Rise To Stardom - Chapter 101

Chapter 101: Rush of Blood
Kyle had unknowingly started a trend on the internet.

A trend where popular celebrities reacted to their thirst tweets while livestreaming to their fans.

Considering a good chunk of celebs loved to always be on the internet as a way to keep their relevancy afresh in people’s minds, especially the ones on the lower end on the spectrum, this was such a no brainer move for so many of them to try out.

What they hadn’t realized though, was that asides just reacting to the thirst tweets, it wasn’t a particularly easy thing to keep an audience engaged even if you were a celebrity.

People do get bored very easily in this generation and there has to be something extra to you if they’re ever going to get invested in something like a long stream.

Kyle had that in spades, a naturally witty nature that was hard not to find interesting. Coupled with that, he was the very first to have done something of such in this world.

And as an added cherry on top, he also sang a song on the stream that he still hadn’t released after a whole week had passed!

That meant that it really was a song that was special to him, enough that he wasn’t interested in the hype it would generate if he had released it immediately after the stream.

So, even when a bunch of celebrities started imitating his stream session, they couldn’t really replicate the novelty of it.

And as a result, people couldn’t help but go back to watch Kyle’s original stream where it all started.

To them, there was a certain sense of satisfaction that came with having being there when it had happened.

That was why, currently, the stream session video of three hours had amassed a total view count of 8.56M views!

All that aside though, as all of that was happening, Kyle himself was simply taking a well-earned break, all whilst accomplishing a few other mundane tasks here and there.

From catching up on a bunch of series and anime, to trying out a few videogames he had his eyes on for a while now, all along with reading a few recommended novels from Christina, Kyle’s days had been quite relaxing.

That being said, in between all that, Kyle still went for some of the auditions he had planned to go for.

Since all of them were situated in New York, it was one of the reasons he still hadn’t headed back home to his cozy apartment in Canada.

Unfortunately for him though, he had lost out on all of those roles to either more accomplished actors who were looking for a change of pace or upcoming actors who were backed by an agency.

Considering Kyle was still just an independent artist who had been lucky to strike it big with [Epoch One], this wasn’t a particularly unexpected scenario.

More than that though, Kyle wasn’t all that perturbed by it.

His next project was one he needed to choose carefully after all and all those roles he had auditioned for, didn’t really sound all that appealing to him anyway.

Coupled with that, the young man was already thinking of working on a new song, one that he still hadn’t cemented a concrete idea for.

He had wished to have stumbled across some sort of inspiration as the days went by but, sadly, none had graced his mind.

But then again, quality over quantity.

He would take his sweet time figuring that out.

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Dressed in a simple white shirt and a wooly V-neck sweater, along with slim-fitted black jeans and a black topcoat, a black beanie also covering his head, Kyle casually sat in the subway’s train.

Although a bunch of people recognized him, the way he simply blended in with the crowd without even hinting at any form of extravagance, made people respect him even more.

Maybe because of that exact same reason, it was almost as if there was a general consensus by those same set of people to not bother him.

Kyle on the other hand, was quite excited as he waited for his own stop.

This was as a result of two things;

One – just yesterday, Ryan & Joe’s very first album had dropped to rave reviews from music lovers around the US and UK; both from critics, enthusiasts and casual listeners.

Although there were still a few negative reviews as expected, the general consensus was that they were all good songs and the album was set to be a success.

Kyle himself was no different as he had bought the digital copy yesterday morning and had been bobbing his head all day to the songs, something Oliver had found very amusing when he came over.

Two – A new issue of [Tech Wiz] was going to be released today!

Although the comic book wasn’t particularly popular by any means, Tech Wiz was still Kyle’s favorite superhero and he always felt like the comic itself was so underrated due to it not coming from a big publishing company.

Currently though, having reached his stop, the young man filed out of the train with the others, stepping out into the cool morning breeze after exiting the subway.

Quickly, he made his way over to a well-known music store, only to find out that he wasn’t the only one who was here so early to get a physical copy of the album too.

One thing that did surprise Kyle though, was how the main consumers of Ryan & Joe’s album seemed to be of the male demographic.

Of course there were also a good chunk of females there too, it was clear as day that the guys had more male fans than they did females.

Not really pondering over it though, Kyle lined up on queue just like everyone, slipping on a nose mask to prevent anyone from easily spotting him.

Eventually, after about twenty minutes, Kyle got his hands on a copy, a satisfied expression on his face.

Swiftly, he moved to his next destination, the the comic book store. This time though, within a few brief moments, he had gotten his hand on the newest issue.

‘Ah~. Gotta love that scent of a new comic book…’ he smiled with a contented gaze as he made his way out the store.

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Finding a secluded bench in a nearby park, his excitement akin to a kid whom had gotten the best Christmas present, Kyle took his sweet time reading the comic book.

A few people walked past as he kept reading, but, luckily for Kyle, none of them recognized him even though he had taken off the face mask, hence maintaining the peace and quiet as he immersed himself in the world of [Tech Wiz].

Eventually, after about thirty minutes of being completely engrossed, the young man was done consuming the fairly bulky issue.

A bit sad that he needed to wait for another whole six months before he got the next issue, Kyle sighed in resignation as he closed the book, only to notice a peculiar information at the back cover.

‘Oh~. Interesting…’ he smiled when he noticed it, one that caused a light smile to bloom on his features as he inwardly stated.

‘Won’t be missing next year’s Game’s Con for the world.’

Resting his back on the bench after having said that, all whilst raising his head up to stare at the sky, Kyle was stunned when he saw a familiar face, obstructing his view and staring right back at him with a light smile.

“Boo!” Jasmine startled Kyle, causing him to jolt forwards in slight shock, his glasses almost flying off his visage.

“Hey?! What gives?!” he gently exclaimed while placing a hand over his chest.

Giggling lightheartedly, Jasmine casually sat beside him on the bench while thinking to herself;

‘When I said we’d be meeting again soon, I didn’t expect it to be this soon…’

‘Well, I guess this is fine too.’ she added with a thin smile.

Judging by her attire, it seemed like the lady had been out for a jog as even her coal-black hair, was styled into a messy bun.

“How long have you been there?” Kyle on the other hand, having returned to his usual calm demeanor, asked with a curious gaze.

“About a minute or two, give or take.” Jasmine responded whilst propping her chin up with her palm.

“Tell me, do you get a kick out of giving people jumpscares?” Kyle inquired with squinted eyes.

“I might. Who knows?” Jasmine replied and then added with an amused tone;

“Have to say though, this was a first for me in ages. Your reaction was very amusing to say the least.”

“If you’re hoping I’ll be honored for being a test subject to a new personality trait of yours, I’m sorry to inform you, I’m not.” Kyle calmly responded and then added, his tone sarcastic;

“Should thank you for giving me a good dose of adrenaline and dopamine though…”

Laughing at his satirical wittiness, Jasmine watched as a small smile also tugged on the corners of Kyle’s lips.

“Well you’re most welcome, one-girl guy.” she replied, her tone full of mirth.

Jasmine had watched the livestream session because at the time, she and her girls had nothing better to do and well, Kyle’s stream had been very entertaining.

The part where he had casually played off such a sensitive yet personal question had her quite intrigued, hence her curiosity in wanting to dig deeper into that.

“Thank you for the compliment. I humbly accept it.” Kyle had a proud expression on his face as he replied, causing Jasmine to smile coquettishly.

“So you’ve never had a girlfriend?” she then questioned curiously.

“Nope.” Kyle replied nonchalantly.

“Not even a crush?” she asked again.

“Hmmm… probably a long, long time ago I guess…” Kyle responded again, his tone honest and a thoughtful expression on his face.

Smiling at his unpretentious answers, finding every single second of being around the young man worthwhile, Jasmine was about to ask another question when her smartwatch beeped.

“Aww~. And I wanted to interview you a bit more…” she got off the bench as she saw a message from her agent.

“See. I am a test subject after all.” Kyle stated with a blank gaze, after which he then added with a curious arch of his eyebrow;

“Also, since when did you switch professions? Journalism’s quite the curious field for you to delve into… Acting not paying well enough anymore?”

“Alright Mr. Kestis. It’s been great having you on the show but now, I have to take my leave. Hope to see you soon.” Jasmine flashed him a wide, playful grin, her teeth pearly white as she extended a handshake.

“It’s usually the other way around but, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. And yeah, I also look forward to meeting you again Miss. Faye.” he received her handshake with a playful smile of his own.

Laughing at his response, Jasmine soon left the area, waving as she left Kyle all full of smiles.

Suddenly remembering something though, Kyle casually whipped out his phone and then took a picture of Ryan and Joe’s physical album, captioning it with the ‘headset’ emoji.

Usually the young man wasn’t one to frequently update his social media handles but after having done this, he quickly posted it.

Getting off of the bench after doing that, Kyle plugged in his earbuds and then began to whistle to the upbeat tune of the opening song of Ryan and Joe’s album.

The young man still had one more destination to reach later today.

But for now, he was heading back home to ensure the physical album he bought had no issues.

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Having already finished up another long audition session, one in which the director told him he’d get back to him soon, a very tired Kyle made his way out of the building.

Sending Oliver a text and informing him that he was done, Kyle felt the chilly night air wash over him as he pocketed his phone.

It was already 9pm at night and the stars were out in all their glory.

As a few people walked down the busy street, Kyle’s ears got a wind of a mother and her young son conversing.

“See the stars Mum! Look how bright they are!” the son excitedly said.

“Oh and that’s Horologium The Pendulum! It represents time! Learned that from [The Curator]!” the child energetically added with delighted eyes, pointing at a certain star constellation.

‘Horologium huh. As a fan, I definitely get that reference…’ Kyle had a thin smile on his face the moment he heard that.

The tired, working-class mother, along with Kyle himself, whom out of interest and possibly, due to the child’s infectious energy, also angled his tired gaze towards the skies.

Feeling a certain sense of relief wash over him, something he also noticed that the tired mother had felt, Kyle simply smiled whilst thinking to himself;

‘Yeah. That’s pretty beautiful…’

A few seconds later though, the young man began to make his way back to the nearest subway.

‘Hmmm… should get a car at this point… maybe…’ he pondered to himself as he casually strolled down the street.

About ten minutes later, after taking the subway, Kyle was already in his neighborhood.

The atmosphere was quieter here and Kyle was literally seconds from reaching home.

Subconsciously noticing the solar lamps that lined up the beautiful street as people walked past, each of them illuminating the path home, a sudden idea immediately struck Kyle, causing him to halt in his footsteps.

‘The need to attain something higher…’

‘Freedom and lofty ideals…’

‘The reason we tire ourselves…’

‘Horologium The Pendulum… No…’

‘Clocks… Time…’

‘Time…’

‘But something else too…’

‘A missing piece… missing pieces…?’

‘Uncertainty…’

‘Fulfillment…?’

‘No.’

‘Existential longing… and…’

‘Acceptance…’

‘Yes. Acceptance.’

Those were the sudden string of thoughts that phased through the young man’s mind.

In that same exact moment, akin to an unexpected rush of blood to the head, Kyle felt a surge of chills and excitement travel up his spine!

He finally knew what he wanted his next song to be about!