13 Time to Die

When Jinhyun entered his new apartment that night, he was giddy with excitement. The movers had placed most of the furniture he had ordered inside the house already while some of the boxes were piled up outside. But he was not interested in unpacking. His mind was on other things.

He first dialed Sekjong's number.

"Hello," the manager greeted groggily.

"Manager Shun," Jinhyun said. "I've got some news for you."

"Will you join a new agency?" he asked excitedly.

"No," Jinhyun replied. "I'll set up my own agency!"

There was a long silence on the other end. "That's insane!" Sejong claimed. "Why would you take that risk? New agencies flop a lot! You won't get investors nor trainees easily!"

"I still have a few pals who would be keen to invest," Jinhyun pointed out. "We'll start small and start preparing for my comeback before recruiting trainees."

"Jinhyun, you're being suicidal!" Sekjong stated. "Managing an agency is tough. You will need strong investors, employees and-"

"Which is why you'll be the General Manager," Jinhyun said calmly. "I'll be the CEO. I want to do this Manager Shun and I can't do it without your help!"

Sekjong was shaking his head. The kid was being stubborn. He would have to talk sense into him.

"Let's talk tomorrow," Sekjong said. "Think about it overnight. You were popular before but you don't know what the public thinks of you now. With KJ and Dasom out of the picture, there's no guarantee you'd succeed."

Jinhyun sighed. Manager Shun just did not understand his passion for music. "Fine," he said. "We'll talk tomorrow."

He hung up the phone and thought hard. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head. He took out his laptop from one of the boxes along with a webcam. He then searched through the other boxes before finally managing to extract his guitar out of it.

Putting the laptop on a desk, he plugged the webcam into it and turned it on. He logged on to his YouTube account. Even though it has been dormant for two years, it still had around half a million followers. Will this work? He wondered.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up the guitar. Closing his eyes, he began to play a tune.

It was on an impulse. He did not know which tune he was playing but it was familiar to a lullaby he had heard once when he was young. His fingers worked on their own as he strummed the tune. The magic of his music spread everywhere. The heavenly tunes resonated throughout the room, livening up the mood of anyone listening to it.

Slowly, comments began to pop on the screen.

"Is that Jinhyun?"

"YES THAT'S OUR OPPA!"

"Idol King is back!"

"No wonder he was known as the all rounder in EXOTIC."

"Who said he was finished without EXOTIC?"

"He still has the talent."

"Is it me or did he become more handsome?"

"Our main vocalist is back!"

Within a few minutes, his views increased to thousands and was rising at a rapid rate. Jinhyun's eyes were still closed, focusing on the music he was creating. His mind was already writing the lyrics of the song.

He felt alive.

When he opened his eyes, there were over 10,000 comments on his live feed. He was astonished to see this humungus response. The comments and views kept on increasing, giving him a renewed sense of hope.

He was so engulfed in the music that he did not realize someone was slamming on his door.

"Is anyone in there?" a girl's voice echoed through the front door.

Who could it be at this hour? He wondered.

"Coming!" he called out as he scurried to his feet. Was he being loud? He was told the walls were soundproof.

He was about to open the door, when a cold feeling hit him. It was sudden and ominous. Something was wrong. He did not know what, but for some reason, he froze. His hands were shaking and his heartbeats increased. He trembled as he slowly opened the door.

Standing outside, was a familiar figure. Her red hair was wet and tied up in a loose bun. Her usually red avatar was replaced with a casual t-shirt and pajamas. He smelt a hint of cherry perfume as she looked up.

As soon as their eyes met, a flash of pure hatred passed through her brown eyes. Her initial irritation was now replaced with shock and anger.

Standing in front of Jinhyun, was his mysterious red lady. Cherry.

But she looked at him with spite. Those were the same eyes he had seen in his dreams. Distant and cold. As if she would rather gouge her eyes out than look at him.

Jinhyun stood there in disbelief. Was he imagining things?

"Y-yes?" he asked.

"Your music is annoying," she said in a cold tone.

"But the walls are soundproof," he pointed out. "How did you hear…"

"Clearly, even soundproof walls couldn't prevent your crass music from leaking out," she snapped. "Some of us are trying to sleep here. I'd appreciate it if you stop playing!"

Jinhyun was speechless. He was sure the music was not that loud. But the girl stared at him arrogantly. Her eyebrows were raised as if daring him to challenge her.

His eyes narrowed at her strange behavior but he did not comment. "I will take care not to disturb you next time," he said with a stiff smile.

"You better not," she said coolly. Before he could open his mouth to reply, she walked away. He watched her enter her house, slamming the door behind her.

Did I offend her somehow? He wondered. Since she never saw his face, she did not realize that he was the one who sent her those drawings and was also behind the Yogi bear mask. But he did not expect her to be so condescending. It seemed as if she really hated him.

"Is she a hater of EXOTIC?" he wondered.

….

Cherry leaned against the door. Why… why was it him of all people?

She stared at the writing on her hand. There was no doubt about it. Her last task was to change his fate. And his fate was tied up with this Sung Yoona. All she will have to do is to make sure they end up together.

"I have to guide him to his fate?" she scoffed. If there was any god, he truly loved to play cruel tricks on her. She will have to guide her biggest enemy to his soul mate so that she can be freed from this cursed existence.

Cherry was quiet for a while. Suddenly, she burst out laughing. Her maniacal laughter was full of rage and sadness. She reflected on the irony. The person she wants to hurt…the person she would not hesitate to kill…he is her last hope.

"I would rather be stabbed with a million swords," she mused. But there was no other choice. She must complete this task in order to be free.

It was time for her to die.