Heaven Sent

That Tuesday, after Miya and Mukashi arrived at the set of the music video, she greeted everyone present with a smile. When she was getting her makeup done, she made small talk with the lead makeup artist. She was quiet and respectful while she was waiting for her chance to sing, and when one of the scenes in the music video had to be taken more than ten times in order for the lighting to be just right, she didn't complain at all.
     But again, Mukashi noticed something different.
     Miya had, in Mukashi's mind, 'cooled down' since the day he'd refused to come into her bedroom unnecessarily two weeks ago. Things had nearly returned to normal, with the only difference being the fact that he had to keep some distance between himself and her. As he watched her bow politely to all the staff present, he could see that the placid, peaceful smile she was wearing didn't fade. Her posture remained impeccable. Her manners were second-to-none. He checked his phone. 
     Nothing was out of the ordinary. 
     He didn't want to risk a repeat of what had happened when he'd had to rescue Miya a month ago, so he stepped towards the set of the music video and began watching Miya practice. Her kicks and poses were perfect. Her training and conditioning was evident by how much she was able to move while singing. It was enough to put any musician to shame. His eyes narrowed as he watched her from a distance intently.
     Miya could tell that Mukashi had his eyes on her. She could just see him, standing at the back of the auditorium, far behind the director and the rest of the production team. Her steps didn't falter. For a moment, she wondered what he thought about her performance; was she good enough? Was she doing everything perfectly? Was she proving to be a waste of time?
     Her next dance move came out confidently and her smile stayed firmly on her face. Beneath her bangs, her eyes were sparkling as the doubts and cruel thoughts slowly dissipated into nothingness. She had at least two people she could talk to about those sorts of things, and she knew that they didn't consider her to be a waste of time. 
     Mukashi watched from his spot in the auditorium as Miya danced. 
     He listened as she sung out the words to the main song of her album. They rang out in the auditorium.
     "Sweet an' pretty angel, coming down for me!"
     "While I waited on this Earth, with nobody near you see!"
     "Then you came down, with your wings; said I was heaven sent,"
     "But baby I think you're the one for whom those words are meant!"
     Then she danced as the song continued. 
     The words were the same as they'd always been. Mukashi shook his head and glanced at his phone. It was only eight thirty in the morning. Miya still had two more hours before her next break. He glanced back up at the stage.
     "Purify me angel with a small and sweeter kiss!"
     "Oh!"
     "Take me in your wings and fly me up to further bliss!"
     He stepped out of the main area of the auditorium and into the hallway that was part of the venue Zygeist Media was renting out to record Miya's latest video. The tile floor was cool, and the entire building was chillier than he'd expected, but it wasn't a problem. He walked through the hallways of the venue, thinking. He passed by some service doors and felt another draft of cold air. Whoever had managed to take such relevant photographs of him and Miya together obviously had to work at Zygeist Media. He opened the filing cabinets in his mind as he tried to remember everyone he knew at Zygeist Media. 
     Do-Hyun had been his first candidate, but the last two weeks of careful thought and quiet prodding had revealed that Do-Hyun was managing the all-female group "GOGOGO" and had been running himself ragged for the past several months. 
     Songmin was the youngest manager, and in Mukashi's opinion he was the most likely suspect to attempt making money on the side, but the single conversation he'd had with Songmin two days ago had revealed that Songmin didn't carry a traditional cellphone around; he carried a "phone" that was only able to talk and text, with no capacity for internet usage or photography. 
     Chi-Hun was managing the all-male group "ILK," but Mukashi couldn't remember anything else about him. He pulled out his phone and wrote down Chi-Hun's name in his notes. The next time he was able, he would ask to see what ILK's manager had been up to. 
     The sooner Mukashi was able to put down the rumors of romance between himself and Miya, the sooner he'd be able to work at full capacity again. He put his phone back into his pocket and began walking back towards the auditorium, his polished shoes clacking on the tiles as he walked through the cold hallways of the venue.
     Mukashi thought about the service doors, and how he'd felt a draft when walking near them. His pace quickened slightly as he realized that, if they were open and unguarded, they might pose a threat to Miya's safety. He approached the service doors cautiously, then pressed against one of them.
     It didn't open. 
     He took his hand away from the door and looked at his palm. It had been irrational to think like that. The security team was far too well-trained to let something as obvious as a service door slip past their notice. He shook his head and began walking back to the auditorium.
~~~
     Miya went through the same song almost ten more times. The movements for the video became hard-wired into her, so that even while she was actively doing everything she was supposed to, her mind was elsewhere.
     She wondered if the janitor had already picked up her letter. She hadn't had her break yet, which meant that it was still well before noon. She blinked awkwardly as she realized that she hadn't even asked for the janitor's name yet. That had been very rude of her, and she hadn't even noticed until two weeks had passed. She felt her face try to turn red from embarrassment, but she managed to keep calm until the emotion faded to a reasonable level.
     "Darling, you must be heaven se-ent!" Miya belted out the last line with fervor as the latest recording ended. She held the final pose for a few moments.
     "It's time for your breaks!" Said the director. Miya noticed Mukashi standing behind the director, and as she stepped off the stage, she saw the two of them begin to talk. She took a deep breath and walked over to a small sitting area that had been set up just for her in one corner of the auditorium. She took a seat in one of the simple chairs and graciously accepted one of the water bottles. She drank it slowly, just giving it a few sips, as she allowed her muscles to relax.
     "Excuse me..." Said a meek voice.
     Miya nearly spat out the small swallow of water in surprise. She turned to look at the person speaking to her. 
     It was a girl who looked to be about nineteen, with long brown hair and a very round face. Miya recognized her as one of the backup dancers. She opened her mouth to say something, then realized that this had... never really happened before.
     She'd been to hundreds of music video recording sessions, and had danced with thousands of backups, but she couldn't remember a single time where one of them had tried to talk to her. She wondered why that was.
     "I hope you don't think I'm crazy or anything." Mumbled the backup dancer.
     Miya shook her head, still not saying anything. She motioned for the girl to keep speaking.
     "Anyway, um... one of the other dancers, uh, told me that I should say hello to you." 
     Miya smiled.
     "Well, hello! It's nice to-" Miya's eyes widened as she recalled exactly why backup dancers had never spoken to her before, "oh, you shouldn't talk to me!"
     "What?" The girl sounded surprised.
     Miya looked around quickly, scanning for any security guards. They were all standing at attention near the doors of the auditorium, and Mukashi was still talking to the director. They hadn't noticed Miya's conversation. She turned towards the girl.
     "L-look, backup dancers aren't allowed to talk to the idols! G-go away! Quick!" 
     The girl's eyes widened, and before Miya knew it, she was racing back towards where the other backup dancers were seated. She saw the other backup dancers all chuckling at the girl, who was obviously upset by the whole event.
     Miya watched. 
     She wasn't supposed to talk to backup dancers. 
     She saw the girl stammering over her words.
     Miya had enough problems of her own.
     Miya stood up.
     "S-stop that!"