Iris's POV
I was late.
Not the usual five-minute-late that I could excuse with a soft smile and a quick apology. No… this was seriously late.
My fingers fumbled with the buttons of my shirt as I rushed around my room, my breath uneven from the run back home. The punishment at school had already drained whatever energy I had left, and now I had to make it to the café on time.
"Great… just great," I muttered under my breath.
My gaze accidentally lifted toward the wall beside my bed.
The wall hangings.
Colorful little pieces of paper, each carrying a thought I had once felt too deeply to ignore.
A small smile touched my lips despite everything.
…I need to add another one.
The thought slipped into my mind so naturally that I didn't question it. I just picked up my bag and ran out of the house.
---
My cycle stood outside like it had been waiting for me to suffer.
I let out a sigh, climbed onto it, and started pedaling with all my strength.
The wind hit my face as the streets blurred past me. My legs ached, my hands tightened on the handle, and my mind kept repeating one thing...
Don't be more late. Don't be more late.
By the time I reached the café, my breathing was uneven and my hair slightly messy.
I stopped.
Looked inside.
No manager.
A quiet wave of relief washed over me.
"Saved…" I whispered.
I quickly slipped inside and headed toward the kitchen, trying to act as normal as possible.
And then,
I felt it.
A presence behind me.
My shoulders stiffened.
…I'm doomed.
I slowly turned around.
There she was.
My manager.
Her eyes were already locked onto me, sharp and unforgiving.
"Iris."
That one word was enough to confirm my fate.
What followed was a storm.
Words...harsh, cold, relentless...fell one after another. Late. Irresponsible. Careless. Unprofessional.
I stood there, silent.
Not because I agreed.
But because I knew it would pass faster if I didn't react.
And eventually… it did.
"…and you will work overtime today. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," I replied quietly.
As she walked away, I exhaled slowly.
This day… I dedicate to punishments.
---
I got to work.
Taking orders. Serving tables. Moving from one corner to another without stopping.
Time passed, but not gently.
I had just finished noting down an order when the bell at the café door rang.
I looked up.
And froze.
Grace.
Of course.
Why wouldn't she be here today?
I looked back down at my notepad.
Just avoid her. You don't have the energy for this.
But apparently… she had other plans.
I sensed her walking toward me before I even looked up again.
"Iris…"
I raised my eyes.
Before I could say anything,
"I'm sorry."
I blinked.
"…What?"
"I'm sorry," she repeated, this time more clearly. "I thought you were just trying to get attention."
I stared at her, trying to understand if this was real.
People don't change this quickly… unless something forces them to.
"…Why?" I asked simply.
She hesitated for a second. "Joy told me things. I believed him."
Ah.
That explained something.
"I didn't mind much," I said, my tone calm. "And I need to work. I'll get more punishment if I don't."
I turned slightly, ready to leave.
But she spoke again.
"I… came here for something else."
I paused.
"What?"
"I need a job."
That made me look at her properly.
"…Why?"
"My father thinks I can't do anything on my own," she said, her voice quieter now. "I want to prove him wrong."
I held her gaze for a moment.
"Oh," I replied softly.
Then added, "You should talk to the manager."
She nodded, then looked at me again.
"…Can you support me a little?"
I gave a small, polite smile.
"I'm just an employee here too," I said. "I might not be able to help much. You should try yourself."
She nodded again.
And for a moment… she didn't look like the same girl from before.
I turned back to my work.
Still… something about it felt strange.
That change was too sudden.
Maybe she just had a fight with her boyfriend.
Whatever it was… it wasn't my concern.
---
By the time I finished, it was almost 11 PM.
I usually left by 9:30.
Today… felt like it would never end.
The streets were quieter than usual as I walked back home. The night air was colder, brushing against my tired skin.
I tightened my grip on my bag.
Just reach home safely.
When I finally did, I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.
The first thing I did,
I went to my wall.
I took out a small piece of paper, tied it carefully, and wrote,
"In the dull world… I still have my rainbows."
I hung it gently among the others.
Then I sat at my study table and set an alarm.
2 AM.
Because afternoons were never mine.
---
Time passed.
Pages turned.
Words blurred and cleared again.
And then,
I heard it.
A voice.
Soft.
Familiar.
I froze for a second.
…He's singing again.
I slowly stood up and moved toward the window, sitting beside it.
Closed.
He couldn't see me.
I couldn't see him.
But his voice…
It reached me anyway.
Like it always did.
---
"In the night full of stars… we will read your letters together…"
My eyes shifted toward the wall hangings.
The letters I wrote.
---
"That one empty paper… left in your shaking hand…"
My fingers tightened slightly over the edge of the bed.
---
"Little bit you will complain… and little bit I will complain…"
A small, tired smile appeared on my lips.
I lay down slowly.
His voice wrapped around the silence.
---
"Just don't get angry at me… my life…"
My eyes closed.
Not out of exhaustion.
But because something inside me… felt calm.
And slowly,
I drifted into sleep.
The kind that comes… when the heart finally rests.
---
Kaizer's POV
The last note faded slowly into the night.
I let my fingers rest against the guitar strings, the faint vibration disappearing beneath my touch. For a moment, everything felt… still.
Quiet.
The kind of quiet that didn't suffocate me.
I lifted my gaze toward the window.
The sky stretched endlessly above, dark yet alive, scattered with small, twinkling stars.
I stared at them without really thinking.
And then… my thoughts shifted.
To her.
My mother.
She used to stand by the window just like this.
Every night.
No matter how tired she was… no matter how long the day had been… she would still look up and ask one simple thing,
"Is there a moon today?"
Back then, I never understood.
It felt… pointless.
Why look at something so far away?
Why smile at something you could never reach?
I used to stand beside her, silent, confused… sometimes even a little impatient.
But she always looked calm.
At peace.
Like the world had finally stopped hurting her, even if only for a moment.
---
Now…
I get it.
I leaned back slightly, my eyes still fixed on the sky.
The stars flickered softly, distant and untouchable… yet somehow close enough to ease something inside me.
It wasn't about reaching them.
It was about… feeling less alone under them.
A slow breath left my lips.
For the first time in a long while… my mind wasn't crowded.
No overlapping voices.
No noise.
Just… quiet.
My gaze softened.
"…Mom."
The word left my mouth more gently than I expected.
"I was happy today."
The confession felt unfamiliar.
But not wrong.
"You don't need to worry."
My fingers loosened around the guitar as I stepped back from the window.
The night stayed the same.
But something inside me had shifted.
And for once…
It didn't feel heavy.
---
I lay down on my bed, closing my eyes.
And the silence that followed,
Didn't feel empty.