I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU
37. Surprise

That afternoon, a car stopped in front of a music building where Ariel used to train there.

From the car, Bram and Joel descend and step into the building to the room where Ariel trains.

They were stunned when they found Ariel was not there.

"So Ariel said she came home at four in the afternoon, right?" mumbling Joel.

Bram immediately checked his phone and looked back at the message Ariel had sent him.

"Right, I didn't read it wrong, he came home at four in the afternoon. But why isn't he here?" greet Bram.

In the room there were only four people playing musical instruments without Ariel who used to train them.

When they were confused by the situation, one of them stopped playing and approached Bram and Joel.

"Do you both need something or are you looking for someone?" tanyanya friendly.

"Has Ariel gone home?" ask Joel.

"Ah, Brother Ariel huh? Are you two friends?" ask again full of search.

"Yes, we're friends, and we happen to have business with him" Bram replied.

"Sister Ariel came out at lunchtime" he explained.

"Hour lunch?" Joel frowned.

"Did something happen?" ask Bram.

"Uhm,, brother Ariel_,,,"

"Where did he say he was going?" cut Bram.

"No," he answered, shaking his head.

"Well, thank you," said Bram, turning around as he pulled Joel away.

"Ehh, we don't know where Ariel is yet" Joel protested.

"I know where he is now" replied Bram.

Bram stopped his steps and turned his head, staring at the man younger than him who was still standing intently staring at him.

"What's your name?" ask Bram.

"Alex" he answered.

Bram nodded and turned around again. Just leaving Alex who was still standing was confused by their departure.

"The freak" Alex muttered, then turned around as Bram and Joel disappeared from his sight.

"How do you know where Ariel is?" joel asked when they were in the car.

"If you see Alex like that, I think Ariel is upset with them. And he left them at an hour he shouldn't have been able to leave. Ariel will only go to one place when she is upset with her students" Bram said.

"Then, where did he go?" ask Joel.

"Where do you think he's going? Don't you know him enough?" Bram asked back.

Joel fell silent and thought.

'I know he knows Ariel well, but there's no need to show me everything. And again, how do I know where Ariel is?' grumbled Joel in heart.

'The place Ariel might have visited,, ' Joel thought.

Joel thinks hard, while Bram has run his car. Smile when you see Joel thinking hard.

"Is it possible she_,," Joel muttered as he recalled the thing Ariel liked so much.

Ariel's words lingered in his mind. A place that gives him peace.

"Yes, he must be there" Bram cut.

"But, which place might he go?" ask Joel again.

"Didn't you live not far from that place? Only that place is the most likely now" Bram replied.

"What are you waiting for then? We go there," replied Joel who was greeted with a nod of the head Bram sign agreed.

#On the beach#

Meanwhile, Ariel was still sitting under the palm tree. Listen to Ken's story without interrupting. Let Ken spill his grievances.

"I basically loved music so much that I dreamed of becoming a musician" Ken said.

"But my family, who are business people, want me to follow in their footsteps. Forcing me to go into business" said Ken.

"I don't care about that, as long as I can still play an instrument that I really like, I obey them. College, extra lessons, join them in their business event, and everything they want, I do it all,"

"But, when I returned from a business trip with my father, the Cello I used to play had been burned by them. They say music only stops me from doing business, and it doesn't produce anything,"

"Since then, they've been pressuring me so that I could focus on their business. But at that moment, Grandma was on my side, defending me and asking them to give me a little freedom. And well, they had to agree to what grandma wanted, and grandma bought me a new cello,"

"Until something terrible happens. Our house was on fire, I was still on business because my father sent me to take care of it, and when I got home, they looked at me hatefully,"

"When I found out Grandma wasn't helped by getting into the fire just to get my cello, causing my grandmother to run out of oxygen_,,,," Ken paused for a moment before continuing.

"Knowing that, I understand why they hate me. And it makes me hate myself,"

Ken took a deep breath, then smiled bitterly.

"The only person who has always supported me is leaving because of me" Ken said.

Ken fell silent, his head turned and smiled scornfully at himself.

"Aren't I like a loser who only survives?" said Ken.

"If you want me to be honest, then the answer is yes" Ariel replied flatly.

Ken looked up and smiled. Feeling a crushing blow to his face. Ariel stared at the sea in front of her.

"Because you wasted what your grandmother sacrificed" Ariel continued.

"I don't_,,,"

"I mean like that?" Ariel continued Ken's sentence, making him speechless.

"Your answer sounds like you're just dodging to blame when it all seems clear that it's wrong" Ariel said.

"Don't you think what your grandmother wanted to tell you through the cello she saved and sacrificed her own life?" ariel slowly turned her head and looked at Ken who was looking at her.

Ken was pensive, digesting what Ariel had just told him.

"Your grandparents believed that you could unite your family by elevating their hearts through the music you play" Ariel said.

"I don't blame you for the attitude that's formed in you. You have a hard life, that's obvious. Even you were forced to do all of that at that age when people of that age were free to do everything they liked" Ariel said.

"But, that doesn't mean it's also justified, there are other ways if you want to vent the anger that is inside you" he added.

"I know, and I realized that after I met my brother" Ken replied.

"Why? Didn't you like me at first?" greet Ariel.

"At first it was, because I thought, big brother is just like those who train there," replied Ken.

"But my mind was wrong. My brother is very different compared to them. Brother is more concerned with our mood than playing a musical instrument with a compulsion" Ken explained.

"Is that what makes you known as a rebel and unruly?" ariel narrowed her eyes.

"Ukh, yes, yes, yes, I knew I was stubborn at the time" Ken complained with a flushed face. "Because I'm sick of those who are higher than us who are just students to obey those who are our coaches" he said.

"But, the presence of brother completely changed my perspective. Big brother put our mood first, even when I blatantly refused the request of big brother back then to play the Cello, big brother just smiled and said I could do everything according to my heart's desire," ken said.

"It made me remember my grandmother who always said the same thing" he added.

"You mean I'm like a granny?" cetus Ariel narrowed her eyes.

"No, No, No, No, that's not it," Ken greeted him with a frantic flick of his hand.

"Pft,, I'm kidding Ken," Ariel replied chuckling softly as she ruffled Ken's hair.

"Ukh, sister, stop treating me like a child" Ken murmured.

"Do you feel better now?" ariel lowered her hand.

Ken was pensive for a moment, and it was true that the tightness in his heart seemed to have been partially lifted, after he had recounted the burden in his heart.

'Did Ariel do this on purpose from the beginning? Just want to make me feel better?' inner Ken.

"Much better," replied Ken smiling. "Well, Ariel always has a way of making me feel better" he added.

Ariel smiled knots, and again set her gaze towards the sea.

"I'm actually curious about one thing" said Ken.

"What's that?" ariel asked without looking.

"How many musical instruments are you good at? I remember in my sister's apartment there was a piano, a guitar, a cello and if it wasn't wrong there was a violin suitcase there, too" Ken said.

"Hemm,," Ariel muttered as she raised her head. " For now, I can play six types of musical instruments" Ariel said.

"SIX???" exclaim Ken. " And brother said for now? That means you're still learning other musical instruments?" he continued to widen his eyes.

"Well, it's just that I'm always running out of time to learn it" he replied casually.

"So, don't you say such a thing with that ease?" welcome Ken to disbelief.

"Isn't that also the reason I can be in my position right now?" Ariel asked back and turned to Ken with raised eyebrows.

"Ha-ha, well brother is right," replied Ken laughing stiffly. "I almost forgot who my sister was when I was out of work" she continued.

"Hey, don't make it sound like I've committed a crime" Ariel said.

"That just makes me curious about how big brother can reach this point at the age of a brother who is still fairly young," Ken continued.

Ariel lifted her shoulders, then turned her face away.

"That's not a story that anyone wants to hear" Ariel said with a glaring look.

'Ugh, have I made you remember things that you don't want Ariel to remember?' thought Ken.

"Oh, I almost forgot about it" exclaimed Ken suddenly.

Ariel turned back to face Ken who was reaching into his pants pocket. From there, he took out a small box wrapped in gold-colored paper with a brown ribbon on it.

"I intend to give this after practice, but I guess the cleanliness now does not matter, right?" ken told Ariel the box.

"Forku?" ariel asked, frowning.

"Happy birthday, brother," said Ken smiling

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