Under the Spotlight : The Obsession

"Hey, have you guys heard Mia's latest song? I went to her concert yesterday, and she was even better than I've seen on TV. At the end of her concert, I didn't expect her to sing a song that hadn't even been officially released!"

"Ah, that's right! I heard it too! The songs she makes are always good, right? If only I had saved up money as you did, I might have been able to go to her concert."

"Start saving money so you can come to her concert next time."

Mia's eyes blinked in admiration as she secretly watched a group of schoolgirls talking about her once school was over. Throughout her career, Mia had only been able to go out occasionally, and even then, she was surrounded by Enzo's chosen bodyguards. When she went out, people could only admire her from afar, so Mia rarely heard honest praise like that. 

Mia tried to approach them to thank them for liking her. But when she remembered that people might make a scene if she took off her disguise, Mia could only squat back on the sidewalk and stare at the other students slowly leaving the school grounds.

"Ah, I want to stop by that newly opened cake shop!"

"Today, we're going to your house to finish the assignment, right?"

"Damn... my grades were really bad on the previous exam. If I had to ask my mom for her signature, she would scold me and forbid me from playing on my phone for a few days."

"Ugh... I'm so tired after being on duty."

Mia listened to all the noisy sounds around her with a serious expression. Her lips occasionally smiled when Mia found some people with happy faces as they came out of the school gate with their friends. It felt like Mia also wanted to wear the uniform of those young people back then.

Since she was little, Enzo had only arranged homeschooling for her. All the teachers, tutors, and even the people in her agency had always treated her with respect. Mia had never worn a uniform, let alone understood what the students meant by assignments, and was scolded by her parents for her bad grades. If she was tired, everyone around her would immediately ask her to rest without doing anything else. If she had difficulty studying, her tutor would ask her to relax and review the lesson patiently. After seeing the struggles of the people in front of her, Mia also wanted to live a 'normal' life like those children.

Mia never blamed Enzo for continuing to protect her by his influence. Enzo did all that for her good. Mia could understand that. But when Mia saw the interactions of ordinary people, the girl couldn't help but feel a little envious of people who could go to school. They weren't feared if they said the word tired. They didn't make people worry if they had difficulty completing something. And more importantly, they could go anywhere without worrying about something happening to them.

Mia never felt all that, even after she was free. She was aware that her current position would not allow her to walk leisurely under the sunlight again. Neither then nor now, Mia preferred to live in confinement to make the people around her happy.

If she asked herself if she could live a 'normal' life like those teenagers, Mia wasn't sure about the answer herself.

After all, Mia only knew that her world began with the chains that bound her life. And when she was saved by Enzo's family, she only knew that the beautiful world she lived in was all created by that man.

She would never be able to live alone, and she was afraid to be alone again.

Several students took the time to stare strangely at Mia, who was crouching on the sidewalk directly opposite the high school that the girl had been watching. It had been an hour since she managed to get out of Enzo's apartment. But she decided to daydream there. A school security guard was just about to approach her when raindrops began to fall to the ground.

The light rain succeeded in making Mia's body stiff. Her body slowly shook as she quickly got up from her crouching position.

"HEY, DON'T RUN AWAY!"

Mia no longer paid attention to the voices of the two security guards who called her because they were suspicious of her movements. Her breath began to shorten as her feet walked quickly to find a way back to her current home.

"We want to make up for our mistakes by going out this time, Mia. Um, how about we go to the zoo? You've always wanted to see the animals you see on television, right?"

"I want to... to the zoo."

"Zoo? Okay, we will get ready. We're going to the zoo, okay?"

Mia's body was shaking uncontrollably as memories of the past began to fill her mind. Mia began to lose her way as her feet carelessly crossed the city streets.

SCRECH!

Mia was silent when a luxury car suddenly stopped forcefully right next to her body. The girl was completely unaware that she had just crossed the road when the crossing sign was still red.

Her actions had attracted the attention of several pedestrians who were passing by. With trembling hands, Mia tried to hold back her disguise before moving towards the luxury car in a hurry. Mia was just about to knock on the car window when a neatly dressed man got out of the car with an umbrella in one of his hands.

"Are you crazy?! Why don't you move? You're blocking our way, fuck!"

With all her hopes, Mia looked at the man who was angry at her with a pleading face. Her face was red as she held the man's hand with great hope.

"P-please take me home, Sir. My, my address is on this business card. My, my house is on the top floor. Someone will pick me up when we arrive at the top floor. I... I have to go back. It will be a big problem if someone sees my current condition."

"What- Hey, are you okay?!"

The strange man panicked when Mia's body suddenly swayed towards him. When he looked closely, it turned out that all this time, the girl's body was shaking violently with cold sweat mixed with rainwater that wet her body. The rabbit teeth peeking out from her trembling lips were heard clashing loudly with each other. Mia's eyes began to lose focus as her panic attack only made her thoughts even more chaotic.