Sunlight stabbed through the thin dorm curtains like it had a personal grudge. I woke up gasping, sheets twisted around my legs, heart racing from a dream I couldn't remember. The room smelled of instant coffee and Hyejin's favorite peach body mist. Normal. Ordinary. Except nothing felt normal anymore.
I sat up too fast. The world tilted, then steadied with unnatural smoothness. My body moved like it knew the choreography before my brain did. I swung my legs over the bed, bare feet hitting the cold floor. No creak in my knees. No stiffness from last night's endless practice. Just… fluid. Effortless.
Ae-Ri was already there, of course. Perched on the edge of my desk like she owned the place, tiny legs swinging, humming the debut song we hadn't even recorded yet. She'd changed outfits overnight—today's ribbon was lavender instead of pink, and she'd added a little choker with a heart-shaped lock. Cute. Terrifyingly cute.
"Morning, superstar~" She waved with both hands, wings buzzing happily. "Sleep well? Of course you did! No nightmares when the bad parts are already gone, right?"
I ignored her. Or tried to. I stumbled to the mirror, expecting bloodshot eyes, puffy cheeks, the usual post-cry wreckage. What stared back was… me. But polished. Skin clearer. Eyes brighter. Hair somehow shinier even though I hadn't washed it. I touched my face. Same features. Same mole under my left eye. Yet the girl in the reflection looked like she'd already passed every evaluation with flying colors.
Ae-Ri floated over, hovering beside my ear. "Pretty, isn't it? That's the free glow-up package. You're welcome."
I opened my mouth to snap at her, but the sound that came out stopped me cold. My voice. It wasn't just steady. It was velvet. Rich. The kind of tone that belongs on studio headphones, not in a cramped four-person dorm at seven in the morning.
I whispered, "What did you do to me?"
She clapped delightedly. "I gave you a gift! Perfect pitch, remember? And a little bonus shine because I'm generous like that. Now let's test it properly."
Before I could protest, she zipped across the room, landed on the windowsill, and pointed at the tiny Bluetooth speaker Hyejin always left plugged in. "Sing something. Anything. Make it pretty."
I hesitated. My hands shook. I hadn't sung for myself in years—only for cameras, trainers, judges. Singing for fun had died somewhere between year two and year three of trainee life.
Ae-Ri tilted her head, smile sharpening. "Come on, baby girl. Don't be shy. You wanted the stage. This is what the stage sounds like."
I took a breath. Then another. Then I let one note slip out. Just a simple scale. Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do.
It poured from me like water from a crystal glass. Clear. Perfect. Resonant. The sound filled the room, bounced off the walls, wrapped around me like silk. I kept going, higher, lower, no effort, no strain. My throat felt open, endless. Like I could sing forever and never run out of air.
When the last note faded, silence rushed back in, heavier than before.
Ae-Ri squealed, spinning in midair. "YES! That's my girl! Can you feel it? That's what talent sounds like when it's not fighting you every step of the way."
I stared at my reflection again. The girl looking back had tears in her eyes. But they weren't falling. They just sat there, pretty and useless, like decoration.
I reached up. Touched the wetness on my lower lid. Nothing. No sob. No hitch. Just… moisture. Like my body remembered how to cry but had forgotten why.
Ae-Ri floated closer, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Told you. Tears are for cameras now. Real ones are too messy for idols."
Anger flared hot in my chest. I spun on her. "Give it back."
She blinked those huge pink eyes, innocent as poison candy. "Give what back?"
"The songs. Halmeoni's songs. The lullabies. Give them back."
Ae-Ri's smile softened, almost tender. Almost. "Aww, you miss them already? That's adorable. But trades are final, superstar. No refunds. No exchanges. You wanted perfect. You got perfect. The rest?" She shrugged her tiny shoulders. "Collateral damage."
I lunged for her. Hands closed on empty air. She dissolved into sparkles, reappearing on the opposite side of the room, laughing that broken-wind-chime laugh.
"Training starts in twenty minutes," she sang. "Better get ready. Today's the day Eclipse scouts are coming. Wouldn't want to disappoint them with your old, boring self, would we?"
I stood frozen, chest tight, throat burning with a scream that wouldn't come out ugly anymore. Everything perfect. Everything wrong.
Ae-Ri blew me a kiss, sparkles trailing from her fingertips. "See you on stage, baby girl. And remember…"
She leaned in, voice sweet as arsenic.
"Sing Yoona sing."
Then she vanished, leaving only the faint scent of strawberry candy and the echo of my own flawless voice still ringing in the walls.