Because of his recurring appearances in popular sitcoms and reality shows, the idol was very well-known. Throughout the years, his fame was rock-solid, and because he was clean of scandals, he was revered as a perfect prince.

 

So the boss, who was always eager to uncover dirt on popular figures, used to be especially insistent when it came to star. When Gen was still in the company's good graces, she was who received the star's profile to look into. However, no matter how intense the investigation, there was still nothing. So after a while, Gen was ordered to retreat. The decision to stop was abrupt but understandable - his image was so pristine, even her boss had to give up.

 

But that was clearly a mistake.

Gen peeked through the leaves at the idol.

 

 

"The academy was recently complaining about the lack of gender representation in the field."

 

"Ehh, didn't we send them enough? Last time it was all females."

 

"That's what I'm talking about. For the next month, they don't want actresses, but actors. We have to work hard."

 

Then, the sound of paper being unfolded reached her's ears.

She tried to see what was going on, but the two figures were shrouded by darkness, and their small moves escaped her.

"What's this?" Gen heard over the rustling.

"I think it's time to claim our benefits." A lazy voice followed.

"No way. We're finally doing it?" The man's cautious voice betrayed his excitement. "Woah. You're really going to do this. What's it been - ten years already?"

"If not for that idiot and Copal scandal, we would've done it sooner."

Gen’s sweaty palms unnerved her. She was scared the phone would slip out of her hands, so she grasped it tighter, as she listened in.

 

The Copal foundation was a famous charity that used to promote the wellbeing of part-time workers and equal pay. It was involved in a big scandal a few years back when it turned out that the founder was embezzling money from donations. After that, several prestigious drama schools, that were traced back to him, were also closed down. The founder was convicted, although, he ended up committing suicide not long after.

The scandal came as a huge shock to both the world of entertainment and that of finances, and people became warier of investing in new projects and newbie organizations.

"Because of him, I had to scrap several of my ideas. Tch, annoying rat. He was with me for such a long time, I forgot to check on him."

 

Gen didn't understand what exactly they were talking about, but she had a feeling another scandal was about to storm the nation.

 

"I'd always thought he was a dodgy type. But who would've guessed he would bite your hand." The idol snickered. "Well, I guess the poor man thought he'd do well on his own. Hehe, but you can't deny that all that he's done he learned from you."

"Learned from me. Hmm. It reminds me of someone."

"Hey, I told you I'm not like that."

"I know." The woman said calmly. "You're hasty just like him, but you're a coward."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Would you rather be a bold fool? You know how that ended up for him."

The idol let out a long sigh.

"Yepp. I saw the pictures. Quite an ugly sight. Yuck!"

Gen realized that the suicide might not have been a suicide at all.

"Promise if you'd ever have to take care of me, you'll do it in a pretty way." He pleaded. Gen saw the man raising his hand and rubbing his neck. "For old times sake."

"Sure. I'll make it look like an accident then."

"I said "IF!", alright, "IF! You make it sound like you already planned it all out!"

"Alright, alright."

"Anyway, you're sure you want to poach the Talent Show this season?"

"We have to wrap it up now, as to not suffer losses in the future." Said the woman.

Gen felt shivers, and disbelief took over her. This conversation took a huge turn, that she was not expecting. If they were truly talking about the same Talent Show that she knew about, then it would be a lot, a lot of trouble.

"We're really doing this." The idol laughed. "My hands are itching already." His voice didn't contain any malice. Instead, it was just pure joy and anticipation of the future. It was as if he was talking about his role in an upcoming movie.

 

She drew a sharp breath.

 

The Talent Show was about finding talents around the nation. It revolved around worldwide donations. But most importantly, it has been running well over a decade, and that, for the fast-paced entertainment industry, was a pretty long time. Because it resulted in many musical and acting geniuses; it was basically revered as the cradle of many of today's leading idols.

 

 

"Do we first withdraw the funds or do we-"

 

"Not here." The female voice cut him off. She raised her hand in a silencing motion.

Amongst the heavy silence, Gen could hear the beating of her heart. It seemed so loud.

She slowly tilted her head a bit, so the branches shielded more of her face.

 

The woman suddenly turned around and took a long look at the road.

 

Gen didn't know if they were expecting more people coming here, and she prayed this was not the case - for then the chances of someone discovering her would grow. And what if the sky starts to brighten? They'll discover her right away.

 

It was still very dark, and, in her head, she knew the conversation couldn't have been going on for very long, but it did feel like an eternity had passed since she hid here.

 

 

She glimpsed at the faint numbers on the timer of her phone. The recording has been going on for only three minutes.

 

She observed the numbers rapidly changing, but the silence still continued.

Finally, the woman said in a muffled voice:

"Let's head inside. Albeit too late, we shouldn't go into details here."

 

Both of them then started moving back to the pavilion. Gen lifted her head. She looked at the woman, replaying the words she's just heard. Behind the patches of leaves, she began vaguely discerning the couple.

 

Then, the pavilion captured her attention. In one of the windows in the pavilion, a light was turned on. But, when she first showed up, Gen could swear that the pavilion was completely dark.

 

She ignored the tremoring of her heart and returned her gaze to the two figures.

Seizing the moment when both of them were illuminated by the soft light from the pavilion, Gen stopped the recorder and opened the camera application.

Trying her best on staying discreet, she raised her phone over the bush and started filming a video.

Although she couldn't see the face of the unknown woman very well, she still could make out some features. She could only hope this video would help police in identifying the female later on.

The idol opened the pavilion doors, and after saying something to the woman, he quickly went in. She was staring intensely, watching as the woman also took a step towards the entrance.

And.

Her pocket vibrated.

After a momentary confusion, horror overcame her.

Gen had two phones. One was her personal phone; it was currently in her hand. The second one was her company phone.
And it wasn't on silent.

She reached for the pocket and immediately pressed the power button of the company device.

But she was a second too late.

 

 

"Ding." The notification sound came through.

 

 

 

Gen rigidly looked back at the dark figure, praying that the sound was faint enough to go unnoticed.

 

 

The female silhouette seemed to pause for a second.

 

 

 

 

 

Then, she disappeared into the pavilion and shut the door.