Chapter Text
“Someday, Satoru, she’ll be your bride. Aren’t you such a lucky boy?” Gojo Akiko patted her son on his back, but her gaze was focused on a girl who was two years older than her son.
“Why am I lucky? She’s way older than me. She’s practically a hag,” Satoru rolled his eyes, frowning.
However, just like his mother, he was also staring at the girl who was accompanying her mother to greet the other guests in the party her family was hosting. He had long known her that it wasn’t considered rude for him to stare at her. The whole society knew how close their families were. As such, it was a given that Satoru and his mother were invited to a party hosted by the Iori Clan.
His mother laughed, knowing that her son was lying. She knew how her son was secretly pining after the daughter of the Iori Clan. Akiko didn’t say anything in return, though, to spare her son from the embarrassment.
The girl and her mother made their way to their table, greeting them as Akiko and her son stood up to greet the hostess of the party.
“It’s nice that you could join our party, Mrs. Gojo and Satoru. I saw Mr. Gojo earlier with my husband and other members of the Chamber,” Mrs. Iori greeted the Gojo Matriarch and the Gojo Clan Heir. The Chamber, Satoru noted, was the Tokyo Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce that was being chaired by his father.
Akiko rolled her eyes, “Oh, aren’t you too distant when we’re about to be in-laws in a few years?”
Iori Miwako faked a gasp, “Was I?”
Akiko laughed as the two childhood friends laughed and chatted among themselves, while their children were just silent at the side. They excused themselves, deciding that they needed to try the new dessert that the chef had whipped up for the party. Utahime and Satoru knew that what it really meant was that they were going to talk about trivial matters that they couldn’t discuss in front of their children.
“Hi, Satoru. I’m happy you could join the party tonight,” Utahime smiled.
The boy smirked, “I’m sure you’re honored that I could be here.”
Utahime simply smiled, not saying anything snarky in return. She was the older one. She was the mature one. She had to be more understanding to a boy who was in the midst of puberty.
“What’s it like to be eighteen? You’re practically a hag now,” he tried to push her buttons. He didn’t know why, but he just enjoyed doing it, especially when Utahime’s mask was chipping away.
“I’m sorry, I think you’re the one who’s older than me, since you misheard ‘happy’ with ‘honored.’ You might need to get your ears checked,” She casually replied in return. She was looking at their mothers, who were still busy talking about something Utahime didn’t want to pry.
“Nope. You’re the hag. You’re eighteen. I’m just fifteen.”
“You do know you’ll turn eighteen someday, right?” She reminded him.
“And by that time, you’ll be what? 20?”
“By the time I’m 20, I’ll be so pretty and elegant that I’m sure everyone will chase after me.”
Satoru snorted, “You wish.”
He wished nobody would. He was about to tell her that out of pettiness, but his mother had already arrived with a serious look on her face. His mother made an excuse out of thin air, something Satoru knew that wasn’t true. In the car ride, his mother explained to him that they had to leave the party as part of his father’s orders.
Satoru decided that he was gonna tell Utahime what he couldn’t tell her the next time they met. And, maybe he could add why he didn’t want anyone else to chase after her.
But, surprisingly, that was the last time he saw her.
It was a new day in the life of Gojo Satoru, but this time, he was in another city. He was in Seoul. It’s not that he had transferred to another residence. Rather, he was on a much-needed vacation.
Hence, it wasn’t surprising that he brought along his children.
Correction, his wards. His parents would throw a fit if they heard him say that out loud. They wanted grandchildren of their own; grandchildren from their own blood and lineage; grandchildren to whom their son could pass on the legacy of a zaibatsu and clan that has existed for centuries.
However, Satoru just didn’t feel like it. He couldn’t just see himself building a life with someone-
A phone call interrupted his thoughts as his secretary, Ijichi, called. It was probably to remind him of the upcoming meeting he was supposed to have in Seoul. The main reason why he had come to Seoul was because he needed to meet a potential business partner. He wasn’t really on a vacation.
“Yo, Ijichi, why don’t you bring the kids to that theme park they have here in Seoul?” Satoru said as soon as he answered the phone. He didn’t wait for his secretary to tell him about a meeting that he was fully aware of.
“Theme park? But who’s going to assist you-“
“I’ll be fine. Come on, Ijichi. It’s not like I’m gonna get lost in Seoul, right? I can just take a taxi cab, so that I won’t get lost.”
‘This isn’t Tokyo,’ Satoru could practically hear the retort his secretary was about to say. So, he decided to interrupt before he could say anything.
“Besides, the kids are bored already. They’ve been holed up in the hotel since yesterday,” Satoru reminded his secretary. It was a miracle that the two kids were just fine with staying in the hotel since yesterday. Ijichi couldn’t argue that the kids had to recover from a jet lag since Japan and South Korea were located in the same time zone.
“But, are you sure you’ll be fine, Mr. Gojo?” Ijichi asked.
Gojo laughed, “What? Like I’m 5?”
And maybe, he was indeed five years old.
Gojo sighed as the taxi he was riding broke down in the middle of the road. So, the driver apologized to him (in broken English) and told him that Gojo had to take another taxi or just walk to his location.
Fortunately, he wasn’t late yet and the location of his meeting was just five minutes away by walk. He still paid the full amount the driver, nonetheless, and tried to walk to the location by himself.
He passed by a records store that had a crowd flocking over a pile of CDs and DVDs.
“A Princez CD!” He heard someone squeal as the girl who was clearly younger than him held up the CD to her delight. The girl then talked in another language to her companion whose eyes lighted up at the sight of the CD. Her companion went to the corner where the girl had been in and squealed from what Satoru could assume was out of delight.
The Hallyu Wave and K-pop Industry of South Korea was still definitely flourishing at this age, and it was clearly helping South Korea recover the setback it took from the global pandemic era. Where else would you see people from various ages flocking and fawning over decade-old CDs?
Satoru sighed, shaking his head as he took a look on the poster that was plastered on the window of the records store. The woman with a sharp look on her face was clearly looking straight at the camera when the photo was taken.
“RAE: Ray of Light,” Satoru mumbled as he read the title on the poster. He stared at the poster, his eyes not wavering at the sight of the woman he never-
A phone call interrupted his thoughts as he realized that it was Ijichi yet again.
“Why, Ijichi, what’s up?”
“Mr. Gojo, the other side called, asking where you were. It’s thirty minutes past nine! I knew I should have just gone with you. I didn’t think that you would…” Ijichi continued to mumble as Gojo paused for a moment, realizing that he had been standing on the same spot for more than half an hour already.
He laughed, interrupting Ijichi’s tirade of panic and regret.
“Mr. Gojo? Are you okay? Is something wrong?” Ijichi asked.
Gojo cleared his throat, loosening his necktie before stretching his arms and legs, “I’m five minutes away. The car I rode had broke down in the middle of the road. Surely, they’ll understand that, right?”
“Are you okay? What had happened? Did you get into an acc-” “I’m fine. Tell them I’m 5 minutes away. This time, for sure,” Gojo said. He put down the call as he took a last look at the poster. Surely, this would be the last time, he thought to himself, before he started to run towards the venue of the meeting he was supposed to already be in thirty minutes ago.
The meeting started with no bad blood, especially with Gojo appearing in the meeting room, looking a bit haggard as he panted. The other party presumably heard already from Ijichi what had happened. They even offered that he could take a breather first before they started, but Gojo declined, straightening his necktie and telling them that he had shown enough unprofessionalism already at this point. The meeting eventually ended with both parties presenting what they could bring into the joint venture. However, ultimately, both parties knew what the real reason for the joint venture was.
The Gojo Zaibatsu was expanding its business operations in South Korea. Satoru’s father insisted that being one big conglomerate that catered to Japan was not enough. They should aim for regionalization, and eventually, globalization. Quite honestly, Satoru was already satisfied with what they had already. While expanding their business outside of Japan was a good ambition, it might be too much already at this point. Sometimes, Satoru no longer had time for himself or even to look at the kids.
Then again, the plan helped in staving off his mother’s attempts of matchmaking him with different women; some of them a decade younger. It’s as if his own mother forgot that he was not into younger women.
A phone call had interrupted his thoughts as he excused himself from the lunch that he was having with his potential business partners. Getting a call from Ijichi was not really surprising. Sometimes, his secretary liked to update him of things from time-to-time. And given that he was with the kids in the theme park, he would probably inform Satoru of the current status.
“Mr. Gojo, I have bad news. Megumi, he’s missing. He disappeared out of the blue while I was lining up in the cashier to buy them food!”
Satoru instantly dashed out of the restaurant without a second thought, blurting a very quick explanation to his business partners who had a surprised look on their faces at the fast blur that happened in front of them.
It was a rare day off for Utahime.
And while she preferred to spend it at home with her family, said family members were not around. They did not think she would be free on such a day. So, they already made plans before Utahime announced that she was free for the day. Feeling a bit somber, she decided to go to the one place that should not make anyone feel alone - a theme park.
She had a mask and a cap on to ensure that nobody would realize that it was her. It wasn’t that she caught the so-called “celebrity disease.” But, the last time she went out to a public area without her mask and cap, she had to call security to escort her to safety.
She could barely remember the last time she felt like she was a normal person. Maybe, when she was 18 or 19? Albeit, oddly enough, her life at 18 wasn’t exactly the normal life of a normal person.
She went from living comfortably as the eldest daughter of a zaibatsu clan to being the daughter of a debt-ridden family who had to fly overseas to escape the death threats and harassment their family experienced from loan sharks. While she was singing in a school festival in the new school she transferred to, she was suddenly offered the chance to debut in an idol group which later became known as Princez. At that time, Utahime didn’t want to become an idol as her grades were good enough for her to enter university. However, the loan sharks had followed them to South Korea. In an instant, she decided to become an idol since it was the fastest way for her to pay off her family’s debts. She entered the entertainment world as “Rae” of Princez. Rae from the word “Norae” which was the Korean term for “song”. It was a befitting stage name for Utahime. Time passed and she eventually stayed in the entertainment world even when Princez broke up due to various reasons.
Now that she was 38, she had already gone through different extremes that it was a miracle that she had not gone crazy just yet.
Then again, who would have the time to go crazy when you have millions of debt to pay off? In fact, by the time she had already paid off all the debt, too much time had already passed. She had already grown numb to the pain and depression she was supposed to feel.
She was quietly slipping the popcorn from below her mask to her mouth when she had heard her voice from the phone of two girls who were in their early twenties. From the looks of it, they were probably watching an interview of hers on the phone.
“So, Rae, what’s it like to be an actress?” The host asked.
“Actually, it’s been an eye-opener. It’s nice to know that you could learn more things as you grow older. I wouldn’t call myself an actress yet, but a person who acts. Does that make sense?” Utahime heard herself say.
A laughter track was heard on the video.
“You’re not an actress, but a person who acts? That certainly does not make sense!”
More laughter tracks could be heard.
“No, no, no! Let me explain! I don’t think I have reached the point where I could accurately call myself an actress. My acting skills are not really just there yet. It’s a humbling experience, really. But it’s nice to know that it’s something that I can try to learn, even at this age.”
Utahime gave her past self a thumbs up on how she answered the question. Certainly, acting wasn’t her strongest point. She had always been a singer, and not an actress.
She heard the teenager holding the phone laugh with a disgusted look on her face, “Rae sounds so fake. It’s obvious that she’s trying to appeal to the public.”
“Right? It might be because her popularity’s waning. I mean, that’s obviously why she’s venturing into acting. Her singing career can’t sustain her. I can’t believe she’s been given already so many roles, but she’s still not improving.”
“Oh yes. I’ve seen that movie where she portrayed a mom? Damn, Rae’s still in her thirties but she’s already portraying a mom? Her career’s totally flopping.”
“Damn you’re right. Rae’s probably getting karma for all the spotlight-hogging she did back when she was in Princez.”
Utahime sighed to herself, clenching the popcorn that she was about to slip insider her mask. It wasn’t weird hearing these things. She already read similar comments on the internet. People made up rumors on the reason why Princez broke up out of the blue, but the members themselves and the entertainment company decided to never reveal the real reason why Princez broke up as a girl group.
“Have you heard that rumor that Rae’s actually a bitch?”
“Yes! Yes! I heard that. She hates spending time with her colleagues. And she’s also a bitch when things don’t go her way!”
“Damn, no wonder Rae’s losing work now.”
The part where she’s losing work; that part was actually true. That was the real reason why she had a free day all of a sudden.
Her work was indeed slowly decreasing one by one. One might say that she had earned a lot during her heyday, but majority was used to pay off the debts of her family. She was barely able to buy an apartment and car for herself. Aside from the apartment and the one car her family has, the remaining money was not enough for her to sustain herself and family, should she leave the industry. She had no other skills since she never entered university, so she just simply sucked it up and continued to audition for roles even when she wasn’t exactly a good actress.
For a moment, she was tempted to ask the kids what she could do to improve her acting skills, but that would have been pathetic. Rumors would spread about her having lost her mind in a theme park. They would even talk about how she’s no longer the same Rae from before. This would probably lead to rumors of her using recreational drugs.
What a life, right?
Utahime sighed.
“Don’t talk about her in that way!”
Utahime paused for a moment as she turned to the direction where the two women were sitting.
There was a boy who was probably five years of age, a big frown on his face as he looked at the two ladies.
“Don’t talk about my mom that way! She’s not bad! Why are you saying bad things about her?” The child cried as he pointed at the two teenagers.
“What the fuck? Whose kid is this? What mom? Who’s your mom?” The lady holding the phone was starting to panic as they were surprised that a child was crying all of a sudden. The scene of the child crying had garnered the attention of the people around the area, with people whispering about the scene and pointing at the boy who was crying in front of the two ladies.
“You’re both so bad! Why are you talking about my mom that way? She’s not a bad person, Aunties!” The boy continued crying as the two women were looking at each other, a bit worried that they were getting attention from people around them.
“Aunties? Kid, we’ll have you know that we’re still in our early twenties! We’re not that old!”
“Look, we didn’t talk badly about your mom! The person we’re talking about is not a mother at all. So, you can go out of your way and just-“
“You were talking about mom. That’s what she called herself. My sister told me that she was my Mom! Why are you lying to me? Why are you lying?” The boy continued to create a fuss as the two women looked at each other once again, wondering what they should do.
“Wha-Whatever! You’re being a bad child for pointing fingers at people older than you. Where are your parents? Are you alone? Ha, your parents must have left you in this theme park. Whatever!” The other lady shouted at the kid. However, when they became aware that other people were starting to record videos with their phones, they immediately left the scene.
On the other hand, Utahime was slightly bewildered. She was sure that the kid referred to her as his mother. The two women were loudly talking about her and they even mentioned her name several times. Thus, there was no reason to think that the kid was confused. But it was impossible for her to be his mother because she never gave birth to any kid. In fact, she never had the time to foster romantic relationships since she was just busy working.
“Oh no, the kid seems lost. Someone should bring him to the administrative office.”
“Do you think he’s actually lost or could it be that his parents actually left him in this theme park?”
“I’ve seen that happen in some movies. Does that actually happen in real life?”
The people around the area were buzzing around as the kid slowly stopped crying as he wiped the tears streaming down his face. He was looking around, as if he was observing his surroundings. And then, he slowly turned to where Utahime was sitting as he gleefully ran to her and hugged her tightly.
“Mom! You’re here!” He grinned as Utahime was shocked at how the kid realized that it was her. She was in disguise. Was her disguise not working after all? That was bad.
“Oh! So, your mother is here!” An old lady turned to Utahime who waved at her, “Mother, please pick up your child over here!”
If Utahime chose not to comfort the child, there was a chance that people would talk about her being a bad mother. The videos had already stopped rolling as the people started to put down their phones, but if she ignored the kid, the videos might start rolling. And then, she’d go viral as the mom who left her kid in the park. And then, when people discovered it was her, people might start thinking that she was already a mother never revealed that she had children.
On the other hand, if she chose to comfort the child, people might not think too much about it. And if someone recognized her, she could easily release a statement that she just felt bad for the kid who was already crying very hard, and that she actually brought him to the theme park’s administrative office after comforting him.
Utahime immediately chose the latter option, knowing that it was the safest thing to do. She cleared her throat as she went near the child, setting aside the popcorn she was still eating, “Hey, kid! Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
The child grinned, “Mom?”
“Uhh, I’m not your mom, but let’s try to look for your real mom, okay? Do you not recognize your mom?” Utahime tried to ask him as the child shook his head.
“Why are you saying that you’re not my mom, Mom?” The child insisted who was still hugging her.
Seeing that the people were still curious with the supposed reunion between a mother and a child, Utahime hugged him back. She then decided that it was probably best to leave the area.
“Why don’t we go somewhere first, okay? Are you hungry or something? Let’s grab some food first, okay?”
The kid agreed without making a fuss. She gave a slight bow to the people in the area as they moved to the food court where Utahime bought the kid a hotdog bun and a bottled water. A hotdog bun was definitely not the healthiest snack she could buy for the kid, but it was what he wanted. However, they both compromised that she could not get him soda. Thus, it was bottled water, instead.
“So, what’s your name, kid?”
“… Megumi.”
“Oh, are you Japanese then? You speak good Korean for a Japanese kid, huh?” Utahime pointed out as the child nodded. Suddenly, Utahime realized that the kid had a Japanese accent while speaking in Korean.
“Do you want me to talk in Korean or Japanese?” She asked for his preference.
“Japanese. My Korean is not as good as Tsumiki’s.”
Utahime nodded, switching to the other language to accommodate him.
“So, Megumi, who brought you here? Were you with other people?” Utahime asked. She was hoping to get clues on his background, which she could explain to the theme park manager after she brings him to the theme park’s administrative office later.
“Ijichi,” Megumi answered.
“Oh, I see. So, you were with someone. What time did you arrive here?"
“Morning.”
Eventually, Utahime learned after several questions that Megumi had gotten lost after he had seen her and that he decided to follow her. Megumi was trying to muster the courage to call out to her when he heard the two people talking about her.
“I’ll bring you to this place. This office can help you to search for your dad, okay?” Utahime asked him.
Megumi shut his mouth, shaking his head. “Don’t leave me, Mom.”
Utahime sighed, wondering what she could do. It was obvious that Megumi didn’t want to leave by her side. So, now, she could either spend the entire day trying to convince him or… maybe, they could go around the theme park and search for Megumi’s father under the guise of trying out the rides. Maybe, once his dad spots them, his dad would be able to take him away.
“Do you want to try the rides here?” Utahime asked as the child nodded.
Throughout the afternoon, as they tried several rides, Utahime tried asking Megumi what his dad looked like.
“So, your dad, what does he look like?”
“He has white hair.”
“Oh.” So, Megumi’s father was old, but it wasn’t reassuring since there were a lot of people who had white hair. She had long spotted several old people but they never called out to Megumi.
“He has blue eyes, too.”
“White hair and blue eyes, huh,” Utahime paused for a moment as she suddenly thought of someone who had the same features as Megumi described, but she shook her head. Megumi’s father was named Ijichi. It was weird that his father was him. She shook her head.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
Back to Megumi's father, Utahime figured that his father either wore contacts or was Caucasian.
Utahime and Megumi finished another ride that she deemed was safe for Megumi, while Utahime was on the lookout for Caucasians in the area. They had even gone on the Ferris wheel since it would have been easier for her to spot someone from the top. Furthermore, the Ferris wheel was the must try in the theme park.
“Okay, Megumi, do you remember what your dad wore when he went with you to the theme park today?” Utahime asked, realizing that the Caucasian filter was too general. Surprisingly, there were a lot of Caucasians that day in the theme park. Utahime and Megumi had just finished their turn in the Ferris wheel as they started to walk around the areas they have yet to go around.
“My dad didn’t go with me to the theme park today,” Megumi said as Utahime paused on her tracks, realizing that she was looking for the wrong person the whole time.
“Your dad wasn’t with you?” Utahime asked with her eyes wide open, as Megumi nodded, as if it were a matter of fact.
“It was Ijichi who brought me to this park. Not my dad,” Megumi said as Utahime scratched her head. Great, so there was a chance she might have accidentally missed who Megumi’s guardian was.
“Would you like to tell me how Ijichi looks like?” Utahime could see the hesitation on the kid’s face as Utahime knelt so that she could match Megumi’s height. Megumi obviously knew why she was asking him these questions, but he never bothered to correct her or help her in searching for his guardian. “You know, Megumi, I really enjoyed spending the day with you today. I wasn’t lonely today because of you. However, your family, they might be looking for you,” Utahime explained.
“But, I still want to spend time with you,” Megumi was about to cry, realizing that he was about to part ways with Utahime.
Utahime gave him a tight hug, realizing that she was somewhat feeling attached to the boy, “We can always spend more time next time, Megumi. I’ll give Ijichi my number, so you can contact me on another day and then we can hang out again, alright?”
Megumi nodded as he wiped the tears that were about to fall, releasing Utahime from the tight hug he returned.
“So, since your dad isn’t here, would you now like tell me what Ijichi looks like?” Utahime asked as Megumi nodded. However, he suddenly pointed to a figure behind Utahime.
“Dad’s here. My dad’s here,” Megumi said, as Utahime turned around and saw the person she never thought she would see for the first time in 18 years.
Gojo Satoru.
“Megumi!” Gojo shouted as Megumi ran towards his father, who looked very relieved that Megumi was found. Behind Gojo was another man whom Utahime figured was Ijichi.
“Young master, it’s good that we finally found you!” Ijichi exclaimed in joy.
Utahime realized that she had to leave from the scene, knowing that she could never be ready to face him. She had always imagine what and how she would react after seeing him for the first time in years, but all those scenarios and imaginations faded away from her thoughts. She was about to leave, fixing her mask and disguise.
“Don’t leave yet, Mom! Don’t leave me!” Megumi shouted from Gojo’s embrace as he realized that Utahime was about to leave without good-byes.
Utahime paused on her tracks as she wondered what she was supposed to do. She tried to change her voice, hoping that Gojo wouldn’t recognize her, talking to them without turning around, “It’s good that you’ve seen your family, right, Megumi? I’ll just go now. Bye!”
“Where are you going, Utahime?” Gojo asked, an amused look on his face as Utahime internally panicked, trying to find a way out.
“What are you saying? I already said my good-byes to the kid,” Utahime smiled as she finally turned around to look at Gojo who had already taken off his coat, with his tie loosened. “I’ll go now, okay?”
“Is that really the way you’re going to act after not seeing your childhood friend for almost two decades?” Gojo asked.
“Your childhood friend is busy. I have something up,” Utahime casually tried to bullshit her way out of this mess. There was no way she had a busy schedule if she had time to go to the theme park.
“Really? You have a busy schedule? I was gonna invite you for dinner after helping me find my son,” Gojo casually replied as Utahime suddenly felt a pang on her chest all of a sudden. This whole thing of meeting Gojo after so many years was making her feel more nervous than usual.
“No need. We’re childhood friends. It’s nothing. You don’t have to go out of your way to thank me for something like this,” Utahime forced a smile, finding a way to leave already. She didn’t like how she had to see him in this manner after so many years.
“You know, I think I can thank you in another way!” Gojo grinned as if a moment of eureka dawned on him, “I should mention you in an interview I’m having with GQ Korea tomorrow. That will probably help boost your reputation, and it’s still publicity, regardless. I can talk how I was practically engaged to y-.”
“Dinner. I’ll have dinner with you. Dinner is better. You can thank me with dinner,” Utahime cut him off, instantly knowing the consequences of not having dinner with him. She didn’t want anyone to figure out her past. One of her conditions for signing with the entertainment company was to not let anyone know her past. That was the reason why she used a stage name.
Gojo raised an eyebrow with a playful look on his face, “I thought you were busy?”
Utahime clenched her fist, trying not to punch him, “I forgot I had nothing today. That was why I was able to come here.”
“Okay,” Gojo said with a sly smile on his face, knowing that he had reached his goal of annoying her.
God, some things never change.