Chapter 8

"Wait, what? Plagiarized?

How is that possible?

I...." I got tongue-tied and can't seem to finish my sentence. What do they mean he plagiarized a song? That's absurd.

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'Flashback from a few years ago'

Aiden and I were both seated in our garden, writing some songs in secret, when he suddenly told me that he was planning to become a singer in South Korea. I dropped my pen with what I heard. I was both elated and afraid when he told me his plan, but it turned out he wanted to bring me with him. He told me it would be nice if I went with him as well and made a debut together, or if I didn't want to be a singer, I could be his songwriter. Either way, his point is that we should get away from our parents' grasp. He wanted us to leave our old place as soon as possible and live on our own. I didn't think much about it then, and I went to register a trademark on the name, Eidie W.

It is the name I have been using to compose songs for my brother. I told him I couldn't go with him, but I could provide him with songs while hiding my identity. He was silent after hearing my decision. He was avoiding me for days because he didn't agree with me. He just couldn't leave me behind, but I was really determined at that time, so he accepted my decision and left me alone after a few weeks.

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Yes,

I was the one who made most of his songs, so how would it be possible that he plagiarized them?

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Seeing how baffled I was, Aiden then explained to me in detail the context of the issue. It turned out that recently, a few people noticed that one of his latest songs has a similar melody to a song released by another agency.

The songwriter there is quite popular and renowned in this industry, so they immediately concluded that it was my brother who plagiarized it.

How biased, right? Since when did seniority mean you're more morally correct than your junior? They didn't even try to investigate it first. Even though his fans are backing him up by saying that it isn't necessarily him who copied, the majority of netizens still insist on it, claiming that there is no way it is the other way around, especially since my brother's agency is oddly quiet about this issue.

People really don't care about the truth. As they finally found a loophole in my brother's career, they tried to use this situation to taint his reputation. Well, it happens to most celebrities. The more fans you have, the more haters you'll gain. Those haters are always ready to jump on you and drag you at any opportunity they get.

But that is not just the point. He is the singer, not the composer or the songwriter. No one knew who exactly "Eidie W." was or why this mysterious songwriter solely writes songs for Aiden, and since they had no one to point fingers at besides my brother, they just started attacking him.

It does make sense a little bit, though, as they might have already noticed that the name looks like his initials.

But I and my brother share the same initials, so everyone assumed it was him who wrote his song, so he's currently taking the blame for it.

What's more infuriating here is the fact that I didn't plagiarize any song, and I don't have the intention to do it. How dare they steal my work and accuse my brother of doing it?!

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My emotions get higher and higher, and they might be visible by now. Aiden saw how complicated my look was upon hearing him so he immediately apologized to me. "Sorry,

I didn't know how they ended up releasing a similar song as what you've previously written for me, and I know it's a ludicrous idea that you copied someone else's work.

But... "

"You can't deny it? Because of me?" I continued what he was about to say while looking him in the eye.

Compared to me, my brother is more simple-minded and free-spirited, so it's easy for me to determine what is on his mind. As someone who grew up with him, I already knew what he was thinking, and I can't help but blame myself for letting him go through such a situation. I did not know that my indecisiveness and cowardice would affect his career.

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He nodded, and to appease my conscience, I told him to just, "Go ahead then, admit you wrote that song. I still have the original compositions with me and I can give them to you as evidence. It was an old song I wrote anyway, and the pages look old already, so they would definitely believe you unless the other writer can show theirs to prove otherwise."

"Sis, it's...

Not possible. And it's not that simple at all.

Firstly, my penmanship is totally different from yours, so they'll probably notice it immediately, especially my fans who are familiar with mine. They might compare it to albums I signed during events, so that can't be an option.

And most importantly,

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Although I never admitted it was me, I can't possibly take credit for your hard work. I know you put your heart and soul into writing songs, and even though you don't show it, I felt it through your compositions. That is why I try hard to sing them the way you would have intended me to. It's my way of showing my appreciation.

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But all that being said, I still can't tell them it's you. Even if I'm more than proud to introduce you to everyone as a talented composer and songwriter, I still promise to hide your identity, and I have no plans on breaking it.

What if.."

"Our parents will hear about it?" I finished and looked back at him. He became silent; he knew how hard I tried to hide this from them, and yet there was a possibility that my mask would fall off anytime soon.

Ever since I was a child,

I adored butterflies so much, that I eventually became one.

I camouflaged to my surroundings, trying hard to fit in.

As I tried to blend in, I forgot who I was.

I was once unique.

What made me change?

They believe they know me.

The patterns I show them.

They judge my behavior.

not knowing that I'm pretending.

How would they know?

I've been the best puppet.

The best actress, with no traces of script.

Why do I have to keep it all in?

Am I not fed up yet?

Sooner or later, I might eventually burst,

and naught might be left.

How many faces have I even shown them?

How many of those were true?

It makes it harder for people to trust me when I can't even trust my own.