Despite the distance, Jun and Sayuri talked every day. He would tell her the latest news, and she would share the little things Mike did. Jun showed her everything: the studio, the apartment in Tokyo, different kinds of food, always trying to include her in everything.
When he saw a cute dessert, he would send her a photo saying it reminded him of her. Sayuri did the same. If Mike did something funny, she would tell him. And so, months passed like that.
But, as expected, the routine began to change. Instead of talking every day, they started talking only a few hours per week. Sayuri had managed to get a job in a fabric factory, and Jun was getting increasingly busy with recordings, meetings, and promotional events for the band.
Yume also called Sayuri almost every day. She was happy with her job in New York and had even started dating a Wall Street mogul.
"Hi, love... sorry for calling late, I couldn't call earlier" Jun said, his voice tired.
"You look exhausted. You should sleep."
"I'm exhausted, but I needed to hear your voice..."
Barking sounds interrupted him.
"Is Mike still awake?"
"He heard your voice, Jun, he gets excited..."
"I miss that troublemaker... I miss you, love..."
Silence...
"You still don't know when you're coming back?"
He let out a slow breath.
"I don't know, love... I know it's been over seven months... but I swear I can't wait to be back in your arms..."
"I can't wait either... now go rest, love... talk later."
Jun had a busy routine in Tokyo. Besides the final recording sessions for the album, there were endless photo shoots, sponsor events, and radio interviews.
Usagui appeared beside him in every photo, and the press started spreading rumors that the TK heiress was dating the young musician, the label's newest rising star.
"Usagui, you need to do something about these articles, this is all nonsense" Jun said, throwing the magazine into the trash.
"Calm down, Jun, they're just tabloids, it's normal. It's part of the job."
"I don't care... I don't like it."
His phone rang. It was Sayuri.
"Hi, love" Jun answered, walking out of her office.
"Oh no... I can't believe she still calls him. I need to find a way to cut his contact with her."
At one of the events, Usagui took advantage of a distraction from Kenji and Jun and grabbed both of their phones, handing them to one of her assistants.
"Please get rid of these phones."
"Get rid of them, ma'am?"
"Yes. Destroy them, burn them, I don't know, just make sure they disappear and stop working."
"That way they'll lose contact with her..." she said, taking a sip of champagne and smiling.
The next day, Sayuri waited for Jun's call and nothing came. Not even a message. She tried calling, but the phone kept showing no signal.
"Maybe he's just busy" she said, picking Mike up.
"I don't know what happened to your phones, boys. Where did you leave them?"
"On the counter yesterday at the event" Kenji replied.
"Damn it... I need to talk to Sayuri, but I don't have her number" Jun said, running a hand through his hair, worried.
"Oh, you can send an email and explain what happened" Kenji replied.
Usagui widened her eyes.
"Damn it... I forgot about that."
Jun was about to open his laptop when Usagui called him.
"Hey, Jun, not now. You have that radio interview."
"We still have time."
"Not with Tokyo traffic."
"Okay, I'll talk to her later."
Usagui took the laptop and said she would keep it until they returned.
When they left the office, she called someone, explaining what needed to be done. But at that exact moment, Kenji walked in and overheard everything. His face lost color.
"What? Why?"
She stood up startled, but decided to tell the truth, or at least half of it.
"I need to do this for Jun's sake. Don't you see that this thing with Sayuri is destroying him?"
"But diverting his emails so they never reach her is cruel."
"It's not cruel. He needs this. Look at him. He doesn't sleep properly, he's anxious until he can talk to her... Kenji" she held his hand "it's for Jun's sake."
"I don't know..."
"Help your friend not lose everything he's achieved..."
And with that sentence she convinced Kenji to keep everything a secret, and let Jun believe it was Sayuri who had left him, by not replying to his emails.
Jun sent emails every day, but received no answer. He began to panic, needing to know if she was okay. He stayed up late sending emails, opening his laptop every hour, and nothing. Not a single word from Sayuri. His only comfort became whisky.
For Sayuri, it was the worst pain in the world. To her, Jun had abandoned her for fame. She saw him on magazine covers beside Usagui. They said the heiress and the label's newest success were together. It broke her in a way that could not be repaired.
She tried to sleep at night and only got up to survive. The apartment that once had been her small paradise became her prison, making her bleed emotionally every night as she stared at his photos, haunted by the memories of their happy moments.
Sometimes she would find herself looking at the stars. She was wounded, but she still loved him and missed him deeply.
"Does he miss me too..."