Blue Lemon Sky (2)
The next morning, Kang Saero stood in front of the bathroom mirror, scrutinizing her face. Her skin was plump with moisture, utterly baby-soft. Thank goodness. She'd managed to sleep properly last night too. She'd nearly ruined her sleep and her skin from stress, but taking care of her mom had only shaved off a few hours—still within acceptable limits. Even if the quantity was low, the quality had been deep.
Keeping that emergency recording of Kim Seryeon was a stroke of genius. Whenever sleep evaded her, she'd pull out the middle school festival footage of Kim Seryeon. Unbelievably, it never failed to lull her right to sleep. The clear vocals seeping through her earphones felt like they were melting her insides, but above all, the visual impact when paired with the video was devastating. When I'm beat, I need to watch something good... Kim Seryeon is good... The way his grip tightened fiercely on the mic. The way he flashed a genuine smile with crinkles around his eyes. Little things like that. It was pretty embarrassing, sure, but so what? She was just under the covers with earphones in, listening alone.
Thanks to that, she'd slept like a rock last night, her condition was perfect today, and the Kang Saero in the mirror was drop-dead gorgeous. Who was she? Top output from a celebrity family gene pool. She had everything except domestic peace—she wasn't about to bury herself over that.
"Looking good. Not bad at all." Kang Saero began her morning routine step by step. She shampooed her bangs and styled them meticulously. Her basic makeup went on flawlessly. Sure, she wanted to amp it up more, but any heavier and the teachers would complain. Still, today was the day she'd see Kim Seryeon. Meeting at school was a given, but they'd even scheduled a separate recording session for the song. At a studio in Gangnam, no less. Plenty of fun spots and sights there, right?
No way we're just recording and heading straight home, is there? On a big day like this, skimping with basics was out of the question. After classes, time it right—fix my hair, touch up makeup. Just a bit more on the makeup. Kim Seryeon liked the naturally pretty vibe, so keep it moderate. Dash to the bathroom after final bell, retouch and layer lightly. Two minutes thirty, tops? Her essentials were stashed in the front pocket of her bag. Victory demanded no holds barred. Kang Saero had plans. Plans for domestic peace too, naturally.
If I mope too, everything falls apart. She had to hold strong. For no one else—for herself. I need to make it big quick and lift Mom's spirits. That's why she liked Kim Seryeon even more. Up close, he clearly had superstar potential. Stars were singularly radiant beings. They often eclipsed those around them, stealing opportunities. But a superstar composer? That changed the story. Singers performing his songs naturally benefited. Trickle-down effect, sort of. Provided the singer had talent, of course.
I won't lose to him in star quality either. Right? She had to believe it. Showbiz genes didn't lie. Nodding to herself as she plotted to stick by Kim Seryeon's side from here on out, Kang Saero left her room and paused at the firmly shut master bedroom door. She could almost hear her mom's sobs leaking through, but she was too swamped to absorb it all.
"Heading to school!" Kang Saero announced her departure with deliberate pep in her voice.
I checked my texts first thing in the morning.
8 a.m. Every single morning at this hour, a text pinged in. Since when? Since Star's Birth episode 2 aired. The sender's name at the top: Ji Soeun straight up. Ji Soeun—the idol trainee who'd secretly auditioned without telling her agency boss, now blowing up as the talk of the town. With each new episode stacking up, her buzz was skyrocketing. And this girl was texting me every morning with zero substance.
What the hell? What was she thinking? After swapping numbers last time, she'd switched from DMs to texts. No clue if it was intentional. She's impossible to pin down. That unpredictability was part of her appeal, really. Drop-dead gorgeous, cute as hell, and totally nuts. In modern terms, a total fourth-dimensional weirdo.
Besides her morning texts, she fired off random ones that were equally offbeat.
She had this knack for making me snort-laugh. Felt like a fresh high schooler before the idol trainee gig. Kinda novel sensation too. Ji Soeun was a second-year at a regular high school. Younger than me, yet she came off more like the little sis. Regression really was something to chew on.
Anyway, Ji Soeun was weird. If she weren't this level of off-the-wall, she never would've snuck into the audition without her company knowing, and her talent would've stayed buried. That's Ji Soeun for you. Still, she was an idol trainee. Was casual texting like this okay? We weren't even that close, really. Could lead to misunderstandings down the line.
I'd once texted her out of concern, not long after swapping numbers.
After that, the texts kept coming the same way. Bizarrely addictive, and the timing was sneaky perfect—checking Ji Soeun's morning text had snuck into my routine without me noticing. Am I hooked? From my first timeline memories, she'd been hugely popular as an idol too. Probably charmed fans just like this. Replies... later. I'd have to tell her to cut it out eventually.
"......"
Even thinking that, I couldn't quite push her away. That might be Ji Soeun's real scary side. Zero thoughts, hundred percent charm. Anyway, texts checked—time to wash up.
Shwaaaah.
On the side, today was recording day with Kang Saero. Had to nail it. Give it my all. Having regressed and totally revamped my looks, I was soaking up the world's kindness—stuff I'd never gotten before. No clue why. Just blinked, and boom—miracle. So.
I want to prove myself worthy. Show I've earned this miracle.
I want to do this for real. Steeling my resolve, I showered.
Shwaaaah.
They say you look hottest post-shower in the mirror. If so, right now was hotness squared. Hotness2.
"Hah...."
Insanely handsome. Not just the face—the body kept up. Broad shoulders, elegant hands, perfectly toned muscles, that masculine confidence... endless list. Insane. Before this divine blessing, even my mind went reverent. Some old movie said music was God's language. So what was I?
I'll repay with great songs.
- God: Yeah, let's do it.
Seemed like a reply. Delusion, but whatever. Time flew to afternoon. Final bell rang, and Kang Saero shot up from her seat.
"Gotta hit the bathroom."
She vanished out the back door with grim determination, returning exactly three minutes later. Her face, approaching from down the hall, was subtly more radiant than morning.
Was she holding it in? Of course, I kept that thought locked down. Wisdom from that self-help hit, Approach First in Human Relationships—aka the Mandain teachings.
I'd pretend not to notice.
"Hey, Kim Seryeon."
"Yeah?"
"We're really heading out like this?"
"Yeah. Booked after school hours, so it's tight. No time to swing home and change."
At my firm reply, Kang Saero gawked like she couldn't believe it.
"Wait, so we're going to Gangnam in uniforms?"
"Yup. Why not?"
"It's smack in Gangnam! Tons of people!"
"We're students anyway—what's the big deal? Just recording quick, no need to sweat stares."
"Ah...?"
What? What reaction was that? I rummaged my mental Mandain library, but nada.
Couldn't be helped! No way I could read girls' minds. Hell, anyone's, really. Handsome for just a few years, first real friends now. "......" Made me kinda down. Ended up adding excuses defensively.
"Later slots were all evening-full, and weekends are booked solid—no wiggle room."
"Fine. Whatever."
Kang Saero, meanwhile, was inexplicably sulky. No idea why, so appeal to sympathy it was.
"Our school uniforms fit great and look cute anyway. Suits you too. Just this once? Please?"
"......"
"Please?"
"Fine. Uniforms it is. But!"
She'd said it so energetically, but then averted her eyes and mumbled weakly.
"After recording... let's check out some other spots. It's Gangnam, after all."
"Sure. Let's do that."
"Heh...."
Kang Saero. No clue why, but her mood lifted again.