Jay / Jae's POV)
Seoul had started to feel different.
When I first arrived, everything felt cold and unfamiliar.
Now… it felt alive.
Hongdae's streets were full again that evening. The neon lights reflected on the wet pavement while music from different performers filled the air.
I adjusted the black mask over my face and stepped into my usual spot.
Yuna waved the moment she saw me.
"Jae! You're late!" she said dramatically.
Minjae laughed beside her while adjusting the small speaker.
"You know half the street waits for you now, right?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Don't exaggerate."
But when I looked around… I noticed something strange.
There were more people than usual.
Much more.
Sora noticed my confusion and smiled.
"Well… that might be because of this."
She held up her phone.
On the screen was a video.
Me.
Singing on the street a few nights ago.
The title read:
"Mysterious Masked Singer in Hongdae – Who Is She?"
My eyes widened.
"How many views is that?"
Jisoo leaned over her shoulder.
"Last time I checked… almost two million."
My stomach dropped.
"Two million?!"
Yuna grinned proudly.
"You're famous."
"No I'm not," I said quickly.
But the crowd gathering around us made it harder to deny.
Someone in the crowd whispered,
"That's her."
"The masked girl."
"Start singing!"
My hands suddenly felt cold.
This was bigger than my usual performances.
Way bigger.
Minjae gave me a reassuring nod.
"Relax. Just sing like you always do."
I took a deep breath.
Then the music started.
The moment I began singing… the crowd went silent.
The city noise faded away again.
But this time there were hundreds of people watching.
Some recording.
Some just listening.
The lyrics came out easily.
Songs about leaving.
Songs about pain.
Songs about people who never knew how much they hurt you.
For a moment… I almost thought about Keifer again.
About Section E.
About Angelo and Tita Gemma.
But I pushed the memories away and kept singing.
When the song ended, the crowd exploded into applause.
People cheered.
Someone shouted,
"Encore!"
I blinked in shock.
Before I could even process what was happening, a man stepped through the crowd.
He looked older, maybe in his thirties, wearing a long black coat.
He waited until the cheering died down before speaking.
"Excuse me."
Everyone turned to look at him.
He handed me a card.
"My name is Park Hyun-woo," he said calmly.
"I work with a music company."
My heart skipped.
"A company?" I repeated.
He nodded.
"We've been watching your videos online."
Yuna nearly screamed beside me.
Minjae slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her.
Park Hyun-woo continued,
"Your voice is unique. The mystery around you is attracting attention."
He looked at my mask.
"People are curious about the girl behind it."
I stayed quiet.
Because that was exactly what I wanted.
A mystery.
A life that had nothing to do with the girl I used to be.
He smiled slightly.
"If you're interested… we'd like to help you release your music officially."
The world suddenly felt like it had stopped.
Just a few months ago…
I was crying in a tiny room eating convenience store ramen.
Now someone wanted to produce my songs.
Yuna grabbed my arm excitedly.
"Jae this is huge!"
I looked down at the card in my hand.
Then slowly… I smiled behind my mask.
Maybe running away hadn't destroyed my life.
Maybe…
It was the beginning of something bigger.
Something no one from my old life would ever expect.
Because somewhere far away…
Section E probably thought Jay had disappeared forever.
But here in Seoul…
A new name was rising.
The mysterious masked singer everyone was talking about.
Kang Jae-in.
And soon…
The whole world would know her voice.
Even if they didn't know who she really was. 🎤✨
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