Seungcheol offers to pick Jihoon and Soonyoung up the next evening, for an early dinner before they head to the café for the open mic night. With nothing better to do during the day, Jihoon finds himself in Soonyoung’s company; something that he hasn’t done in a while.

Soonyoung’s making some ramen for breakfast for the two of them when Jihoon finally emerges into the kitchen after spending two hours in bed re-reading his old text conversations with Seungcheol after the surfer had laid out plans for that evening. Apparently, Seungcheol’s having his weekly swimming/surfing class for children that day, and he did ask Jihoon to tag along, but the blond had declined. (Seungcheol might try to stick him into a white unicorn floatie, aided by the kids. Besides, he can’t stand children - those hyperactive little monsters terrorize him.)

“Morning, Hoonie! Just in time for breakfast!” Soonyoung sing-songs, ladling some ramen into a patterned bowl. Jihoon nods back, taking a seat at the sleek kitchen island, where Soonyoung has set the table.

Jihoon wants some coffee, but he reaches for some orange juice instead, his fingers twitching slightly. There are little things resembling frog eggs floating around in the juice, and Jihoon warily inspects them.

“What are these?”

“Basil seeds! Healthy stuff. Don’t worry, frogs won’t grow inside your tummy.” Soonyoung serves a steaming bowl of ramen for Jihoon. “I learned this noodle recipe from a chef in Akita. The broth is supposed to be really rich, with the tender meat and all the herbs.”

“It’s packet ramen, Soonie.” Jihoon spies the bright ramen packaging on the kitchen counter.

Soonyoung takes a seat next to his best friend with his own bowl of ramen. “Say what you want, but I’ll let the noodles do the talking.” He practically inhales a steaming mouthful.

“Thank you for the meal.” Jihoon mutters out of habit, picking up his chopsticks.

Of course, Soonyoung had to exaggerate about the food – though Jihoon did find a few chunky pieces of deliciously delectable meat in his noodles – but it’s still normal packet ramen like he’d suspected earlier. But food is food, and Jihoon never says no to it, and he enjoys his breakfast anyway.

Jihoon tells Soonyoung about Seungcheol’s plans, and the vlogger nods, noting that they have the rest of the day free to do whatever they want.

“Should we go to Disneyland?” Soonyoung grins.

“No.”

“I’ll ask Cheol-hyung about it.” Soonyoung’s already picturing Jihoon wearing Mickey Mouse ears, and he knows that Seungcheol would like that too.  

“Why do you need to ask him?”

“Why not?”

Jihoon huffs, shaking his head.

“He seems like he’d like Disneyland.” Soonyoung adds, placing his empty bowl into the sink.

They end up having a Disney movie marathon in the living room, since Soonyoung can never be bothered to complete his vlog (according to him, he can’t do it with without Wonwoo). Soonyoung sings along to all the songs, not forgetting his theatrics – he belted out the high note in Let It Go, with a grand gesture, rivalling Elsa on the screen – and Jihoon simply rolls his eyes at his best friend as he stuffs himself with snacks, focusing on the movies.

Jihoon keeps track of time, as Soonyoung plays movie after movie after movie – and talks him out of watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs when he realises that it’s getting late. Seungcheol would be there any minute to pick them up, and the living room is a mess of candy wrappers, empty soda bottles and takeout boxes from their lunch. He makes Soonyoung help him clean everything, humming the melody to the Circle of Life, then quickly runs upstairs to change into a better outfit, because it’s a night out in Los Angeles – he can’t be seen around in shorts and slippers like he’s going to the beach!

As he pulls on a comfortable sweater paired with black jeans, he hopes that the medley of Disney songs playing on loop in his head would just go away by the time Seungcheol comes around.

Seungcheol’s early, as usual; and Jihoon’s relieved by the time he arrives because Soonyoung is turning him into a nervous mess. Soonyoung bounces into the passenger seat next to Seungcheol with his huge backpack, calling shotgun. Jihoon locks up the house, making sure that the light on the porch is switched on – he doesn’t know what time they’ll be back from LA even though it’s still bright outside.

“Hello, Jihoonie!” Seungcheol greets him cheerfully when he enters the car. The blond slides into the backseat with a tiny pout, flicking the back of Soonyoung’s head.  

“I called shotgun, Hoonie. Too slow.” Soonyoung is smug as he tugs his seatbelt on.

“Shotgun gets to pick the songs. It’s an hour drive.” Seungcheol smiles apologetically to Jihoon, quickly peeking at the blond’s reflection in his rearview mirror, but he doesn’t notice Jihoon’s frantic gestures trying to tell him to stop Soonyoung from picking out a playlist. Who knows what he’s going to play?

For the rest of the journey, Soonyoung and Seungcheol sing along to Disney soundtracks, and Jihoon wants to throw himself out of the car, but stops himself when he properly hears Seungcheol’s deep tone harmonizing along to Phil Collins’ You’ll Be in My Heart. Soonyoung’s hyping him up, fanboying as hard as he can, giving the elder the spotlight.

Seungcheol’s voice is level as he hits the modulation and goes a key higher with the song, seeping into Jihoon’s soul. He doesn’t have to go overboard with his vocalisation the way Soonyoung does sometimes (always being extra), simply singing along to the words like it’s no big deal.

He’s a surfer, and incredibly good looking with a decent voice – Seungcheol is too perfect to be real. Jihoon listens to him intently, appreciating his melodious tenor, the way it tastefully sends shivers down his spine.   

When the song ends, Soonyoung claps like a seal, grinning widely. “Hyung! That was amazing!”

“Thank you, Soonyoung.” Seungcheol grins, eyeballing the road signs.

“Hoonie gets the next song! Hyung, did you know that he can sing?” The vlogger swivels around to look at Jihoon in the back seat, grabbing Seungcheol’s arm. Seungcheol simply smiles, keeping his attention on the road as a flashy sports car zooms past them in the right lane.

“Soonie, let him drive in peace.”

“Sing. Sing. Sing. Sing.” Soonyoung starts to chant, dropping his grasp from Seungcheol’s arm.

Jihoon clears his throat, pretending to cough a little. “Not today. My throat doesn’t feel so good.”

Soonyoung instantly digs into his backpack and produces a water bottle out of nowhere, handing it to Jihoon. The blond takes a painfully slow swig of the water as the soundtrack from Hercules starts blaring from the speakers, then gives the bottle back to Soonyoung, who’s humming along to the song.

“Did you invite Wonwoo along?” Jihoon asks, glancing at Soonyoung.

The vlogger looks uncomfortable, and starts squirming in his seat. Jihoon reaches over to the stereo and lowers down the volume.

“Soonie?”

Soonyoung fiddles with his thumbs, looking straight to the road ahead. Even Seungcheol notices the change in Soonyoung’s expression, and looks briefly at him to assess the situation.

Jihoon softens his tone. “He’s not coming, is he?”

Soonyoung closes his eyes tightly and shakes his head.

“It’s okay, Soonyoung.” Seungcheol reaches over and pats his arm, keeping one hand on the steering wheel.

Jihoon’s slightly taken aback at Soonyoung’s sadness. He rarely sees his best friend like this – Soonyoung’s practically a walking ball of positive energy – so when he feels down, Jihoon never knows what to do.

“He didn’t text back. I guess he’s busy.” Soonyoung mutters.

Right then, the vibrant xylophone riff of Under the Sea bursts throughout the car, and as if on cue, Soonyoung channels the quirky persona of Sebastian the crab with his funny voice impersonation; like nothing had happened.

“Welcome back to Los Angeles, everyone.” Seungcheol announces as they drive past the city boundaries. The twinkling lights of Tinseltown are just up ahead, greeting newcomers like a beacon with its illuminated skyline reflecting off the setting sun. Jihoon flutters when he sees them, giving him a sense of adventure – it’s been a while since he tasted LA nightlife.

They head for dinner first, with Soonyoung insisting that they have Japanese food. Dinner’s a quick affair, yet Soonyoung still finds time to introduce each dish to the camera. Seungcheol plays along, while Jihoon watches them in amusement. It’s odd to see the uncanny resemblance between them – they’re quite different on the surface, but past that, Soonyoung and Seungcheol are almost similar especially in their shamelessly lame brand of humour.

It’s dark when they finish dinner – Jihoon had the most servings – and the open mic night will start soon, so they quickly bundle into Seungcheol’s jeep and head over to the café. Soonyoung films a quick review of their meal earlier in the car despite the low lighting, singing praises of their fresh sushi, but complaining about their wasabi being too hot.

“You’d think that the wasabi would’ve burned his tongue off, but no.” Jihoon adds in his own sarcastic bite, and Seungcheol laughs heartily.

“You know that I can’t stand spicy food.” Soonyoung says. “I sweat a lot when I eat them.”

“Mhm. Yeah. Sure.” Jihoon crosses his arms and leans back into the seat, not wanting to partake in Soonyoung’s monolgue anymore. The vlogger goes off onto a tangent about how real Japanese wasabi is milder, having tasted the real thing. Jihoon can’t attest to that fact, so he looks outside and counts the number of palm trees that they drive by.

They arrive at the café soon enough, but Seungcheol has to circle around the block a couple of times to find a parking spot. Bright lights are everywhere, and a hint of a thumping bass from the club at the end of the road floats throughout the neighbourhood. People are dressed up in heels and ripped jeans and leather jackets - this is LA nightlife; the glitz and the glam of the Angelinos, even in an ordinary part of town. Jihoon feels underdressed in his sweater, and tugs on his sleeves to hide his hands.

Seungcheol finally finds a parking space, then the three of them walk toward the café holding the open mic night at the quieter end of the road. Soonyoung comfortably wedges himself in between Seungcheol and Jihoon, chattering away about LA nightlife, his ubiquitous camera already in his hand – of course, he’s going to catch every moment on film.

Café Arredondo holds a weekly open mic night, and the turnout is acceptable, with patrons who want an evening of good coffee and good music. It’s a cozy little space that Jihoon barely remembers, on that night in Los Angeles about more than a week ago when he’d picked a fight with Soonyoung about music. The rich smell of brewed coffee envelope him, and Seungcheol comfortably places his hand on the small of Jihoon’s back, leading him to a table in a corner, not far away from the little stage at the back of the room. Right behind them, Soonyoung follows, and takes a seat across from Jihoon, who’s sitting right by Seungcheol.

“Nice place.” Soonyoung grins, placing his camera carefully on the table so that it captures the three of them in the frame. He glances around the café in appreciation, taking in its ambience.

“Hello, Seungcheol.” A teenager slinks up to their table. His prominent nose and bright eyes accentuate his youth, and an easy smile lights up his face as he greets the surfer.

“Samuel!” Seungcheol high-fives the teen. “Working this evening?”

“Grandma promised me the cool sneakers I’ve always wanted, so I’m here.” Samuel shrugs, pulling a notepad out of the pocket of his dark apron, handing the trio some menus. Soonyoung immediately flicks through them, salivating at the pastries that the café has to offer.

“This is Samuel. His grandmother owns the place. Sammy, meet Soonyoung and Jihoon.” Seungcheol introduces everyone. Jihoon nods at the skinny teen, as Soonyoung chirps a bubbly hello, complimenting the earring Samuel has on.

“The usual, Seungcheol?” Samuel asks the surfer for confirmation, and Seungcheol nods. He’d been frequenting this café since his college days, and back then, little Samuel was only in junior high, dancing around the tables and stealing pastries from the pastry case near the counter. Most of the time, little Samuel would watch Seungcheol practice his lines or study for classes; and Grandma Arredondo was grateful for his companionship for her little grandson that she’d always give him free Americanos, which has always been Seungcheol’s favourite beverage.

Jihoon simply orders water, while Soonyoung takes a moment to create the sweetest concoction possible off the top of his head: hot chocolate with cream and caramel and rainbow sprinkles, added with a chocolate wafer and a cherry on top. Samuel manages to jot it all down, as Soonyoung immediately launches into ordering an assortment of pastries and cakes for dessert – Jihoon has to snatch the menu away from his best friend and hand it back to Samuel before he orders the whole menu.

“Good choice, Soonyoung. Be right back with your order.” Samuel grins at the vlogger, collecting the other menus.

“Join us later?” Seungcheol offers, patting an empty chair next to him.

Samuel shrugs. “Performance starts in five minutes. I’ll be back by then.”

“I practically watched the kid grow up.” Seungcheol remarks, as the teenager lopes off.

Soonyoung waves at the departing teen, grinning widely, with hearts in his eyes. “I love him already.”

“Nice kid.” Jihoon mutters, playing with the tablecloth. He’s slightly on edge to be here tonight – who knew that Seungcheol’s favourite café was the one that he stumbled upon; those feelings of anxiety emerging upon him, how he’d felt incredibly confused – meeting music like an old friend, complete with awkward greetings, unsure of the next step.

Call it serendipity if you may. Maybe it’s a sign – maybe he should return to do what he loves the most, and not that crappy accounting job that he loathes so much.

Life’s too short to be miserable.

But he’s scared – what if he’s not good enough anymore? What if the music; the creativity that once inhabited him had left: not a single creativity burst in the past few years – no lyrics, no melodies building up in his tired little mind. He’d never felt compelled to play anymore when work consumed his life.

Jihoon remembers that moment when Seungcheol had asked him to play the piano. Chopsticks. A jaunty, beginner tune already innate in his fingers – a melody that he can play without thinking. The way the song floated out of the piano as his fingers skip over the ivory keys – pres