[EMY]
"Ugh . . ." I pressed my palms into my acne-ridden cheeks and groaned. This is it, Emy. Either you make it into Star Entertainment . . . or you die trying. Or at least die of embarrassment trying.
Still, there was one unshakable truth: even if I had to upload cringe contents, stalk bars filled with sweat, or disguise myself as a mop, I wasn't giving up. Not when Eric's future depended on me.
"Star Entertainment . . . ," I muttered dramatically, raising my fist toward the heavens like a warrior swearing vengeance. "Prepare yourselves. A storm named Emy is coming."
Ding! Dong!
I was startled when the doorbell rang, sharp and sudden, like a thunderclap in my quiet, pitiful apartment.
"Who could it be?" I muttered, dragging my slippers across the floor. My stomach growled. "Ah—it must be the delivery guy. Finally. My savior, bearer of fried chicken."
Still half-asleep, I flung open the door without thinking.
But instead of the familiar face of the delivery man, four shadows stood in my doorway. Four shadows in masks, caps, and sunglasses.
My brain stalled. Then restarted. Then short-circuited completely.
Because it was them.
It was AUREA.
Eric. Ren. Lance. Kai.
I knew them even if I close my eyes. I could feel their aura, their soul resonating deep within me.
My hands froze on the doorknob, and my jaw went slack. I was staring at living, breathing versions of the posters I had secretly cried to at 3 a.m.
Eric, the leader, and lead vocalist, stood at the front. Black hair, silver eyes, his presence so sharp I could've cut myself just by looking. His voice slipped through the air like velvet.
"Are you Emerald Light?" he asked.
Light? Did I hear that right? My name suddenly sounded like a fake MMO username.
"Light? She doesn't look light at all," Lance snorted from the side, his tall, lean bronze frame leaning lazily against the doorframe. He was the main dancer and he grinned like a mischievous kid who just broke his neighbor's window and decide to blame it on me.
"Hey! Watch your mouth, idiot. We're here to ask her a favor, remember?" Kai, the cute rapper, scolded him, his small stature doing nothing to hide the sheer spark in his blue eyes.
And then there was Ren. Silent, cold, and devastatingly beautiful. The face of AUREA. He didn't even need to speak—his presence was enough. Lanky but elegant, his expression unreadable, his aura the kind that told you don't approach unless you want frostbite.
I should've screamed. Or fainted. Or at least gasped dramatically.
But no. I laughed. Because clearly—clearly—my hallucinations had finally upgraded to 4D Ultra HD with surround sound.
"My boys," I said, clutching my chest in fake solemnity. "Don't worry about me. I know you're not real. I always see you during dinner, sometimes sleeping beside me. But this? Oh, this one's good. Hallucinations that you're visiting me. Nice touch."
Eric blinked at me. ". . . She's not speaking properly."
"Are you okay?" Kai asked with a hint of worry in his voice.
I cackled like a lunatic. "Okay? HA! I'm fantastic. Look at this detail. Your masks, your voices. Even your sweat glistening from under your caps. Oh, my brain deserves an Oscar."
Then Ren, without a word, raised a plastic bag. His deep lethargic voice cut through the silence that followed. "We brought food."
"Ah, see? Brilliant! My subconscious knows me well." I snatched the bag and inhaled the scent. My nostrils flared so wide I could've vacuumed the room. "Mmm, sushi and sashimi! Exactly what my cravings were. Even my hallucinations get my order right."
Ren nodded.
But then—my hand twitched. Because the bag wasn't dissolving. It wasn't vanishing into thin air like my usual daydreams.
It was heavy.
And the smell—oh, the glorious smell—it wasn't just in my imagination. It was real.
I froze. "Wait . . . if the food is real . . ."
I slowly looked back up at them. "Then . . . y-you . . ."
"She's figuring it out," Kai whispered.
Lance grinned. "Maybe she just needs a flick to reboot her brain."
Before I could protest, Lance's long bony finger snapped against my forehead.
SMACK.
"OW!" I yelped, clutching my head. Pain bloomed across my skull.
PAIN. Real, actual pain.
That was when the horrifying truth slammed into me.
They were REAL.
They were standing in front of me, in my filthy pajamas, with my unbrushed teeth, unwashed hair, and my face breaking out like a battlefield of acne.
My soul immediately detached itself from my body. The next second, my vision turned black.
When I opened my eyes, I was sprawled on the couch.
Alone.
My chest loosened. Oh thank the heavens!
Just a dream.
Just my brain playing another sick, delusional prank.
I sighed, relief washing over me. "Ha . . . imagine if they actually saw me like this . . . no makeup, no shower, no dignity . . . that would be a nightmare."
"You're awake?"
My soul YEETED itself a second time as Kai's cute little face peeked out from the kitchen doorway, a glass of water in his hand.
"Hey guys, she's up!" he called out.
I froze like a corpse.
They were. Still. Here.
And very much REAL!