On the surface, Noa’s life seemed like a dream. She’s a rising idol, bright-eyed and seemingly head-over-heels for her friend, Mamoru. Around him, she’s all sweetness and light, fussing over his every need like a personal assistant on a double-shot espresso. But behind that picture-perfect smile was a soul-crushing secret. To protect her relationship from a slimy, puppet-master CEO, she’d become his personal puppet, forced to jump through hoops for a parade of wealthy sponsors. Her idol career wasn’t about music.
Well, the kettle finally boiled over. One day, Noa decided she was done being a doormat. She marched into the CEO’s office, threw her hands in the air, and basically told him to take this job and shove it. “I quit! I don’t care anymore, I won’t do this!” she declared. It was her grand stand, her moment of glorious rebellion after being treated like dirt for far too long.
But just as she was tasting that sweet, sweet liberation… Her eyes found Mamoru in a crowd, and her heart plummeted straight to her shoes. His gaze, full of a longing she so desperately craved, was locked on someone else, another girl, Rio. In that single, soul-shattering moment, Noa’s brave sacrifice turned to ashes. She realized her grand gesture meant nothing; she was still invisible to the one person who mattered.
For Noa, there was only one path left. The CEO’s venomous words slithered back into her mind: “Become the top idol. Make them all eat their words.” And in that moment, something in her eyes shifted. The light didn’t just go out; it was replaced by a cold, hard glint, like polished obsidian. Forget winning his heart. Now, she’s going to conquer the world, and she’s going to make sure everyone, especially Mamoru, watches her do it.
