Start Somewhere

Jae Hyun had been living at City VI for 1 week now.

At first, the situation was so absurd that he had come to think that he was dreaming—Yes it was a dream, and he would soon wake up—but he had to face the truth. Who could dream for so long?

And even if he had imagination, there was a limit. So he resigned himself and started to gather as much information as possible about this world.

By chance, So Won proposed him to stay with them until he recovers memories. He could have proposed to take him to a hospital or give up to him, but he didn't do. Jae Hyun was grateful about that.

He was feeling bad to trick someone like him—he played the amnesia card—but what else could he do? He didn't know this world or have a place to stay yet after all. Jae Hyun didn't want to stress about finding a place to stay. But he would be sure to thank him as it should be later.

They had emptied a bedroom near the bathroom that served as a storage room, so he can use as his bedroom.

The room was big. About 15 square meters.

So Won's sister, Hye Rin and her brother Kylian had helped to arrange the room. Hye Rin had dark purple hair that came under her shoulders and piercing black eyes. She looked mature despite being 16 years old. As for Kylian, 17 years old, his hair was black and his eyes turned to gold. He was more reserved than So Won or Hye Rin. But it was only a first impression. Then, Jae Hyun thought he'd get to know him on his own.

After cleaning it up, it looked like a sophisticated place. The room looked much better. In fact, their apartment was really chic. It really unfits of the neighborhood.

Since his parents died when he was 14, Jae Hyun had become the breadwinner for himself and his sister 8 years younger; they used to live in a cramped environment so this room was a bit too much for him. He felt quite guilty about using it, but he couldn't refuse the good attention.

So Won had offered to go shopping the next day to find him clothes and all the necessary equipment for life.

After realized things wouldn't change, Jae Hyun went to the nearby library to borrowing books about this world.

To begin with, he had learned that a war had raged for more than 120 years. This had begun due to a conflict over territory for potable water, which was becoming scarcer. Also, along with this war, the devastation was so great that famine had set in and the water had been contaminated. Thus, in 120 years, only 20% of the world's population somehow survived.

Now, the population was estimated at 2.7 billion people. The war only ended 75 years earlier thanks to a wealthy man named Zhang Yin Jie, founder of "Utopia" who had offered places in his cities to people who wanted to get away from conflicts.

With his contacts, money, and judgment, he had built cities under domes in the middle of the war; a fateful decision. He had also proposed a system on which he had worked with scientists. According to him, it helped to make use of the talents and skills of each person and placed them in their corresponding professions and could help the population to quickly fall back under their feet.

He also said that the world would no longer face wars if it were led by only one world government supported by an international police since international and national problems would no longer exist with this solution.

The idea had been accepted by the population, and Utopia became the governor of the new world while Bliss being created and became the force of world order.

One thing that struck at him was that he could understand the language of this world and read it. He didn't strike at him the first day but it's it was a miracle that their two worlds shared the same language.

He had also discovered that this language was universal, so he could at least make himself understood everywhere. The perfect thing for him since he wanted to be a singer and touch as much heart as possible. After all, to him, a singer has to convey a message.

Also, he realized that technology was more advanced than on Earth. People had integrated microchips in their bodies shortly after birth. These were used as identity cards, among other things. Since he didn't come from this city and had no identity, So Won had taken steps to provide him with an identity and register him for the start of the school year to come.

To his great dismay, since he was really happy to be finally done with school.

But according to So Won, it could help him to recover memory and it was the job of a 14-years-old kid to go to school. He still tried to see it in a positive light. It would help him to integrate and learn more about this world. And maybe; just maybe, some students would be mature in this world.

Of course, since he wanted to become a singer, he had taken steps to find out how to become one. Then he discovered that was far from being easy.

Bliss, supported by Utopia, controlled the entertainment industry and information; therefore filtered songs.

Only those chose by them could sing songs they offered them. And the topics of these were very limited. The singer-songwriters were rare and ousted. This decision, they said, was taken to prevent music from causing wars and tension.

He was enraged by this situation because for him, songs existed to deliver a message, and they harmed the singers' freedom of expression with their way of doing things.

However, Jae Hyun learned of the existence of shadow singers who used one site to make themselves known. He, therefore, opted for this option.

Fortunately, since the technology was advanced, it was easy to obtain computers and electronic equipment even at a derisory price.

He discovered almost all the necessary equipment to record songs in their home. He didn't ask himself why they have this.

Jae Hyun even found a mic! He knew it was difficult to get it and that we had to go through the black market to get one. He had even prepared to contact someone if necessary.

So Won had agreed to give it to him without asking the reason. All he needs now was a keyboard.

While the equipment was being installed in the room adjacent to his room by a sliding door, he took the opportunity to practice martial arts. Honestly, he would like to help, but he knew nothing about the technology of this world and Hye Rin seemed to enjoy helping him with this, so he had gone on to other activities.

Since he was at Heaven, he had run outside every night for a total of 10km. Thus, he had begun to assimilate the neighborhood and get used to it. He also did basic training such as sit-ups and push-ups.

In his other life, he had a passion for martial arts and had learned taekwondo, aikido and Kungfu. He also knew how to handle the sword and was seen as a genius in Battojutsu and Kenjutsu by his master.

Since there was a large open space on the first floor, a place that was probably used as a dining room before, he had adopted it to practice martial arts. If ever he disturbed others, he could always register in a dojo. He had seen several of them when he was running. It seems that martial arts were popular in this world.

Around 7 pm, he went to take a shower after sweating and sat at the table with others. He had also done the dishes afterward since it was his turn. After, he went to his bedroom, turned on his computer and law down comfortably on his bed.

If it hadn't been for So Won, he would have been lost, but he explained to him that all computers were tactile and that you had to put on a virtual headset when you turned it on. If he had to put it back in his words; the helmet replaced the computer screen.

But it was very convenient. This allowed you to immerse yourself completely when you were on the Internet.

He connected to the network and touch on the screen that appeared in front of him. He entered the keywords "shadow singers" before running into a fan site. Jae Hyun scrolled over it and found a link that redirected to a platform.

Jae Hyun thought that the site was rather easy to find. But it suited him because he wanted to make himself known. After all his goal was to be famous in the world, share his compositions and touches them with it. He wanted to talk to peoples' heart with his songs so be famous was unavoidable. He always loved how songs could convey feelings and messages that words couldn't.

The name of the site was "TrueMusic." He clicked on the link and a man in black appeared. His appearance was reminiscent of those science fiction video game heroes, which made him laugh.

"Welcome to TrueMusic, the best music site where you can escape into imagination. This site was created by a hacker known as "Shadow" in 2020, 3 years after the law on music censorship passed and has since become the most popular platform to publish and listen to songs. Please create your account to get the most out of this site. Don't use your real name and be careful not to be surprised by Bliss when you listen to music from our site after registered here. They have the right to fine you for that or even arrest you after all."

An icon was displayed with writing on it "Create an account" and two boxes below it: "Singer (12+)" and "Fan" He clicked without hesitation on "singer".

A notification appeared in front of him, "If you create a singer account, you will have to post your original songs. It's okay even if you aren't the one writing or composing them, but they have to be brand-new songs. If you want to make covers or just listen to music please register in 'fan' mode. Are you sure of your choice?"

He validated. The man reappeared.

"Oh, a new singer? Great. Now that here you will be able to publish your videos without the risk of being tracked by the government or have your contents deleted. A hacker group ensures that your confidentiality is respected. We still ask you to film in a dark place so it is difficult to identify it and to wear a mask or disguise to avoid any problems. If you don't like any of these options, once your account activated, you can create a hologram representing you. Also, if you gain interest, you can receive a message proposing you to perform at a concert by one of our sponsors. Once your account created, you will have to wait for a confirmation from the team 24 to 72 hours. After you'll be able to publish and fully access the site. This is a normal procedure to ensure the best security of singers. Thank you for trusting us and have a good time listening to music!"

The message delighted him greatly. He couldn't wait to start. He already suspected that he would have to hide his identity and had thought to an animal that represented him. Jae Hyun had opted for the fox because he had an independent character like him. And... it was cool!

Moreover, he had always lived in the shadows so hiding his identity again didn't bother him.

When he had to choose his username, he thought for a moment before entering "Rouse Fox." He would bring out of people as his username was saying.

He landed on the main site and saw that there was a ranking of male, female and mixed singers. There was also a general ranking. On the right, there was a ranking of the songs and by clicking on 'next', you could access a page with a ranking graph and see the trend of the songs. There was even a ranking for the fans' covers and composers.

He tried to click on some songs to listen to them, but access was denied. He probably had to wait until his account was activated before he could see anything. Even if he was disappointed, he had to admit that it was reassuring to see such security. At the top of the page, he could see how many people were connected and the total number of members who passed a horrific total of more than 1.4 billion; more than half of worlds' population.

There is no need to think; Man can't live without music.

After doing his little tour of the site he could access, he disconnected his virtual mask and dives into his bed happy and excited before falling asleep.