by Amy Tasukada
Saehyun reached into his pocket, grabbed his knife, and flicked it open. He never went anywhere without the blade, and today he wouldn’t mind using it to scare the shit out of Takeo. Anger boiled in his gut as he thought only of Nao. It was Takeo’s fault they’d been apart for two weeks due to a stupid misunderstanding that caused Nao to panic just as he was starting to open up. And Saehyun hated feeling stupid more than anything.
Takeo reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gun. Saehyun’s eyes widened. That fucker had to be in the yakuza; no citizen would carry the illegal weapon. Saehyun grinned. Takeo wasn’t only going to get the shit knocked out of him, but he was going to feel his blade across his throat.
Saehyun kicked Takeo’s shin. The Japanese tripped, and the gun fell out of his hand with a thwack and slid across the floor.
“You stupid Korean scum. Kyoto will always belong to the Japanese!” Takeo scrambled for the gun.
If Saehyun fired the weapon, it would be one less Matsukawa, but would attract even more undue attention. Especially since they were in Nao’s home; the last thing Saehyun wanted was to turn it into a blood-filled mess. He quickly glanced toward the bathroom. The door was open, and it would have been shut if Nao was home. He must’ve escaped before Takeo came.
His mind at ease that Nao was gone, Saehyun took two steps and kicked the gun into the bedroom. Then he smashed Takeo’s fingers under his boots. Takeo spat and reached for Saehyun’s legs, but Saehyun was already three steps ahead. Saehyun was used to street fights, and Takeo must’ve been too high up to deal with fisticuffs. Saehyun was going to take full advantage of that. Saehyun dropped on his elbow, digging it into Takeo’s chest, then twirled the knife in his hand and thrust it into Takeo’s gut. Takeo’s breaths became shallow, but that only meant he was still alive.
Saehyun jumped to his feet.
Takeo crawled toward the gun, which was still out of reach. Saehyun stepped on Takeo’s fingers. Saehyun’s thoughts collided with imagined scenes of what Takeo had done to Nao. Takeo was the reason Nao held that uncertain look in his eye every time Saehyun put a gentle hand on him. It was Takeo who made Nao scared of being in any kind of relationship. It was Takeo who kept him away from Nao.
“Die!” Saehyun dropped the nightstand on Takeo’s head.
The wood splintered on impact and separated into four large pieces with Takeo’s bloody head in the middle. Saehyun staggered to the side of the Japanese man’s body. Takeo wasn’t moving, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t alive. One less Matsukawa meant one fewer target that would kill him or his men.
Letting out a steady breath to slow the adrenaline rushing through his muscles, Saehyun pulled the knife from Takeo’s stomach. Other than his blood flowing out and pooling on the wooden floor, Takeo didn’t move. Saehyun shoved the knife in the back of the man’s neck, making certain he would never get up.
It was good that Nao was gone, but at the same time, they’d been going to meet at his place. Either way, Saehyun would find it easier not to have to explain the mess he’d made to Nao’s home.
Saehyun let his breath slow, cleaning his bloodstained hand on his pants. He pulled out his phone and searched through the contacts until Nao’s name popped up. Saehyun called and waited.
“Where are you? We were supposed to meet twenty minutes ago.” Nao clearly checked his caller ID, unlike Saehyun.
“What? Where are you?”
“The teahouse, remember?”
“Sorry, I had the wrong time.”
Not to mention the wrong place. No. It was good he’d been there to meet Takeo.
Nao laughed. “Come on now. You understand Japanese better than that.”
“Yeah, give me an hour or so.” Saehyun glared at Takeo’s body. He was going to be a pain, even dead. “Sorry, I’ve got some things I need to finish up for work.”
A long pause. Saehyun could hear Nao’s disappointed sigh over the phone, and for a split second, he wished he’d heard Nao correctly and gone to the teahouse. Saehyun pressed his lips together. It was better he’d gone to the apartment first. Even if Nao would be pissed that he was late, Takeo would be dead. He wouldn’t get in the way of their relationship anymore.
“You said you were taking off.” Nao sounded pissed.
“Look, I’ll be there soon. I had the wrong time.”
“We haven’t seen each other in ages, and you call to say you need more time?”
“I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
“Really? How?”
Saehyun glanced around the apartment. It wasn’t the time for specifics. He needed to get the place cleaned.
“Anything you want.”
“I’m going to hold you to it.” Nao hung up.
Saehyun shook his head. Even if Nao didn’t know it, his safety was secured. Saehyun pulled the knife out of Takeo’s neck. Blood spilled out, and Saehyun rolled his eyes. Another mess to clean up. He put the knife back into his pocket. Next he retrieved the gun from under the bed. Saehyun couldn’t believe Takeo had brought that into Nao’s house. Nao was too innocent to have to deal with that. Yet the door hinges were cracked, and there was no way Nao wouldn’t notice. The commotion, too, had to be explained. Saehyun called Hiro.
“Hey,” Saehyun said. “I need you to come and do a cleanup.”
“Doesn’t Cho do the cleanups?”
“I don’t trust him with this one. Dispose of a body and make it look like there was a break-in.”
“That should be easy.”
Saehyun looked around the room, which was already a mess. “I took out a yakuza member. Takeo? I don’t know his full name, but whatever, another one’s dead. The owner has nothing expensive to steal, so trash the place. Leave the door open so one of the neighbors will find it. Do it quick.”
Saehyun’s wet hair plastered itself to the sides of his face. His hair was impossible to dry in the summer heat, and it had already taken him two hours to get cleaned up after bashing Takeo’s head into the wooden floors of Nao’s apartment. The humid air, however, was unforgiving and soaked his shirt. Each of the studs on the front stuck to his chest. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he pushed the door to the teahouse, but it didn’t budge.
“Hey.” Saehyun knocked on the door, hoping Nao wouldn’t be mad enough to lock him out. “Nao.”
The door opened, and Nao gave a weak smile. “Sorry, didn’t want any customers thinking we were open.”
The bruise around Nao’s eye was faint, but Saehyun could still clearly make it out.
“What happened to your eye?”
Saehyun reached out, but Nao laced their fingers together and covered his eye with both their hands. Nao’s soft fingers brushed against Saehyun’s, and he never wanted to let go.
“I told you that Takeo tried to get in,” Nao said.
“It looks like he did.”
Nao pulled their hands away from his eye. “Let’s get inside.”
Saehyun followed Nao inside, who stayed a few steps ahead of Saehyun and went behind the tea bar as if to keep the distance between them. It tore at Saehyun to not pull him close after their fight, but Saehyun had to let Nao be the one to guide where they stood after their absence.
“It took you a while to get here,” Nao said.
“Yeah, work. Sorry.”
A bitter taste flooded Saehyun’s mouth as he looked into the five cups arranged on the tea bar before Nao. The leaves inside them were already wet, a sign of their use. Those teas were meant to be sampled together, but the way they were laid out indicated they’d already been tasted. The display seemed purposely left to show what Saehyun had missed.
“You did the tasting by yourself?”
“You took too long.”
“You could have waited.”
“I can only polish teacups so many times.”
Saehyun’s gaze drifted up t
o meet Nao’s for the first time. His lover gave a faint smile and brushed his hair back from his shoulder. In that brief moment, Saehyun’s gaze fell to the scar on Nao’s neck that he knew was there, yet so often was hidden. Saehyun gave a knowing grin. The scar had come from Takeo, probably after Nao attempted to leave one day. Saehyun was satisfied in knowing where it came from and that he wouldn’t see the person who had inflicted it again.
“Nao.”
“Hmm?”
Saehyun reached across the neglected cups to capture Nao’s hand. Nao didn’t pull away as he had the first time and allowed Saehyun to rub his thumb over each of Nao’s knuckles.
“I don’t think any less of you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Nao’s shoulders slumped, making him look smaller. “I’m sorry for being such a burden.”
Saehyun walked around the bar and took Nao in his arms.
“I never thought you were a burden.”
“It would’ve been easier if I had told you the truth from the beginning.”
“Yes.”
Nao pulled back from the embrace, but Saehyun held him. He wanted Nao to feel the warmth radiating from him, to somehow feel that the weeks he’d waited for Nao’s call made each night feel like his heart was choking. The Korean legend haunted him. They had seen each other three times. Their relationship was destiny, and Saehyun knew it. He wasn’t going to let that go. Nao leaned into him, pressing against the side Takeo had kicked.
Saehyun gestured to the teacups. “Which tea did you end up choosing?”
“The one I already owned.”
“I guess you’re still on the search, then.”
“Should I teach you how to make a pot of tea correctly?”
“You take this so seriously. It’s tea.”
“No.” Saehyun allowed Nao to pull away. “You don’t understand. There was a time when my thoughts were so erratic, I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t leave the house, and even the thought of answering a phone became overwhelming. Tea centers me. It slowed my thoughts that would spill over.”
“Nao—”
“That’s why we don’t offer a full, restaurant-style tea.” Nao’s fist tightened around the counter. “A full meal would distract from the tea.”
“Damn. Takeo really fucked you up. He’s the one who gave you this?”
Saehyun allowed his fingers to run along the scar on Nao’s neck. Fear shone in Nao’s eyes. Flinching, he turned.
“Your face is banged up.” He pressed his hand against Saehyun’s side. “And you back away when I touch you here.”
Saehyun wanted to press the issue about the scar on Nao’s neck, but it was clear Nao didn’t want to talk about it.
“Yeah…” Saehyun trailed off, but more than ever, he wanted to comfort Nao. He wanted to tell him that Takeo was gone and would never come back. “I thought you said to meet at your place. I ended up running into Takeo outside the building.”
“And you got into a fight?”
“I told him he didn’t belong there and needed to leave. We got into a fight. Don’t worry. He won’t bother you again.”
Nao’s hand jerked as he ran it through his hair. “What exactly happened?”
“Don’t worry. In the end, he said he wouldn’t be bothering you anymore.”
Nao’s muscles tensed under Saehyun’s gentle touch.
“Was that all he said?” Nao asked.
“Don’t worry. He’s gone.”
“If he said something else, I want to know.”
Saehyun pressed his lips together. Nao asked so many questions. Saehyun could imagine how much fear Nao lived in with the thought of Takeo returning, but it wasn’t like Saehyun could ever give Nao the relief of knowing Takeo was dead. Saehyun sighed. He had to tell Nao something.
“Takeo said you weren’t worth it.”
“That sounds like something he would say.”
“I didn’t want to tell you.”
Nao waved his hand, filling a pitcher with water from the water boiler.
“Thank you, Saehyun, for taking care of him for me. I’ve tried to get him to leave many times…”
Saehyun watched as Nao filled one of the teapots with water. Steam drifted from the top before Nao shut the lid. Saehyun loved the way Nao moved, each turn of hand filled with a precise intent. Saehyun couldn’t help but smile at Nao’s each and every motion.
As Nao told Saehyun the proper temperature for each type of tea, Saehyun remembered their first meeting. How Nao had looked at him in the canal and carried him into his apartment, the breaking of the teacup, the excitement of seeing Nao jump at his every touch. He knew it was Nao that he’d seen after beating up the pachinko owner. No fear was in his eyes then. He didn’t know his own strength, but Saehyun saw it.
“Do you believe in fate, Nao?”
“Fate?”
“In Korea, we have this saying that if you meet a person three times within a day, you are destined to be together.”
“No red strings needed?” Nao laughed.
“Red string?”
“In Japan, it’s a red string that ties two people together.”
“Invisible red strings?”
“You would run into someone three times working in the same office. Maybe it only works in Korea?”
Saehyun shook his head. Why wasn’t Nao picking up his hints? He thought the guy would love the lore he was telling.
“What does it mean for us?” Saehyun asked.
Nao’s eyes grew wide, and Saehyun couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“What do you mean?”
“We did see each other three times the first day we met.”
“When?”
“Don’t you remember?”
Nao laughed, fumbling with a teapot. “You think we were destined to be together?”
Saehyun shook his head. He’d gone too far, and he knew it. And that third meeting when he’d held onto the pachinko parlor manager’s collar? He was sure Nao had blocked it out.
“I was thinking out loud. Ignore what I said.”
Nao said nothing. The silence closed Saehyun’s mind, rendering it blank. If he told Nao how he really felt, he was sure to freak out more.
“Let’s go back to the way it was before.” Saehyun broke the silence.
He watched Nao prepare the tea. He wasn’t making it for them anymore but for himself.
Nao shook his head. “We can’t go back to the way it was before.”
Again silence filled the room. Of course Nao didn’t want someone that would be in fights. But at the end of July, Gion would be over, and he wouldn’t have to be in any more fights. Saehyun just needed him to wait two more months.
Saehyun swallowed. “What do you want to do, then? You want me to leave or something? Because that’s fucked up, Nao. I might’ve been late, but I called.”
Nao crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t tell you to leave.”
“That’s what it sounds like.”
“What I mean is all these lies. We have to promise that we won’t tell any more lies to each other.”
Saehyun smiled. “All right, then.”
“Thanks.”
“So we’re still together?”
“I’m offering tea to you.”
“What does that mean?” Saehyun reached up and cupped Nao’s face in his hand. “I want to know that you’re mine.”
“Yours?”
The door swung open, and Nao pulled away. Saehyun turned to see a cop wearing white gloves. Saehyun’s eyes widened, and his stomach turned into knots.
“Is Nao Murata here?” the cop asked.
Each moment slowed as Nao searched Saehyun’s face for any recognition of the last name, but deciphering the look in Saehyun’s glazed eyes proved impossible. Each nerve
in Nao’s body sank, growing defective with the lost caress. Nao’s gaze darted from the cop to Saehyun’s bowed head.
“Yes?”
Nao answered the cop’s question, but at the same time, his hand caught one of the soiled teacups and pushed it over the edge of the bar. It fell toward Nao, shattering on the floor. Nao hoped it was enough of a distraction for Saehyun to forget the name.
“Are you all right?” Saehyun asked.
“Just clumsy.”
Nao gave a faint smile, needing to keep up the meek act in front of Saehyun. The cop walked toward the tea bar, and Saehyun grabbed a washcloth. He ducked below the counter and started to clean up the mess. He seemed too preoccupied with avoiding the cop’s gaze to even appear that he was listening. Nao couldn’t blame him. When he was with the Matsukawa, the police always set him on edge too.
“We have some unfortunate news. Your apartment has been broken into,” the cop said.
“Broken into?”
“One of the neighbors called an hour ago. We’d like you to come with us so you can report anything missing.”
Takeo still lived beside Nao. Why hadn’t Takeo contacted him before the police? Maybe after Takeo ran into Saehyun, he went to Father and missed the robber. Why did Father have to take forever to find a replacement?
The cop continued. “We have a car waiting for you.”
“Let me call the staff and tell them they’re solo tonight.”
Stepping into the kitchen, Nao watched as Saehyun threw the shattered teacup into the trash. He knew something more, and it plucked away at Nao’s thoughts like the first flush of tea in growing season. Nao stared as Saehyun swiped the smaller pieces of porcelain that clung to the washcloth before standing beside him.
“I can’t believe someone would break in. It’s Kyoto…”
“Are you saying there’s not an ounce of crime in Kyoto?” Saehyun shrugged. “It’s like any other city.”
“It’s just …”
He couldn’t explain he was the son of the mob boss, so no criminal would want to have to deal with the Matsukawa wrath. In fact, the Double Moon were the first to challenge the order. When only the Matsukawa patrolled the streets, every criminal knew he would most likely answer to them first, even before the police. Nao jumped as Saehyun grabbed his hand.