Lily Chan

“the discovery of a crumpled love note in Kazuko’s school locker. Kazuko had striking cheekbones. They glazed the sunshine and sliced the shadows into two parts: darker and lighter. Her eyes sat on top of her cheekbones with a curve, sliding into her temples. Boys stuttered at her; she could correct their grammar while all they could think about was kissing her pert lips. She enrolled in modelling school and learned about manicures, pedicures, skin massage points, creams and the secrets of a flawless complexion. “Look at me, Toyo-nesan!” she exclaimed with a heavy book balanced on her head, walking back and forth along the corridor. “This is how models walk.” Toyo lived with Ryu in the building that housed his menswear shop. From her window she could see customers entering and exiting, the traffic from the nearby train station ebbing and flowing as work began and finished. At first Ryu did not want her to assist in the shop. She could not see why and was affronted by his refusal even to let her come downstairs: “Get back up, Toyo! Don’t let the customers see you.” Kazuko told Toyo that he wanted to keep her beauty all to himself, that her entry into the Zhang family was already spreading like wildfire down the street, and the increased traffic past the menswear shop consisted, partially, of”
― Lily Chan, Toyo: A Memoir