I opened the convenience store door, the bell chimed, and the clerk greeted me, "Good evening, happy shopping!" Again, bread and milk, as usual. Tonight, I'm tired too. Still, I'm grateful to enjoy the warmth of the bread and the sweetness of the milk. Good work for today.
[Ding dong] The convenience store door chimes
"Good evening, happy shopping!"
Hmm, I'll listen to the song again. Even though the band is fading away, their music still lights up my heart. Accompanying my days, cheering me up, and of course, instantly changing my mood.
"♪I've been searching all along for that special–♪"
OH NO, MY EARPHONE JUST GOT PULLED OUT!
🌊 "Sorry, sorry."
I should've bought wireless ones (regret). So embarrassing… Huh? What's with this guy…
🌊 /takes out earphone
🌊 "Um… Is there something on my face?"
☔ "Ah, sorry, do you like Vivelune?"
🌊 "Ah yes, longtime fan hehe. Though the band's fading now, are you a Vivelune fan too?"
☔ "… Yes."
🌊 "Rare to see Vivelune fans nowadays, especially guys."
🌊 "Sorry but I need to go now."
🌊 (I'm too tired to talk, I just want to go home.)
.
.
.
[At home]
🌊 "WAAAA MY BED!"
And just like that, I fell into a deep sleep. No one would have guessed that ordinary night would be the turning point of my life now.
.
.
.
♪♪All day long♪♪
♪♪Your smile keeps passing through my mind♪♪
♪♪Hey, this isn't a dream, right?♪♪
♪♪If I reach out my hand, I can touch you♪♪
♪♪Blue fish swim happily♪♪
♪♪Bubbles shining, dancing around♪♪
♪♪Piercing waves of light♪♪
♪♪Taking me into a dream♪♪
♪♪Let's dance slowly, together~♪♪
A new morning, ordinary but tiring work. But it's better than doing nothing and letting my brain rot. I like my current routine. But still, the life I dreamed of sometimes flashes through my mind.
🌊 "I'm ready to leave."
🌊 "I'm off now, love."
🐱 "Meow."
[crack] (door sound)
🌊 "AAAA!"
☔ /wakes up startled (literally wakes from sleep)
☔ "Eh, hey, forgive me. Don't shout."
🌊 /kick
☔ "UGH—"
🌊 /KICK KICK KICK KICK
☔ "OW, OW, UGH AA STOP STOP STOP, LISTEN TO ME!"
🌊 "WEIRD OLD PERSON, LEAVE BEFORE I CALL THE POLICE!"
☔ "ALRIGHT ALRIGHT, I'M GOING."
.
.
.
[At the Bistrot]
🌊 "Sorry I'm late."
🗣️ "Grab your uniform and get to work."
🌊 "Okay."
After a few hours working, that person shows up again, UGH. I have to stay professional.
🌊 "Welcome."
☔ "Hello."
🌊 "Yeah—"
🌊 (After listening again, the voice sounds familiar. No way, right?)
🌊 "What would you like to order?"
☔ "What do you recommend?"
🌊 (That voice!)
☔ (You recognize my voice, right… right…)
🌊 "Um… What do you like?"
☔ "Hmm, I'm craving something sweet."
🌊 "Then my favorite here is Soufflé à la Vanille — warm vanilla soufflé with caramel sauce!"
☔ "Alright, just that."
🌊 "Okay, please wait."
☔ (She doesn't recognize me at all?? Has my voice really changed that much?)
🌊 (No, no way, lots of people sound like Sorren.)
🌊 (But this time…) /turns head
☔ (Um?? She's looking at me.) /smiles
🌊 (Really?) /looks away
☔ (She knows me, I know it.)
.
.
🌊 "Here's your vanilla soufflé."
☔ "Thank you."
🌊 "Enjoy."
☔ "Wait!"
🌊 "Yes? Anything else?"
☔ "No… Do you really not recognize me?"
🌊 "Ah yes, Vivelune's fanboy and the weird guy who sleeps in front of my house."
☔ "Sorry about that…"
☔ "But you don't recognize my voice?"
🌊 "What…"
🗣️ "Yorumi, work!"
🌊 "Y-YES."
☔ "Wait."
🌊 "Sorry, but I don't recognize you. Enjoy your meal." /bows
Impossible, I have to focus on work. There's a cat waiting to be fed at home!
.
.
.
🗣️ "Good job for today!"
🌊 "Good job" /bows
🗣️ "You can leave first, I'll count the money from the register."
🌊 "Okay! I'm heading out."
[Ding dong]
☔ ♪♪Blue fish swim happily♪♪
☔ ♪♪Bubbles shining, dancing around♪♪
☔ ♪♪Piercing waves of light♪♪
☔ ♪♪Taking me into a dream♪♪
☔ ♪♪Let's dance slowly, together~♪♪
🌊 /stunned
🌊 (That voice…)
🌊 "Have you been waiting for me here all this time?"
☔ "You recognize me now?"
🌊 /hesitates
I don't know, I feel my face anxious, my feelings doubtful, and my heart excited. What should I say?
🌊 "No way, it's been over 10 years."
☔ "I know it's hard to believe, but I really am Sorren!"
🌊 "Alright, if you really are Sorren, what do you want from me? I'm not interested in you, old man!"
☔ "Old… man…"
☔ "Yes… I am old, but my voice hasn't changed, right?"
🌊 "Please, I don't understand what you want. Leave before I call the police."
☔ "I want you to sing!"
🌊 "Huh?? WEIRD GUY!" /turns away
☔ "Wait."
🌊 "Let go of my hand!"
☔ "I'm serious, please listen to my story first."
🌊 "..."
☔ "Please, help me."
.
.
.
[At home]
🌊 (WHAT THE HECK)
🌊 "Sighhh."
☔ "Thanks for letting me stay over."
🌊 "Whatever, I don't care."
🌊 "I'm going to sleep."
☔ "Just like that? There's a man in your house, you know!"
🌊 "Yeah, so? If you're going to put me to bed like you did your mistress, then that's my fate."
🌊 "I was given a choice and I chose to trust you, AGAIN."
🌊 "I'll be heartbroken, depressed, then die from heartbreak, AGAIN, just so you know."
☔ "..."
☔ "Can I use the sofa?"
🌊 "Yeah."
Alright, let me explain. Vivelune is an vocal music group that I've liked since middle school. They gradually became famous, but when I reached high school, a big scandal happened. Sorren, one of the members, caused a stir. I was really shocked to find out he already had a wife and kids—but he cheated on her! He hit me with that "3 combo" all at once, and it really hurt me. After the scandal, he went on hiatus. Then, after his hiatus, he left the group. Since then, there's been no news about him.
But now, he's here, on my couch, asking me to sing for him. The more he tells his story, the more real his feelings seem. He regrets what he did, lost everything. Even after leaving the group and agency, no one wants to hire him in the music industry, even behind the scenes. He mentioned that too…
[Flashback before sleep]
☔ "I… also regret making you cry."
☔ "At first I thought I'd leave, but then I remembered where I'd seen you."
☔ "Forgive me." /bows deeply
He meant the viral video after his hiatus or departure, I'm not sure. Back then, influencers popped up from nowhere asking random questions. I was asked, "Who's your favorite music artist?" At that time, I was unstable and said whatever was in my head. I was still hurt by what happened, but their songs stayed deep in my heart, whether as wounds or as my spark.
[Flashback 10 years ago]
🗣️ "Who's your favorite music artist?"
🌊 "Ahahaha, oh no, I'm afraid of getting canceled."
🌊 /whisper "Vivelune."
🗣️ "O-oh? Vivelune? You're a fan?"
🌊 "Yeah, hahaha, their songs really stuck with me."
🌊 "But there was some trouble, I was sad for days because of it, and I don't think I was the only one, right?"
🗣️ "ftwk, right?"
🌊 "w, what's that?"
🗣️ "for those who know."
🌊 "AHAHAHA, YES, you." /points to camera
🌊 "You're the one, you're so mean, but your songs are beautiful. Take responsibility for all my tears."
🗣️ "AHAHAHA, omg dear, don't cry." /hug
🌊 "ahahaa, It really hurts." /hug
If you look it up, the video might still be on the internet. Ten years… who would've thought? After this, what will he do?