Musical Notes And Secrets

Today, Chirawan and Jay had a lunch date at a restaurant. Chirawan arrived first and used the waiting time to continue working on her designs. A while later, Jay rushed in, slightly out of breath.

- "Chi, I'm so sorry for being late. The traffic was terrible!" Jay panted as he spoke. Seeing his flustered appearance, Chirawan chuckled.

-"It's fine, I just got here too. But you've been out having fun these past few days and didn't even contact me…" Her voice carried a playful hint of complaint.

-"I'm sorry, but I got you a gift, Chi!" Jay grinned and handed her a small present.

- "Oh… Thank you! Who's got such a sweet and thoughtful little brother like this~" Chirawan beamed, eyes twinkling with delight.

-"Who else but your little brother, Chi?" Jay teased back before his gaze landed on the unfinished sketches on the table. Curious, he asked, "Are these your designs? They look amazing. Can I take a look?"

-"Sure, go ahead." Chirawan replied casually, still focused on finishing the last strokes of her sketch.

Jay flipped through the pages, admiring the designs.

- "These are incredible! But they all have an ocean theme, don't they?"

- "Good eye. Ying and Faisal are working on a project related to the sea, so they asked me to design some outfits for the models at the opening event. It's been exhausting…" Chirawan sighed.

- "This is the project in Phuket, right? I met Ying there." Jay asked nonchalantly, still looking at the sketches.

- "Not sure, but it's possible. Faisal mentioned that Ying was scouting the project, so if he was in Phuket, that makes sense."

Hearing this, Jay nodded thoughtfully. After a brief pause, he hesitated before speaking, his voice cautious.

-"Chi, can I ask you something…?"

- "What is it?" Noticing his sudden seriousness, Chirawan put down her pencil and looked at him.

-"About Ying… and Kanya. Did they break up?"

Chirawan was visibly surprised by Jay's question, her expression momentarily puzzled. But then, she calmly replied:

- "Break up? They were never even dating."

Jay's eyes widened in shock. He had always assumed that Ying and Kanya had some kind of romantic relationship.

- "Really? I thought they had dated before."

- "If you're basing that on your memories from when you were ten, I can see why you'd think that. But at the time, Ying was still growing up—he simply had a special admiration for someone he found beautiful." Chirawan explained matter-of-factly.

- "So they were never actually together?" Jay wanted to confirm.

Instead of outright denying it, Chirawan took her time to explain clearly.

- "If anything, it was just a fleeting crush. The reason Kanya listens to Ying isn't because of romance. A few years ago, her family was on the verge of bankruptcy. They only survived because Ying helped them."

A bitter smile played on Chirawan's lips as she spoke. Jay, on the other hand, was stunned.

-"Seriously?" He felt like he had been living under a rock. Having been away from home for ten years, he had never really cared about what had happened during that time. Part of him didn't want to know, and part of him never thought he'd stay long enough for it to matter. But now that he was asking, the truth was far from what he had expected.

-"Yeah. I was really mad at Ying for helping her family. I couldn't understand why he did it. She's never done anything good in her life! Just thinking about it pisses me off…" Chirawan huffed.

- "Maybe Ying liked Kanya back then, so he helped her." Jay speculated calmly. But Chirawan immediately dismissed the idea.

- "No way! I even asked him directly. He just said, 'For the sake of our childhood together.' Ugh." She made a disgusted face.

- "I see… So Kanya's family is just barely holding on now, not as powerful as they used to be?" Jay nodded, as if piecing things together. However, his expression remained unchanged.

-"Exactly. Serves them right! Consider it karma for bullying my little Jay." Chirawan's voice was sharp, but when she spoke about Jay, there was undeniable warmth.

- "You knew about that?" Jay was slightly taken aback.

-"Not everything, but I had my suspicions. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."

Hearing that, Jay's mind involuntarily drifted to unpleasant memories from the past. For a fleeting moment, a shadow of sorrow passed through his eyes.

Chirawan noticed immediately. Her heart clenched with guilt, silently scolding herself for bringing it up.

- "Jay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."

- "It's okay. It's all in the past now." Jay forced a smile.

- "Hmm… But why are you asking about these things today?" Chirawan tilted her head, looking at Jay with curiosity. Ever since he returned to Thailand, he had always avoided any conversation about Ying. But today, he was actively bringing it up—something was definitely different.

- "Because I always thought Ying and Kanya were dating. They used to be so close." Jay answered casually.

- "Kanya never stood a chance with Ying. Like I said, their closeness back then might have been just a fleeting crush, but it never turned into love." Chirawan reaffirmed. Jay nodded in understanding.

-"I see…"

- "Let me tell you something, Jay. Someone once told me:

"When we're young, we love with our eyes. When we grow older, we love with our hearts. And when we age, we love with our minds.'"

Jay fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. Seeing this, Chirawan continued:

- "It means that when we're young, we're often drawn to what is visually appealing—beauty, talent, or simply anything that impresses us. As we mature, we start to distinguish our emotions and realize that what truly makes us happy is what's worth loving. And as for loving with the mind…" She shrugged playfully, "I'm not old yet, so I wouldn't know."

Her joke made Jay chuckle.

- "I didn't expect you to be this philosophical, Chi. I'll remember that line."

-"You'll remember it, but do you actually understand it?" Chirawan eyed him with skepticism.

Jay smiled, took a moment to think, then replied softly:

- "I understand that… once the heart has been moved, all standards become meaningless. This saying marks the point when we're no longer kids—when we stop setting superficial standards and start using our hearts to feel love instead."

Chirawan was stunned for a few seconds, her eyes lighting up with surprise at his depth.

- "Then what about when we're no longer young? Is there a saying for that stage?" she asked curiously.

Jay's voice turned more contemplative as he responded:

-"When we're young, we love with emotions. When we grow, we love with understanding."

He paused for a moment before continuing:

- "This clearly shows the difference between love in youth and love in true maturity. When we're young, emotions are the driving force. But as we grow older, we realize that in a relationship, emotions alone aren't enough. Understanding and empathy are what truly keep two people together."

Chirawan gazed at Jay, admiration shining in her eyes. She clapped her hands enthusiastically before praising him:

- "That was amazing! You really do have the soul of a songwriter. So profound! I can barely keep up with you now. No wonder Faisal idolizes you so much."

She gave him a thumbs-up in approval.

Jay scratched his head, smiling shyly.

-"Oh, come on… You're exaggerating. I just read a lot of novels and listen to too many love songs."

Chirawan chuckled, her expression softening.

-"But no matter what, I still think loving with the heart is the most beautiful thing… Just like you said—once the heart has been moved, all standards become meaningless."

Jay nodded in agreement, then stretched his arms.

- "Exactly. Anyway… I'm starving. Let's eat!"

- "Yeah!"

The two cheerfully ordered their food and continued their conversation over lunch.

After this talk, Jay realized that Chirawan was much more insightful and perceptive than he had thought. Perhaps that was why he always felt comfortable around her—and why he could look into her eyes and compose love songs straight from the heart.

—————————————————

That night, Jay's music studio wasn't just occupied by him alone—Faisal was there too. Passionate about becoming a songwriter, Faisal had come all the way to ask Jay for help in refining his new song.

Stepping into the room filled with musical instruments, Faisal couldn't help but be amazed. Guitars, keyboards, studio monitors, recording equipment—everything was arranged professionally. Meanwhile, Jay sat seriously in front of his laptop, focused on adjusting the melody, while Faisal wandered around, his eyes gleaming with excitement. After all, music lovers always click when they meet.

- "I think it's perfect now," Jay turned his laptop toward Faisal, letting him listen to the revised track.

Faisal listened attentively, then nodded in approval.

- "Thanks, Jay. You really have experience! I kept racking my brain, feeling like something was missing, but I just couldn't figure out what it was."

Jay chuckled, resting his hand on the desk with a slightly smug expression.

- "This is a love song, and love songs need to make people feel happy. What you were missing… was emotion."

Jay paused for a moment before raising an eyebrow teasingly.

-"You don't have a lover yet, do you?"

Faisal, still staring at the melody on the screen, replied casually:

- "Of course not. I'd love to have one, but I haven't found the right person yet."

Jay crossed his arms, tilting his head as he scrutinized Faisal.

-"I bet your ideal type is pretty high, huh?"

Faisal shrugged nonchalantly.

- "Nope. As long as they're still breathing and have all four limbs. Gender doesn't matter."

-"…"

Jay froze for a few seconds, completely caught off guard by Faisal's unexpectedly open-minded answer.

-"That's… quite something," Jay mumbled.

- "What's so strange about that? Speaking of which… Jay, do you already have someone you like?" Faisal quickly turned the tables on him.

Jay's eyes widened as he shook his head frantically.

- "No… not at all!"

With that reaction, anyone could tell he was lying. Seizing the opportunity, Faisal squinted playfully.

- "Really? You just said a love song needs real emotions. If you don't have any, then how did you manage to perfect this one for me?"

Jay quickly regained his composure, crossing his arms and grinning confidently.

- "I just have experience in songwriting, that's all. Did you forget who I am? I'm Felix—your idol, Faisal."

Faisal laughed and raised his hands in surrender.

- "Okay, okay. Jay is the best."

Seeing Jay breathe a sigh of relief, Faisal smirked and pressed on.

-"But… I'm sure someone already has feelings for you, right?"

Jay: "…"

He averted his gaze, his eyes darting around the room as he tried to avoid the question.

- "I… I'm sleepy. Time for bed. If you're done, you should head home, Faisal."

Seeing Jay's flustered expression, Faisal couldn't help but chuckle. Did this guy really think he was good at hiding things? But honestly, watching Jay get all embarrassed like this was kind of adorable.

- "Oh, so you're kicking me out just because I hit the mark? Who is it?" Faisal teased, leaning in.

- "I swear, I'm really sleepy." Jay let out an exaggerated yawn.

Seeing that, Faisal decided to let him off the hook—for now.

- "Alright, I'll head out. But if I ever get new songwriting ideas, you have to help me!"

- "Of course. Oh, and by the way, if you're not in a hurry with this song, take your time. When you feel strong emotions, you might come up with even better ideas."

- "Yeah, I get it. Alright, I'm off…"

- "Need me to walk you out?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

- "No need. You're 'sleepy,' remember? Go sleep. Otherwise, I might force you to confess who it is." Faisal grinned mischievously.

Jay widened his eyes and immediately waved Faisal toward the door.

- "Oh, look at the time! Goodnight, Faisal!"

Faisal burst out laughing, waved goodbye, and walked away.

Jay watched Faisal's retreating figure, finally letting out a breath of relief… but the corner of his lips curled into a helpless smile.

At Ying's Room

Ying stood on the balcony, resting his hands on the railing, his gaze seemingly lost in the distant night sky. But in reality, his eyes had been fixed on the room across from his—Jay's room.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from Jay's front gate. Ying squinted to get a better look, then abruptly froze.

- "Faisal?"

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but he quickly recalled why Faisal was there. Right. Nothing surprising about it.

Down below, Faisal walked toward his car, mumbling to himself with a sly smile on his lips.

- "That kid Felix sure knows how to keep secrets."

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a gaze on him. Instinctively, he looked up—only to meet Ying's eyes from the balcony above.

With a bright grin, Faisal waved cheerfully, as if he were a pageant queen greeting her fans.

- "Ying~"

Ying stared at Faisal as if he were some strange creature. Then, without a word, he simply raised an eyebrow, let out a cold scoff, and—

"BAM!"

He turned on his heel and slammed the door shut.

Faisal: "…"

The night breeze blew past, carrying with it a faint sense of… disrespect.

Standing there, Faisal frowned at the now-empty balcony, his expression filled with wounded pride.

- "Wow. Is this what friendship means to you?"

But whatever. Today, he had completed a great song, and for an artist like Faisal, that was enough to make him happy.

With a relaxed heart, he stepped into his car and drove off, silently vowing that next time, he would definitely get back at that heartless bastard.

END OF CHAPTER 14