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Yuujin followed the location Max had sent him, arriving at the meeting spot where he saw Taylor, Max, and Tara chatting together.
Yuujin felt a little nervous about hanging out with new friends, especially without knowing exactly where they were going.
"Look! Our little partner is here," Max pointed at Yuujin, who let out a small sigh and, trembling slightly, walked toward them.
"Uh… you guys still haven't told me where we're going…" Yuujin muttered, clenching his fists as he waited for a concrete answer.
"I already told you, we're going wherever destiny takes us," Max said, walking around Yuujin and grabbing him by the neck in a mock reflective pose.
"I thought we were going to the ice cream shop," Tara scratched her head, looking uncertain.
"Oh, come on! This is supposed to make our outing with our new friend more dramatic!" Max let go of Yuujin and crossed his arms, waiting for his reaction.
"Friend? So they consider me their friend… Honestly… I'm happy about that." Yuujin thought to himself, and a small smile slipped onto his face.
"He can actually smile?" Taylor noticed, and Yuujin quickly lifted his head, blushing slightly.
"Ah! What?! Hold on, where's Aoki?" Yuujin tried to change the subject as fast as he could.
"Yeah… we've been waiting for him for a while," Max admitted, not really having a better answer.
"Maybe he'll meet us halfway. His bodyguard might want to drop him off right in front of the ice cream shop," Tara said, resting her hands on her hips.
"He has a bodyguard… just to go to an ice cream shop? Is he really that much trouble?" Yuujin straightened his posture again, lost in his thoughts.
"A bodyguard… so maybe he causes problems… or maybe his parents are just overprotective? If it's the second option, then he must have good parents," Yuujin thought, following along while trying to make sense of it.
"I didn't know he was that snobby," Yuujin added mentally, his expression critical as he spotted Aoki already standing at the ice cream shop's entrance, stepping out of a car, wearing sunglasses, and scrolling through his phone.
"If we hadn't just come on our own, we'd probably be waiting around for three hours until Aoki texted one of us," Taylor said sarcastically.
"Really? He doesn't care that much, huh?" Yuujin asked, keeping his gaze on Taylor.
"He does care, but he's not the type to chase after things he knows will work themselves out. In this case, he knew we could come on our own, so he didn't bother," Taylor replied as the group approached Aoki, while Yuujin kept overthinking.
"Is he really that annoying? Not caring about his friends like this? And I still don't get why anyone would need a bodyguard just to go somewhere as simple as an ice cream shop. Either way, now I see where his arrogance comes from—this spoiled brat," Yuujin thought, his expression showing a faint hint of irritation.
"You guys are late. What were you doing?" Aoki turned toward them, removing his sunglasses.
"Besides waiting for Yuujin, we thought you were gonna meet us at the spot we agreed on," Max said. Aoki stepped away from the car and tucked his glasses away.
"My parents wouldn't let me meet you there, so I asked to be dropped off here instead. Are you planning to go anywhere else?" Aoki slipped his phone into his pocket, finally paying attention to them.
"Of course! We could watch the sunset at the park!" Max said, sounding excited.
"Hm… can you ask if I'm allowed?" Aoki turned to his bodyguard, requesting the favor.
The man nodded and sent a message to Aoki's father.
"You need permission to go anywhere?" Yuujin raised an eyebrow, waiting for Aoki's answer.
"Some places," Aoki replied bluntly.
"Do his parents think he's still a baby? Well, at least that means they care about him," Yuujin thought.
"Why'd you ask your bodyguard to send the message? Don't you have your parents' number?" Tara asked.
"I do, but they want me to ask him about trivial stuff. When it's about my grades or how a photo shoot went, then I use their business contact," Aoki explained, running a hand through his hair as he entered the ice cream shop, expecting the others to follow.
"Business contact? What kind of parents only talk to their kid about school or photo shoots through a business line? Maybe they're not as great as I thought… This isn't really my business, but now I really want to know more about this guy," Yuujin thought as he walked inside with the others, watching everything carefully but keeping most of his attention on Aoki.
With ice cream in hand and seated at a table, the group chatted about the band and other random topics.
"He's definitely hiding something," Yuujin thought, noticing some magazines nearby. Aoki was on the cover of one of them.
"So this is the photo shoot he mentioned earlier? Interesting. I've never cared much about magazines, but looking now… he's actually really handsome. I guess he has a gift for being on these covers," Yuujin thought as he absentmindedly ate his ice cream, not realizing someone was calling him.
"Vanilla head! Pay attention!" Aoki snapped his fingers in front of Yuujin to snap him out of his thoughts.
"Ah! What?!" Yuujin flinched.
"We were talking about you. Did you at least write the song's title down? The month ends in three weeks," Aoki crossed his arms, waiting for a competent answer.
"Uh… I was thinking of… maybe A Farewell or something along those lines…" Yuujin blushed slightly and went back to focusing on his ice cream.
"A Farewell? Seriously? Try to think of something better, something that grabs people's attention. That title won't get us anywhere," Aoki criticized.
"It'll still be better than that ridiculous, overly long song of yours that's barely even listenable!" Yuujin shot back.
"Whatever! Just make sure it's something that puts us on top," Aoki grumbled, pulling out his phone again. Yuujin noticed he hadn't ordered anything.
"You're not getting anything?" Yuujin asked, puzzled.
"I don't eat ice cream. I just came to keep you company—and to see if you'll actually write something competent for once," Aoki muttered, rolling his eyes, clearly bored.
"Relax, Yuujin. There's a lot of stuff he doesn't eat," Taylor added, sipping on his milkshake and ignoring the rest.
"He doesn't eat ice cream… what kind of monster is he?" Yuujin thought, going back to his ice cream.
"He said A Farewell isn't a good title… I don't agree, but I can't think of one that really leaves an impact either. I can't even write proper lyrics. And the worst part… I only have three weeks to prove to this blond jerk that I can actually make something good!" Yuujin clenched his jaw, suddenly motivated but still unsure of where to start.
After chatting a bit more and finishing their treats, they left the shop. Aoki went to check in with his bodyguard.
"It's 5:13. My dad's letting me stay at the park until 5:30," Aoki said, sounding annoyed by the short time limit.
"Until 5:30? His parents really are overprotective," Yuujin thought, then stepped closer to Aoki and held out his hand.
"Let's make the most of it." Yuujin blushed slightly but not too much. Aoki froze for a moment, then held Yuujin's hand, letting himself be led toward the park with the others.
They reached a small hill and lay down on the grass to watch the sunset. Yuujin finally let go of Aoki's hand then.
"You… look at the sky differently," Aoki turned to Yuujin, trying to understand why.
"It's because I know my parents are watching over me, cheering me on," Yuujin said softly, still smiling as he looked at the sunset.
"Watching you? Explain that," Max chimed in, curious.
"Well… I lost my parents recently, but my mom always told me to keep going even if the people closest to me were gone," Yuujin explained, his small smile lingering as a memory surfaced.
"Yuujin, you're stronger than you think. I'll be proud to see you chasing your dreams," his mother had told him, holding his hands tightly.
"But… I don't even know what I want…" Yuujin had said, staring at a drawing in his notebook.
"You already have a starting point. You know how to draw—that's an amazing first step to finding out what you really want," she smiled warmly at him.
"But… what if you're not here to see me make it happen?" he asked, sadness in his eyes.
"My love, you have to keep going, even if the closest people to you leave one day. Because the love you feel for them doesn't disappear because of that. If I'm not here in person, I'll be somewhere, rooting for you—my Yuujin." She hugged him, and Yuujin let his tears fall as he hugged her back.
Back in the present, Yuujin's eyes watered, but he quickly wiped them away, gazing again at the sunset.
"She'd be proud if I could write this song," Yuujin said, and Aoki moved closer, taking his hand and lying down beside him.
"You have new people close to you now—you're part of our group," Max added, scooting closer, followed by Tara and Taylor.
"You're strong for living through this normally. I'd be devastated," Tara said with a small smile.
"I'd feel bad, but if I were told to keep going, I would," Taylor added.
"I'll stop putting so much pressure on you about the song. I want you to write it in a way that's true to you, not what I want. But I'm not extending the deadline," Aoki said, squeezing Yuujin's hand firmly with a faint smile.
"I'll try… I still don't know how to start, but… I hope I can make something that satisfies you—and more importantly, something my parents would be proud of," Yuujin said, looking back at the sky, the sunset reflecting on the grass while Aoki's bodyguard called him impatiently—it was already time to leave.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow," Aoki finally let go of Yuujin's hand after a pause, standing up and heading toward his bodyguard.
"He's… not that annoying, after all. I didn't know he could be like this. And even though I don't want to admit it… I liked his touch."
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To be continued.