It had been an odd couple of days.
The entire Unit 2 was in a bit of a festive mood. Ever since the release of the 'Vanity Daily' show, there had been a lot of calls demanding for Blue Daisy. From sponsorships to potential shows looking to cast us.
It was nice. I wasn't going to lie.
It had only been a couple of weeks since everyone didn't know our name and ignored us whenever we went. Now? Well, things were a little different.
At the very least, people at least were somewhat aware of who we were.
Although we still couldn't be considered 'successful', we were now on the right track.
Especially since the interview managed to hit a staggering rating of 1.3%, a record for them. If that wasn't all, the clips with the girls on the show started spreading through StarBoard like a flood.
Things were good.
Or at least, for the most part. Walking through the Guild, People I didn't know approached me, asking the same question repeatedly.
"Hey, how are you doing? I watched the show. Did you sleep well tonight? I think you should, we wouldn't want you to fight the mirror again, would we?"
"Ha, yes. I had a good sleep, thank you."
"Did you get some sleep tonight?"
"Yes..."
"How many hours did you sleep today?"
Sleep. Sleep. It was all about sleep.
Damn it. I shouldn't have gone back that day.
The craziest part about the situation was the fact that I only came to learn of the entire situation because of the video. I was probably too tired then to remember what had happened.
"It's nice to see you. Have you had enough sleep today?"
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
I greeted the tenth stranger at the Guild as I made my way out of the Guild and headed for the girls' apartment.
There used to be a time when the very same people would just briefly glance my way or downright avoid me, and yet, after the interview was released, they all somehow decided to become friendly with me, saying things like, 'I used to avoid you because you looked scary, but after the interview, I realized you're just scary on the outside.'
A little part of me felt flattered by those words, but at the same time, I had to hold the urge to click my tongue at them.
I knew that within a couple of days, they'd forget all about me.
To Tok—!
When I arrived at the apartment, I knocked on the door twice before Joana opened the door to greet me. A smile blessed her pretty features when her emerald eyes paused on me.
"Manager."
She greeted me and looked around.
Then, to my surprise, she tossed me something.
"Catch."
"What's this?"
I opened my palm to see a set of keys. When I looked up in surprise, she spoke,
"It's a pain to open the door every time. Just use these to come in."
"Oh."
I didn't know whether to feel flattered or alarmed. Even so, I pocketed the keys and entered the apartment. I regretted it.
The moment I came in, I felt like stepping out and never coming back again.
"What's with this mess?"
Confetti, cups, and plastic wrappers covered the entire apartment floor. From the corner of my eyes, I spotted Lyla lying face down, arms and legs outstretched in an angelic pose. Not far from her were Mia and Olivia, similarly sleeping on the floor, both in some weird position I had a hard time coming to terms with.
I had to blink several times to make sure I wasn't seeing wrong before turning my gaze back to Joana who averted her gaze away from me while scratching the side of her cheek.
"So..."
She started, stopping for the briefest of moments before letting out a small and audible sigh.
"...Okay, we decided to have a little party to celebrate the success of the interview."
"And why exactly do I not know about this?"
I was with them yesterday. I only had one day off meaning that yesterday I was here working. And yet, for some reason, I was completely unaware that something like this had happened.
"Well..."
Joana continued to refuse to meet my gaze. Then, as if steeling herself, she muttered,
"...because you were probably going to tell us that we weren't allowed to do this and that we needed to go to bed."
"Oh?"
They sure knew me well.
"But manager!"
"What?"
"Don't you think it was worth the celebration?"
"What was?"
Joana finally looked back at me, a smile returning on her face as she gave me an all-knowing look.
I felt my face harden under her gaze and it was my turn to look away from her.
"Come on manager. You should know best how big of a moment this is."
I could practically feel the amusement in her voice as she moved nearer to me while cocking her head to meet my gaze.
She continued.
"Who would've thought that... out of all us here, you'd be the one to be the first to make it to the ran—"
"Alright, that's enough."
I stopped her before she could finish. Even now, recalling the reality of my situation, I felt my stomach flip.
"Hahaha. Come on, manager. What you managed to achieve is worthy of celebration."
"No. Far from it."
"Oh please. You've been a manager for almost a month, and yet, you're already more popular than us."
"For now."
I added immediately.
"Hmm. Perhaps so, but you never know."
Staring into her deep green eyes my head started to hurt. The situation was a lot more troublesome than I thought.
The Interview was fine, and everything else that came with it was also appreciated. Except for one little thing.
"Yo, if it isn't our first celebrity in Blue Daisy?"
Dean's voice echoed from the door as he came into the room with an unusual smile on his face. Dropping off some stuff by the counter, he came up to us before repeatedly patting my back.
"Hahaha, I knew you could do it."
No, you didn't.
"From the moment I saw you, I knew we had something special in you."
Stop lying with such a straight face.
"Although I would've liked it if the girls were the first ones to make it there, I'm still happy you made the leap. Mr. Celebrity."
I grit my teeth and glared at him. Only for him to shrug at me with a look that seemed to say, 'This is all your doing. Has nothing to do with me.'
If I could, I'd strangle him on the spot. However, in the end, my shoulders deflated as I let out a tired breath and sat down on the sofa.
There was actually a reason why people kept trying to get close to me back at the Guild. While some probably thought it was funny because of the interview, most of them approached me with other motives.
I could tell at a glance.
There was only one reason for this and one reason only.
"Haa."
With a tired sigh, I opened my phone and checked the latest headline on StarBoard. There, my gaze fell on the first article that showed up.
Breaking — [A rising E-rank celebrity emerges as Liam Marken secures the 500th, and last, position in the rankings, firmly establishing his presence in the rankings.]
Staring once again at the headline I'd seen at least over a dozen times in the past hour or so, I still found it hard to process the reality of my situation.
Celebrity rankings.
They ranked an individual, Star Chaser or not, based on their popularity. Typically, a Star Chaser needed to at least be in the E rankings before being granted promotion to the next Tier.
The rankings changed all the time depending on the circumstances, and only once someone managed to get in them would they be considered a 'known' person.
There was a reason why I was still having trouble processing the situation.
Just how in the world did I manage to get into the rankings? Me, an unknown manager.
Where was the logic in all of this?
"How long do you think you'll be able to stay in the rankings?"
Dean's voice was all it took for me to snap out of my thoughts and I raised my head to meet his gaze. I shrugged my shoulder and replied honestly,
"I don't know. Probably a couple of days."
The reason why I had made it to the rankings was probably because the clips of the interview were still 'hot' online. Once that died down, I was more or less confident I'd drop out of the rankings.
That was unless something big happened, which I didn't think was possible.
Still, I was somewhat surprised by the fact that the girls hadn't made it to the rankings despite their names going trending on Star Board at five.
It went to show just how hard it was to make it to the rankings.
"Hmm."
With a frown, Dean looked at my phone. Then, just as he was about to say something, my phone buzzed and the words 'Unknown number' appeared on the screen.
I turned my gaze to meet Dean's as we both looked at each other. Before I could even say anything, he nudged his head.
"Take it."
"...Okay."
I answered the call.
"Hello? I'm Liam Marken, manager of Blue Daisy. How may I help you?"
—Hu. Hu.
I heard a low and steady laugh coming from the other side of the phone.
That voice...
Why did it sound so familiar?
—It's been a while. I hope you don't mind if I call you at a time like this.
"Yes?"
I sat up straight. There was something about the voice, despite it being flat, that made me feel pressured.
"Sorry, but who is this?"
—Ah, how rude of me. I'm Evon Elsher. You may know me as your Guild Master.
***
Emblem of the Sun, Guild Master office.
Click.
After hanging up, Guild Master Evon closed his eyes. Sitting opposite him, Carl, his secretary, licked his lips which had gone dry. He stared curiously at Evon. His expression was hard to read, as it had always been.
The room fell into a state of silence until the secretary could no longer hold back and asked,
"What was his reply?"
The Guild Master finally opened his eyes, revealing just the glint of something in them.
"He refused."
His fingers tapped against the wooden table in front of him.
"...He refused my offer."
"He did?"
The secretary took in the information carefully, taking a deep breath shortly after.
"Is he out of his mind? Did he really..."
"Hm. He did."
With a simple nod, the Guild Master turned his head to stare at the large window behind him. Outside, rain fell from the dark clouds, cloaking the entire sky. The drizzle painted Sun City, where the city lights gleamed beneath the somber rainfall.
The secretary licked his lips again and mumbled,
"What did he not like about the offer? If I were him, I'd take it in a heartbeat. I mean, who in their right mind would give up the opportunity to manage a Tier 4 Group? Is it because he just lacks ambition or is he just... stupid?"
"It's neither."
The Guild Master shook his head all of a sudden.
"Yes?"
Feeling the Guild Mastger's attention, the secretary was surprised to see a curl appear on his lips, if ever so slightly.
"In fact, it's the opposite."
His fingers came tapping against the table once more.
"He's incredibly ambitious. More so than you can imagine."
"...Pardon?"
The secretary couldn't understand the Guild Master's words. With a frown, he was just about to voice his objection when his voice was cut off.
"Spread the news."
The secretary felt his brows jump up.
"Spread...?"
"Spread the news that Liam Marken, manager of Blue Daisy directly refused the offer to manage a Tier 4 group. Contact 'The Sun-Times', 'Vagabond', and all the other media outlets that we are on friendly terms with and hint at them about the situation. Make it so this looks like a leak rather than it being intentional."
The secretary stood up, his mouth still open as he struggled to understand the Guild Master's orders. Perhaps having noticed his expression, the Guild Master lightly said,
"Don't ask, just do."
"...Okay."
Though confused, he could only nod at the Guild Master.
Then, just as he was about to leave and do as he was told, he heard a low mumble coming from behind him.
"I'm merely upping the stakes for him. Only under intense scrutiny will someone thrive. I'm just setting up a stage for him. Whether he can succeed or not, that'll depend on how he will perform."