“Hi, Jae.” Sora smiles. Kosuke, her mate, offers a friendly nod. “It’s Lucy, right?” Sora asks.
“Yes… Tell me your name again? I’m so sorry.” Lucy’s smile is awkward. Privately, I know she has weird feelings about vampires. She doesn’t understand how or why I work with them every day. She told me she’d be terrified that one would haul off and bite her. I told her they don’t typically do stuff like that—that most ranked vamps probably think she’d taste disgusting. I also told her not to believe everything she sees on the Internet or in films.
We all engage in the typical banal small talk until an announcement is made. The formal presentation is about to begin. The lead CFO who helped this hospital reach its current success is retiring, and a new chap is being ushered in. Normally, I wouldn’t care. I’m here on a grant and my position is only guaranteed for a year, depending on growth and need since this area has seen a major influx in vampires recently. I’m running a test program for the hospital to see if my services are valuable, which is why I’m apprehensive about pitching a major, potentially expensive long-term project.
I’ve been getting more and more patients though, and this surrogate proposal could launch the hospital into an innovative space pertaining to vampires. Not many hospitals uniquely cater to vampires’ needs (because their bodies are complex and self-sufficient), but we could become an authority on something very important and topical to an old, powerful race of creatures. So I’m paying attention tonight, wondering who I’ll need to present my idea to once I have it fleshed out.
We all decide to sit at the same table. It’s round with a thick white tablecloth and a full, Western-style dinner setting: porcelain plates and butter dishes, crystal glasses and cutlery all gleaming in the dim purplish lighting. The centerpieces are stunning white orchids. Lucy is sitting on my left and Sora on my right. The latter leans into me.
“I didn’t know you were dating Lucy?”
I shrug. “It’s fairly new.” Are we dating? We picked up food from the corner shop once on our way back to my place from the hospital. Maybe this is our first proper date?
“Hm. I thought you might like Junichi. He certainly seemed interested in you.”
My stomach clenches from the mere mention of his name. Christ. I scratch the back of my head because I’m not sure how to respond.
I consider myself bisexual. It took me a long time and lots of heartache to get to this place, but I know that label suits me. Being gay, queer or trans is not openly accepted or celebrated in mainstream Japanese culture. Sora is a vampire and doesn’t care about all that… but still. I’m changing the subject.
“Who is this onstage now?” I whisper. A youngish bloke in a typical “salary man” black suit and tie is at the glass podium. He’s giving a long-winded introduction for someone. The hospital’s CEO? He didn’t say a name.
“He’s one of the board members,” Sora says, adjusting her glasses and matching my whisper.
“If I wanted to write a proposal for a new hospital program, who would I need to present that to?”
Sora’s brown eyes widen. “Are you thinking of doing something vampire related?”
“Yes. And maybe Haruka Hirano will help me? It’s still in the early stages. He told me I need to get the proposal written and approved first.”
“That’s wonderful, Jae. Your best bet is to talk to Junichi.”
My stomach clenches again and I frown. “Why would I do that?”
“Because he’s Haruka’s best friend, and he owns and personally finances our hospital.”
“What?”
“Shh.” Lucy turns and scolds me, but my head is spinning and I’m focused on Sora.
“He what?” I say more softly.
“He’s the CEO, Jae. The ‘Dean of the Hospital,’ although he doesn’t like being called by either title. You didn’t know? He signs your paychecks.”
“I don—I don’t get paychecks. Everything is direct deposited.”
“Your employment contract then?”
“Kawaguchi-san signed that!”
Sora shrugs. “Well, nonetheless. I thought you knew?”
“No.”
“Shh!”
Sora scrunches her face and leans past me. “Sorry, Lucy.”
I shake my head, trying to rattle the information into place so I can process it. Junichi owns the hospital. He’s the CEO… The owner of the hospital where I work asked me to have dinner with him for three weeks, came to my flat, brought me expensive flowers, and I told him I had condoms. I gave him a lukewarm, ready-made meal and said I was doing him a favor.
I press my fingers against my forehead and close my eyes from the massive headache forming there. “Bloody hell—”
“Jae. Jebal, joyongheehae. Mooseun il itnee?” Lucy is whisper-shouting at me in Korean when I just want to crawl underneath the table, curl into a ball and die.
“See?” Sora taps my shoulder as she whispers, “Look. He’s there.”
I don’t want to look. Because if I look, then it must be true. Everyone is clapping politely as I lift my head.
He’s there, bowing to the young salary-suit man and stepping up to the glass podium. He’s smiling, his black eyes glistening, and his warm, peanut butter skin looks radiant underneath the spotlights. He’s clean-shaven now and wearing a beautifully tailored plum-colored suit with a deep, rich and satiny tie. On anyone else, a suit that color might look ridiculous. On me, it totally would.
On Junichi Takayama, it looks like an absolute dream.
An hour later, I still feel like I want to die. But now, maybe I’ll throw up first. Clean myself out and do the mortician a favor. Junichi is walking around the room and greeting each table while dinner is being served. The closer he gets to my table, the more knotted and twisted my stomach is getting.
Sora and Lucy are politely chatting over me, both leaning forward. I’m leaning back and not touching my plate. I’m so embarrassed it’s painful. Why do I care about my behavior now? When I thought he was just some arbitrary vampire, I wasn’t quite as bothered. Now that I know he’s my boss and the sole proprietor of a massive charitable institution, I’m gutted.
And I need to submit a proposal to him. I told Haruka and Nino I would… I want to help them and other couples like them. But I’ve really screwed this up, haven’t I?
