Months had dragged by since the tsunami of accusations crashed over Liam, pulling him into a darkness he had never known. The pain of being labeled a criminal weighed heavily upon his shoulders, and as each day passed, the isolation became more suffocating. The anti-fans had grown louder, rallying against him with a fervor that seemed endless. Media outlets painted him as a villain, twisting narratives and disregarding his humanity for sensational headlines.
Tired and exhausted, Liam made the heart-wrenching decision to abandon social media altogether. "It's better this way," he murmured to himself, hoping that distancing himself from the onslaught of toxicity could help him regain some semblance of peace. But the reality of his situation was far from peaceful. The case against him continued to drag on, and the lack of concrete evidence only fueled the anger of those who sought his downfall.
The pressure was relentless; he received messages daily that threatened him, taunting his pain. Fans who had once sung his praises now left funeral bouquets at his doorstep alongside notes filled with venom. "You deserve what's coming to you," one read. "You're a disgrace," said another. Each letter sliced through him, stemming from a love that had turned hollow and bitter. He felt utterly alone in a sea of voices screaming for his downfall.
Days turned to weeks, and the emotional toll began to wear him thin. The stress manifested physically, and he fought to maintain a smile whenever he was in public, but the cracks were starting to show. He longed to escape, yet felt tethered by the darkness creeping into his mind.
In a bold move, he decided to go live for the first time in months. Perhaps he thought it might help him feel connected again, a way to touch base with those fans who still stood by him. As he connected to the stream, their faces appeared—his followers, his supporters, but all he could see was the disappointment and pain that reflected back at him.
People watched with bated breath. The once lively and vibrant Liam looked worn and drained, the sparkle in his eyes dulled by sleepless nights and endless crying. He forced a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes, and deep down, viewers could sense the weight he carried.
Mia was among those watching, heart heavy as she absorbed every word he spoke. She felt a surge of empathy, tears welling up in her eyes as she saw him trying so hard to be strong. "Please don't let this break you, Liam," she whispered to herself, heart racing as familiar anxieties bubbled to the surface.
The ghosts of K-Pop idols lost too soon haunted her thoughts, reminding her of one fateful instance in 2017 when a beloved star had taken his life after similar pressures mounted against him. She shuddered at the thought of losing Liam in the same tragic way. In the haze of her concern, she typed a long message in the chat, urging him not to listen to the darkness whispering in his mind.
"Liam, please! You are loved! You matter! Do not let this world take you away from us," she wrote, her fingers trembling as she hit send. But he didn't respond, offering only an empty smile and reassuring words that everything would be okay. "You guys are amazing. I'll be strong. Thank you for always supporting me," he said, each word lacking the conviction she desperately wanted to believe.
When the stream ended, Mia sat stunned on her bed, tears streaming down her face. She felt utterly helpless, desperate to somehow reach him. "I need to be there for him," she thought as she resolved to make the trip to Korea. For the next week, she replayed the live video, each time sensing the overwhelming weight of sadness in his eyes, the authenticity of his struggle. If nothing else, she would let him know there was at least one person who believed in him, one person who cared.
Finally, after days of contemplation, she quickly packed her bags and boarded a flight to Korea, her heart pounding not only with fear but with determination. Upon arrival at the airport, her phone buzzed with alerts that sent her heart plummeting. News broke that Liam had attempted to take his life, throwing himself from the roof of the apartment building he called home. The report felt like a punch in the gut. Her heart raced as panic surged through her. Gripped by confusion, she pushed through the crowd, rushing toward the exit, her mind focused solely on finding him.
"Liam! Please be okay!" she cried out into the chaos, navigating through the throngs of people. In her haste, she didn't notice the oncoming traffic as she dashed across the street, lost in her desperation.
That's when everything went dark. . She felt the sharp pain of impact and then darkness enveloped her as the world faded away. Sirens wailed nearby, but all Mia could sense was the overwhelming weight of fear and despair pressing down on her chest.
In the depths of her unconsciousness, her inner self began to whisper a prayer, a desperate plea to the universe. "Please, don't be cruel to us. Allow Liam to be okay. Let him live and find happiness again. I know the world has been so cruel to him, but please, I just want to be his peace of mind. Let us cross paths, let us be close enough to help each other heal."
As the ambulance rushed her to the hospital, Mia was blissfully unaware of the frantic efforts surrounding her. The prayers continued to weave through her thoughts, a thread of hope in the darkness. "Let my dreams come true; let us find solace together."
Arriving at the hospital, she was quickly taken into the emergency room, directed toward the surgery room. At that very moment, Liam lay in a surgery room too, grappling with the aftermath of his own ordeal. Their fates intertwined, both fighting for survival on parallel paths.
After what felt like an eternity, the surgeons emerged from their respective rooms, having successfully performed the necessary procedures on both Mia and Liam. But despite the triumph, they both slipped into a deep coma, leaving loved ones in a state of uncertainty.
Mia's family was contacted, and the news of her accident sent shockwaves through them. They quickly boarded a plane to South Korea in the hospital where their daughter was admitted, Jasmine was together with them too, hearts heavy with dread and concern. Meanwhile, in another part of the hospital, Liam's bandmates and management were also gathering, their faces etched with worry and fear for his survival.
As the hours turned into days, Mia and Liam lay unconscious, each battling their own silent struggles, tethered by a bond that had transcended the chaos of their lives, yet firmly rooted in a world filled with dreams and aspirations of a brighter tomorrow.