Rising Stars

XVIII - Reset

"She came back.

Like a light in the darkness, she came back to me."

- Son Jaemin

October 7th, 2020

Seraphine and Akali stood at the shoulder of a highway that overlooked the surf. The rapper leaned against her bike, her arms crossed as she looked Sera over. "What happened?"

Sera flinched at the sudden question. "What do you mean?"

"I listened to the old stuff you released," Akali continued. "Your originals were amazing, and I'm really surprised that they didn't take off."

"It was all him."

Akali raised a brow. "Him?"

"Son Jaemin."

"Who?"

"Jae. He is— was," she quickly corrected. "My best friend."

Akali frowned slightly. "I'm still lost here."

"How do you not know him? How'd you even manage to find our originals?"

"I just searched up your name, and aside from your Instagram and Twitter, I also found your songs on Soundcloud."

"Then how do you not know Jae?"

Akali shrugged. "They were posted on a ghost account on Soundcloud," Akali explained. "And there were only songs marked with your name."

"With my... name...?" Seraphine's eyes slowly closed and she rubbed her forehead. "Of course he would do something like that. Of course he would go and delete only the songs that he sang on."

Akali put a hand on her shoulder to draw the singer back into the conversation. "Sera, what do you mean he was your best friend?"

"He..." Sera trailed off, looking entirely uncomfortable with the question.

"Did he hurt you?"

"NO!" Seraphine exclaimed. Her volume caused Akali to flinch and raise her hands up in defense. "He... He never hurt me." She pursed her lips before continuing, her voice barely audible above the water. "If anything, I hurt him."

"What do you mean you hurt him?"

At Seraphine's clear hesitance, Akali continued.

"You don't have to tell me." Akali glanced out at the sea. She rested her elbows on the seat of her bike. The waves crashed against the cliffs, sending echoing roars all around them. Her wild hair blew freely in the breeze, but as she looked down at her hands, she tightened them into fists. "But take it from me: holding this kind of stuff in is never healthy. It's better to get it off your chest as soon as possible. The longer you hold onto it, the more it hurts."

She shook her head. "If that's the case, then it's for the best that I hold it in."

At that, Akali raised a brow. "Why?"

Seraphine smiled. But it was a smile spoiled by sadness.

"Sera—"

"I appreciate the advice, Akali. But what I'm enduring, what I'm feeling right now, no matter how painful I think it is, how awful I perceive it to be... It's nothing compared to what he is going through." Her voice cracked. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I deserve this. I did this to him."

"What..."

Seraphine rubbed her eyes, using her sleeves to wipe away her tears. "It's nothing. I'm... I'll be okay. Eventually."