Tangled in Notes

Chapter Twenty-Five

It was another morning. I thank God my eyes still flew open. Ever since I knew I was ill, I was scared that I might not wake up the next morning, worried that I might not be able to see the world again; worried that I might vanish from the world without notice.

I got up, wore my jeans and my sweater that says ‘I hate people that stare at my awesome shirt’.

“Okay.” I mumbled to myself and grabbed my bag from the sofa. It was Saturday – yes, SATURDAY – and Jared messaged me to meet at the park today. He said he doesn’t want to have the lecture or lesson in school. He said it was too public for people to see we were together.

I walked out of my apartelle and waited for a cab to stop in front of me. When one stopped, I stepped inside and told the man to take me to where Jared told me to go. I laid my back comfortably as I watched the view outside. Tall buildings, trees, more buildings, Korea was really high-tech but now, it’s gotten better. It’s more futuristic than any country I could imagine.

I could have been working at Toy Empire now but I told myself, maybe I really should get a day-off. Even for just this day. I sighed when the car pulled for a stop. I reached my money to the driver. “Thank you.” I said and stepped out.

I breathe in the cold warm air of the park. It felt good to see a different environment. Briddleton.

I brought my phone out to check if Jared left any message but to no avail, no pop-up popped up. That didn’t make sense, I know. I slid Jared’s contact number to call. It rang and rang and I was surprised when I heard the ringtone. I think it was one of the songs they were working on. I’m not so—

“Where are you?” Even his voice sends shiver down my spine. It was really ice cold. It wasn’t deep but you’d know that the person had this, grumpy personality.

“I’m in front of the dancing fountain. Where are you?” I asked and stared at the water splashing down the floor. Kids were playing and the other got scolded by her mother because she got splashed by water. I giggled.

“Did you hear me?”

“Huh?” My blood instantly rose in surprise. I was talking to Jared. Right. “Y-Yeah? Can you repeat that?”

“Never mind.”

He hung up and I awkwardly brought my phone down. I frowned. I smiled as I was planning to run towards the ice cream parlor. I was shocked when someone pulled my hair back. “Okay, that’s rude!” I exclaimed and turned glaring at Jared.

I was frozen for a moment. I looked down and he was wearing black low-cut converse. I could see black socks beneath them as well. His pants were nearly black and so was his shirt. I guess they had someone who just passed away (?) “H-Hey, Jared. You’re here?”

I looked at his face and he was giving me now’s-not-the-time-to-speak-to-me-like-that look. I gulped hard. He looked at his red watch. “It’s 8:36. You’re wasting my time.”

I looked at his other hand that was apparently still gripping my wrist-ish. I simply freed myself and he shook his head. “Sorry, okay? I just slept really late last night.”

“Yeah. That’s for hanging out with someone the whole day.”

My eyes widened. “H-Ho—? W-Well, I did but—”

He rolled his eyes. Obviously, he doesn’t want me to explain myself.  I pouted with my brows creased. “Follow me.” He said and started walking.

“Hey! Wait for me!”

“Hey. Are we there yet?” I complained and bent down. “I-I’m really tired.” I exhausted. I don’t even think this is good for my health

He frowned at me. “We’ve been walking for only, what? 5 minutes?”

I furrowed my brows. “Correction.” I panted. “15 minutes.”

“Same thing.” He continued walking.

“We could’ve just rode a cab or a taxi, you know?”

“Too expensive when you know you can just walk.”

I raised a brow surprised. He was the type of guy who looked rich. “Wow. Then I could’ve just paid the fair for you if that’s the issue here.”

He stopped walking and turned to me. “Are you rich?”

“N-No—”

“Then you should know better how to save money than I do.”

I scoffed the moment he turned and continued walking. This time, I followed him quietly. My feet and muscles already hurt. I cluck my tongue silently and glared at him. I looked the time in my phone screen and it was already 9:02. Great.

“Clay!”

I looked up and saw him standing in front of a gate. A woman – wearing dangles and a fitted skirt one inch from her knee; with her long sleeved (obvious) leather coat – started hugging him and pinching his cheeks.

“Goodness me! You had me worried sick, young boy!”

I stood behind him and didn’t know what to act. Am I supposed to act something?

“Mom.”

Oh.

Now that he says that, I observed his mother’s features. They looked quite a like. Her mom’s eyes were small like his. Also, his thin cherry-colored lips were from her. I smiled.

“I thought you were gonna leave me like your father did!” Oh right. Jared’s father died. I remembered that first time he smiled at me like a cat. He looked so adorable.

I looked at Jared who was looking embarrassed of what his mom did.

“Mom. I’m not like dad, okay? I will never be like him.” His mom hugged him and shed a few tears. I smiled at the little scene they did. When they pulled away, Jared turned to me. “Mom, this is Ji Yoon. She’s a member of the club.”

I frowned. A friend, could’ve been better, Jared. Geez. You don’t like me that much?

His mother turned to me with a smile.

“Good morning, Mrs. Vesey.”

She smiled wider (and so did my eyes). I could nearly see the stars in her eyes. “Oh, dear.” She shove Jared aside and walked her way towards me. “It’s nice to meet you.”

I was surprised when she suddenly grabbed both my hands and she holds them together. “It’s so nice to meet you too, Mrs. Vesey.”

“Jared never invited a girl over,” she turned her head to him. “—before.”

He grabbed my wrist again and I looked at him. He looked back at me then to his mom. “We got stuffs. So please. Just,” he paused and shakes his head down. “—stop.”

“Okay, okay. I was just amused that finally, you finally—”

He glared at his mom. “It’s not really a good time to talk about that, mom. If you mind, please.”

“Fine.”

He pulled me all the way inside their house. It wasn’t a storey house – according to my view outside – but it was elegantly white and—

“Wow.” I gulped hard when I stepped inside welcomed me a window wall. I was so mesmerized. Wow. It was a two storey after all. Right in front of me was a staircase that goes down. That leads to the window-wall and across it was a pool and a great view of the city. He pulled me to the side and I was surprised when he opened the door and pushed me inside.

I froze and looked at my surrounding. The wall paint was cream in color. Had some shelves and a bed. Next to the bed was a cabinet. I could see a guitar, some albums with signatures in it, more papers and books— Ah. This must be his room then.

I looked at him standing in front of his door, which was by the way closed now. “You have a really cool hou—”

“Let’s just get working.” He said and walked pass me.

I followed him and as I took steps, my heart was racing like I was expecting more surprises from their house. I was approaching a table that had pictures in it as well as the walls and there, my heart dropped.

I stepped into this, inside-balcony of his and I could see all his producer equipment against the railings. He offered a seat for me as he took the one across his keyboard and big screen.

“You have a really cool h—”

“I get it okay? You don’t have to rub it in my face.”

I frowned and looked at the demo CDs he had in one box. I wandered around and below was a great sight of their living room and of course, the window wall I saw the moment I stepped inside. I could see the clear diamond of their chandelier and, Gosh, their house made me so breathless.

“Let me see what you’ve finished.”

“Oh!” I brought the CD I owned. “For your information, I slept late last night because I was trying to finish this,” I showed him the disk, “so that it wouldn’t be too trashy for you, Mr. Lee.”

Jared stared at the CD in my hand, a slight pang of guilty might have ran down him as he coldly grabbed them. I smiled and watched him insert it in his computer’s disk. After all the process, the song I made played. I wasn’t a professional so, I had my back-track with my guitar.

I was satisfied with my work. It’s the best one I made so far and thankfully, his methods were helping me. I’ll soon have my song for dad as I promised.

When my song stopped, there was a pin drop silence. He chair turned to face me and I studied his face. It looked like he was thinking of words to vomit.

“Honestly,” he paused and looked at me with his tiger eyes. Its cold sensation wandered all through my blood and veins so I froze and shut my mouth. “This is better than what you gave me last session.” He pressed his lips together and so did his hands. He looked down and his chair swung from left to right. “It had rhymes but,” he looked at me again. “Tt had more sense.”

After that, my eyes blinked in surprise. I was so shocked. That was a compliment right?

“No. This is not a compliment. I was just giving comments. And those were honest ones.”

My eyes widened. Oh my God. Is it possible that he said that in coincidenc—

“And it’s no coincidence.”

I crouched away from him in scare. Creepy. I gulped hard and licked my dried lips.

He lets out a silent chuckle.

My eyes softened. My lips were slowly curving in happiness that for ones, he finally smiled. For me. FOR ME. His thin smile stayed in his face as he kept his gaze fixated on mine.

I didn’t know why my chest suddenly pounded fast and loud. I can’t help but stare at the smile he was wearing right now. It was so much clearer than what I remember from seeing through my mascot’s eyes.

“Okay. Well, I do have a few pointers for you. The song you recorded was half un-sincere and half-heartedly.”

“Is it a—”

“Of course, it’s a bad thing.”

Okay. I continued to play with my finger nails and did not glance at the mentor. He was making me way nervous than I thought. Maybe because the space in here was too minimal for me to survive the tension I was feeling.

“In my preference, a song should be sang whole-heartedly. Because you made this song, you experienced the feelings of the song, it’s your story, that they will soon hear. Do you get what I mean?”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“Okay. Let’s evacuate.”

He stood so I followed. I was getting so excited at the fact that he was on his way down the stairs. I carefully went down behind his back and the cold metal railing of the staircase made me feel like I was Cinderella having this grand entrance.

When I reached the ground floor surface, their enormous living room welcomed me. They had this huge flat screen television and some neat couches. Some tables with pictures and I could see the kitchen from the other wall.

Jared opened a door and motioned me to walk faster. When I did, my eyes went wide as I stare at the studio in front of me. There was a table against the wooden wall with a lot – I mean, A LOT – of buttons in it.  I turned my head and saw a silver disk in a frame labelled, ‘Producer of the Year’ and the other was, ‘Last Song Syndrome’. “You must be very good.”

He did not reply.

I turned and saw him sitting down in front of his iMac. There were certificates on the other side too—

“Let’s fix your ranges.”

“WHY CAN’T YOU GET IT RIGHT?!”

“WELL SORRY! I told you I can’t go any higher. Let’s just do this again.”

“WE’VE BEEN THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN!” He exclaimed and covered my ears. I’ve been standing in front of this hanged microphone with many wires and my feet were aching in pain. “YOU WERE JUST YELLING IF YOU ASK. YOUR NOTE’S NOT RIGHT. CAN YOU EVEN TELL?!”

“I sing great in my head!”

“Well, you don’t!”

I did not reply and turned to the camera inside the room he told me to go. I stuck my tongue out. “I’ll do it again, okay?”

He sighed through the speaker. “Get out.”

“What? I told you I’d do it again until I get it right.”

“GET OUT!”

“Okay. Geez.” I removed the headphones from my ears and stepped out of the room. I turned and saw him still from where I last saw him. His forehead was carried by his palms, maybe because of frustration. I was about to tap his shoulders when he suddenly got up like a dead zombie.

“Let’s take break.” He said coldly and stood leaving me in the room alone.