The first time Jin met Ryo in Jimusho, he was surprised of how tiny Ryo was. Well, he knew Ryo was tiny from the TV, but he didn't expect Ryo to be that tiny. He almost refused to believe Ryo was at the same age as him. It just couldn’t be. But there was something inside Ryo that Jin cannot help but to adore. It was Ryo’s emitting aura that attracted him out of thousand of Johnny’s dancing on the stage. Jin knew there was something connecting between them. The soul.

“So what else can you do aside dancing?” Jin asked when he first caught Ryo, eyes wide in excitement, propping his elbows on the table. Of course he would be excited. He had always wanted to meet Ryo since before he joined Johhny's.

“I can do anything, of course!” Ryo exclaimed, didn’t really like how Jin looked down to him. “I’m the chibi version of Takki after all!”

“Can you play me a music, then?” Jin was oblivious of how offended Ryo felt.

“I can play you one even with my eyes closed,” Ryo scoffed.

“Really?” Jin jumped. “That was awesome! Show it to me!”

Ryo wasn’t sure why the boy kept on bothering him, but Ryo just won’t give in to anyone. He swiftly picked up a guitar beside him which he had no idea belonged to whom. And he closed his eyes, fingers deftly running along the fret board, plucking the chords.

That was the first time Jin met Ryo, and it was also the first time Jin heard Ryo’s tune. It had been twelve years since, Jin had occasionally asked Ryo to play for him. And apparently they became best friends. Jin loved listening to Ryo’s music. Ryo always sounded unique. He loved turning the chords, upside down, inside out. He played the counter melody. Giving the feeling of joy and happiness woven with sorrow. Jin always wondered how Ryo managed to do that. Something that Jin would never be able to do.

Jin had to admit he felt devastated with the fans responses when he left KAT-TUN. Though he would always deny that. He was never good in voicing his worries, no matter how arrogant people see him. He just couldn’t. Guitar and beers had always been good companions to him at times like this.

When he crushed at Ryo’s place, he didn’t think of anything other than having a great drinking time. He was almost slurry, and Ryo picked his favorite guitar and started to pluck the strings. The sound of Ryo’s tune lulled Jin with his counter melody, fills and runs broke up the chords. One note at a time, Jin was very familiar with Ryo’s tune. As if it blended well in his subconscious mind.

“I never liked making people worry about me too,” Ryo’s voice was low, but loud enough for Jin to hear.

Enduring the sorrow to become cheerful, Ryo’s tune erased his pain, and brought laughter in his heart.

“Would you compose a music for me, Ryo?” Jin swore the alcohol had done the talk for him. He never expressed his admiration so vocally towards Ryo before. Jin expected Ryo to come back with some snarky remarks or at least boasting about his talents. But Ryo just chuckled.

“I will, Jin. But only the music. You’ll be the one writing the lyric because I tend to be a bit personal when the words written,” Ryo smiled. A bittersweet smile, just like how his tune sounded.

The first time Jin heard Takki’s tune was in 2004, when Takki helped writing KAT-TUN’s music. Takki was simple and melodic. Basic straight chords expressed ly in the 6th, 7th and 9th keys, making up a tasty variation. It wasn’t the perfect play like other Johnny’s ever showed, but he was full with colors. He slid half-step, giving the smooth chord progression and substitution Jin had ever heard. Jin always felt this warm sensation upon listening to Takki’s tune. It sounded golden, like the summer sun rays.

Takki loved to tease Jin in so many ways. Sometimes Takki would playfully ignore him, or mockingly scolded him. Jin knew Takki wouldn’t give in easily to his request. Yet Jin still loved the natural beauty Takki emitted. Takki was probably the only person Jin wouldn’t mind admiring ever.

When Takki invited Jin to Takki Channel, Jin didn’t hope too much. But in the end of the show, he did try to request so Takki would play for him. Because it was one of his rare favorite tune. Takki refused at first, but he softened when Jin sighed, pouting a bit. And in a swift movement Takki picked a guitar to play just one song. Just one. And promptly warned that Jin couldn’t ask for more.

So Jin sat, closing his eyes to enjoy every bits of the tune. It was different compared to Takki’s tune Jin heard years ago. It slid off from one key to another so quickly. At that very moment, Jin only thought of one color that suits his senpai.

Blue. Serenity.

Ueda was probably one of the hardest KAT-TUN members Jin could get along with. Ueda always closed himself. He didn’t talk much back then, and the fact that he always masked his personality didn’t help. Jin was always being honest towards Ueda, because deep inside, Jin wanted Ueda to be honest to him too. But for the first few years, they weren’t getting anywhere, instead they ended up in numerous fights. But Jin always believed the time would come, when he would be able to read his teammate.

During their debut, there was this one time when everyone else was having some break, Jin stayed in the studio, lying on the couch, trying to have a nap. He was almost asleep, when he suddenly heard the sound of keyboard recital. He peeked under his eyelids, barely seeing Ueda’s figure in the live room. Jin didn’t want to wake up, because he knew Ueda would stop playing if he did.

That day Jin thought Ueda had a mysterious tune. Jin almost couldn’t decipher him. It was rather difficult. But there was this rush of feelings inside Jin that Jin was never able to tell. It was like a comfortable lullaby. Later that day, before going home, Jin left a note on Ueda’s vanity. “Your tune is refreshing.”

Ueda was more open since then. Sometimes Ueda would comply when Jin asked him to play some lullaby. And though Jin was used to Ueda’s tune over the years, Jin still found it mysterious. When Jin thought he almost understand, Ueda completely changed the tune. Ueda never broke the chords like Ryo did, never slid the chords like Takki too. Jin thought it was probably because Ueda used the keyboard that made it feel different. Sooner when Jin was too used to it, he gave up. And he simply concluded; Ueda is weirdly mysterious.

Jin had never heard from Ueda after he left KAT-TUN. He never had the chance to. Whenever he needed some lullaby, he would just play the music sheet for ‘Hey Girl’, the music Ryo had created for him. He would ignore the lyric and just feel Ryo in the tune.

Once Jin returned to Jimusho, he hesitated but later decided to just walk in KAT-TUN studio and say hi to them. And somehow, Jin felt his heart jumped when he saw Ueda inside the live room. It had been long. It was pretty selfish, Jin knew, but he missed Ueda’s tune. So the first thing he asked from his friends was he wanted Ueda to play a song. And Ueda agreed.

It was probably not the first time Jin heard Ueda, but it was the first time Jin could finally decipher the chords. Ueda’s fingers danced smoothly, arpeggiating the chords with both hands, descending chordal runs that give the impression of a cascading rush of water – like a waterfall. Sometimes it shook and flowed in his blood – like a river.

Ueda sounded so clear.

“Would you mind playing some music with me and Ryo, Tat-chan?” Jin found himself asking. “And maybe Ryo can ask Takki to join us too.”

Jin didn’t put up too much hope for that actually. Instead, he was prepared to be rejected. Takki might wouldn't agree anyway. But Ueda looked up at him.

“Why not,” Ueda answered. “Tell me, Jin. How does Ryo and Takki sound like? And I’ll catch up with them, when the time comes.”

Jin swore these three really love to spoil him, in their own way. But Jin didn’t care. He probably will enjoy it anyway, because the three of them had always been the tunes of his life.


~The End~