In another part of the world—Zenra's original world, to be exact—a massive concert was being held that night.
Golden spotlights hit the face of a handsome young man. It was Albiru, Zenra's older brother.
In front of him, a sea of people screamed his name, waving lightsticks that looked like tiny stars. But to Al, they looked like fireflies at a funeral.
The upbeat music started thumping. Albiru had to dance. He had to smile.
'Show them why you're the pride of the Danindra family, Al,' his mother's cold whisper from backstage kept echoing in his ears, louder than the backing track.
Al started singing. His voice was stable, but his eyes were empty. Every time he performed a sharp, lively choreography move, the image of Zenra's stiff body at the funeral made him give a bitter smile.
'Zen... are you alone there? Are you finally at peace?' Al thought, his eyes never leaving the sky.
During the chorus, which was supposed to be high-energy, Al's voice unintentionally cracked into a raspy tone, sounding almost like a whimper.
"I'm happy for you... I'll be there for you..." the lyrics left his lips. Al wanted to laugh hysterically. Happy? He was at the top of the world while his brother was six feet under.
Suddenly, Al's vision blurred as tears finally broke through. He kept dancing, but his legs began to tremble. The crowd cheered louder, thinking it was a "deeply emotional performance." They had no idea their idol was having a mental breakdown live on stage.
'Zen... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I wasn't there when you needed someone to hold onto...'
The song ended. Al stood in the center of the stage, gasping for air.
Under a rain of colorful confetti, Al stared at a single empty seat in the VVIP row that should have been for his family. It was vacant. His parents preferred standing backstage with the promoters rather than sitting in the "Danindra" family seats.
As the lights dimmed for the set change, Al collapsed to his knees. He didn't care about the cameras anymore. In that brief darkness, he clutched his chest, feeling an unbearable tightness.
"I... I don't want to be the sky if there's no grass, Zen..." he whispered hoarsely, repeating the promise they made in the park over a decade ago.
But his voice was swallowed by the crowd's encore chants. The world wanted him to keep shining, even though his soul had flickered out the moment his brother died. He remembered that day... the day his world fell apart.
Flashback: Two Months Ago
The stadium lights flashed, thousands of people screaming "ALBIRU." From the stage, the sea of fans looked beautiful. Al gave his widest smile, drenched in sweat, looking like the happiest person on earth.
But it didn't last. When he went backstage to change for the second set, he saw a commotion. A familiar face was there, looking disheveled—it was Leo, Zenra's best friend and roommate. Security was dragging him away.
"BANG AL! BANG AL! ZENRA, BANG! ZENRA IS GONE!!!" Leo screamed.
Al froze. It felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He rushed to Leo, his face turning ghostly pale.
"What are you saying? Don't you dare joke about this! That's my brother's life, you bastard! Don't play around!"
"I'm not joking, Bang! My best friend... Zenra... He died at the dorm. A laundry rack fell on him from the second floor. He died instantly. He's at Medika Hospital, but no family can be reached! I've been calling everyone, but no one picked up! That's why I came here!"
Al's mind went blank. He turned to run out of the stadium, forgetting the concert. Nothing mattered except seeing his brother. But escaping was impossible. Abi and Vina were already standing there, their faces cold and stern.
"Where do you think you're going, Al? The fans are waiting. Get back on stage," Vina said flatly, without a hint of sadness.
"Mom! Zenra is dead! My brother is gone!" Al screamed through his sobs.
Abi remained expressionless, simply fixing Al's crooked collar. "We already know. The hospital called earlier. But you have a contract. Don't ruin our family's image by failing this concert. Keep going. We'll deal with... that... tomorrow morning. He's already gone anyway; it's not like he's going anywhere."
Al stared at his parents in disbelief. His world shattered. He wanted to fight back, but he felt powerless. With heavy steps, he was forced back on stage, wiping his tears before starting another upbeat song. On the outside, he was dancing gracefully. On the inside, he could only see Zenra's face.
The next morning, at sunrise, Al reached their mansion. He ignored his parents and ran inside. A yellow flag and an ambulance were already there. In the living room, the casket had just been laid down. Al collapsed next to it, where Leo was still sobbing.
"Why is he only being brought home now?!" Al asked a servant.
"The Master and Mistress said they were busy with an important event last night, Den Al... So Den Zenra could only be brought home this morning," the servant replied, looking down.
Al let out a hollow laugh. "Busy? They said they were busy while their son was freezing in a morgue all alone?! My brother... he must have been so cold all night..."
Slowly, Al pulled back the cloth. Zenra's face was pale and cold, his lips blue. But to Al, Zenra looked peaceful—as if he were finally free from a world that demanded perfection. Al hugged the body and wailed.
"I'm sorry, Zen... I'm sorry I chose this stupid stage over you... You're disappointed in me, right? Hahaha... you must be happy there now. Why didn't you take me with you? I want to go too... I'm so tired..."
Some men approached to take the body for burial. Al's eyes turned predatory.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY BROTHER!" he screamed, clinging to the casket. "He was cold all night because of you! Now you're in a rush to bury him just to cover up your guilt?!"
The cameras started flashing at the gate. Reporters were swarming. Suddenly, Vina, who had been cold as ice, fell to her knees at the door. She covered her face with an expensive handkerchief, her shoulders shaking as if she were crying blood. Abi hugged her, looking like the most grieving father in the world.
"Our youngest son... Zenra..." her voice was hoarse, but Al could tell she was raising it so the microphones would catch every word. "We kept him hidden not because we didn't love him. He had a chronic illness... he was very fragile. Camera lights could worsen his condition. We just wanted him to grow up in peace..."
Al froze. He stared at his mother's back in pure disbelief. "Illness? Fragile? He was healthy, Mom! He died because of a laundry rack, not some disease you made up!" Al tried to scream.
But Abi signaled security to hold Al back. Abi continued his performance for the media, "This is why we are so heartbroken. While we fought for his recovery, God loved him more. Please pray for our son..."
Al laughed hollowly again. He looked at Zenra's body, which seemed to be mocking the drama.
"Hear that, Zen? Even when you're a corpse, they're still using you for sympathy. You weren't the sick one, Zen. They are... they're sick with greed for status."
Al wiped his sweat as the memory faded. Since that day, he rarely rested, his schedule packed with concerts and shoots. He was constantly falling ill.
Standing in the center of the stage after the last song, he looked at the thousands of fans. Slowly, he brought the mic to his lips.
"Hello... everyone." Al gave a thin smile, sending the stadium into a brief frenzy before silence fell again.
"Before I leave the stage, I want to say something important. Please listen."
"I know your days aren't always easy. I know many of you came here to 'escape' from a world that's being cruel to you. I know you're tired..."
He looked at them with genuine eyes. "If you're tired, please rest. Don't overthink. Remember, there's only one of you in this world. You are precious... so precious. You don't have to be perfect for me to be proud of you."
"Beauty isn't just about your face. Faces are everywhere, but a heart as sincere as yours, someone who fights as hard as you do... that's rare. That's you."
"So please... love yourself the way I love you. Don't let the world kill the spark in your eyes, okay? Get some rest, sweetheart. We'll fight again tomorrow together. I'm here."
He flashed a finger heart and waved before the lights faded.
Al sat in the back of a luxury car. Outside, it was pouring rain, as if the sky knew this was his unexpected "retirement."
"Mas Al, you're exhausted, huh? Don't worry, we'll be home in fifteen minutes," the manager said from the front.
Al didn't answer. He stared at the foggy window, seeing a reflection of young Zenra. He remembered the first time he saw that tiny baby and promised to protect him.
"I'm tired, Zen... The stage is too big for me to stand on alone," Al whispered.
Suddenly, at an intersection, a large truck lost control due to brake failure. The headlights were blinding, but Al didn't scream. He didn't panic. As the metal twisted and glass shattered against his skin, Al felt an incredible sense of peace.
Amidst the screeching metal and his manager's panicked screams, Al felt weightless. Blood flowed from his forehead, but he didn't cry. He closed his eyes, his lips curving into the most genuine smile he'd had in months.
"Wait for me, Dek... You've been waiting a long time, haven't you?" Al whispered. His eyes drifted shut, and his last breath was one of pure relief.
A month had passed. In a dorm room that suddenly felt too large, Leo sat alone in front of Zenra's empty room. In his hand was a phone with a cracked screen—Zenra's phone, barely repaired.
He opened it. There was one unsent draft from Zenra to him:
"Yo, if I suddenly get rich or suddenly die, please look after Bang Al for me. He's a genius at making money, but an idiot at finding happiness. You're my only sane friend, even if you act like a lost monkey half the time."
Leo laughed, but tears hit the screen. "I was just about to look after him, Shorty... but he went and joined you instead," he rasped.
Leo never hacked the neighbor's WiFi again. It wasn't fun without Zenra there to scream in fear of getting caught. Leo kept living, but half of his "stupidity" was buried with his best friend. And every time the neighbor's laundry swayed in the wind, he didn't laugh. He just looked down, waiting for the day he'd finally "get lost" and find his way back to where those two brothers were