Starting Again (A Charles Leclerc Fic)

one : new start

⚠️TW : This opening chapter includes minor mentions of harassment and bullying but the story would not be centered around it. 

🏁

If you would ask Katrina a year ago where she saw herself few years from now, she would've said that she would still be in Korea, making music and living her dream. She had the life that many people wished for until the table started to turned on her. She was at the peak of her career having won the producer and artist of the year awards. The brands were lining up for multiple endorsements and promotions. There was also an overwhelming demand for a brand new album. All of the hard work she did over the years were finally paying off until one day everything stopped. She tried everything, she reached out to her agency but it was radio silence on their end to make it even better, her long time manager resigned from his post. The next few days were uneventful, she didn't know that what she's experiencing was the calm before the  storm hits. 

It was a normal day for her when she suddenly heard a familiar song playing on a radio show. She could recognize the song even with just the first few notes. It was one of her songs that was supposed to be released just before her manager quit. She was confused how such an incident can happen but all of it started making sense when she saw the man standing beside the artist who was receiving the music show award for the week. It was her former manager Sunho who just disappeared after resigning. 

She made an appeal with her management and that's when they found out that her manager took the whole repertoire without the knowledge of the company and sold it to his new employers. 

Luna Kim has always been known for her calm demeanor. She personifies a disney princess oozing with ray of sunshine. She was never the one to start a confrontation but she's not a push over. With the help of her management, she had made another appeal but this time, Sunho and Minsung (the artist) were ready. They started to make vile rumors to tarnish the reputation she had built over the years. In a country like Korea, reputation is everything. They can either love you unconditionally or hate you with every fiber of their being, there's nothing in between. 

She hoped that things would be better once a proper investigation was launched but it did the opposite. Everything got sensationalized and she felt more suffocated than ever. She knew she had to get away from all of the prying eyes on her even if that means being thousands of miles away from home. 

"Katrina, are you really sure that you wanted to leave? You can stay with me until everything dies down" my best friend worriedly asked me

"No, I need to get out of here. I can't even leave my house without fearing for my life" she tried to explain to her friends. As much as she appreciated their concern, they would never fully understand the fear that she was feeling at that moment.

She was followed, stalked, harassed by diehard fans of Minsung who believed the web of lies her company spread. It was disappointing knowing that once during their early days in the industry, they used to be friends. They lost contact but they remained professional. No one knows who were involved in the plagiarism of my work but she became a bystander. She knew what was happening to her and yet she remained silent. She allowed her fans to flood my social media accounts with false accusations. 

Everything started as empty threats, just words written to scare people until it escalated to physical attacks. Her car and front door was covered with smashed eggs, pigs blood, and even dead animals. 

"Can you at least tell me where you're going?" Samara, her youngest friend pleaded 

"I can't tell you anything specific but I'll go to Monaco"

"Monaco? what the fuck are you going to do in Monaco? Do you even know anybody there?" her other best friend asked. 

"No, I absolutely have no idea what I'll do there and I don't know anybody there." 

"Then make me understand why you wanted to stay there?" 

"Nobody knows who I am, I can start over there, away from all the drama here in Korea. I can't live like this anymore Sammy"

"Will you at least let me know once you land?" She asked more hopeful

"I will, I promise." 

Sammy pulled her closer and gave her one last hug before she started walking towards the departure area of the Incheon airport. 

One last glance... 

That was what she did before she boarded the plane to Monaco. In a few hours her new life begins. It is scary but she knew another adventure awaits her in Monaco.