As soon as she sat down, the door violently swung open. It wasn't a nice, polite opening, it was abrupt. Like a punch. Every head in the room snapped to attention, and there stood a young man, probably her age, with shocking bright blonde hair. He was the only other young person besides her. What made her jaw literally drop was that he didn't even look at the room's famous faces. He just scanned the area, spotted his chair, and marched straight for it without a single glance at anyone.
'Okay, wow. My dramatic freeze-up look much less noticeable now,' Yuri thought, feeling instantly overshadowed. She watched the guy, who was, to her absolute horror, headed for the empty seat right next to her.
He didn't bother to speak until his butt hit the leather cushion.
"Hello, seniors. I'm Park Seohyun. Please take care of me," he announced with a quick, dismissive nod to the room.
'Why did that sound exactly like my robotic greeting?'
The silence was cut by a ridiculously loud "tsk", followed by a taunting whisper.
"Youth these days are rather arrogant, don't you think?" The woman in her 40s snickered to her neighbor, who chuckled like a villain. This was the drama Yuri had been preparing for, but it was aimed at the guy beside her.
He didn't even twitch. Instead, he turned his full attention to Yuri, sizing her up and down with a deep, intense stare, completely ignoring the noise around him.
"Who are you?" he demanded suddenly, leaning in.
A bright light seemed to follow the boy. His face, smooth and clear, was almost too perfect. His wide, bright, foxy eyes held an instant intensity. He looked like "sunshine" in his sleeveless gray hoody, but his direct gaze was pure, captivating power.
"I'm—"
"Stop!" He cut her off with a sharp shush motion, scanning her again, finally locking onto her eyes.
"Green eyes. You're Lee Yuri," he stated with a firm, knowing nod.
"You look different, by the way. Finally losing your awful Barbie taste?"
"That—"
"Just an FYI, I'm not talking to you because I'm hitting on you, like you assumed last time. I'm gay, and you're not my type."
This revelation stunned Yuri, and she could sense the onlookers, who had been pretending not to listen, holding their breath.
"Well—"
"Don't talk to me," he finished, giving her a sharp glare before instantly pulling out his phone. He dismissed her existence like she was a telemarketer.
Yuri was left with her mouth hanging open. The boy was less a person and more a human whirlwind that had blown in, attacked, and vanished into his phone screen.
'Full of himself, blunt, and breezy,This is a new level of rude.'
She found herself still staring at him, studying his perfect, delicate features that were now completely absorbed by his phone, as if no one else in the room mattered.
Suddenly, her memory clicked. Park Seohyun. The original owner of this body had met him before. The incident flashed in her mind: the young man had approached the original Yuri at a show, but the old Yuri, thinking he was just another flirt, had bluntly blown him off. That explained the aggressive "I'm gay and you're not my type" declaration, it was revenge!
Yuri quickly scrambled through the old memory files on Park Seohyun. Oh no. This guy was a top-notch songwriter, sought after by everyone, a rare talent that could not be ignored. On top of that, he came from an influential family. He was also wildly controversial, known for his arrogant, violent tendencies, and love for beautiful people. There was even a nasty rumor that he had once punched a popular idol who dared to touch him carelessly, and that idol's career had disappeared overnight.
Yuri stared at the beautiful, deadly human next to her, Park Seohyun, and silently prayed. The original owner had insulted a demon. Now, she was the one stuck dealing with him for the entire show.
Just as I was sinking into my worries, a softer knock sounded. The door opened carefully, and another young woman stood there. She looked excited, wearing a white dress with soft lace, looking incredibly sweet and proper.
"Hello, seniors! I'm Kim Bora," she announced a little loudly, sporting a lovely but timid smile while bowing very low.
"I'm super excited to be here! I'll make sure to learn and show you my best. Please take good care of me!"
Kim Bora straightened up, her eyes quickly scanning the room before locking right onto me. Her sweet smile snapped into hatred for a split second before she forced it back into place. A sharp, calculating flicker passed behind her eyes. She walked past the main table and stopped right beside my chair.
"Oh, Yuri! Fancy seeing you here," Bora said, her voice dripping with overly polite surprise.
"You've gained weight, haven't you? I guess the rumors didn't affect you that much. That's a relief."
I offered a small, easy shrug. "Hi, Bora. Same."
Bora leaned in just slightly, and her smile tightened into something pointed.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect you to be on this show. After Goddess of Tomorrow, I thought you were done with reality shows forever. It must be so brave of you to try again, even with..."
She paused, gesturing vaguely toward my controversial state with a subtle wave of her lace-covered hand.
"...everything. I mean, a second chance is nice, right?"
I didn't even blink. I picked up the slim water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took a slow, deliberate drink. I didn't bother to lower my voice when I answered.
"It's just work, Bora. Someone had to take the seat," I replied, my tone completely nonchalant.
I capped the bottle. "You look great, by the way. Very... angelic."
Bora's smile tightened hard for a split second. She clearly hadn't expected the slight turn-around or the lack of flinch on my part. I could see surprise in her eyes, even as her smile grew more strained.
"Thank you! I'm just happy to be here without the pressure of a big competition, you know? Just friends working together." She shot another quick, false smile at me before finally walking to her own seat across the room.
Just great, another demon, I groaned inwardly.
I quickly remembered Kim Bora. She had been a contestant on Goddess of Tomorrow, but unlike the original Yuri, Bora had real talent. Now, she was a huge success: the center of a popular female idol group who wrote all their hit songs. Bora had always hated the original Yuri, who had won the competition simply because of her beauty, not her skills.
'What can she do? I'm prettier than her,' a familiar, vain thought echoed in my head.
Since the show, Bora had treated the original Yuri like a hated rival, mostly because they shared a similar "Barbie" or "angelic" style. The old Yuri had always managed to be more popular than Bora, which just fueled Bora's hatred.
Knowing the caliber of the person next to me and the intense rival across the room, I sank a little lower in my seat. The battle hadn't even started, but I felt completely exhausted already.