Chapter one

Lost in Translation

Chapter one: Tattoo

 

 

            “You have everything settled?” The kind lady that sat comfortably behind her desk had asked me with a smile. I was nervous hoping she wouldn’t catch the look of it on my face.  I wasn’t sure how she knew I wasn’t even the least bit fluent in Japanese but somehow she did. I checked out my surroundings before smiling back at her. This place was beautiful no doubt, but it was scary being somewhere new.

 

“Yes, thank you.” I replied back in English, I managed a quick bow before walking towards the left-wing campus. I silently prayed that the people I ran into could at least understand what I was saying.

 

The campus was quite small, a couple of buildings tightly compacted with each other covering the grounds of Minato. It was fresh and modern, a taste of something I was at least familiar with although a bit bittersweet in a way.

 

I wasn’t a rich child, my parents were well off. In the middle of the divorce they had an idea to send me off somewhere so I wouldn’t be affected emotionally by the mess they were causing. So they sent me to Tokyo, not to far but far enough. It almost made me want to laugh, like sending your child to a foreign country not speaking a bit of the language wasn’t already emotional damage ensuing. I didn’t mind though, I was the type to keep quiet and do as I was told. I didn’t want to burden anyone, especially my parents.

 

I walked the path to my dormitory, the air scented like fresh cut grass and rain. It made me feel nostalgic for something I wasn’t sure I missed. My life was boring, there wasn’t anything to be nostalgic about.

 

There were trees aligned straightly down each side of the concrete pathway, little bushes of flowers between each one. A tall light post beside every few trees powered by the sun.

 

Then here I was. A tall lengthy building shooting straight up into the broad grey sky stood in front of me. I noticed later on that the sky always seemed grey in Tokyo. But I could never figure out why.

 

------

 

Name?” I stood there completely clueless, a busty girl with black rimmed glasses and a clean hair cut stared me down. I cowardly shriveled up inside from intimidation. She had a sharp look in her eyes as if to warn me to stay away. Not that I would have any objection in doing that.

 

“Eh?” Her eyebrows stitched together as she eyed me up and down. “You are not Japanese.” I inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. English, thank God for the universal language… sort of.

 

“No I’m not.” I shook my head as my hand pulled at the hem of my shirt in nervousness the other gripping onto my rolling suitcase. I needed to get over this social anxiety I had, it was stupid.

 

“Raceudesu?” That I sort of understood.

 

“Korean-American.” I replied proudly as if it were something to be proud about. I was just like everyone else, just a bit plainer.

 

“Ahh, okay,” she makes an ‘okay’ sign with her fingers as she begins to walk away. “Follow,” she points to herself “Follow.” she repeats and I let her guide me away. I sighed again, my first day and I’m already following strangers.

 

------

 

It’s only probably been a couple of flights of stairs and I’m panting, I struggled to carry my heavy suitcase up each step. The Busty Japanese girl didn’t seem to care. I narrowed my eyes at her, so much for hospitality

 

“Here…” I see her stop in her tracks and we ended up in front of a wooden door that read R-216.

 

“Thank you?” I question, not really knowing what I was doing there. Though I suppose it doesn’t take a genius to know it’s probably the room I’ll be staying in. , I thought. I’m really in Japan.

 

She sighs while she nods in reply, “BakaGaijin,” I hear her mutter under her breath unaware of what she was saying. It probably wasn’t anything good though. I gotta study more Japanese.

 

I twist the door knob and surprisingly it’s open. “Hello?” I step inside, it’s a small room with two twin beds on each side, two small desks a mini fridge and a table lamp. Not to mention a window overlooking the campus. It was small but it seemed comfortable. If I were to be honest, I didn’t want to share a room. I just wanted to get school over with and go back home. I missed it already.

 

“Who are you?” I hear a voice from inside as I see a short lanky girl step out of what I assume to be the bathroom.

 

“S-Sorry, the door was open—I…” her midriff was exposed, her excuse for a shirt only covering the top half of her body “—Sorry.” I mumbled my eyes not knowing where to look.

 

“It’s cool, there aren’t any locks on the doors here anyways.” She speaks in perfect English and I’m shocked. My eyes dare to fall back onto her and I noticed her hair was wet, it’s short and black with the tips dyed a banana blonde.

 

She was aesthetically pleasing. I wondered why she would bother dying her hair a color like that though.

 

“Did Mari lead you here? I’m assuming you’re new.” She steps forward settling on her messy bed. The blue sheets ruffling under her weight.

 

“Um…” I realized she never told me her name.

 

“Busty,” her hands hover over her chest, “rimmed glasses.”

 

“Ah yes, she did.” I nod and my legs were aching, back lightly sweating. It’s going to be a work out climbing those steps every day. I bit the inside of my cheek, a little disappointed to be sharing a room with someone. Someone weird.

 

“Of course she did.” The girl sighs, “you’re Korean right?” I nod once again, wondering how she knew.

 

“She’s so racist.” I see her snort while she breaks out in an oddly unique laugh. “Mari’s in charge of assigning rooms to the new kids, she puts the Koreans on this side of the building.” She pauses staring at me and it was an odd stare I couldn’t quite place my finger on, “Although it’s just me and you, from what I know.”

 

I was at a loss of words, “She probably called you a stupid foreigner too.” She laughs again and my lips threaten to pull back but I keep myself together. What a I thought, feeling offended.

 

“Don’t sweat it.” After a while she waves her hand to me as she stretches her arms in the air. I watch as her shirt pulls upward, her neon green bra showing and her rib cage contracting as she breathes out.

 

I gulp unknowingly, she should at least look decent in front of people she doesn’t know.

 

“Anyways, that’s your bed over there—obviously,” she pauses and I watch her hop off her bed sliding off her cotton shorts, I quickly look away, the heat on my cheeks arising.

 

“I’m going to head out for a bit, see some of Tokyo before classes start next week you know?” I shake my head, placing my suitcase on top of my bed as it bounces on impact.

 

“School isn’t for me…” I hear her zip something up, as I turn around I notice it’s a pair of jean shorts. “So I don’t really try so hard.” she chuckles out making small talk with herself as I listen, “Unlike Busty.” she looks at me and I finally break out into a smile. Dammit, I thought. “She really does have huge doesn’t she?”

 

We both end up laughing until the sound dies down. She stares at me for a moment, tilting her head.

 

“Hey,” she cuts through the silence, “Do you by any chance wanna come with me?”

 

My mind pauses for a moment, noting all the pros and cons of going with her. “I don’t even know your name.” I reply in hopes maybe she’d tell me.

 

“Taeyeon.” She grins and I notice a dimple appear on her chin, “So is that a yes?”

 

------

 

I didn’t understand how for the second time today I let a stranger guide me away, but at least I know her name, right? I chuckled. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was doing it.

 

“Stay close… uh?” And I hadn’t even told her mine yet. What a day.

 

“Tiffany” I reply as she grabs a hold of my arm, her hand trailing down capturing my own. I gasp at the contact. It was awkward and sudden, but it felt comfortable after second.

 

“Don’t want to get lost in Tokyo your first day here do you?” She asks me as she lightly bumps my shoulder, I shake my head in response.

 

“No.”

 

She smiles at me as we board a taxi, I slide in the small vehicle as she slides in beside me, her hand still attached to mine.

 

“Daikanyama Onegaishimasu.” Her Japanese sounds fluent but for all I know it’s just as crappy as my own. I watch the Taxi pull from the curb and the sun begin to set and I have no idea where I am going. I put all my trust in this skinny short girl beside me hoping I’ll be alright. I had a feeling I would.

 

------

 

I found myself standing in front of a weird shop as Taeyeon was at my side eating an ice cream cone. She munched away as I stood awkwardly there. I sighed, what the hell was I doing there? I felt so out of place.

 

“I’ve been meaning to come to this place.” I hear her speak as the bustling crowds us around melted into each other, like the ice cream on her tongue.

 

“And this place is?” I question, I read the sign that says Rin-kg, and still I’m so lost.

 

I feel my cell phone vibrating in my shorts as I pick it up and place it against my ear. “Hello?” I watch Taeyeon the sides of her strawberry ice cream. Obviously waiting for me to hurry up and finish.

 

“Sweetie, how are you doing? Did you get there safe? How about the dorm?” I wince at my mother’s piercing voice.

 

“Yes mom, I’m safe and everything is alright” I think.

 

“That’s good honey, has your dad called you yet?” I sigh rolling my eyes.

 

“Nope not yet mom.”

 

“Oh okay Honey, where you at?” I look around and I’m not quite sure what to tell her.

 

“I’m out with a friend.” I let the words roll off my tongue, could I even consider Taeyeon a friend yet? Most likely not.

 

“Oh! Making friends already huh? Where are you guys at?”

 

“Um…” I look around for answers before I hear Taeyeon speak.

 

“Tattoo shop.” She eats the last of her ice cream as my eyes bulge out.

 

“Did I just hear Tattoo shop?! Miyoung Stephanie Hwang you better not be getting a Ta—” Taeyeon snatched my phone while shutting it off.

 

I stared at her in complete and utter shock.

 

She just shrugged, leaning forward sliding the phone in my back pocket. I felt Goosebumps but I wasn’t sure why. She was too close for comfort.

 

“I’m going to be late for my appointment, c’mon.” She pulls me along with her as we enter the shop, a bell going off.

 

“May I help you?” A tall woman, with piercings on her ears, on her nose and through her bottom lip spoke to us. I tried not to gawk at her exotic-self. I was from Korea after all, well born in America but lived in Korea for half my life. Although I knew people like this existed it was just so scandalous to see. Taeyeon on the other hand didn’t seemed the least bit fazed.

 

“Yes I called about a week ago, Taeyeon, for an appointment.” Taeyeon uttered.

 

I watched as the woman’s Tattoos on her neck flexed with the motion of looking down at a note pad.

 

“Yup, Kim Taeyeon go have a seat and we’ll call you shortly.”

 

We walked over to the side where a couple of chairs were tucked beside each other, a table full of magazines sprawled out before us.

 

“You’re getting a Tattoo?” she nodded vigorously, picking up one of the magazines and sifting through it carelessly.

 

“Won’t it hurt?” I scowled at the idea of getting one, my eyes falling onto a picture of a stupid Tattoo. “Most Tattoos aren’t even meaningful.”

 

“Well who says they have to be?” she speaks up without looking at me, then her head turns upward, a smile on her face and I notice she’s quite pale, and her teeth are perfectly white and straight except for two bottom ones you could hardly see.

 

“Tattoos are a form of art, Miyoung Stephanie Hwang.” she taunts me and usually I’d be annoyed and I guess I sort of was but the way she does it is just so forgiving.

 

“Don’t call me that” I retort, my mom surely does have a loud voice, sort of like me I suppose.

 

“Why not? It’s cute.” I watch as she goes back to looking at her magazine, the blush on my cheeks evident although I wish she didn’t witness that.

 

------ 

 

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” A man who looks about in his twenties asks Taeyeon, in Japanese of course but I got the gist of it.

 

“Yup.” She nods and I watch as she lifts up her shirt in front of the man as my eyes widen a bit but his expression doesn’t change. Professionalism at its best.

 

“I want it along my rib cage.” I didn’t know what type of Tattoo she’d be getting, I only watched from afar when she talked and threw ideas around with the man. Not that I would’ve understood anything anyway.

 

“Okay.” He smiled. I was starting to think everyone here in Tokyo had a surprise waiting to show me. Who knew this scary looking man had the ability to smile.

 

“Is it going to hurt?” I questioned, my hand coming to meet the empty air as I watched the man get his ink ready. He ignored me, but I felt a pat on my shoulder.

 

“Does it matter?” Taeyeon lays herself on the tattooing table as she turns her head to face me. “You’re not the one feeling it.” I bit my tongue, swallowing the snarky remark wanting to come out. She was right.

 

She throws one arm over her head, facing away from the man and his Tattooing gun, as she lays one arm down beside her. Her hand opens up beckoning me to grasp it, and I do.

 

I feel her grip tighten and watch her teeth capture her bottom lip as the needle met her skin.

 

------ 

 

“Apply this cream to it every day for a few days, don’t swim, don’t clean it with alcohol, be careful with hot showers, don’t drink too much, and don’t touch it while it’s still raw.”

 

The man recited in flawless English, “Thanks for coming.” Helping Taeyeon off the table his eyes met with mine. “And come again soon.”

 

I could see a little bit of the cursive writing peek out from her shirt every time her arms swung back a little, all I could decipher was ‘She’ and that was it. It seemed swollen and no doubt it hurt her like a .

 

“You okay?” she nodded in response as she kept her two legs moving forward with me by her side.

 

“Thanks for coming out here with me today, it was nice to have someone there.”

 

I smile at her kindness, although I guess the gist of her was kind. She didn’t really seem like it though.

 

“How old are you Taeyeon?” I blurt out curiously.

 

“I’m nineteen.” she spins around, walking backwards which I found to be dangerous as she stared at me “You?”

 

“Eighteen, I’ll be nineteen in a few months though.” She nods as I continue, “You look younger than me though, like way younger.” Taeyeon laughs while she turns back around walking normally once again and my heart eases.

 

“I get that a lot.” Taeyeon places a strand of hair behind her ear and her almond shaped eyes expand. “Oh!” she exclaims, “Want some beer? There isn’t anything like alcohol to suppress the pain.” 

 

“The man said no drinking though.” I recall him saying that after she got the tattoo but all I see her do is shrug. That seemed to be her signature move.

 

“So? He also said not to move a lot but here I am walking with you.” She’s right I suppose. But it still irritated me. Rules are meant to be followed.

 

“We aren’t of age, isn’t it twenty here?”

 

“Who checks people’s ages here anyways? It’s Tokyo Tiffany-Sama.” I blush at her teasing once again, I wasn’t used to breaking the rules, even if they were minor ones. “Not America, or Korea.”

 

“Fine” I huff my lips coming into a pout “Fine.”

 

------

 

It was already late at night here in Tokyo but we were just getting back to Minato. We had two six packs of beer in our hands as we walked along the same concrete path from earlier. But this time everything looked so different. It was weird how drastically things change at night.

 

I was dead tired, the only thing keeping me from passing out was the low humming that seemed to leave Taeyeon’s lips.

 

“So Tiffany.” She pierces through the silence with her voice. “What brings you all the way here to Tokyo, Japan?”

 

I hear the shuffle of plastic bags between us as I breathe out, “My parents sent me here for a while, to get away from some stuff.”

 

Taeyeon doesn’t reply but instead skips ahead of me, “Well the bright side Fany look at the bright side.” I giggle at her weirdness.

 

“Bright side?”

 

“Yeah now you here all alone.” I tilt my head in confusion.

 

“What’s so bright about that?”

 

“Well…” she pauses and before I knew it we’re in front of our dorm building. “You get to live your own life now, make your own decisions and live however you want too.”

 

“Plus,” she says as she smiles at me that chin dimple coming back to view, “You have me now, that’s as bright as it gets Hwang.”

 

------

 

Here we are, sitting against the headboard of the Taeyeon’s bed, elbows touching and hands holding a can of beer.

 

“Taeyeon.” I break the silence, as she tips her chin forward.

 

“What?” her hand dig into the bag of chips between us the crunching sounds soon invades my ears. It soothing in a way.

 

“You never did tell me what your Tattoo said,” I pause. “I mean I wasn’t really paying attention while you were getting it.” My bones shiver “There was blood.”

 

I hear her giggle swallowing her food, “It says” she clears “She’s mad, but she’s magic.”

 

I let the words sink in, not really knowing what to make of the meaning, if it even had one. I’m sure it did.

 

“What does it mean?” I question as she, places her hand on her chin.

 

“When I was younger, not too long ago actually I came here to Tokyo because like you, my parents had sent me away. For different reasons of course.” I nodded as she continued. “I was uptight and cared too much about what others thought, I felt I needed to be better, for what reasons? I couldn’t tell you. I studied and I studied, until one day I had been forced to switch rooms.” She breathed out, “She was older than me, her name was Emi Murakami, a college senior who scared the living out of me.” she laughed as I stayed quiet, beckoning for her to keep going. “She was crazy, she was so crazy. Her hair was dyed hot pink, her arms imprinted with Tattoos and she loved to play guitar. The first words Emi told me was ‘Shut the hell up kid’ when I asked her to keep it down, over time I got used to her and over time I started to like the way she saw the world. I wanted to badly see the world through her eyes because she was just so damn magnificent.” Taeyeon sighed, shaking her head.

 

“Well now I’m spewing .” She lifted her shirt giving me a clear view of her tattoo. “I got it for her, because she taught me how to live and love. She was mad but she was damn magic, sometimes I think she wasn’t real.” she lets her shirt fall back down as she takes another swig of her beer, “But the way I am now is evidence she was, my life would’ve wasted away without her.”

 

“So that’s why you got the Tattoo…” I nod, her words didn’t leave my mind for days, somehow finding its way under my skin, inhabiting my soul. I wondered what happened to Emi Murakami. Maybe she moved on, maybe she went away. I didn’t have the courage to ask.

 

“That’s why I got the Tattoo.” she nodded repeating my words and I found myself more comfortable with Taeyeon in that moment than I had ever been with anyone else.

 

------

 

 

 

 

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Comments

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wahidah1975
#1
Chapter 8: Hope you update this great taeny story
kjms29
#2
Chapter 8: Another masterpiece of yours that I just finished. This story is just so pure and loved by many. I hope you'll comeback one day and continue it because I'm dying to see how their relationship will evolve. I really love your writings in general and this one is no exception. I love the theme, I love the characters you created, I love the words you have chosen, I love how your stories make me feel. Really, the relation between Tiffany and Taeyeon makes me think of a first love and I swear my heart beats so fast when I'm reading it, as if I was the one falling for Taeyeon.
crazygw
#3
Chapter 8: Omg this is sooooo good
taeyeongg309 #4
Chapter 8: I just have found this story on 2017:(( so late but better late than never. When i reached this chapters i just hv known that the story is abandoned? Even though its already 2017,i hope you still on to continue this pleaseeee???? You made a good one heree, i gtg to read another from yours surely
Thunderette #5
Chapter 8: Yo when the next one? I am so into this, I need the next chapter or I am going to die
nov_sone97 #6
Chapter 1: It's like "the roommate" movie?
yulsharangee #7
Chapter 8: Is this the end author-nim?
Ipandas #8
Chapter 8: Duuuuuuuude I thought you left thus Galaxy
gainer #9
Chapter 8: Omg i got so happy when I noticed you updated this story omg. Im in love with your writing. Please don't abandon this fic