Idol Gossip

Every Friday after school, dressed in their South Korean prep-school uniforms Alice Choy and her little sister, Olivia, head to Myeongdong, brave a dank, basement-level stairwell full of graffiti, and slip into a noreabang. Back in San Francisco, when she still had friends and earthly possessions, Alice took regular singing lessons. But since their diplomat mom moved them to Seoul, she pours herself into karaoke, vamping it up in their booth to Lady Gaga while Olivia applauds and howls with laughter. When an older woman hands Alice a business card, singing turns serious. Is this her ticket to elite status at Top10 Entertainment's Star Academy? Not if a certain influential blogger and the anti-fans get their way. -- adapted from jacket.