For a few days, nothing changed.
Or maybe everything did.
The rooftop promise hung between them — quiet, invisible, unbreakable.
But once they stepped back into the company building, reality came crashing in like air.
The new schedule arrived the next morning.
Rian's name was listed across three columns — interviews, recordings, endorsement shoots.
Lian's name wasn't beside his anymore.
Separate rooms. Separate teams. Separate rehearsals.
The company made sure of it.
---
Lian's new vocal coach was kind, but distant.
Every time he sang, he could feel Rian's absence — the subtle corrections, the quiet warmth, the unspoken understanding. Now it was all metronomes and technique sheets.
He missed the small things — the way Rian would hum along under his breath, the way he'd say, "Breathe with the music, not against it."
He missed being heard.
---
Meanwhile, Rian buried himself in work.
