Zoe saw Max bowing down from the stage with his head lowered, seemingly relishing the aftermath of yesterday's news.Journalists and music commentators were harshly critical of his performance. They understood that Max was unwell, but they hoped he would choose not to perform if his condition was that bad. It was embarrassing to witness a musician's poor performance at a music awards show.Sickness was the reason Max provided after the event—Nova's representative gave a press statement. It was clear to Zoe that the reason Max provided, sickness, was undoubtedly a lie. Zoe knew exactly what had happened. Max would never see those socks again, and perhaps they were now in another state, following the flow of a river.Zoe was relieved that Max's trust in that foolish superstition remained the same when she found it yesterday. Max would likely recover and wouldn't depend on his lucky socks after today. But Zoe had successfully stained his career, and the impact would disturb his performan
Wolf knew Zoe would be amazing, but what he sees now is beyond what he had imagined. His choice was right; Wolf indeed prefers singers with captivating live performances. Almost all his chosen singers are like that—even Iris.Not all singers can pull it off. Most people sound perfect in the recording studio but falter during live performances. Lack of emotion, a lack of stage presence, and usually being too concerned about the audience.Communication with the audience—maintaining eye contact but not letting it affect emotions. Striking that balance is difficult. But Zoe can do it. Zoe applies what she learned from Wolf perfectly, combining talent and knowledge.Now, that beautiful voice blends with smiles, eye glances, hand gestures, and emotions in every word spoken in that tone. That beauty is what has kept Zoe's position stable so far. Although it is not always the highest, it never falls too low.Wolf closes his eyes, not because he's bored of looking at Zoe but because he wants t
"I have to go. There's an unexpected matter. You go home first. Take a tazi."The message wasn't funny. Not just because of the slight typo, but because it was annoying for Zoe. She was disappointed because they didn't go home together as planned, and she had to struggle to take a taxi. But that disappointment wasn't too important, and Zoe could handle it.Zoe's biggest disappointment right now was the lack of any information in the message about where Wolf was heading. Zoe needed to know. She wanted to know if Wolf would be working or doing something else. Zoe was suspicious that he would do something else because Wolf's work was usually scheduled. And that something else could be anything.Zoe sighed as she stared at her phone. Since earlier, she had been contemplating whether to ask where Wolf went or not. But she hadn't reached a pleasant decision yet. She didn't want to seem nagging and disturb Wolf, but it was challenging to calm her heart and believe that Wolf
Wolf snarled and pulled his head away from her brunette hair. Wolf, of course, also pushed his body away, but Emily clung like a leech."Let go!" Wolf finally growled, and only then did the hug release."Why haven't you said anything? You should have informed me before coming. You're so cruel. How long has it been since you last contacted me? But I'm happy you came to surprise me!" Emily tried to hug again, but Wolf pushed her head away."Are you insane? Look around first! Use your eyes and brain properly! Have they both been permanently damaged by alcohol?!"Emily brushed aside the messy hair covering her face and looked around. Her eyes were still squinted from being too drunk, and her head was spinning, but she recognized the prison bars."Eh? How did I end up here? What did I do? What happened?" Emily touched the iron bars to make sure they were real."What happened is normal, because you did foolish things like wandering in the park at night, drunk
Wolf entered his house with dragging steps. He was tired—extremely tired.Last night, he might have 'worked too hard' with Zoe and worked at the office during the day. In the evening, he went straight to the television station and just drove a long, round trip. Wolf felt fortunate not to hit any poles earlier, managing to safely arrive home.Wolf dropped the shirt he had just taken off, glancing at the pile of blue and white fabric, then turned to look at the bed.Thinking there would be nothing special, Wolf had ignored that part earlier, but now he saw a covered mound under the blanket, and he didn't need to ask who was behind it.And just like that, a smile formed on his face. Wolf quickly forgot all the annoyance that had been bothering him when he realized Zoe was on the bed. Of course, Wolf assumed Zoe had returned to her apartment.Wolf shook his head, not understanding how his mood could feel so relieved just because of such a small difference.Wolf never cared whether there w
Wolf woke up in confusion. He was sure he shouldn't have woken up when the sun was almost setting.Looking around, Wolf found an empty room, much like his current state of mind. Wolf found himself stuck because he overslept. But he was confident that Zoe was at home.Wolf was squinting his eyes, realizing his situation was strange. His room remained tidy. Zoe would usually leave traces when she was around.Wolf got out of bed, wanting to go downstairs to see if Zoe was there, but then his memory returned. He shouldn't have woken up when the sun was setting."FUCK!"Wolf cursed and looked around, searching for his phone, but he only found the shirt he wore last night on the floor.Wolf cursed again while hitting his forehead a few times with his hand, trying to remember where his phone was. Then he heard a faint ringing coming from the bathroom."What the fuck?"Wolf became more puzzled when he found his phone in the sink, lit up with missed calls and piled-up messages, not just from B
"You're with Zo... Loria today, right?" Wolf asked again."Well, of course. What's going on?" Jacob was confused."Where is she now? What happened during the shoot?" Wolf hissed, growing more aware that something was wrong."Huh? What do you mean?" Jacob was completely clueless."Wake up and tell me what happened during the shoot. Right now!" Wolf repeated it in a louder voice."Chill, bro!" Jacob was obviously surprised by the unexpected insistence."Tell me quickly!""Okay... okay." Half confused, Jacob finally started recounting what he remembered during the shoot."Loria came; we practiced, but because the song was a bit difficult, she couldn't reach the pitch. Then it ended, and we'll continue shooting tomorrow. Extra because Loria needs to master that pitch.""Is that all? Nothing else happened?" Too ordinary. Wolf was not satisfied."Well, it's a shoot... Oh, she asked for permission to use the studio after the shoot. She wanted to practice on her own, she said." Jacob added wh
"Zoe! Open the door!" Wolf knocked—banged on Zoe's apartment door, which had been tightly shut since earlier.It had been about five minutes since Wolf stood in front of that door, continuously knocking. Wolf had followed Zoe home from Jacob's studio, though not at the same time.Zoe immediately took a taxi upon leaving the studio, but Wolf managed to follow her back to her apartment. Unfortunately, Wolf lost, as Zoe entered first before he could intercept her."Zoe! I need an explanation! You can't do this to me! I don't understand what you mean!" shouted Wolf, his hand continuously knocking.Wolf was well aware that Zoe was angry, perhaps having misunderstood something. But he didn't understand what went wrong. Wolf believed that he had not made a mistake severe enough to justify treating him as if he had broken a promise. He hadn't broken any promises."Zoe! I need...""HEY! YOU!"Wolf turned around to see someone poking their head out of the neighboring apartment unit's door."Get