divela

When Emma, a young journalist from New York, moves to Japan for a year-long assignment, she expects culture shock, adventure, and a few challenges. What she doesn’t expect is Ren—a quiet yet captivating photographer with a past he keeps locked away. As they navigate love, language barriers, and their own personal fears, Emma must decide if she’s willing to rewrite her future for a love that transcends borders.

Love across Oceans

The next morning, Kyoto was bathed in soft sunlight, the air cool with the lingering touch of dawn. Emma and Ren found themselves wandering through the quiet streets of Gion, where the wooden machiya houses stood as if frozen in time.

Emma had woken up thinking about what Ren had said the night before. Only right now. Four simple words that refused to leave her mind.

She stole a glance at him as they walked, his camera hanging loosely around his neck. He wasn't like anyone she had ever met—reserved yet observant, like he saw the world in a way no one else did. And maybe, for the first time, someone was seeing her in a way no one else had.

"What are you thinking?" Ren's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She hesitated. Do I tell him the truth?

Instead, she said, "Just taking your advice."

"You said to experience first, write later," she reminded him with a smirk.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he nodded toward a small teahouse tucked between two cherry blossom trees. "Come."

Inside, the air smelled of matcha and warm tatami mats. An elderly woman greeted them, motioning for them to sit on cushions around a low table. The space was simple, serene.

As they waited for their tea, Emma leaned forward. "So, tell me something about you."

Ren tilted his head slightly. "What do you want to know?"

He considered for a moment. "I hate natto."

Emma wrinkled her nose. "That's the fermented soybean thing, right?"

She laughed. "Good to know. Your turn—ask me something."

Ren studied her, then asked, "Why did you come to Japan?"

Emma paused. She had expected him to ask something light—her favorite color, her favorite book. But Ren never asked meaningless questions.

"I wanted a change," she admitted. "I felt like I was… stuck. Like I was living the same day over and over again."

Ren watched her, silent. She felt exposed under his gaze, but she didn't look away.

Emma exhaled. "Now… I don't know. But I feel like I'm becoming someone I was supposed to be."

Something unreadable flickered in Ren's expression. Before he could respond, their tea arrived, breaking the moment.

As they sipped in comfortable silence, Emma realized something—

They didn't need to say everything. Some things were already understood.

She didn't know what this was between them. Not yet.

But she wasn't ready to walk away from it.

An unspoken connection