Fairly early on this one.

Enjoy.

June 26th, 2020

Seraphine sat beside me, her eyes glued to her screen as she typed on her phone.

"Someone's been on their phone for awhile now," I said with a smirk. It didn't really bother me. Seraphine hardly ever used her phone when we were together, so her using it now was more strange than annoying. "Any reason why?"

"I finally got around to making accounts for social media," she explained. She put her phone in front of me. "Look, aren't I adorable?" She'd just posted a picture of herself, smiling prettily at the camera while leaving her hair blow in the wind. Her azure eyes seemed to shine and sparkle even within the still picture.

"That you are, Sera," I replied honestly. "Very adorable."

She grinned. "You know, as late as I am to jump on this train, I'm a little surprised that you don't have any social media accounts."

"Too busy for it," I said. "And it's not really all that interesting to me."

"Too busy for it?"

I rolled my eyes at her nitpicking. "You know what I mean."

"Fair enough," Seraphine said. She tucked her phone in her pocket. "How's The Vastaya?"

"Good," I found myself saying. "As crazy busy as it is, it feels really great to have a source of income again. And its pretty fulfilling to work there. How about you? How's your job at Starbucks?"

Seraphine shrugged. "It's alright. Kinda miss the environment at The Vastaya. But one of my coworkers, Ben, is a really sweet guy. Makes the days a little more bearable."

"Ooh." I nudged her side with my elbow slightly. "Got a bit of a crush going on?"

"Nah," she said. "He's a little too… normal for me."

"Never heard that before."

"Probably because no girl has ever called you normal," Sera explained. "Almost like you're crazy talented or something."

"Yeah." I let out a small breath. "But sometimes, I'd kill to be a normal person," I murmured.

"And why is that?"

I thought about giving her a response. Ultimately, I decided against it and just simply shook my head. "When I have time, I'll make one."

"Make one what?"

"Accounts for both Twitter and Instagram."

Seraphine hummed. "Promise?" she asked.

"Yeah. Promise."

"Oh yeah, speaking of that," Sera began, sufficiently distracted from the previously weighty topic. "I was intending on posting the covers of Childhood Dreams and POP/STARS sometime next month."

"Why next month?"

"I want to draw stuff for it."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Yeah."

I nodded. "Sure. They're your covers as much as mine, Ser. Do whatever you want with them."

"Sounds good." She glanced at me, and then slowly lowered her head to rest it on my shoulder. "Mind if I borrow this?"

"You ask me after you've already borrowed it?"

Sera smirked. "That's usually how it goes whenever I do this."

I rolled my eyes. This was how it always was between her and I. So close and yet so far away at the same. Seraphine leaned against my shoulder, laid in my lap, and even cuddled up next to me when we were alone together. But ever since our conversation in March, ever since I accepted that I loved her, the distance between us never changed.

Despite the painfully obvious difference with which she and I acted together, nothing had changed. It was like both of us were too afraid to say something, to do something, to act on our feelings. While I wasn't sure if that was true for Seraphine, I knew how true it was for me.

But slowly, over the course of this last month, I'd been working on a song to translate my feelings into words.

And unlike every other song I'd written before, this one felt genuine.

That was when I knew that it was the right song. For me. For the both of us.

A hand came to rest on the side of my cheek. "Doing a lot of thinking there, Jae. Mind sharing with the class?" Seraphine asked as she looked up at me.

"Just…" I trailed off, trying to find a reasonable answer. "Looking forward, I guess. Thinking about the future, all that good stuff. You know, the usual post-graduate thoughts."

Seraphine giggled. "That's all you're thinking about when you've got me right here?"

"More interesting in doing, rather than thinking when it comes to you," I said, lightly rolling the shoulder that Seraphine was resting on.

"Jae!" She lightly hit my stomach.

"What?" I looked incredulously at her. "You're the one that started it."

"Well, I… I guess that's true." Seraphine sat up straight, her lips pursed. "Would not mind that right now, honestly."

"Which part? The flirting or the doing you?"

Sera looked at me. "Both."

"Wait, Ser—"

"Jae, do you love me?"

"Yes. I do," I responded immediately.

Seraphine pushed herself up and positioned her face mere centimeters from mine. Her lips were a hairs' breadth from mine, and her intoxicating perfume filled every one of my senses. "Then kiss me. Right now," she breathed.

Slowly, shakily, I placed both of my hands on either one of her cheeks. Then, I pushed her away. "Sera. I don't want it to be like that. And you know that."

"I'm here. I'm ready. I want you, Jae," she exhaled. "Why are you waiting?"

"Because I'm not ready," I replied. I reached out and ran a hand through her soft hair before placing it on her cheek. "But when I am ready, you'll be the first to know."

"Me, and no one else?" Seraphine asked. She laid her hand atop mine.

I nodded.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Jae," Seraphine began after a small lull in our conversation.

"Ser?"

"I… I want to make an album."

"Like.. our own full-length album?"

"Yeah. An album that only the two of us worked on. An album that only has us in the credits. An album for us, and no one else but us."

"Then let's do it," I breathed. "But, you know how hard this is going to be, right?"

Sera nodded. "Yeah. I know."

"It's not as simple as an EP. An album means… a lot of things. And we have to nail every single one of those things if we want the album to be successful."

"I know."

"Sure, we've made EPs before, but producing an album will be nothing like that, and—"

Sera pressed her lips against my cheek, leaving me frozen and entirely still. The only point of warmth throughout my entire body was the warmth of her lips even as she pulled away. "Jae," she said, staring straight into my eyes. "Calm down."

"I…" I let out a slow, heavy breath. "Right. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for." With her hand, she grazed the side of my cheek with her fingers once again. "Now," Sera began, a small smirk dancing across her lips. "I'm feeling a little tired, so I'm going to use you as my pillow. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah," I replied, finding myself smiling. "That's fine."

And without another word, Seraphine adjusted her position on my bed, and then rested her head against my chest, eventually falling asleep to the steady beat of my heart.

[;]

I glanced at Seraphine as she laid beside me. Her hair was a slight mess, some strands sticking up and out from the top of her head, seeing as she had just woken up from a fairly fitful nap. Her eyes were slightly lidded as she squinted at her phone screen.

Sera caught my less-than-subtle staring, and she raised a brow at me. "You know, lately, you've been staring at me pretty often." She flicked some hair over her shoulder. "Enjoying the view?" She asked.

Despite the messiness of her appearance, the slight tiredness in her eyes, and the small, nearly undetectable small that ghosted her lips, she was, in that moment, the most beautiful that I'd ever seen her before.

"Yes," I exhaled. "I am."

A blush lit up Seraphine's cheeks. "I… I see," she murmured, biting her lip.

"Something wrong?"

"No, no," she replied, waving her hand innocently. "Nothing's wrong." Sera looked to the side. "Just… getting used to you being so upfront about everything."

"Is that so bad?"

Sera shook her head. "Not bad. Just different."

I hummed. "I see." Grinning, I tilted my head. "I don't know, I don't really mind it— I kinda like it, honestly."

"Oh." Seraphine's cheeks darkened even further.

"Do you even have any ideas for the album?" I asked, changing the topic before I found myself getting embarrassed as well.

Sera seemed surprised by my sudden question, but she responded regardless. With a shrug, she said, "Honestly, I have no idea."

"No clue?"

"None at all," she confirmed with a nod. "How about you? Between the two of us, you're the only one making actual music. And that song you've been making…" She trailed off.

"I've only got that one song I'm working towards," I stated. "Other than that, I got nothing."

"Oh. I see." Sera leaned forward in her chair, an inquisitive look on her face. "I guess there's not much else to write about?"

"There's a hundred million songs that are still unwritten, Seraphine," I said with a smile. "We just need to find them. Together."

[;]

July 17th, 2020

"Honestly, I'm shocked that you two haven't made it official already," Eunkyung said whilst she absentmindedly scrolled down an article on her laptop.

I looked up from my phone. "Made what official?"

"That you're dating— I mean, when Seraphine was last here, she looked about ready to just pounce on you." Eunkyung pointed to the couch. "She was here until midnight too, probably just waiting for me to go to bed."

"I'd like to think that Sera has a bit more tact than that," I said.

"Do you really?"
"I said a bit. I didn't say she had a lot."

Eunkyung chuckled. "Is it bothering her that you're still figuring things out?"

"It shows through every now and then, but when I tell her to stop, she stops."

She hummed. "Shouldn't keep a girl waiting, Jae."

"I feel like you've told me every bit of advice under the sun now," I said, trying to hide the shit-eating grin that threatened to break out onto my face. "Is there actually any truth to it?"

Eunkyung shrugged. "That one was a joke."

"I see, I see."

"But in all honesty, I want to do this right. I want it to be genuine." I smiled to myself. "I want it to be every bit as cheesy, as cliche, and as beautiful as everyone says it is. I want it to be unforgettable. The moments, the memories… Everything."

"And what if its not? What if it isn't anything like you thought it would be?"

"Then… then I guess I went wrong somewhere along the way."

"Do you really think that?"

"Yeah. I really do."

"I see…" Eunkyung sighed. "Well, if that's all the convincing you'll need, then I think you know what to do from here on out."

"I'm writing a song for her," I said out of the blue, surprising both myself and Eunkyung. "It's… a genuine song. A song that I think the both of us would appreciate and relate to."

"Good. Being genuine is the best place to start." Eunkyung smiled slightly. "And how's your album coming along?"

[;]

"I posted the cover of Childhood Dreams today," Seraphine said. She laid on her side, her phone likely resting against a nearby pillow as she glanced up at the camera. Since Sera was feeling a little tired after her shift at work, she and I were on FaceTime today instead of on our computers.

"Any traction?"

"A small amount. Nothing too impressive."

"That's good, that's good."

"How about you? I heard a new song playing on your speakers at the start of our call today."

"Oh." She'd heard the song I was writing for her. "That's a side project of mine. No idea where its going, so I haven't told you yet."

She hummed. "A love song?"

"It usually is."

"Mmm? I see, I see." She giggled. "I won't ask anymore about it, but I am intrigued to say the least."

"Figured you would be." I bit the corner of my lip. "Probably gonna let you listen to it sooner rather than later."

"No pressure," she said, grinning. "I'm here as long as you could ever want me."

[;]

August 23rd, 2020

According to Seraphine, ever since she posted her cover of Childhood Dreams, she'd gained a decent amount of followers on her Instagram as well as Twitter— but when she posted her cover of K/DA's POP/STARS, her follower count shot through the roof. Apparently, despite the band having not released a single track for two whole years, they still had an incredibly dedicated fanbase.

Seraphine had become a small star overnight.

And she was more than excited to share the news with me.

"I'm at, like, over fifteen thousand followers now, Jae," she stated over the phone. "It's crazy! I had to turn off all Instagram notifications from my phone because there's always people commenting on the POP/STARS post."

I wouldn't lie— despite being happy for Seraphine's recent success, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Sure, making an account was easy, but maintaining it, keeping up with every new trend, and making the effort to follow those trends was too time consuming for me.

And with me being out of school, I needed to work hours more than ever to fight off the crushing weight of my student loan debt. As it turned out, having to pay around three thousand dollars a month to just pay off the interest and a small portion of the actual debt was difficult. To say the least.

Between that, making my own music, helping Eunkyung, and managing the house, I barely had time to myself. And even less time to dedicate to Seraphine. And even less time to dedicate to something like social media.

Fighting back the cold feeling of jealousy as it attempted to worm its way into my heart, I cracked a small smile. "That's great, Ser!" I cheered. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Jae— You're the one that produced the cover after all, so I made sure to mention you."

"But I don't have an account."

She shook her head. "I just said, 'Here's my take on POP/STARS, produced by my friend Jae and sung by me.'"

"Then that's good enough for me."

"You know, maybe I should just start pictures of us together instead of getting you an account," suggested Seraphine.

"Do whatever you want. It's your account, Ser."

"I'll think about it then," she decided.

"Speaking of music," I said. "How's your busking going?" Sera, despite the quarantine, had taken it upon herself to go busking at least three times a week near the Starbucks where she worked. I remember when she'd asked me to join her, but unfortunately my busy schedule wouldn't let me. She and I often worked at around the same times, except that her shifts ended hours before mine did.

Upon mentioning her busking, Seraphine's face lit up. "It's going! I tend to get at least five or six people to stick through a single song before leaving, which is pretty good," she explained. "I'm thinking of performing the cover of POP/STARS tomorrow after work."

"Go for it." I grinned. "Who knows, now that you're a small internet star, people might recognize your voice."

"That's the plan." She smiled back at me. "Alright, Jae. I'm gonna get going now, don't want to keep you for too long."

"Sounds good. Talk to you later, Ser."

"Later, Jae."

[;]

August 24th, 2020

As Ahri strutted across the red carpet, a thousand flashing cameras surrounding her, a hundred questions flying at her, one question in particular stood out to her.

"Can we expect a comeback from K/DA any time soon?"

Ahri stopped in her tracks. She glanced back at the reporter who had asked the question, pulling her sunglasses down to reveal her glinting blue eyes, the black mask she wore still shrouding the bottom half of her face.

"Comeback? Why… We never left," she said with a smirk that reached her eyes. Dramatically, Ahri flicked her hair over her shoulder before walking over to the car that awaited her at the end of the red carpet.

A few steps from the car door, Ahri's phone pinged with a text from none other than Evelynn. Ahri opened her phone.

Thought you mind find this interesting, Evelynn said. And in the following text, there was a video of a pink-haired girl standing in front of a microphone, a mask covering her face, and a guitar in her hand.

Curiosity piqued, Ahri played the video.

"And when I start to talk like that, oh you won't know how to react…" The girl sang. "I'm a picture perfect face with that wild in my veins, you can hear it my growl, growl, growl, growl…"

And in that instant, Ahri saw herself in the girl. She saw herself, all those years ago, in the same position as the girl— holding her guitar and singing her heart out.

Flipping back over to her and Evelynn's texts, Ahri typed out a response while stepping into the car. Thanks, Eve. Looks like I have a phone call to make.

A small smile ghosting her lips, Ahri leaned back in her chair.

It's about time that this year got off to a start.

[;]

August 25th, 2020

I sat beside Sera, my gaze trained on the computer screen. "You ready?" I asked.

Sera cleared her throat and went for another gulp of water. A few quick warm-ups later, she replied. "I'm warm. We can start."

I smiled to myself. Sera and I would make it. Together. I would be right by her side, and she would be by mine. With ANGEL already completed, and our own full-length album on the way, Seraphine and I had been flying high ever since graduation. It felt like we were on top of the world— and the last two months have been absolutely unforgettable.

At least, unforgettable for me.

As faint sunlight began to leak through the thin blinds of Sera's room, I readjusted my position beside her. I glanced at Sera once again. And she gave me a small smile paired with a thumbs up.

With a click, we were recording.

And Sera's soft, beautiful voice filled the room.

"Toes in the sand by the setting sun.

I saw you, wide eyes.

Soft hair.

And my heart was done—"

Suddenly, Sera's phone erupted in ringing bells and soft, twinkling sounds.

I nearly fell out of the chair, but I managed to catch myself and sit back up.

Sera looked me over, her eyes alight with concern. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I moved to pause the recording. "You gonna get it?"

"Oh!" Sera picked up the phone. "Hello?" She looked clearly frustrated at the fact that she hadn't silenced it before the recording. "Yes, that's me!"

Sera, as if she had seen a ghost, froze. Her eyes moved sluggishly towards the poster or K/DA's Ahri that hung above her bed.

"Y— Yes! Oh my gosh, sorry. Yes." Sera shot out of her chair and placed her guitar in my lap. She looked at me. Her azure eyes alight with a joy that I had only seen a few times before. "Of— of course! I mean, yes! That would be… just incredible!" A second later, she lowered the phone.

"Sera?" I asked hesitantly.

"They… they called me! She called me!" Seraphine hopped up to her bed, her hands flying up into the hair as she jumped up and down on the bed.

I set down the guitar. I approached her. "Who did?"

"Her!" Seraphine pointed towards Ahri. "Ahri from K/DA called me!" She squealed. She looked at Jaemin. "Jae, can you believe it?!"

"I…" I swallowed. The words stung my ears and sent my head spinning, spiraling, descending."Yeah. I can. You're an amazing singer."

She laughed, smiled, and with a great yelp, fell back onto her bed. Sera let out a deep sigh. "Wow. I can't believe it. I'm working on a song with K/DA."

Something stabbed straight through my chest. A cold feeling slowly built throughout me, like a freezing hand grabbed my heart and began to slowly squeeze it. I rubbed at my chest, believing that it would somehow ease the ache. "You— you are?"

"Yeah… At least, I think so. I hope so." Sera sat up and crossed her legs. She smiled sheepishly. "Ahri said I should keep it a secret, but you're my best friend! So of course I would tell you."

My knees buckled and I fell back into the chair. My words caught in my throat. I forced them out. "Right. A secret." I managed a small smile. "I'll be sure to tell everyone I know," I joked.

Sera giggled. She stood up from the bed and walked towards him. Gently, she placed her arms around me and wrapped me in a tight hug. "Thank you, Jae. I made it this far because of you. You know that, right?"

I bit my tongue. I fought to keep the smile on my face. "Yeah. You owe me big time."

Sera grinned. "I do." She sat back down on the chair beside him. "So, we should get this song finished, right?"

I shot up from my own chair, nearly knocking down Sera's carefully balanced guitar. "I actually can't. I just remembered that Rakan told me to come in and work a shift tonight."

"Oh," Sera said, visibly surprised. "I didn't know you had a shift tonight."

"Covering for Jinx," I said quickly.

"Alright. Tomorrow, then?"

My hands flew to my pockets. "Maybe. I'll let you know by tonight."

Sera nodded. "I'll see you later." She smiled. Those beautiful azure eyes sparkled as a ray of sunlight illuminated them like the waves of the ocean. "Thank you, Jae."

"No problem, Ser."

Without another word, I left Sera's room. My heart hammered in my chest. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as the cold numbness that spread throughout me solidified into a freezing chill. In the middle of walking down the stairs, my legs gave out, and I collapsed on the stair I was on, my back against the wall.

And I wept in silence.

[;]

August 26th, 2020

Ever since yesterday, Seraphine hadn't heard a single word from Jae. He didn't respond to a single one of her texts, a single one of her calls— it was like he'd just dropped off the face of the earth. Sera accepted that he was likely just incredibly busy, especially because he hadn't even so much as opened the texts.

As she laid on her bed, Seraphine idly scrolled through her phone, knowing that she was being entirely unproductive.

I should probably get something done. She smiled to herself. I can hear Jae yelling at me. She had a ton of work that she needed to get done— especially in regards to the album that she and Jae were working on.

But ever since Ahri had called her, ever since yesterday's almost dreamlike reality, her mind had been a storm of emotion. Tomorrow, she was going to be standing in front of her idols. She was going to meet the four people that she had grown to love, adore, and respect. And it was likely going to change the entire course of her life, if she did it right.

That, she had to admit, was more exciting than the project she and Jae began a month ago.

She'd reached that conclusion last night, when she couldn't so much as write a single lyric or produce a single note for the album and instead wanted to work on something entirely new, something entirely different.

And for the most part, Seraphine thought that was okay. She believed that Jae would think it was okay too.

Whenever he found the time to respond to her texts.

Uh oh.

I was strongly debating posting this chapter early versus on the scheduled time, and I'm sure you can see why.

Thank you so much for supporting me, and Rising Stars thus far. It means the world.

Next Chapter: 2/12/21

Yes, I know that's far- but I hope that two updates in such a short period of time is worth that wait.