Please Dance for Me

The Grocery Store
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The discussion on Chaeyeon's idea of focusing on the Miyawaki Grocery Store and Taniyama community as her research went well. Sakura promised to talk to grandma and assist Chaeyeon the best she could. The two talked until midnight, and after Chaeyeon went for a glass of water, she found Sakura has fallen asleep on the sofa. 

"Wow, you really sleep fast." Chaeyeon chuckles. Then she discovered it was very hard to wake up Sakura after she fell asleep, and she behaves like a baby in a half-sleeping situation.

"Hey, people not knowing you will think you are drunk!" Chaeyeon says as she tries to pick up Sakura from the sofa but without success.

"...m orry..." Sakura murmurs.

"Don't sleep here. Let me take you to your bed."

"...ank ou..."

"What are you saying?" Chaeyeon really wants to laugh, "how can you be so cute?"

"Ye..." Sakura moves  and went back to sleep.

Finally, Cheoyeon decided to sink back to the sofa to think of ways to move Sakura to bed without waking her up. She has never imagined her first stay in a Machiya would be like this.

"But why should I take care of her?" She asks herself in silence. Flashback from the last 14 hours suddenly gushes up her mind.  She feels so surprised by what she has done. And she finally noticed that there is a very strange feeling developing in her stomach, irritating and unsettling with a thousand butterflies. 

This feeling is not unfamiliar. But why now? Why here? Why you? Chaeyeon looks at Sakura silently. "This is not right. I just knew you for one week and met you for 14 hours. I hardly know you. "

But now she has this feeling that she just wants to be there, watching the Japanese woman sleeping beside her until the end of time.

Chaeyeon let out a long sigh. She is doomed.

No. Tomorrow is another day. This is just an illusion. Chaeyeon shakes her head hard. She stands up looking at Sakura. She looks so thin, she should be strong enough to pull her up and even tuck her up in her arms.

"Come on Miyawaki-san, let's go!" Chaeyeon squatted and put Sakura's arms around her own neck while wrapping the woman's body with her arms. Sakura is lighter than expected so it doesn't take her extra strength to pick her up. "Hold tight," Chaeyeon says softly. It seems Sakura is really tightening her grasp and murmurs something that is totally inaudible.

Chaeyeon lifts and carries the ballerina across the living room in extreme care. The distance is just less than 10 feet, but the hip-hop dancer wishes the journey will never end.

The tiny partition where Sakura sleeps is filled with a sweet scent of baby powder. Chaeyeon gently tucks her in bed and noticed a small block of towels on the left side. She thinks she knows what it is and put Sakura's injured foot on it. It won't hurt if she is wrong. She covers a thin blanket on her and turned on the fan. She has not forgotten to bring Sakura's crutch back and put it beside the bed.

Then she just stands there, watching the sleeping beauty under the dim light. "Saku-chan..." She mutters. How dare she calls her in this intimate manner? But that's what is in her mind now. She stood in silence for a few minutes and goes back to her room on the second floor.

 

Despite the butterflies in her stomach, Chaeyeon fell asleep quickly. She even forgot to turn on the portable air-con unit which was newly bought by the Miyawakis and woke up soaking in sweat.

When Chaeyeon walks down to the kitchen, Rino and Sakura are having breakfast, while the third set of cutlery was put on the table waiting for her.

"Chaeyeon,  good morning!" Again, Sakura seems very happy to see Chaeyeon. She immediately stands up and goes take out Chaeyeon's kimchi from the refrigerator.

Chaeyeon wanted to tease Sakura for falling asleep like a log last night but her heart flutters when she sees how Sakura moves carefully across the kitchen for her kimchi. 

"Good morning Miyawaki granny, good morning Sakura." Chaeyeon bows politely.

"Chaeyeon sensei, please have a seat," Rino points to the seat across the table.

"Eh?" Chaeyeon startles and blinks at Rino's words.

Sakura rolls her eyes and breaks into a laugh. She turns to the rice cooker and filled Chaeyeon's bowl with rice. 

"Chaeyeon, Grandma just means she supports your idea." Sakura handed Chaeyeon the bowl and sat down by her grandma.

"Thank you. Sakura you have talked to granny al..." 

Rino cuts in, "I like the idea of your homework. Although I don't understand why you want to do your homework on an old house that will crumble any moment. Nobody cares about it. I have talked to people from the City Council and some so-called experts in the coop, but they thought I was crazy."

"So how do you think about the house?"

"Are you interviewing me?" Rino raises her eyebrows.

"May I?" Chaeyeon's face lightens up.

"Um..."

"Yes, please do. Grandma will love to talk to you." Sakura suddenly feels she has become an interpreter.

"Thank you, granny!" Chaeyeon became excited, stood up and bowed to Rino.

Rino grins and shakes Chaeyeon's hand. "Ask me good questions and I will tell you everything you want."

"Wow, you speak like my professor!"

Rino feels flattered. So she starts to talk.

"Hey, grandma, you let her eat first!" Sakura reminds Rino.

Chaeyeon smiles gratefully to Sakura. Sakura has tied her long black hair into a sophisticated french braid today, with very minimal makeup, and looks very smart. The only thing in Chaeyeon's mind now is how to take a photo of Sakura.

"Granny, I will need to record and take photos, is that alright?" 

"Yes." Sakura quickly replies.

"Great! Let me send you a consent form later." Chaeyeon says professionally.

"Then you let me put on some makeup and change into better clothes first." Rino laughs and stands up. "And wait for me to open the shop. I want Chaeyeon sensei to know how we run our business."

After Rino left, Chaeyeon relaxes and smiles. "Your grandma is really cute."

"And tiring – so did you sleep well last night?" Sakura asks casually.

"Oh...okay...I was so tired I forgot to turn on the air-con."

"You what?" Sakura widens her eyes, "poor Chaeyeon!"

"And you?"

"Very good. I could fall asleep quickly. Told you!"

So she has no memory about last night, Chaeyeon thinks. But it is good to hear Sakura slept well. 

She feels warm in her heart.

The two discussed a bit about the interview questions. Sakura tries to tell Chaeyeon what could be asked and which matters are taboos. After finishing breakfast and washing dishes, they head to the shop floor. The stairs are a bit dark so Chaeyeon extends her hand to Sakura, just like the day before. 

And Sakura takes it delightfully.

How nice if she had this hand in the past two months. It is not just the feeling of security, but also the strength and warmth she longs to have.

"Why don't you turn on the lights when you are up?"

Rino's voice was heard from the back of the shop floor and the lights are instantly on. 

"I have always told Saa-chan to turn on the lights before opening the gate but she never remembers," Rino 'complains' to Chaeyeon while walking towards the gate, "but I cannot blame her because I have been doing the same action for over 40 years."

As she speaks, Rino bowed down, unlocked the roller shutter and opened it in 2 seconds.

As Rino is about to take out the advertisement banners, Chaeyeon exclaims, "Wait! Camera!" and hopped up to the second floor. She returned in 15 seconds, just in time to take a few pictures of Sakura and Rino taking out the banners.

"Delicious homemade Umeboshi". One banner says.

Rino instructs Chaeyeon to open a couple of folding chairs around the cashier so they can chat while Chaeyeon records with her phone and jots down notes.

"So Miyawaki granny, how do you want to be addressed in this interview?"

"Sasshi. Call me Sasshi. This is my maiden name. My friends used to call me this name when we were young."

"So Sasshi granny, did you move into the Miyawaki Grocery Store when you got married?"

The interview starts and Sakura quietly sneaks away. She heard these stories a million times. Instead, she walked around and took pictures of grandma being interviewed.

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gumgumtara
So the long journey finally came to an end, and a new beginning is heading to start. Thank you all for supporting this story to its end.

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robogirl98
1687 streak #1
Chapter 26: oh my goodnesss!!!!!!!!!! this is so sweet! yes yes yes!!!!
robogirl98
1687 streak #2
Chapter 25: i'm so glad everyone got to meet and get the closure they deserve!!! here to the bright future for this big happy family!!
robogirl98
1687 streak #3
Chapter 24: ooo la la!!! go get them tigers!!
robogirl98
1687 streak #4
Chapter 23: sigh... man it went from the couple have a moment to the miyawaki family reunion!
robogirl98
1687 streak #5
Chapter 22: gahhh!!! i'm so happy! everyone is getting their happy ending!!!
robogirl98
1687 streak #6
Chapter 21: goodness, that secret was pretty big!
robogirl98
1687 streak #7
Chapter 20: wow wow wow!!! yes yes yes!!! go kang go!
robogirl98
1687 streak #8
Chapter 19: oh man, the rollercoaster ride with these visitors! no wonder she was tired!
robogirl98
1687 streak #9
Chapter 18: yes yes yes! a relationship is a two person job, both should push and pull to make it work! and communication is key!
robogirl98
1687 streak #10
Chapter 17: ohh so sweet! will kang and eunbi end up together or what!? they are so cute together and you can see how kang is treating eunbi like a gentlewoman!