Love So Sweet [an Ohno Satoshi love story] - Chapter 44
Today was the second day of filming for Ohno’s new drama, Keiji-san: Ward 3, about a cocky, zealous small town cop who by a lucky incident, is transferred to one of Tokyo’s elite police departments. It was a suspense drama mixed with comedy.
Some way or another, word always leaked out to the fandom of where the Arashi members’ shooting locations would be. Lined up along the small neighborhood street were dozens of fans, mostly school girls but housewives as well, there to see the idol Ohno Satoshi up close. Some held uchiwas and signs. A few couldn’t help but cry out his name or “Ganbatte!” - he smiled and waved shyly, earning more giggles. But they all hushed respectfully as filming was about to start.
This was the last scene scheduled for the day, where he was chasing a boy who had broken a window with his baseball. It was a bit of a complicated one involving many extras crossing his path. Being a professional, Ohno took a deep breath, pushed the fans out of his mind for the moment, and focused on his character. He squinted through the strong wind and secured his helmet on.
“And - action!”
Ohno revved the motorcycle engine loudly and sped off down the asphalt. He yelled and gestured threateningly (in a humorous way) while “pedestrians” squealed and jumped out of his way.
Suddenly, a strong gust blew and a large plastic bag flew in Ohno’s view, snagging on his helmet brim. In that brief second where he couldn’t pull it free or see in front of him, he heard screams, slammed on the breaks--- A bitter crash of metal and gravel---
Everyone was in a panic-filled warp. Staff immediately dashed to the scene where the idol lay beside his toppled motorcycle, clutching his arm. They removed his helmet so that he could breathe, revealing his face twisted in distress. An ambulance was called right away. The spectators cried and crowded anxiously around Ohno; workers were just barely able to keep them at bay. In moments, a dozen cell phones were pulled out and the fan girls, with rapid fingers, Twittered the Arashi fan page in alarm…
Meanwhile, at the famous yakiniku restaurant Jojoen, a circular grill laden with slices of beef and vegetables smoked deliciously between Rina and Michiyo. The two friends were catching up after such a long time. Their main subject of choice was Sho and his recent marriage. Michiyo was somewhat heartbroken (Sho had been her ni-ban, after Matsujun) but at the same time very happy for him. He deserved to find his special someone, although she had had a sliver of a hope that she would have been the one. Such a dream was somewhere in every fangirl’s heart, after all.
“Where are they going for their honeymoon?”
Rina chuckled. “I told you, I’m sworn to secrecy!”
“Fine, fine… I had to try.” As Michiyo popped another piece in her mouth, she opened her phone to check her text - and she yelped.
“Still too hot?” Rina asked calmly.
“N-no, not the yakiniku!” Michiyo cried tearfully.
Her friend’s quite real alarm was startling. What was going on?
“Oh-Ohno-san is in the hospital!” the young woman squeaked. “There was an accident-“
Rina’s stomach dropped and she felt herself grow a little cold. “What?”
The receptionist would not let Rina pass. No matter how much Rina insisted that she wasn’t a random fangirl, the lady wouldn’t believe her - understandably. If she wasn’t a fan, then how did she personally know Ohno-san? That, Rina couldn’t quite answer.
“Please, just call his room and tell him I’m here.” she entreated.
With a thin-lipped “Of course, one moment,” the woman dialed and explained that a Katsumi Rina-san was here to see the patient. After a moment, she hung up. “He is in room 407, Katsumi-san. The elevator is to your right.”
credit: shokim
When Rina opened the door, she was relieved to see Ohno sitting up in his bed, awake, flipping through channels on the TV nonchalantly. His right arm was in a sling - otherwise, he seemed perfectly fine. His face lit up when he saw her. She rushed to him and gave him a huge hug.
“Itei--”
“I was so scared, Satoshi!” Rina exclaimed, almost scolding him tenderly. “Everyone made it sound like…”
“… You smell like meat.” he chuckled.
“I was just at yakiniku.” she muttered, still not letting go.
“How did you know so soon…?”
“By the magic of texting. Arashi fans are amazing, majide.” Rina released him. “Does it hurt?”
“Not too bad now, though the drugs kind of make me sleepy. The doctor said it’s an… elbow contusion. It should heal in about ten days.”
“Yokatta…”
“I knew I wasn’t mean to drive.” Ohno joked. “But now I get a few days off from anything film related. I kind of already was anyway, since Sho-kun’s gone, but… oh well.” He gestured for her, and she sat up on the tiny bed with him - he wrapped his good arm around her and they watched the Zoom In news report together. It was an awkward position, but it was comforting.
Speaking of Sho, one of the commentators began the subject of the his recent wedding. A VTR came up on screen of clips of Sho from various glitzy events and concerts.
“The whole Arashi fandom has been in a state of shock after learning that the popular idol group’s second oldest member, Sakurai Sho, has just married an unnamed civilian this past Saturday. No verification as to specific wedding details, but his manager has confirmed that Sakurai-san is taking a few days off to spend time with his new wife…
“Responses on online forums and blogs, and of course the Arashi fan club, show that there is a mixture of both outrage and support in regards to Sakurai-san’s decision, but mostly positive feelings… Viewer shokundaisuki writes: ‘I hope that Sho-kun is blessed in his marriage, and that he will continue to be part of Arashi, lending his new point of view as a married man to the other members.’ Experts do not expect a decline in Arashi’s popularity despite this upset.
“Sakurai Sho is the latest of Johnny’s idols to announce his marriage without warning, after Kimura Takuya in 2000,Yamaguchi Tatsuya in 2008 and Yamashita Tomohisa in early 2011. Now in other media news…”
The nurse opened the door and froze in her tracks to see Rina and Ohno cuddling- making for a very awkward silence. Red in the face, Rina jumped up and excused herself. While Ohno was worried about this little lapse in caution, he also found it amusing.
Before they knew it, in a matter of days, rumors spread about Ohno Satoshi and his new girlfriend, former reality show star Katsumi Rina, who was back in Japan for work. Numerous media commentators still remembered the intelligent, talented young woman who was so distinctly real compared to other TV stars. Various eye witnesses reported seeing the pair at Orion, Rina’s promotional restaurant, along the water front, and in Omotesando Hills. Bubka magazine, one of Japan’s most infamous gossip sources, posted an exclusive picture of them sharing an umbrella in the summer rain. It was grainy, but you could make out Ohno’s distinctive face half shaded by his cap, and Rina with a large hood pulled over her spill of hair.
This was proof enough for the public. Johnny’s Jimusho was being bombarded with inquiries, and their Public Relations team had no idea what to say. Johnny-san himself called Ohno into his office.
“Ohno-kun… Have a seat.” the diminutive old man said somberly.
Ohno took his hat off and sat down carefully - his arm was still in a sling. Johnny-san sat in his CEO recliner, and smoothed the Bubka magazine out on the desk between them. Surely Ohno was aware of it.
Johnny got right to the point. His wiry eyebrows and sharp eyes were always rather intimidating despite his stature. “Is it true? Are you dating Katsumi-san?”
“Yes, sir…” Ohno admitted quietly. He hated this feeling of being in trouble - and honestly, for proper reasons.
“For how long?”
“We were together three years ago… And then for the past two weeks since she’s been back.”
Johnny-san let out a big frustrated sigh. Back then, too, and Ohno hadn’t informed his manager?
“Does anyone know that she is Sakurai-kun’s cousin?”
“Very few people, mostly older débuted (meaning those members already in groups)… and my family.”
The old man nodded, frowning as he weighed all their options. Ohno was one of his best, after all. Plus, fans had taken Sho’s sudden marriage announcement fairly well, so…
“Would you like us to confirm it?”
This shocked Ohno; he looked up from his fidgeting hands with wide eyes. He had expected Johnny to demand that they break up right away, followed by a punishment in the form of pulled CMs and attendance on a rainbow-filled, kid-related program. That was the usual deal. But here was Johnny, supporting one of his idols in breaking the most important rule of the idol lifestyle? Was the man finally growing soft?
A whooshing sense of freedom came over Ohno. “Yes. I - I think Rina and I are ready for that.”
Since Ohno had a few days free from filming or public appearances, him and Rina spent much time together in local restaurants that served food like okonomiyaki (which could be eaten easily with the non-dominant hand.) Or, they just lazed around in his apartment. Although he was an ojii-san at nearly 32 years old, Ohno’s elbow contusion was healing very nicely, quicker than doctor expected.
Even though Ohno didn’t have too much to do except memorize his drama lines, Rina had to continue to work hard. One good thing about her job was that it was fairly mobile. She brought with her score sheets and her laptop laden with music recording software.
“Satoshi-kun, can you sing this for me?” she asked, handing him some messy musical scores with lyrics tentatively scrawled between the lines. “It’s a duet for Ninomiya-san and Shimada-san… I know how I want it to sound in my head, but it’s a duet so… Just follow along with me.”
She played the instrumental on her laptop, and began to tentatively sing the chorus. Ohno came in promptly with his “lazy,” but still remarkable, voice.
“It’s like I’m invincible, floating along this breeze
Blowing straight through the clouds
And I’m amazed, that I’ve found a person like you.
Day by day, even though the world changes,
Just like this… it’s love.”
That was all she had come up with so far. She sighed. “It’s kind of cheesy… I’ve never really tried lyrics before.”
He shrugged. “No, I like it. It has a good feeling to it.”
------------------------------------------
I’m sorry, hospital scenes are some of my favorites in romance XD There’s nothing quite like illness or dangerous scrapes that bring people together, right?
It was slightly amusing to suppose that Yamapi would marry in 2011. He's dating Kagami Seira, after all, and I think they look cute together.
And I know it's been pretty slow, but I promise that something big will happen in the next chapter!
Some way or another, word always leaked out to the fandom of where the Arashi members’ shooting locations would be. Lined up along the small neighborhood street were dozens of fans, mostly school girls but housewives as well, there to see the idol Ohno Satoshi up close. Some held uchiwas and signs. A few couldn’t help but cry out his name or “Ganbatte!” - he smiled and waved shyly, earning more giggles. But they all hushed respectfully as filming was about to start.
This was the last scene scheduled for the day, where he was chasing a boy who had broken a window with his baseball. It was a bit of a complicated one involving many extras crossing his path. Being a professional, Ohno took a deep breath, pushed the fans out of his mind for the moment, and focused on his character. He squinted through the strong wind and secured his helmet on.
“And - action!”
Ohno revved the motorcycle engine loudly and sped off down the asphalt. He yelled and gestured threateningly (in a humorous way) while “pedestrians” squealed and jumped out of his way.
Suddenly, a strong gust blew and a large plastic bag flew in Ohno’s view, snagging on his helmet brim. In that brief second where he couldn’t pull it free or see in front of him, he heard screams, slammed on the breaks--- A bitter crash of metal and gravel---
Everyone was in a panic-filled warp. Staff immediately dashed to the scene where the idol lay beside his toppled motorcycle, clutching his arm. They removed his helmet so that he could breathe, revealing his face twisted in distress. An ambulance was called right away. The spectators cried and crowded anxiously around Ohno; workers were just barely able to keep them at bay. In moments, a dozen cell phones were pulled out and the fan girls, with rapid fingers, Twittered the Arashi fan page in alarm…
Meanwhile, at the famous yakiniku restaurant Jojoen, a circular grill laden with slices of beef and vegetables smoked deliciously between Rina and Michiyo. The two friends were catching up after such a long time. Their main subject of choice was Sho and his recent marriage. Michiyo was somewhat heartbroken (Sho had been her ni-ban, after Matsujun) but at the same time very happy for him. He deserved to find his special someone, although she had had a sliver of a hope that she would have been the one. Such a dream was somewhere in every fangirl’s heart, after all.
“Where are they going for their honeymoon?”
Rina chuckled. “I told you, I’m sworn to secrecy!”
“Fine, fine… I had to try.” As Michiyo popped another piece in her mouth, she opened her phone to check her text - and she yelped.
“Still too hot?” Rina asked calmly.
“N-no, not the yakiniku!” Michiyo cried tearfully.
Her friend’s quite real alarm was startling. What was going on?
“Oh-Ohno-san is in the hospital!” the young woman squeaked. “There was an accident-“
Rina’s stomach dropped and she felt herself grow a little cold. “What?”
The receptionist would not let Rina pass. No matter how much Rina insisted that she wasn’t a random fangirl, the lady wouldn’t believe her - understandably. If she wasn’t a fan, then how did she personally know Ohno-san? That, Rina couldn’t quite answer.
“Please, just call his room and tell him I’m here.” she entreated.
With a thin-lipped “Of course, one moment,” the woman dialed and explained that a Katsumi Rina-san was here to see the patient. After a moment, she hung up. “He is in room 407, Katsumi-san. The elevator is to your right.”
credit: shokim
When Rina opened the door, she was relieved to see Ohno sitting up in his bed, awake, flipping through channels on the TV nonchalantly. His right arm was in a sling - otherwise, he seemed perfectly fine. His face lit up when he saw her. She rushed to him and gave him a huge hug.
“Itei--”
“I was so scared, Satoshi!” Rina exclaimed, almost scolding him tenderly. “Everyone made it sound like…”
“… You smell like meat.” he chuckled.
“I was just at yakiniku.” she muttered, still not letting go.
“How did you know so soon…?”
“By the magic of texting. Arashi fans are amazing, majide.” Rina released him. “Does it hurt?”
“Not too bad now, though the drugs kind of make me sleepy. The doctor said it’s an… elbow contusion. It should heal in about ten days.”
“Yokatta…”
“I knew I wasn’t mean to drive.” Ohno joked. “But now I get a few days off from anything film related. I kind of already was anyway, since Sho-kun’s gone, but… oh well.” He gestured for her, and she sat up on the tiny bed with him - he wrapped his good arm around her and they watched the Zoom In news report together. It was an awkward position, but it was comforting.
Speaking of Sho, one of the commentators began the subject of the his recent wedding. A VTR came up on screen of clips of Sho from various glitzy events and concerts.
“The whole Arashi fandom has been in a state of shock after learning that the popular idol group’s second oldest member, Sakurai Sho, has just married an unnamed civilian this past Saturday. No verification as to specific wedding details, but his manager has confirmed that Sakurai-san is taking a few days off to spend time with his new wife…
“Responses on online forums and blogs, and of course the Arashi fan club, show that there is a mixture of both outrage and support in regards to Sakurai-san’s decision, but mostly positive feelings… Viewer shokundaisuki writes: ‘I hope that Sho-kun is blessed in his marriage, and that he will continue to be part of Arashi, lending his new point of view as a married man to the other members.’ Experts do not expect a decline in Arashi’s popularity despite this upset.
“Sakurai Sho is the latest of Johnny’s idols to announce his marriage without warning, after Kimura Takuya in 2000,Yamaguchi Tatsuya in 2008 and Yamashita Tomohisa in early 2011. Now in other media news…”
The nurse opened the door and froze in her tracks to see Rina and Ohno cuddling- making for a very awkward silence. Red in the face, Rina jumped up and excused herself. While Ohno was worried about this little lapse in caution, he also found it amusing.
Before they knew it, in a matter of days, rumors spread about Ohno Satoshi and his new girlfriend, former reality show star Katsumi Rina, who was back in Japan for work. Numerous media commentators still remembered the intelligent, talented young woman who was so distinctly real compared to other TV stars. Various eye witnesses reported seeing the pair at Orion, Rina’s promotional restaurant, along the water front, and in Omotesando Hills. Bubka magazine, one of Japan’s most infamous gossip sources, posted an exclusive picture of them sharing an umbrella in the summer rain. It was grainy, but you could make out Ohno’s distinctive face half shaded by his cap, and Rina with a large hood pulled over her spill of hair.
This was proof enough for the public. Johnny’s Jimusho was being bombarded with inquiries, and their Public Relations team had no idea what to say. Johnny-san himself called Ohno into his office.
“Ohno-kun… Have a seat.” the diminutive old man said somberly.
Ohno took his hat off and sat down carefully - his arm was still in a sling. Johnny-san sat in his CEO recliner, and smoothed the Bubka magazine out on the desk between them. Surely Ohno was aware of it.
Johnny got right to the point. His wiry eyebrows and sharp eyes were always rather intimidating despite his stature. “Is it true? Are you dating Katsumi-san?”
“Yes, sir…” Ohno admitted quietly. He hated this feeling of being in trouble - and honestly, for proper reasons.
“For how long?”
“We were together three years ago… And then for the past two weeks since she’s been back.”
Johnny-san let out a big frustrated sigh. Back then, too, and Ohno hadn’t informed his manager?
“Does anyone know that she is Sakurai-kun’s cousin?”
“Very few people, mostly older débuted (meaning those members already in groups)… and my family.”
The old man nodded, frowning as he weighed all their options. Ohno was one of his best, after all. Plus, fans had taken Sho’s sudden marriage announcement fairly well, so…
“Would you like us to confirm it?”
This shocked Ohno; he looked up from his fidgeting hands with wide eyes. He had expected Johnny to demand that they break up right away, followed by a punishment in the form of pulled CMs and attendance on a rainbow-filled, kid-related program. That was the usual deal. But here was Johnny, supporting one of his idols in breaking the most important rule of the idol lifestyle? Was the man finally growing soft?
A whooshing sense of freedom came over Ohno. “Yes. I - I think Rina and I are ready for that.”
Since Ohno had a few days free from filming or public appearances, him and Rina spent much time together in local restaurants that served food like okonomiyaki (which could be eaten easily with the non-dominant hand.) Or, they just lazed around in his apartment. Although he was an ojii-san at nearly 32 years old, Ohno’s elbow contusion was healing very nicely, quicker than doctor expected.
Even though Ohno didn’t have too much to do except memorize his drama lines, Rina had to continue to work hard. One good thing about her job was that it was fairly mobile. She brought with her score sheets and her laptop laden with music recording software.
“Satoshi-kun, can you sing this for me?” she asked, handing him some messy musical scores with lyrics tentatively scrawled between the lines. “It’s a duet for Ninomiya-san and Shimada-san… I know how I want it to sound in my head, but it’s a duet so… Just follow along with me.”
She played the instrumental on her laptop, and began to tentatively sing the chorus. Ohno came in promptly with his “lazy,” but still remarkable, voice.
“It’s like I’m invincible, floating along this breeze
Blowing straight through the clouds
And I’m amazed, that I’ve found a person like you.
Day by day, even though the world changes,
Just like this… it’s love.”
That was all she had come up with so far. She sighed. “It’s kind of cheesy… I’ve never really tried lyrics before.”
He shrugged. “No, I like it. It has a good feeling to it.”
------------------------------------------
I’m sorry, hospital scenes are some of my favorites in romance XD There’s nothing quite like illness or dangerous scrapes that bring people together, right?
It was slightly amusing to suppose that Yamapi would marry in 2011. He's dating Kagami Seira, after all, and I think they look cute together.
And I know it's been pretty slow, but I promise that something big will happen in the next chapter!