"I think I may have put a target on my back." I chew my finger nail as I pace back and forth. I switched my heels for slippers the moment I got home and now I am walking idly on the rooftop of our building with Hyeon's burner phone glued to my ear.
"I told you it wasn't a clear cut case. Those girls had motive." Hyeon's voice sounds nasal across the line.
"I don't know but they were looking for something there. Something Maria said would get them into deep trouble." I then summarise everything that went down earlier that day at Dalia's wake.
Recounting everything only reminds me of the way the three remaining Sweet Poison members stared at me during the service. They're facial expressions telling me they knew I was up to something.
The problem is they're not wrong and I don't need this kind of attention hampering either my debut or our little investigation.
I bite my lip, the stress of today weighing down on my shoulders. "Do you think they're dangerous?"
"I mean if they already got what they wanted. How dangerous could they be?"
"What if they think I know something?" I try not to sound panicked but it carries in my words.
Hyeon is quick to catch it. "Don't worry. I'm keeping an eye on you. There's no need to look so stressed."
My head whips around in all directions, eyes widening in alarm. "Are you watching me right now?"
"Yes, through my lens. It would be hard for you to spot me though. But if you must I'm sitting in your south east direction."
South east. South east? I've never been the best at navigation. My sister used to joke that if I were ever stuck at sea, I would never make it back alive.
"Hmm, your nine o'clock?" Hyeon adds and I finally spot him sitting on a building rooftop almost a yard away.
"How the hell can you see me so clearly from there?" I berate, feeling slightly intimidated. He clearly can't tell when he's being creepy, like the time he mentioned knowing all about my evaluation when we first met.
"I spent a bomb on this telephoto lens. Works like magic I tell you."
I want to roll my eyes but then I remember he's watching. "You better not be taking pictures. I'll report you for recording without consent."
He scoffs from across the line. "Excuse me. This camera is only used for work and Dalia. I don't fill up my memory card with anything else."
My lips form a thin line. He sounds honest, at least I hope he is. Anyway if it comes to it, leaked pictures of me talking on our rooftop building will hardly generate any news. I do it almost every weekend when we are given our phones and I call my family back home.
"Sorry I just wanted to make sure you locked the door behind you. The last thing we need is to attract unwanted attention," Hyeon justifies.
His words make me stare at the staircase door instinctively and I walk towards it and turn the knob to check if it was locked. Of course it was, I made sure when I came up here with his burner phone in my pocket.
"I think I've already attracted some unwanted attention," I say thinking back to Summer, Loona and Maria. "This doesn't feel fair. You can see me but I can't see you."
"Well a camera with this specs is a bit pricey but I could always get you a pair of binoculars."
I laugh despite myself. An image of us sitting on separate rooftops, talking to each other on the phone while I stare at him through binoculars is downright comical.
"So what do we do now? What do you think they were looking for?" I ask rhetorically.
There is crackling on the other side of the line and I see Hyeon as a small figure get up from his crouched position and stretch. He looks like a stick figure with the pinkish-orange sunset sky splayed behind him.
His hand reaches for the sky and from here it looks like a tiny black line before he brings his phone back to his ear. "There's not much we can do for now. But this is good progress. You did better than I could have imagined. As for whatever they were looking for, I'll look into it."
My cheeks warm at his praise, it's been a while since someone has said something so positive to me. Everyday has been filled with critique so much so that this feels like the hug I've been craving from my parents whenever I feel homesick.
"Thank you." I reply softly.
"No, thank you. You didn't have to help me and put yourself at risk. Anyway, is there anything else that happened? Any other person of interest?" Hyeon asks.
He sounds like one of those detectives from the kdramas the girls like to watch. "Nope, no one I can think of." I say popping the 'p' in nope.
"Okay, then I guess you should head inside. It's getting late."
"There's just one thing." I say, remembering the time I was in Dalia's study where she kept her notes and lyrics. "Do you think she was having an affair?"
I mean it's not hard to believe someone as sought after as her didn't date at all. I wait for a response but there is dead silence on the other side of the line.
"You there?" I quickly check.
I hear him clearing his throat and his voice is so much sharper now. "What makes you say that?"
"When I was going in a reporter asked me about it-"
"Reporters always throw around garbage like that," Hyeon interrupts angrily.
"Yeah, well I read some of her unreleased lyrics and it sounded like she was talking about someone," I add. If he's going to get angry every time we discuss Dalia's love life then this is going to be a problem. "Look we need to look at all possibilities, okay? Whether it makes us uncomfortable or not."
He sighs loudly before replying. "You're right, sorry. I'll look into that as well. If there were dating rumours about her, QBS would have records of it."
I smile at stare up at the landscape of the busy city. Sky scrapers and shorter buildings like the one I am standing on, all darkened with shadows as the sun sets in the west. That's about the extent of navigation I know.
"I should head inside. It's been a long day," I say.
"Okay, you rest up. I'll see you soon. Oh and throw away that phone. I'll get you a new one the next time we meet."
His cryptic words pique my curiosity. "When and where are we meeting next? I'm not sure about my schedule yet." I refrain from mentioning the concert I will soon be busy preparing for.
"I know. You're a busy girl. Don't worry I'll find a way."
*
My head is groggy even as we enter the trainee building but the nerves soon settle in when we see Mr Lee - our dance trainer - waiting for us in the lobby.
"Dance practice starts at 5pm sharp today. Don't be late." He looks at me, making me shrink back before he walks away.
"Ahh, so exciting," Binna exclaims from beside me.
She's born to be a main dancer. Of course she would be thrilled about this.
"I'm going to be needing your help," I say and she smiles knowingly.
"Of course. I help you with dance, you help me with singing. Only the usual." She winks and I nod, smiling. We've been doing this for years.
"Speaking of singing. I have a duet to practice for." I look at the schedule for our practices pasted on the notice board and see that I will be meeting our vocal coach and Jiho today at 10am.
Jiho. The last I saw him was when we were talking by the vending machines by the practice rooms. I had suggested for us to meet for a walk after evaluations were over but instead I snuck off to meet Hyeon.
We haven't spoken since and my stomach feels like butterflies are fluttering about as I rush to the floor where vocal lessons are usually held. Binna and I had forced down the bland food provided to us but now it's slowly inching it's way up my throat.
I don't understand why I'm so nervous to meet Jiho again.
But nothing prepares me for the disappointment I feel when I finally reach the vocal studio. There is no Jiho in sight, only our middle aged vocal coach/producer and my rap coach Ms Noh.
"Jina, good you're on time. Let's go through your lines for the duet," Ms Noh says chirpily while Mr Wan just continues scrolling through his phone with his thumb. He doesn't even look up at me.
"Okay," I say, placing my bag on the chair by the keyboard in front of us.
I go through the lyrics in the verse I'm supposed to perform and it really isn't much compared to the lengthy two verses Jiho will be singing. I memorise it within fifteen minutes and then we go over them repeatedly.
At some point I feel like a broken recorder and I glance at the clock, noticing that an hour has passed and still no sign of Jiho.
Mr Wan would occasionally pass a remark or look at me with a condescending expression but really he doesn't do much and after a while I wonder why he is even here.
Granted, this is his studio and he is the most talented producer in this building, with accolades that other teachers only dream of but still, he looks at me like I am an insect that should be swatted away.
I had always pursued rapping instead of singing so I've never been in this grand studio of his but still I never expected him to be so disinterested and arrogant.
I make a small mistake in my pronunciation and he actually laughs. He does it multiple times even when I don't make any mistakes and even Ms Noh casts him a look.
Another hour passes by and all my previous excitement at the idea of meeting Jiho has melted into a puddle of misery on the floor.
I've been practising the same verse for hours. Each time there's something new to pin point and correct. It's clear Jiho isn't coming. I realised that even before Mr. Wan received a call about him being held up at some event somewhere.
By the time we are done, my ears are red and my body is filled with so much angst, it's a good thing we're having dance practice later.
Ms Noh looks just as exhausted. I have a feeling she would have ended our session much earlier if Mr Wan wasn't here.
"I'd like a word with Jina. Ms Noh, you may leave first." Mr. Wan dismisses her with a wave of a hand and she nods quickly.
Mr. Wan was a big name even before he joined Firefly. He worked in one of the Big 3 companies and has single handedly launched some very big names in the industry. To cross him would be suicide. Everyone knows his word holds a lot of weight wherever he works.
Mr Yang holds him in high regard and I've heard that he sometimes has the last say in who can debut as singers and who can't.
Which is why I am currently freaking out when the door shuts softly behind us.
This is the largest vocal studio in the building, with a three key boards, a sound proof recording room, a large oakwood desk and a wall sprawling with certificates, awards and picture frames.
"Have a seat, Kang Jina."
My name coming out of his mouth sounds like a warning and I do as told while he stands by his desk, his fingers thrumming on the wood like a melody. He shifts closer and he smells of some musky cologne. I notice he keeps looking at my ripped leggings and I cross my legs, feeling uncomfortable.
"You have a lot to work on if you want to debut." He points out and his eyes flit to my legs again.
I squirm, the discomfort in my chest growing exponentially.
He chuckles softly and walks around his desk. It is only then that I focus on the wall behind him. My body stiffens when I see a picture of him with Dalia and a few other men. She is standing in the middle and there is a hand wrapped around her waist. I just can't figure out who's.
"If you want to improve you know where to find me." Mr Wan draws my attention back to him. "I'm free for private lessons in the evenings. You just have to book them here."
He hands me a tablet and I immediately click on a slot, eager to get out of there.
"Thank you so much," I gush, making him smile. "I have to rush for dance practice." I doubt he'd know that was a lie.
I rush out of the room and shut the door behind me, feeling relief rush through me.
I have to tell Hyeon about what I've just discovered.