One Man Band System

After they finished fooling around, Eric and the six girls got back to business, sitting on the floor gathered around the coffee table. This time, Eric laid out his new project in all seriousness while the girls listened intently. Before, Eric had only brought it up in passing since he didn’t have a clear picture of how to bring it to life, even though the quest was already active.

But now that Jade, Ruby, and Tania were on board, he was putting real work into planning it out. Once Eric finished his explanation, Chloe, Monica, Priya, Heidi, and Laura turned their heads toward Emma, who was sitting next to Eric, engrossed in an idol video on his smartphone.

Sensing all eyes on her, Emma looked up at her five friends, who were staring back at her with serious, contemplative expressions while leaning slightly away from her.

"What’s up with you guys?" Emma asked.

"Hmm... fits. She really fits the idol mold. Personally, I’d hate to perform like that," Heidi said, studying Emma.

"Yep... spot on. She’s full of energy whenever she’s on stage... remember back at the beach festival? If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t even have moved," Priya added.

"Agreed... I can’t imagine myself dancing on stage while singing and keeping a constant smile on my face... yeah, being an idol isn’t for me," Monica chimed in.

"Emma really is the perfect fit—from her personality to her behavior... she belongs on stage as an idol. No denying it," Laura added, giving a deadpan thumbs-up.

"No comment here. I’m just fully on board," Chloe said casually.

Silence settled over the room again as Chloe, Monica, Priya, Heidi, and Laura kept staring at Emma, who stared right back at them.

"Why are you guys looking at me like I’m a freak?" Emma yelled, feeling totally self-conscious.

"Nothing, hehe," her five friends replied in unison.

"Alright, now help me brainstorm a group name for them. Once my granddad’s building finishes renovation, we’ll start rehearsals," Eric said casually.

"Hmmm," everyone immediately went deep into thought, plunging the room into silence once more. Eric could tell that the six girls were taking this seriously to help him out.

He then pulled out his smartphone and typed down the roster: first Emma, then Ruby, Jade, and finally Tania. Emma leaned over to look at Eric’s screen.

"If possible... let’s not use real names, okay? Unlike a band that highlights its actual members, idols are a bit different, right?" Emma asked.

"Hmm... good point," Eric said, contemplating it.

"Ruby and Jade... their names are named after gemstones, right?" Chloe remarked.

"Pretty much... according to their mom, any daughter they had was named after a precious stone," Eric replied. "Even though Jade is adopted," Eric thought to himself.

"Hmm... since we already have Ruby and Jade, what if the other two also use gemstone names so they match?" Priya asked.

"Good idea... Emma has green eyes, so how about Emerald?" Heidi pondered aloud.

"Oh... that actually works! Emerald sounds awesome," Emma answered cheerfully.

"What about the last one? Tania?" Laura asked, looking around at everyone.

"Hold on, hold on... Ruby and Jade are their real names... wouldn’t it be weird if two of them used their actual names while the other two used stage names? If we’re doing stage names, everyone should have one," Monica protested.

And just like that, the six girls got completely absorbed in debating stage names for the idol group, talking entirely among themselves and leaving Eric, who actually wanted to chime in, completely left out.

***

Meanwhile, at the exact same time over at Jade and Mike’s apartment, Ruby, who was still staying there, invited Martin inside with the consent of Jade and Mike, who were still out. Ruby asked Martin to take a seat on the couch while she headed into the kitchen to grab him a drink.

Once seated, Martin looked around the living room, which was packed with furniture, making it feel a bit cramped, and noticed numerous photos of Mike and Jade displayed on top of the shelves. When Ruby returned with the drinks and sat down next to Martin,

"So you’re staying with Jade for the time being because of what happened," Martin said.

"Yeah... just for now. I already found a new apartment and a roommate to split the rent with. I want to try living on my own now, and I’m working part-time at a convenience store," Ruby replied in a soft voice.

Hearing Ruby’s words, Martin turned to look at his daughter, genuinely caught off guard. Normally, Ruby would just ask for things non-stop without caring about his affection. Now, the spoiled child who used to sweet-talk her dad every time she wanted something was telling him she had a part-time job, wanted to live independently, and was splitting rent with a roommate.

"Oh... I see," was all he could manage to say to her.

"I don’t want to be a burden to you anymore, Dad... so... I plan on giving back the BMW you gave me. I’ll just drive the Honda, it’s fine," Ruby explained further.

"Hmm... alright, I understand. I’ll sell your car and set the money aside for your future," Martin replied.

"Okay... thanks, Dad," Ruby said with a smile.

Seeing his daughter completely changed and looking worn out like an ordinary person, Martin smiled. He reached out and gently patted Ruby on the head. But then, his expression darkened once again. He drew his hand back and stared down at the coffee table in front of him. After taking a sip and setting his glass down,

"I need to talk to you," Martin said firmly.

"Talk about what, Dad?" Ruby asked, confused.

Ruby stared at her father while Martin appeared to brace himself. He then looked at his daughter and told her the exact same thing he had told Eric earlier. The moment she heard Martin’s words,

"Why?" Ruby asked, unable to bring herself to say anything else.

Martin simply took a deep breath, then explained his reasons to Ruby—though not entirely, keeping it brief just like he had done with Eric. Ruby bowed her head, tears starting to drip down her cheeks, but she didn’t say a word and seemed unwilling to challenge her father’s decision.

"What about Jason, then? Eric’s on his own now, and I’m learning to stand on my own feet, but he can’t let go, can he?" Ruby said.

"He went with his mother. Besides, he’s already made it clear where his loyalties lie," Martin replied, clearly not wanting to even hear Jason’s name.

Martin explained to Ruby that he had already spoken with Jason, but Jason refused to accept his father divorcing his mother. He argued that if the family broke apart, their reputation would plunge even further and they wouldn’t be able to live comfortably anymore.

Martin realized right then that all Jason cared about was living a comfortable life without any consequences, it was never about his parents’ marriage. When Martin pressed the issue, Jason chose to turn against him and stood in front of Vanessa, even demanding that Martin keep letting him work at the office as COO and provide for both him and Vanessa. In the end, Martin just walked away and left him behind.

"I see," Ruby replied softly.

"Right now, he’s in custody. The moment he got out of the hospital, he went straight after Vivian, even though he already had a restraining order against him. And this time, I’m not going to bail him out," Martin added.

"Hmm... it’s really that bad, huh? Just leave him be, Dad. He’s always been like that ever since we were kids," Ruby said, turning to look at her father.

Martin stayed silent, his face visibly devastated and crushed now that his family was completely gone. Silence fell over the two of them once more, turning the atmosphere suffocatingly quiet. Ruby reached out, took her father’s hand, and held it tightly without uttering a word. Martin remained silent as well, staring down at the glass on the coffee table.

"You’re not alone, Dad. You still have me," Ruby said.

Martin turned and saw Ruby smiling at him through her tears. He smiled back and gently patted her head once more. Then Ruby pulled her father into a tight embrace, and the two held each other close. After a few moments, they parted, both feeling much calmer.

"So, how’s your life been in this city? Are you happy here? You never really told me anything before," Martin asked.

"I like it here, Dad... Oh, right, Eric invited me to join a new idol group he’s putting together. Jade is joining, too," Ruby replied.

"Oh, really... Like The Empress?" Martin asked, following along.

"No, it’s a bit different. An idol group like this... here, let me show you," Ruby answered.

She opened a streaming video of an idol concert from another country and played it for Martin. A mix of expressions washed over Martin’s face as he watched, confusion, shock, disapproval, resignation, and finally back to his usual stoic look. He turned to look at Ruby after the video ended.

"So it’s something like that?" Martin asked.

"That’s right, Dad. There are four of us: Emma, me, Jade, and Tania... Oh, remember how I mentioned having a roommate? Tania is my roommate," Ruby answered.

"Oh, I see... So your roommate is going to be working with Eric, too," Martin said.

"Yeah... so I’m much safer now than I was before," Ruby replied.

Ruby kept going, telling him everything about her life... school, her job, and everything else since she came to the city. Martin listened attentively with a warm smile, taking in every word as he looked at her, thinking to himself,

"Thank you, Eric. You managed to do what I never could. I’m truly proud of you... my son," Martin thought, tears welling up in his eyes.