Chapter 18
Julian Sterling:
"......"
The fans around them went silent.
Then came the collective reaction.
Girl. You really said that out loud?
Julian Sterling had debuted after winning a spot on a televised singing competition.
Back when half the male singers in the industry were busy trying to look tortured, mysterious, and emotionally unavailable, Julian had shown up with silver hair, a sunny smile, and the confidence of a guy who had never once been told to calm down.
It worked.
He blew up almost overnight.
Three years after his debut, his songs regularly topped the charts, he'd collected a ridiculous number of music awards, and the entertainment media had officially crowned him a musical genius.
And Emma Carter?
He knew her.
Very well, actually.
She had been one of his earliest fans—and easily one of the most enthusiastic.
For three years, she'd followed him from city to city.
Every time she saw him, she screamed like she'd just discovered electricity.
A few times, she'd even gotten so excited she nearly passed out.
Julian also knew her username.
She commented on every post he made.
Every song, too.
And somehow, she was always one of the first.
Julian looked at the absolutely glowing expression on her face.
He adjusted the brim of his baseball cap.
Then, with a small smile, he handed her the unopened bottle of water in his hand.
"You must be thirsty."
The surrounding fans immediately looked at Emma with envy.
Emma froze.
Her mouth slowly dropped open.
No way.
Julian Sterling had just handed her his water.
Her fingers trembled as she accepted the bottle.
Then she hugged it against her chest like she'd just been entrusted with a national treasure.
Her eyes practically sparkled.
"AHHHHH! Thank you, Julian!"
She clutched the bottle tighter.
"I swear I'll preserve this for the rest of my life. My descendants will inherit it."
Julian laughed.
"You really don't have to do that."
He nodded toward the bottle.
"Just drink it."
The fans laughed.
Emma stared at the bottle.
Drink it?
He wants me to drink the water Julian Sterling personally handed me?
That was a little too much responsibility for one human being.
Outside the airport, Julian's fans remained orderly.
They were actually known for being unusually well-behaved.
They waited outside designated areas, didn't block entrances, and didn't chase him through the terminal.
Once Julian got into his car, he rolled down the window and waved.
"Bye, guys!"
The fans immediately screamed.
"BYE, JULIAN!"
"SEE YOU AT THE CONCERT!"
"GOOD LUCK!"
"WE LOVE YOU!"
Julian waved again.
Then his eyes found Emma.
She was already staring straight at him.
Their eyes met.
Emma's eyes seemed to light up.
They sparkled so brightly that, for a second, Julian wondered if she had somehow smuggled actual glitter into the airport.
Emma had changed a lot over the past three years.
Julian had watched her gradually become prettier.
And no matter how huge the crowd was, he could always find her almost instantly.
The car door closed.
Julian leaned back in his seat.
"Emma's definitely coming to the concert, right?"
His assistant laughed.
"Absolutely."
"Everyone else in the world could skip it, and she'd still show up."
He paused.
"She literally threw herself in front of a knife for you once."
Julian shook his head with a smile.
"That's true."
A fan that devoted was rare.
He rested both hands behind his head.
"I just hope she doesn't scream herself unconscious."
He grinned.
"Have an oxygen tank ready."
The Mercedes slowly disappeared down the road.
Emma immediately turned to the fandom organizer beside her.
"Sophia! Same account as last time?"
The woman beside her was Sophia Reed.
Sophia came from a wealthy family and had the kind of life where the biggest problem on a Tuesday afternoon was deciding which country she wanted to visit next.
She didn't need a job.
She traveled.
She shopped.
She followed celebrities.
And, most importantly, she had enough money to finance an entire fandom without noticing the difference in her bank account.
Emma's fan-support job had actually started during her freshman year.
She'd found the opportunity through a fan group.
Back then, Julian wasn't nearly as famous.
There simply weren't enough fans to fill event areas, so the fan organizers sometimes paid people to come and help create a proper crowd.
Then Julian exploded in popularity.
His fanbase became massive.
Unfortunately, popularity came with a downside.
Not everyone calling themselves a fan was normal.
One obsessive fan had once managed to sneak into an event carrying a knife.
She'd nearly attacked Julian.
When security stopped her, she'd reportedly screamed,
"I love him so much! If anyone gets to kill him, it should be me!"
The other fans had been horrified.
One person had apparently shouted:
"Julian, I'd die for you!"
And the woman with the knife had basically answered:
"I'll kill him myself!"
Emma had been standing nearby.
She reacted before security did.
She stepped in front of Julian and kicked the knife out of the woman's hand.
After that, Sophia became extremely strict about who was allowed into organized fan activities.
Emma, however, was always approved.
She came to nearly every event.
She stood in the front row.
She screamed.
She knew every song.
She knew every interview.
She knew his schedule better than some of his staff.
But she never crossed the line.
She didn't grab him.
She didn't chase him.
She didn't invade his private space.
She just happened to be ridiculously enthusiastic.
And, when necessary, she could apparently also double as security.
Online, she was just as active.
Voting.
Streaming.
Commenting.
Boosting engagement.
Emma did everything.
Mostly because she was being paid.
Sophia's eyes suddenly locked onto the bottle in Emma's hands.
Emma noticed.
She held it up.
"You want this?"
Sophia's eyes widened.
"You'd sell it?"
Before Emma could answer, another fan immediately shouted,
"I'll buy it!"
"Me too!"
"How much?"
Emma blinked.
She looked down at the bottle.
Then at the crowd.
Then back at the bottle.
Sophia spoke first.
"Fifty thousand."
Emma nearly stopped breathing.
Fifty thousand dollars?
For a bottle of water?
I love America.
Without another second of hesitation, Emma shoved the bottle into Sophia's hands.
"Deal!"
Sophia:
"......"
Emma smiled brightly.
"You're officially my favorite person."
Sophia stared at her.
Something about that smile looked suspiciously... professional.
Emma quickly forced the corners of her mouth downward.
She put on her best heartbroken expression and slowly reached toward the bottle.
Sophia immediately pulled it away.
"Nope."
Emma looked wounded.
"But—"
"You already sold it."
Sophia hugged the bottle protectively.
"I'll transfer the money with your payment for today."
Emma lowered her head.
She bit her lip.
Hard.
She absolutely could not laugh.
"Okay..."
Sophia smiled, satisfied.
Then she suddenly remembered something.
"Wait. Are you coming to Julian's concert on Saturday?"
Emma looked up.
"No."
Sophia stared at her.
"You're not going?"
"No."
"Why?"
Emma hesitated.
Sophia narrowed her eyes.
"Don't tell me you can't afford a ticket."
Emma had known Sophia for three years.
Sophia knew Emma was genuinely short on money.
The first time Sophia hired her, Emma had already been unbelievably enthusiastic.
And she'd known practically everything about Julian.
His songs.
His interviews.
His appearances.
His awards.
His favorite foods.
His schedule.
At first, Sophia thought Emma was simply a professional fan.
Then she realized—
Oh.
Emma actually loved Julian.
The second time Sophia asked whether Emma wanted to attend an event, Emma had admitted she desperately wanted to go.
But she had a part-time job that day.
Later, Sophia learned that Emma had come from a poor rural background and was paying for her own tuition and living expenses.
After that, whenever Sophia hired her, she reimbursed Emma's transportation costs and still paid her full fee.
Everyone deserved the right to enjoy their favorite celebrity.
Especially when they were willing to throw themselves in front of knives for him.
For Sophia, the money was basically pocket change anyway.
Emma blinked innocently.
"I just have something to do on Saturday."
Sophia frowned.
"What could possibly be more important than Julian's first-ever concert?"
Emma immediately became alert.
Danger.
This was no longer a casual conversation.
She might not actually be Julian's superfan—
but Sophia absolutely could never find that out.
To Sophia, Julian Sterling wasn't merely a singer.
He was practically a religion.
If a random dog on the street barked at Julian's poster, Sophia would probably take it personally.
And Emma?
She was getting two thousand dollars every time she came to an event.
All she had to do was scream, wave a light stick, and look like Julian had personally invented oxygen.
It was one of the easiest jobs she'd ever had.
And honestly?
She thought she was underpaid.
So she'd started doing extra work on social media, too.
She was always one of the first people online boosting Julian's numbers.
Not because she loved him.
Because she respected money.
Emma lowered her head.
Her voice became soft.
Sad.
Almost tragic.
"I'm going to the hospital on Saturday..."
Sophia's expression changed immediately.
Emma continued in a quiet voice.
"If it weren't for that, I'd definitely go."
She lowered her gaze.
"I've dreamed about seeing Julian perform live."
Sophia immediately softened.
She might have been obsessed with Julian, but she wasn't heartless.
If Emma had to go to the hospital, then someone in her family was probably sick.
And considering Emma's financial situation, she probably couldn't afford a private nurse or caregiver.
Sophia sighed.
"Fine."
She patted Emma's shoulder.
"Guess you're just unlucky."
Then she turned and got into the car waiting for her.
The other fans gradually left as well.
The moment they were gone—
Emma's face completely changed.
The sadness disappeared.
The tragic little fan vanished.
Her lips slowly curled upward.
Then wider.
And wider.
Until she was practically grinning at the sky.
She had just made $52,000.
Emma nearly wanted to do a little victory dance.
And technically...
She hadn't lied.
She really did have to go to the hospital on Saturday.
She had a client to service.