Chapter 1: A Human Relic Behind the Lights
The sky over Seoul that evening was blanketed in a thick layer of gray clouds, signaling a looming storm. But for Rian, the weather was just another obstacle in his relentless schedule. Cold raindrops began to seep through the cracks of his worn-out helmet, mingling with the exhausted sweat on his forehead. He came to a halt on his electric scooter at a bustling Gangnam intersection, his grip on the handlebars trembling from the biting cold and sheer fatigue.
Rian glanced to his right, where giant LED screens draped the facades of skyscrapers. They displayed advertisements for a new idol group—young men in their prime, with sculpted features and skin that glowed even under Seoul's dismal rain.
'The world always smiles at beauty...' Rian thought, a familiar bitterness rising in his throat.
He closed his eyes for a fleeting second, and memories from fifteen years ago flickered back to life. He saw himself standing in a narrow, cold corridor, waiting for his turn at the "Starlight" audition. He had been wearing his best clothes—a carefully ironed white shirt—and carrying enough dreams to light up an entire city. Yet, it all ended in less than three minutes.
"You have talent, and your voice is decent," the judge had said, closing the folder without even sparing him a glance. "But you lack the aura. Your face is ordinary, your hair is dry, and your skin is dull. You simply don't possess the charisma that compels fans to spend money to see you. In this industry, the face is both the beginning and the end."
Those words had been the final nail in the coffin of his dreams. The light turned green, and Rian surged forward into the swarm of cars. The smell of exhaust fumes filled his lungs while his mind calculated the numbers: "Ten shifts left... if the scooter doesn't break down, I might save enough for that small house."
Rian didn't crave riches; he only wanted a place where he belonged. "Dreams don't fill a hungry stomach, Rian..." he muttered to himself, wiping the raindrops from his face, oblivious to the fact that this night would be the final chapter of his miserable life.