Shin Hye was released from the hospital in record time. She was given the green light to sing in the showcase as long as she let her voice rest the two weeks prior to it. She wasn’t too thrilled with the idea, but she wasn’t going to tell her doctors or her instructor that.

She went into her spacious apartment and tossed her keys on the mahogany table by the door before ditching her jacket and shoes on the floor. Her phone buzzed in her checkered pink and black Polo backpack and she dug for the device in the confines of her clothes, toiletries, and medication. She pulled out the Samsung Galaxy Generation 5 and saw her father’s number flash across the screen. She rolled her eyes and slid the ignore button. She tossed the phone on the black cloth couch and walked into the kitchen. She had had nothing but hospital food for the past week and she was overdue for something home cooked.

            She looked into her refrigerator and pulled out a pack of pork she had bought. She checked the expiration date and was pleased to see that it was still good for a few more days. She grabbed a few more ingredients and kicked the fridge door closed. She prepared dinner for herself while watching the news. They were announcing the contestants for the next stage of the Rising Star Competition and she turned up the volume. Kim Hyun Joong, her idol and the founder of the competition, was being interviewed. Behind him stood the smiling teens hoping to be the next stars of Kore