How to Hate the Sweetheart
Grabbing the A-list actor beside me, I sobbed, I told you I wasn't faking it! The sharp-tongued actor froze, his neck flushing crimson as he awkwardly patted my head. The web fell silent, then erupted: 【Wait, she's for real?】 【Why is he blushing?!】 【LMAO, the cynic's spine melted from her voice!】
01
I’ve had this voice since I was a kid. I also hit puberty way too early.
Because of it, my father acted like he wanted to strangle me in my sleep, and my mother said I was born to be nothing but trouble for men.
Later, a talent scout spotted me, drawn in by my looks, and I was signed to an entertainment agency.
When I debuted, my agent, Liz, was practically vibrating with confidence.
"With this body? This face? We just need to strike a pose and we'll be trending in seconds!" she’d declared, slapping her chest for emphasis.
She cackled, convinced I was destined to be a superstar.
But everyone, including her, had fatally underestimated the destructive power of my voice.
A full year later, my reputation was in the gutter.
It got to the point where I couldn't even open my mouth without people rolling their eyes.
【Skylar Song is the fakest of the fake! If she'd just own the femme fatale look, I'd at least give her a second glance. Why is she so obsessed with this sweet-girl persona?】
【NGL, I thought it was cute at first, but it gets really annoying when it’s non-stop.】
【Can she just shut up? If she wants to seduce men so bad, she can go work at a club. Stop polluting the internet!】
The comments were relentless, one nastier than the next.
But I was a coward. All I could do was bite down on my blanket at night, forcing the tears back down.
Liz tried to console me. "Hey, bad press is still press! Listen to me, kid. That contrast you've got? The body and the voice? If you just lean into it, you're gonna be rich. You hear me? Rich!"
A sob escaped me. "You mean the kind of rich where I get revenge-rich?"
Liz was a fiery New Yorker with a notoriously short fuse. After a year of managing me, she claimed she’d developed enough patience to get a kindergarten teaching license.
My voice, as she put it, made women scream and men… well, it did things to men.
The problem was, the contrast was so stark that nobody believed it was real.
The damn internet trolls even had the audacity to say she had bad taste, forcing a perfectly good femme fatale into a cutesy mold.
Who was going to stand up for her?!
Liz seethed. "I pulled every string I had, called in every favor to get you a spot on this huge reality show. This time, I swear, I'm taking back what's mine!"
She was convinced that once people saw me up close, I'd win them all over, men and women alike.
She let out a low, scheming chuckle, lost in her own fantasy world.
02
But before the show even started, I was trending for all the wrong reasons.
#A-List Actor Liam Vance Slams Skylar Song's Voice As Disgusting#
#SkylarSongTheFaker#
The topic was pinned to a video of Liam streaming his video game, a clip that had been reposted over a million times in half an hour.
In the video, his teammate was dragging the whole team down. After feeding the enemy team several kills, the guy apologized in a strained, nasally voice.
Liam just laughed, a cold, sharp sound, before tearing into him.
"Whoa, what’d you do, swallow a handful of syrup? That’s some serious baby-voice you’re forcing."
"If you don't know how to talk, then shut up. Don't sit there whining. Your mouth is like a busted faucet, just spraying nonsense everywhere."
Liam Vance was a brilliant actor, the youngest to ever win the prestigious Phoenix Award, but his reputation was… complicated.
His tongue was sharper than a razor blade, a master of backhanded compliments and outright insults that made his fans both love and hate him.
Normally, this would have nothing to do with me. But then Tricia Stone, a popular starlet, dropped a comment under the video.
【His voice is so sweet! Just like Skylar from our cast.】
Her vague, innocent-sounding words twisted and turned as they spread, and suddenly, the internet’s full firepower was aimed directly at my social media accounts.
【I knew that fake-sweet voice sounded familiar. It’s the industry’s queen of cutesy, Skylar Song!】
【Who else could it be? She’s the only one that obnoxious. And she had the nerve to do it in front of Liam? Everyone knows he’s the most savage critic in the business.】
【Idk, it doesn’t really sound like her. Skylar’s voice is a little over the top, but it’s not that grating. Stop jumping on the bandwagon!】
【^^ Skylar’s PR team working overtime? If it’s not her, who is it? Tricia? No way. Tricia is famously as sweet as she sounds. You can’t even compare the two!】
The internet was a cesspool of hate. Trolls dug up every clip of me speaking, reposting them like exhibits in a criminal trial.
I was just sitting at home, and suddenly I was public enemy number one.
Liz was about to have an aneurysm.
"That goddamn Tricia is the real faker! Don't think I can't tell just because she has an innocent little face!" she raged. "I bet that was her in the game, and she threw you under the bus because she was scared of getting caught!"
Even though I’d been bullied for my voice my whole life, this was the first time I’d ever been dragged so publicly, trending for all the wrong reasons.
I felt like I was dying. I just lay on my bed, a human-shaped lump of misery.
Then, my phone buzzed.
"Sky, get online! Your big bro is gonna carry you to victory, and we're gonna metaphorically slap Liam Vance across the face!"
03
Ethan is one of the biggest names in the voice-acting world.
We met back in college when we were both doing part-time voice-over work.
He was furious on my behalf. "Damn it, Sky, your voice is amazing. Is Liam deaf or just an ass? What gives him the right to talk like that!"
Tears of gratitude streamed down my face. I swore in that moment that I would be his loyal sidekick for life.
Before I could even process it, Ethan had dragged me into a game and matched us with Liam.
My fingers fumbled over the controls. I was, to put it mildly, terrible at the game. A flurry of frantic, useless movements resulted in a spectacular kill-death ratio of zero to five.
Liam's voice, tight with frustration, crackled through my headset.
"Just uninstall the game. Go play Candy Crush or something. You're so bad you're single-handedly carrying the other team."
The live-stream chat exploded with laughter.
【Did Liam step in something nasty before he logged on tonight? His teammate luck is trash.】
【I bet it's another girl. Is she about to start apologizing in a baby-voice too? LOL】
Ethan was losing his mind on the phone. "Say something back! What did I bring you here for? If you don't fight back, you let them trash you for nothing tonight!"
His words lit a fire under me. I fumbled to turn on my mic. But I’d only ever been on the receiving end of insults. After a few stutters, all I could manage was a weak, "So what?"
Ethan almost coughed up a lung.
"Okay, listen! Repeat after me, word for word!"
I nodded like a bobblehead, stumbling through the lines he fed me.
"Did I eat your rice? Why are you so obsessed with me?"
"If you can't stand me, feel free to die before I do!"
"Was I talking to you? No? Then shut your mouth!"
I was just getting into the rhythm of it when Ethan suddenly went silent.
I froze. What was next?
After a moment of stunned silence, it was Liam's voice that came through, stammering.
"I'm… sorry."
On the screen, the tips of his ears looked a little red.
"Another round? Want to duo?"
Aaaaaah! My toes curled in on themselves from secondhand embarrassment. My hand twitched, and I slammed the 'exit game' button.
04
I may have fled the scene, but I left a firestorm in my wake.
【OMG, so sweet! Who could resist a voice like that?!】
【Wait, she just insulted him and ran? Who taught her that move? Didn't she see our boy Liam was totally stunned?!】
【I'm dying, what a complete 180! He was not acting like this thirty minutes ago. But to be fair, that girl's voice is ridiculously cute.】
Even crazier, Liam posted an apology on his official account for his behavior.
【I was too harsh tonight. Don't take it to heart…】
He had no idea it was me, so I dropped a casual reply.
【It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s only on the level of being randomly blamed for something I didn't do.】
I'd already gotten my revenge, so what did it matter?
Maybe because I was still a nobody, I had no idea what kind of influence an A-list actor really had.
My one careless reply nearly got my entire family tree cursed by his fans.
My notifications and DMs exploded.
【You? Skylar Song, you have the nerve to piggyback on his fame?】
【Do you have any idea how much everyone hates your voice? The audacity to say that wasn't you.】
【It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between a naturally sweet voice and a fake one, okay?】
The hateful comments kept pouring in. But among them, I noticed a brand-new account, a level-zero user, fighting back on my behalf.
【Her voice is sweet! What's it to you?】
【So what if it was her? I like it!】
【You call her a faker? What does that make you? A-grade loser?】
【Damn it, if my main account wasn't banned, I'd roast you so hard your ancestors would feel it!】
This anonymous hero was attacking every negative comment with a vicious, take-no-prisoners style that was… strangely familiar. It almost sounded like… Liam?
I shook the thought out of my head. My heart swelled with gratitude. Like a thief in the night, I snuck through the comment section, leaving a few 'likes' on his replies.
A true bro, I thought. A friend in need.
05
The drama simmered online all night, cementing my reputation not only as the industry's Queen of Cutesy, but also as a shameless clout-chaser.
So, the next day at the studio, Tricia Stone looked at me with an extra dose of arrogance.
She sashayed past me, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Skylar, you didn't sleep well last night, did you?"
I was confused. "I slept great."
Her expression soured instantly. She shot me a venomous glare and stormed off.
For the rest of the morning, Tricia seemed determined to trip me up at every turn. Maybe because I was used to being my parents' punching bag my whole life, I was completely unfazed.
But my indifference only made her more furious.
I stood "innocently" outside her dressing room, listening to the chaos erupting within. It was Tricia and her agent, Wes.
"I told you to make your voice sweeter, cuter! Were you even listening to me? Look at the mess you made last night!" Wes yelled.
Tricia sounded like she was at her breaking point. "How the hell was I supposed to know I'd get matched with that monster Liam in a random game! And besides, I fixed it, didn't I? The internet totally believes it was Skylar Song. There's no way they'll figure out it was me!"
"It only worked because Skylar's reputation is already trash! Otherwise, who would believe that god-awful screeching was her?"
Wes was practically tearing his hair out. "I told you to learn from Skylar! Look at her! Her voice is so sweet, so natural. Why can she do it and you can't?! Half of your fame is built on this sweet-girl persona! Do you even understand what that means?!"
He groaned, a truly pathetic sound of masculine despair. "Aaargh! Why can't there be a person with Tricia Stone's face and Skylar Song's voice! Do you know how stressful it is for me, living in constant fear that you'll be exposed?!"
Tricia’s face turned black. The sweet act was gone. "Screw you, Wes! So what if I can't beat Skylar? You're such a clueless idiot!"
BAM!
The dressing room door flew open, and I was face-to-face with a fuming Tricia.
A wicked impulse took over me. I let out a long, melodic whistle.
I watched as her face flushed a deep crimson, her finger trembling as she pointed at me. "You… you…! How much did you hear?"
I kept my voice soft and gentle, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"You. Are. Faking. It."
06
It was like I'd flicked the switch on a boiling kettle.
Tricia started hopping on the spot, almost screaming. "So what? So what? So what! Did I eat your rice?! Just you wait! Next month, I'll show you! I'll make the whole world see who the true Greek Goddess of the Baby Voice is!"
I raised my hand meekly. "Actually, the internet is calling mine a 'hiccup-voice' now."
Tricia froze. "Where did you train? Ugh, no, I mean, how the hell did you change it up again?!"
I deadpanned, making it up on the spot. "The Siren's Song Academy. Mastered about forty percent of the technique. It's all in the soft palate."
She glared, spitting out a final threat. "You just wait! I'm signing up!"
…
Hahahahahaha!
Oh my god, I was holding in my laughter so hard I could barely breathe.
I was wondering just how she planned to "show me," when the answer arrived.
The official cast list for the reality show Liz got me was announced. And Tricia was on it.
It was, without a doubt, a legendary lineup.
Male guests: The award-winning actor Liam Vance, renowned voice actor Ethan Cole, and pop king Julian Croft.
Female guests: It-girl Tricia Stone, veteran actress Carla Vance.
And then there was me, Skylar Song, the industry's resident faker.
I stuck out like a sore thumb.
The internet, of course, noticed immediately.
【Is this a joke? How did Skylar Song sneak in here?】
【Slept her way in, probably.】
【How does she still have the nerve to show up? Liam already called her out for faking her voice. Does she have no shame?】
【Don't worry, our boy Liam will handle it. He probably won't be able to stand it the second she opens her mouth.】
They were right about one thing.
But what the internet didn't know yet was that Liam, indeed, couldn't stand it.
Just not in the way they thought.
07
On the way to meet the show's production team, I ran into Ethan.
"I thought you hated this kind of stuff," I asked, curious.
Ethan was a giant in the voice-acting world, but after three years in the industry, he rarely did interviews. Most people didn't even know that behind the god-tier voice was a total goofball.
He slung an arm around my shoulder. "Couldn't let you face Liam alone, could I? How about it, impressed? Don't worship me, kid. I'm just a legend."
He gave me a smarmy wink and, in his best "brooding CEO" voice, asked what I thought.
Before I could answer, a scornful chuckle echoed from behind us.
"Greasy."
Liam strode past us, moving so quickly he seemed to purposely bump Ethan's shoulder.
I shrank back, exchanging a look with Ethan.
"Did I do something to him again? I didn't even say anything."
"Nah, he's probably just salty."
Ethan and I huddled together, whispering.
From behind us, Liam's assistant was shouting. "Liam, my man, would you look back for one second! You forgot your assistant!"
He sprinted toward us, the ten pounds of extra weight on his belly jiggling violently. He was panting like an old steam engine.
"Hah… huff… wheeze! Damn it, who knows what crawled up his butt today. Seriously, who is the one working this stupid job anyway!"
08
The show was being broadcast live, so Liz had given me a strict lecture about my behavior.
"Listen to me, kid. Be sweet. Call everyone 'bro' and 'sis,' you got it? You're not gonna let me down, right?!"
I nodded with a grim certainty. "…Of course not, Liz. You can count on me to make things worse."
Pain.
First, I had the entire internet convinced my voice was a crime against humanity. Then, I had Tricia threatening to expose me in front of millions. And caught in the middle was Liam, the A-list actor who had publicly called "me" a faker.
This was a terrible start.
I was so doomed I didn't even have the energy to protest.
Everyone expected me to fail, and I had no intention of proving them wrong. Everyone thought I was a joke, and honestly, I was.
And to top it all off…
The game hadn't even begun, and I was already about to die.
My eyes widened in horror as I pointed at myself. "Why me?!"
A smiling crew member clipped a microphone and a tiny camera to my collar. She patted my head, surprised to find that I felt like a soft, fluffy piece of cake. A wave of maternal affection washed over her.
"There, there, sweetie. You were the first one awake, so the director wants you to go wake up Liam."
The truth was, the director had smelled the sweet scent of viral drama from our recent trending topic.
The viewers who had tuned in early were treated to this juicy scenario right off the bat. The live chat exploded.
【Grab your popcorn, people, this is gonna be good! Don't go back to sleep!】
【LMAO, the producers are evil! Everyone knows Liam has a temper when he wakes up. Poor Skylar is about to get yelled at until she cries.】
【Hey, she has a name. Stop calling her that. Honestly, I think her voice is perfectly sweet.】
【You guys, seeing her up close… Skylar is even prettier. And that figure, I'm so jealous I could cry. If it weren't for all the bad press, I think I'd be a fan!】
Even I, who tried to avoid social media, had seen the viral clips of Liam’s legendary morning crankiness.
Oh god. Just kill me now.
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