"Your debut performance yesterday was impressive," Juliana said as she her teacup back onto the coffee table. "I was quite disappointed not to see you during my acceptance speech when I took first place."
"Oh, you won first place yesterday?" Kaija asked, listening half-heartedly as she poured herself some tea.
Juliana’s brow lifted slightly in displeasure at Kaija’s ignorance, but her expression quickly smoothed back into calm.
"I did, though technically a couple of weeks prior," Juliana confirmed. "Your song is officially joining the chart this week, isn’t it? I’m quite curious how it will... perform in its first week. I suppose we’ll find out when you and I meet again at the Open Hall this weekend."
Kaija watched the woman’s composed face over the rim of her cup, sipping slowly as she gauged the personality hidden beneath Juliana’s tranquil façade.
Juliana wasn’t the overly cheerful, borderline cringeworthy type like Liisi. But there was something about her lukewarm politeness that left Kaija faintly uneasy.
"I’m curious as well," Kaija replied blandly. "Though right now, I’m more curious about what brought you to Dazzle Magazine’s headquarters today."
"What reason could there be other than an interview about my latest album, and how its title song has topped the S Top Hundred chart for three consecutive weeks?" Juliana replied smoothly, rising from the couch. "Enjoy your tea, Kaija dear. I must excuse myself. I shouldn’t keep the editor-in-chief waiting any longer."
The red-haired singer left the room with the same elegant composure that clung to her every step.
Only then did Esko finally sit down beside Kaija on the couch. He had been standing behind her the entire time, sweat dampening his forehead.
"Esko, is she a good singer?" Kaija asked, pouring him a cup of tea.
Esko’s face went pale at the simple question. He downed the tea in one go, as if trying to steady himself.
"Goodness, my superstar," Esko exclaimed with a sigh. "I know you’re still rather clueless about the showbiz world, but I never imagined you were this clueless.
"Juliana has been singing since she was eighteen. That makes her a fourteen-year veteran in the industry. The media even crowns her the Queen of Jazz in our country.
"With the number of awards she’s won, I’d say she deserves the title, though I don’t exactly listen to jazz myself."
"Hm, interesting," Kaija commented flatly, not particularly invested. She didn’t listen to that genre either. "How hard is it to top the chart for three consecutive weeks?"
"Not exactly that hard, for someone like Juliana," Esko said, rifling through his memory. "But if I remember correctly, the record still belongs to Karl Hanski. He once topped that chart for twenty weeks straight, and no one’s ever beaten that."
At the mention of Karl, the blue in Kaija’s eyes dimmed with quiet loss.
Perhaps Karl was crying alone somewhere halfway across the globe right now, unable to fall asleep, because of what she had confessed over the call.
A long sigh escaped Kaija, before she turned to Esko and poked him. "Hey, do you have any idea how to place a flower order in W Country?"
Esko’s brow shot up. "W Country? Why? Do you have a relative there?" Then something clicked in his mind. "Wait a minute. Isn’t Karl Hanski touring there this week? Don’t tell me you want to send him flowers."
"Just a bouquet of roses. I want them wrapped in turquoise paper. Could you help me ask his manager to arrange something like that for his hotel room?"
"Please don’t tell me you did something to upset him and now you need to apologize," Esko said, eyeing her suspiciously.
"It’s probably worse than upset," Kaija muttered gloomily. "I might’ve hurt his feelings."
Esko’s face went blank when his offhand joke turned out to be true. "You owe me this, my superstar." He pulled out his phone at once. "Any note you want to leave with the flowers?"
Kaija thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Nah, no notes needed. I’ll tell him everything I need to tell him when he comes back."
Just as Kaija finished speaking, the door to the waiting room swung open again.
Juliana entered, still bearing the same elegant composure she’d left with earlier. However, her light green eyes seemed sharper, displeasure carefully hidden beneath them.
"It seems my manager made a small mistake with the interview schedule. The editor-in-chief is waiting for you, Kaija. Go in now, you shouldn’t keep her waiting," Juliana said evenly as she took her seat on the couch once more.
Esko shot up from his chair immediately, surprise written all over his face. "Th-thank you for informing us, Ms. Harinen!" he said, bowing deeply.
Esko quickly pulled Kaija to her feet and ushered her out. He even closed the door carefully behind them, as though he didn’t dare disturb the woman left inside.
Once they were gone, Juliana’s face began to twitch visibly.
There had been no scheduling mistake, and she had fired her manager long ago. But the moment Juliana stepped into the editor-in-chief’s office, she had been met with an apology.
"I’m very sorry, Juliana," the editor-in-chief had said, her face devoid of regret. "I’ve just received a call from a close friend who insisted that when Kaija Sepala arrives, her interview must take top priority. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a little longer than expected if we’re to wrap things up efficiently. I’ll have my assistant bring you more tea and snacks."
A bitter smirk lifted Juliana’s red lips. She pulled out her hand mirror and checked her makeup, her gaze lingering on the signs of time already gathering at the corners of her eyes.
"They found a fresh, beautiful face, and now they’re putting me second?" she muttered. She forced her brow to relax, so no ugly lines would crease her forehead.
The mirror was snapped shut in Juliana’s hand. As she slipped it back into her bag, her fingers brushed against the cold metal of a pocket knife.
The green in Juliana’s eyes lit up with delight at the thought forming in her mind.
"Let’s see if anyone in this country will still watch you sing with a few scars across your face, Kaija Sepala."