Right around the time Hyunseung and Sarah were confirming their feelings for each other.
Elsewhere….
“Michelle, please, at least give me a reason.”
An earnest plea echoed through the air. Jayble pushed himself up from the knee he had been kneeling on.
The ring that had been in his hand was placed back into its velvet case on the table, having lost its rightful owner.
How on earth did things come to this?
To understand, one would have to rewind time by about an hour.
After arriving in the States with Hyunseung, Jayble had headed straight to a high-end luxury jewelry boutique to buy a ring.
And not just any ring—the most extravagant, expensive piece in the entire store.
It wasn’t that he was deliberately trying to buy the priciest one.
No.
It was simply because that specific ring looked like it would suit Michelle’s hand best.
A platinum band that glowed with a pure, clear luster, meticulously paved with tiny, delicately cut diamonds.
Surely.
If that ring were placed on Michelle’s fair, graceful finger, the ring itself would be grateful for having found such a wonderful owner.
Yes.
Harboring such absurd, sappy thoughts, he had headed to the restaurant where they were meant to meet.
Because it was a private dining spot with impeccable ambiance, he believed it was the most flawless place imaginable for a proposal.
He had even coordinated with the waiter in advance.
If he snapped his fingers twice, they would change the background music to a song befitting a proposal.
Though a bit spontaneous, he thought it was a foolproof plan.
Even without bouquets of roses or balloons, the fact that Michelle had caught the bridal bouquet at the last wedding meant she couldn’t be completely against the idea. He was certain she wouldn’t refuse.
And yet.
The words that came out of Michelle’s mouth were a flat rejection.
“I’m sorry.”
To tell a man who was unmistakably proposing that she was sorry.
This was….
Unquestionably a rejection.
—♫ ♫ ♫
Why on earth did the song have to sound so sweet and mellow in a moment like this?
Ah.
Come to think of it, this was a Sarah Stewart track.
—Just wanna be by your side
Out of all the songs in the world, why did the waiter have to play this one?
Speaking of which….
Did that punk manage to confess clearly to Sarah Stewart?
No, wait.
Who was worrying about whom right now?
“I don’t think I can right now.”
When his own once-in-a-lifetime proposal had just been shot down.
“What do you mean, you can’t right now?”
“For now, it’s just not possible.”
“Then at least give me a reason.”
Jayble’s face grew increasingly desperate. Seeing that, Michelle bit her lower lip with a troubled expression.
It wasn’t like her.
The first reason Jayble had fallen for Michelle was her face.
Because she was beautiful.
And what made him fall even deeper was her decisive, sharp nature. No matter what choices were laid out before her, she never gave ambiguous answers.
Even if she hesitated for a brief moment…
She always picked the best possible option and found a crystal-clear solution.
He loved that about her.
So much so that he thought he could spend the rest of his life with someone like her.
Yet.
Faced with a proposal, she offered an evasive answer for the very first time.
“Let’s… talk about this again later.”
For a moment, he persistently followed Michelle’s gaze as she avoided his eyes, looking at a loss for what to do.
“Do you perhaps… find me unreliable?”
He asked carefully.
“It is nothing like that.”
Michelle returned to her usual self and firmly dismissed the notion.
“I am simply saying the timing is not right. I feel my conscience wouldn’t allow me to prepare for marriage under these circumstances.”
She was certainly laying out her reasoning in a composed manner, but….
There was no substance to it.
Why was the timing bad? Why would her conscience trouble her?
She didn’t explain the fundamental reason at all.
In that exact moment, Hyunseung suddenly crossed Jayble’s mind.
And the words he had heard from Baek Gyuho simultaneously brushed past his ears.
“Did you really not know that he lost hearing in one of his ears?”
As Hyunseung’s secretary, wouldn’t Michelle know about this? Was it weighing on her mind to leave him behind and get married?
Right.
Given that she was fiercely responsible and always saw her duties through to perfection, it made sense.
That was the kind of person Michelle was.
She couldn’t easily set her work aside for personal matters when her mentor was suffering from impaired hearing.
However, work and love were two entirely different matters. At least, they were to Jayble.
Of course, it was true that when he heard Hyunseung was churning out tracks of such quality despite being deaf in one ear, he had felt a mixture of awe and jealousy.
And it was also true that he had rushed headlong into this to make Michelle, an ardent fan of Hyunseung, his person as soon as possible.
Because of that….
People could call him a pathetic man who proposed out of insecurity, and he wouldn’t care.
Even so, this was not a marriage he had decided on merely blinded by jealousy.
He wasn’t rushing because it was a marriage bound to happen someday; he was rushing because it was her. If it wasn’t her….
He had no intention of marrying anyone else.
Grit.
Jayble bit down hard on his lower lip before speaking.
“Is it… because of the person you’re currently assisting?”
He forced the question out through a constricted throat.
Please say no.
Say it’s definitely not that.
Tell me I’m wrong.
Hoping desperately for her to say those words.
“Yes, it is.”
Yet, Michelle delivered an answer firmer than any she had given all evening.
Hyunseung felt as if the sheer intensity of the glare directed at him was burning a hole through his back.
Just a moment ago, Jayble had barged into the studio, doing nothing but glaring daggers at him in dead silence.
Judging by the ring case peeking out of his pocket…
Did he get utterly rejected by Michelle? Still, getting slapped in one place and throwing a tantrum at an innocent bystander somewhere else?
“Were you… planning on proposing to me today or something?”
“What kind of grotesque nonsense are you spewing?”
“If not, why are you looking at me like that?”
At Hyunseung’s retort, Jayble let out a heavy sigh, as if saying it wasn’t even worth talking about. Truly, even a stray neighborhood dog walking past could tell he was the picture of a heartbroken man.
Even if he throws a tantrum today, I’ll be the bigger man and understand.
Just as Hyunseung thought this and tried to return to his work.
“Do you remember when you and I first met?”
Jayble asked out of the blue.
“Was it at the Cassings audition hall?”
“Not the very first time we saw each other.”
“Ah, the account-deletion bet?”
At that question, Hyunseung playfully snapped his fingers and asked back.
Jayble shot him a dirty look, as if finding him utterly infuriating.
“Yeah. That childish bet of yours made me acknowledge your existence.”
“You mean it made you feel threatened?”
“No? Back then, I just thought you were lucky.”
However, reminiscing as if it were all fond memories now, Jayble continued.
“Not that I didn’t acknowledge your skills, but until now, I always thought you were just an exceptionally lucky case.”
“To say that, I feel like I’ve proven my skills plenty of times already.”
“Think about it. Being born with that handsome face, having a powerhouse agency backing you when you were just a rookie composer, the people who trust and follow you….”
Jayble trailed off for a moment.
“In a way, that all falls under the realm of luck. That’s why I’ve always thought you were an obnoxious bastard.”
“Well, aren’t you honest.”
“But you know what? You got even more obnoxious today.”
“Come on, was it really that bad?”
“Because of you, I proposed to Michelle and got rejected.”
Letting out a laugh brimming with indistinguishable emotion, he added.
“You lucky, obnoxious bastard.”
Hyunseung didn’t react at all to being called obnoxious. He had heard it enough throughout his life for it to leave no dent.
However, the claim that Jayble was rejected by Michelle because of him made zero sense.
“What on earth does that mean? Rejected because of me?”
“Michelle’s your secretary. She says she can’t right now because she’s worried about you.”
The more Hyunseung heard, the more bewildered he became. It wasn’t as though he had told Michelle not to get married, nor was his schedule overwhelmingly packed right now, was it?
“That makes even less sense. It’s not like I’m serving as CEO right now, so there isn’t much for me to do anyway….”
Just as he was protesting his innocence.
“You can’t hear out of one ear right now.”
Jayble cut him off, speaking with absolute finality.
Instantly, a soft “Ah” escaped Hyunseung’s lips. It wasn’t out of offense.
Though delivered in a tone cold enough to be harsh, genuine concern was clearly etched across Jayble’s face.
Right.
Even if their beginning hadn’t been great, and even if they hadn’t shared deep, mushy affection, they were undoubtedly fellow composers who had walked a long road together.
Hyunseung wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
The same went for Jayble.
Trying to lift the heavy mood, Hyunseung put on a deliberately playful expression and spoke up.
“Ah, did the old man spill the beans already? Built like a heavyweight, yet his lips couldn’t be looser.”
“Pushing yourself to churn out songs like crazy in that condition—did you really think the people around you wouldn’t worry?”
“That’s why I tried not to show it….”
“People around you care about you a lot more than you think.”
Jayble’s words brought the atmosphere back down to a somber quiet.
Of course.
It wasn’t entirely gloomy.
“That’s why you’re so infuriating.”
Jayble clicked his tongue and pointed an accusing finger at Hyunseung.
“Can’t even hear properly in one ear, yet you pull out top-tier tracks like you’re pulling noodles from a machine. How could anyone not find you obnoxious?”
On the surface, it sounded like he was hurling curses, but Jayble’s face was completely devoid of malice.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Hyunseung grinned and shot back, as if deliberately trying to rile him up.
“You’re a pain in the ass, but… I can understand why Michelle loves your music out of pure fan devotion.”
As if having lost interest, Jayble clasped his hands behind his head and added.
“Hell, even I’d like it.”
Barely audible.
“Or maybe I already do.”
In a tiny, muttered whisper.
“Ahem!”
Perhaps feeling embarrassed, he cleared his throat loudly before changing the subject.
“Anyway, did you talk to her properly?”
“About what?”
“Did you talk to Sarah Stewart, I mean.”
A new topic was brought to the table.
Truth be told.
He had been curious all along.
Nod, nod.
At the question, Hyunseung tilted his head for a second, then slowly nodded.
“What did you say?”
Jayble pressed, interrogating him.
“Why are you asking about that?”
“Because I’m worried you had another bizarre misunderstanding.”
“I didn’t.”
“So, what did you say? Huh? Tell your hyung.”
It was only natural for him to worry; despite his looks, Hyunseung was definitively, completely inept when it came to romance. So much so that one feared he might accidentally stumble into marriage over a sheer misunderstanding.
“Just, you know….”
Hyunseung looked away awkwardly, hesitating.
“I said she’d never have to worry about not hearing or singing my songs for the rest of her life, and that I wouldn’t let her starve….”
Feeling shy, he scratched the back of his neck as he spoke.
The sight was almost a little endearing, but… surely he didn’t just pass that off as a real confession?
“Wait, hearing something like that could make an instrument think, ‘Is he handing down a life sentence of being his instrument?’ From the instrument’s perspective! Didn’t you say anything else?”
When Jayble vented in sheer frustration, Hyunseung chewed over his memory once more before casually adding.
“To re-record the track from last time before leaving?”
“That’s not a confession!”
“It was my own way of sending a signal to stay together.”
Jayble fiercely thumped his own chest over his heart.
“I’m losing my mind.”
Now, he completely and utterly understood why Michelle had said she couldn’t marry him out of worry. How could he possibly get married first, leaving an idiot like this behind?
“Who on earth takes that as a romantic signal? They’d just think, ‘Ah, that obsessive, perverted composer is at it again!’ That’s what they’d think!”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Why not go all the way and tell her, ‘You’re the finest instrument of them all’ while you’re at it?”
“Hey, that’s actually a pretty good line.”
You can’t spit on a smiling face.
“Aaaargh!”
It seemed Jayble would only be able to close his eyes in peace after marrying this punk off first.
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