Rise To Stardom

"Yeah. See you in the next two weeks' guys!" Steven and Joe waved as they both made their way down the staircase.

Turning over to Kyle, Ryan spoke to him as they both also made their way out of the hotel.

"Eyy! You've switched over to your glasses"

"I'm always more comfortable with it. Contacts also aren't as bad as I thought. Does take some getting used to though" the young man casually replied.

The hotel was bustling with people hauling their luggage since they had been given a two week break to go back home and greet their loved ones.

The reality show would also begin again next month so most contestants were pretty thankful to have a substantial breather before the next rounds.

As for the aired episodes, the fifth episode would do a recap of the best segments of the show while also giving more screen time to each and every contestant that made it to the next round.

The sixth on the other hand, would finally include the Boy-Band, Girl-Band Knockout theme with a heavy focus on how each individual team was made and how they all approached their assigned songs, all along with their actual performances on stage and their interviews.

Since their numbers had lessened considerably, it was going to be very easy to fit all that into a single episode.

As for the seventh, well they had already briefed them on another change in themes which they were going to be using and were strictly warned not to break confidentiality unless they wanted to be eliminated without even getting the chance to continue on.

Stepping out of the hotel as the early morning breeze washed over them, the two guys felt a sense of calmness cascade over them.

"So, you headed straight back to college or do you have any other plans?" Ryan asked.

"Um, yeah. I do. You?" Kyle questioned in reply.

"Not really. I do need to head home for a few days though. Haven't seen my mom and pops in a while" the young man replied.

"Well, I wish you a safe journey then. I'll see you back at college" both individuals exchanged a bro hug as Ryan replied.

"Sure man!"

"Remember to check out the theatre club when you're around!" Kyle suddenly heard as Lily and Katie audibly said in unison while poking their heads out of the windows of the uber they were in.

"I will!"

Responding in kind with a small salute, Kyle watched as Ryan entered the uber all three had previously ordered to drive them to the airport.

Both ladies then waved him goodbye as the car's engine ignited, the young man returning the gesture as the vehicle drove off.

The PR Team had already ensured to cover all their transportation expenses back to each contestant's respective destination so they could take whatever form of transport they wanted.

Watching the car gradually disappear into the distance, the young man took in the view of the bustling street around him.

Gazing around for a few minutes after they had left, his hands tucked in his pockets, Kyle soon spotted whom he had also been waiting for and immediately made his way over with a light jog. 

…

…

…

A Black Porsche was effortlessly gliding through the busy L.A street, the traffic surprisingly free.

In it, two people were conversing with each other.

"So you're telling me that you don't have a single social media account?" Oliver calmly asked.

"I do… A SyncedIn and a ViewTube account…" the youth replied while purposely averting his gaze and staring out the window.

"Seriously Kyle. You know that's not what I meant" Oliver rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"…"

Understanding the meaning of the silence from him, Oliver spoke again.

"You do realize that if you're planning on seriously becoming a well-known artist, you need to be active on other social media platforms asides those two. At least to a certain extent. A TweetTalk and MediaGram account especially"

"Relevancy is what keeps a young aspiring star like you in people's mind so you have to be willing to at least post a few things, however mundane, every now and then" the agent further explained.

"Alright, fine. I just never really felt the need for it before you know. ViewTube and SyncedIn was enough for me…" Kyle reluctantly agreed while releasing a soft sigh.

"And don't even get me started on TicToc. Absolute time waster of an app… though I actually have no qualms with them" he casually added.

Oliver chuckled a bit at Kyle's words as he zoomed past another car.

"Just make sure to open those other two at least. It's important" he advised.

"I'll make sure to do so boss!" the young man playfully saluted.

Sighing in response to the reply from him, Oliver changed the topic of conversation.

"Say Kyle, all the changes that was made to [Dancin' On The Edge], that was all you I'm guessing?"

"Yeah. It was really fun to tweak" he simply nodded.

Shaking his head in admiration, the agent felt like he had struck a goldmine by becoming Kyle's agent.

What he had done was no small feat but it seemed like his ward didn't even realize just how amazing it was.

If he was lucky, he might even garner the attention of a few musicians… or maybe even Carl Finch himself when the episode finally aired.

Those were the thoughts in Oliver's head.

"Where're we headed to anyways?" the bespectacled young man then asked, breaking the silence.

"A recording studio" Oliver casually replied and Kyle nodded in response.

"Wait what?! A recording studio?!" he immediately blurted out once his agent's word properly registered.

Laughing a bit at his reaction, Oliver explained.

"Well, first off, it's a pretty small one. Nothing too spectacular but it has everything you'll need"

Kyle just vigorously nodded his head in response, clearly excited at the thought of even stepping foot into one.

"Secondly, I figured that you should at least have all your original songs properly made. I know I said I wouldn't bother you with work but considering you're going to be busy in the coming months, both with the show and college exams, I figured this was the best time to get you to make them"

"Also, however the show goes, you already have three singles people would definitely want to listen to. We can use your popularity from the show to further boost how well the songs will perform" the agent concluded.

"That is very true"

Nodding his head in understanding this time, Kyle understood what Oliver was getting at.

When the reality show was still airing, people would still be very much interested in him since he would be relatively popular for a while, ensuring that his songs would do really well if he released them.

If however, he decided to put it off until much later, possibly a month or two after the show had ended, there was a really high possibility that it would not garner as much reception then since it was very easy to fade into obscurity when you're not really a mainstream artist, much less an indie one.

Basically, his agent wanted him to strike while the iron was hot and he was genuinely grateful for the great strides Oliver was taking to ensure his success.

…

…

…

Stepping into the air-conditioned recording studio, all of the essential equipment present despite how small it actually was, Kyle's eyes first landed on the lady who was sitting by the workstation desk, her hands dancing across the recording equipment with a skillful approach.

Twirling around on her chair to face both individuals, the pretty lady with the 'girl-next-door' kind-of-vibe to her, had a lovely spark to her eyes when she saw Kyle.

She had her dark-burgundy-dyed hair styled in a long, neat ponytail and her brown-colored irises exuded warmth.

"Kyle, meet Jennie. She's a professional audio engineer and she'll be working with you to further improve your songs. Jennie, this is Kyle. My talented ward." Oliver introduced

"Hello. Nice to meet you" Kyle offered a small handshake, one which Jennie was all too happy to take.

"Nice to finally meet you Kyle. I really loved all of your original songs on the show. They were great!"

"Thanks. That means a lot Jennie" he genuinely smiled and said after which he then asked;

"So uh, do we start immediately or is there anything else I should do first?"

"Yeah. We can start immediately if you want" Jennie replied.

With that, Kyle and Jennie began to have discussions over what they needed to do and things they needed to improve upon while Oliver just sat on the small couch in the room, calmly watching as the two individuals conversed with each other.

After conversing for a few more minutes, Jennie then said;

"Alright then. [Needs To Be Loved] will be easy to improve since you have the instrumentals for it on your phone"

"But you'll still need to play the tune of [Sparks] and [Embers] for me to be able to make those new changes"

"No problem. I can do that" Kyle agreed and then proceeded to head into one of two small rehearsal spaces containing the musical instruments alone.

The other was a tiny soundproofed room which was where the singing would actually be done.

"Which should I play first?" he asked.

"Let's go with [Embers]" Jennie replied.

With a thumbs up, Kyle sat by the piano stool and began to play.

* * *

🎤 🎶 🎧

You're no artist, believe me,

Completely clueless, same as me,

It's a work-in-progress, trust me,

But I'm sure that you've got this…

🎤 🎶 🎧

"That was a great session Kyle! Good Job!" Jennie said to Kyle who was in the recording room, a big headset on his head.

Oliver on the other hand, who had been recording with his phone, just gave him a thumbs up with a satisfied expression.

Today was their second day at the record studio.

Considering they had mostly used all of yesterday to elevate the tunes of all three songs, today was finally the day they would record it along with the singing itself.

Just as Kyle was about to respond to Jennie though, a few notifications suddenly rang in his head and he immediately opened his panel.

| Singing has advanced from level 8 to level 9! |

| 500 bonus exp. points have been awarded! |

| Total exp. points available (6300) |

| Keep singing to improve your skills! |

"Kyle? You good?" Oliver asked as he and Jennie stared at Kyle who seemed to have a blank look on his face.

Snapping him out of his state, the young man quickly spoke;

"Ah yes. I'm good…"

"I was just thinking, maybe I should sing the entire song again… I feel like I just might be able to sing it even better" he then added with a wry smile while lightly rubbing the nape of his neck.

Tilting their heads in slight confusion, especially because the song came out really, really well, Jennie was the one who then spoke;

"Um, sure. Yeah. I'll start the tune from the top again"

"Thanks Jennie"

Letting out a deep breath of air just before the tune began, Kyle prepped himself.

And then, again, he sang the entire song once more and this time, Oliver and Jennie couldn't help but widen their eyes in astonishment.

The song was far better than the previous take, so much that it made it feel like the former was lackluster somehow.

The moment he ended the song, Jennie was the first to blurt out!

"Kyle! That was amazing!"

"Thanks Jennie" he lightly grinned and said while turning his gaze over to Oliver, subtly winking at him.

The agent on the other hand just had a singular thought in his mind right now as he stared at his ward.

'Monster. He's an absolute monster…'