**T/W: Mentions of suicide ideation. Please read at your own discretion; thank you!**

~~Present Day, Seoul, South Korea~~

The night air was cold and silent as Yi-an (aka ASH) gazed at the breaking news flashing across the billboard sign opposite from his place. Just what had he done to deserve all this…? There was never a day when he didn’t work himself to the bone to get to the top of such a grueling industry. Yi-an had sacrificed everything, yet, the career he had painstakingly earned for the past sixteen years had gone down the drain with one single article. 

Nothing about his situation was fair. A bully? A menace to society? How could he be any of those things? All Yi-an did was work tirelessly to become a star, just like he had promised… So why? Why was he getting so much hate for something he never did?

“WHAT THE HELL DID I DO?! Just what….”

His frustrated, trembling voice echoed across the empty courtyard below, ringing more clearly than ever. The ensuing silence was so much harder to bear– it was as if he had already been abandoned and forgotten by everyone. What if it was that easy for people to forget about him?

Stumbling back into his living room, Yi-an fixed his eyes on the shelves of trophies and awards magnificently displayed against the wall. A slight, dry chuckle erupted from his lips as he slowly plodded towards them. Picking up one of his crystal trophies, Yi-an stared at it for a moment before he smashed it onto the marble floor. 

The heavy stillness in his home was soon replaced by a series of shrill pitches of shattering glass. One by one, all the accomplishments he had gained throughout his career came crashing down to the living room floor. Huffing for breath, Yi-an stared at the shattered crystal and glass pieces surrounding his feet. He had wasted sixteen years of his life for something that could be broken so effortlessly. What a sick joke.

“...Ha. All of those accomplishments don’t even mean anything in the end. Just what have I been doing…?”

Bending down, Yi-an picked up the biggest piece of glass he could find, not minding the stinging pain tickling the bottom of his feet. As a matter of fact, it felt nice to feel something different for a change. 

“I wonder if I’ll feel free if I do this…?”

Pressing the sharp shard onto his wrist, Yi-an watched the scarlet stream pool against the clear glass. He was about to swipe a clean line on his wrist when a loud thump sounded at his door. Flinching in surprise, the glass fell from his fingertips and exploded into tiny pieces. Dazed, Yi-an glided across the living room to the front door leaving a trail of blood-stained glass behind him. Before he could grab the door handle, the door burst open with a loud bang as Yi-an fell into the intruder’s embrace. 

“YI-AN…!”