Tokyo, Japan - 2143
"Yes, dad, I'm literally walking in the building right now," the man says with an under-the-breath sigh and small eye roll. He bows politely at the person exiting, who is kind enough to notice his situation and hold the door open for him, accepting their generous act. The first thing that catches his eye the moment he walks in is the fact that the building looks just as tall, maybe taller, from the inside as it does on the outside. It puts him in a kind of awe and makes the excited butterflies in his stomach begin to flutter again. His father's booming voice refocuses his concentration after only a few seconds, though. "Sorry, I was just looking around for the elevator." He wasn't, but it does remind him that he needs to do that. Luckily, they're front and center toward the back of the first floor, so he's able to scurry over them relatively easily.
"Don't tell me you're going to be late on your first day," his father scolds on the other line. "I thought I raised you better than that, Kyungsoo."
"No, you did, and I'm not going to be late." Kyungsoo looks down at his watch and cringes a little. "I'll be...exactly on time."
He hears his father sigh. "I still don't understand why you had to go all the way to Japan for this job. There were plenty of good jobs here in Korea."
"There were, but this is the one I wanted. Dad, come on, we talked about this," Kyungsoo reasons, able to take a moment to relax as he watches the floor number descend. "We've hardly left our hometown since I was born and you know how much I want to travel. And you want me to have a decent job, so as far as I'm concerned, this checks off both of our boxes. Can't you just be like a normal parent and sorrowfully say you're proud of me?"
"I am proud of you, son, you know that," the older man retorts. His voice falters as he tries to put together his next sentence. "But why...why so far? A-And what about the culture shock? Is your Japanese really that good?"
Kyungsoo laughs and briefly drops his head. "I can make basic conversation, order food, and ask where the bathroom is. I think I'll be okay," he replies with a slow-fading smile. "And besides, I'm sure it'll get way better being around other people who speak than it would sitting in a classroom and being told to memorize vocab words." The man on the other end of the phone falls quiet after sighing. Kyungsoo smiles affectionately and speaks again. "Dad, I will be fine here. You're the only reason I feel confident enough to say that. You raised me to be tough, to be able to stand on my own two feet. Trust your work and trust me."
His father grumbles but eventually sighs in defeat. "I trust you," he admits in a quieter voice this time. "Just as long as you keep in touch regularly and call me first in emergencies. Your mother will make my afterlife a living hell if anything happens to you on my watch, God rest her soul."
"Of course, I will." Kyungsoo chuckles. "Aaasss long as you let me hang up right now so I can get on this elevator and start my job on time."
"Alright, alright, go, hang up. Call me the moment you get back home, though. You never know what goes on in the city at night."
"Will do." Kyungsoo chortles softly and nods. "Bye, dad. I love you."
"Mhmm, back at ya," he says, the silence that follows being cut off after Kyungsoo hangs up and returns his phone to his pant pocket. He's mid-deep breath when the elevators slide back with a dinging sound, inviting him to step inside. He reaches out to press the button for the fifth floor, but the sound of a loud but distant voice catches his attention.
"Hold the elevator, please!" Kyungsoo fortunately hears and understands what he assumes is the main message and uses his hand to instead hold the doors open. A few seconds later, someone appears in front of him, clearly out of breath but smiling gratefully. "Thank you so much," he says, bowing before he steps into the elevator. "It seems like no matter how early I start getting ready, I always manage to run behind."
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