Work Text:
“Eugh…”
Kaveh made a noise of disgust as he stared hopelessly at the notification that had just popped up on his phone. Another message warning him about the late payments on his phone bill…
And now that he was looking at his phone, he could see that the Akademiya had also sent an email ‘gently reminding’ about his tuition fees, too. Plus another message from that loanshark Dori about his debts, and a text from Al Haitham nagging him about the stack of his various late bills he found in his room. Come to think of it, didn’t he owe Alhaitham his last payment of rent, too? Sure, Alhaitham wasn’t exactly forcing him to pay to stay in his apartment, but no way in hell was he letting it be another favor that went unrepaid due to his broke university student status. Asshole as he was, he was already doing an awful lot for him…
Kaveh groans, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. When he started thinking about his debts he always got into a real funk about it, and he couldn’t afford to do that now. He was on the job… part-time job, anyway.
The haggard young man shoved his phone into his pocket and got back to barista-ing for the quiet café, filling up cups for the latest to-go order that had come in. A special seasonal caramel double macchiato with ice and whipped cream, plus a large mocha latte with extra milk and dark chocolate powder… his face scrunches up, squinting at the bill that had been paid with a pang of envy. Damn. He wished he had the money to buy fancy drinks like these every day too.
Kaveh tried to forget all the various bills and debts he had looming over him, but he knew he might as well be in the middle of a lake with bricks tied to his feet… it was impossible to see how his meager money scrounging and crappy barista pay was going to help get him out of the debt he found himself in. How on Earth was he going to pay it all off?
Grumbling to himself, all he could do was keep his hands busy in hopes of keeping his mind preoccupied for now. Luckily for him the café was having a slow day, with just a few regular patrons scattered about having quiet conversation or working away at their laptops.
As Kaveh busies himself with his work and money troubles, he’s too busy to notice the chime of the front door and the clacking of heels that step into the cafe. Neither does he notice the sudden gasp of some of the café guests, or see the way heads turn the moment people begin to notice who had stepped inside.
“I-is that Miss Miko?!”
“Miko-sama?! You mean the bigshot CEO from Yae Entertainment?!”
“Yes! I always see her personal posts on my timeline. She’s pretty enough to be an idol herself, don’t you think?”
“It’s kind of crazy how she’s gotten the company that big even though it was only founded last year…”
“Yeah, but I’ve heard they’ve kind of hit a rock. They’re trying to find the next big thing that’ll take them to the top!”
Kaveh doesn’t hear a thing with his back to the open floor, not even with the chatter and gossip of the scattered cafe patrons suddenly increasing in volume from before. He’s more focused on perfecting the very difficult swirling design on the latté art he was handling for a customer right now, squinting rather intensely at the delicate shifting shapes of foam he was creating. Just pour a little more to the right here, and-
“Ahem.” The sound of a woman clearing her throat pointedly from the counter makes him jump.
Kaveh scrambles to set the milk down, although he’s mindful not to ruin his hard work and does so rather slowly. “Sorry, sorry! My apologies, Madam, just give me a second…” Kaveh makes sure to give the woman a smile as he adjusts his apron and turns back around to face the counter. “What can I get you?”
The woman exudes status and luxury, Kaveh quickly realizes. Her white pantsuit and shiny gold jewelry made her wealth apparent at once, rather at odds with the rather homely decor of the small café around her. Her finely combed long pink hair, too, spoke of uncountable bottles of conditioner and hair product, and her pale skin was free of any blemishes in a way that only a thorough daily skincare routine could dream of producing. Plus, the way she had her arms crossed as she impatiently stared at him through her tinted sunglasses made it clear she wasn’t a woman used to waiting.
Kaveh blinks. Had he been visited by some kind of goddess?
The woman pulls the sunglasses off her face, huffing slightly as she reveals the disgruntled look to her amethyst eyes. “ ‘Madam’ ? Really? Do I truly look that old to you, young man? Honestly, I only entered this hole-in-the-wall place so I could…” She’s in the process of fluffing her rose-colored hair back into place when she suddenly trails off the moment her gaze properly lands on Kaveh.
There’s an instant of pause between the both of them as they take each other in. A beat. Then two.
Her amethyst eyes seem to flash with almost predatory instinct as she scans Kaveh, top to bottom. One of her eyebrows raises, high and sharp, in clear critical fashion.
Suddenly Kaveh felt awfully self conscious in his unkempt work uniform, stained with various coffee substances and creams. “Uh… Miss?” He weakly says, trying to get her attention back on the menu and off the state of his appearance.
A third beat, and a fourth. But then the woman suddenly leans forward across the bar, getting right up in his face like she was trying to scrutinize his every detail. The movement makes Kaveh jump and instinctively recoil back, but she doesn’t back off in the slightest.
The woman smirks. “... My, my. What a surprise. Little barista, I may have an offer to make you.”
Her voice sounds like silk, smooth and relaxing, and yet Kaveh feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand just hearing it.
The woman suddenly produces an ivory business card out of nowhere, brandished between her well-manicured fingers like a weapon. She slides it across the marbled countertop, allowing Kaveh to read the finely printed ink.
Yae Miko
CEO and Producer at Yae Entertainment
Kaveh blinks. … CEO? And producer?
Despite Kaveh’s clear confusion, her voice is practically a purr as she speaks her next words.
“Young man, how would you like to be an idol ?”
The stage is set in the small stage hall. The lights and decor have been set up perfectly, reflecting reds, greens, and aquas around the whole area. The audience has excitedly filled up the standing space and were now eagerly waiting, conversation and anticipation creating the murmur of voices echoing through the hall now. Even the staff had finally shut the entrance doors, preparing themselves for the next few hours of the concert ahead.
All is ready for the show to begin.
Except, of course, for the idol himself.
“This has been a completely idiotic idea!” Kaveh hisses, slamming his head down onto the metal table in front of him with a loud BANG .
He could barely even believe he was in this situation. All suited up in some flashy stage outfit that surely would have taken a big chunk out of his savings, his hair specially styled and face made up from the team of silent but efficient professionals that had enhanced his every feature to the enhanced beauty standards the entertainment world demanded. And now, he was waiting around all alone in a dressing room, his dressing room, feeling like a complete, total fool for believing he could ever do this idol thing.
Kaveh bit his lip, beginning to bounce his leg rapidly as if it would help with the overwhelming amount of anxiety and nerves that was beginning to overwhelm him. Alhaitham would surely scold him for it if he saw him, but in this nerve-wracking situation where Kaveh actually felt like his grounded attitude might help, he wasn’t here.
Kaveh groaned. He felt ridiculous. Why on Earth did he ever listen to anything that woman had said to him?
That day, after his shift had ended, the lady had cornered him just as he was leaving the café and pressed on with her offer even though he had turned it down at first. And somehow, she had known just how to get him to agree that time. Lured in by the promise of record deals, sponsorship money, and maybe an exorbitant dental plan or two… one way or another, he just remembers taking that deal on the spot and signing his next few years away to that devil-fox of a woman.
In retrospect, he really should have gotten a lawyer to read through that contract first.
Now here he was, backstage at what was supposed to be his debut live, agonizing over his decision that dreaded day.
It may have been a few weeks since he signed on with Yae Entertainment, but it may as well just have been days. Kaveh doesn’t feel prepared at all to do this. Sure, he had done all he could to practice and train for today, as per the lady called Miko’s demands, but…
And speak of the devil, the dressing room door swings open and the familiar clack of heels fills the air.
“Careful now, Kaveh,” Miko tuts, shaking her head as she sashays into the room. Miko always smiled like she found something amusingly foolish, and tonight her grin was no different as she looked over at him smashing his face into the table. “You’ll ruin that nice makeup the staff have worked so hard to get on you. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“If I do that, will the live get canceled?” Kaveh grunts, muffled into the cool metal.
Miko laughs as if she were humoring a child. “No, darling, I’m afraid not. Perhaps postponed at most. We’d just call back in the stylist team to redo their work. The show will go on, and one way or another, you’re getting on that stage. May I remind you of that little contract you signed, little idol?”
“Don’t call me that…” Kaveh groans, lifting his head to turn around glare with annoyance at the woman. Sometimes, Yae Miko reminded him of Alhaitham in all the worst ways. He sighs heavily, running a hand through the mussed-up part of his carefully styled hair as he fought the urge to start chewing on his fingernails. “Why the hell are you even here? If you’re CEO, shouldn’t you have some… more important stuff to do, or something?”
“I believe overseeing the debut of one of my personally hand-picked talents is a more valuable use of my time tonight than going through budget plans or reviewing business proposals.” Miko snorts. “Besides, I’m your producer too, remember?”
“Right.” Kaveh rolled his eyes. As if he could forget, after the way Miko relentlessly piled vocal and dance lessons into his schedule one after another practically every single day. In the first week of nonstop practice he seriously thought about reporting workplace abuse and exploitation.
“Well, don’t you look like a bride getting cold feet on her wedding day, little princess. Nervous, are you?” Yae’s teasing tone interrupts his reminiscences. Suddenly he jumps at the feeling of a presence at his back, and he realizes at some point she had moved to stand behind him.
He feels Miko’s slender hands suddenly come to rest on his shoulders, and for a moment he tenses, fearing she was about to rip his head off or something.
But no. Kaveh feels her hands slowly start to press into his shoulder blades, before moving in round, circular motions. “Relax, darling. Please. You’re not going to convince anyone that you’re happy to be on stage if you go out there with all those pent up nerves,” Miko quietly giggles, shaking her head. Kaveh can hear the jangle of her earrings with the movement.
He’s a little dumbfounded as he realizes she wasn’t going to eliminate him on the spot for being a pathetic excuse of an idol. “Are.. are you giving me a massage?” Was this really the same she-devil of a black-company boss?
“Hush.” Miko’s hands jab a little too hard into his muscles, making him yelp, before she eases up again. Her touch is firm yet gentle, and against his own will Kaveh begins to actually feel soothed by her touch. His body begins to untense, relaxing into the chair, and he lets out a little sigh of relief.
As her hands move, Miko speaks, her tone smooth. “Look, little idol, I think you’re selling yourself short here. I didn’t sign you on just because I was looking for any poor old college student to exploit, you know.” Though he was pretty sure that was at least part of the reason, Kaveh mentally grumbles.
Yae Miko continues on, humming slightly as she continues her finger movements, pressing and easing where his muscles needed it most. “There was a lot to why I decided to offer you an idol contract there in that poor old coffee shop that day… half, of course, being your appearance, because let’s face it, that pretty face of yours could sell merchandise without you even trying.”
Before Kaveh can even snark about her poor attempt at a joke (at least, he hoped it was?), Miko abruptly stops her massage, finishing by leaving him with a parting pat to his shoulders. He tries to turn around to look over at the woman, but Miko suddenly leans into his field of view herself, locking eye contact with him. “I signed you on because you’ve got that look in your eye. Not star quality, or determination, or anything silly like that… but the kind that says you really do care about other people. And that’s exactly what makes a good idol, no matter what.”
Her words hang in the air for a moment. Kaveh stares up at her, wide-eyed. She looks totally sincere, for once, her serious gaze lacking any sign that she was making fun of him this time. Was that… was that a sincere compliment? From Yae Miko?
“Besides… You don’t want to disappoint all the adoring fans who came here to specially see you, now, do you?” Yae suddenly breaks into another cool, smug smile, using a finger to condescendingly tap Kaveh’s nose, making him jump slightly at the movement.
Kaveh scowls up at the woman for it, pointedly leaning away from her now. Moment lost. “And how do I have ‘adoring fans’ already when this is supposed to be my debut live?”
Miko laughs, raising a hand to tap pointedly at the phone she suddenly produced from one of her suit pockets. “Oh, little princess. These days, idols do promotions even before they perform a single show, darling. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but your official account has been posting for aaaall these few weeks.”
Huh?! Kaveh gapes at her. “I-I… have an official account?” That’s the first he’s heard of it.
“Why, of course. You couldn’t have expected to hold a debut live without any fans, could you? My team and I have been working around the clock to send out promotional posts and behind-the-scenes of you, with all those lovely candid photos we’ve been taking. You really haven’t noticed? It’s all in that contract of yours, dear.”
That damned contract… He really should have gotten someone to look it over before putting his name on the thing.
Miko shakes her head, chuckling as she sees the disbelief on Kaveh’s face. “Oh, little idol, don’t get in a twist over it. You should be glad! It’s something of a miracle that you’ve amassed the audience you have here tonight even as a fledgeling, completely unknown idol. Even I’m impressed, you know.” Kaveh can practically see the imaginary fox tail flicking behind her with amusement.
The woman chuckles again before patting his back once more, giving him a gentle push out of his chair. “Now, come on. You have a show to do, darling, don’t you? It’s about your call time, so get out there. I’ll be watching, dear. Break a leg, my little star idol.” She winks in a way that almost makes Kaveh feel like she’s making fun of him.
She probably is. But, strangely, he could detect the faintest bit of sincerity amidst all her teasing.
Kaveh doesn’t reply at first, but his expression does become harder-set, and after a moment he gives the woman a firm nod. “... Yeah. Okay. I’m… I’m going out there.”
A brand new fire of determination burns in Kaveh’s amber eyes as he gets to his feet. Without any more bids goodbye, he makes his way to the door, heading out of the dressing room looking like a soldier on a mission.
“... I wonder if he really believed all that.” Miko lets herself have a secretive, smug smile, staring after him at the now-empty doorway with that same mischievous shine to her eyes.
The rush to the wings is a blur. Kaveh just remembers being led down the maze of electronics and stage infrastructure by some staff members, and then all of a sudden there he was, standing just a shadow and a step away from the bright lights and stage focus.
There’s no roar of the crowd, just chatter. Quiet, anticipating chatter from the audience members as they wait for the show to begin, and it’s only then that it really strikes Kaveh that there were people here for him . Really, truly, just to see him out there, see him perform .
You don’t want to disappoint all the adoring fans who came here to specially see you, now, do you?
Miko was right. He didn’t.
Kaveh shuts his eyes, and takes one final deep breath, steeling his nerves.
Then, Kaveh steps out on stage.
And he finds that the stage lights shine even brighter than the stars.