathered his papers and got up to leave, mussing her hair and leaving without a word.
“How did the audition go?” Mama asked as she placed a cup of hot tea in front of Saesha and draped a towel on her head.
*****