In Love with Taishi Nakagawa

To Trust or Not to Trust

Eloise POV

I'm on my day five here in Ubud. So far, I ditched almost all my yoga lessons, had a fever, and met a sketchy guy – seems like a productive trip 😉 I got up and took a bath. I peeked at Taishi and who was still sleeping. He must have been so exhausted, I thought. Despite acting sketchy the last time, I still owe him a lot for being with me when I was sick. So, I thought of things to do to pay him back. Eventually, I decided to surprise him with breakfast by the riverside - complete setup and everything. I chose the menu and which flowers to put on the table. I just love fancy hotels like this for convenience, I thought to myself.

I went outside right after writing a note to Taishi to meet me at the back beside the breakfast area at the riverside.

Taishi POV

I woke up and glance at the time on my phone, it was already 7 am. I don't see Eloise in the room. I looked at the door and saw a note that says to meet her at the riverside for breakfast. So, I walk out and saw this amazing setup I always saw on the internet when you search Ubud. The clear river water flowing, birds chirping, lush green backdrop, beautiful flowers, and Eloise – being her usual gorgeous self, looking a lot healthier.

"Ohayou!" I waived happily.

"Ohayou, Taishi-kun!" she said beaming with her usual cute smile

"I hope you don't mind I already ordered for us both."

"Not at all! This is beautiful, Eloise-chan."

"Thank you for taking care of me yesterday."

"I am just happy you are okay now."

The food came and we were back to our usual chatty selves again. Throughout the time, however, I was contemplating whether to tell her about my real job or not. In the end, I decided to finally tell her tonight. At this thought, my phone rang. It's Kenji again...

"Hai, Kenji-chan!"

"Please answer the boss' calls. Everyone is so pressured right now. We just need your confirmation. Just say yes for now."

"I already told you my answer, I'll call the boss tonight. Shitsurei shimasu"

I ended the call.

"Work?", Eloise asked.

"Yeah, they have been bugging me to accept this role, ehh... I mean gig, but I don't want to."

She just smiled and continued with her meal.

Eloise POV

Taishi has been receiving these weird phone calls from what looks like his agent. However, he has been talking to his agent the way he had been talking with our photographer from yesterday. It feels like he is so conscious of his words when I am around. Is he hiding something from me? To be honest, as someone who knows finance, I think the modeling profession is tough to be in financially. But here is Taishi, either saying no to his agent's offers or acting like he is the boss of his agent. Anyways, he just invited me again, this time to his private villa for a night swim. I said yes because why not it's not.

I have already decided to keep my guard up against Taishi and at the same time enjoy my time here. I will not fall for anything he plans to do I said to myself! So, for me, this is just a platonic hangout invitation. Even if I am catching feelings for him already, I will never act on it. I reminded myself Taishi only sees me as a friend and I should do the same.

Taishi POV

I just got off the phone with Kenji. It seems like boss is being pressured again by this new show's producers. I already told them I don't like working with this specific director. It was uncomfortable working with her, especially with the way she treated Yuka in the past. With that, boss reminded me again of the number of times my projects ended up with other actors within our agency. He told me he did not have a problem with that since he gets paid either way, but he was just thinking about my career and how this will affect me in the long run.

"Nobody likes a picky actor, Taishi. If you intend to stay as an actor for a long time, at your age, say yes to everything. Remember, I am already fielding out projects for you before even sending you a list of potential projects. So, trust me on this one, again. This is a huge opportunity for you."

"I trust you. It's just I cannot sacrifice my peace of mind for 4 months just to earn money."

"Is this about Yuka?"

"No, it is never about her!"

"I talked to her already. She said no power trip or verbal abuse happened during your filming."

'Of course, she'll say that' I said to myself.

"Again, boss, I have to apologize but I cannot do it."

My team has been too concerned about the number of projects I have been rejecting. So, that is why I am here in Bali. They thought I needed some time off, that maybe this is just burnout having its toll on me. They recommended this private resort owned by one of the Directors of the studio. But who in their right mind would like that idea? I ought to enjoy my freedom to the fullest during this 2-week trip. So, I arranged this trip personally on my own.

Before going here, boss reminded me that I have been slowly falling down THE LIST since most of my projects have been passed to Kento or Ryusei. (THE LIST is made by a group of Japanese media companies ranking Japanese actors by brand popularity released monthly.) I told him, I have no problem with that since they are my friends. I reminded him that even my next project was supposed to be Ryusei's but he also declined so it was eventually given to me and that's how life works. Boss laughed at my supposed naivety. He said I have been enjoying popularity for so long now that he is scared I might be valuing it less and less as time goes by.

I personally don't feel burnout nor take my popularity and my fans for granted. I just don't like working with people who treated a friend or a person I care for badly in the past. I know this is a lofty stance for an actor my age. I have always been this way. This attitude of mine has gotten me in a lot of trouble in the past. However, I believe it's the right thing to do. But I lied to boss. Despite this stubborn stance, I actually feel a slight concern when I was pushed out of THE LIST last month. It was the first time in three years, I was out of THE LIST. But, as always, I keep everything to myself.

I glance at the clock and I realized I have been lost in thought after that stressful talk with boss. I'll be meeting Eloise in two hours. I shifted my focus to that. No, I don't feel like this feeling I have with Eloise is some sort of escapism. Well, at least, that's what I hope.