up into frenetic pace and then spilling back over and out all over the dance floor. The crowd surged.
AKEMI pulled away. It was happening too fast; becoming way too intimate, and the two danced close but not directly touching. JOHANN, seemingly amused by all proceedings, moved to another side, not interfering, his mind smug with the realization that TABUN would not be targeted. To one side, bemused threesome of K-girls watched as TUSK danced dirty-dirty-dirty, and then to another, one of those big-glasses boys looked mildly ticked off at TUSK but not COPENHAGEN, who knows why, and then TUSK and AKEMI danced just a little more together, before they pulled away for good.
"Okay, enough, go home?” Everyone was flushed.
Nodded assent.
That was the taxi ride back that characterized things. The neighborhood had eluded characterization before, but between the unexpected hill climb off the main slide down to Sinchon and the hills of Keiwha itself, what could only stand out were all those huge gates everywhere, Hongik itself one huge gate, the small park with the musicians, the crowds that surged, the sidewalk vendors that kept up trade up to the late late hours. Getting off, there was that brief pause as they collected their bearings, AKEMI’s hand on TUSK’s—just briefly—and then the decision to find AKEMI’s dorm.
"You live in a hotel?”
"No, no, no. Just had to switch to like…a guesthouse.”
"Strange you couldn’t get housing.”
"I only decided to come here last minute.”
"Grab a quick bite, it’s not good to sleep on an alcoholic stomach?”
"Okay.”
Odd streetside architecture. But here a mom-and-pop place.
"So you’re graduating next month? Wow that must be exciting.”
"Yeah. But not sure how long I want to keep doing the Docomo job.”
"You’re in sales.”
"More like just in the branch.”
"Mmm.”
JOHANN: “What do you really want to do?”
"Well I figure I want to work like TUSK, you know, in different countries. Leave Japan.”
The three talked some more, and TUSK told his subway station encounter story.
"Wow, crazy.”
"Of course had it been JOHANN here, he would have been like [Korean] ten thousand dollars? ten thousand dollars? that’s way too expensive. I can do three thousand.”
"Hahahah.”
Then they parted ways, each to their respective places.
The Flowers of Keiwha Page 19
