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The interview studio thrums with the low drone of fluorescent lights and the muffled rustle of the production crew. Cameras stand sentinel around the room, their dark lenses unblinking. A makeup artist brushes powder across Till's forehead, but the gesture does nothing to loosen the knot coiled tight in his chest. He perches on the edge of a plush couch, sandwiched between Luka's effortless charm and Ivan's deliberate stillness. The air carries the scent of stale coffee and hairspray. Every time Ivan shifts beside him, Till feels the heat of proximity like a fresh burn. He tugs at the collar fastened around his throat, a nervous tic he can't break. The interviewer laughs at something Luka said, but Till's focus snags on Ivan's hand resting on his own knee—casual, close, painfully famili…