Idol & His Star

Wind of Change

After the sneaky live stream, the Knet community was going crazy.

Knet1: Did you see that stream? I can't believe people did not know how to appreciate that voice.

Knet2: I know, right! What the hell was the camera crew doing on P-Net? How could they not show us his handsome face when he is singing? Who employed the editor and cameraman who showed us a wide angle of him standing still on a high note? They should be fired!

Knet3: Can someone tell me what is his name? When did he debut, and what song did he sing?!

Knet4 To the person upstairs, please control yourself. His name is Min Suha, and he debuted two days ago. Also, I just want to say that a man who can cook bibimbap is sexy in my books.

There were two ways to gain overnight fame. The first was to be good-looking, and the second was to do something shocking. Min Suha gained fame the second way, thanks to Uki's mischief, and was called into his company's office to meet with the director.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" the middle-aged man growled. "Thanks to you, we have a reputation as a company that mistreats their talents. How can you do this to us after we let you debut?!"

Hiding in his starship, Uki cowered as Suha listened to his superior cuss at him. He had no clue Uki did something like that and what he did was a breach of contract. He didn't think he would expose the company's secrets over dinner while talking to an alien, but what was done was done. He could only apologise.

Hearing Suha's monotonous apology repeatedly, the director's anger rose higher and higher. Not even Suha's manager, who stood behind the idol, defended him. It was an unexpected turn of events. Everyone thought that Suha was a mature person. Who would have thought that he would go behind their backs to stab them after he debuted?

"I'm so disappointed in you," the director sighed. "There's no helping it. Since you've been with us this long, I will give you a concession and not demand reparation payments for our company's sullied reputation. However, you cannot stay. Manager Kim, please give Suha his annulled contract. Pack everything you have from the company and leave. You're no longer part of our company."

Unable to beg for a different outcome, Suha bowed deeply and let his tears fall silently. After spending the last six years of his life here, he was finally kicked out. Somehow, this was more painful than leaving home for Seoul after he graduated high school. Reality was a cruel thing.

Uki remained silent as Suha left the director's office and visited the trainee's locker. He only had a set of spare clothes and worn-out sports shoes he left in it for dance practice. His manager came back with a set of documents for him.

"Sign here," his manager said without a sense of pity as he handed Suha a pen.

Numbly, Suha took the pen from his manager and signed. He didn't have to look through the terms and conditions. It was the same form he saw all his trainee batch members sign before they left. The company was too lazy to change any terms, so Suha already knew everything by heart.

"Good luck from here on and out," manager Kim said after Suha returned the pen. He gave the ex-idol a copy of the signed documents, and Suha nodded numbly.

"Thank you for everything," he uttered without feelings. With the documents in one hand and a bag with his belongings on a shoulder, Suha left without looking back.

Stepping outside, Suha looked up at the sky. It was still cold as it was winter. There were not many people outside as it was too cold. The wind was worse than last night, and Suha took a familiar path back home with the cold breeze on his face.

Coming out of the starship from Suha's pocket, Uki floated around Suha with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry!" the star guardian cried. "This is all my fault!"

Instead of getting angry at the purple-haired alien, Suha only smiled. 

"No, it's alright. Maybe I needed this. Was the stream's feedback good? Did people like it?"

Uki blinked. Then, he nodded. 

"They loved it! They loved your singing and your voice! Are you going to become an online idol?"

Online idol... Suha thought about it. For now, there was nothing to lose out on. He could audition at a different company to become a trainee again, but he wasn't getting any younger. If the reaction was good, it might be worth a try.

"Maybe," he smiled at the star guardian. "Will you help me?"

Nodding eagerly, Uki rambled about the things they could try after returning to Suha's apartment.