December 13, 2020

Rauma, Finland

Lee WooJin doesn't normally like to fail. He's always been hard on himself and super competitive. But fame isn't one of those things that comes to everyone, he was the hottest rising child pop singer, until Robin Nieminen came along.

WooJin flicks his hand with a careless gesture toward the soundproof glass in the music studio. "Take five. I need to refresh my worldwide voice with some nice cool, worldwide water." He walks over to a small table with his water on it. It's in a tumblr-style bottle that is splashed with pink and glitter.

He'd just finished recording his newest hit single to come out: "I Love Me." Though he still wasn't sold on the track being done yet.

WooJin grabs his bottle up, careful not to leak glittery sequence everywhere from his sparkling black jacket and shiny red necktie. Underneath it, he's chosen to wear a slightly loose, button-up short-folded-collar dress shirt with tight black leather pants. He has on a pair of shiny black dress shoes.

He tips the bottle up to quench his throat, when the door opens to the studio.

Furious about the interruption, he slams the bottle back down on the table, not caring about the glitter residue anymore and storms to the door.

WooJin flings it open and snaps his head out to see who has dared to disturb him. He spots a young brunette man with a wispy style and thick eyebrows casually looking around the room.

"Who the hell are you?" WooJin snarls.

The man looks his way, casting a pair of stunning amber eyes his way. "I'm sorry to intrude on you like--"

"Oh, my, my, my," another voice cuts in as a tall balding man enters on a cell phone. The few patches of hair he has are the color of silver. "I'm going to have to call you back. I'm here with Robin, getting him set up for his recording time. And we have precious time to deal with, as you can understand."

Robin, the young kid, glances at the agent with a nervous newbie-like look.

How cute? WooJin snarls to himself inside of his head.

The agent hangs up the phone and finally sees WooJin, leaning against the door of the studio.

"Who are you? How dare you come in here during MY studio time?!" WooJin snaps, putting his hands on his hips.

"Your studio time?" the young man questions, cocking his head to one side. He glances at the agent and looks like he is about to tell him something.

The agent laughs and swats at the air with a snort. "Lee WooJin, I don't believe you've heard. This kid has more talent in him and a singing voice that could melt your skin off. A falsetto of such dignity and grace that it could control you." He pokes his index finger into WooJin's chest, causing him to stumble backward on his feet. "He's going to get the priority of the booth from now on and he's going to be featured more than Madonna on Vogue Magazines."

WooJin gasps. "You wouldn't do this to me?! I've worked so hard to earn my spot."

"Yeah, but this kid is...well...better. That's business." The agent wraps a hand around Robin's neck like he is his best friend. "Get ready for the Robin Nieminen Era of pop music in Finland, Lee WooJin. He'll be bigger than that ten-hit wonder, Isaac Taehyung. Heck, he might even top the success of Lucas Benjamin."

WooJin spins and snatches up his bottle. He chucks it with a furious grunt at the wall, causing it to explode and send water splashing every which way. "This is bull!" He then storms out of the studio, tipping a table over in his angry exit.

The agent turns back to Robin. "Don't worry, this happens all the time. So long as there's someone who comes along with more talent."

Robin turns his head to look over his shoulder toward where WooJin had left. He doesn't say anything.

WooJin, meanwhile, storms through the music-themed hallway of the studio building. There are images and photographs of various iconic artists from the past and present along with a maze of musical notes.

He shoves open the double glass doors and skids out into the rain that is pounding the ground outside. He blinks in shock. A car speeds by, sending rain water splashing at him and soaking him to the bone.

A chilly winter breeze gushes at him and with a frustrated cry, he unleashes a heart-breaking howl. The cry echoes through the air, drowned out by the roar of the rain and rumbles of thunder.

Dripping water, soaked and emotional, WooJin stands in place on the curb. He lets the rain just continue to pound him and the cold breeze hit him. He doesn't care. This isn't fair. Some Robin kid is taking HIS spotlight?!

Not if I can help it though.

He slowly cranes his head up, his hair sticking to his head and his eyes glittering with fury. He will find a way to stop Robin and get everything he worked hard for back. After all, I'm the worldwide phenomenon and I deserve my recognition. Blood, sweat and tears are about to enter the music industry.

The corners of his mouth twist upward into a cruel grin.

More cars race by, but he ignores the water that splashes at him. Through the blurry vision that he has from the dripping rain water, he spots a lit up sign across the street from where he is.

The dark red letters in the sign are lit up by a white back-glow. They read: 'Pawn Busantia.' In the window there is a shiny, glittering object that catches his eyes. It's a bluish ball that pulsates with light to the beating of his heart.

WooJin cocks his head to the side and watches the glow pulsate brighter and brighter as though it is beckoning him over to it. Seemingly in a trance, he steps off the curb and walks across the road to where the shop is.

The pulsating glow stops as he reaches the glass. He is gazing inside at a beautiful blue ornament with white and black music notes that decorate all around the ball. He shakes his head and tosses his eyes.

Music...

He's done with the music today.

Overhead, the rain thins to a drizzle and the clouds begin to part for the sun. WooJin begins to make his way down the sidewalk, but he takes no more than five steps, before he stops and spins around.

He looks at the ball, curiously. Why is this inanimate object so...controlling? He turns on his heels and walks back to the shop window. This time, he peers in, seeing a vacant counter and no one inside.

With a shrug and a sigh, he ventures to the door and slips into the shop. He shakes his head out, sending droplets of water plummeting to the clean red-carpeted floor. Then he pulls at his jacket, which thankfully had the sequence on it to prevent the rain from getting it soggy. A few droplets are flung off it as he removes the piece of clothing.

He's still soaked and cold, but, hugging his arms around him and rubbing his shoulders, he ignores the feeling and glances around himself. There are all kinds of ancient artifacts, some include old popular toys from the 80's and 90's (and even earlier), which decorate the interior on various shelves and displays. They are in a pristine condition too, either handled with care from the previous owner or refurbished to near perfection.

WooJin takes in the shop with a quiet awe. He slowly turns around and finds the ball he'd been eyeing earlier through the window. There is a paper next to it with a few paragraphs on it.

WooJin walks over to it.

"The Full Moon Singer Legend," WooJin reads the title text at the top of the paper.

He glances at the shimmering music note ornament and reads the rest of the text on the paper, which gradually sparks his interest more and more, talking about the magical legend associated with the object.

He studies the ball closely, not realizing that the shop owner, a tall man with bright red hair that fades from black roots, has come up to him. He has a large emerald stone ring on his middle finger and is holding onto a golden snake staff with a black end.

"Can I help--ah, I see you've found one of my newest treasures," the man remarks, a kind but odd-looking smile on his face.

WooJin can't figure out what the man is hiding, but he can feel like he is. "I was just looking...you see, I saw it glittering in your window..." He trails off, unable to form words. "I was just curious about it."

The man draws an exaggerated gesture at the ball with his stone-ring hand, casually shifting the staff to his other hand. "Well, you are right to be curious about it. This ball is very magical. I'm sure you've read the story associated with it. But allow me to expand your knowledge on it."

WooJin looks at the man. "What do you mean? There's more to it?"

"Oh yes, it's been said that should one sing off-key or have one bad note, the singer will be sent to an alternate world known as Busantia."

WooJin listens to the extended story, an idea slowly formulating inside of his head. And his mouth gradually twists into a sly smirk. A wicked idea. But a solution to his problem nonetheless. "How much for the Full Moon Legend Ornament?"