Jin-hyun stopped spinning the drumstick. He rested his chin on his palm, looking at me with that same unreadable expression he'd worn in the cafe.
Jin-hyun began, his voice echoing slightly in the empty room. "You know where you live, San? The 'Golden Triangle'?"
"Yeah," I muttered, rubbing my temple. "Mrs. Lee mentioned it."
"You live in the deepest part of it. The heart," Jin-hyun said, pointing a stick at me. "Technically, we're neighbors. My house is two streets over from the Lee residence. Jin-woo lived on the hill right between us."
My jaw dropped slightly. "Seriously? I've been living there for weeks. I didn't know we were neighbors."
"Of course you didn't," Jin-hyun chuckled. "Kirin is to the east. Hanyeong is to the west. Our buses go in opposite directions. We exist in parallel universes that never touch."
Judging by my luck, I thought bitterly, I should have run into him. I probably walked past his house while eating a convenience store sausage.
"Anyway," Jin-hyun continued, his eyes drifting to the dark window. "It wasn't always two universes. It used to be one family. One school. Seoul Arts High."
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
"My father and Jin-woo's father... my uncle... they were brothers. Close brothers. But then my great-grandfather passed away. And like all good wealthy families, the atmosphere turned rotten. They fought over the inheritance, over the vision, over everything."
He sighed, a sound that seemed too old for a seventeen-year-old.
"The foundation split. The land split. My father founded Hanyeong Arts. My uncle took over the old campus and rebranded it as Kirin Arts. And suddenly, the brothers were enemies. The cousins—me and Jin-woo—were supposed to be enemies too."
"But you..." I asked.
"No. We were the collateral damage," Jin-hyun smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "We made a pact. An ultimatum. We told our fathers that if they were going to act like children, we would too. We deliberately chose to enter the opposing schools. I went to Hanyeong to annoy my uncle. Jin-woo went to Kirin to annoy my father."
"A rebellion," I whispered.
"We just wanted the family to be whole again," Jin-hyun said softly. "I wanted my uncle and my father to stop staring at each other across the fence. We thought... if we succeeded in music, if we bridged the gap, they would have to listen."
He looked down at his drumsticks.
"I hated music back then, you know. Even though I was 'gifted.' My father... he didn't want a son, he wanted a trophy. He pressured me until the sound of a metronome made me want to throw up. That's why I hid my skills. That's why I act like I don't care."
He flashed that charming, practiced smile again, masking the pain perfectly.
"But Jin-woo... he was different. He loved it. He was pure. And during that time, he reconnected with an old childhood friend from the gatherings. Someone whose family was also part of the 'Golden Triangle' elite."
"Myung-Dae," I guessed.
"Bingo," Jin-hyun pointed the stick at me. "The Mise-en-scène heir. He and Jin-woo used to play tag in the gardens during the galas. But after the quarrel, my uncles side and mine stopped visiting the gatherings."
Jin-hyun chuckled, shaking his head.
"So, Jin-woo dragged Myung-Dae back into the light. And Myung-Dae brought his scholarship friend, the golden boy Park Jun-seo. And Jun-seo brought the Kim twins. And suddenly... there was a band."
"W-Naut," I breathed.
"They were magic, San," Jin-hyun said quietly. "I watched them from the shadows. I was the Hanyeong cousin, the spy. But I saw it. They had something real."
"What does the name mean?" I asked, leaning forward. "W-Naut?"
Jin-hyun opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked at the door where Jun-seo had exited.
"You should ask Jun-seo that," he said dismissively. "When he's ready. It's his story to tell, not mine."
He stopped. He just... stopped talking.
I blinked. "Wait. That's it? Why did you stop? What happened next? Why did they break up? Where is Jin-woo now?"
I'm already invested! I screamed internally. You can't just drop the exposition and leave the climax!
Jin-hyun ignored my desperation. He hopped off the drum throne, twirling his sticks with a flourish.
"That's enough history for tonight. It's late, and you look like a panda with insomnia."
He walked over to me, stopping right in front of my face. He grinned, his silver eyes sparkling with mischief.
"By the way, Representative," he asked lightly. "Have you thought of our new band's name? We can't be W-Naut, don't you think?"
I stared at him, my brain short-circuiting from the sudden topic change.
"A name?" I stammered.
"Yes. A name. Something that fits a classical violinist, a Hanyeong spy, a rebel bassist, a guilty president, and..." He poked my chest. "...a Ukrainian transfer student with a swollen eye."
He winked.