Chapter 22: Surprises for everyone

Ji-ho was looking down at her phone in surprise. There was a message sitting in it from someone very unexpected.

(Can you be my plus one to an event on the 28th of this month? - Seung-ho)

She sent him a reply.

(What event?)

His reply came just as fast as hers had left.

(A small celebratory dinner for the end of the drama.)

The drama.

He didn't have to specify which one because there was only one hot drama that virtually everyone was talking about. The final episode was being broadcast on the 8th of the next month and there were already talks of a season two if Seung-ho agreed to be its lead again. Aggressive fan wars were taking place and there were several videos shipping Seung-ho's character with two leading ladies of the series, one of them being Dan-bi. The actor had never been officially linked with any of his leading actresses so the fans had begun to hardcore ship him with Dan-bi. Many fans claimed that their chemistry in the drama had been explosive and it was undeniable that Seung-ho and Dan-bi were in love and secretly a couple. They had many interaction videos that showed the 'proof' of it.

(Okay. Is everyone supposed to bring someone along?) Ji-ho wanted to know because she found it odd that Seung-ho was asking her when he could take anyone he wanted to the event. His star power in the industry commanded such influence after all.

(No, but I have to. Going solo might lead to certain complications that I'm trying to avoid.)

(Formal or casual?)

(I'll send you a dress.)

(Alright then.)

It was a surreal conversation. Ji-ho put her phone down and asked herself if she wasn't asleep and dreaming. The young woman wasn't delusional enough to think that Seung-ho had any romantic interest in her. Still, she couldn't suss out a reason for his asking her to be his partner at such an intimate event where actors only normally brought along their family members, lovers, or spouses.

"Suspicious," Ji-ho told herself. "Maybe Seung-ho needs an arm candy who won't try to leverage his status in her favour." It was reasonable enough of a guess. Whatever his reasons were, this would boost her popularity and drive his shipping fans crazier, and Ji-ho was more than okay with that. There was already a lot of hate being thrown her way so what was more of it? At this point, the haters were the reason she was trending so hard despite not having released anything original since her departure from Genesis.

___

One week later, the official S.S. website had made an announcement that shocked all the fans and non-fans alike.

*Come and witness a vocal showdown amongst the heavyweights and the newest artists at S.S.! One song, many singers. Who will win?*

~ WOW

~ Seems interesting

~ I guess this is about the mess that was happening at S.S. Seems like a good way to resolve the problem.

~ And who will judge the singers?

~ IRIS and INO forever! <3 if Iris doesn't win then it's rigged.

~ Finally! It's time for us fans of FOX to prove once and for all that she's the greatest singer that S.S. has. I'm so excited!!! #The FOX is a Nightingale

~ So.. How do we buy tickets?

~ Will Sun Young-mi participate?

~ meow

~ Am I the only one super excited about hearing a new song written by Tae-Hyun?! We only get like two songs per year from him and they're always such a mega-hit!

Iris had submitted her version of the song two days ago, the final date that Tae-Hyun had set for their submission. He hadn't revealed that a live concert would be held so the singers who had resorted to auto-tuning and pitch correction were panicking like headless chicken.

"Producer Lee, you can't do this!" She begged him on the phone. "It'll ruin my reputation!"

"Then remove yourself from the competition, Iris. No one is forcing you to be a part of it," came his cold reply.

"But I want the song-"

"Then you either compete for it or forget about it. You know how difficult the song is. It neither matches your style of singing nor fits your octave range. Why are you so stubborn about this?"

Because she hated Jessica. Because Blue thought Jessica was a better singer than Iris. Because she had to prove it to the world and herself that a third-grade star like Jessica wasn't better than her.

"Because Jessica doesn't deserve to have this song! I can make it mine by tweaking the style and lowering-"

"That's enough, Iris," he said with a cold finality. "You still have time to bow out so think about the consequences of your decision."

The sound of the line getting cut beeped in her ears cruelly as Iris kicked a pillow off her bed. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed harshly from how furious she was.

"How can I not participate in this when my fans are expecting me to?!" She screamed at the phone as if Tae-Hyun could hear her. "I would lose my standing in the group if I backed out now!"

Lee Tae-Hyun had sent a copy of the song to every artist in the company with the clear instruction that they weren't to say a single word about it to their fans. Iris hadn't been able to resist hinting at it on social media and now she was going to pay for it.

On the other hand, FOX was feeling supremely confident about her chances. The twenty six year old singer had heard the rumours about Sun Young-mi's singing abilities but she didn't pay it much stock. She was far too busy recording songs and holding concerts to pay attention to what was going on with the other artists of the company. The song was already hers, she'd decided. No one else in the company had the ability to sing Sunflower in its original form. She smiled, thinking about how producer Lee was probably regretting having given the song to Jessica before considering her.

"You look happy," her boyfriend told her when he saw her smiling.

"Mmhm. I've found the song that will finally cement my place among the greats, maybe even get me an award this time."

Having been heralded by the public as Lee Tae-Hyun's nightingale, FOX had become too complacent with her position. She dismissed everyone who told her that Jessica was a real threat. Why did she have to watch a video of the upstart singing? Was it going to change anything? No. Whether she watched it or not, FOX was going to focus on her voice, practise hard, and give the performance her very best; and she was going to win the song. That was that.