"Takeshi ?" someone across the cable asks.
"No. I'm Hayashi Hiroshi. Takeshi is taking a scene now," Hiroshi answers with a little frown to here the worry in the caller's voice.
"I'm Goro, his brother. Tell him that mother goes to hospital.."
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Takeshi's legs step wide and hurry, making screeching voice between his sneakers and the hospital's floor. "Goro!" he calls half shouting to his brother who walks back and forth at the end of the aisle. Goro turns and approaches him.
"How is it ?" Takeshi asks in worry and panic. "She is still in the operation room," Goro answers weakly while pointing at the operation room with his chin. The man who is born three years earlier than Takeshi is then heavily sighs when he finds an asking-explanation stare from his brother. "I.. We..."
Takeshi no longer hears Goro's words when his eyes' corner catch a movement from the operation room's door. A doctor, still wearing a scrub, comes out of the door. Takeshi and Goro immediately approach him. "How is our mom, doc ?" Takeshi asks in worry.
"It went well. Hasegawa-san is also stable. She is now taken to the ICU to have an intensive care," the doctor's explanation releasing all tension from Takeshi and Goro's faces.
"Thank you, Doctor-san," the brothers say it almost synchronously while bending their body down. The doctor also bends his body then says goodbye.
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Being a bit scare of the dark and quiet street, Xiao Ping is pedaling her bicycle faster. The night is quite old. It is twenty minutes past nine, to be exact. She was too carry away chatting with Takeshi on messenger today. Something that rarely happens. Today Takeshi was watching his mother that was taken care at the ICU because of a heart attack. That is why Xiao Ping accompanied Takeshi via messenger since noon.
Xiao Ping turns her bicycle on alley toward her house. Soon she stops in front of the house. When she opens the gate, the house's front door is also opened and shows her father figure.
"Dad," Xiao Ping is a bit stammered to see Mr. Yuan's tense face.
"Where had you been ?" Mr. Yuan asks after Xiao Ping entered the house.
"I..."
"Did you know what time is it ?" Mr. Yuan asks again with higher tone.
"My husband..," Mrs. Yuan hisses to calm her husband down.
"I'm sorry," Xiao Ping says and drops her face down.
"Where had you been ?" Mr. Yuan asks softer.
"I...," Xiao Ping is hesitate to tell the truth. But she is eventually still telling the truth because she is not good at lying, "I was at my friend's house."
"Who ?" Mr. Yuan asks. "Yu Jin."
"He is Xiao Ping's co-worker that once brought her home when her leg was sprain," Mrs. Yuan explains. Her voice clearly wants to remind her husband that Yu Jin is a nice person. But to know that the friend is a guy, Mr. Yuan's anger grows again.
"What did you do in a guy's place until this late ?!" asks Mr. Yuan half rebukes. Xiao Ping drops her head deeper. Her body is a little trembling. Mrs. Yuan immediately hugs her daughter. "My husband, please.."
"Answer me!" Mr. Yuan urges.
"I did nothing, dad. I just played internet there," Xiao Ping fearfully answers.
"Playing internet until this late of night ? Don't lie to me ! is he your boyfriend ?! Did you make out ?!" Mr. Yuan attacks her with dozen of questions.
Xiao Ping strongly shakes her head. "I'm not lying, Dad! I only play internet there. He even wasn't at home today.. Even if he did, we have never done anything. Why do you even think of that ?" Xiao Ping starts to cry in her mother's embrace.
"My husband...," Mrs. Yuan rebukes her husband. Seeing his daughter is crying, Mr. Yuan is soften again. "I don't want you to go to his house again," Mr. Yuan gives his final word when his daughter walks to her room with her mother's help. "Did you hear me, Xiao Ping. I forbid you!" Mr. Yuan confirms his decision, answered by a closing door's sound.
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"Good morning, Mom," Takeshi says while kissing Mrs. Hasegawa's forehead. He then goes to the window and opens the curtain to bring the sun shine in, warming the room.
"Aren't you suppose to work ?" Mrs. Hasegawa weakly asks. Takeshi shakes his head. "I'm taking leave for few days," he explains, growing his mother's smile. Takeshi sits beside the bed then takes his mother's left hand and holds it tight. "You must take care of your health. Try not to get angry like yesterday again," Takeshi tries to advice in gentle.
"But your brother was outrage! He.."
Takeshi hisses, asking his mother to not continue her emotional sentence. Mrs. Yuan found out that Goro secretly mortgaged their house for stock game. "Calm down, Mom. Don't think about it. I have asked Hiroshi and a lawyer to take care of it," Takeshi says.
"Ah, you are too kind," Mrs. Hasegawa sighs. "Goro is my brother, mom. It is my duty to protect my family," Takeshi says. Mrs. Hasegawa stares at him with teary eyes. Takeshi smiles then gently kisses the hand in his grip.
"What most important now is that you have to recover soon," he says as gentle as the kiss. "Don't think too much. Goro and I are grown up now. We can take care of ourselves," Takeshi adds.
Mrs. Hasegawa sighs. "A mother can never stop to worry about her children until they are perfectly happy in their life," she says then tightens her grip to Takeshi's hand. "Are you happy ?"
Takeshi widely smiles then firmly nods. "Really ?" Mrs. Hasegawa asks to reassure. She clearly already can see the twinkles in Takeshi's eyes when he nodded. She can't be wrong. The twinkles that had been gone so long.
"I think I have a powerful medicine for you," Takeshi says then half standing and leans forward so he can whisper to his mother's ear. "Really ?" the same word but with a different enthusiasm. "What's her name ?" she asks.
Again Takeshi whispers to her ear. "It's a beautiful name. Only from the name I can guess she must be beautiful," Mrs. Hasegawa says then guides her son's head to rest on her chest. "I can be ease, now," Mrs. Hasegawa continues while stroking Takeshi's head.
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"You don't need to interfere at my problem," Goro rebukes. "I have to interfere!" Takeshi resists with the same high voice. "It is family house. What were you thinking ? Were you planning to make our mother homeless on her golden age ?" Takeshi says with squinting eyes but his voice is so much lower than before.
"I'm not that crazy !" Goro defies offended. "Oh, really ? Then what does this letter mean? You have six millions yen in debt. Six millions !! That's more than our house's price!" Takeshi attacks getting emotional.
"I will pay it," Goro insists. "How ? With another bet on stock ??" Takeshi snaps to make Goro speechless. Takeshi sighs harshly to calm his emotion. "Let me help you," Takeshi speaks.
Goro lets a little snort. "And you.. where in the hell you can have that kind of money ? Is your income that much already ?" he asks ended with sneer.
Takeshi sighs. "Not that much. But I have a way," he answers with a dazzling eyes.
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"Six millions, eh ?" Hiroshi's question sounds more like a complain because it is followed by a sneer. "There goes your saving."
Takeshi who was staring at pouring rain outside the window only shrugs. "My saving even is not enough to cover," he rues.
"I think you can propose a loan to the company for the remainder. Actually, even for the whole amount. But you should prepare for the consequences. You will be squeezed 'til dry," Hiroshi says then chuckles. Takeshi turns to him to gives him a wry smile. "What can I say ?" Takeshi asks rhetorically.
"Right. What else can we say," Hiroshi says to agree. He and Takeshi then inhale in synchronous. It makes both of them stare at each other then chuckles in amused.
"Btw, I got news from boss," Hiroshi changes the topic, "Scar Face promotion schedule is confirmed. Our first promo will be at Seoul, then Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, then Bangkok. After that we will fly to America." Takeshi slightly nods. If only there is no big problem disturbing his mind, that news definitely will grow a very wide smile to his face.