GCU: Episode 1 (coming soon)

Idol Club: Episode 1

THE IDOL CLUB: EPISODE 1

She stood perfectly still as people rushed around her in a blur. The noise assaulted her ears; footsteps pounding, frantic voices, crowd roaring - encore, encore! She closed her eyes and took a breath slowly. "Ten seconds," she heard a voice above the din. Opening her eyes, she took a tiny step forwards. "Five...four...three...two...one...she's on!"

In the stadium, bright lights suddenly flashed on, the screen behind the stage illuminating a single name written in a flourishing script. YU YAN. The audience cheered wildly as the name changed into a larger-than-life image of a pretty, blond haired girl. The screen split into two, opening like a giant sliding door, and fog spilled through the opening to gently shroud the stage. 

"This minute, this second seems so fragile."

The auditorium was filled with the sweeping movements of waving hands as thousands of fans immediately recognized the opening phrase of the ballad. 

"And I reach out to grasp it, but it's already fading away..."

***

"Make way! Move aside!" the man hollered. "Huang Yu Yan is coming through!" Her bodyguard held his palm out to ward off adoring fans who were shoving pens and paper at her. 

"It's okay," Yu Yan said, reaching out to place a hand on her bodyguard's arm. "I'll autograph them." Yu Yan was being escorted to her ride; although the chauffeur had parked in a reserved area underground, a small group of fans had found their way down to meet the popular idol. Yu Yan printed her name neatly on each of the notepads her fans held out, finishing the autograph off with a scrawled heart. 

"See?" she told her bodyguard as the fans walked away happily. "No harm done." She ducked into the backseat of the silver SUV. 

"No harm done?" a sharp voice came from the seat next to her. 

Yu Yan turned her head and smiled. "Oh, hi Emma," she greeted her manager. 

"Drive a bit faster," Emma leaned forwards to speak with the driver, ignoring Yu Yan. 

Yu Yan frowned. "Do we have someplace to go? I thought..."

Emma settled back in her seat. "We do, but it's not your fault. YS just called near the end of your concert and they want you back at the office."

YS Entertainment was the agency that managed Yu Yan and a couple of other prominent figures in the industry. Having trained there since she was little, it was probably true to say she was one of the more senior trainees with more success in the industry, despite her young age. "Did they say anything?"

Emma shook her head. "One of the YS Entertainment branches in North America is shutting down to move to Japan, so I heard that some of its artists will be relocated to either Japan, Korea, or here in Taiwan." 

"Oh, okay," Yu Yan said. "Oh yeah, do you have the recordings?"

Emma nodded, rummaging inside her bag to produce a DVD. "Here. You might want to check over your fifth and twelfth song." The DVD was a copy of the recording of the concert Yu Yan had just performed; it was the second in a string of upcoming concerts. She had gotten into the habit of reviewing each concert before the next in order to pick out areas of improvement. 

Emma glanced out the window. "We're here," she said as the car rolled up to the back entrance of YS Entertainment Taiwan. 

Yu Yan grabbed her bag and hopped out of the car, her manager following behind. The guard at the back door recognized her, and unlocked the entrance. Nodding her thanks at the guard, she slipped up the stairwell. She was making her way past the administration when the elevator opened right in front of her. 

One of YS's senior managers stepped out, with a black haired guy roughly Yu Yan's age trailing behind. 

"Mrs. Yang," Yu Yan greeted the woman in Mandarin. "We're back from my concert."

Mrs. Yang paused in her tracks, smiling approvingly at Yu Yan. "Congratulations, I heard it was another success." She turned to the guy next to her. "Alex, this is the girl I was telling you about, Huang Yu Yan, and her manager Emma Chen. Yu Yan has been with YS for years and is an accomplished singer in Taiwan. Yu Yan, this is Alex Xue."

Alex dipped his head at the two of them, and Yu Yan returned the gesture. "Ni hao, Huang Yu Yan, Manager Chen. Wo shi Alex Xue," he introduced himself politely. 

"Hi Alex!" Yu Yan replied enthusiastically in fluent English. "Are you from North America?"

Alex paused in surprise for a moment before answering, "Yeah, I'm a recording artist from the American YS Entertainment. Do you know me?"

Yu Yan shook her head apologetically. "I...can't say I do, sorry. Do you know me?"

Alex nodded. "Everyone knows you."

"Alex has been with YS for two years," Mrs. Yang explained. "He'll be working in Taiwan from now on." Looking at Alex, Yu Yan could see why he was accepted by YS Entertainment; from his fit physique and good-looking facial features to his jet black hair, he was built like an idol. If this guy could sing and dance, his popularity in Taiwan would soar.

"Yu Yan, I just wanted to introduce Alex to you," Mrs. Yang said. "So that'll be all. Good work today."

"Thank you!" Yu Yan called as they headed in the other direction. After picking up her things from her dressing room and saying goodbye to her manager, she pulled her cap low over her face and left the building. It was a good day for an early night; after all, tomorrow was the first day of school.