In Deep Kimchi - By Imari Jade Page 0,4

understood why. Ichiro was beautiful with small, delicate features and amazing, rare blue eyes. The stylist insisted that he keep it in a ponytail until he performed, at which time he would release it, much to the delight of the female fans. The fan girls loved Ichiro and they sent him lots of gifts and made him the topic of a lot of YouTube videos. Ichiro's main problem was that he was very shy.

"Mr. Niigata wants you to be on your best behavior during this time and you're not to embarrass this company in any way, shape or form."

Takumijo muttered something under his breath.

"Yes, I'm talking about you, demon boy," Masaaki said to Takumijo.

Try to keep your clothes on during the performances, and try not to get hooked up with some empty-headed starlet while the Americans are in town."

Yori stifled a grin. Takumijo always got them in trouble with his antics.

"Boy, do one thing and you get permanently known as a trouble- maker."

"If it was only one thing, we wouldn't have a problem. Photographers love you and cavorting around with a bevy of beauties in a pool in the buff draws their attention."

Satoshi and Ichiro did not try to hide their chagrin. They outright laughed, which made Takumijo angry.

"You guys aren't innocent either. You get into just as much shit as I do, but Mr. Niigata does not ban you to your room or take away your privileges."

"You could have drowned in that pool," Masaaki replied. "You were very drunk at the time of the incident."

Yori agreed. The media had a field day with that little fiasco.

Takumijo craved attention and sometimes went out of the way to get it.

One of these days, he was going to get his ass in a whole lot of trouble that Mr. Niigata couldn't buy him out of. He just wasn't satisfied that his face donned the cover of most of all the magazines since his debut. His calendar was filled with requests for personal appearance appointments and more photo sessions. It surprised him that Takumijo wasn't more enthusiastic about the situation.

Niigata Enterprises played up their looks and bodies, sparing no expense to transform them into a desirable package. It had been fun at first until the first time he was mistaken for a girl. Till this day, people questioned his sexuality. Yori frowned. He couldn't help it if he was born that way...more feminine looking than male. He had a penis. That had to count for something.

Anyway, it wasn't anyone's business but his own if he was gay or not.

The media didn't consider it so by always printing stories about him dating some guy. It got to a point where he couldn't even hang out with his friends for fear that he'd be linked to one of them sexually. He wondered if the others felt the same way about themselves or about him.

Of course, they were much too polite to ask. On the flip side, Ichiro had it worse than the others. Sometimes it was even hard for them to remember that Ichiro was a male.

"The last thing on the agenda is your upcoming trip to the United States. Everything has been arranged and all we have to do is show up.

We're going to do a total of forty concerts in the next six months and I'm hoping you guys will give it your all. Aomori needs to take America by storm."

"Then we have no problem," Yori replied. "I'm looking forward to visiting Los Angeles and New York and meeting our fans from all around America." In reality, he needed a change of scenery. Life was getting a bit stale in Japan and if something different didn't happen in his life, he'd go stir crazy. The group was his life, but he needed some him time.

"That's all I have," Masaaki said. "Do you have any more questions?"

Ichiro raised his hand. "About those authors? What are we supposed to do with them?"

"Take pictures with them and maybe be seen in public together. Mr.

Niigata thinks it could be good for your image to be seen with some of the most brilliant minds in the publishing world."

"Why would I want to be associated with a bunch of stuffy old men?"

Takumijo asked.

Masaaki rolled his dark eyes behind his glasses. "That's the kind of attitude Mr. Niigata was afraid of. It wouldn't harm you to hang around with people outside the music world. You'd be surprised what you can learn from a bunch of stuffy old men." He gathered