VIE GHOULS.
"Corn is a... Fairy Prince." Cupping her hands around his ear, Kyoko whispered.
Her warm breath softly caressed the skin of his ear and his neck, sending jolts of current throughout his body, but even that was not enough to distract Ren from the shocking revelation. She actually... still... believes it? He failed to hide the surprise from his face but Kyoko was too much lost in her fantasies to notice it.
She opened her mouth and started rambling on and on excitedly about Corn and his fairy kingdom, only adding more to Ren's shock, that she still believed in all the balderdash stories he had made up as a ten-year-old child.
She still believes in... fairies of all things...? Just keep it in! Ren commanded himself as he struggled hard to keep a straight face, but failed when a chuckle bubbled out of his throat, which he immediately tried to disguise as a cough.
Kyoko ceased her ramblings. She cocked her head at Ren and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You laughed just now, didn't you?"
"I did not."
Kyoko blushed hard and spat angrily, "Corn really is a fairy whether you believe it or not!"
"I never said otherwise," Ren's face remained expressionless but he still held his breath, not trusting his stomach which was bursting inside from suppressing the rising fits of laughter. He wasn't sure how long he could keep resisting.
When he finally parted his lips to breathe, he gave in and ended up laughing so hard that he sank down on an empty bench on the side of the road.
Kyoko's face became as red as a tomato. She humphed and sat down on the opposite side of the same bench with her eyebrows creased in an intense frown. She kept glaring at him the whole time he chortled.
"Hey, I said I'm sorry..." He said through his chuckles. "I was not making fun of you..."
"Dont look at me that way!" Her tone suddenly turned soft and hurt which immediately stopped Ren from laughing. "I'm not making this up. I thought you of all people would believe me."
"I shouldn't have laughed, I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely.
"I know you must be thinking that I must have misunderstood Corn or maybe he lied about being a fairy," she went on. "But Corn would never lie. And as for me, I know what I saw. That stone is a proof that Corn was real and I did not just imagine him. I even saw him flying!"
"Really?" Ren remembered no such thing. "Are you sure that you actually saw him levitating in the sky?"
"Well... Not exactly... but that's only because his wings weren't fully grown yet." Kyoko tried to remember as she stroked her chin. "To be precise, Corn had said that his wings had grown several times but whenever he tried to fly off, they got clipped by getting trapped in his father's larger wings and he came crashing back down." Just the memory of it flooded Kyoko's eyes with tears. She looked up at the sky and exclaimed, "wherever you are, Corn, do your best!"
Warmth rushed through Ren when he heard those words. After all these years Kyoko's trust in him hadn't subsided at all. He stared at her from the corner of his eyes. The sight of her slightly wet lashes and her pink cheeks was making his heart ache with craving.
"I think Corn must be fine," Kyoko continued with a small smile. "It's been ten years, he must have grown up by now and his wings must be even larger than his father's."
"I wonder about that" Ren mumbled absentmindedly.
"Why would you say something like that?" Kyoko narrowed her eyes. She stood up and punched the air victoriously before exclaiming, "I'm sure that Corn is even greater than his father now. The only reason he couldn't surpass him before was because back then he was still a child. Now, however, he must have grown up to be a fine adult. He was born to be a king. He must have surpassed his father long ago."
Never did it cross Ren's mind before that the girl he used to tell those made-up stories would say these words to him right when he needed to hear them the most. Without realizing, Kyoko had lifted off a huge weight from his chest.
"Thank you," he handed Corn's stone back to her. "Here."
"You can... um... hold on to it for a while, in case the President says something to you again," Kyoko patted her index fingers together and mumbled hesitantly as she batted her dark eyelashes.
"You should keep it. Isn't it your most prized possession?" He lightly pressed the stone to his lips just as a gust of wind hit him making his dark hairs flutter on his head. The sight was so beautiful that Kyoko's heart almost skipped a beat. A spark charged in the air and she could almost feel something like magic blossoming there. It was as if Corn himself was there with them.
Ren dropped the stone in her outstretched hands and smiled, "I'll be okay now. I just know it." Besides, I have a magic which is much more powerful and special than this stone, he thought as he held the warm gaze of her fiery hazel eyes.
"You really surprised me today, when you started playing the piano in the scene out of nowhere," Yashiro told Ren on the drive back to the agency that night. "You only started learning a few weeks ago, yet you played like a pro. You are quite a fast learner."
"It's not that hard," Ren shrugged nonchalantly.
"You're such a natural at everything else, I wonder why your love life isn't progressing!" Yashiro smirked mischievously as he raised an eyebrow. "You brought the girl you love to your apartment at night, yet nothing happened. Sometimes you're just too good of a guy."
"Am I?"
"Yes. It's fine to be rational about it all but if you act too nice and don't give her any hints, eventually some really dodgy guy might appear and steal her before you even make a move."
"Dodgy guy, huh?" Ren's face remained indifferent. "He'd had have to be really bold and tough to even stand a chance with her."
"How unusual!" Yashiro clapped his hands and flashed a cheery grin. "You didn't deny it for for the first time! The part about you being in love with her."
Ren didn't reply for a long moment as if he was carefully choosing his next words. "I bet even if I did deny it, you would still not believe me, so I've learned that correcting someone who refuses to believe is a waste of time."
"So that's your defence, huh?" Yashiro rolled his eyes. He wasn't as perceptive as Takarada but Ren's lie was so obvious that anyone could've seen through it. "Since you're not in love with her, then you shouldn't mind if someone does try to make a move on Kyoko, right?"
"That's right," a corner of Ren's mouth quirked up a centimetre into a ghost of a smile. "It won't happen anyway, because she is a member of the Love Me Division, remember?"
"You got a point there," Yashiro stroked his chin. "If she was able to fall for someone so easily, she wouldn't have been a part of the Love Me Division in the first place." He patted his client's shoulder, determined to make him admit the truth. "Isn't that great, Ren? At least now you don't have to worry about someone else stealing her away."
Ren didn't deign it necessary to reply. Firstly, because if he let the conversation keep going, Yashiro wouldn't rest until he would make him admit his true feelings for Kyoko. And secondly, because there actually was one troublesome guy in particular whom Ren was worried about when it came to dodgy guys trying to make a move on her. Because just his name was enough to shake Kyoko's heart. Sho Fuwa.
The days after Katsuki's return to the set of Dark Moon flew by in a flash. The schedule turned so hectic that the crew and the cast barely had any time to breathe. Kyoko somehow managed to pull off the shoot along with her acting classes, her regular classes and her role as Bo, the mascot, but she didn't get a chance to go to the agency at all.
It was a little over a week when Swara called her to give her the news of this brand new opportunity which brought her to the place where she was currently standing. Flashing a confident smile, she approached the huge, block building in front of her, where her first-ever interview will be held.
She recalled her conversation with Swara from last night when he had called her, as she stepped inside.
"Japonet Scoop? Yes, I know what it is. Why?" She had asked him. Japonet Scoop was a late night program which interviewed new, promising stars in various spheres of the entertainment industry. Kyoko knew about it because Sho had been invited there more than a couple of times back when they used to live together.
"So, there is a new special segment called The Wanted Segment," Swara explained. "In it, they invite new stars who left a great impact on the viewers without being known. As in, 'I've seen him or her somewhere before, who is it?'"
"Oh yeah," Kyoko remembered," Moko told me she had been invited for an interview under this segment after the Kyurara commercial aired."
"Right. Well, this time, you are the standout."
"Me?"
"Yes. People had been curious to know the girl who is playing Mio in Dark Mook since the trailer has been released. When I told them you are the same person from the Kyurara commercial, they wanted to cover you no matter what," he chuckled. "You should have heard their frantic voices. You looked so different in both the roles, almost like a chameleon. Anyway, what surprised them the most and generated the most buzz for you was that part."
"What part?" Kyoko clutched the phone tighter. Please don't let it be Bo, she prayed.
"It's the part you played in Sho Fuwa's music video. Everyone is like, 'who is this girl who played the angel?'"
An evil smile made its way to Kyoko's lips when she remembered the last part of what Swara had said. People were finally noticing her from Sho's video which meant she was stealing his audience. It felt great to use him as a stepping stone for a change instead of him using her.
She stalked ahead into the almost-empty hallway with a bunch of doors on the side. Suddenly, her eyes focused on a certain name plate outside one particular door. Her gaze lingered on it for a brief moment before darting away as she kept walking. The name on that plate, starting with a S and ending with an O, belonged to a certain narcissistic egomaniac whose mere existence bothered her.
Kyoko almost cursed her luck for being invited here on the same day as that creep but later decided against it. I'll just pretend I didn't notice it. Her mood was way too good to be ruined over the likes of him. There was no point in paying attention to him since he would have been invited by the music segment. It's not like they were going to run into each other anyway.
Once Kyoko made it to her dressing room, she studied herself in the full-size mirror. A peach spaghetti-strap summer dress was draped around her thin frame, which hung down to her thighs leaving her pale knees bare. She had also shrugged on a denim jacket to cover her shoulders, but once she got there, she took it off and neatly folded it before keeping it into her handbag. A pair of light-coloured, matching sandals were on her feet. With the help of the makeup she had recently bought, she looked exquisite. Though, in an ordinary way. She looked like any sixteen-year-old girl would look if she went out with her friends. No part of her suggested that she was a celebrity.
Taking out her new cosmetics from her purse, she reapplied some of the makeup to her face which had been washed up from her sweat. At last, she was glossing her lips when the door of her dressing room suddenly burst open.
On the other side stood one of the most attractive guys Kyoko had ever laid eyes upon. With a triangular skull, strikingly gorgeous eyes and sharp features on his chiseled face, he looked like the type of guy any girl with fall for in an instant. A black, faux leather costume fitting tightly over his lean, hunky figure didn't at all help diminish his sex appeal. But despite all this, his most noticeable feature was his hair. Those long, stunning, platinum-blonde strands loosely hung from his head to his chest almost like silk threads glistening silver under the full moon. The thick, shiny bangs of those argent hair were covering almost all of his forehead only revealing his purple eyes, which were so dark that they almost looked black. A black choker was tightly wrapped around his pale, white neck with a metal chain attached to it. The chain curved over the side of his chest before joining one of his silver earrings, which matched perfectly with the hoary shade of his smooth hair.
Kyoko blinked.
He looked at her for a brief moment, and his eyes flickered across the small dressing room searchingly before fixating on her again. This time he studied her from head to toe. "It can't be..." His eyes widened with surprise.
Kyoko blinked again, not sure what to say.
"You are Kyoko? The one from Sho Fuwa's music video?" He remained shocked for a moment before a corner of his mouth quirked up into a lopsided smirk. A mocking snort came from his lips just as he raised an eyebrow judgementally while looking at her with conceit.
Kyoko fumed from inside. How could this plain girl be the one who played the angel? was practically written on his face. Sure, she didn't have on any fancy clothes or expensive makeup like other actors, but unlike them, she had to pay herself for her acting classes, her regular classes as well besides her basic needs. And he had the nerve to look down at her with such contempt, even after she went through the trouble of putting on makeup.
Before she could think of a nasty comeback to flung at this arrogant fellow, who just barged into her dressing room without permission, he turned back and walked away.
Who the hell does he think he is? Kyoko punched the wall.
A little while later, a staff member came to escort Kyoko to the waiting room before her interview started. As the two made their way down the hall, she spotted that silver-haired guy again through the glass window of an elegantly large studio. He was being interviewed along with four other guys, who were almost as good looking as him and were dressed up in equally flashy costumes.
Kyoko stopped in her tracks as she stared at them with curiosity. "Who are they?"
Her guide stopped as well when he noticed she was not following him anymore. His eyebrows shot up with disbelief. "Are you saying you've never heard of the Vie Ghouls?"
She shook her head.
"Are you serious? Everyone is talking about them since their debut song beat the record of Sho Fuwa."
"What?" It was her turn to be shocked.
"Yes. Sho Fuwa's songs, for the first time since he started singing, didn't top the charts. They ranked second since the debut of this new boy band called the Vie Ghouls. Are you sure you've never heard of them? All the gossip articles are comparing their lead singer, Reino to Sho Fuwa these days."
Kyoko stepped towards the glass window to get a better view. In the background, their debut song was being played on the big screen. For some reason the rythm of that song seemed awfully familiar to Kyoko. Even their costumes reminded her of something.
"Reino, the next question is for you," the flirty anchor flashed a smile to the silver-haired guy, who was apparently also the lead singer of this band. Unfolding a slip of paper, she read aloud, "what do you think about variety shows? Do you watch them?"
"Not at all," Reino replied in a cool, deep voice and an impassive face. "I don't watch much TV."
Why does that sound familiar too? Kyoko wondered as she stroked her chin. And then it hit her. The reason why their style, their costumes, their demeanor, the rhythm of their debut song, and even their cool, fake made-up personas were so familiar. It was because they were copycats. It was obvious they were duplicating Sho in every aspect. Even the words Reino had used just now to answer the anchor were exactly replicated.
Was that all it took for them to get to the top? Plagiarizing Sho? Kyoko shuddered in disgust. After stealing ideas from someone else, they used their flashy costumes and expensive sets to capture the audience. And then they had the nerve to call themselves artist! Kyoko instantly hated them.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when then interview ended and they came out. The paused when they saw her standing outside.
"Holy shit, man!" One of the shorter guys with a half bald head and drum sticks strapped to his black costume - exclaimed after he had carefully scrutinized Kyoko from head to toe. "Reino was right! She really does look completely ordinary without makeup."
"Are you sure this is the same Kyoko? The one who played the angel?" Another guy with straight, long, chestnut hair and a guitar slung on his shoulder - narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I mean just look at her dress. Did you buy it from the streets?" They all chuckled.
Kyoko was already fuming inside but the last humiliating comment filled her with an over whelming desire to punch each of them in the face.
"I have to admit, I feel embarrassed to have been slightly jealous of Fuwa when I saw him with her," the keyboardist, who had frizzy blond hair, hung his head bashfully. "You really can't trust what you see these days."
The last guy patted Kyoko's shoulder in mock-pity. "Now that we've seen the real thing, we get it. You did look too good to be real. You go well with Fuwa."
Kyoko opened her mouth to bite back a nasty reply but her the voice somehow got stuck. She was so much frustrated that it even the dirtiest insult seemed too good to throw at them. Before she could make her mind and choose what to say, they walked away. Only the lead singer, Reino remained.
He stared at her for a moment longer with that same cool, mocking smile that would have made any other girl blush, but in Kyoko's case, it burned her insides with humiliation and froze her exterior into a solid block of ice.
"Tsk, tsk," he shook his head sympathetically and squeezed her shoulder before walking away as well following his band-mates.
Kyoko clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into the palms of her hands.
Did I have to be insulted by a bunch of guys I have never even met before? She knew exactly who to blame for this. All because I starred in your stupid video. Without a word, she stormed ahead, towards that particular room with the familiar name plate she had seen earlier, so she could give Sho a piece of her mind for ruining her first interview.
