Our Ordinary Lives

Chapter 13 - A Regretful Idol

The initial responses had been positive, brimming with support and well-wishes for my break. Positive comments had flooded in, encouraging me and expressing excitement for my future return to the public stage. But like a storm brewing on the horizon, the tone of the comments gradually shifted, evolving into something far more sinister. It started as simple comments regarding the length of my break being excessive, which I could understand. 4 years is a long period of time after all. Though as I continued on, the negativity began to surface more and more.

(I wonder if you can guess the platform this is based off)

Random User: "I bet she's just using this as an excuse to be lazy."

Random User 2: "Honestly, she's overrated anyway. She doesn't deserve the attention she gets."

Random User 3: "LMAO have you seen her? She's not even that good-looking, and her personality comes across as completely fake."

Random User 1: "This is a classic 'don't meet your heroes' situation. I wouldn't be surprised if she's a terrible person in real life."

Random User 4: "She's probably just cashed in and won't bother coming back. Typical of entitled celebrities."

Random User 6: "These people are so out of touch with the community. We created their careers and without us they would be NOTHING. The audacity she has to take a break for this long just shows how disingenuous she really is as a person."

Random User 2: "It's so disappointing how some idols turn out to be so self-absorbed. Remember, we're the ones who made them famous. She obviously decided to take her break without considering any of her fans."

I had dealt with these types of comments before, and in reality if this was the end of it I would have been fine. The people who actively posted negative content about me usually were few and far between. I had spent quite a lot of effort crafting the perfect public image for my fans and they seldom spoke harshly towards me. However as I continued to scroll, I saw more and more of it. The supportive comments that had once been common were now a rarity among the sea of distain. Insults were flung around, and everything from my appearance to my performances were attacked. The supporters i had were drowned out by the never ending tide of hate.

It seemed as if the moment I had left, people took the opportunity to vent their frustrations. People I once saw supporting me, now were talking about how I was selfish for taking a break. It was as if I was no longer a human being.

I felt small tears well up in my eyes as I read this, slowly covering my cheeks then my keyboard. It wasn't enough, your smile wasn't enough. They know, they all know about how much of a terrible person you are. I continued to scroll for some time, despite my better judgement. I was all too used to this type of hate, however this time around it was... different. People were mad on a more personal level. Their comments grew steadily more agressive and violent.

Random User 1: "I can't believe I ever liked someone like her."

Random User 6: "At this point I doubt she should come back."

Random User 2: "See how she hasn't responded to all the backlash? She obviously either knows she's wrong or is actively ignoring her fans. Typical tbh."

Random User 5: "Ai Hoshino is an entitled, uneducated and uselss human being. She adds nothing to the world and simply got to where she is by luck and most likely bribing people in the industry. She has no talent, looks ugly and should kill herself."

The realization hit me like a tidal wave, drowning me in a torrent of self-doubt and regret. I had started on this journey with a clear purpose—to seperate myself from the idol life for four whole years. But in my moment of ego and curiosity, I had gone online seeking validation, allowing the toxic words of strangers to affect me. How could I have been so naive, so foolish?