Somewhere Only We Know [a Ninomiya Kazunari love story] - Chapter 12, part 2
Somewhere Only We Know, Chapter 12, part 2
Pairing: Ninomiya Kazunari/OC
Rating: PG
Genre: Realistic romance, friendship, family
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything of Arashi or Johnny’s Entertainment! Sorry if I misuse some Japanese phrases.
Summary:
When you’ve been alone for so long, sometimes you forget that you’re lost. But if you one day brush across another hand grappling in the dark - if you dare to take it and hold on tight - you just might find the way out together. Love, in the end, is what saves us all; if you’re brave enough you’ll find it, and if you’re crazy enough it just might stay.
All previous chapters in the master post!
Part 1 here!
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As soon as the photoshoot ended Yuri linked arms with her old friend and hurried off to grab lunch. They didn’t have a minute to spare, and there was so much to catch up on. Based on the Hye Soo she used to know, Yuri took her to somewhere she would enjoy: the exciting, fashionable district of Shibuya. Reunited after such an abrupt severance, Yuri still couldn’t quite believe this mature woman was the same one who had once made them all swear to ‘Jolie Only For Life.’
“Hey, is he very famous? Your co-star. I feel like I’ve seen him around before.” Hye Soo asked over their meal. The pair fit in well with the modern décor and other guests eyed them curiously.
“Yes, he’s one of the top idols here!” Yuri replied. She scanned the city outside the window. “See look there.” she pointed at a billboard for Pocky snacks. Nino’s face stood ten feet tall on the building opposite theirs.
credit: niji-no-kakera
“Uwa, you’re not kidding!” Hye Soo gave her a simpering smile. “You two have good chemistry.”
Yuri hid her blush behind her napkin. “I hope so - or else the movie will turn out strange.”
The observant older woman frowned after some time, “Yuri yah, why aren’t you finishing your food?”
She shook her head. “I - I am, slowly!”
“You haven’t touched the bread.” Hye Soo took a loaf and buttered it for Yuri. “Here.”
The voice of fitness trainers, managers, and public scrutiny of the past panicked inside Yuri’s head; she warily eyed the calorie loaded biscuit. Early on in her career she had learned to calculate every gram of fat and carbohydrate placed before her and how long it would take to burn off, and hadn’t quite gotten rid of the reflex.
“You aren’t still on that diet we had, are you…? You don’t need to worry about such things anymore, dear.”
Hye Soo of all people knew what she was talking about. So feeling the weight of her kind understanding, Yuri accepted the bread and began to enjoy the taste again.
The luxurious stores were full of beautiful clothing, but all Yuri could do was run a hand through the displays in distraction; there was a great contrast in the Hye Soo she had once known. This new woman was upright and unapologetic, proud of her slightly rounder figure from bearing a child, and self-sufficient without putting blame for her situation.
The older one noticed that Yuri, who kept her eyes down from across the clothing rack, was much quieter than usual. It was finally time to get to the point. “Yuri ah, I… I’m sorry that I haven’t tried contacting you.”
The girl looked up uneasily from the dress she had pretended to study. “Eonni, you don’t need to…”
“Yes I do need to explain.” She took a deep breath. “When Jae Sook-sshi left me, I was already at the brink. If that hadn’t happened, perhaps something else would have set me off.”
Hye Soo gave her old band mate a knowing smile.
“Ga In, Eun Mi - they didn’t notice, but I know you did - how consumed I was by all the expectations. Being pretty, skinny, taking responsibility for when our sales weren’t doing well… And I felt like more of a failure when I couldn’t stick up for what kind of music we really wanted to make. We had been working with Jae Sook-sshi for so long that I didn’t realize he was manipulating me… all of us. I clearly remember what you once said - Jolie had deviated so far from the positive message we had started out with, but there was no possible way that we could revert back. We had just become another girl group known for their looks and their sexy dances… and that’s all the public ever wanted.
“I just wanted to stop being the leader, stop torturing myself with the fans’ opinions, and that made me very, very self-centered. I didn’t think about you three when I started the affair. It was so exhilarating to rebel, and Manager couldn’t leak the information without compromising his own idols, right?
“When I had little Da Hee I admit, at first I was selfishly relieved. She was my ticket out of that life. Even though I had to cut you three off right as we were preparing for our Japanese debut…
“It took me a LONG time to get to this point, to accept all the mistakes I had made. I managed to find another career that I love and excel in, while still remaining true to myself. Little Da Hee helped me realize that sooner… How the end of my fame wasn't the end of the world, and that it was never as important as I had thought it to be. She’s the most important thing to me now.”
Yuri swallowed the lump in her throat. It had been an abridged version, but those were still the words she had been longing to hear. They had come so far, there was no use in any harbored bitterness. Besides, she herself had broken free of idoldom. She knew the fever to escape.
“How old is she now?”
“Almost four.” Hye Soo smiled proudly. “Here’s a picture.”
Her cell phone background was of a clever-eyed, chubby cheeked little toddler with wisps of fine hair pulled into bouncy pigtails.
Yuri cooed. “Gwiyeowo, she’s adorable! She looks just like you! Is she back in Seoul? I would have liked to meet her.”
“Yes, my mother is babysitting her. But definitely, when we meet again… You’ll just love her.”
Yuri nodded warmly. Their futures weren’t untangled after all.
“How is your mother, by the way?” Hye Soo continued. “I remember she was always pushing you to try harder during our trainee days.”
“She calls me, from time to time. As long as I’m working, I don’t think she’ll be too disappointed.”
“And… your father?” the other asked delicately. “Does he still live around here?”
Yuri shrugged. She had learned to stop caring. “The last time I heard, he’s still in Tokyo - although I don’t know where exactly. I wasn’t planning on seeing him.”
“What about your brother? Have you… found him?”
Her smile faltered for a moment. “Not yet. Still looking.”
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Sorry for being a little slow with the updates and pace of the story! Nino wasn't in this latter half... I honestly don't know if people are reading this though! haha