The Star's song

As Serena approached the entrance of the nightclub, she noticed an elderly man standing behind a small reception desk near the doorway.

Stacks of documents were piled around him.

Some were neatly organized.

Most were not.

The old man hurriedly flipped through several sheets while muttering to himself.

"No, no, that's last week's report..."

He grabbed another paper.

"Then where did this one go?"

A second later, he found what he was looking for.

His face brightened.

"Ah! There you are."

Unfortunately, his elbow immediately knocked over another stack.

Papers scattered across the desk like frightened birds.

"..."

The old man stared at the mess.

Then he sighed.

The expression on his face somehow reminded Serena of a struggling panda trying its best to survive a difficult day.

It was strangely adorable.

More importantly, despite his obvious exhaustion, there wasn't a trace of irritation in his voice.

Instead, he patiently gathered the papers together again.

"One step at a time," he told himself with a small smile.

"I've handled worse."

Serena watched quietly for a moment.

From his appearance, he was likely the manager.

His suit was slightly wrinkled.

Dark circles rested beneath his eyes.

Yet whenever an employee passed by, he greeted them warmly.

"Good work tonight."

"Don't forget to take your break."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Every word carried genuine kindness.

The employees seemed to respect him greatly.

Unfortunately, that respect didn't appear capable of defeating the mountain of paperwork threatening to bury him alive.

The old man finally noticed Serena standing nearby.

His eyes widened slightly.

"Oh! Good evening."

He quickly set down the documents and offered a polite bow.

"My apologies. Did you need something?"

Serena glanced at the chaotic desk.

"Are you busy?"

The old man looked at the papers.

Then at Serena.

Then back at the papers.

"...Very."

Serena almost laughed.

At least he was honest.

The old man scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Tonight's performer canceled unexpectedly, one of my staff members called in sick, and somehow I've become responsible for three different jobs at once."

He paused.

"Actually, make that four."

As if to prove his point, another employee rushed over.

"Manager! We have a problem!"

The old man closed his eyes.

"...Five."

For a brief moment, Serena wondered if he might simply collapse from overwork.

Yet somehow, he still managed to smile.

"Please tell me the building isn't on fire."

"No, sir."

"Wonderful. That's one less thing to worry about."

Serena finally let out a quiet laugh.

The old man blinked in surprise.

Then he smiled as well.

For some reason, the atmosphere between them immediately became more relaxed.

"Now then," he said kindly. "What can I do for you, miss?"

Serena's gaze drifted toward the poster hanging beside the entrance.

The one that read:

[Wanted: Singer — For One Night Only]

She looked back at the old manager.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"I came about the singer position."

The old man's eyes widened.

For the first time that evening, hope appeared on his exhausted face.

______________________________________

The nightclub buzzed with life.

Music pulsed through the air while colorful lights danced across the crowded room. Conversations mixed with laughter, creating a constant hum of noise that filled every corner of the building.

Near the back of the club, two young men occupied a private booth.

At first glance, they appeared ordinary.

Just two friends enjoying a night out.

In reality, they were anything but ordinary.

One possessed black hair and striking purple eyes hidden beneath a dark cap.

The other had blonde hair and bright green eyes partially concealed by a pair of glasses.

Simple disguises.

Nothing elaborate.

Just enough to avoid immediate recognition.

After all, if anyone realized that two members of All-Star were casually sitting in a nightclub, things would become very troublesome very quickly.

Especially considering All-Star was currently one of the most famous idol groups in the country.

Finn leaned comfortably against the booth, sipping his drink.

Across from him sat Ren.

As usual, Ren looked completely unfazed by everything around him.

The flashing lights.

The loud music.

The crowded atmosphere.

None of it seemed capable of disturbing his calm expression.

Finn laughed.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if you're secretly a statue."

Ren glanced at him.

"..."

"See? That's exactly what a statue would do."

"..."

"Ren."

"What?"

Finn grinned triumphantly.

"There he is."

Ren sighed.

The blonde idol looked far too pleased with himself.

"You should smile more."

"No."

"You didn't even think about it."

"I did."

"You absolutely didn't."

Ren chose not to respond.

Finn had dragged him here under the excuse of "relaxing."

In reality, Finn simply hated being bored.

Unfortunately, when Finn became bored, everyone around him suffered.

Especially Ren.

"Honestly," Finn continued, "we've had rehearsals all week. Promotions. Interviews. Meetings."

He dramatically stretched his arms.

"I needed to escape."

"You brought me with you."

"Of course."

"Why?"

Finn stared at him.

Then he smiled brightly.

"Because watching you interact with normal human beings is entertaining."

Ren's eye twitched.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

Unfortunately, Finn was correct.

Finn was still talking when, without warning, the lights throughout the nightclub suddenly went out.

The entire room fell into darkness.

A few surprised voices rose from the crowd.

"Huh?"

"What happened?"

"Power outage?"

Then—

A single white spotlight illuminated the stage.

Silence spread throughout the nightclub.

A figure stood behind the curtain.

Only a silhouette.

A woman.

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn toward the stage.

Including Finn and Ren.

Then a voice echoed through the darkness.

A single note.

Soft.

Pure.

Beautiful.

The sound flowed through the room like a gentle breeze carrying the melody of a distant fairy tale.

The crowd fell completely silent.

Even the staff stopped moving.

The voice continued.

Clear and effortless.

As though every note had been woven from starlight itself.

Slowly, the curtains began to part.

And then she appeared.

A woman stepped forward into the spotlight.

Long black hair cascaded down her back.

Silver-gray eyes shimmered beneath the stage lights.

Her elegant features immediately drew every gaze in the room.

She was breathtaking.

Not merely beautiful.

Breathtaking.

The kind of beauty that made people forget what they were doing for a few seconds.

A microphone rested comfortably in her right hand.

A confident smile adorned her lips.

"Ehh?" Finn blinked.

Then a grin spread across his face.

"Hey, Ren."

Ren remained silent.

His purple eyes never left the stage.

Finn's grin widened.

"This night just became a lot more interesting."

On stage, Serena continued singing.

Every movement felt natural.

Every smile felt genuine.

She wasn't simply performing.

She was commanding the room.

Without effort.

Without force.

The audience found themselves drawn toward her naturally.

As the song progressed, the atmosphere of the nightclub transformed.

People who had been chatting moments ago now swayed to the rhythm.

Others began dancing.

Laughter filled the room.

The energy continued rising with every verse.

Finn's expression slowly changed.

His playful smile faded.

In its place appeared something much rarer.

Recognition.

As an idol, he understood exactly what he was witnessing.

Presence.

The ability to capture an audience's attention completely.

The ability that separated ordinary performers from true stars.

And this woman possessed it in abundance.

"She's good," Finn admitted quietly.

Ren nodded once.

A simple gesture.

But coming from him, it spoke volumes.

As the chorus approached, Serena stepped down from the stage.

The audience erupted into cheers.

Yet somehow, instead of creating distance between herself and the crowd, she moved closer.

She walked among them.

Smiling.

Singing.

Meeting their eyes.

Sharing the performance with everyone around her.

The crowd loved it.

Everywhere she went, people lit up with excitement.

Then Serena approached their table.

Finn immediately sat up straighter.

"Well, well—"

Before he could finish, Serena looked directly at them.

Her silver-gray eyes sparkled beneath the lights.

A playful smile appeared on her lips.

Then—

She winked.

For a split second, the entire world seemed to freeze.

Even Finn was caught off guard.

Serena continued singing flawlessly as she passed by their table.

The melody never faltered.

The rhythm never broke.

She simply smiled and moved on toward the next group of guests.

Leaving behind complete devastation.

Finn stared after her.

"..."

Then he slowly turned toward Ren.

"...Did she just wink at us?"

Ren remained silent.

Finn narrowed his eyes.

"...Ren."

No answer.

"...Ren."

Still no answer.

Finn looked closer.

For the first time all evening, Ren appeared genuinely distracted.

The mysterious idol's gaze followed Serena as she moved through the crowd.

The mysterious idol's gaze remained fixed on Serena as she moved gracefully across the stage.

The entire nightclub seemed captivated by her presence.

Then, as Serena finished her final note, the room erupted into thunderous applause.

Cheers filled the air.

Several audience members stood from their seats, clapping enthusiastically.

A bright smile appeared on Serena's face.

She gave a graceful bow before looking out at the crowd.

"Thank you, everyone!"

Her voice carried clearly throughout the venue.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of your night!"

She waved cheerfully before stepping away from the stage.

The audience responded with another round of applause as she disappeared backstage.

For a moment, Ren and Finn sat in silence.

Neither spoke.

Neither moved.

The performance they had just witnessed lingered in their minds.

Finally, Ren broke the silence.

"That was a good performance."

His voice remained as calm as ever.

"For someone who only sings in a nightclub, her skill is exceptional."

Finn rested his chin on his hand, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Would you look at that?"

His green eyes followed the direction Serena had disappeared.

"I wasn't expecting to find someone like her here."

Before Ren could reply, a ringtone suddenly echoed through the booth.

Finn glanced at his phone.

The screen displayed a familiar name.

Hikaru.

Their manager.

"...Uh-oh."

Finn answered the call.

The moment he placed the phone against his ear, an irritated voice exploded from the other side.

"HEY, FINN! WHERE ARE YOU TWO!?"

Finn winced.

Several nearby guests turned to look at him.

"Ohhh, Hikaru."

He laughed awkwardly and gave an instinctive wave despite the manager being unable to see him.

"How have you been?"

"HUH!? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"

Hikaru sounded even more irritated now.

"You two disappeared without telling anyone! Get back here immediately!"

Finn sighed dramatically.

"Ehh? But we were just about to meet a woman."

There was complete silence.

Then—

"HUH!?"

The sheer disbelief in Hikaru's voice nearly made Finn laugh.

"We're coming, we're coming."

"You better be!"

Click.

Finn ended the call before the lecture could continue.

For a few seconds, he stared at the screen.

Then he sighed again.

"Our manager gets more terrifying every year."

"He's always been terrifying."

"Fair point."

Both idols stood from their seats.

Reluctantly, they made their way toward the exit.

Unfortunately, their brief escape from work had come to an end.

As they approached the nightclub's entrance, Finn shoved his hands into his pockets.

Then he suddenly stopped.

Ren halted beside him.

The two looked ahead.

Standing near the exit was the same young woman who had performed earlier.

Serena.

The nightclub's lights cast a soft glow across her black hair as she spoke with the elderly manager.

For a brief moment, neither Ren nor Finn said anything.

Then Finn slowly smiled.

"Well..."

His eyes sparkled with interest.

"Looks like we found her after all."

Ren remained silent.

Yet his purple eyes lingered on Serena for a moment longer than usual.

Somehow, he had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time their paths crossed.

As Finn was about to walk over to Serena, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind her.

"Finn! Ren! There you are! I've been searching everywhere for you two!"

A male staff member from All-Star hurried toward them, looking both relieved and exhausted.

The moment he reached them, he grabbed both idols by the shoulders.

Finn blinked.

Ren blinked.

Neither had time to react.

"There are people panicking back at headquarters!" the staff member continued. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?"

Without wasting another second, the staff member began dragging both idols toward the exit.

"Wait!" Finn protested as he was pulled away. "At least let me introduce myself first!"

"Absolutely not."

"Just thirty seconds!"

"No."

"Ten seconds?"

"No."

"Five?"

"No."

The nightclub doors opened.

Then closed.

And just like that, the two members of All-Star were forcibly escorted out of the building before either of them could say another word.

Finn looked back one last time.

Through the glass doors, he caught a brief glimpse of Serena speaking with the elderly manager.

Then the view disappeared as he was dragged farther away.

"..."

A long sigh escaped him.

"What a shame."

Beside him, Ren remained silent.

Yet his gaze lingered on the nightclub for a moment before finally turning away.

Neither of them knew it yet.

But the mysterious girl they had encountered that night would soon become impossible to forget.

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