Slurping noisily at her instant ramen, Jessica lazily scrolled through Youtube with one hand as she ate with the other. Wispy clouds scudded across the dark pink sky outside the panel of windows across from her kitchen table. 

       Tapping the video of her interest, Jessica laid her phone down on the table and listened. Her newest song quietly buzzed through the space. The video didn't have a colossal amount of views, but she was happy with it nonetheless.

       As the video came to an end, Jessica put down her utensils and decided to look at the comments. One comment caught her eye- the handle was written in Hangul. She was surprised that a Korean person was interested enough to comment on one of her videos.

"Don't know how I got here but wow... Taeyeon look alike!" 

       Unsure of who "Taeyeon" could be, and too lazy to check, Jessica simply pocketed her phone and took her finished bowl of ramen to the sink. 

       With nothing else to do, Jessica slipped on a pair of comfortable shoes and exited her apartment with no plans in particular. After a quick elevator ride, she found herself in the streets of Seattle. 

       Strolling casually down the sidewalk, Jessica thrummed her fingers at her side to the rhythm of the passing bikes and cars. 

       Approaching a familiar cafe, Jessica decided to duck in and see if the barista she was acquainted with was working. The atmosphere was relaxed. An employee in an earthy apron sweeped up towards the front and a smattering of friends and couples quietly chatted over a calm, acoustic melody playing over the speakers.

       Jessica enjoyed the song but the voice to the tune seemed a bit out of place to her. It was borderline harsh and overly-bubbly in comparison to the silky, melancholic piano and guitar beneath it. She would never say this to anyone else- after all, the vocalist had put honest work into the song, and to criticize it simply on the basis of being too "poppy" would be pompous. She was no critic, but this song was one she herself had written, so it was hard to control the vague murmurs of criticism at the back of her mind.

       In the music industry, there were thousands of invisible figures behind the top rated songs on the radio, and Jessica was one of them. She didn't mind it- creating music alone was enough for her. Recognition was nice, but not essential. Whenever another artist sang her music, she didn't feel that her art had been usurped, but rather that it had been freely given away. However, in the last few years she had started to release music that she sang herself. It was a casual affair. Like writing a diary; it was a way for her to express herself- not to garner fame. She was too low maintenance for that anyways. The fans had a saying that whenever a pop star released a track that was calmer than usual, it was Jessica's doing.

       Gently humming along as the song reached its final few measures, Jessica plopped onto a cushioned stool by the coffee bar. She smiled as a familiar barista turned around to greet her.

"Jessica!"

Jessica smiled, "Hi, Hara!"

"Should I get you the usual?"

"Go for it," she said with a smile. 

       Turning to the coffee machine behind her, Hara flipped a switch. Over the whirring, the younger girl