Chapter 1 Beginning

"At exactly noon today, your new song will be released. Don't stress. With how good it is, the Best Songwriter award at the Golden Melody Awards is practically yours!"

Anthony patted my shoulder reassuringly. I was breathing heavily as if I had just woken up from a nightmare.

Glancing around at the familiar living room and Anthony's concerned expression, I finally realized that I had been reborn on the day of my new song's release.

"You've worked hard these past nights writing this song, so I won't schedule any promotions for now. Get some rest," he added, starting to leave.

"Wait a minute!" I called out, stopping him at the door.

I shifted my gaze to the clock on the wall, watching the minute hand tick forward. When the minute hand hit ten, I unlocked my phone and found Lucas Zacker's Twitter account.

Just like in my past life, he had posted a link to a music platform, accompanied by the caption: "My original solo track 'A Flicker in the Dark' awaits your listen."

I clicked the link, and the familiar sound of the male vocals filled the room.

"What the? Isn't this your new song?" Anthony exclaimed.

He stepped forward to grab my phone. "The melody and the lyrics are exactly the same as your original work. How could Lucas be the one to publish it first?"

"Someone from the recording studio must have stolen your song. Give me a moment. I'll have them investigate this immediately!"

I stopped him and shook my head. "Ask the company to cancel the release of the new song."

In my past life, I had released the exact same song as Lucas', and the moment it went live, I was branded as a plagiarist. In order to clear myself of the accusations, I posted the creation process, but no one cared.

"Plagiarist! How dare you steal someone's work and still deny it?"

"Faking evidence to cover up your crime, huh? Must've taken some effort to make it look convincing."

"The entire family of this copycat will burn in hell! Support Lucas in defending his rights. He should sue you until you're left with nothing!"

My manager, Anthony, and the studio producer testified on my behalf, but the online attacks didn't stop. Instead, he was dragged through the mud alongside me.

Then, my actress girlfriend, who had always refused to make our relationship public, went live on social media. During the livestream, she openly declared her love for Lucas and fiercely condemned me for plagiarism.

Instantly, I was utterly devastated! I had shared my song with her first, but she betrayed me, who was her actual boyfriend, by stabbing me in the back and siding with Lucas.

After her public condemnation, her fans rallied against me and flooded my social media accounts with endless hate.

Singers and actors I once worked with avoided me like the plague, desperate to distance themselves from me. Anyone who didn't publicly denounce me faced the wrath of Lucas’ fans.

Just as they wanted, I was blacklisted from the music industry. The Songwriters' Association revoked my membership, and even my previous awards were stripped away. Under immense pressure, my agency terminated my contract.

From then on, every time Lucas released a song, I was dragged out online and ridiculed. Netizens sent me photoshopped mourning portraits of myself. Some even came to my house and vandalized it with paint.

Years of online abuse led me to develop severe depression. My parents exhausted their life savings trying to clear my name, only for crazed fans to set our house on fire, causing my parents to burn to death.

The day Lucas won the Golden Melody Award for his "original" song, I jumped off a building.

But to my disbelief, when I opened my eyes again, I found myself back at the moment before it all began. Fate had given me a second chance. This time, I was determined to uncover the truth behind it all.