After finishing their hangover soup, Julien Moreau and Jacques Renaud moved to a nearby café.
Feeling much better, Julien took a sip of his coffee, savoring it.
"Feeling human again?" Jacques asked with a grin.
Julien nodded, his expression relaxed.
"So, what's your next project, Mr. Composer?" Jacques teased playfully.
Although TW Entertainment had no concrete album plans yet, Jacques was sure that no singer in the company would turn down a song from Julien now.
Several artists were on hiatus, so he was curious what Julien would choose as his next move.
Hearing Jacques's playful question, Julien fell deep into thought.
'Next project...'
TW had many talented singers.
Since his last project was a ballad, Julien wanted to try something new this time—something faster and more energetic.
'Should I challenge myself with a lively, upbeat genre?'
But it wasn't idol pop he had in mind.
TW did manage several popular idol groups, but Julien had no intention of returning to that world.
In his previous life, he'd been forced to mechanically churn out idol tracks, stripping away his creativity.
He was good at it, sure—but now, given this second chance, he wanted to focus only on the music he truly loved.
"Well, I still have some vacation days left, so I'll think about it slowly," Julien answered casually, setting down his cup.
"Good. If you need anything, just let me know. I bet everyone's already lining up for your songs," Jacques laughed.
"Anyway, today's the start of your break. Got any plans?"
Hearing this, Julien's face twisted into a complicated expression.
Even in his previous life, he'd never known how to properly rest.
Suddenly having a whole week off felt... strange.
Honestly, he'd planned to rest today and go back to work tomorrow.
He had no place he wanted to visit, nowhere he wanted to go.
In both lives, Julien had lived without close friends or family, drowning himself in work until he forgot what it even meant to relax.
Strangely enough, Jacques's question about the vacation felt harder to answer than the one about his next project.
"...Uh."
Seeing Julien's serious struggle, Jacques burst out laughing.
"Come on, it's not that deep of a question! Anyway, go home and rest properly. I have to get back to the office."
With that, they said goodbye outside the café.
'What should I do now...?'
Julien stood aimlessly on the sidewalk.
No plans.
No desires.
Without music, his life felt alarmingly empty.
'This is a real problem.'
He had vowed to live a more balanced life this time around—but already, he felt lost.
It was pathetic.
Staring at the rows of snowmen lining the street, a thought crossed his mind.
He felt just like those snowmen—silent, purposeless, just... standing there.
And then, suddenly—
Like a hammer to the head, a memory from last night's company dinner slammed into him.
Snow is falling!
Someone had shouted during the party, sending everyone scrambling to the windows.
Julien, already flushed from alcohol, had rushed over too.
I want to make a snowman, Claire Sorel had said offhandedly.
Julien remembered it vividly.
Oh right! Claire! We promised to make a snowman! Let's go tomorrow!
Claire, flustered, had replied:
Julien... there's not enough snow yet. Let's do it tomorrow if it piles up.
Haha, deal! Tomorrow for sure!
Recalling that moment, Julien cringed so hard he had to lower his head.
'Why was I so excited...?'
Maybe the white snow fluttering under the city lights had stirred something sentimental inside him.
He didn't have any particularly fond childhood memories of snow.
But he did love the sensory experience:
The crunchy sound underfoot,
The fleeting chill on his palms,
The way the air felt fresher when it snowed.
Maybe the combination of emotions, nostalgia, and alcohol had reawakened something inside him.
'Snowman...'
Just like Claire, Julien had never built one before.
He'd been too immersed in music as a kid to ever try.
But a promise was a promise.
'I should keep it.'
With that thought, Julien pulled out his phone and made a call.
At that same moment, Claire Sorel was at a café with Yuna Lefevre.
Normally, Claire would've left the dinner early—she wasn't good with alcohol.
But yesterday, for the first time, she stayed until the end.
And today?
She was battling her very first hangover.
"Feeling better, Claire?" Yuna asked, stifling a giggle.
Claire nodded wordlessly, her face pale.
"Wow, this is new. You stayed until the end... was it because of Composer Julien Moreau?"
Yuna's teasing made Claire jump, flustered.
"W-what are you talking about?! Why bring him up?"
Yuna smirked mischievously.
"See? You're already calling him 'Julien' instead of 'Mr. Moreau.'"
At that, Claire's face turned bright red.
Before she could protest, her phone started vibrating loudly on the table.
[Incoming call: Composer Julien Moreau]
Claire grabbed her phone with trembling hands, avoiding Yuna's amused stare.
"H-hello?"
Hi Claire, it's Julien. Is this a good time to talk?
Turning her head slightly away from Yuna's smirking gaze, Claire answered:
"Yes, it's fine. What's going on?"
Julien's calm voice came through the speaker.
Let's make a snowman together.
"...?!"
Claire?
"...Yes??"
Let's go build a snowman.
"...Yes."
She answered almost without thinking.
After confirming the meeting place, Claire hung up and placed her phone down on the table.
Yuna clapped delightedly.
"Wow! No hesitation! Composer Julien is so bold!"
Later, in front of an elementary school in Claire's neighborhood, Julien waited, bundled up against the cold.
The snow had started falling gently again.
Soon, Claire appeared, approaching with a shy smile.
"Hi, Julien."
"Hi, Claire! Over here!"
Snowflakes settled lightly in Claire's hair, and Julien smiled warmly at the sight.
"Wow, the kids have already made a lot of snowmen."
He pointed at a cluster of snow sculptures made by local children.
"Let's make ours over there."
Claire nodded but seemed unsure of what to do next.
Julien rolled up his sleeves and began gathering snow, forming a large ball.
A trail marked his path across the playground.
Seeing this, Claire finally realized she should help too, and started packing snow into a pile.
Julien rolled a giant snowball until it reached his waist in height, then made another for the head.
Before long, they had created a massive snowman—almost taller than Claire herself.
"Phew! It's too big to move!" Julien panted.
Claire laughed lightly.
"I didn't expect it to be this huge."
They found sticks for arms, small stones for eyes and a mouth, and even a red leaf Claire picked up for the nose.
Standing side by side, admiring their creation, they both exclaimed:
"Wow! It looks amazing!"
For a moment, they laughed like kids, forgetting the cold completely.
Snowflakes swirled gently around them, adding to the peaceful, magical atmosphere.
Julien grinned and said:
"Should we name it?"
Claire tilted her head thoughtfully.
"A name, huh... What about 'Masterpiece'?"
"Masterpiece?"
"Yeah. It feels like a real work of art."
Claire laughed at the silly name—but in this moment, it didn't matter.
They were simply happy.
"Oh! Let's enter it into the snowman contest!" Julien said suddenly, pulling out his phone.
"Snowman contest?"
"Yeah, TW is running an event. Winners get a signed copy of Pierre's album!"
Of course, Julien knew they'd get a copy regardless—but he wanted an excuse to capture this moment.
Claire giggled.
"Then let's take a picture with Masterpiece."
They huddled close, snapped a selfie with the giant snowman, and laughed at the result.
Back at the company, Julien uploaded the photo to the contest page.
'With Masterpiece, on a snowy day. — Julien Moreau & Claire Sorel'
The day had left a warmth in his heart that no winter chill could touch.