On one side of the same world:
I have a son. His mother took him away with her. It’s been twenty-six years since. Now, I want him back. I need an heir and he’s my only son.
“And how do you suppose we can find this son of yours that isn’t a baby anymore?”
I received a photo from his mother before she died of cancer ten years ago. It’s a picture of my son when he’s twelve years old.
“You have this picture since and never thought about looking for him until now?”
I never needed an heir, but I’ve been betrayed. Now I need one. And from the look of his twelve years old self, he’s perfect for it.
“He’s like twenty-six now, you do understand that, right? Meaning he might not be who he was fourteen years ago.”
I’ve started and successfully operate five businesses, who do you think I am? Of course I know. But he couldn’t have changed much. Either way, I am open to overlook any of his flaws. I’m going to die anyway, it won’t be my business anymore. In the meantime, he will succeed me and crush the betrayal of my best friend.
“I hear you loud and clear, Yama. Whatever you want is whatever we will give, Boss.”
One another side of the same world:
“What if they come for me?”
They won’t, silly. I got you now, don’t worry about anything. Don’t think about anything. Just us, ok?
“Ok… but I don’t want you hurt as well.”
Silly. You know they can’t hurt me. I will just crush them back. Come now, rest.
“Can I really lay next to you?”
Why not? There’s nothing wrong about it.
“But… people. They said it’s wrong.”
Then they are the ones who are wrong. Come here. A touch of love is a touch of love. Rather it’s between a man and a woman or between two men.
“A touch of love is a touch of love.”
I love you. Whatever people are saying are jealousy. Jealous of a profound love that blossomed for us and not them.
“I love you.”
Now, rest. We have a long day of travel tomorrow. Rest well tonight.
“Ok. Please hold me tighter, Kantaro.”
Forever, my love.
Father:
His mother named him Kantaro because of an actor that she favorites. They were pretty close. Childhood friends was their excuse. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kantaro turns out to not be my blood, but that actor’s. But I’m going to challenge her loyalty and love for me. I want to find him and see how much she really loved me.
“Sending a picture of her son to you and contacting you while dying of cancer, I say is pretty much love already. There’s many variations to love, you know? And the further you go into the rich and royal side of the world, the more messed up those variations of love are.”
After all these years of not seeing you, you still have your humor.
“Keeps me going at my dirty job of mingling with the messed up rich and royals.”
Like you normal people aren’t messed up as well.
“At least we, Yama, aren’t afraid to say we’re messed up. You guys refuse it and hire others to say it for you.”
Aren’t you the intelligent one?
“Just facts I pick up.”
My son?
“We found a couple candidates.”
Candidates? I thought we were looking for my son.
“Whom you have never seen, talk, touch, or share secrets with, Yama. What I’m saying is that we found a couple guys who looks like the twenty-six years old of your twelve years old. The computer picked up their similar features throughout millions of data that I got from my networks. You’re welcome.”
You’re humoring me again? Who are these guys?
“Of course there is a possibility that your son isn’t in any data at all. But here are the fifty guys who shares the same features as your son. However, we narrowed it down to only orphans or having a mother only and got a results of ten. The orphans are the ones that are interesting, Yama.”
What do you mean by that?
“The three orphans. One in America. One in Europe. One in China. All three have never seen their mother nor father. All convinced that they have no one but themselves.”
What do you mean, Danois? What are you trying to say?
“You mentioned that your wife loves traveling. You wouldn’t budged from Japan even if war’s killing you inch by inch. Your wife… had she ever really wanted a child with you?”
Just get to the damn point!
“Your wife might have dropped your son in an orphanage in order to be a young lady again. More than a decade later, returned out of guilt, both for leaving him and you. Or returned because of nearing death, to see her son one last time and notify you of his whereabouts. You, being as stubborn as you are, just left it at that. He grew up parent-less, not knowing his mother died of cancer and father living the life in Japan, more worried about his best friend’s rumored betrayal than his son’s whereabouts. That is until the rumors are true and he needs an heir. Now his son’s somewhere out there in the world doing his own thing, not worrying about parents anymore.”
That can’t be true, Danois!
“It’s just assumptions, Yama. Don’t fret.”
Son:
He’s gone. They took him. I… I have to go after them. I need him back!
Father:
This…
“Is Kantaro. We found him after he beat up circles after circles of gangs in China. He got the looks and was in the Omari Orphanage in China until he was legal to be by himself.”
He looks nothing like the photo.
“Told you not to have high expectations.”
He’s more perfect! What else?
“Oh rich people. We informed him about possibility of him having a father. He wouldn’t believe us and nearly killed Kinto. Now I have to pay his hospital bill. Anyway, we used money as a way to draw him here.”
Money?
“Like father, like son, no? But unlike you, he wanted the money for his mission requires it.”
What do he need money for?
“Why don’t you ask him that? He just calls it his ‘mission’”
I need proofs that he’s my son.
“That’s why we’re asking you for the blood test. Just so you know, he’s only here for the money. You can engage in whatever you want after the blood test.”
If he’s my son, I’ll give him whatever he wants. To travel around like his mother or to buy a building in New York. I don’t care, as long as he takes over and crush Leido.
Son:
“The blood test is positive.”
Meaning you are my father?
“Of course.”
Sorry I don’t own a suit like yours, nor a watch full of diamonds and shining golds like yours. Sorry if I’m not presentable, Father.
“You certainly have my smart mouth. And you mother’s intelligent.”
You forgot something, Father. I don’t have anything from you both. I never knew you both. I cannot have your smart mouth because you was never there to give it. I don’t have Mother’s intelligent because she was never there to teach it.
“Are you making me feel guilty now because I was never there? Mind you, your mother took you away before I even get to hold you.”
And you never care to come after me. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty, Father. I know you already are.
Father:
“Try talking another day, with more love, huh?”
How could I talk to him when he talks like a monster? He acts like a person who doesn’t have parents.
“Maybe that’s how he sees it, Yama. Try to understand where he stands. He never thought of you existing and all of a sudden, while on a mission, he stumble upon his father. Of course he’ll spit poison. It’s only natural.”
Gosh, he sounds like someone I know so well.
“You?”
Yeah.
Son:
“What you said yesterday, about me being guilty already. You are right. I am guilty of letting you go. Guilty of never thinking about you. Guilty of never looking for you. Guilty of living in a world like you don’t exist. But it’s not just guilty. It’s anxious, fear, anger, disappointed. I live knowing you exist but ignorant to your conditions.”
I don’t want your sympathy, Father.
“Of course. Who would? What I’m trying to say, son, is that I wish for your forgiveness, rather you would really forgives me or not, I do not know. But I want you back in my life. I need an heir and you are my only son.”
I’m sorry.
“Excuse me?”
I cannot be your heir. I’m on a mission right now and cannot afford to abandoned it. I was hoping we could get to the negotiation and call my acceptance of your forgiveness in the form of $200 million.
“You really do have your mother’s intelligent. Anyway, listen, I cannot give you anything.”
Then it’s time I leave.
“Wait!”
I have no business here anymore. All I want is the money. I need to…
“To…”
I’m on a mission.
“Then we must discuss this mission of yours. If it’s a good enough reason, I am willing to help you. But you must guarantee your position as my heir.”
Father:
“Why do you want me as your heir so bad?”
So bad? Do I look that desperate? Then I guess yes. I’m getting old and could die any day, son. I need an heir to continue my legacies.
“Danois mentioned no legacies.”
Well, Danois never really did like people like us. Well, me. People like me. Rich, self-absorbed, ignorant, and power-abusing. From the way you are acting, I guess you are in that circle as well.
“I’m not so far from it.”
Your mission.
“I heard what you said about me being a monster, Father. But I’m not. I’m a monster hunter. Completely different. And right now, I’m on a mission to hunt a monster almost like you: rich, self-absorbed, ignorant, and power-abusing. And he has my goal.”
Your goal?
“The reason why I’m chasing this monster.”
Ah - your wife?
“I’m not married, Father.”
Girlfriend?
“My childhood friend.”
Friend?
“Yes. My only friend. My best friend. I have to get him back. The monster had taken him from me, and they are in America, the land of laziness and home to the pigs of richness only, regardless of what they said.”
You have a thing against America as well?
“I know what they do to people behind the law America set up. And I will never forgive that monster for taking him away. I don’t have time, Father. But I also don’t have money.”
You’re doing all this for a friend? It’s hard to believe.
“What are you trying to say, Father? He’s my only friend! We grew up together in the orphanages. He’s closer to family than you’ll ever be!”
That might be true. But I’ll have you know this now, son. Don’t ever talk about family if there was never one to begin with. Our story haven’t begin. Save it for now. As for your friend, forget it. Friends are bonds meant to be shattered.
Son:
Father. I guess you didn’t hear that last part clear. I shall repeat it again for you. He’s family. And I don’t care about our story. I’m on a mission to get him back, not you. I’m leaving.
Father:
Did you hear what he said? Friend, family? Bullshit!
“Calm down, Yama. Just because your only friend betrayed you, doesn’t mean his will. Don’t force your reality on his life.”
Danois, you are not helping.
“I was not trying to help you. I’m trying to get my pay, it’s about time you know. I found your boy and you two talked. So…”
You are still as slick as you used to be. No, you’ve grew more slick and sly as a fox
“Now that’s a saying I haven’t heard in awhile.”
That boy’s lying.
“Lying?”
Even as Leido’s best friend, I would never go through as far as chasing him to free him from a human trafficking.
“That’s because you two are only friends on the surface.”
Whatever. I know that his friend is more than a friend. Calling him family and only. And using the word "have" as if he can't live without him.
“Are you trying to say your son is gay?”
Might as well call the president of the United States to announce it live for the world to see. He’s so bad at hiding his emotions for his boyfriend.
“That sounds a lot like someone I know.”
Shut up.
Son:
“Wait!”
I’m leaving, Father! I will not have anyone diss Shinpei like that.
“I apologize! I apologize! Look, I’ll give you the $200 million, just listen!”
Why?
“Because, no matter how much hate you spit and burn me with, you are my only son. And you’ll be my only son even if you don’t want to. You have my blood and the blood of your mother, who only loved me briefly, enough to bare you but not enough to bear me. I don’t want to lose you again. And this time, I will not make the same mistake of letting you go. I know the pain of losing the ones you should love, twice actually. Your mother and you. So I’m not about to lose you again, and I don’t want you to lose yours either. Let me help.”
I’m in your debt, Father.
“And I’m hoping that will come in the form of you being my heir.”
Whatever.