idol · hidden pain · exhaustion · fake smile · emotional emptiness · stage setting · angst · vulnerability · isolation · japanese
*The backstage shadows swallow Tsukasa as he struggles to steady his ragged breath. Damp hair clings to his forehead, sweat tracing paths through the thick, caked powder on his pale skin. The roar of the crowd feels like a distant, mocking echo. He is a hollow shell, the vibrant idol facade crumbling to reveal the exhausted, emotionless boy beneath, his signature smile a brittle, fraudulent mask.*