Kei Komuro Says 'I'm Sad,' Says Nothing in Apology, Ex-Fiancee Man Reveals in Exclusive Memoir

 

 

On November 12, "direct negotiations" were held between Kei Komuro (30) and Mr. A, the former fiancée of Mr. Komuro's mother, Kayo, with whom he had a financial dispute. The two sides agreed on a settlement payment from Kei Komuro, and the trouble was settled.　Some media reported that at the meeting, Kei offered words of sympathy and apology to Mr. A, and that an amicable settlement had been reached.

 

On the 13th, Mr. A wrote an exclusive article for the weekly magazine "FRIDAY" in which he revealed the details of the negotiations. The following is the full text.

 

 

In an inorganic room with only a table for eight, Kei and I met for the first time in over ten years. An acrylic panel was placed between us, and we were both wearing masks. When I saw him after a long time, I felt, "He's starting to look like his father, Toshikatsu-san. However, his expression was hard and his impression had changed a lot from the old Kei-kun I knew.

 

On the day of the negotiations, I met up with my agent after work and arrived at the Omotesando office shortly before 8pm. When I entered the office, I was first ushered into a small room with only a table for four. Through my agent, I had told him in advance that I wanted to talk with Kei alone. I thought we could have a frank and honest discussion that way. However, just before the negotiation, in a separate room, the other side's representative said, "We would like to have a negotiation with four people, including each side's representative. It was not what I wanted, but I agreed to it because I thought it would be better if the negotiation was ruined by a dispute here.

 

We were seated at a table for eight, with Kei-kun and I facing each other and each other's representatives sitting at the other end of the table.

 

Kei first said, "I am grateful to Mr. A for all the things he did for me when I was a student. However, he also said, "I am very sad that he unilaterally broke off the engagement with my mother and that he revealed various things to a weekly magazine. As I have told you many times, the reason why I broke off my engagement with Kayo was because I could no longer bear her repeated requests for money. I was not satisfied with the fact that she was pretending that the debt did not exist, so I told the media the facts that had happened around me.

 

However, he said, "When I was a student, I thought that Mr. A was a gentleman. But isn't what Mr. A is doing deviating from the gentleman Mr. A was? I wish he would have contacted me directly, at least one".

 

As he repeated the word "sad" over and over, I bowed my head and said, "I'm sorry about that. At one time I thought of Kei-kun as if he were my own child, so when he said, "I'm sad," I felt sorry for him.

 

However, I was the one who lent him the money, and I kept my phone number so that Kayo and him could contact me anytime they wanted. When he kept repeating the same thing to me, I was sure that I felt as if something was stuck in my chest. Throughout the negotiations, there was no word of apology from him.

 

I told her about my memories of Kei-kun when Kayo and I were engaged a long time ago. We talked about how he used to come to my house and watch DVDs with me. I hoped that by talking about the past, it would create a casual atmosphere where we could both talk frankly. However, his expression didn't change even after I told him these stories.

 

I told him, "Congratulations on your marriage," and "I'm sorry about your bar exam. But I know how hard you have been working since you were a student, so I am sure you will be fine for the next exam. But his expression never relaxed, and when I said, "I just want to send him off with a good feeling," he looked at me quizzically. I was impressed by the sad and envious look on his face throughout the negotiations.

 

Towards the end of the negotiations, he brought up the idea of a settlement. It was hard for me to hear him repeat the word "sad" over and over again. I have always wanted this issue to be resolved as soon as possible and for him to leave without any regrets. And I hoped that at the negotiation, we could talk a little bit like we used to do when we were good friends.

 

However, I was not able to achieve this. But that didn't stop me from feeling strongly that I couldn't let this problem drag on any longer. So, with resignation and disappointment, I signed the confirmation.

 

Although it was a formality, I shook hands with Kei-kun at the beginning and end of the negotiation. At first it was normal, but when I shook his hand at the end, his hand was surprisingly cold. Maybe he was nervous too.

 

I was hoping that all the problems would be solved through this discussion. I had hoped that we would be able to say to each other, "I'm sorry for everything that happened," and "I'm sorry for everything that happened to you. But it never happened. I can't say that our differences have disappeared.

Japanese news sites’ commentary board on this memoir is full of comments saying, "Kei Komuro took the stance that he was the victim and was unable to properly thank or apologize to his benefactor. This kind of person can't succeed at anything," and "Kei Komuro must have nothing but resentment that he missed out on Mako's dowry and had to postpone his marriage because of Mr. A." These are just some of the comments that were made.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Komuro are leaving for New York today, leaving behind an emotional lump over their financial troubles.

 

Author's Note: Western readers of this article may not understand Mr. A's sentiments. However, many Japanese sympathize with Mr. A. If a person like Kei Komuro is well-liked in the West, then he should be able to live on his own in the West forever.