Saranghae

Saranghae Page 22

Narita Airport's terminal was jam-packed with young women and men waiting to send Aomori off in style on the first leg of their China tour. Cristal stayed closed to Satoshi as Aomori and their entourage made their way to the line to check in. Kenshin and some of the roadies pushed the group's luggage on carts while bodyguards held back the crowds who tried to touch them or take pictures.

"Yori, I love you," one teen hollered.

Yori shoved his hands into his pockets and walked next to Masaaki. Amaya had decided to stay with her parents and not join him on the tour. She'd started work as a dress designer.

Cristal suspected that the plans changed because they now owned a house and she wanted to stay behind and tend to everything before Yori returned and they moved in. This did not hurt Cristal's feelings, and she was glad she didn't have to see Amaya for a while.

Takumijo stopped and signed some autographs and posed for some pictures. One young lady bowed and handed him a teddy bear. Takumijo accepted it and bowed to her. The crowd went wild when he smiled at the young lady.

Satoshi ignored the shouting of his name most of the time.

Every now and then he'd wave to be sociable, but as far as she could tell he didn't like any of it.

Ichiro walked behind them solemnly. He hadn't said a word to anyone since they left the farmhouse. She didn't know what had happened or where Shaundra had gone, but she suspected it had all gotten to be too much for her. Dealing with her sudden mysterious illness, the argument with Amaya, and then Ichiro leaving her night after night alone had added to the older woman's depression. Cristal hoped she was okay, but she guessed she wouldn't know anything until they arrived in China.

"Flight 1010 leaving for China boarding at gate five," a young woman announced over the public address system.

Masaaki led the way. Everyone pulled out their tickets and passports, and walked single file up to the attendant to check them in. A few minutes later they had all boarded the plane.

Aomori and the others disembarked from the plane, donned in dark glasses and looking every bit pop idols as they entered the Beijing Capital International Airport. The Niigata's breeding and the years of training rang supreme as they appeared one by one in the terminal to greet their screaming fans. To new fans this must have made quite an impact, as the statuesque, handsome six-foot-tall males descended on them one at a time.

Yori appeared first, dressed in a pair of dove gray linen pants and jacket with a white shirt beneath it. His hair now came to his neck, a little shorter in a more masculine cut. His dark glasses hid those spectacular brown eyes, and he appeared a bit friendlier waving to his fans.

Takumijo appeared next, dressed in a dark gray linen suit with a black shirt. His hair, perfect as always, looked short and sporty, and he had added some brown highlights. He wore jewelry down from his ear to his pinky finger. The females in the crowd went wild shouting his name. Takumijo waved and took pictures with his adoring fans even though he could barely speak the language.

Takumijo's entrance was followed up by Satoshi. He wore a black and white two-toned jacket with white trousers.

Beneath the jacket he sported a white high-collared shirt. He had pulled his hair back in a ponytail. He, like the others, hid those perfect chocolate brown eyes behind a pair of dark glasses.

Ichiro appeared and the crowd went wild. He was dressed all in black with a diamond pin glittering in his tie, with a matching diamond earring in his ear. The fans screamed his name as he walked alone like a runway model. His long black braid hung down his back and touched his butt. He waved a couple of times, posed for pictures and accepted tokens of love from the fans...quite uncharacteristic of his usual shy and demure attitude toward crowds.

Masaaki and Kenshin brought up the rear. Masaaki wore a dark business suit, and Kenshin arrived in his dark blue chauffeur's livery. Cristal herself, getting into the role of publicist, dressed in a dark navy blue suit and pumps with her hair pinned up high on her head. The fans surprised her as they recognized her, calling her by name and asking for Yi- jun. Her eyes were covered by dark blue sunglasses to hide the bloodshot red that stained them from lack of sleep, staying up to console the depressed and distraught Satoshi who missed Shaundra and felt responsible for her sudden disappearance. She, like the others, had tried to convince him that he hadn't done anything wrong and had no way of knowing that she planned to leave.

Ichiro had calls into her kids and mother in the United States, but so far he hadn't heard back from any of them.

Beijing was a balmy sixty-eight degrees when they finally stepped out of the terminal. Young people lined the streets, bands played and people performed with banners raised high baring Aomori's name in Japanese, English and Mandarin. The band members waved and smiled as they stepped into the limousines waiting to take them to their hotel, where they'd stay a week before traveling to Taiwan, the second leg of their destination.

Cristal looked out of the window, marveling at the Central Business District centered at the Guomao area. They rode past Jianuai SOHO, Park Hyatt and Yintai CCTV Headquarters and other tall office buildings in the financial district. This was home to a variety of corporate regional offices, shopping precincts and expensive housing. They passed a lot of historical buildings which she hoped to tour once Yi-jun found some free time in his busy schedule. He'd promised to show her around town, and she was holding him to it.

They arrived at the hotel, and after unpacking and getting comfortable Masaaki took them all to dinner, where they feasted on such Beijing cuisine as Peking duck, sweetened vinegar spareribs, hot and sour soup, egg and shrimp wrapped in cornflower pancakes, and fried cake glazed in malt sugar followed by green tea. Afterwards they got back into the limousine and drove to the Beijing National Stadium where the 2008 Summer Olympics had been held and where Aomori was scheduled to perform in two days.

"Would you look at this place?" Takumijo said, removing his sunglasses as he climbed up the stairs. "This is just too fantastic for words."

Kenshin followed him up next. "This is by far one of the best stadiums you guys have ever performed in."

"Just say the word and you can join us," Yori told him.

"Ooh, not this time," Kenshin said. "Maybe next time. I have to work off some of this Peking duck."

Ichiro sat down in one of the stadium chairs instead of following the others onto the stage. He took out his cell phone, and Cristal sat down next to him. He got Shaundra's mother on the line.

"Are you sure you haven't heard from her?" he asked.

"Please call me if she gets in contact with you." He disconnected the international call.

"No one has seen or heard from her," he said. "She should have arrived in New York by now." He tried Harper's corporate office again. The same thing...no one had heard from Shaundra. "This is so difficult. I'm starting to get very worried. She didn't take anything with her when she left, not even her luggage. What if something has happened to her?"

Cristal patted his hand. "Don't start thinking negatively.

We'll find her." Deep in her heart, though, she was starting to worry too. Satoshi had said she wasn't acting like herself the last time he spoke with her. She sighed. She hoped Shaundra hadn't gone off and done something foolish.

Masaaki's cell phone rang. "Hello. Oh hello, Harper. No, we haven't heard from her yet." Masaaki took the phone away from his ear. Harper shouted and cursed. "We are doing everything we can to find her. Mr. Niigata has his people searching for her. Japan is a pretty big place. She could be anywhere. I understand she can barely speak Japanese. She has gotten along so far. She'll run into someone who speaks English." He took the phone away from his ear again. Harper still shouted, and then the call ended. Masaaki shoved the phone back into his pocket. "He said he's hiring an investigator to search the United States for her. He said the last time he'd seen her was a couple of days ago when she stopped by his office."

Ichiro stood and walked back out of the stadium.

Cristal sighed, hoping someone would find her alive and well.

Cristal nearly knocked him to his knees as she ran and jumped into his arms in the lobby of the hotel where Aomori was staying. He also had a room there for the duration of his stay.

"Ooh, I'm so glad to see you too," Yi-jun said as he swung her around in his arms. His lips bore down on hers when the world stopped revolving.

"Get a room," he heard someone say.

"Satoshi." Yi-jun freed Cristal and walked over and shook his friend's hand. "Man, it's good to see you." The two friends hugged, making her feel lower than a snake's underbelly for inadvertently coming between them. "This hotel is fabulous, and there's so much to do and see in town."

"You two kids enjoy it," Satoshi said. "Some of us have to work." He walked past them and headed toward the elevators with his hands buried deep into his pockets and his head down.

"I feel so bad for him," Cristal told Yi-jun as he whisked her out of the hotel lobby and into a fancy black chauffeur- driven limousine he'd rented to ride around in with her. "He blames himself for Shaundra's disappearance."

Yi-jun helped her into the car and then went around to the other side and got in. A pretty Chinese chauffer pulled out into the busy Beijing traffic. "Satoshi has always been that way," he told her. "He worries a lot about everyone and things that are out of his control. He's truly the backbone behind Aomori. Yori might be the leader, but Satoshi holds that group together, sometimes sacrificing his own needs for theirs. He's their heart, and without him they're just a band without a talented piano player."

Cristal snuggled up against him, and he liked the way her hair smelled. "You guys are truly the best of friends."

"How good is your Mandarin?" Li-jun asked Cristal.

"Not as good as my Korean," Cristal replied. "Why?"

"If you need to go somewhere and need to take a taxi, it is best to print out the names of places you want to visit in Chinese characters, or better yet get someone from the hotel to do it for you. And when you cross the street assume that none of the drivers will give you the right of way."

"I'll remember that," she said. "But I don't plan to go anywhere alone."

The chauffeur did a good job maneuvering through the crowded road full of cars and bicycles veering toward her from different directions.

"Where are going?" Cristal asked.

"Tiananmen Square," Yi-jun answered. "It's in the center of the city in the Dongcheng District."

"Uh huh," Cristal said sarcastically.

"It's a big public square where visitors from all around the world visit daily." The driver parked once they reached their destination. The chauffeur got out this time and opened the door for them.

People stared at Cristal, and some outright chuckled.

"What's their problem?" she asked.

Yi-jun took her arm and put it near his. "Most of them have never seen an African-American beauty in person before. They're not trying to be rude, just curious."

"Oh," she replied, apparently not offended and probably used to similar treatment in Korea and Japan.

He led her over to the landmark. Tiananmen Square was surrounded by many big buildings like the Great Hall of People, the Museum of the Chinese Revolution, the Museum of Chinese History, the Qianmen Gate of the Forbidden City, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and the Monument to the People's Martyrs. "Which place do you want to try first?"

"I would say the Forbidden City, but with my luck I'd probably end up in jail, so let's try the Museum of Chinese History."

Yi-jun chuckled, pulling her toward the Forbidden City.

"Wow," Cristal said, marveling at the palace. She was about as awestruck as the other tourists as she gazed upon a part of history from the Ming Dynasty.

"For nearly five hundred years it served as the home of the Empress and their household," he explained to her.

"Can you imagine living in something like this during that time period?" Cristal asked.

Yi-jun nodded and took her hand. "You would be my Empress, and we'd have scores and scores of babies running around through the palace by day, and we would get busy in the fancy Emperor's bed at night making more babies."

Cristal playfully punched on the arm. "Leave it to you to think of something like that." She sighed. "You have quite the vivid imagination, Mr. Lee."

Yi-jun chuckled. If she only knew.

He took her to the museum next. It was impressive but not yet up to the standards of those he'd seen in Paris and Rome. Afterwards they sat and drank tea at the Temple of Heaven in the Chonguen District. He had the driver return them to the hotel to change for the evening and to check with their prospective bosses to see if they had any fires to put out before dashing out again. This time to the Tiangiao Acrobatics Theater in the Xuanwoa District, followed up by the opera at the Beijing Opera House.

Things happened very fast with Cristal. Most of the time she left him breathless. She was intelligent, funny, beautiful, and talented. She was, as the Americans said, the whole kit and caboodle. "Come with me to the United States," he said to her out of the blue after they'd just shared a round of silly laughter.

"What?" she asked, still not fully recuperated from the giggles.

"Come with me to the United States."

"Are you serious?"

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life,"

he told her as he pulled her into his arms just outside and placed his lips against hers. He leaned into the softness of her body and his knees felt weak; his pulse raced, and he swore he felt the planet move beneath his feet. He didn't know how long they stood there, both oblivious to everything around them. He was in no rush to break the passionate kiss, and he was sure that she didn't mind. If the world came to an end at that very moment he would go happily, knowing that at that very moment Cristal wanted him as much as he wanted her.

"I don't know," she answered when they finally broke the kiss. "This is so sudden."

The world stopped revolving.

Cristal moved around in her seat, quite excited at the prospect of finally getting to see Aomori perform. The stadium was filled to capacity. Fans armed with royal blue fluorescent light sticks waited for the young men to appear. She'd never seen anything like this before...at least not for a Japanese group. It made her heart feel good to know Aomori was as well loved overseas as they were in Japan and Korea.

"You seem as excited as most of these kids," Yi-jun said from a nearly front row seat next to her.

"I am," she replied, shaking her blue stick at him. "I've always been a big fan of boy bands."

"Then you're in for a pleasant surprise. These guys are fantastic."

Cristal settled back in her seat, still a bit perplexed by Yi- jun's offer to join him in the United States. She supposed she could use this time to visit with her parents, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. Their living in California would save her on travel expenses or where she would live for two weeks if she decided to take him up on his offer. But what did it mean if she actually did accept? That she loved him enough to follow him? Or did it mean that she was running away from making a decision that she still needed to address...her feelings for Satoshi? Yi-jun's offer was so tempting, especially since Satoshi hadn't exactly expressed undying love for her.

She wished he would do something, anything to let her know that he actually cared for her. And if she actually decided to go with Yi-jun, did that mean the decision would be made for her? Cristal sighed and settled back into her seat.

The lights dimmed, and Yi-jun squeezed her hand affectionately. The stadium glowed in the blue rays of the light sticks like a wave of water against the night skies.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to our show." The announcement was broadcast in Mandarin, Japanese and Korean.

The music started to play. "Welcome Aomori."

The curtains lifted.

Cristal involuntarily took a deep breath and exhaled. She prayed for her sake that the performance went off without a hitch. Oh my God. Is that the doofuses? Oh my God, they look so scrumptious. The spotlights beamed down on the stage as they started with a rousing dance number that brought the audience to their feet. Yori sang the lead, while Satoshi played the keyboard, and Takumijo and Ichiro dazzled with amazing synchronized footsteps and sung backup. By the end of the song Cristal found herself screaming Aomori's name at the top of her lungs like the other tweens, teens, and star-struck femmes.

Aomori were all dolled up in black tuxedos and white dress shirts, looking slim and debonair. Satoshi had finally let his hair out of the ponytail. In all the time they had spent together, she'd never seen it this way. She'd always had a thing for a guy in bangs. Shit. No. Decision not made, her body decided for her, especially when the spotlight gleamed down on him for the next song...a solo, and for all accounts a love song.

His eyes searched, found and locked with hers, and she rewarded him with a smile. His deep and sexy voice serenaded only her.

Yi-jun's hand tightened on hers, drawing her away from the fantasy developing in her mind.

"It appears he's singing just for you," Yi-jun whispered in her ear.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said, not taking her eyes off the Japanese hottie as he belted out his feelings for her in his song. And when it ended, their eyes remained locked and her heart did a funny little flip. What the hell am I going to do now?

Where is she? Three weeks had gone by without a word from Shaundra. And Ichiro suspected that maybe it was time to get the law involved. He stretched out on his bed in his hotel room in Taiwan during the second leg of their China tour. He hadn't seen any of the others and didn't want to. He was tired of hearing questions about his state of mind or inquiries about where he thought Shaundra might have gone to. By now he'd spoken to her entire family, including her baby girl, Tricia, and so far no one had seen her since the two of them left for Korea.

Korea? He hadn't thought of there. Maybe she'd returned to Korea, since that is where her physiatrist was. He got off the bed to retrieve his wallet and search for the doctor's card.

It was nearly noon, and he hoped the doctor hadn't gone off to lunch or was busy with a patient.

Ichiro reached for the phone, got an outside operator and placed the call. "Hello, my name is Ichiro Yoshida. May I speak to Doctor Wong?" A few minutes later the doctor picked up the line.

"Hello, Doctor Wong, speaking."

"Doctor Wong, my name is Ichiro Yoshida. I don't know if you remember me. My wife Shaundra is a patient of yours.

You treated her with hypnosis for a fear of flying."

"Yes, Mr. Yoshida. I remember you. How can I help you?"

"I have a problem, Doctor. My wife has disappeared."

There was a pause on the other line. "What do you mean disappeared?"

"She was supposed to accompany me to China on a tour about three weeks ago. She left home to meet with her boss, and no one has seen her since. I know you can't divulge any personal information to me. In fact, you're my last hope. I just need to know if she had an appointment with you in the last three weeks."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yoshida. I hadn't seen her. The last I knew she was supposed to fly back with you to Japan."

"Yes, we did fly back to Japan. Thanks to you she was able to do it without medication."

"How did she seem the last time you saw her? Did she seem depressed over anything?"

Ichiro thought about it. "Well, she did get sick shortly after we returned home, and she had to be hospitalized for her blood pressure. She did seem a little sad, but I thought it was from being so far away from her family."

"Have you gotten in touch with them?"

"Yes," Ichiro said. "No one has heard from her, and I'm beginning to worry. It's not like her to do something like this."

"Everyone has things in their lives they can't deal with, Mr.

Yoshida. Shaundra's no different. But no, unfortunately, I haven't heard from her. Can you give me a number where I can get in touch with you if I do hear from her?"

Ichiro gave him his Interstate cell phone number and Masaaki's number. "I'm in China right now and will be here for another couple of months."

"What are you doing in China, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm on tour. I guess Shaundra failed to mention that I was a pop star."

"Yes, but Mr. Yoshida, she did say that she loved you. This I remember because she wanted so badly to kick the drugs and be able to travel with you. I guess I shouldn't be saying this, but she wasn't addicted...she only took them to travel and no other time, but she saw how worried you were and she didn't think anyone would believe her, not even you."

Tears welled in Ichiro's eyes, and he choked back a sob.

"Thank you, Doctor. That means the world to me. I will let you know if I hear from her. Thank you for all you have done for us. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Mr. Yoshida, and good luck."

Doctor Wong hung up, and Ichiro couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Grown man or not, he missed his wife and now feared that all of this might not turn out right in the end. He wiped his eyes again and got a Japanese operator on the line.

"Hello, I'd like to be connected to an Osaka operator."

The operator put the call through. "Hello, I'd like to be connected to the Osaka police department." A few seconds later the phone rang and a male voice answered.

"Osaka police. How may I help you?"

"Hello, my name is Ichiro Yoshida and I would like to place a missing person's report."

"Who is missing and how long has this person been missing?" the officer asked.

"Her name is Shaundra Yoshida. She's a well-known romance writer, and she goes by the name of Shaundra Morrison. She's an African-American female, fifty years old, and she's been missing for three weeks."

"What is your relationship to the missing person?"

"She is my wife," Ichiro answered.

"Why did it take three weeks for you to report her missing?"

"I thought that she went back to America to her family, but no one has seen or heard from her. The last person to see her was her boss, and he said he put her into a taxi and sent her home to Osaka."

The questioning went on for a long time, and then Ichiro felt more like a suspect than a husband. He could not stop the tears again, and by the end of the call he knew he would not be going on stage tonight.

Satoshi and the others gathered in a meeting room of the hotel where they were staying to discuss the latest incident.

"Ichiro is not going to finish this tour," Masaaki explained.

"He is going back to Osaka to search for Shaundra."

"What are we going to do?" Takumijo asked. "We have a show to perform."

Masaaki turned to Kenshin. "We need your help. I wouldn't ask if we had any other choice."

Kenshin nodded. "I'll do it for Ich, and for Shaundra."

Yori and the others agreed. Kenshin would have to step in for Ichiro, but in their hearts they knew it wouldn't be the same without their maknae.

"What will we do for wardrobe?" Yori asked. "Kenshin is heavier than Ich."

"I have costumers working on that," Masaaki explained.

"No excuses. I want all of you to pull yourselves together and give the citizens of Taiwan the best performance you can.

Ichiro will expect no less of you."

Satoshi agreed, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"That's it," Masaaki said. "Have a good performance."

Yori and Satoshi stayed behind after the others had departed.

"What do you want to do?" Satoshi asked him.

"I don't know, but I know I just can't sit around here and do nothing. I'm about to lose my mind."

Satoshi nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. I can barely concentrate on my music for worrying. Every day I expect to see Shaundra sitting in the audience smiling at me when we take the stage like she did in the United States."

"Here's the kicker - even Amaya's upset now and truly sorry for how she treated Shaundra."

Satoshi sighed. "Sometimes it takes something like this to bring family together."

Yori nodded.

"What if she's...?"

"Don't say it. Shaundra's not dead. She can't be dead." His voice broke, and he didn't try to save face and hide it.

Satoshi went over to him and wrapped his arms around Yori. Poor baby. He knew exactly how he felt. And for the first time since they were kids, both of them cried for the possible loss of the life of a very important woman in both their lives.

They also cried for Ichiro and what he would be going through if he could not find his wife.

Yori regrouped first. "Will you see him off? I know he won't accept me doing this since..."

"I'll go," Satoshi said. "I'll make sure he has everything he needs."

Yori patted him on the shoulder. "You are our rock, and sometimes I don't know what I would do without you."

Satoshi bowed. "I'll always be there, Yori. You don't have to worry." He bowed again and left the meeting room, leaving Yori to get himself together before going out to meet the public.

There was a knock at his door. Ichiro opened it, and Satoshi stood on the other side. "I came to see if you needed help packing."

Ichiro stepped aside and allowed Satoshi to enter. "Not really," he said, pointing to the packed suitcases on a cart in his room. "I never get too comfortable when we travel."

"Masaaki has told everyone what is going on, and Kenshin has agreed to take your spot until you can return to us."

Ichiro nodded. "Kenny's a good man, and he deserves a big break. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks he's wasting his time chauffeuring us around."

"No, you're right. He deserves this. He's been with us since the beginning." He paused. "Are you okay?"

"No," Ichiro answered honestly. "But I will be once I'm on that plane heading back to Japan."

"You think she could still be there?"

"I'm hoping," Ichiro said. "Harper checked all the airports, and her name did not appear on any manifests. If she hasn't gone back to the United States, where else could she be but still in Osaka?"

"How is she surviving there?" Satoshi asked. "She only knows a couple of words in Japanese and she can't drive."

"Yes, she can," Ichiro said. "She just chose not to. And as for communication, Shaundra knows enough to communicate with us all this time. She knows the basics."

"Can I ask you something?"

Ichiro nodded.

"Do you believe she just walked away on her own, or do you think that she might have been abducted? You know how the fan girls feel about her, and there are all kinds of kooks in the world."

"The letter was written in her handwriting. I'm hoping she just walked away," Ichiro said. "Japan is a pretty big place.

Just because her skin is dark doesn't mean she can't lose herself within the country."

Satoshi nodded. He hoped Ich was right and that Shaundra had just taken an emotional leave of absence to deal with her problems.

"Do you need a ride to the airport?"

"No, I'll take a taxi."

"Do you need any money?"

Ichiro smiled. "No, I'm straight. I'm a restaurant mogul, remember?"

Satoshi walked over and hugged him. "Good luck," he said.

He brushed Ichiro's bangs back and gently stroked them one time before releasing him. "Godspeed, my brother."

Ichiro nodded and stepped away from him. He grabbed his luggage cart and pulled it out of the room.

A bigger hole in Satoshi's heart opened as he watched his maknae leave them. If things had been different, if they didn't have a tour, he'd be the first to volunteer to join him.

But they had obligations, and there was no one to replace him with. He walked out of Ichiro's room, closing the door behind him, and headed down to the lobby to get himself a strong cup of black coffee before meeting the others for rehearsal.

He ran into Cristal in the lobby.

Satoshi looked totally depressed, and it scared her because she didn't think anything got to him. "Where are you on your way to?" she asked him.

"To the cafe," he said. "I need coffee and plenty of it.

Would you care to join me?"

"Yes, I was just heading that way myself." She didn't know what kind of help she could be in his hour of need.

Satoshi reached out his hand and she grabbed it. His hand was soft for a man's. They walked together, ignoring the stares of the Taiwanese. Why did so many people have a problem with her being with an Asian man? When was this prejudice going to end?

They entered the cafe. It was a quaint little establishment that served quick meals like sandwiches and desserts twenty- four hours a day. There was also a restaurant in the hotel where they usually met for dinner.

They walked up to the counter and ordered their coffee.

The cashier filled the cups, and then they walked over to a vacant table and sat down.

"Is it true that Ichiro is leaving?"

Satoshi nodded. "He's already gone. I didn't think he'd last this long."

Cristal sipped her coffee and grimaced. She opened the top and added cream and sugar, then stirred before recapping the steaming liquid. "Do you think he'll find her?"

"I hope so, because I think it might be the end of Aomori if he doesn't."

"Three weeks is a long time for someone to go missing."

"Yes, but Shaundra's tough and a survivalist."

"I hope you're right," Cristal said. "I miss her so. She's the first real friend I've had in a long time."

"Yi-jun is your friend," Satoshi said, finally changing the subject.

"I was wondering when you were going to bring him up."

"It's kind of hard not to. How serious are you about him?"

"Very serious," she replied. "He's asked me to join him in the United States."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "And are you considering his offer?"

Cristal nodded. "It would be nice to see my parents again."

"You know that's not what I'm asking."

"Yes," she replied. "I'm seriously considering it since I haven't received a better offer."

Satoshi lifted his cup and sipped before putting it back down again. "Yi-jun is a good man, but he's not the settling- down type, if that's what you're hoping."

"I'm too young to settle down," Cristal replied, irritated that he still would not tell her how he felt about her. Just one word - that was all she asked.

"What about your job with us?"

Question one. Does he put his job before your happiness?

Answer: Yes. "I wouldn't be going away forever. Just two weeks, using my annual vacation time."

"And after that?"

"Then I'd return to my job and my life if..."

"If he doesn't make you a better offer."

Cristal nodded.

"Women are so confusing."

"And men never say what's on their mind or confess their true feelings."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I would if I could be truly open, when at the moment my heart has a big empty hole in it."

Cristal sighed. "Shaundra?" Question two. Does he put others before you? Answer: Yes.

Satoshi nodded. "I just can't go on with my life until I find out that she's okay."

"And if she is, then what? She will still be married to Ichiro. Or are you hoping that she did leave him and wants out of the marriage?"

He didn't answer her, but she could see the answer in his eyes. He really did love Shaundra. She chuckled. "That's tragic," she said. "You guys are too much. Why waste your time on someone you can't have?"

Satoshi shrugged. "There's always hope." He rose from the table with his cup. "Have a good time in the United States.

Give Yi-jun my love."

Cristal watched him leave the cafe. I guess that settles that. Decision made for her. She pulled out her cell phone.

"Hello, Yi-jun, this is Cristal. I've decided to take you up on your kind offer."