The stage was flooded with light. Glitter rained down as the idols spun, their voices rising in perfect harmony, their smiles polished until they gleamed brighter than the spotlights. The crowd screamed, arms raised, convinced they were witnessing pure joy.
But I couldn't stop wondering.
Were those smiles real? Or just another mask carefully painted on for the world?
I used to believe smiles were the truth. Back then, when I was a kid, I never doubted. Especially not hers. My sister always dazzling, always the best at everything. She made our living room a stage, singing, dancing, pulling me into her orbit like a star I could never reach. I laughed, I clapped, I believed every second of it.
Now, I look back and question everything.
Was she happy when she smiled at me? Or was she hiding something behind it—fear, exhaustion, pain?
They say idols exist to inspire. To embody dreams. Maybe that's why they never stop smiling. Maybe that's why my sister never stopped, either. But if the smile is only a facade, what does that make the dream? A lie we tell ourselves to keep going?
Yet I couldn't look away. I wonder how it happened. How did I look away? Did I lose my attention… or did I lose my joy?
I remember the flame on the stage that burning light I thought would never fade. But on that day, I couldn't really find my sister anymore.
It is so clear now. That was when it started.
That was when I lost it all.
Am I trying to find my past? Or am I trying to find her?
I keep going back to where it all began, trying to hold the pieces together my memory, my mind, my sister's smile. But every time I reach for it, it slips further away, as if the truth itself refuses to be seen.
[What happened to the Silver Stars]
I need to know.
now let's go back to where it all started