‘I’m Liyun,’ she said. ‘I sat next to you once.’

Even so, nothing came to mind. Then again, she had only said ‘once’, hadn’t she?

‘You don’t remember me, do you?’ Liyun looked genuinely disappointed.

‘Sorry.’ He should have pretended that he knew her, but he wasn’t in the right state of mind to entertain anyone. ‘You’re not Japanese.’

‘I’m from Singapore.’

He gave her a vague nod.

‘We never talked, so you wouldn’t have noticed me.’

Another nod. ‘But you know my name?’ Shoji asked.

‘That’s because you’re famous on campus.’

‘Am I?’ Shoji chuckled.

‘You’re Jin’s flatmate, aren’t you? Everyone talks about the special gatherings at your place.’

‘Indeed,’ Shoji replied in a flat tone.

‘You don’t seem to care what people say,’ Liyun said, narrowing her eyes.

He shrugged. ‘It depends who’s talking.’

‘What if it’s me?’

Shoji kept quiet. He wasn’t in the mood for a long talk, and this conversation was starting to drag. Liyun sat down next to Shoji and ordered a lychee Martini for herself. He finished his drink, wanting to leave as soon as possible. He had a strong urge to smoke.

‘I overheard you asking about someone,’ Liyun said.

He turned to her. ‘Do you know Yoko Sasaki?’

‘Is she your girlfriend?’

‘She is,’ he said impatiently. ‘Do you know anything about her?’

Liyun pursed her lips, seemingly thinking it through. Eventually, she shook her head. ‘No. I don’t.’

What was that? For a moment she’d got his hopes up.

The bartender came with Liyun’s cocktail and she mouthed a thank you. She turned to Shoji and gestured to his empty glass.

‘Why don’t I buy you a drink? You can tell me about your girlfriend. It must be fate to run into you.’

Fate? He fought the urge to sneer. ‘I’ve drunk too much, and I’ve got some work to do. Enjoy yourself. I have to leave now.’

She leaned forward. ‘Can’t you stay for a while?’

Shoji forced a polite smile. ‘I’m sorry. Perhaps another time.’

‘Wait. Give me your number. I’ll give you a call next week.’

He couldn’t believe how persistent she was. ‘I’m inbetween places right now so I don’t have one, and I’m really busy with work.’

Liyun shrugged and sipped her Martini. ‘Fine. I’ll let you off this time. We’re bound to see each other, anyway.’ And then she added, ‘Never underestimate a woman’s intuition.’

He didn’t know it yet, but she was right.

CHAPTER 14

PHONE CALLS

Call •1 [27.12.1995 // 8.54 pm]

Jin speaking. Oh, it’s you, Shoji. Where are you now? Oh wait, you shouldn’t tell me in case I get kidnapped and tortured to rat you out, like in those yakuza movies. [Laughs] Nah, I haven’t heard from Yoko. Those men? No, they never returned. Perhaps they got scared when I threatened them. [Laughs] All right, take care. I’ll let you know if she gets in touch. [Laughs] You’re right. I don’t have your number, but I doubt she will call me, anyway.