Two:
Tao
-
Being famous was the least of Huang Zi Tao’s concerns. He did not need the publicity, nor did he wish it upon any of his friends. For as long as Tao could remember, he had always been disinterested in the life of celebrities, their actions and their movement. Particularly idols.
Why would anyone dedicate their time to uncovering every little detail about a person that they will never meet? He couldn’t understand why the girls at his school would act the way they did; fawning and gossiping about people not only vastly older than themselves, but would never actually meet them.
Appreciate the music and move on – That’s what he did, anyway. The people behind the music were not the artists; it was a team of people who worked behind the scenes to ensure the idols learned complex dance routines and hit the right notes. They dedicated their lives to ensuring a specific group of people could achieve their best – draw in crowds’ attention.
And for that fact, Tao did not like the idea of being famous. It was far too much work. And for what? People you have never seen in your life know every small detail about your life, both past and present? No thank you.
Dragging his fingers through his black, wavy hair, Tao crinkled his nose as he observed a group of girls gossiping about Korean Idols; their music, their dances … And, perhaps most important – their looks. He just didn’t understand it. The true beauty was in the music itself, not the people who sung.
Adjusting his charcoal grey t-shirt, Tao walked past the group of gossiping girls with a roll of his eyes. What was so good about being an idol, anyway?
Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he made his way out of the schoolyard and into the streets of Qingdao. It was late spring, and so the weather had warmed up considerably; the landscape had defrosted after an icy winter and all throughout the surrounding cityscape, the small garden beds bloomed with brightly coloured flowers.
Inhaling the perfumed aroma, Tao’s lips curled up into a content smile. He had finished his schooling for the week and could spend all weekend unwinding; being with friends and maybe even practicing some wushu in his down time – it had, after all, been a while since he was homework free.
Walking up the stairs of the apartment building in which he lived, Tao swung his backpack around; as he waited for the elevator, his hand dug into his bag and he fished around for his house keys. A small sigh escaped his lips as the heavy elevator doors slid open with a low ding and Tao stepped inside.
Most of the students that Tao knew were going home to a house filled with siblings or smiling parents, eager to hear how the last day of school for the week had been. But for Tao, he was returning home to an empty apartment building. No sisters, no brothers – no parents.
That would be there to welcome him, at least. Tao was an only child, his parents preferring to work long days, often traveling to remote parts of China for weeks on end to establish and maintain connections with other offices that the company they worked for would be joining with.
That left Tao alone, in the large apartment – nothing short of beautiful, mind you – alone; cooking, cleaning, maintaining, making sure he saw himself to school each morning. Tao was always left alone. But, he was used to it.
That just meant that he was independent and used to relying solely on himself when it came to surviving. Independence was never a bad thing.
“I’m home,” Tao called sarcastically as he unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside. Unslinging his backpack from his shoulder, Tao dropped it over the back of the nearest chair and kicked off his shoes.
