Unexpected

Part 61

After being very careful, Sangil is at my apartment. Without cameras and hopefully without anyone knowing. I get us drinks and snacks, and we sit on the couch and talk.

"I met my first Johnny's idols," I say.

"I thought you knew lots of idols," he replies.

"I do, especially from Yama and Co, but these are from Johnny's. One of the biggest entertainment companies in Japan. You know, they have Arashi."

"Oh yeah, Woosung is a big fan. So who did you meet?"

"Arioka and Nakajima from Hey!Say!JUMP. It was at a little private party I went to recently."

"I'm starting to be jealous of these parties. It seems like you go to one every time you're in Japan."

"That's probably true," I answer slowly. "When it's small and at someone's house, I find that I like it. I also like meeting new people. And I'm a popular person to invite."

"When did this start? I'm genuinely curious."

"When I started racing single seaters I started to be invited on radio and TV shows. I was still young, so even though I met celebrities, most of the time we weren't interested in being friends or keeping in touch. Sometimes I'd exchange contact info with another teenager, but it wasn't until I was in F3, and seventeen years old, that I started to really make friends. And then I would be invited to parties, where I'd meet more people, and it snowballed."

"So, back to this recent party. How were the Johnny's idols?"

"Nice. Arioka said I could call him Dai-chan, since all of his members do, but Nakajima reminded him that —I forget who, but one of the them— does not. He's not as loud as he is on TV. But he's still funny and charming. He's also shorter than I am."

"Were you wearing heels?" Sangil wants to know.

"We were barefoot, since it was in someone's apartment. But he took great pleasure in telling me that the shortest one in the group is much shorter than him."

Sangil's jaw drops. Then he takes out his phone and searches the group's heights. "I can't quite believe it. One hundred fifty-eight? I'm twenty-one centimeters taller than him? Wow. I feel tall."

"Japan has a lot of short guys. In fact, the most popular member of Hey!Say!JUMP is the same height as Arioka."

"I was feeling jealous, but now, perhaps perversely, I feel a lot better."

"Oh Sangil." I lay my head on his shoulder. We stay that way for a while until he starts talking again.

"I'm curious. How many contacts do you have in your phone?"

"A few hundred."

"How do you keep them all organized?"

"Color-coded and in folders."

"May I see?" he asks after a pause.

I scrutinize his face before replying. "Okay." I unlock my phone and hand it over, peering over his shoulder as he scrolls through my contacts.

"What's this color mean?"

"Family."

"And this one?"

"Work related people."

"What other categories are there?"

"Close friends. Then actors, singers, and other celebrities. A miscellaneous for those that don't fit in a category."

"Where am I?" I find his name and hand the phone back. "Family?"

"It is the most logical place for a husband."