Chapter Text
Wei's Brew is unsurprisingly quiet at 8pm. Between two office buildings, Wei's advertises its fresh coffee and tea with jade-green walls, and red furniture, a pop of color in the otherwise monochrome street. Passerbys pass, cars drive by, but the small, one-manned cafe remains empty.
In the lonely hours, Zhao Yu listens to the radio.
Since he moved to the city, his nights have passed like this. He plays the radio, and he's transported back to his childhood bedroom, finishing the day's homework. Between the sound of his grandmother's footsteps and the clattering of dinner's dishes, the muffled conversation of the radio can be heard from the kitchen. Sometimes, a DJ plays a mixtape and it's the only time he hears his grandmother sing.
So, he listens, imagining his grandmother is only right next door, tapping her feet to the beat of Whitney's I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
One radio station he's grown to like in the past semester is DJ Chamber's, Letters for Vincent. Chamber reads letters from his listeners, and gives them advice. Whether it's about career, school, relationships, or life, Chamber doesn't segregate the letters; he pours his heart into every responses. It's corny, but it's honest. Nowadays, it's hard to find honesty from strangers.
Fifteen minutes before the radio live, comments are already flooding the online broadcast. Sometimes, Zhao Yu joins the voice-only broadcast to wait for the show to start with the fans. The usual viewers are always chatting before the live, bonding over their shared enthusiasm for the radio and Chamber. He doesn't know anyone personally, but they feel close to him, like a classmate he can talk to and feel that they've known each other for so long.
As much as Zhao Yu wants to interact with his favorite DJ, he's shy and frankly, doesn't know what to say.
Karin: I hope he reads my letter today…
kelly_barkson: I'm procrastinating homework for this hihihi
Lesley1112: Oh no.
Lesley1112: @kelly_barkson You're going to make Chamber sad >:(
Lesley1112: Finish your homework >:(
Karin: LOL lesley is right
hhannahh77: jajajajaja
eyes.off.me: Hello :)
Karin: OMG
Lesley1112: CHMABER?
supergrace9: wth
eyes.off.me: Are you guys excited? :)
supergrace9: HI CHAMBER IM UR FAN SINCE LAST YEAR
Karin: HIIIII CHAMBER
Lesley1112: <3 <3 <3
pppopipo: IM SO EXCITED
Karin: I can't wait to hear what you have for us today <3 <3
eyes.off.me: I'm glad to see I'm not the only one excited :)
Zhao Yu can't help the grin on his face. The closeness between Chamber and his fans is rare. Without a face to the voice, Chamber is approachable, and because he's always talking to the fans, they're always active. Their community is friendly and welcoming. It's as though Zhao Yu isn't alone in the empty cafe, and there are friends sitting with him at the bar island. The silence doesn't feel as lonely as it did before.
Chamber stops commenting a few minutes before 8:30pm, and as Ed's Lego House fades into mute, comments flood the broadcast with excitement. Finally, the theme music for Letters for Vincent plays, and Zhao Yu's heart beats a little faster in anticipation. Chamber's voice comes like fire in the dark, warm, and sweet like the first bite of caramel chocolate.
"Good evening! You're turning in to The Protocol. I'm DJ Chamber, and I'll be in your care tonight.
"Our listeners from Witter is joining us tonight, and you can join anytime at TheProtocol on Witter, or text our number, 0-180-XXX-XXXX. That's 0-180-XXX-XXXX."
Chamber goes on to read a few texts from his radio listeners, greeting happy birthday to those who celebrate that month, and sending his love to the listeners from other cities. Zhao Yu busies himself with cleaning the table surfaces meanwhile.
"I know you're all excited for our story tonight, but we have an update from our sender last week, Elsa! It's a pleasure to hear from you again.
"If you haven't tuned in last week, Elsa is engaged and getting wed next summer. Her fiance is the man of her dreams, but his mother is a person she disagrees a lot with," Chamber hums. "Unsurprisingly, she disagreed with the wedding plans too.
"Last week, Elsa revealed her fiance's mother humiliated her choice of wedding dress in front of her fiance. What his mother did was unacceptable. An apology is due. Personally, I'd hate for Elsa to uninvite her fiance's mother to a special day, but the decision is up to her. It is her special day after all.
"Now, the follow up letter from Elsa:
"'DJ Chamber,'
"'First of all, thank you so much for reading my letter. My fiance and I enjoy listening to The Protocol every night during dinner, so, we were pleasantly surprised to hear you read my letter last week. We're also so happy to hear the supportive comments, texts, and calls from your fans. You guys are the best.'"
A customer arrives and orders a cookies and cream milktea. Zhao Yu gives her her change and prepares her drink with a new-found zest. Helping strangers always feel rewarding to him.
"'My fiance agreed his mother was being a bully and should not be invited to our wedding. When she heard our decision from my fiance, it was as if she turned into a different person entirely. She said she couldn't miss her son's wedding and begged me to change my mind.'
"'I didn't want her to be embarrassed, so I agreed under the condition that she'd stop bullying me, and that I could take back her invitation any time. Rather, it was embarrassing to be the one making her smile, but it's better than breaking my fiance's family apart. We're having dinner tonight, so, fingers crossed!'
"'I followed your advice and reached out to my friends. I was reluctant, but our conversations honestly made us closer than ever. Anyways, I want to say thank you again. Your coolest fan, Elsa.'"
While Chamber congratulates Elsa, and reads the comments and texts after, Zhao Yu is absent-mindedly cleaning the machines, lost in thought while imagining a stranger's life. It's somehow grounding, realizing there are lives beyond his own, and that he's not alone when dealing with anxiety. While he's not Elsa, or in a relationship, he struggles to open up too. It's thanks to people like Chamber, and his fans, that there's space for sensitive conversations. It's, for lack of a better word, safe.
The letter Chamber reads after a short break confesses first-date anxieties. Jojo, the sender, reveals he started online dating only recently, and have had trouble since. Chamber is sweet and patient with him. He praises his courage to do things afraid, because that's bravery. Strangers are difficult, but it gets easier when you open yourself up first. People reciprocate positivity.
When Zhao Yu closes the cafe hours later, he searches for wood-carving and pottery classes near him online, eager to try something new. While it's not online dating, he wants to follow Chamber's advice step out of his comfort zone. There's a bounce to his step when he exits the cafe. Lady A's Need You Now hums in his mind like the quiet rumble of cars passing blocks away.