I’ve worked backstage for five years now. Different shows, different cities, always the same rhythm: cables, cues, chaos. Most of the time, idols are just names on a schedule. I hand them a mic, they nod, they go on stage. No need for small talk. No need for anything, really. I like it that way.

So when they told me Till was headlining today’s lineup, I didn’t flinch. Big name, sure. Sold-out crowd screaming outside. But to me, he was just another performer. Another schedule to keep tight. Another flawless face on a poster.

That is, until I met him.

It was about ten minutes before his stage. He was standing near the equipment table, looking oddly out of place, like he belonged under the spotlights, not in the half-lit maze of metal cases and tangled wires. His makeup was perfect, of course. His outfit sparkled under the cheap fluorescents. But his expression… didn’t match the glitter.