The Song That Finally Reached You

“So I watched your performance,” Jin started.

“What’d you think?” Miyuki asked. The air was tense with hopeful expectations.

He shifted, not sure how to put his thoughts into words. “It was good,” he managed to say.

A weight pressed down on Miyuki’s heart, though she knew there was more on his mind. “Just good…?”

“You said you made that song for me, right?”

Miyuki’s head bobbed with energy. She held her breath for his response.

Silence returned to the conversation like an annoying acquaintance. Jin stared at the ground between them while he continued to process information through his brain. “Do you… still like me? After all these years?”

“Yes.” The word came out faster than any response Miyuki had ever given. “I’ve never stopped liking you. In fact…” A blush came to her cheeks as she thought about her next words. “Every moment I’ve spent with you these last few months has only made me fall for you even more.”

“How did I not see that…?” He whispered to himself. The lyrics of Miyuki’s song played through his mind on repeat. This was Miyuki’s confession. He had dealt with many girls confessing their feelings to him before, but this time was different, even from the last time Miyuki confessed to him. Whether it was the time they spent apart, or because they were older and more mature now, Jin realized his view of Miyuki had changed.

Miyuki’s chest felt tight from apprehension. How would he respond? Would he reject her, as he had before? Would he ask her to stop seeing him? Would he reciprocate her feelings? Many scenarios played out in her head with no certainty as to which one was correct.

“What do you like about me?” It was a question he asked every girl that confessed to him. Most answered with his looks, or his soccer talent, but he was curious what Miyuki would say.

She wasn’t expecting the question. “W-what do I like about you…?” Her cheeks deepened to a strawberry red as she thought of reasons for liking him. “Y-you’re kind, supportive, someone I can rely on. Sometimes it can be annoying when you tease me, but I know that’s one of your ways of showing you care…”

Jin’s eyes widened. He had never received a thorough response to that question, nor one that touched him.

“You could have told me I was being too pushy when I would drag you to something you probably didn’t want to do, but you never complained.” Tears started to form in her eyes while she passionately explained the things she liked about him. “You don’t treat me like an idol. I can be myself around you. But most importantly…” She gazed into his eyes. “You’re you.”

For the first time in his life, red colored his cheeks. Miyuki was still the little girl he knew before, and yet at the same time, she wasn’t. She was and is one of his closest friends, though there was something special about her. He returned her gaze, viewing the depths of her icy blue eyes. “How do you know that you love me?”

“My heart tells me whenever I’m with you,” she said, taking a step closer. “And when I’m not, you’re always on my mind.”

Jin fell silent again. He searched his memories to see if he experienced what Miyuki had described. Now that he reflected on it, she had been increasingly more on his mind as of late, and he was happy whenever he spent time with her.

“How do you feel… about me?” Miyuki asked, bracing herself for whatever answer may come.

“I’m not sure how to answer that right now,” he admitted, sending an icy dagger through Miyuki’s heart. “I’m still sorting things out. But… I do know that I like spending time with you.”

Miyuki wiped away a couple tears of mixed emotions that escaped her eyes. “You must’ve felt something during my song, right?”

“I did. It brought all the time we’ve spent together to my mind and… it helped me realize how important you are to me.”

Quiet speech could be heard from the other side of the stage. The Idol Awards’ backstage crew had started dismantling the stage. Witnessing Jin process his emotions pulled Miyuki’s tender heart in several directions. “I’m important to you?” She repeated. “As a friend, or something more?”

“It’s different from when we were kids. Nor do I see you the same as I see Yuu.” Jin let out a deep exhale. “It’s deeper than that, I think.”

Miyuki’s eyes shone with elation. “So you like me?”

“Is that what that is…?” Jin peered at the ground by Miyuki’s feet and tapped his chin with a knuckle as he thought. “Yeah, I suppose I do.”

Her whole body tingled with joyful relief. The tears she had been holding back came cascading down her face. “I’m so glad!” She threw her arms around Jin and cried into his chest.

His body flinched away at first, but he relaxed to allow Miyuki to have her moment. Hesitantly, he returned her embrace with gentle hands resting on the center of her back. “May I ask why you’re crying?”

“I’m just so happy…” It felt like the world was waiting for Miyuki to cry out every last drop of emotion that had welded up inside her since she first confessed to Jin all those years ago. Minutes passed uninterrupted as her emotions soaked into Jin’s black shirt. The past three years she had dedicated to singing for Jin had finally paid off. Her music led him back to her. Now, it has led his heart to her. She looked up to stare into his eyes with affection. “Does this mean the next time we meet up will be a proper date?”

“I guess it does,” he said with a chuckle, remembering when Miyuki had referred to the walk they took together months ago as a date.

A knock on the wood wall startled Miyuki. She looked back to see Komi leaning against the wall. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but they want us to be ready to leave as soon as possible so they can clean up,” Komi informed her.

“Okay, I’m coming.” Miyuki released Jin from her arms. “I’ll see you Saturday, then.” She turned to follow Komi back to the beauty room but stopped in the middle of the hall. “Before I go,” she twirled around to face Jin. “I love you… Jin.”