I impatiently honk my engine outside Ryle's house. I've been in here for ten minutes and rung his phone endlessly but no signs of life from his house is shown. This butthead, if he happened to ditched me after inviting me to check out a resto bar I will smack his head with my foot. I swear Ryle Santiago. I honked once again, but longer this time. I just hope no angry-neighbor will come yelling at me.

Mayo's name appeared in my screen as an incoming call.

"Hello?" I asked with irritation hinted on my voice.

"Dude where the hell are you?" he asked.

"I'm in front of Santiago's." I said.

"Wait, what? What are you doing there bro?" he asked confusedly.

"I'm waiting to kill him."

"you're waiting for nothing, he's here!" My jaw tightened after hearing Mayo's revelation.

"Tell the motherfucker to prepare for his grave" I started the engine but before I hung up I heard the commotion going on the other line. I roared off to Mayo's place and rushed to go inside.

"Ya! Ryle! Come out!" I shouted. "You're fucking dead!"

Mayo and Juno, my friends appeared in front of me.

"bro chill, he's hiding hahahaha" Juno jokingly said and tried to hold my wrist to stop me from gawking Ryle.

"he made me wait for nothing!!" "Ya! Santiago show yourself!" I'm so pissed right now. I hate getting ditched, especially not with these morons.

"sorry, I forgot that you're picking me up!" he shouted back from one of the rooms at Mayo's house.

"you forgot?! You could have fucking text me!" and I impatiently raked my hair with my hands and flopped my body on the couch.

"Ryle come out now! And Hoshi calm down." Mayo, the calmest one among us, said.

"Make sure he won't kill me first!" he shouted again. Ryle you're so fuckin dead to me.

"He won't. Right, Hoshi?" he looked at me and forcing me to agree with him. I just sighed in defeat. Ryle slowly entered the living room then with an apologetic smile that shows her set of white boxy teeth.

"dude sorry I really forgot" he motioned and put his palms together.

"stop showing your teeth" I demanded and he immediately pursed his lips together.

Juno stepped up "Let's just go. Drinks' on me guys" he said. That's the least they can do to make me forget what had happened.

Mayo was the one who rode with me. Juno and Ryle on the other car. We're going to the soft-opening of a pub in Cornelia Street. Juno is banned from the club that we're always hanging out at for doing some stupid stunts last week. He drank a body shot in a girl's leg but then it turns out that she's the owner's girlfriend so we got kicked out and banned from returning in there.

I pulled up in a bungalow-looking restaurant, it has a huge sign that says "Cornelia Street" in cursive. This is probably the place. It looks cozy and boring. I can't believe we're here instead of partying in a crowd full of sexy ladies.

"I think we came to a wrong place" I said, refusing to go out of the car.

"You don't know how to read?" Mayo said with full sarcasm. Juno knocked in my window pane. I opened it and he said "let's go".

The interior pretty much looked like a normal pub, but bigger. There are round wooden tables scattered around the place. Probably because it's their first day of operation the place is occupied. We found a table at the center and knowing my attention-seeker friends they went for it earning people's stare at us.

We can only order light drinks in here. My throat is aching for some vodka ugh. Juno, you little piece of trouble. I sighed as I gulp the beer I am holding with so much boredom. While my friends are busy checking out hot girls that they can possibly take home, I just roamed my eyes around to look for something that can excite me. Excitement is the thing that I barely feel despite of having women lining up on me. And if I happened to be excited, it does not last. I still get bored and eventually leave.

I noticed that there's a mini platform in front of the tables, a lighting "Cornelia Street Pub" signage is pinned on the wall, a red bar stool chair is seated on top of the platform and a mic stand is there beside it. Before I can even ask Mayo if there's someone meant to perform tonight, a woman cleared her throat through the microphone.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen" the lady said. "are you enjoying the night?" the crowd cheered and my friends even raised their beer mugs as a response. "But let us take you to a hilt as we listen to the wonderful melody of Sashal!" and the lights suddenly dimmed.

The spotlight from above flashed through the stage revealing a girl who is now seated at the chair I was looking at awhile ago. "hi everyone" she said and I immediately looked at her. I can't see her face clearly because she's looking down trying to fix her microphone and tuning her guitar.

"okay. I hope you guys will enjoy tonight in one, two, three and" she begun strumming her guitar. She's probably nervous, she doesn't look confident at all. And her appearance is too simple, it just shows that he's a singer and not a stripper or whatever you call those that perform at night clubs.

"Do you remember

That lonely alleyway?

I still remember now"

My ears reddened as my eyes are glued on her. Her eyes are shut as she feels the song. She's singing a hangeul song which only made me more into the song. I knew it, because I am one.

"The anxious days when

I couldn't tell you I loved you

Did you know about that"

The more note she hits, the more I get drown to her voice. A voice as sweet as honey. She still have her eyes closed and I am anticipating for her to open them.

"The beautiful nights of the

Past when we were childish

I am still in love"

Come on sweetie, open your eyes. Your voice is really beautiful, I want to see if your eyes are as pretty as you sound.

"You childish person

You try to take all of me,

You heartless person"

Every word and every syllable she sings it felt like it came straight out of her heart. I wonder if she relates to the song or if she knows what it meant.

"Were you too shy to say anything?

Did you not like me?

I still can't figure it out"

I've heard of this song on Spotify, but it did not had an impact to me, only now. What could be the reason? I'm anticipating for more. My breath follows the timing of her singing. I hold it at the beginning of the verse and let it go when it ends.

"If you hear this song,

Please come to me

My dear, I'm waiting"

She slowly opened her eyes and hummed through the song. My eyes caught her and she stared right through my soul as if she's reading me like a book. Her eyes, they reflect the glistening lights but I don't know who shines better. She kept on humming until the song ended and her face including the angelic voice that I think fell from heaven kept on playing at the back of my head.