Chapter Text
JUN
Jun was just there, looking at the train ticket, not thinking about what, how, or when it all happened. With the rush, the conversation, and the sighs, time just passed him by. Would he meet him again? There was no answer to his overthinking. He was just as clueless as anyone could be, but he was optimistic and free as a cloud. Many people took him as a “toxic, clingy friend,” but he merely was someone who loved his person and burned his own feelings to keep others warm.
The time came as the train stood at the station. The whistle was loud; it was foggy, and he was in a haze. It was too much. Should he take this step at all? More like he was running away from everything—from his comfort. The whistle buzzed again. His feet moved, dizzy, and suddenly he was on the train, with only one bag and millions of dreams. Maybe—just maybe—this time, and the only time, everything would be okay. This is what he felt, what he believed, and he was going to make it. Make it for his boy, his inspiration. Maybe he even saw him as his muse. But the only thing was, he did not know who he was. One more mystery left him slow to solve.
With the wind blowing and cold fog dropping onto Jun’s face, he stepped down from the train carriage. He never realised he had slept through the night ride. The train had stopped near a little town. He was still far from the city. He was hungry. People were spreading here and there, the station becoming crowded in a second. He looked around, searching for food like a puppy. He was low on budget. Running from home with very little food was not a good idea, but he had no choice. He waited and waited yet again, his appetite dying and worries increasing, until so many thoughts crowded his mind, making his stomach churn with worry.
He was waking up to a small stall, clearly amused by what the grandmother standing there was making. He reached instinctively for his stomach, his hunger kicking in. He was silently staring at the lady, and then at how she was cooking delicious steamed buns with some tasty filling. He kept staring until the grandma noticed and greeted the puppy boy with a wide smile.
“Come here. What do you want? Tell me, I will steam that bun for you.”
Jun looked startled by her soft voice. He stuttered, starting,
“A—Amma, um, sorry, I don’t have money to pay you. I will just leave.”
Grandma crossed the stall and reached over to the boy. “Did I ask you for money, huh?”
Jun’s eyes once again lit up.
“Sit down at this bench. This train won’t leave for a while; it goes to the city.”
Jun bowed down to her in respect and sat down at the bench.
With a big, shy smile on his face, he felt that warmth. Grandma got back to the stall, preparing the buns, and Jun could only keep his head down in shame.
“Nong, why are you looking down like a sad puppy?” she questioned out of curiosity, concern dripping in her voice.
Jun said nothing. She could hear sobs from the boy, who had his head down, hands clasped together, and now tears were dripping down his face. Grandma left everything, coming back to the boy.
“What happened? Why are you crying, kid?” Her hands lifted towards Jun’s face. She wiped up his tears and looked at him with a cute smile that made Jun laugh through them, engulfing her in a hug.
“Amma, thank you. Thank you so much. It’s been a while since someone showed me a little love or made me happy like this.”
Grandma did not say a word and hugged the boy back. The hug must have been bone-crushing, but Jun felt loved for even a second, and he did not want this moment to end ever.
“Let’s eat, okay? I will eat the steamed bun with you. Let’s sit here.” She took his hand and led him to pick up the buns and walked to the farthest bench at the station.
“It’s been a while for me too. I have not had a meal with my son in forever. He is in the city.”
Jun looked at her with puppy eyes, nodding and listening to her attentively.
His name is Thame. He studies music in the city and works in the industry. I have not seen him for the last five years, but he sends me gifts and money every month.”
Jun could only smile and nod.
“He told me not to sell these buns, but I can’t just sit idle. I get bored.”
He nodded again, complimenting Amma for the buns. “This is really tasty, Amma. Thank you.”
Amma caressed his head in the most lovable way. “You ran away from home?”
The question came out very suddenly. Jun looked even more sad once again.
“Yes, I had to. There was no hope back home.”
Amma pulled him into a hug once again. “I don’t know what you ran from or what happened, but I can see the innocence on your face.”
“I can feel you chasing a hollow void, which is filled with sadness and you want to escape.”
Jun’s eyes once again became numb, but he did not cry this time. He was really thankful to grandma.
“I will pack you some food. Take my son’s number and picture. I will call him and tell him to take care of you.”
“No, Amma. No, you can’t do this for me. I can’t repay you,” he said, frightened.
“And I am not asking for any pay either. Go and live your dream, boy. I can see a very bright future for you ahead.”
“I know Thame would love you just as I love you already. That’s why I want your name, so I can tell him your name.”
“Sorry, Amma. I am Jun.”
“Hmm, Jun… I love you already.”
Jun blushed and hugged Amma in gratitude.
She was the first person to ever believe in him after the boy. She never even knew Jun, but still cared for him. For just a moment, he felt more alive than he ever did with his family.
He picked up his bag, stuffed the food inside the bag given by Amma, and hugged her once again. “Thank you, Amma. I promise to make you proud. Thanks for believing in me.”
Amma smiled and bid him goodbye.
He stepped onto the train, air blowing on his face once again. But this time, his hopes were high again. He met someone who believed in him once again. Nothing felt impossible.
And maybe this was the right train that never passed by. He was on a journey, and wanted to make the best of this opportunity.
DYLAN
In the city, Dylan sat on a cold park bench, headphones resting over his ears, music playing softly too softly to drown out his thoughts. The notebook lay open on his lap, pages filled with half-written lines, crossed-out words, and unfinished melodies. His pen hovered above the paper, unmoving. Nothing came. Not today.
He was a struggling producer, juggling university and studio hours, working alongside Thame whenever he could. They studied at the same university, shared cramped practice rooms and sleepless nights, both chasing sounds that never quite felt complete. Thame had a way of pushing forward regardless, but Dylan…..Dylan felt stuck. Music, once his escape, now sat heavy on his chest.
He ignored the world around him like he always did. The laughter in the park, the distant traffic, people passing by—none of it mattered. All that existed was the beat looping in his headphones and the silence inside his head.
He sighed and leaned back, eyes closing on instinct.
And like always, his mind drifted there.
To a memory so small yet impossibly loud.
A boy from years ago. A boy he met only once.
He remembered messy hair, bright eyes, and a smile that felt too big for such a small face. Someone who spoke of dreams without fear, who laughed easily, who looked at the future like it was something waiting to be claimed. A sunshine puppy he was warm, fearless, and alive.
Dylan’s lips curved into the faintest smile.
He had never learned his name. Never knew where life took him. But somehow, that boy stayed. Every time Dylan felt stuck, every time the music refused to come, he thought of him. Of how that boy ran forward without looking back. Of how certain he was that everything would work out.
He missed him.
Even if they had only met once.
His fingers tightened around the pen. The heaviness in his chest eased just a little. He opened his eyes and looked back down at the notebook.
Maybe inspiration wasn’t gone.
Maybe it was just waiting,somewhere between memory and hope.
And unknowingly, miles away, Jun sat on a train with a bag full of dreams, chasing the same feeling.
Neither of them knew it yet, but the distance between them was already beginning to shrink.
He sat dumbfounded when he saw a woman screaming into the void, her voice breaking as she yelled at a man.
“How—how can you do this to me, Luke?”
His eyes drifted toward the couple without meaning to. And then his breath hitched.
It was his boyfriend.
Luke stood there, frozen, just in time to be slapped hard across the face. Dylan was already on his feet, moving without thinking.
“Stop. Stop—why are you slapping my boyfriend?” he shouted, trying to pull the girl away.
“What… boyfriend?” she laughed bitterly. “He is my.. I mean, *was* my boyfriend.” Her eyes dragged Dylan up and down before narrowing. “Are you the one, baby, with the red heart saved on his phone? The one he has dinner plans with?”
Dylan turned slowly toward Luke, shock written all over his face.
“Phi, what the hell?” His voice cracked. “You’re cheating on me… again?”
Tears spilled down his face before he could stop them. He knew about the first time Luke cheated. He had swallowed that harsh pill back then, told himself it was fine, that it didn’t matter. Luke was just… there in his life. Existing. Dylan knew now that Luke never really loved him.
Luke tried to defend himself, words tumbling over each other, excuses that meant nothing.
Something in Dylan snapped.
His hand moved before his mind could catch up. A slap. Final. Loud.
“I’m done,” Dylan said, his voice shaking. And just like that, it was over.
All he could do afterward was go back to his dorm, beer bottles clutched tightly in his hands. He drank to escape reality, to drown out the mess in his chest. He lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, letting the buzz numb him.
And, like always, his thoughts drifted to the puppy boy.
The boy from years ago.
The one memory that never hurts to hold.
Thinking of him gave Dylan a comfort like nothing else ever had. A quiet warmth in the middle of the chaos. As if, somewhere out there, something good still existed. As if maybe—just maybe..everything would work out in the end.