The One Who Got Away

Chapter 40

Jiyong had been working nonstop for almost twenty four hours on a melody that had been plaguing him for days. If not for Soonho who had flown over a few days before his birthday to check on him upon the request of his mom, he would not have stopped for food or drink. He stretched his arms and neck, just now feeling the dull ache on his stiffened joints. He had finally written and recorded a raw audio file of the melody that had been haunting him. He would have to do some fine tuning later but for now the driving need to recreate the tune playing in his head had been satisfied.

The door creaked open and Soonho peeked at him. Seeing that Jiyong was no longer engrossed in his work, the manager stepped inside Jiyong's inner sanctum. "Happy Birthday, Ji." The man smiled at his ward. "You said you didn't want to read any of your messages that's why you handed over your phone when you left but I think you'd want to read this. It's the first and only message from her since you went MIA from the world."

Jiyong looked up at Soonho then down at the gadget on Soonho's outstretched hand. "You...you mean her... her?" Even though he was a songwriter, he'd still get tongue tied when it comes to Dara. Soonho smiled in amusement at the awkward wording of his question. "Who else would I bend your rules for?"

Jiyong reached for the phone he hadn't touched for months. The conversation thread was already opened on the screen. "Jiyong, Happy Birthday. I wish someday you find the light at the end of the tunnel. Don't worry for me I am happy and am continuously learning to be happy. Hengsho."

For the longest time he stared at her message. He wanted to tell her everything at the same time he also didn't. Because he felt ashamed of his slow progress compared to how far Dara had gone since he left. He had given up his phone but he still had access to the internet and he had established the habit of silently stalking Dara on the net. She was fast becoming a regular face on tv, appearing in various tv shows. It all started when she was a guest on Talking Street where she got the attention of the crowd. The offers followed afterwards and not to mention the fanboys. It seemed that Dara was after all better off without him.

And for all the time that he was away he had nothing to show her that he was making progress. "Are you done with your composing?" Soonho's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I'm done with the raw music. It still needs work but the melody's more or less complete..." his voice trailed off as he realized something. He just now had something to show to Dara.

He straightened up then tinkered on his computer and sent an audio file to his phone. A few taps on his phone later and he had sent a multimedia message.

"Was that an audio file of your new song?" Soonho asked. "Mind if I listen to it?"

He looked at Soonho. "Yes I do mind. I'll show it to you when it's done."

"But you just sent it to someone." Soonho mildly protested.

"She's different."

Soonho shut his mouth after that. He was just confirming his suspicions that Jiyong was sending the file to Dara and not to YG. The song was written on a very personal note and not on a professional level.

Jiyong then stood up with a smile on his face. "Give me a few minutes to shower then let's eat out. We've got a birthday to celebrate! I'm in the mood for ramen."

Soonho shook his head in amusement as he followed Jiyong out of the room. "Who eats ramen for their birthday?" He mused. "Someone who misses someone who loves ramen, most probably." Jiyong answered without looking back at him.

A few miles away, Dara was listening with her earphones to a wordless melody that seemed to tell her nothing and everything all at the same time. It felt equal parts sad and hopeful and it touched her deeply. She couldn't help herself so she sent him a message, "It's beautiful, Ji. I could listen to this for days on end. I'm happy to know that your composing again. What is its title?"

A few seconds later she received a message, "It's beautiful because I was thinking of you when I made it. I don't know what to call it yet. You're the only other person who has listened to it. It's for you. It's still rough and needs more work. Don't know what to call it. I don't know how to caption what I feel for you. No words seem to be enough or adequate. It's still untitled. I'm only holding on to this phone for the day. After this I'm turning it over back to Soonho. I won't be texting you for some time after this. My greatest birthday gift would be to see you happy, Dee, and hearing from you has truly made me a HBD man today. Thank you for all the love you have for me. Hope you enjoy your new chapter. Hengsho."