Chapter 8: Chapter 8 The Past Comes Back — Rebellious Symphony

Friday night, when Linh arrived at storage room No. 4 on time as usual, she discovered that the door was already open a small crack, and inside the sound of two men talking, one was Minh's voice, the other was completely unfamiliar.

She paused outside the door, not daring to go in right away, just standing close to the wall, listening.

"Long time no see, Z," the stranger's voice rang out, carrying something both intimate and teasing. "Or should I call you Nhật Minh, number one student at the prestigious Royal High?"

"Kiên," Minh's voice replied, clearly tense. "How did you find me?"

"It's not difficult," the person named Kiên sneered. "Do you think you can disappear from Neon Tide so smoothly? I've been following every track you've released under the name Z for the past eight months. Your mixing style, the way you use synths in the breaks, no one can surpass me, kid. I'm the one who taught you the basics first, remember?"

Linh felt her heart beat faster. She stood still, not daring to breathe loudly, continuing to listen.

"What do you want?" Minh asked, his voice completely cold, different from the warmth she usually heard when he talked to her every night.

"It's simple," Kiên replied, his tone turning more serious. "Neon Tide is in need of an official songwriter again. Since the day you left, the group hasn't been able to create any more hits. Mr. Vũ, Đạt, we all miss you. We have a big show next month, a new underground club has opened, inviting Neon Tide to be the main guest. This is your chance to return to your rightful position, no need to hide under the obscure name Z anymore."

"I told you," Minh replied, his voice resolute. "I'm not going back to Neon Tide."

"Why?" Kiên asked firmly, his voice starting to sound a bit annoyed. "Because of your father? Because you're afraid he'll find out? You weren't that cowardly in the past."

"It has nothing to do with that," Minh interrupted, his voice harsher. "There are things you don't understand."

"So explain it to me," Kiên said, his voice now clearly showing bitterness. "I thought we were brothers. You left without saying goodbye, leaving the group to fend for themselves, and you quietly became famous alone under another name. Do you know how that feels, Minh?"

A long silence passed before Minh replied, his voice softened a bit, carrying fatigue. "I'm sorry for the way I left. But I can't go back. Not now."

"Okay," Kiên said, his voice cold. "But I tell you, boy. I don't give up easily. And if you keep avoiding me like this, maybe one day, the real name behind 'Z' will suddenly appear in a place you don't expect."

That sentence made Linh shiver. It wasn't exactly a direct threat, but the implication was so clear that it was unmistakable.

Footsteps sounded, moving towards the door. Linh quickly backed away, hiding in a dark corner at the end of the hallway just as a tall, thin young man with silver-dyed hair and a leather jacket walked out of the storage room and passed by without realizing she was standing there.

When Kiên's figure disappeared behind the corner of the hallway, Linh dared to enter the room.

***

Minh sat down in the chair, holding his head with both hands, not realizing when Linh had been standing at the door.

"Are you okay?" Linh asked softly, stepping closer.

Minh suddenly looked up and saw her. He quickly regained his composure, but could not hide all the anxiety in his eyes. "How much have you heard?"

"Enough to understand that someone is threatening to reveal your identity," Linh replied directly, without beating around the bush. "Who is that?"

Minh sighed, knowing he couldn't hide it from her anymore. "Đỗ Xuân Kiên. Old friend, also co-founder of the group Neon Tide with me, when I was just fifteen years old. We made music together for two years, performing in a few small underground clubs. Then I decided to withdraw and go solo under the name Z, without informing anyone in the group."

"Why did you leave so suddenly?" Linh asked, sitting in the chair opposite him.

Minh was silent for a long time, his eyes looking far away, as if he was considering whether to tell the whole truth or not. "Because Neon Tide started getting involved in things I didn't want to get involved in. Mr. Vũ, the group's leader, started accepting shows at clubs that didn't have strict age checks, had alcohol, and had things that shouldn't appear in a place with underage students like us. One time, the police almost came in to check, and the whole group had to escape through the back door. After that time, I knew I had to leave, before things got out of control."

"Did you tell anyone about that? About the real reason?"

"No." Minh shook his head. "Kiên and the others don't think it's a serious problem. For them, it's just a way to get bigger shows and more money. I don't want to argue, I just quietly retreat, letting them think I'm a traitor, rather than having to give a long explanation that I'm not sure they believe."

Linh remained silent, clearly feeling the weight of that decision on Minh's shoulders for nearly a year. He alone endured the reputation of a "traitor" just to protect himself from risks that he did not want his old friends to get involved in.

"What do you think Kiên will actually do?" she asked, her voice worried. "Does he know exactly where you go to school and what your real name is?"

"Yes," Minh nodded, his voice heavy. "He knows everything. We were close friends before we were colleagues. But I don't think he really wanted to harm me. I think, he was just hurt because he felt abandoned, and used threats as a way to force me to come back."

"But what if you don't come back?" Linh asked, her voice becoming more and more worried. "What if he's really angry enough to reveal everything?"

Minh didn't answer right away, just looked down at his hand, his fingers clenched tightly. "I don't know," he said finally, his voice low. "But I know one thing: I won't return to Neon Tide just because I'm threatened. If I do, everything I've tried to build over the past eight months as Z, and everything we're building together now, will have no meaning."

Linh looked at him, a new worry arose in her heart, but there was also a silent belief in his steadfastness.

"We'll figure something out," she said, her voice assertive again. "But now, don't let this affect the demo. We only have a few days left before the deadline." Minh nodded, tried to put his worries aside, and reopened the music production software on his laptop. But they both knew that tonight's meeting had planted a seed of insecurity that neither of them could have predicted what it would grow into.

That night, when Linh came home, she lay in bed for a long time, thinking about Kiên's cold voice through the storeroom door, about his meaningful words, and about Minh's rare anxious face when facing the past that he had tried to bury. She knows, even though she doesn't want to admit it, that the darkness from Minh's past has now become part of the common story that they are both continuing to write.

***

The next morning, Minh came to class with a more haggard expression than usual, with dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept all night. He didn't lie down on the bed as usual, he just sat quietly looking out the window, twirling the pen in his hand without writing a single word on the notebook.

Bảo Châu, sitting diagonally at the upper table, glanced at him a few times then turned to whisper to Linh when the teacher temporarily went out. "That guy who pretended to date you doesn't look good at all. Did something happen?"

"Just tired," Linh replied, trying to keep her voice calm, even though her heart was still heavy about last night.

"Hey Linh," Bảo Châu lowered his voice, his eyes were rarely serious. "I know there's something wrong with the two of you dating. You don't have to act with me. But if you're in real trouble, whatever it is, I'm still here."

Linh looked at her best friend, feeling guilty because she had to keep so many things secret from someone who had always trusted and supported her unconditionally. "Thank you, Châu. Actually, I can't say everything right now. But I promise, when things get better, you will be the first person I tell." Bảo Châu nodded, did not force him further, just gently patted his friend's shoulder. "Okay. I trust you." During recess, Linh took the opportunity to text Minh to ask, but he only replied with two words: "I'm fine." She knows that's not true, but she also understands that there are burdens that a person must carry first, before being able to share them with anyone else.

After school in the afternoon, when the two met again in storage room No. 4, Linh brought a small box of cakes bought at a store near her house, placed them on the table in front of Minh without saying anything.

"What is this for?" Minh asked, a bit surprised.

"Let me eat something," Linh replied, sounding more embarrassed than she expected. "You look like you haven't eaten all day."

Minh looked at the cake box, then looked at her, the corner of his lips curled up into a tired but sincere smile. "Thank you, class president."

"Don't worry too much about Kiên," Linh said, sitting down next to him. "We'll find a way. But for now, let's focus on completing the demo first. That's the only thing we can control right now." Minh nodded and opened the music production software again, but this time, as his fingers slid across the MIDI keyboard, there was a new determination, as if he was trying to prove to himself that, even if the past came knocking at his door, he could still move forward.