Unspoken Definites

20 Denied

"HAVE you seen these?!" Takara Toru threw the pile of newspapers that his secretary had collected earlier on the table. Each of these featured the article on his prized athlete's dating controversy.

Hanyu Yuzuru had just finished changing his clothes from the last minute practice they did for the ice show he signed up himself. He did not dare to touch the paper nor read its content but he was pretty much aware of what it's all about. His eyes accidentally drifted on the top paper which made the article its banner news. His expression turned dim as he spotted the picture taken last Winter. He remained silent.

"Do they look familiar?" Toru further inquired.

He nodded. "That one." He leaned and tapped the colored printed picture on the first page of the broadsheet. "It was taken during my last trip in Korea." He confirmed.

At this rate, Toru had to be careful with his questions. One wrong inquiry and he would not be getting answers from the boy.

"Last trip in Korea?" He repeated his last words and scanned his memory for such thing. "You mean that weekend you said you were coming home to Sendai but was actually out of the country?"

Yuzuru remembered how frantic his manager was when he did not respond to any of his calls during his stay in Korea. He refused to speak about the reason of his trip to the country. And now that his picture with Yuna surfaced practically everywhere, it would be impossible not to disclose how there came to be that picture in the first place.

"So it's true?" He asked for confirmation. "This picture was taken at Incheon airport?"

Yuzuru nodded. His manager eyed him steadily. "What exactly did you do there, Yuzuru? You need to tell me so we'll know how to address this whole thing." The voice of panic enveloped his manager's tone. "This..." He pointed at the picture on the newspaper. "She's that girl, right?"

Toru knew about that girl... About Kim Yuna. She was Yuzuru's childhood friend who left Japan when Tohoku was striken by The Great East Japan Earthquake. When they competed in AFS Trophy held in Korea last year, he had gone looking for her desperately. A night before they went back home to Japan, he had gone missing. Yuzuru showed up in the hotel the next day and his aura became much lighter than before. However, things turned sourly when they got back to Toronto.

It was only this Winter that the boy turned warmly again. Then the scandal came out and he was acting so indifferent; like he did not care about his potential losses when this issue further circulate. Toru had never been so stressed in handling him.

"Have you really been dating?" He finally asked.

Yuzuru did not answer the question. Takara Toru took it as a big resounding yes.

"Oh boy!" Toru threw his hands in the air.

"But we decided to be just friends." He made sure not to add "for now" or his manager would go ballistic. "So I don't really understand what all the fuzz is about." Yuzuru defended his stance.

"Child," Toru started. "You do know the effect about this dating news in your career, right?"

"And what exactly had it to do with skating?"

"I'm not talking about skating." He said seriously. "I'm talking about your endorsements, those related stuff, and your fans... Your fans who are obviously upset about this whole thing."

Yuzuru did not interrupt so Toru continued.

"If we don't take any necessary action about this, you might be putting Yuna's life at stake." He saw the light twitching of his jaw upon the mention of Yuna's name. The boy had to the right to know. "In case you don't know this yet, there were some reporters who flew to Korea adding to the Korean press who was already after the girl. Do you think she can handle this whole thing? Invasion of her private life?"