Ron Does Stuff

William and Izaya left the Green Room in the previous episode, so now the only couple we’re waiting to get their act together is Huwei and Bomi. Is this the episode where that happens? Probably not, since there are four more episodes left, but let’s find out for sure!

Jobu and Tomoaki are up first in this episode, followed by Taeheon, who was apparently late for breakfast with Jobu? Or at least he told Jobu he’d be having breakfast at this time, but he arrived 30 minutes late. Taeheon overslept, but Jobu found it cute the way that Taeheon apologized. He is down bad.

Hiroya’s shift lead for this day’s coffee truck shift, and he’s chosen Taeheon as partner, which is something that surprises Taeheon and has sniffling. I am cackling.

Opening credits time!

Hiroya and Taeheon’s shift together certainly looks like it’s going better than Jobu’s first shift with Taeheon. They even sold more! Jobu and Taeheon sold ¥2,200 during their shift, while Hiroya and Taeheon earned ¥8,950. During the post-shift trip to the hot foot bath thingie that the guys have been doing for several episodes now, Hiroya shares that he’s attracted to cultured people, and I’m a little eh about it. It just sounds a little too “I’m not like other gays” to me! But Taeheon says this shift with Hiroya was so much easier than the shift with Jobu, so maybe the subtitles just aren’t telegraphing Hiroya’s true feelings.

Back at the Green Room, Huwei and Bomi are talking about Huwei’s parents, and Huwei is apparently not close to either of them. He’s not on bad terms with them, but he’s just as fine without them in his life, either. Huwei says his mom is too emotional to have a rational conversation with, something that he shares with Bomi. Bomi shares that he wants to come out to his mom because he’s always dreamed of living together with his mom and boyfriend, which then prompts Huwei to share about the time he came out to his mom. Even before he starts his story, his eyes are already welling with tears, and my heart hurts.

Huwei says that his mom wasn’t exactly thrilled, and that she asked him if he could change it, and I am really keeping in mind that his mom is an Asian™ mom, and that we’re more conservative here. He’s not really clear whether his mom’s Thai or Japanese or a mix of both, but either way, I shouldn’t find her reaction surprising. There’s still a long way to go! But seeing Huwei cry? Devastating. Hearing him say he doesn’t want to change who is? Encouraging, but still devastating that his has to be a dilemma for him. Then Huwei starts crying, Bomi starts crying, then I start crying, it’s a mess.

After that cryfest, Hiroya, Taeheon, and Kazuyuki are talking about making Green Room hoodies, and I would normally be more attentive to this, but I’m still reeling from that whole conversation between Huwei and Bomi. The first season made me feel kilig, but I don’t think it ever made me cry like Huwei and Bomi made me cry. But the whole conversation is just to show Hiroya feeling even more attracted to Taeheon because of how professional he is.

That’s something we’ll get back to later on, because now the boys are going bowling, with the winner of the individual match going on a date. Other than Bomi, everybody else did well, but it’s Kazuyuki who wins in the end. Who’s he going on a date with? Nobody, because in Gay World, you go ~into the West~ when you turn 40.

What Kazuyuki is doing is looking back at the 15-year relationship between him and his ex. He recalls all the details, even the painful night when their dog Jazz died, and it’s a good thing that Huwei and Bomi let me cry it all out because I don’t want to cry anymore. And also the fact that the guys are doing a random clothes swap for the next day and acting like they’re the person whose clothes they’re wearing has helped lighten things up.

But of course, Old Man Kazuyuki brings the mood down by announcing his departure. He’s realized that maybe ending that 15-year relationship was a rash decision, and now he’s decided to pick that back up again. He’s also given his bowling prize to Hiroya, who’ll obviously ask Taeheon to go out with him. But before that happens, the boys say goodbye to Kazuyuki. I think this is the most amount of people to leave the Green Room before the season even ends.

But the guys are moving on, and the first order of business is who’s going to be shift lead at the coffee truck. The guys get a message that the leader is going to be anyone who volunteers for it, and it’s Tomoaki who does! He picks Hiroya as his partner, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them work together!

From the looks of it, they look like they’re great partners with each other. They’re laughing and joking around a lot, and they make ¥4,850 at the end of their shift. Respectable! During their post-shift chit-chat, we have yet another coming out discussion, as Tomoaki is still in the closet. He doesn’t think his family will accept his sexuality, and Hiroya sympathizes with him and really makes him feel better.

At the Green Room, Jobu receives a text from someone who says they’re waiting for him at the foot bath, and it’s Jobu’s mother Yuka! For some reason, I thought it was going to be Taeheon, when Taeheon’s never shown any interest in Jobu. Unlike Huwei’s mom, whom we don’t see, Yuka is a much more supportive parent whose first reaction upon learning that Taeheon is in the Green Room is to ask her son if she can stay the night with them.

The mother and son’s conversation soon turns to gay stuff, specifically, how soon did Yuka realize that her son’s a faggot queen.

Yuka starts to cry when she finds out that Jobu knew he was gay as early as his first year in middle school. She feels bad that Jobu had to go through whatever emotional devastation he had to go through when he first found out he liked gays, but Jobu reassures her, saying that thanks to her and her acceptance, his childhood wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

After that sweet and supportive meeting, Jobu brings his mother’s oden to the Green Room. As they eat the oden for dinner, the stories go back to coming out stories, and Hiroya is one of the lucky ones who’s coming out didn’t result in the whole family crashing out. Ryuki hasn’t come out yet, but he does feel pressure from his dad to have a child to continue. He’s then followed by Tomoaki, and then Taeheon. Jobu can’t relate or share a particular story, since his mom is awesome,

The next day, the boys are told that the coffee truck is headed to Sapporo, with them possibly in it, but only if they both pick each other. Unsurprisingly, Huwei and Bomi are paired up, but then Taeheon and Jobu are also going?

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