Chapter 12: Terrible Life Choices

Yuna's POV

I woke up to the sound of the bedroom door slamming open.

"YUNA! WAKE UP! YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE AGAIN!"

I jolted so hard I nearly fell out of the bed. My brain was still loading, my heart was having a panic attack, and for a second, I thought the apocalypse had finally arrived.

Then I saw her.

Lily. Tiny. Chaotic. Wearing unicorn pajamas and a sparkly headband that I was 90% sure she stole from a toy store. She was standing in my doorway, arms crossed, looking deeply unimpressed.

"…Lily?" I croaked, still half-asleep.

"Yes, it is I," she said dramatically, flipping her nonexistent cape.

"Your responsible and mature younger cousin, here to save you from your own bad life choices."

I blinked. Looked around. My notebook was still open in front of me. My schedule was still right there, in my own handwriting, proving that I had tried to be a responsible human being.

"Wait," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

"I woke up early. I wrote a schedule. I was supposed to be on time today."

Lily stepped closer, looked at my desk, then at me, then at the notebook. Her tiny finger landed right on my beautifully written plan.

"Step one: Pretend to have my life together," she read out loud. Then she slowly turned to me.

"How's that working out for you?"

I groaned and dropped my head onto the desk.

"Not well."

"Yeah, I figured," Lily said cheerfully.

"Anyway, get up. We have exactly—" she glanced at the pink unicorn watch on her wrist

"—seven minutes before you're officially late again."

Seven minutes.

Seven.

I shot out of my chair so fast I nearly tripped over my own feet. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP SOONER?!"

Lily shrugged. "I was watching cartoons. Also, it was funny."

I didn't have time to argue. I grabbed my bag, sprinted to the bathroom, and attempted to look like I hadn't just lost a battle against my own sleep schedule.

As I rushed out the door, Lily called after me, "DON'T FORGET YOUR SCHEDULE! IT'S VERY USEFUL!"

I flipped her off. She just giggled.

And with that, I sprinted out the door—late, exhausted, and once again, failing at life.

So much for having my act together.

By some miracle—or possibly divine intervention—I made it to school in one piece.

Out of breath? Yes. Sweaty? Absolutely. Dignity? Completely gone.

I collapsed into my seat just as the bell rang, earning a side-eye from Erika, who was already neatly set up with her notebook, pens, and color-coded highlighters like the overachiever she was.

"You barely made it," she muttered, passing me a tissue.

"You look like you just got chased here."

"I did get chased here," I panted, dabbing my forehead.

"By the concept of responsibility."

She rolled her eyes. "That's not a real thing."

"It should be."

Before she could start lecturing me about time management (again), our teacher began the lesson. I sighed in relief and slumped in my seat, hoping my brain could start functioning at some point today.

Then my phone vibrated.

[3 New Messages from Ryo Ishikawa]Ryo: Yuna-chan! ✨ How's my masterpiece coming along?

Ryo: I trust you. I believe in you. You are my star. 🌟

Ryo: …Btw, tiny problem. My producer is lowkey breathing down my neck, so if you could like… finish it soon-ish… that would be great. Love ya! 🙏✨

Oh. Right. That.

I had completely forgotten about that commission.

My stomach dropped. Between school, songwriting, and Erika constantly dragging me back to reality, I barely had time to breathe. And now I had a deadline.

I scribbled in my notebook under my schedule:

- SURVIVE. (???)

If I made it through this week alive, I deserved a reward. Like an entire cake. Or a vacation. Or a single peaceful nap.

I glanced at Erika. "Hypothetically speaking… if I had a major project due soon but also forgot about it until just now, would you still consider me a functioning human being?"

She didn't even look up from her notes. "No."

Rude.

Before I could argue, my phone vibrated again.

Ryo: YUNA-CHAN?? 🥹 Don't ghost me, I'm fragile.

I groaned and dropped my head onto my desk.

I was running on luck, prayers, and sheer chaos at this point.

And honestly? That was nothing new.

Lunch was supposed to be my time to breathe. A sacred hour where I could pretend the rest of my responsibilities didn't exist. A moment to enjoy my questionable cafeteria food in peace.

But apparently, the universe had other plans.

Because the second I sat down with my tray, Leo came crashing into my life like a natural disaster.

"YUNA!"

I barely had time to react before a tray slammed down across from me, and Leo—the human embodiment of too much energy—flopped into the seat.

His dyed hair was a mess, his drumsticks were sticking out of his pocket, and he was practically vibrating with desperation.

I sighed. "What do you want?"

"I need you to come to our band's event," he said, leaning forward like he was about to tell me my future.

"It's super important."

I picked up a fry. "No."

"Please?"

"No."

I stared at him, unimpressed. "You don't need me. You need a warm body to make the crowd look bigger."

Leo gasped like I had personally offended his ancestors. "That is not true."

I raised an eyebrow.

"…Okay, it's partially true," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"But also, we just need more people to show up. The venue is kinda… big this time."

I picked up another fry and pointed it at him.

"You guys overestimated your popularity again, didn't you?"

Leo looked very guilty.

"I mean," he said, avoiding eye contact, "we thought, y'know, with all our hard work and passion—"

"—delusion—"

"—that we'd easily get a big crowd. But, um. Ticket sales are looking a little… sad right now."

I sighed, already regretting this conversation.

"So what do you want me to do? Go around begging random people to show up?"

Leo gasped again, but this time like I had given him the best idea in the world.

"That's brilliant!"

I immediately shook my head. "Nope. Nope. That was not a suggestion."

"Too late! It's in my brain now!" Leo grinned, leaning back in his chair.

"You can convince people! You're persuasive!"

I deadpanned. "I can barely convince myself to wake up on time. What makes you think I can convince strangers to come to your concert?"

Leo opened his mouth. Closed it. Thought for a moment.

"…Okay, fair point," he admitted. "But you're still coming, right?"

I groaned, dropping my head onto the table.

"What do I even get out of this?"

Leo perked up. "An unforgettable night of music and friendship?"

"Try again."

"…A free drink?"

I raised my head just enough to squint at him.

He threw his hands up. "Fine! I'll buy you two drinks."

I pretended to think about it. "Tempting. But still not worth my suffering."

Leo let out the most dramatic sigh I had ever heard. "Yuna, you are killing me here. Just say yes."

I tapped my fingers against the table, enjoying watching him suffer. "Hmm… I"

Before I could respond, Erika slid into the seat next to me, completely unfazed.

"Leo, why are you harassing Yuna this time?" she asked, unwrapping her sandwich.

Leo turned to her with the same desperation.

"Erika, help me convince your dear best friend to come to our band's event."

Erika snorted. "You mean that disaster waiting to happen?"

Leo gasped. "Wow. No faith. Where is the support? Where is the love?"

She took a sip of her drink. "I love watching you suffer. That counts, right?"

Leo groaned, dragging a hand down his face before turning back to me. "Yuna. Please. I am begging you. If we don't get enough people to show up, they might never let us use the minigym again."

I raised an eyebrow. "Maybe that's a sign."

Leo looked personally attacked. "It is not a sign! It's just... an unfortunate reality we are working to overcome."

Erika hummed. "I mean, it's kinda weird they even let you use the minigym in the first place. Who approved that?"

Leo groaned louder. "Okay, first of all, rude. Second of all, this is a huge opportunity for us."

"For what?" I asked. "Public humiliation?"

Leo ignored me. "Ethan said this could be our breakout moment!"

"Oh, well, if Ethan said it," I said dryly.

Erika scoffed. "Ethan thinks he's a rockstar just because he wears sunglasses indoors."

Leo huffed. "Listen, we just need to fill more seats."

I drummed my fingers against the table.

"Right. Because people are lining up to hear Lena scream high notes while Noah plays the wrong chords."

Leo flinched.

"Oh my God." I leaned forward.

"Noah still hasn't figured out how to play the keyboard, has he?"

Leo let out a long, exhausted sigh. "No. No, he has not."

I turned to Erika. "Why is he in the band?"

She shrugged. "He owns the keyboard."

Leo groaned. "Look, we need people. That's literally it. You don't even have to like music! We just need enough bodies in the audience so it looks like we have a following."

I frowned. "Wait. If that's all you need, why are you so desperate to get me to go?"

Leo suddenly looked nervous. "Uh—"

Erika raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, actually. You barely know Yuna."

Leo started sweating. "W-Well… we kind of know her?"

"No, you don't," I corrected.

"I was just passing by your practice once because I got lost, and Ethan tried to recruit me on the spot."

Leo groaned, rubbing his face. "Yeah. She walked into our practice room looking completely lost. Ethan thought she was 'sent by fate' and tried handing her a guitar."

I scowled. "I panicked and said I wasn't into music. Then I ran."

Erika burst out laughing. "Oh my God. That's amazing."

Leo looked betrayed. "We thought we almost had a new member."

I crossed my arms. "Well, you didn't."

Leo sighed. "I know. I just—" He perked up suddenly.

"Wait. Does this mean you do know music?"

I froze.

Crap.

For a moment, I could almost hear the sound of my carefully hidden double life crumbling. But I quickly schooled my expression into one of pure boredom.

"No," I said.

"I was just insulted that Ethan assumed I wanted to join."

Leo squinted. "…Are you lying?"

I shoved a fry in his mouth. "Anyway. Not important."

He mumbled something around the fry, looking suspicious. But before he could press further, Erika changed the subject.

"Honestly, Yuna, maybe you should go," she said, smirking. "It might be funny."

Leo pointed at her. "Thank you."

I groaned. "I am not joining your band."

Leo slumped in his chair, looking absolutely defeated. "Fine. But will you at least come?"

I sighed. "If I say yes, will you shut up?"

His eyes lit up. "Yes."

I grabbed another fry. "Then fine."

Leo threw his hands in the air. "YES! THANK YOU! YOU WON'T REGRET THIS!"

I immediately regretted it.

To be continued.