{"id":7765,"date":"2026-10-23T13:49:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T04:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beauty-saga.com\/?post_type=bs_episode&p=7765"},"modified":"2026-10-23T13:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T04:49:12","slug":"kts1-ep02-en","status":"publish","type":"bs_episode","link":"https:\/\/beauty-saga.com\/en\/saga-reader\/kts1-ep02-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Waiting for Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"

The club was warm with noise.
Low bass, laughter, the sound of glasses touching.
For a night in Kyoto, the Filipino club on the edge of Kouzuki-cho felt unusually lively.<\/p>\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n

Among the long-established ryotei lining this hanamachi,
there was only one Filipino club\u2014Bango ng Buwan.
Twenty years after opening, it had secured a quiet but undeniable presence in the town.<\/p>\n\n

The club hosts live performances twice a day.
The band changes each time.
This week, the slot had been given to Gabi.<\/p>\n\n

He would be staying in Kyoto for a while.
The office in Tokyo had connected him with the work.<\/p>\n\n

\"Gabi<\/figure>\n\n

When he stepped onto the stage,
low bass and laughter were already mixed together.<\/p>\n\n

Back home, Gabi had sung hip-hop.
Here, he sang pop songs and old familiar melodies everyone knew.<\/p>\n\n

When the performance ended,
Gabi lowered his guitar and bowed lightly.<\/p>\n\n

Applause and whistles followed.
The lights grew slightly brighter.<\/p>\n\n

The hall returned once again
to overlapping laughter and shouted orders.<\/p>\n\n

From among them,
one man raised his hand.<\/p>\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n

He was broad-shouldered,
surrounded by three or four Filipina hostesses,
seated at a large square table.
Glasses and laughter blended comfortably around him.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cCome here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Gabi was called over.
One of the hostesses poured him a whiskey and water with practiced ease.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cHe just came to Japan last week,\u201d
she said, gesturing toward Gabi.<\/p>\n\n

The man\u2014Domoto\u2014raised his eyebrows slightly.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cOh, is that so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Then he smiled at Gabi.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cSo, Japan\u2019s cold, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Gabi searched briefly for words, but
\u201c\u2026Yes,\u201d
was all he managed to say.<\/p>\n\n

Domoto nodded, satisfied.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cMe, I look like this, but I really hate winter.
I can\u2019t wait for spring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"Long<\/figure>\n\n

The word spring stopped inside Gabi.<\/p>\n\n

In the Philippines, seasons didn\u2019t turn.
There was heat, and there was rain.
There was no sense of waiting for a season.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe Philippines must be nice,\u201d
Domoto said.
\u201cAlways warm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

He laughed loudly.
The hostesses laughed with him.<\/p>\n\n

Gabi couldn\u2019t find a reply.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cSpring\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n

That was all that came out.<\/p>\n\n

Domoto didn\u2019t seem to mind.
He emptied his glass and placed a tip on the table.<\/p>\n\n

I stay, and time moves on.
So nothing about me changes\u2014
that\u2019s what he had believed.<\/p>\n\n

But while he stayed,
the scenery around him changed.
The temperature changed.
The light changed.
People\u2019s hearts changed too.<\/p>\n\n

Because things change,
time can be taken.
Waiting becomes possible.<\/p>\n\n

\"Gabi<\/figure>\n\n

\u201cDomoto here,\u201d
one of the hostesses whispered,
\u201che\u2019s kind of the boss of the real estate around here.
He knows everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cOh no, not like that,\u201d
Domoto said lightly.
\u201cI\u2019ve just been around a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Then he looked at Gabi,
his expression unexpectedly gentle.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cBut hey, Gabi.
If you ever need something, just say the word.
I might be able to help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Gabi listened vaguely to the conversation that followed.
After a while, he gave a small bow and stood up.<\/p>\n\n

That was when Domoto\u2019s gaze fell on Gabi\u2019s pocket.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cHey\u2026 that bottle of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

He stopped mid-sentence,
eyes narrowing as if something had surfaced in his memory.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cA long time ago,
I think I saw something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Gabi lowered his head slightly.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cMy mom gave it to me\u2026
when she was dying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The words came out smaller than he expected.<\/p>\n\n

Gabi always carried the little bottle with him.
There was no clear reason.
It just felt like he should.<\/p>\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n

Domoto fell silent for a moment.
Then he let out a quiet laugh.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cHuh\u2026
maybe that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

He shook his head.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cNo\u2014never mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

And then, casually:<\/p>\n\n

\u201cBut hey,
if you feel like it,
go visit the old temple at Atago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"Stone<\/figure>\n\n

Gabi heard it without really hearing it.<\/p>\n\n

After packing away his instrument and exchanging brief words with the staff,
Gabi left Bango ng Buwan.<\/p>\n\n

\"Wearing<\/figure>\n\n

Outside,
the winter night air cut sharply into his skin.
He pulled his hood back up.<\/p>\n\n

Walking with his head down against the cold,
he noticed a soft glow wavering on the black stone pavement.
He stopped and looked up.<\/p>\n\n

Between drifting clouds,
a thin moon hung in the sky.<\/p>\n\n

Waiting for spring.<\/p>\n\n

He had never felt that way before\u2014
and he was beginning to realize that he did now.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The club was warm with noise.Low bass, laughter, the sound of glasses touching.For a night in Kyoto, the Filipino club on the edge of Kouzuki-cho felt unusually lively. Among the long-established ryotei lining this hanamachi,there was only one Filipino club\u2014Bango ng Buwan.Twenty years after opening, it had secured a quiet but undeniable presence in the town. The club hosts live performances twice a day.The band changes each time.This week, the slot had been given to Gabi. He would be staying in Kyoto for a while.The office in Tokyo had connected him with the work. When he stepped onto the stage,low bass and laughter were already mixed together. Back home, Gabi…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7746,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"bs_episode_code":"KTS1-EP02","bs_episode_label":"Episode 2","bs_sort_order":2,"bs_deck":"","bs_reading_minutes":0,"bs_reader_skin":"inherit","bs_afterword_type":"none","bs_visibility":"inherit","footnotes":""},"bs_saga":[207],"bs_season":[214],"class_list":["post-7765","bs_episode","type-bs_episode","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","bs_season-kts1-season-1"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t