Hani’s phone rang for the second time already. She was reluctant on picking up Solji’s call but after being questioned by LE, she finally picked it up. “Hey, Solji. What’s up?”

“Hey, Hani where are you? You’re supposed to return the paper bag to me last night. *cough cough* I don’t see it anywhere. Is the paper bag still with you?”

“Oh, I’m uh… I’m at the park with LE.” Hani stated.

Solji frowned. “What are you doing there with her with my paper bag?”

“Uhm… Could you come over here for a moment, Solji? There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Why is that? You’re being a little weird, Hani.”

“Just come over, alright?” Hani ended the call right after.

“Now that’s weird.” Solji tried to shrug off the bad intuition she’s having from Hani’s call and immediately went to the park to find her. Solji was wearing a mask because she was coughing really badly. She didn’t want to infect anybody else.

“Oh, Solji you’re here.” LE smiled. “It’s been some time.”

“What’s going on here?” Solji was definitely surprised to see Hani standing so close to LE. Close enough to be invading each other’s personal space. “You’re standing awfully close to one another, aren’t you? Did something…happen?”

“Uhm…” Hani suddenly clung her arm on LE’s arm. “Solji, I’ve been wanting to tell you this…”

“When did this happen?” Solji asked.

“Just yesterday…” Hani answered.

“Just yesterday?? That’s an awfully quick progression for this relationship to happen, don’t you think so?” Solji questioned.

LE was definitely clueless about the situation here. “Solji, why didn’t you tell me that Hani was the PaperBagGirl the whole time?”

That time, Solji’s eyes widened as she looked over at Hani’s direction. It was that time when Solji figured out what Hani told LE yesterday. “Really? Wish someone could tell me the same thing to my face too.”

LE then sensed something wrong. “Is something wrong?”

Solji shrugged without breaking eye contact with Hani. “Yeah, what’s wrong, Hani? Mind telling her?”

“…” Hani kept quiet.

“Why are you keeping quiet now? Tell her the truth, Hani. Tell her that you’re not the real PaperBagGirl.” Solji called out straight.

“I…” Hani gulped. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Solji…”

Solji felt a little angered. “You used my identity to get closer to LE and now you’re denying the truth?” 

“What’s going on here, Solji?” LE asked.

Solji called out. “LE. There’s something I have to tell you since the very first day I met you in the café and I should have just told you back then rather than playing around…” 

Hearing this made Hani glare at her. “…”

“I’m the real PaperBagGirl. Look.” Solji held out her new paper bag. “I have to make a new one because Hani refused to return mine.”

“That sounds like an excuse, Solji.” LE stated. She wasn’t convinced at all that Solji was the real PaperBagGirl. 

Both Solji’s eyes shot wide open. “What? I’m making an excuse??”

“Solji, I heard you sing before. You sound nothing like PaperBagGirl. You should know I have this thing for PaperBagGirl and in this case, Hani. Why are you trying to tear us apart now?”

“I was using a fake voice the other day! I am the real PaperBagGirl!” Solji raised her voice. “Hani was just sitting in for me for the time being! Hani, say something!”

“…” As expected, Hani remained silent.

LE sighed. “Solji, I know we’ve been close and all but what you’re doing now is an act of desperation. Can’t you just give us your blessing?”

Solji was enraged. “Hey, I’m the real PaperBagGirl! I was the one singing with you the whole time!”

“Solji-” Before LE could finish, Solji intercepted her.

“I can show you my Smule account!” Solji frantically tried to access her account on her phone but to her surprise, she couldn’t. Little did Solji know that Hani had already changed the password on her account.

“Solji, come on. Let’s just stop this and give us your blessings. You’re being very desperate now.” Hani pleaded.

“You… You even changed my password!? Hani, I trusted you!” Solji felt so betrayed that she had tears in her eyes.

LE stood up. “Solji, that’s enough. Don’t make yourself sink lower than this.”

“Make myself sink lower?” Solji was enraged as she pointed at Hani’s direction. “No matter what I do, I will never be as low as her!! I trusted you with my account and now you’re imposing as me? You’re a rat, Hani! You’re a complete rat! We’ve been friends for more than 10 years! More than 10 years, Hani!! Does none of that matter to you!? Have you always been viewing me as something you can take advantage of!?”

“…” Hani felt a surge of guilt within her but at the same time, she didn’t want to let LE go. “Solji, please stop.”

“I don’t believe you actually took advantage of my 10 years trust on you, Hani. You rat!” Solji screamed.

LE pulled Hani back and confronted Solji with a fierce expression. “Do not call Hani a rat, Solji.”

“But…I’m the real PaperBagGirl… Why don’t you believe me?” Solji’s eyes were welling up with tears. “Just let me prove myself!”

“Solji, please don’t do this.” Hani knew that if Solji were to start singing, she would actually be able to convince LE that she’s the real PaperBagGirl.

When tomorrow comes, I'll be on my own

Feeling frightened of the things that I don't know

When tomorrow comes

Tomorrow comes, Tomorrow comes

Solji was actually having a really hard time singing one of her favorite songs, Flashlight by Jessie J because of a severe sore throat she got when she was away. Her voice was quite hoarse and it sounded nothing like her usual singing voice. But even then, she didn’t want to give up. She wanted to try her best to convince LE that she’s the real deal.

And though the road is long,

I look up to the sky

And in the dark I found, lost hope that I won't fly

And I sing along, I sing along, and I sing along…

By the time Solji reached the chorus, she started coughing a lot. She seemed to have strained a lot already. While Solji was clearing to prepare to sing the next part, a melodious voice took over her, causing her to be stunned. Hani stood out and continued where Solji had just left off with the perfect voice.

I got all I need when I got you and I

I look around me, and see a sweet life

I'm stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight

You're getting me, getting me, through the night

Solji could only watch Hani in shock and horror. Hani’s voice was absolutely beautiful. She seemed to have trained her vocal a lot. Her voice sounded as similar and powerful as Solji’s voice. Hani did nothing but to impress LE even further.

Kick start my heart when you shine it in my eyes

Can't lie, it's a sweet life

Stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight

You're getting me, getting me, through the night'

Cause you're my flashlight

You're my flashlight, you're my flashlight…

When Hani finished the chorus, she was met with Solji’s absolutely devastated expression of being betrayed. Hani was forced to look away from Solji because she knew that Solji just got hurt badly by her. “…”

LE shook her head and sighed. “You see that, Solji? You’ve proven only one thing today. That you’re the fake one… Hani is the real PaperBagGirl.”

Tears started rolling down Solji’s eyes. “No… I’m the real one…”

“Solji, enough of this!!” LE raised her voice. “I never knew you were like this. Why must you lie to this extent just to get my attention? You’re making this hard for me.”

“I’m…” Words couldn’t seem to escape Solji’s lips anymore. She was simply too devastated to even initiate a conversation.

“Just go.” LE told. “As long as you keep this up, I don’t think I want to see you again.”

Solji was stunned by LE’s sentence. “Wow… So this is how it ends…” Her eyes slowly rolled over towards Hani. “You’re happy now aren’t you, Hani? You finally got what you want.” Solji smiled with tears flowing non-stop from her eyes. 

“…” Hani could only look away in guilt.

Solji clapped her hands slowly. “Congratulations, Hani. Now nobody will ever fight you for LE’s attention. Today is the day you got rid of your competition…” Solji choked on her tears for a while. “And also the day you got rid of your best friend.”

“…” That sentence hit Hani deeper than she thought it would. She started shaking from the amount of guilt in her right now.

Solji wiped the tears off her face desperately and smiled back at them despite her eyes and nose still red. “I wish you both all the best.” She then turned around and left the scene, dejected.

“Solji…” Hani too felt tears in her eyes. She was probably starting to regret betraying Solji to this extent. She knew just how much she hurt Solji and now she’s getting hurt as well. “I…didn’t expect it to turn out this way…”

LE placed an arm over Hani’s shoulder and consoled her. “It’s ok… Solji will feel better soon. When she does, we’ll call her out for a cup of coffee again.”

Ever since that day, Solji had stopped singing. She finds no reason to continue singing as her Smule account had been taken over by Hani whom used to be her best friend. Solji doesn’t even pick up calls from Hani or LE anymore. She just lost all faith in everyone. Probably it’s not permanent. Maybe all she needed was some time to adjust to her current situation even though it’s been a month since the incident already. Now that she doesn’t sing anymore, she started searching for jobs online. She lazily scrolled through the Jobstreet website and saw an interesting job offering for an Import & Export Consultant. She did study the course before so she could pick this as her permanent job.

After typing her resume and preparing all relevant documents, she decided to pay the office a visit since it was just two blocks from her home. She dressed up in her best office costume and stared at herself in the mirror for a long time. “Today is a new beginning. Forget the past and just move forward. My time as a singer is gone. From today on, I’ll be a consultant.”

After she convinced herself that this was the best path to take, she picked up her documents and left her home. As she was walking down the road, a beautiful strum of guitar caught her attention. One single strum and Solji knew that this person was a music prodigy. The tune was so good that it made Solji start searching around for the music source despite saying that she was over music. From across the road, she saw a number of people gathering so she decided to check it out. When she crossed the road, she saw a lady with a guitar strapped around her shoulder. She was playing her guitar skilfully and attracted a number of spectators.

“She’s really good in playing the guitar…” Solji thought.

The lady then ended her guitar performance and grabbed the microphone. “Thank you for gathering for my performance today. Now I’m going to sing one of my favourite songs, Flashlight by Jessie J.”

“Flashlight?” One mention of the song name piqued Solji’s interest right away. She had so many mixed memories regarding this song. It was the first song she sang on Smule and also the very song Hani sang to win LE’s trust. Nevertheless, the song was full of memories. She decided to stay for the performance for a little while.

As soon as the lady started, Solji was shocked. She has her own style of singing the song. She managed to change to tone and feels of the song and yet still sound so good. Everybody started cheering and some even started singing along.

“…” Solji unconsciously closed her eyes and let the music dive deep into her soul as she swayed left and right according to the music. “She’s really good at singing. It really ignites the music in my soul. And it makes me want to join her.”

As the lady was singing, she even shot a wink at Solji who was standing in front. Solji returned with a smile and placed her documents into her handbag. “A little singing wouldn’t hurt, right?”

Solji slowly walked closer to the lady. Knowing exactly what Solji’s intentions were, the lady grabbed another microphone from her guitar case and handed it to Solji. She silently moved her lips. “May I?”

It didn’t even take the lady one second and she already nodded. “Sure. You’ll take over during the chorus, alright?”

“Alright.” Solji switched on the microphone and took a deep breath. After gathering her courage, she started singing the chorus with the top of her lungs.

I got all I need when I got you and I

I look around me, and see a sweet life

I'm stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight

You're getting me, getting me, through the night…

As soon as Solji started singing in her powerful voice, people from all along the road gathered there to watch their duet right away. It turned out to be way more powerful than what Hani sang to her before this. Her voice attracted more than twice the amount of people from earlier. People started taking photos and videos of their beautiful duet performance. They were absolutely in awe with the spontaneous duet.

Kick start my heart when you shine it in my eyes

Can't lie, it's a sweet life

Stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight

You're getting me, getting me, through the night'

Cause you're my flashlight

You're my flashlight, you're my flashlight…

After the song ended, a lot of people dropped money into the lady’s guitar case. It was already more than what she usually earned in a few days. The crowd cheered loudly as if they just witnessed a performance from real idols. The lady extended her hand towards Solji with a huge smile after the successful performance which garnered a lot of attention. “I’m Hyerin.”

Solji shook her hand and smiled. “I’m Solji.”

“You’re an absolutely talented singer. Wanna go get some coffee?”

Solji contemplated a little since she was about to pay visit to the office with the job offering. But in the end, she accepted. “Uhm, sure. Why not?”

The both of them then went to a nearby Starbucks and ordered their respective coffee. Hyerin took out her purse and insisted. “My treat. That’s the least I can do after you helped me gather so many people.”

“Uhm… Thanks.” Solji smiled and sat down at a nearby table.

Hyerin started. “You’re really good at singing, Solji. I have to say I’m extremely surprised by your voice.”

Solji smiled. “Thank you. You’re really good yourself. The way you change the feel of the song and all… You’re a genius.”

“Pfft… How I wish people could see that in me more often. Then I won’t have to make a living on the streets.”

“Give it some time. Who knows? You may even get scouted by someone in the near future?”

“…” Hyerin didn’t reply. She merely stared directly into Solji’s eyes while tapping her fingers on her face.

Solji blinked. “What?”

“You know, you sound exactly like the famous PaperBagGirl from Smule…”

That one sentence made Solji lost her smile immediately. She didn’t want to reveal her painful past so she lied. “Well, I heard that a lot but nope. I’m not the PaperBagGirl.”

“…” Hyerin squinted at her. “Nah, you sound EXACTLY like PaperBagGirl. I can recognize your voice coz I’m a huge fan of your duet with EllyGurl91.”

“You can tune in to Smule and hear for yourself. They’re both having a session right now. How can I be the PaperBagGirl when they’re having a session now?” Solji looked completely frustrated.

“Hey you’re right…” Hyerin then had a thought. “But then again… Nowadays I kept feeling that something was off about PaperBagGirl’s voice.”

Solji asked. “What’s wrong with her voice? She sounds the same. It’s as beautiful as ever.”

Hyerin nodded. “Yes I know. Her voice is very beautiful and all… But I can tell that she’s lacking something nowadays...”

“And what exactly is she lacking again?”

“Her soul. When she sings, it’s like her soul isn’t present in the voice. It’s like as if she’s trying to copy the voice of someone who she’s not.”

Solji was actually surprised that Hyerin was able to tell that something was off about the current PaperBagGirl. “Her soul? You can tell that?”

“Duh… I know I might be a little too over the top to be saying this but I’m a music prodigy. I started studying music ever since I was 3. I’m sensitive to even the slightest change of note.” Hyerin bragged and continued. “I know there is something wrong with PaperBagGirl’s voice. Either she’s feeling sick or that the current PaperBagGirl is not the original…”

Solji nodded, pretending not to know anything. “I see.”

Hyerin then looked at Solji dead in the eye. “But you otherwise, had an overwhelming amount of soul pouring out from your voice when I heard you sing earlier. And coincidentally, you sound exactly like the PaperBagGirl. So I’m smelling something fishy around here…”

“…” Solji was stunned. She didn’t know how to reply.

“You’re the original PaperBagGirl, aren’t you?” Hyerin was completely spot on. She could tell just from hearing Solji’s singing voice.

“I…” Solji hesitated.

“It’s ok. Don’t worry about it. We’re both music people, so you can tell me. Why did you give your persona as the PaperBagGirl to someone else and stop singing?”

“…” There’s nothing more Solji could hide from this music prodigy sitting before her. Solji then sighed and told Hyerin the whole story.

Hyerin was amused with Solji’s story, obviously. “Wow, your friend is a true I must say…”

“I have no comments on that.”

“And this LE… She has a lot of charisma in her rapping and all. Hey, I love all her songs but she must be deaf not to be able to tell the difference between your voice and your friend’s voice.” Hyerin shook her head.

“Look, not everybody are as note-sensitive as you are, Hyerin. Even I couldn’t tell the difference myself.”

“Ah~ Still defending your LE, huh? Trust me, Solji… If LE hears your singing voice now, she will definitely be able to tell the difference. And you will definitely be able to win her back.”

“Why should I win her back? She’s hooked onto the current PaperBagGirl now so why bother?”

“Oooo… Sassy… I like that.” Hyerin laughed.

“I don’t care about them anymore alright?”

“That’s what your brain says. What about your heart? Hmm?”

Solji cleared . “I don’t think I’m here to discuss relationship matters with you, alright?”

“Pfftt… Of course not. I’m here to discuss music with you. Our main conversation is music. But since the relationship is getting in the way of your talent in music, I feel the need to interfere.”

“Ugh… I’ve given up on singing.” Solji leaned back on her chair lazily.

“So then why did you sing with me just now, hmm???” Hyerin was simply invading Solji’s space. “Weren’t you on your way to a job interview, hmm??? Why did you put those documents back into your bag and came with me, hmm???”

Solji was forced to back off a little. “I just felt like singing, that’s all.”

“You felt like singing because that’s your passion. You love singing. You love the chemistry of a duet. You miss singing with EllyGurl91.”

Solji rolled her eyes. “Please don’t mention that name anymore if you don’t mind.”

“So you’re just gonna give up? If so then you’re probably an idiot.” Hyerin said straight to the point.

Solji raised her eyebrows. “Look here, Hyerin. I just met you like 15 minutes ago, so please don’t speak to me as if you know what’s best for me.”

“I’m not telling you all these from a friend’s point of view because I don’t know you well yet. I’m telling you this as a musician’s point of view. A friendly advice from a musician to another musician. You have the talent, you know that. I know that. Come on. You cannot quit singing. I know somewhere deep down, you still wanted to get back on Smule and continue singing.”

“Why are you making things confusing for me?” Solji groaned.

“Do you plan on getting overshadowed by your friend Hani and LE for the rest of your life and do nothing? You need to get back on Smule and show them just how good you really are.” Hyerin convinced.

“How!? I can’t be the PaperBagGirl anymore, alright? Why don’t you understand?”

Hyerin smirked and leaned closer. “Nobody said that you should become PaperBagGirl again. Forget about covering your own face. Let the whole world see you while you sing. Your time as the PaperBagGirl is gone. It’s time for a brand new persona.”

“You mean I have to start fresh?” Solji was contemplating.

“Start fresh so what? With your amount of talent, you’ll be at the top in no time. I’m a music person just like you, Solji. Singing is my life and I know just how much singing means to you as well. You cannot give up on your dreams just because you have bad memories of it. This is YOUR DREAM I’m talking about. YOUR FUTURE. You want to be a professional singer in the future, don’t you? Then don’t give up. Whatever resume you had in your bag, please throw those away because that definitely isn’t the job you’re looking for. Start fresh with a new Smule account. I’m sure you will climb back to the top of the charts quicker than I eat my rice.”

After hearing Hyerin’s words, Solji finally decided. “You’re right. I love singing. I’m not gonna let one bad memory stop me from becoming a professional singer.”

Hyerin clapped. “That’s the spirit!”

“But what name should I take on? Any suggestions?”

“Hey, since my Smule account name is Lord Voldemort, how about you take up the name Harry Potter? We can collaborate sometimes. People will be so impressed by it like ‘Oh my god. Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter are collaborating!’ It attracts people’s attention, you know?” Hyerin suggested.

“What!?” Solji almost laughed out loud with the name suggestions. “Hell no I don’t want to be Harry Potter! And who the hell uses Lord Voldemort as their account name??”

“Apparently me. Don’t laugh.” Hyerin warned.

“And how many followers do you have with that username?” Solji asked.

“I have 347 followers. It’s a bit on the low side but it’s a good number, alright?”

Solji chuckled. “Ever wondered that not many people view your channel was because of your nickname?”

“Hey, it’s the best nickname ever. Don’t judge.”

“Sure. Not trying to brag but I had like more than 100x your number of followers when I was the PaperBagGirl.”

Hyerin stopped Solji. “Hey hey. We’re here to think of your new Smule username. Not to pour cold water on me. As far as I know, you’re not the PaperBagGirl anymore so you have 0 number of followers. You’re in no position to brag.”

Solji chuckled. “Okay okay… Hmm… I thought of something else. What about CoffeeLady89?”

“Coffee lady? Sounds like a job I’d like to stay away from.”

“Hmm…” Solji gave it a thought. “Then maybe PuffyChick?”

“What kind of a stupid name is PuffyChick? That’s worse than Harry Potter.”

Solji crossed her arms. “Well what do you have in mind then, smartass?”

“Hmm…” Hyerin was thinking of a name and finally got one. “Since your singing is full of soul… What about SOUL.G? It fits your name well too.”

“SOUL.G, huh? Hmm… Solji and SOUL.G. It has a nice click to it. I like it.”

“Cool. Remember to add me as a friend when you return home. Username is Lord Voldemort.”

Solji started laughing. “Could you stop saying that name?”

“It’s not funny…”

“Okay…” Solji swallowed her laughter and took a deep breath. “Thanks for convincing me back into singing.”

“Hey, that’s what I do.” Hyerin got all cocky.

“Yup, and you deserve a fist bump.” Solji held her fist out at Hyerin’s direction.

After bumping fist, Hyerin smiled back at Solji. “Let this be the rise of Smule’s newest best singer, SOUL.G.”

After the encouragement Solji got from Hyerin, she started singing once again. Solji opened a brand new Smule account under the name SOUL.G. Not many people took notice of it in the beginning. She had only 1 follower for the first few days, which turned out to be none other than Hyerin’s account, Lord Voldemort. As Solji’s new best friend, Hyerin also helped her to promote her channel everywhere. Hyerin knew just how good Solji was at singing and wanted the whole world to hear of her name.

At times, Solji would meet up with Hyerin on the streets and help her in her busking activity. Truthfully, ever since Solji joined Hyerin in busking, the both of them had gained a lot of fame on the internet. A lot of people took videos of them and posted them on YouTube. In just less than a month, the both of them had fame comparable to the current PaperBagGirl and EllyGurl91 from Smule. And also because of their busking activities, Solji’s new Smule account started going viral. In just a week, she gained more than 10000 followers.

Once again, Solji and Hyerin had just finished a successful busker performance that earned them almost $1000 that day. That’s a huge achievement for a busker performance for just a single day. Everybody was cheering for them to do an encore but they politely rejected since they were already tired. The both of them then head towards a café and had a chat.

“Phew, that was a good performance.” Solji stretched her body.

“Tell me about it…” Hyerin looked as if her soul left her body.

“Hey, where’s my share?” Solji asked.

“What share?” Hyerin acted dumb.

“What, simple grammar can’t get through your head? Give me my money, you jackass.” Solji asked once again.

“Oh, right.” Hyerin took out her purse and passed $5 to Solji. “Here, go buy yourself a cup of coffee.”

“Hey, you promised me 40% of your earnings!” Solji complained.

“You sure I didn’t say 0.4% instead?” Hyerin joked.

“You cheater!” Solji locked Hyerin’s head under her arm and repeated. “Give me back my money!”

Hyerin laughed and smacked Solji’s arm continuously. “Ouch ouch! Alright, I’ll give you the money!”

“And how much is that again?” Solji still didn’t want to release Hyerin from the headlock.

“40%! 40%! Now let go!” Hyerin complained.

Just then, two familiar people entered the café, alerting Solji. What strange fate this must be. It turned out to be Hani and LE walking into the café just in time to see Solji and Hyerin’s antics. It’s been almost 2 months since their last meeting. “…”

“…” Solji immediately released Hyerin from her headlock as soon as her eyes met with LE and Hani.

“…” They had never been this awkward in their life before.

LE stood up front. “You look…different, Solji.”

“Thanks for noticing. I feel like a different person now.” Solji answered.

LE started apologizing. “Solji, I’m sorry for whatever I-”

Solji raised her hand up, intercepting LE’s speech. “There’s no need to apologize for anything. Let bygones be bygones. I don’t want to talk about it. I have a new life that I’m happy with so it’s fine.”

“Solji…” Hani called out in a dejected tone.

“See you guys. Let’s go, Hyerin.” Without even reacting to Hani, Solji waved them goodbye and dragged Hyerin out of the café. 

“…” For a few minutes during their walk, Solji didn’t utter a single word.

“Say something. You’re scaring me, Solji.” Hyerin voiced out.

“…” Solji still remained silent. There seem to be a lot of things happening in her head right now.

“You still like LE don’t you?”

“…”

“You still want to be friends with Hani, don’t you?”

“…”

“Well, it seems like you still can’t let the both of them go.” Hyerin sighed a little.

“I don’t know… Part of me still hates them and part of me is pleading me to forgive them. I don’t know who to listen to.” Solji sighed.

“I don’t know about that, Solji. I’m probably someone with a black heart because if you were to ask me, I wouldn’t forgive them for what they did and the things they said…” Hyerin shrugged. “But I know you’re not like me. You’re better than me in every single way, Solji. So, I’d say go for the part where you think is the best solution for this matter.” Hyerin placed an arm over Solji’s shoulder. “I’ll be supporting your decision no matter what it is.”

“Thanks, Hyerin.” Solji held Hyerin’s hand and smiled.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Hyerin quickly pulled her hand away from Solji. “Hey hey, don’t get the intentions wrong. I’m supporting you as a friend and friend only. Nothing more.”

Solji laughed. “Pffttttahahahahaha!! Excuse me, woman! Who the hell in their right mind wants to be in a romantic relationship with you!?”

“…” Hyerin blinked. “Why does that hurt more than it should?”

Solji just placed her arm around Hyerin’s arm and chuckled. “Come, let’s just go.”

Chapter 2

END