Chapter 11: Yamaguchi Mireiko

  Just woke up, updated late...

  Tokyo, Okayama Prefecture, Kurashiki City

  Kurashiki is a city located in southern Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It is a cultural and industrial city with a mix of traditional culture and modern advanced technology and equipment. The surrounding area of Kurashiki was under the direct control of the shogunate during the Edo period (350 years ago) and prospered as a port town. The old merchant quarter south of Kurashiki Station, which dates back to the Edo period, has been designated by the Japanese government as an "Important Traditional Building Preservation Area" and is being carefully preserved under the name "Bikan Historical Quarter".

  Another clear morning, in the suburbs of Kurashiki City, a small village, an ordinary and relatively large Japanese-style wooden house, the wooden house is surrounded by green wisteria, in summer, it's the lush season, dense and luxuriant, like a layer of green carpet covering around the house.

  Kim Min-hee sat on the steps of the house, his arms resting on his thighs, his palms supporting his chin, gazing out at the traditional Japanese garden in front of him. His chin, supported by his hands, had grown a messy stubble, and his mouth was twisted into a bitter curve. He had been waiting here for 21 days now, but the person he was looking for still hadn't appeared...

  "Knock..." The door opened and a robust old man stepped out, stretched his waist, and made a low humming sound in his throat.

  Kim Min-heok saw the door open and immediately stood up, covering his ears with both hands. Then, a shrill and piercing sound came from behind him.

  "Hey, you're quite determined, aren't you? It's been 21 days now, and every day you come to sit for a bit. Every day's dull life has gotten a bit of flavor now, haha!" After Tonomori Katsu opened his throat, the warmth of his voice was surprisingly soothing compared to the harsh and piercing tone from earlier, just like this morning, making one feel very comfortable.

  "Good morning, Professor Teng." The nearly fifty-year-old Jin Minhe, who was called "young fellow", felt a bit strange about it, but in front of this white-haired and spirited old man, he couldn't help but accept the title.

  "Are you still going to accompany this old man for early practice today?" Tōnokizō Katsu walked down the steps from Kim Min-hee's side and stood in front of the courtyard, doing some simple stretching exercises.

  "As you wish." For 21 days, every morning, Kim Min-hee would sit here for three hours like a regular guest, then return to the village's temporary residence, eat something, and continue waiting in the afternoon. He knew that the person he was looking for was inside the house, but she didn't want to see him.

  "Today's goal is the mountaintop!"

  "The mountain top..." Kim Min-heok turned around, looking towards the back of the house, a small hill about 100 meters high, covered with lush greenery. He felt a chill in his heart - although this small hill was only over 100 meters high, its winding and curved stairs, almost at a 30-degree incline, could make people exhausted and paralyzed. What's more, Kim Min-heok, who was used to living in the city and didn't exercise often, was approaching his forties, nearly fifty years old.

  "Let's go!"

  ……

  An hour later, the two returned to the front of the house again. Tōdori Masaru was still energetic and lively, his silver-white short hair standing out especially under the morning sun; while on the other hand, Kim Min-heok was sweating profusely, his black-and-white hair already wet with sweat, looking disheveled.

  "Hey, kid, come on in and have some breakfast with me." As soon as they entered the courtyard, Tengoku Katsu tossed aside the towel hanging around his neck and, after saying a few words, was the first to enter the house.

  "Breakfast? Could it be...?" Kim Min-heok, who had taken the towel and wiped away the sweat on his forehead, only then realized that Fujiki Shou was inviting him in. This was, for the first time, he was being invited into someone's house!

  "Ah, are you going to wait for this hot porridge to cool down before coming in?"

  "Here!" Kim Min-heok immediately took big strides, walked to the door, tidied up his clothes, changed into slippers, and then entered the house. Inside, the decoration was very simple, the spacious living room had a tatami mat made of woven reeds, on a simple table, some simple dishes were already laid out, Tengmu Sheng stood upright, sitting in a side position.

  Beside her, an old woman with white hair walked out. Her steps were light and the blue kimono on her showed off her elegant demeanor that came with age. Her hands were as white as a young girl's jade, holding a pot of plain rice porridge.

  "Wife, come, I'll help you." Tonomi Katsu's dignified appearance immediately changed into another one after Yamaguchi Mireiko came out.

  "Yamaguchi Auntie? Hello!" Yes, Kim Min-hee calls this person "Auntie", but calls Fujiki Shō as "Mister".

  "Hmm, just like your father!" Yamaguchi Mireiko handed the pot to Fujiki Masaru and sat down at the dining table. "Let's have breakfast first."

  "It is." Only after confirming that this was indeed the person he had been looking for did Kim Min-hee let out a sigh of relief.

  Kim Min-hee thought of Yamaguchi Mirei because his father and Yamaguchi Mirei were once lovers. Talking about this history is quite embarrassing, but anyway, Kim Min-hee's father went to Japan for further studies and had a romantic relationship with Yamaguchi Mirei. Later on, due to the war and Japan's surrender, Kim Min-hee's father returned home. Of course, he was forced to do so because of the political turmoil at that time, and the Japanese people were hostile towards foreigners after their defeat. However, Kim Min-hee's father is also a man with feelings and righteousness. Over the years, although he got married and had children, he continued to care about Yamaguchi Mirei. Later on, when Kim Min-hee was sorting through his father's belongings, he found information about Yamaguchi Mirei. After that, during his work in Japan, he met Matsushima Katsuhito and learned that Matsushima Katsuhito had actually studied under Yamaguchi Mirei.

  After breakfast, Kim Min-hee knelt down in front of Yamaguchi Mirei, her back straight but her head hung low.

  "Speak, what brings you here." On the first day, when Kim Min-hee came to visit, Yamaguchi Mireiko recognized him as the son of her former lover at a glance. The resentment accumulated over half a century slowly erupted, and she chose to avoid seeing him. But she didn't expect that Kim Min-hee would inherit his father's perseverance and stubbornness. After 21 days, no matter how much resentment there was, it slowly dissipated. So many years had passed, but she still hadn't forgotten her first love. Although she also loved her husband now - Fujiki Masaru sitting beside her.

  "I'd like to ask you to teach a child."

  "Teach a child?" Yamaguchi Mireiko sipped the fragrant tea in her cup, and the rising mist swirled before her eyes, adding a hint of subtlety.

  "Yes, it's my child."

  "Your kid? How old are they this year? As far as I know, you're also a well-known music producer, can't you just teach them yourself?" Although she had always held a grudge against someone, she also understood his difficult circumstances back then. For so many years, she had been paying attention to him, and it wasn't until after he got married and had children that she accepted her family's arrangement and married Tōdoroki Katsu, and under his understanding, occasionally inquired about some things related to Kim Min-hee's father.

  "I can teach well, so I won't need to trouble Auntie anymore." Jin Min-he was also very embarrassed, after all, this person was still his father's old lover.

  "Go back and bring the child here. I want to see what potential this child has. If not, I won't teach." Yamaguchi Mireiko stood up and returned to the inner room, leaving behind a sentence.

  "Ah! Young man, to be honest, I didn't like you at first either. But since you've been accompanying this old guy for 20 days, it's tolerable." Does Tōnoki care? That husband doesn't mind his wife still thinking of another man, but Tōnoki cares in a different way. He accompanies his wife and directly faces her emotional rival, slowly making his wife fall in love with him in their daily life together. Is jealousy really that simple? Tōnoki has always been a very clever person...

  "Mr. Fujiki..."

  "Hey, young man, still calling me Mr.?"

  "Uncle Teng."

  "Come on, come on. I also want to see what's so strange about that kid of yours. You're going to have to bring him to my wife for her to teach. Don't you know that one of my wife's students has gone crazy before?"

  "Isn't every music producer and artist planner a madman?"

  "Yo, dude, I'm starting to like you, haha!"

  "Well then, Uncle Tōgi, I'll be off for now and visit again in a week."

  ……()