My Idol Part 2

“Is Yuka your name?”
“No… she was my old friend. Thank you, Ryuji-san.”

“By the way, have you ever thought about becoming a musician like me? I think you have potential,” Ryuji-san said.

“Thank you, but I just can't picture myself standing on a stage like you do.”

“You don’t have to be like me. Music isn’t about imitation—it’s about expressing yourself in your own way. Do you want to hear a story? A big one—about how I became who I am today?”

I hesitated. I could feel my focus slipping away from my studies again.
But… this was Ryuji. My favorite artist.
This might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

“Alright. I’ll listen.”

“Okay,” he began. “At first, I just wanted to become rich. I wanted everyone to know my name. But the truth is—I couldn’t even sing properly. I didn’t know how to play any instruments either. So, every day, I went down to the river near my house and practiced singing. I was only fifteen.

Little by little, my voice got better. I learned guitar from a friend. Then one day, a man in a black suit saw me singing at my usual spot. He said he could make me famous. I was naive and desperate, so I agreed without thinking twice.

That decision changed everything.

When my parents found out, they kicked me out of the house. Still, I believed I had made the right choice. The man in the suit let me stay at a place he owned and said he would help me debut.

But my debut… completely flopped.

Even with a popular lyricist and composer, people said my singing was off-key. And I was still underage. I felt like I had made the biggest mistake of my life.

Then, just like that, the man who promised to help me disappeared.

I had nowhere to go.

When I went back to my old house, my parents had already moved. I was all alone.

Until… she came. The person who saved me.”

He paused, wiping a tear from his eye.

“She helped me stand back up again. Introduced me to a producer who taught me how to write my own songs. That’s how my real journey started. And now… she’s my wife. I’m still grateful to her every single day for bringing light back into my life.”

Ryuji’s voice, which had been so full of energy at the start, now trembled as more tears streamed down his face.

“What about your parents?” I asked quietly.

“Thankfully, we made up. Again, thanks to her. She convinced me to go to their house and sing outside their door. It was embarrassing, but I wanted to share my feelings with them through music.

Now, we go out for dinner every weekend. Like a real family again.”

“That’s… really cool.”

Not everyone becomes successful overnight.
His journey was full of hardship—but he kept going, especially because someone believed in him.

“Don’t you have someone who supported you too?” Ryuji-san asked gently.

“…Not anymore. She always supported whatever I did… especially music. But now, I’ve left all of that behind.”

“I don’t know what happened,” he said, “but you should treasure her feelings. Even if she’s not by your side anymore… her support shaped who you are.”

“Treasure it…?”

“The feelings that help you live. That’s the value that carries you forward in life.”

The feeling.

“Ken, can you make a song for me when you grow up?”

“Why are you crying, young man?” asked Ryuji-san.

That voice in my memory. Why now? Why am I… crying?

“I am sorry if I am disturbed you.”

“It's okay, Ryuji-san.”

“Well, it’s time for me to head out. Thank you for spending your time with me. By the way—what’s your name?”

“Takahashi Ken.”