Actor in Hollywood

Musical notes have colors, shining brightly under the sunlight.

Melodies carry emotions, dancing gracefully on the heart.

Standing on the street, amidst the crowd, the boundless concrete jungle swallows each figure, rendering them as small as dust. But at this moment, they seem grand, filling their world with passion and happiness, the dazzling light burning alongside their blood.

Jumping, cheering.

Laughing, shedding tears.

At the center of the world, a lonely traveler sings with abandon.

"Wake me up when I reach the end!" (Note 1)

Crisp, sharp, lively—Anson's voice is like a drumbeat, with Lily's keyboard, Connor's guitar, and Miles' cello all fading into the background. The melody they play is no longer smooth; it dances like a clear stream skipping over pebbles, with the rhythm hidden within, lively and playful.

"When I'm wiser and older!"

The voice, like a drumstick, lands heavily and deeply on the heart, causing blood to surge and emotions to roar—no one can remain unaffected.

They clap, they jump, feeling the hot and scorching notes flowing through their veins, truly merging with the melody.

Then—

The performance becomes smooth again, rushing forward and blending into Anson's lively and jubilant singing.

"All this time I was finding myself, but I didn't know I was lost."

Anson raises his hands high again, a smile climbing onto his lips, parting the fog, his eyes bright and clear, as a ray of sunlight pierces through the darkness.

He looks at the audience before him and accidentally locks eyes with Blair, whose eyes are filled with tears, where joy and sorrow, happiness and bitterness, intertwine and surge.

Anson sings with abandon.

"But I didn't know I was lost!"

Lily, Connor, and Miles join in a chorus, their voices soaring, "But I didn't know I was lost!"

Blair is momentarily stunned.

Anson offers an encouraging look and continues with the next note, "But I didn't know I was lost!"

Blair can hear the intense melody and the booming instruments, a rush of unstoppable adrenaline flooding her brain, sending a shiver down her spine, and she can't help but join in, "But I didn't know I was lost!"

As the words leave her throat, Blair can see Anson's smile blossoming with happiness, that sense of fulfillment quickly filling her chest, her body feeling light, as if floating off the ground, soaring and wandering in the golden sunlight.

Anson: "But I didn't know I was lost!"

Blair and a small part of the audience: "But I didn't know I was lost!"

Anson raises his hands high again, encouraging the audience, "But I didn't know I was lost!"

The entire audience: "But I didn't know I was lost!"

With each note, the melody climbs higher and higher, emotions can no longer be contained and explode, leaving nothing but a roar deep within the soul.

In this moment, there is no division between us—

Even though strangers, each figure carries a story, everyone has their own memories and dreams, everyone has their own regrets and compromises. Yet in this moment, they briefly rediscover the splendor and wildness of youth, and the passion they thought had completely faded is still burning.

All this time, I was finding myself, but I didn't know I was lost—

Until now. 

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(Note 1: "Wake Me Up" - Avicii)

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Anson's voice held nothing back as he climbed higher with each line, "But I didn't know I was lost!"

One octave higher.

"But I didn't know I was lost!"

Two octaves higher.

"But I didn't know I was lost… Oh, oh oh oh…"

With a smooth vocal run and a turn, Anson raised his hands high, like a symphony conductor, capturing a rest note at the peak of the emotion and melody, bringing the performance to a close.

The music came to an abrupt stop, right at the emotional summit.

The world fell silent. The rush of traffic outside felt like a flood crashing in, but within this little corner, no one moved, no one spoke. They just stood there, feeling their hearts racing, feeling their blood boiling, and rekindling a long-lost passion.

Whoosh.

The wind howled.

Anson turned to look at the three young people in front of him. They were smiling—bright, carefree, and unrestrained smiles, shining with brilliance.

Music doesn't lie. If the performer is sad, the songs and melodies are sad; similarly, if the performer is happy, what they convey is joy and happiness.

Lily finally found her smile again—so refreshing, so free, so thoroughly satisfying. This was the reason they loved music, the reason they formed a band, but as they moved forward, they gradually forgot their original intention, and by the time they realized it, they couldn't find their way back.

A quick glance at Miles showed his pure and simple smile, drenched in sweat, his face flushed red as if he had just come out of water, yet that smile was full of passion, with even each strand of hair dancing. Lily couldn't control herself anymore; her tears had already started to fall.

They had all lost their way.

Ah.

Ahhh!

Roars, roars, roars…

Boom!

The entire crowd erupted. The cheers, the shouts, the screams—they hesitated for a brief moment before everything flooded out, and then the emotions could no longer be contained.

One after another, they shouted as if they were fools, screaming with all their might, but as they exchanged glances, they realized that shouting couldn't accurately express their admiration and praise, their gratitude and worship. Gradually, the shouts faded away, transforming into applause—just simple applause.

Thunderous applause.

It swept across the entire area like a storm.

Buzz.

Their ears were filled with roaring sounds.

Lily heard the sound, and when she turned around, what she saw was this scene—

A crowd, layer upon layer, packed with people, shoulder to shoulder.

There was no end in sight. They were completely surrounded by a bustling crowd, with everyone clapping, their faces glowing with happiness and joy. There were no words, no shouts, just hands clapping with all their strength.

Lily covered her mouth, bursting into tears—

"Wake me up when it's all over, when I'm wiser and older; all this time I was finding myself, but I didn't know I was lost."

These lyrics—aren't they about us?

Standing alone in a dark, shadowed land, singing to themselves, they lost their way without even realizing it. They all thought the dream should be over because the dream didn't exist; but deep inside, they had long forgotten what the dream looked like, losing themselves along the way.

Lily cried like a seven-year-old child, feeling utterly wronged, sobbing uncontrollably, completely breaking down.

Connor, standing beside her, saw this and couldn't help but step forward, intending to comfort Lily. But before his right hand could touch her shoulder, he realized that his own cheeks were already wet with tears. He stood there like a fool, crying silently.

Connor tried to force a smile to cover his vulnerability, but the tears only flowed harder, and he could do nothing but stand there helplessly.

Miles saw it all, taking it in. He wanted to comfort them, but he doubted if he was qualified to do so. He silently lowered his head to wipe away his tears, but for some reason, no matter how much he wiped, the tears wouldn't stop falling.

He wanted to keep performing; he wanted to keep singing, even if it meant being seen as a fool. He was willing to be a fool who believed in dreams.

(Note 1: "Wake Me Up" – Avicii (Hoppipolla version))

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