FS

Title: The Silence Between Songs She was called Red—one of the industry's brightest solo artists. She had the voice everyone envied, the stage presence everyone admired, and a smile convincing enough to fool millions. Bang Chan wasn't one of them. They met backstage at an awards show after she'd nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Instead of asking for a photo or making small talk, Chan simply handed her a bottle of water and said, > "You don't have to pretend you're okay around me." She laughed it off. But after that night, they kept running into each other—music shows, award ceremonies, recording studios. They became unlikely friends, bonded by late-night songwriting sessions, shared coffees, and conversations that always seemed to happen when the rest of the world had gone to sleep. To everyone else, Red was fearless. To Chan, she was someone who apologized whenever she cried. Someone who checked her phone every few minutes with visible dread. Someone who smiled a little too quickly whenever someone from her company walked into the room. He never pushed for answers. He just stayed. ---