Boy who was poor, but now find love.
Jayden adjusted his guitar strap for the hundredth time and cleared his throat. The busy street corner wasn't glamorous, but it was his stage. He strummed a few chords, his voice cutting through the honks of taxis and the chatter of passersby.
"Spare some change for the next superstar?" he called out with a grin. A few people tossed coins, most just walked past. Jayden bowed dramatically anyway. "Thank you, thank you! My first fans!"
From the crowd, a young woman in oversized sunglasses and a cap pulled low paused. She leaned against a lamppost, listening. To anyone else, she was just another stranger. But if Jayden had ever watched TV—or owned one—he'd know she was Luna Park, the country's top idol.
"Not bad," Luna muttered under her breath, hiding a smile.
Jayden spotted her. "Hey, you! Yeah, with the big sunglasses. Don't think I can't see you enjoying my music. You gotta pay a fan fee."
Gasps came from a few onlookers. Did this crazy boy just call out Luna Park? She pulled her hat lower.
"I wasn't—" she began.
Jayden hopped off the curb and held out his guitar case. "Don't be shy, superstar. Every coin counts."
The crowd chuckled. Luna blinked. Did he just call her superstar… like a joke? She couldn't remember the last time anyone had spoken to her without bowing, screaming, or begging for a selfie.
Before she could answer, a camera flash went off. Paparazzi had spotted her.
"Oh no…" she said.
Jayden thought she was panicking over money. "Relax, I take cards too. Do you want me to write you a receipt?"
Luna burst out laughing despite herself. Paparazzi swarmed closer, snapping photos of her with a scruffy street musician.
Jayden scratched his head. "Uh… why are they taking pictures of you?"
And just like that, Jayden's ordinary street performance turned into the day the poor boy accidentally walked into the spotlight—next to the nation's brightest star.
Episode One (Part Two): Caught in the Flash
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of camera shutters multiplied, faster than Jayden's heartbeat. A swarm of reporters rushed closer, yelling Luna's name.
"Luna Park! Is this your new boyfriend?"
"Miss Park, are you dating a street performer?"
"Look here, just one picture!"
Jayden blinked. Boyfriend? Dating? Street performer? Well, okay, that last part was true.
"Wait—what?" he said, glancing at the girl beside him. "You're Luna Park?!"
Luna tugged his sleeve. "Keep your voice down!"
Jayden threw his hands up. "Lady, they already know! They've got cameras bigger than my dreams!"
Luna bit back a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. This was absolutely the worst place to be—surrounded by paparazzi, cornered by flashing lights—but something about this scruffy boy's cluelessness was… oddly refreshing.
Jayden tried to shield her with his guitar case like it was a shield. "Back off! Can't you see the lady doesn't want pictures?!"
The paparazzi only got louder. Luna groaned. "Great. This is going to be tomorrow's headline."
Finally, a black van screeched to the curb. A man in a sharp suit—her manager—stormed out, his face red.
"Miss Park!" he barked. "Get in the car!"
Luna sighed, about to obey, when she looked at Jayden still waving his guitar case like a knight with a cardboard sword. His hair was messy, his shirt wrinkled, but he stood between her and the chaos without hesitation.
"Come on," she said suddenly, grabbing his wrist. "You're coming too."
"What?!" Jayden yelped as she pulled him toward the van. "I don't even have bus fare, and now I'm getting in a celebrity kidnap-mobile?!"
Before he could protest further, Luna shoved him inside, slammed the door, and the van sped off, leaving paparazzi coughing in the dust.
Jayden sat frozen, clutching his guitar. "Okay. Either I just got kidnapped, or I'm in a K-drama."
Luna smirked, lowering her sunglasses at him. "Welcome to my world, street boy."
The Superstar and the Street Boy
Inside the van, silence hung heavy—except for Jayden's guitar case creaking every time he squeezed it like a lifejacket.
Luna leaned back, removing her sunglasses. For the first time, Jayden saw her face clearly. She wasn't just pretty—she was unreal. The kind of beauty people wrote ballads about.
Jayden gawked. "Holy… you're really Luna Park."
She arched a brow. "What, you didn't believe the screaming mob outside?"
He scratched his head sheepishly. "I thought maybe you just owed them money."
Luna burst out laughing, a genuine laugh that startled her manager. "Miss Park, please—this is no time for jokes!" he scolded.
Jayden crossed his arms. "Hey, don't yell at her. She's clearly traumatized by… uh… fame."
Luna stifled another laugh, her eyes crinkling. "You're ridiculous."
"And you're bossy," Jayden shot back. "Dragging strangers into vans without asking permission? What if I had plans?"
"Did you?" she asked.
"…No," he admitted. "But that's not the point!"
The manager pinched his nose. "Miss Park, we cannot be seen with him. The tabloids will—"
"Enough," Luna cut him off. Her gaze returned to Jayden, soft but curious. "You're different. You didn't care who I was. You made me laugh. And…" she hesitated, "your music. It was… real."
Jayden blinked. "Wait. Are you saying you liked my singing? Because if this is a prank show, I want my dignity back."
"No prank," Luna said, smiling faintly. "I want you to help me. Write a song. Something raw. Something that isn't polished and fake."
Jayden nearly choked. "Me? Work with you? The Luna Park? Superstar of the universe, breaker of teenage hearts, owner of at least ten fancy perfumes?"
"Exactly," she said simply.
He slumped back, muttering, "This has to be a scam. Any second now you'll ask for my bank details."
But Luna just leaned closer, eyes sparkling. "So? Will you?"
Jayden stared at her, his brain short-circuiting. He'd gone out to sing for coins—and ended up sitting next to a world-famous idol asking him to write her next hit.
He gulped. "Lady… you're either my big break, or my biggest mistake."
Luna smirked. "We'll find out soon enough."
To be continued.....