The 2,000 Yen Boy Returns
“2,000-yen boy!”
Yahiro charged in like a freight train and swept Tae-il into a bear hug.
The moment they stepped into the waiting room, Tae-il found himself enveloped in a man's embrace out of nowhere, his face twisting into a bewildered grimace.
Only after the guy stopped rubbing his chin against Tae-il's did he finally realize who it was.
“Y-Yahiro-san?”
“It's been five years since we last met like this!”
Releasing the hug just long enough to inspect Tae-il's face, Yahiro marveled at how much the kid had grown before yanking him back into another crushing embrace.
The boy who had barely reached his waist back then now came up to his shoulder.
It had been a brief encounter, but Yahiro couldn't help feeling proud of the young man's growth.
Tae-il, on the other hand, was utterly flustered. He wouldn't call them strangers, but they weren't exactly close either—or so he'd thought. Yahiro, however, seemed to scoff at the notion, hugging him with all the warmth of a long-lost brother.
As Tae-il floundered in confusion, Ayane whispered in his ear.
“Shin-kun, just do the same!”
Her gesture from behind—arms circling her chest in a hug—brought a certain phrase bubbling up.
'Come closer, come closer, baby?'
Shock! Shin Tae-il, revealed as a total geezer at heart!
“N-Nice to meet you. Er, see you again.”
He awkwardly mimicked Ayane and hugged Yahiro back.
Whether in his past life or this one, hugging a guy who wasn't family felt downright alien to him.
For a musician with a free spirit, Yahiro was surprisingly un-Japanese in his disregard for decorum.
“I've really missed you, kid.”
Yahiro patted his back. He showed no signs of letting go anytime soon.
'Please back off a little...'
Tae-il desperately wanted out of the embrace, and fast.
If this had been Paul McCartney instead of Daeban Show Ban's Yahiro, Tae-il might have fainted on the spot. Nothing could top being hugged by a rock legend.
Yahiro's hug, though... well...
Not to be rude, but the prickly stubble scraping his cheek was way more distracting than any sense of honor.
Unable to voice his true feelings, Tae-il carefully selected the most neutral words he could muster.
“I-I've always wanted to meet you too, Yahiro-san, as a fellow bassist.”
“Yahiro-san, my ass! Just call me big bro Yahiro!”
“Y-Yahiro bro...”
“That's my boy!”
Whether it was sincere or not, Yahiro rubbed cheeks with him again and slapped his back heartily.
Agh!
Tae-il screamed internally.
Yahiro's over-the-top friendliness was overwhelming and bewildering.
To the point where it flustered him more than waking up in his old bed to face the child version of original character Ayane right after his possession.
“Eh, that's enough for me.”
Having inflicted upon Tae-il the world's worth of existential dread with his hug, Yahiro graciously stepped aside for the person waiting behind him.
“It's the reunion our leader's been dying for.”
“Long time no see.”
Izumi trotted over from the back.
Before Tae-il could dodge, she plunged straight into his arms with a soft thump.
Where Yahiro had loomed over him thanks to his height, Izumi—being shorter—fit perfectly into his embrace.
“I-Izumi-san!?”
“You've grown so much.”
Izumi ruffled his hair.
Tae-il's face flushed at the rare pat—even his parents hadn't done that much.
“Your name.”
Izumi tilted her head up.
Her sharp chin pressed insistently into his solar plexus, as if demanding an answer now.
“M-My name?”
“Yeah. You ran off without telling me. So, introductions first.”
Tae-il's pupils dilated at Izumi's prodding.
The dark park.
The brilliantly shining band.
Applause, a brief compliment, and the 2,000-yen bill.
The memory from five years ago—lately surfacing more often—played vividly in his mind.
“W-Well, that is...”
Yahiro, who had been quietly watching, chimed in.
“Give the kid a break. She's been dying to know for five years. If you don't spill, she won't let you go today. Hell, if you wanna share a bed with her, I won't stop you.”
“Th-That'd be a problem...”
“Your girlfriend wouldn't like it either, right?”
“G-Girlfriend!?”
“What, she's not?”
“It's complicated!”
As Ayane flailed in panic, Tae-il finally managed to speak.
“I-I'm Shin Tae-il...”
“Shin... Tae-eiru?”
“What, you're Korean? Now that's a surprise.”
Yahiro chuckled.
“Shi-Shiiiin... Tae-eeiru?”
“If it's hard to pronounce, you can just call me Taiichi. Everyone else does.”
“Muuu...”
Izumi puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
“I'll work on it.”
“Admirable effort. Right, Taiichi?”
“No need to force it.”
“Yeah! You don't have to strain yourself at all! Shin-kun's name is tricky, so Taiichi it is—deal!”
“...”
Izumi suddenly stared intently at Ayane.
Ayane felt a chill just as Tae-il swiftly changed the subject.
“Anyway, how'd you know I was here?”
“Knew the second I saw you. You were in the audience.”
“Me?”
Tae-il's expression turned subtly complex at Izumi's confession.
The thrill of an admired artist remembering a nobody like him. And the self-loathing toward himself for twisting the original story beyond recognition while trying to fix it.
The two clashing emotions bred hesitation.
Yahiro, watching from behind, misinterpreted and teased.
“So even you're just a guy after all. Your reaction to me was way different.”
“N-Not really...”
“You know you sound totally unconvincing, right, kid?”
Tae-il went mute as a clam under Yahiro's jab. All he could do was blush at the warmth pressing against his chest while pretending nonchalance by staring at the ceiling.
Of course, his arms had already naturally wrapped around Izumi's back.
“Shin-kun...”
Ayane's eyes lost focus.
A spark called jealousy ignited fiercely in her chest.
Ten minutes after the greetings wrapped up.
“Sorry, can't offer you proper drinks with the spot we've got here.”
Hatsukawa apologized while handing over cans of lukewarm orange juice.
He wasn't thrilled about his charge arranging a private fan meetup, but hearing the story, even he—a BARD fan himself—couldn't help but get swept up in the moment.
Wasn't it touching?
Their ambitious first busking.
The band on the brink of breaking after facing harsh reality, revived by a young boy.
Five years later, a reunion with the now mega-popular band.
Hatsukawa felt like he'd witnessed history.
Izumi-san's hug caught me off guard too, though...
Honestly, that stunt was totally against company policy.
Still.
Watching their meeting, he was glad he'd granted the request.
The rest is up to you guys.
Hatsukawa suddenly pretended to take a call, feigning panic.
“Ah, hold on. Sudden work call... You all chat first. Yes, yes. Writer-san? You free now? Of course! So, about the next schedule...”
He promised to be back in thirty minutes tops and bolted.
Ayane poked Tae-il's side.
“Shin-kun, usually it's at least thirty minutes late, right?”
“Totally. That's obvious.”
“Such obvious acting.”
Yahiro shook his head with a wry smile.
“Guy's got zero tact, seriously.”
He sounded exasperated, but a faint smile played on his lips.
As the saying went, artist and manager were of one mind—BARD and Hatsukawa clearly shared deep trust.
“Fairness issue?”
“Kinda. And even if we're a band, Izumi's a girl. Company keeps male fan contact in check.”
“Everyone dates but me...”
Izumi pouted.
“So everyone else is dating, huh.”
BARD was known for rotating lyric-writing among members. Many of their tracks featured innocent love songs—the kind no one could write without real experience.
Tae-il had shrugged it off, but someone nearby hadn't.
It's not that they don't—it's that they can't...?
Ayane especially maxed out her wariness at Izumi's words.
Not dating meant wanting to but lacking chances.
Izumi's odd gaze during the broadcast, Ayane's gut instincts ringing alarms, anxiety, and now boldly inviting a fan for private chat.
Ayane eyed Izumi warily.
“?”
Izumi just tilted her head, oblivious.
“Seeing your manager like that... We're not imposing on busy folks, are we? You sure it's okay?”
“We called you, so it's fine.”
Izumi bowed apologetically, insisting they should be sorry.
Tae-il felt awkwardly flattered by the star's gesture.
“N-No, lift your head! No need to apologize like that! It's an honor!”
“Okay.”
Izumi wriggled happily at the word honor, beaming.
“No need to feel bad, you guys. Our schedule's done for today anyway.”
“No extra recording?”
“We were supposed to head back to the studio for one more interview vid. But as you know, we're not full lineup. Gotta sync with the other two, so it's pushed back a few days.”
“Tough gig.”
“We're pros.”
Yahiro smirked and shrugged at Izumi's proud addendum.
“So... why'd you call me here?”
“This.”
Tae-il's eyes went wide at the item Izumi pulled from her pocket.