#kiro zhou
The rainy season had visited Loveland. Aside from being a nightmare for those who still have to travel to work, the gloomy weather also tends to make people melancholic, especially those who are on their own. During such times, it is surprisingly reassuring to have someone to talk to.
Word Count: 2473 words
The weather in Loveland City has been rather erratic recently. It could be sunny at the moment and raining cats and dogs later when you least expect it.
Knowing this, the producer had never traveled around without a foldable umbrella in her bag. This was especially so because the rain always occurred late in the evening, which coincided with the time she usually left her company.
However, even with those preparations in place, she still couldn’t avoid being drenched to her skin by the time she reached home. Well, that was to be expected since she had to face the full brunt of the heavy torrential downpour and strong gales with nothing but her umbrella throughout the entire twenty-minute walk.
While it was uncomfortable to be stuck in soaking wet clothes throughout the journey, it was still not as bad as having to endure wearing soggy shoes. Even now, when she was all warm and cozy at home, she still couldn’t dismiss the moist and cold sensation of her aching feet from when she first reached home, as well as the unsightly view of the wrinkled and pale skin of her feet when she took off her shoes. It made her worried that if this carried on, her feet would remain permanently wrinkled one day…
Alas, the current rainy weather was expected to last for at least another week, according to the latest weather forecast. Moreover, it was also predicted that a thunderstorm might be occurring at any time within the week.
With the current downpour already being terrible enough in her opinion, the girl couldn’t imagine being stuck in facing a thunderstorm while on her way home one day. Not to mention, most of her employees were also travelling to work on foot like herself. Therefore, right after she had heard of the latest weather forecast, the girl had informed all of her employees to work from home until the weather was stable enough for everyone to travel safely to work.
As an employer, the producer wasn’t particularly against the idea of working from home. Even though she wouldn’t disagree with the notion that one’s productivity in work might decrease due to being in the comfort of one’s home and the sense of freedom that came from having no one to directly supervise one’s work progress, she believed that it was still better to have this alternative option.
For her, she wouldn’t mind if her employees take it easy when working from home as long as they still deliver their work on time and she could reach them via calls when required. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t because there were still some pending arrangement details for an urgent project, she would have let them off from work during this period.
After all, she knew full well how hard her employees had been working, while she was out seeking collaborative projects to increase her company’s value and to prevent LFG from pulling back their investment. So, they truly deserved to have some off-days.
Fortunately, it still wasn’t too late for her to do that since she had just settled the matter regarding the urgent project by informing the respective parties of the project about the finalized details.
After sending a message to thank all her employees for their hard work and to also inform them that they will be on leave from work until further notice, the girl plopped herself face-down on the couch. Rolling over onto her back, she clutched her phone to her chest with an evident look of contentment.
With this, she could finally have some time for herself as well.
“Oh right! I should tell Kiro about this.”
Ever since Kiro first messaged her after recommending her show, “Miracle Finder”, on social media, they had been frequently keeping in touch with one another. Their conversations could be related to anything, such as food, movies, work-related matters, the interesting things that they had stumbled upon in their daily lives or even idle talks.
Even though Kiro was a celebrity idol, which made him someone who she normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to approach, let alone chat with frequently, she had never felt daunted by his fame or social status. She didn’t know why, but she always felt like she could talk about anything with Kiro, be it joyful or unhappy things.
Therefore, he was the first person she thought of sharing the news of her holiday.
[Yay! I am finally free from work! ^-^V]
It didn’t take more than five seconds for her to receive a reply that caused her to giggle.
[That’s great! Now, our idler group is finally complete!]
Compared to her, Kiro was certainly more hectic when it came to his work schedule. However, his workload had reduced significantly due to the rainy weather, which limited all of his job assignments to indoors. Once he had completed all of the indoor-related assignments, his manager had decided to give him a break since all the assignments that remained could only be done outdoors, which would have to wait until the weather cleared up since no one wanted to risk getting the celebrity idol sick.
Ever since then, Kiro had proclaimed himself to be an idler and had been lamenting on how he was still missing her as his partner in lazing about. Now that she was free from work too, it was to be expected that Kiro would be delighted.
[Still, it’s a shame that we will both be stuck at home due to the weather.]
[Why? Are you missing me, Miss Chips?]
His message was followed by a smirking emoji.
Blushing at having her innermost thoughts exposed by his teasing words, the girl pursed her lips while typing out her reply.
[I am just thinking how boring it would be since there aren’t many entertaining things to do at home.]
[Oh, Miss Chips doesn’t miss me. T.T]
In response, the girl’s lips had curled up unknowingly and she shook her head helplessly at the thought of Kiro pouting while typing those childish words. To behave childishly without turning people off, none could have done it as effortlessly as Kiro.
If she was like any of her fangirls, she would have fallen for his words and admitted that she missed him, just to not make him be any more disappointed.
However, she knew Kiro better than any fangirls. Moreover, she was aware that Kiro was only pretending to be saddened by her replies in order to coax her into confessing. Not wanting to let him have things his way all the time, the girl decided to play dumb.
[Didn’t we just have a video call last night?]
[Which Miss Chips rejected the first time… :’( ]
[That was because I had just gotten out of the shower at that time and hadn’t fully dried myself off!]
Not many would ever talk to Kiro in such a casual manner. Then again, the girl had never been one to walk on eggshells around Kiro. That is why they have been able to converse with each other with ease. It was because they held nothing back between them.
At the very least, she alone had never felt the need to do so.
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Kiro had always found it mysterious, how the rainy weather tends to make one feel melancholic. The gloomy and dark skies outside, coupled with the silence that permeates the air within the big house, had further accentuated a sense of solitude. Moreover, having been confined indoors due to the weather and not having much to do, one would naturally be contemplative.
Loneliness.
Who would ever believe that a well-loved celebrity like Kiro, who had legions of fans worldwide, would ever feel lonely?
To the public, Kiro is a bright star, whose radiance never dimmed and continues to illuminate others without fail. It might never occur to them at all that there would also be moments when a star will lose its radiance.
Not surprising since people tend to only notice the beautiful side of things. Thus, it was likely for them to have overlooked the fact that beyond the lights and glamour of the stage, Kiro is just like everyone else, an ordinary person.
He too will be overwhelmed by others’ expectations of him or be weary from having to put up a strong front at all times in order to not disappoint said expectations.
He too wished to be comforted when things were difficult, to have someone praise him for trying so hard all the time or to tell him it was alright to not push himself too hard and to take a breather sometimes.
Nonetheless, Kiro was someone who was always harsh towards himself. Instead of giving in to those yearnings, he chose to bottle up his feelings and carry on in maintaining his flawless image to the public. Facing the world on his own, the only thing that kept him going was a certain hope, which was further reinforced by his mentor’s words at the airport right before Kiro departed to America.
Back then, Kiro thought he had hidden his emotions well, but somehow his mentor still knew about it and had given Kiro a firm hug as he consoled the fifteen-year-old boy.
“Kiro, everyone is born alone and dies alone in this world. Still, that doesn’t mean that we are fated to be alone for the rest of our life. Aside from Eva and myself, you will encounter others who will accept everything about you and love you as you are.”
The famous French singer, Eva Seidel, was the closest person to a mother figure to Kiro. She was also the one who had suggested for Kiro to continue his studies in America. While this suggestion was undoubtedly beneficial for Kiro’s future, it was only because Eva and his mentor were strongly in favor of this option that Kiro decided to go to America in spite of his reluctance to leave France.
Kiro greatly admired and respected his mentor, but he still couldn’t hide his skepticism after hearing his mentor’s words. Of course, his mentor had noticed it as well.
“You might find it hard to believe now, but mark my words. As long as you don’t close off your heart and boldly accept those hands that have reached out to you, you will never be alone.”
That was the last face-to-face talk Kiro had with his mentor.
He kept his mentor’s words to heart, even though he still didn’t believe there would be others who would accept his flaws and imperfections. Still, there was someone who Kiro had always hoped to meet again and he wished she would be one of those people that his mentor mentioned will accept him as he is.
This hope was what had kept Kiro going throughout the years after his mentor’s disappearance.
When Kiro eventually met the girl again and realized that she didn’t remember anything from the past, he thought that it was for the best. With this, they would be able to start afresh and he will be able to show her only the best part of himself.
Nonetheless, whenever he was with her, he felt so at ease that he always ended up behaving unreservedly. Still, the girl had never shunned him for it and had oftentimes told him that she liked him that way.
Of course, he hadn’t truly believed her back then and stubbornly continued to hide his weaknesses from her. She was too precious to him and he was afraid of losing her. Even the mere thought of her disliking him was unbearable to Kiro, let alone the idea of her abandoning him.
To Kiro, his existence was precarious and heavily-dependent on his fame as an idol, which in turn, was reliant on the adoration from his fans. Despite that, he wasn’t even certain whether those adorations were genuine or due to the influence of his Evol.
The vagueness had merely heightened Kiro’s sense of insecurity and he became particularly mindful of people’s perception of him. In order to prove that his popularity wasn’t due to the influence of his Evol but due to his own efforts in giving the best performance to the public, Kiro never stopped pushing himself to the limit.
It was his Miss Chips who had quelled his fear of rejection and loneliness by sticking by his side through all his uncool and vulnerable moments. It was her voice that had pulled him from the darkness of his own mind that threatened to engulf him. Once again, he was saved by her presence and unconditional support.
Even if he was alone, his loneliness would instantly dissipate whenever he heard her voice during a phone call, saw her smiling face during a video call or read back the past messages between them.
[That was because I had just gotten out of the shower at that time and hadn’t fully dried myself off!]
Just like now, Kiro couldn’t stop himself from grinning as they continued to message back and forth between themselves about trivial matters.
[Really (o-O) ? Why do I feel like Miss Chips purposely doesn’t want to see me?]
[Of course not!]
[Hmm…then Miss Chips has to prove it.]
Before she could send out a reply, Kiro had clicked on the video camera icon on the top right side of his phone screen, thus initiating a video call between them. Unlike last time, the girl had accepted the call within five seconds.
However, she must have done so in a rushed manner because the sight that greeted Kiro on the phone screen was of the girl hiding the lower half of her face behind a couch pillow. Finding her posture to be adorable, he decided not to say anything about her slightly disheveled hair.
“Yoo-hoo, Miss Chips!” greeted Kiro while waving at the phone screen. “Glad to see me?”
Although he couldn’t see the lower half of her face, he could tell that the girl was miffed based on her narrowed eyes.
“Kiro! Why so suddenly? I didn’t even have time to prepare myself.”
“It’s okay, Miss Chips is always adorable.” He grinned mischievously and winked at the screen. “As for the sudden video call, it’s the best way to prove whether Miss Chips is avoiding to see me or not. Unless … you want me to go over to your place to meet you directly?”
The girl’s eyes had widened for a second before she shook her head vigorously and clutched the pillow closer to her face.
“Of course, there’s also another reason. It’s because…” Kiro deliberately dragged the end of his words for a while before he broke into a smile.
“I miss you a lot, Miss Chips.”
As always, his mentor’s words were true.
No one is meant to be alone in life.
Saudade is a profound melancholic yearning for the absent of that which one loves, that is often accompanied by the denied fact that it might never return. In other words, it is the feeling of missing someone dear to you who is no longer by your side.
Words: 1386 words
For the past one minute, Kiro had been staring at the constantly blinking vertical line on the half-completed email that was displayed on his laptop screen. His hands that were on the keyboard had remained motionless, even though his mind was whirling with various choices of words to convey his thoughts. It was strange since he didn’t usually have this much trouble in putting his thoughts into words.
After all, this wasn’t his first email and it was also unlikely to be his last.
There wasn’t a defined limit to the length of his emails. Some of them were as short as a few sentences, while others could be as lengthy as a few pages. Nevertheless, the words that he wished to say would come to him naturally and guided the movements of his fingers on the keyboard, much like when he was struck by a sudden spark of inspiration while in the middle of composing a new song. However, unlike his songs, which he would gladly share to the world without reservations, the words on this digital form of letters were something that was meant for his one and only recipient.
An irreplaceable and important person in Kiro’s life.
After much hesitation, Kiro eventually typed out the finishing sentence for his email. He sent the email immediately and received a confirmation from the system a moment later regarding his email being delivered successfully. The young man then leaned back onto his chair and stretched his arms up in the air. Nonchalantly, he glanced at the time that was shown at the bottom right corner of his laptop. Most people would be eager to retire to bed after realizing the current time, but for Kiro, he merely sighed before smiling wryly.
If Savin knew that he had been staying up late while knowing full well that he will be having a photo shooting session in the morning, he would not only be nagging at Kiro, he would confiscate all of his devices and games to prevent him from staying up late again. It was already bad enough to have his snacks confiscated before this. If he was to lose his games and devices as well…Kiro didn’t even want to imagine it. Thus, it would be best to hide this from his manager’s knowledge.
Anyway, considering the current time, it wouldn’t make much difference for him to go to bed now or later. Not to mention, he wasn’t feeling sleepy at all right now. Rather than tossing and turning in bed as he tried to fall asleep, he might as well stay up for a little while longer. Having made up his mind about that, Kiro reached out to his laptop once again. He scrolled through the long list of emails that existed within his inbox in the encrypted mailing system. His azure eyes grew wistful as he skimmed through the simplified previews for the contents of each of the emails.
[How’s your day today?]
[Happy birthday, Kiro.]
[Are you staying up late to play games again?]
[I have listened to your latest song.]
On the list of emails that could be dated as far back as fifteen years ago, there were only two names. Needless to say, Kiro was one of them. As for the other name, it was none other than his mentor, KEY.
As a matter of fact, this encrypted mailing system was actually something that was set up by KEY as a private means of communication between him and Kiro when the latter was sent abroad as a child. Nonetheless, if one was to examine the list of emails closely, they will notice that starting from five years ago, Kiro had been the one sending emails to his mentor, while there had never been an email from KEY to him.
This was because KEY had been missing without a trace in the past five years.
While The Twelve of Black Swan had deemed KEY to no longer be in this world, Kiro refused to accept that. Instead, he believed that his mentor had merely hidden himself so well throughout the years that no one was able to find any traces of him. Even now, his mentor must certainly be waiting somewhere in the world for the opportunity to reunite with him.
Ever since Kiro solved the first coding puzzle that was left behind by KEY and received the subsequent message of encouragement that was attached to the hint for the next riddle, he had continued to believe in his mentor’s survival.
If not, how could the occasional messages from his mentor, which appeared every time he solved one of those riddles, fit with the latest events and Kiro’s current situation in life?
Still, despite Kiro having accepted his mentor’s disappearance as a temporary circumstance, that didn’t mean that he was completely unaffected by it.
Back when Kiro was still staying abroad, he and his mentor had still maintained contact with one another through the encrypted emails in spite of not being able to meet with each other. Now, there was completely no contact between them. So, of course, this had made Kiro feel lonelier than before. The only solace for this loneliness would be when the blonde youth was immersed in his work as a celebrity, solving his mentor’s riddles … or when he was sending emails to his mentor via the encrypted system.
Kiro had started actively sending emails to his mentor after the latter had been missing for more than a year. To be honest, he didn’t know why he started doing that or if there was any meaning in doing so. Still, the only thing Kiro knew for certain was that the weight on his chest had felt a little lighter after he had sent out those emails. Even though there hadn’t been a single reply for any of his emails, Kiro wasn’t disheartened and continued sending out his emails whenever he could do so.
Since the contents of the emails were about the things that Kiro had experienced in his daily life, this habit of composing emails to his mentor was akin to writing a diary entry, which led him to come up with a certain idea.
That, someday, if he could meet up with his mentor, he would retrieve all of these unread mails from the system and recite them back to his mentor, letter by letter, just to inform him on how he had been doing for the past years during his mentor’s absence. In return, Kiro would then request to hear about his mentor’s experiences.
With so many things to talk about between them, a day would certainly not be enough. So, Kiro might as well take a few days off from work during that time. While it may be difficult to take a long leave of absence from work due to his rising fame and the countless job offers, if he persuaded Savin to allow him a long break just this one time, it wouldn’t be impossible.
After that, he could catch up with his mentor without a care in the world. Kiro could even take the opportunity to introduce Miss Chips to his mentor. Knowing the two of them well, Kiro was sure that they would get along fine. The blonde celebrity had smiled widely in contentment as he pictured the scene of his mentor, Miss Chips and himself conversing happily at one of his secret bases.
If there was really such a day in the future, Kiro thought that he couldn’t be happier.
Stifling a yawn, Kiro rubbed one of his eyes before deciding that it was finally time for him to sleep. After instructing his laptop to shut down, the young man stood up from his seat and headed towards his bedroom to have a short nap before the sun rose.
While pending on the shutdown command, his laptop’s screen was showing the most recent email that he had sent out earlier to his mentor. A single sentence had stood apart from the rest of the content at the bottommost part of the email. It was the last sentence that Kiro had added into the email before he sent it out.
[Master, I miss you.]
With a blink, the laptop screen turned dark, signaling that the device had completed its shutdown process.
