There was something unsettling in his head, as if a group of drums were pounding inside his skull without pause. Adam held the sides of his head, closing his eyes for a moment as the headache threatened to paralyze his thoughts.
"Damn... overthinking causes headaches," he muttered to himself, sitting on his modest bed in his small room while the shadows of the street danced across the window, cast by the passing car lights.
He was supposed to be happy. He had succeeded in his first performance at the bar. It wasn't perfect, but it certainly wasn't the disaster that had humiliated him in his past life.
He felt satisfied for a moment, but the excitement that had overwhelmed him after the performance was beginning to fade, leaving behind a series of questions he wasn't ready to answer.
He let out a long sigh, ran a hand through his hair, then lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind was crowded with thoughts—some joyful, others filled with anxiety.
"So... I made a deal with Marcus."
From an outsider's perspective, this deal might seem ridiculous. No pay, just an opportunity to sing a few times a week, with the possibility of getting a share of the profits later if he started attracting a crowd to the bar.
"In other words... this deal benefits Marcus entirely."
Marcus wasn't an ordinary person. He was a businessman. Everything for him revolved around profit and loss, and he had clearly seen an opportunity in Adam that he didn't want to waste. But the truth was, Adam had no other choice. At this stage of his life, he wasn't a star—not even a seasoned singer.
He was just a talented young man trying to carve out a place for himself in a ruthless world.
"Training, experience, reputation..." he muttered, pressing his fingers against his eyes.
This deal, unfair as it seemed on paper, was the best thing he could get right now. The bar wasn't a grand stage, but it would give him a space to perform in front of a real audience, not just his bedroom mirror. Singing there regularly would provide him with experience he wouldn't have gained otherwise. More importantly, it would give him a chance to test himself.
But he knew that wouldn't be enough.
In the end, no one becomes famous just by singing in a small bar. Even if people started noticing him, he would still be nothing more than "the little singer in the corner of the bar" to many.
He slowly got up from his bed and walked toward the small mirror in the corner of his room. He stared at his reflection—not just at an image, but at a young man carrying a past that no one but him remembered.
"You're not that naive kid who thought talent alone was enough," he told himself, touching his chin. "This time, you have a second chance. You have an adult's mind in a young body. You can't waste this opportunity."
Taking a deep breath, he sat back down on his bed.
He couldn't sleep now. His thoughts consumed him from the inside, and the questions wouldn't stop buzzing in his head.
What comes next?
If he succeeded here, would he remain just a singer in a bar? No, that wasn't his dream. His dream was much bigger than that.
He didn't want to repeat the mistakes of his past life—he didn't want to end up as just another overlooked talent that never achieved anything.
But before anything else, he had to survive this stage.
"Alright, Adam... you have a second chance. Don't mess it up."
He closed his eyes, trying to grant himself some rest, but his mind refused to stop spinning. He knew the coming days wouldn't be easy, but he was ready to face them.
The next morning, Adam woke up to the sunlight filtering through his small window. It was nine in the morning, but he wasn't in a hurry to get up. His body felt heavy from the lack of sleep, but he forced himself to sit up, grabbing his old phone to check the time.
"Alright... what do I need to do today?"
He had started a new journey, but he was still at the very beginning. He had little money, no strong connections, and all he had was his voice and the opportunity he had secured at the bar.
He thought about how to make the most of this opportunity. Should he choose specific songs? Should he start trying to write his own?
Writing was a good idea, but he couldn't rely on that entirely just yet. He needed to build his reputation first.
He got out of bed and walked to the small kitchen in the corner of his room, where his mother had left some bread and coffee. He took a sip of the coffee while his thoughts continued to revolve around his future.
His life had completely changed after returning to the past, but that didn't mean success would come easily. Even with his knowledge of what was to come, there were still many variables that could hold him back.
But this time, he wouldn't allow himself to fail.
This time, he would do it right.
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END OF CHAPTER
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