"Oh, Takuya-san, I wouldn't miss a party of yours," Taeyeon stated in a glossy voice as she fluidly knelt beside said man, the younger girl taking her place beside her.

"You must know this though, Taeyeon-san, that Takuya-san was late for his own party!" Heisuke boomed, another shot of sake sliding down his throat.

While the playful banter continued in Japanese, Baekhyun and Chanyeol sat cluelessly with empty cups of sake in their hands, as both had nervously downed the drink when the two astonishing women entered. Baekhyun noticed however that the maiko quickly got to work with pouring drips of sake for the guests, her wide smile and rosy cheeks appearing to puff out with each laugh. When she stopped in front of Chanyeol to pour his drink, Baekhyun noticed the slightest twitch in his friend's arm as he hesitantly held out his cup. Both men could tell that she had wanted to make an encouraging and helpful remark, but the language barrier kept her silent as she refilled their ceramic teacups. Suddenly though, something snapped in Baekhyun's mind. That face that has been circling his thoughts, that name that has been racing through his mind... was Korean. Takuya seemed to notice the rather obvious look of both conclusion and confusion on Baekhyun's face.

"Oh my goodness, Chanyeol-sama, Baekhyun-sama, you must forgive my forgetful mind! This is Kim Taeyeon," Takuya introduced, gesturing to the small heighted young woman sitting beside him. "She's Korean. I thought she may be more appealing to you both since there's no language barrier, and she's gifted in song."

Chanyeol graciously clapped his hands in thanks, and Baekhyun could only grin. "Her looks alone make her appealing, but I bet her voice is even more jaw dropping."

Baekhyun elbowed his taller friend's ribs, a chuckle following. "Don't let Sooyoung hear you say that!"

And then he heard it. Baekhyun heard the soft little ripple of sound that is Taeyeon's laugh. She hid it behind a hand however, her cat-like eyes blinking innocently. That makes her all the more enticing, and Baekhyun swore that he felt his breath jump from his lungs.

"I am very glad to meet a couple of Korean business men. I seldom get the chance to speak my native language," Taeyeon explained with a hint of joy. "And have you met my little sister? Her name is Suzume," Taeyeon tilted her hand in the direction of the girl pouring drinks. "Her Korean isn't the best, but I assure you that she'll be perfect come this next year."

"Little sister?" Chanyeol inquired. "I beg your pardon, but you two don't look very much alike."

"Oh my, has Takuya-san not explained it yet?" Taeyeon pouted slightly as Takuya covered his airy laugh with an arm. "She's an apprentice geisha, a maiko, and I am the one who is training her. We like to refer to each other as sisters, well, every geisha and maiko do. I am the big sister, and she is the little sister."

"When will she be a full geisha?" Chanyeol questioned once again, only to frown when Taeyeon's response was cut off by a drunk Heisuke.

"Taeyeon-san! Why don't you tell us a story?"

Taeyeon shook her head playfully as she bowed her head in thanks at the cup of sake that Suzume offered her. "My stories are only boring, Doctor."

"Nonsense!" Kappei exclaimed. "Why don't you tell us how you became a geisha."

"That story is so old and distasteful. It'll put you all to sleep!" Taeyeon chimed.

"I... I'd like to hear the story." Baekhyun mumbled quietly after Takuya had translated the topic of a story to his and Chanyeol's ears.

Everyone went silent at the sound of Baekhyun's voice, and the short business man suddenly felt like an insect under the eye of a magnifying glass. The look Taeyeon gave him was enough to make him roll around in happiness, however, every look she gave him made him giddy. However, her face was one that no one could describe. She didn't seem to be happy at his request, and she didn't appear to be angry. She wasn't quite confused, and she wasn't scared. If anything, she was blank, until a slow smile crept onto her lips.

"Well, if the guest of honor would like to hear a story, then I'll recall it as best as I can." At that, the clinking of cups continued, but no voice was heard. "I was very, very small when my family came to Japan. I think I was about six. You see, when my father saw the marvelous geisha of the time, he knew that he wanted his daughters to become them as well. My brothers, the two of them, went back to Korea with my parents, but my sister and I were told that this was our new home. There must be more to the story, like the financial benefits that my parents probably received, but I was too young to remember the details. My sister, well, she was never one for change. She ran away the next spring, and I haven't seen her since." She grinned suddenly though. "Don't worry, there's a happy ending!"

"And what would it be?" Keito spoke up.

"I am here today, and even better, young Suzume-chan is by my side."

The group of wealthy Japanese men continued to demand stories from both Taeyeon and Suzume after that, and the tales become funnier and more extreme with each drink. Taeyeon, however, had only one drink, and Suzume had none. Baekhyun and Chanyeol, on the other hand, after being lovingly pressured by their fellow men, had gotten down right drunk in their seats. In their ears, Taeyeon's simple story of when she found a kricket in her kimono, become one of when she found a bee hive nestled in her obi.

Baekhyun was humiliated, that in front of such a gorgeous woman, he had gotten intimidated by the others and succumbed to the alcohol. By the time he and Chanyeol had been escorted by Takuya to their hotel, Baekhyun collapsed onto his bed in a fit of drunken tears. This surprised Chanyeol, who only had time to take off his jacket before crumbling to the foot of the older's bed.

"Baek... what's wrong?"

"She was so beautiful, alluring. Chanyeol, Taeyeon is my crush now."

"What?"

"When's the next party? We gotta invite her!"

"Baek, you're drunk."

"I know..."

Takuya, who could handle his sake perfectly, waved happily at the two Korean men as he watched to make sure they made their way to their rooms safely. At that time, it was early fall, and the warm summer breeze still lingered. The baby faced ambassador folded his jacket to hang on his arm as he let the air hit his collared white shirt and black suspenders. He then stopped by Masanobu's home, his boss's house, to make sure he was fine, like the star employee he was. Takuya bowed graciously to the wife that answered the door, and he offered her the silk black tie that her husband had left at the table in his drunken state. She thanked him, and Masanobu, who stumbled to the doorway, slapped him on the back with a grateful expression. Last on his list, the young man made sure to pass a certain geisha house. He made sure to listen to a distinct high pitched voice, and he made sure to leave the rice paper fan that Suzume had left at the party by the entryway.

Keito, who if anything became more stoic with liquor in his system, strided silently through the hallways of the grand teahouse. He rubbed his ringing temples with two fingers, and he seemed to shake the temporary ache away from his shoulder blades. When he reached the sliding paper screen doors of the exit, there stood the frail yet lanky servant boy who was waiting beside Keito's carefully placed shoes with his palms in a triangle at his waist. His head hung low, but his dark brown eyes flickered up to catch a glance at the towering baron. Keito didn't miss the look as he stepped into his shoes.

"Boy... what is your name?" Keito asked as he slipped on his overcoat.

"M-My name is Hirano Tadao." The boy didn't even try to lift his eyes again as he kept them to the wonderfully smooth wooden floor.

"Look up," the baron commanded, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction when the young man raised his head, his eyes however looking anywhere but at the baron's.

Keito scoffed under his breath as he stepped aside to allow Tadao to tug open the door, which the servant boy did obediently. The baron gave one last glance before stepping past the wooden strip of the door and onto the cold stone of the streets of Kyoto.

"Okaasan! We're home," Taeyeon loudly announced as Suzume slide the door shut behind them.

"My darling girls!" Binya beamed as she stepped through the hallway to gently hug the geisha and maiko. "How was your night?"

"Oh, Okaasan, it was as usual. At the last party though, there were two Korean business men! Taeyeon-sama could not stop looking at one of them! I could barely hold my laughter." Suzume boasted as she removed her okobo, wooden shoes, with a sigh of releif.

"Suzume-chan! You must be blind." Taeyeon shouted as she ran upstairs to remove the heavy layers of kimono that clung to her bone-like frame.

"I'm telling the truth, Okaasan! The doctor and the baron were there, along with two business men and an actor. One of the business men must have brought those Korean foreigners, and Taeyeon-sama was smiling so much more than usual!" Suzume cheekily exclaimed as she tugged on the pins in her dense wig.

"Your older sister is too professional to make such a thing as obvious as you're describing. Taeyeon-san knows better than that, Suzume-chan. Now go on upstairs and stand still so I can get this kimono off of you before you wreck it," the older woman teased.

"That was one time, Okaasan..." Suzume whispered as she trudged up the wooden stairs, Binya following.

Okaasan: Mother.
The owner of a geisha house (okiya) is called mother by most, if not all, of the geisha living there.

I'd also like to make a disclaimer. I'm mainly basing this off of Memoirs Of A Geisha, which has been criticized for it's inaccuracies. I am doing as much research as I can, but if something in this story is not completely true to the real lives of geisha/Japan at the time, then I apologize. Also, since I don't know much about Korea/Korean culture in the 1930's, I'm basing it and Baekhyun's/Chanyeol's behavior on that of America and Americans of the same time. Aside from that, I hope you all can enjoy the story!