“Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper.”
Fran slowly closed the book he was reading. It was Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. He had reread the book for several times now. However, Fran would always bask in the afterglow of the novel’s beautiful story.
Fran sighed. He had been reading since he woke up that morning. He wanted to forget just for a while the things that had been weighing on his mind. Fran couldn’t help but to worry about Mister Jin’s condition…and he was also thinking about Noah.
It had been three days since he received a message from Noah. Fran wanted to hear Noah’s voice—but he was too afraid to make the first move because he knew Noah was busy. So, Fran reminded himself to just wait.
Fran’s stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten lunch yet. So, Fran went to the kitchen and ate some leftover pizza from last night. He was about to look for more food to eat when his phone vibrated. Fran bit his lip when he saw it was Noah who was calling him. He didn’t answer the call immediately. Fran took a deep breath first and calmed his nerves.
“H-Hello…?” Fran said when he finally answered the call.
“Hey…” uttered by the voice he missed more than he could ever admit. “Fran, it’s so nice to hear your voice after a while. How are you?”
“I’m fine.” Fran muttered stiffly.
There was a short silence from Noah’s end. Then he said: “Is something the matter, Fran? Why do you sound sad?”
Fran immediately perked up. “No, I’m not sad. I am perfectly fine, Noah. So, how are you?”
“I feel tired, but, after hearing your voice—everything’s all right again in paradise. He-he.” Noah’s laugh sounded wonderful to Fran’s ears as always. “Hmm, I’ve missed you, Fran. Can we meet today?”
I’ve missed you, too! But Fran didn’t say that out loud. He was too shy to admit it to Noah. “Sure. Where are we going?”
“I want to introduce you to someone…” Noah answered.
“W-what?” Fran couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Please, Fran. This person is very important to me. I want him to know about you.” Noah’s voice was pleading.
Fran heaved a deep sigh. He didn’t want to say ‘no’ to Noah. “O-okay.”
“Thank you, Fran. I’ll be at your house in twenty minutes.” Noah said his goodbye and ended the call.
Instead of his usual dilly-dallying, Fran immediately took a bath, brushed his teeth, and chose clothes he was going to wear. He didn’t have enough time to be picky with clothes, so, he wore something comfortable. Noah was going to introduce him to someone important—but he didn’t give him enough time to prepare! Well, Fran realized that clothes were not too important. Whoever the person Noah was going to introduce to him, Fran would show his utmost respect towards that person.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Hi, Fran!” Noah greeted him with a lovely smile on his face. Fran was not aware that he was holding his breath. That smile. That damned smile!
“L-tl…” Mgjc ugffafv Rbjt yjmx.
Noah eyed him intently. “You look like something’s really bothering you. I’ll hear about it inside the car. So, let’s go?” Noah opened the door of the passenger seat for him.
Fran thanked Noah and got inside the car. Noah started the engine and the car drove off.
He expected for Noah to be talkative the minute they’re on the road, but Fran noticed that Noah was being quiet. Then he realized that Noah was waiting for him to talk first about what was really bothering him. Fran sighed. He wanted to tell Noah about Mister Jin’s condition. Fran was overwhelmed by the revelation and he needed someone to take away half the weight off his chest. Good thing, Noah was there for him. This guy was willing to shoulder the anguish with him.
“I have a friend named Mister Jin…” Fran opened up the conversation.
“Oh, that was a nostalgic name.” Noah replied.
Fran raised an eyebrow. He waited for Noah to continue.
“When I was a kid, there was this popular cartoon character named Jin. I idolized him so much that I gave my father the name ‘Jin’ as his nickname. My pop was very cool about it and I was one happy kid.”
It was the first time Fran heard about Noah’s father. He was about to ask more about him when Noah said: “But, this is not about that. Sorry for butting in. You can continue your story now.”
Fran nodded and he started to tell Noah everything about Mister Jin. How they met, how they became friends, how his old friend was suffering from terminal illness, and about Mister Jin’s children.
“There’s nothing for me to do but wait…” Fran confessed. “…and to pray to the Lord that Mister Jin will return happy and healthy; and for his family to realize that my friend is not a bad person. I want him to be reunited with his family. Mister Jin misses his children dearly. I want them to visit him upon his return.”
Noah was listening attentively. Then he asked: “Do you know anything about his children? What about their and names and the city they are living in?”
Fran shook his head. “Mister Jin did not tell me anything about his children’s identity.”
“Do you want me to look for them?”
Fran looked at Noah in disbelief. “C-can you?”
“I can hire someone to dig into your friend’s family…”
He knew that if he agreed, Noah was really capable of doing what he was offering to do. Fran’s palm became sweaty. “Ah, thank you for the offer, but, I think Mister Jin will not be happy if he knew that we tried to dig up his past.”
“Okay,” Noah stopped the car. “Just tell me if you change your mind.”
Fran looked outside the car. “We’re here?”
“Yes.”
When Fran alighted from the car, he was surprised to see that they were in front of a cemetery.
“W-what are we doing here, Noah?”
Noah’s expression was serene, then he said: “The person that I want you to meet is in here. Today is my father’s death anniversary. Fran, I’ll introduce you to him. Is that all right with you?” He retrieved a basket of flowers from the car trunk.
Fran couldn’t dig any information about Noah’s father. So, it was because the man was already dead. “Ah, don’t you think it’s too late to ask me if it’s all right? We’re already here.” He teased Noah.
“You’re right…” Noah smiled and extended his hand to Fran. “Shall we?”
Fran didn’t think twice. He held Noah’s hand. They walked together hand in hand.
*****
Because of the fact that the Alvas were one of the richest families in the country, Fran expected the grave of Noah’s father to be inside a fancy mausoleum. But what greeted Fran was a simple grave, not even a single flower in sight. He read what was written on the tombstone:
Arthur Benedict Carson
Born: September xx, 19xx
Died: September xx, 20xx
It was surprising to learn that Noah’s father died on his own birthday. How sad was that? Also, he was intrigued why did the father have a different surname from Noah?
“Hi, Pop!” Noah blurted out while placing the basket of flowers on the tomb. “Are you watching me right now? Don’t get too work up, okay? Or else you’re going to spook my special friend with me.”
Fran couldn’t help but blush. Special friend? Him? Okay, he’s special to Noah…but still, just a friend. Whoa. What was wrong with that? Why was Fran getting worked up?
“Fran, this is my dad…” Noah looked at him. “He died when I was six years old.”
“H-hello, Mr. Carson…” Fran greeted the tombstone. “I am you son’s friend.”
“Special friend…” Noah corrected him. “So, aren’t you curious why my dad’s surname was different from mine?”
“Is it okay for me to know?” Fran asked.
“Yes. I’ll tell you what I know, Fran.”
He listened eagerly.
“My mom, Naomi Alva, was the daughter of a wealthy businessman. She met my dad in university. She instantly fell in love with him. My dad’s the only son of an ordinary family. I was told that dad’s parents were vendors struggling to make ends meet. When dad married mom, he was commanded by my grandpa to adopt the Alva surname, but dad did not want to. That was the start of a feud between my grandpa and father. The old fart mocked my dad’s status and even prohibited him to assume a position in our growing company. Dad worked as a simple office worker. When my older brother was born, my grandpa insisted that the baby’s surname will be Alva. My father was heartbroken. Grandpa died in an illness right after and my mom assumed the highest position in the company. Dad became unhappy and wanted to end his marriage with my mother.”
Noah stopped for a while and looked at Fran. “Am I boring you with my story?”
He shook his head. “I’m listening…”
“I was just a kid back then, but, I won’t forget the fact that my father was so good to me. He taught me how to ride a bike, he cooked delicious meals for me, he sang songs to me, he would bring me to the park every morning, and he would always tell me how much he loves me. I was not very close to my mom. However, I woke up one morning and my dad was not there. Mom told me that my dad died—without any explanation. The night before it happened, dad was reading a bedtime story to me. We were also excited because it was his birthday the next day.”
“There was no wake or even a burial ceremony. I did not know where my dad was buried until I was fifteen. My mom’s assistant brought me here and told me this is where my dad’s remains are buried. From then on, I often visit my dad because I miss him very much. My brother told me that he does not want anything to do with dad. I don’t know why Nigel is angry with our father. My little sister does not know anything about our father because she was only a baby when dad died. Nigel does not want me to tell anything about dad to my sister Natalie. So, I am the only one who knows about this place…and now, also you.”
“Thank you for telling me your father’s story…” Fran said to Noah in a serious tone. “Whenever you want to visit your dad, can I come with you?”
He saw how Noah’s eyes lit up. “Of course! Thank you, Fran.”
Fran did not like the idea of Noah coming to his father’s grave alone. If Noah’s family did not want to share his affection and longing for his dad, Fran would be willing to do it for Noah’s sake.
From now on, Noah would never be alone.
I bet Noah’s dad is Fran’s friend Mr. Jin.
😉😁😉✨
Omg, I didn’t think of that!
yep me too! I immediately had suspicions after reading!
so noah’s dad is mister jin??
🤐🤭😆
Wow. So it’s a fake tomb? That’s kind of, no, it’s really messed up. Noah and Natalie have every right to know their dad.
Thanks for the chapter <3
That’s a whole lot mess there…
Damn…..
Thanks for the chapter 🥰🥰
Thank you for the chapter <3
Looking more and more like fate, just like Noah said! It’s cool that his mother ran the company, but sad that he was more attached to his dad.