CHAPTER 2

Alan opened his eyes to a blur of silhouettes pacing around him, feeling like he'd had a long nightmare.

"Oh, good!!. He's awake."

He blinked his eyes, fighting back the sharp, piercing lights that made it almost impossible for him to see.

"Alan..... Alan...... Alan!!!"

Who's it?.

Alan turned his still dazed head lazily, his hands reaching out for nothing in particular. The frantic noises scared him, the sharred out murmurs, the uncertain whispers.... Everything, everything frightened him.

"I'm here, hold on to me", a deep, melancholic voice called out.

A large pair of hands clasped his, accompanied by a series of exclamations, like "Poor kid!", ' unfortunate accident ', but what jolted his consciousness were the last ones, ' termination of contracts', 'huge penalties '.

He sat up, his mind fuzzy but still alert, his heart pounded with anxiety - It couldn't be.....it just couldn't be.

"Alan, are you okay?. We found you all passed out on the floor."

Alan nodded, finally recognizing that deep, throaty voice as his personal manager's, Frankie.Tears slipped out from the corners of his eyes,his vision a bit clearer now.

"Tell me it isn't true. T-t-tell me, all of this.....that all of this isn't happening", his voice was dry and croaked from having cried for a long time,his eyes lit up with hope. Absolutely unwilling to believe any of it was true.

The manager wore a solemn, apologetic look, his heart harbouring a pang of ache with what he was about to say, a dream he was about to break. " Unfortunately Mr Chen, it is true", he patted Alan's shivering hands with sympathetic eyes.

Alan's shoulders collapsed,the little shroud of light he had been desperately holding on to now fading in the dark - and with that, Alan watched his last strand of hope get mercilessly annihilated.

Frankie gave his companion a weary look,unsure of how to proceed with his next words, afterall,this was a top artist he'd groomed himself. He now had a lot of emotional attachments to the kid, having to break him this way...... didn't sit right with him at all.

But his companion said nothing, leaving him to execute the decision himself. Frankie heaved a long sigh, his hands fumbling with a small stack of papers but Alan had long since broken down,his delicate shoulders trembling as he sobbed deeply.

The air in the hospital ward became thick with sorrow, it was almost suffocating. The companion found it uncomfortable, leaving the ward quietly but not without a quick stern gaze to Frankie - asking him to complete the task.

"Here.....", Frankie paused, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eyes with a handkerchief, Alan's grief was contagious and provoked heavy empathy. "Hey....the company....Uhm...wants to terminate the artist contract with you", Frankie paused as he swallowed hard, trying to make sure that Alan hadn't missed a word he'd said.

"The ambassadorship deals were also cancelled in your name, as earlier stated in the former contract. You're solely to pay up to a billion dollars in fine as a compensation for the alleged damage your withdrawal might have caused the company(ies)", Frankie paused once more, his tired eyes lingering on Alan's figure.

Alan gripped his hair, his fingers digging deep into his scalp. He felt a deep sense of agony gnawing at his guts and yet he couldn't dare scream - it was hopeless even if he dared to. Now,not only had his contract with his former agency been terminated,he was also drowning in a sea of debt.

How the hell could he pay back up to a billion in debts?. Even if he sold everything he had, he still wouldn't be able to pay up the principal, forget about the added interests. He was doomed!!.

Frankie watched Alan's body sway as he rocked himself forwards and back in a solemn state. He stretched out his hands, trying to soothe this old pal of his but he froze midway. "Hey kid, i know that this is alot for you to comprehend..... and that it might be hard for you to adjust to the present situation. But, as an old acquaintance.... I'll try to do what i must, just to make it more endurable for you."

" I'll waiver off part of the debt to the best of my capacity, for old times' sake", Frankie added, his tone softening.

" Thanks, Frankie", Alan sniffed back, gratitude flashing through his destitute eyes. As always, Frankie was helping him, he couldn't say how grateful he felt but even with that, it was just a single drop in the bucket. Alan curled his lips, his smile much uglier than when he'd cry, but he knew he couldn't afford to show ingratitude to this old benefactor of his .

" Okay, if you would just sign here", Frankie handed him the pen, flipping through pages while showing him spots where his signatures were needed.

Alan picked up the pen, his hands trembling as he sealed his fate with his tears and signature.

Frankie stood up after confirming that everything had gone according to procedure, "Your hospital bills have been paid for during your stay....i hope you live a good life,Alan. I'll keep trying whatever i can for you on my end."

Frankie smiled briefly, leaving Alan with nothing asides the view of his back as he left.

*********

Alan walked on the streets, homeless and hungry. After his discharge from the hospital, his properties had all been sold to raise up some funds and now,the only properties he had were these pair of dusty, faded snickers and clothes which he had been wearing for weeks.

He had tried signing up for some work but so far....had been accepted by none. No one wanted an ugly freak scaring away their customers, even when he'd opted for menial labour...still no hope.

He ran his dirty hands through his unkempt hair, dirt smeared on his face as he rummaged through some thrash bins picking up empty plastic bottles. His money came from these, although it wasn't truly a yielding source of income ; it at least put some food in his stomach, sustaining him for another gruesome day.

He walked up to a nearby garbage bin, picking up a thrashed mask and wiping off the dust with his hands.

His eyes lingered on the fading colours,his hands tracing the sharp edges,it looked like an antique. He leaned forward,his eyes darting between left and right before he tossed the already torn nose mask he was wearing into the bin, replacing it with the mask he'd found.

Then he picked up his bag of garbage, walking towards the recycle center. He smiled,a warm thought flashing through his mind - today was Chinese lunar new year, he could possibly pay his family a visit after this.

Minutes later, he stood before an old teakwood door, although it looked all weathered and worn out, Alan still remembered it's sturdiness.

He inhaled deeply, his hands hanging mid-air.... unsure of how to knock but he was certain that his family were home. Today was thanksgiving and Alan had seen everyone walk in before - he ran his hands through his hair, trying to clean up his appearance.

Then he knocked - once,twice,thrice. No one responded, Alan smiled, probably they hadn't heard him the previous times, he would just have to knock harder this time.

After a few tries,he stood there, his knuckles aching from having knocked too hard against the heavy door - probably they weren't home?.

But Alan could swear that he'd seen them go in earlier, he'd just go through the back door. He turned passing through a small garden, standing on a broken flower pot,he peeked in, finding his entire family seated at the dining table having a warm,lavish meal.

His mouth watered, for the past few days, he'd been feasting on rock hard bread and on some nights he'd sleep hungry. Seeing such a big spread made his stomach grumble, but then, he saw his family's faces - they all looked towards the door, clearly iritated and mouthing a few things that he couldn't hear.

Alan gulped, calmly reading their lips,it was one of the things he'd learned when he's an idol. He moved closer leaning against the windows from outside, his eyes fixated on their moving lips.

'Nuisance' , 'useless' ,'waste of space'. Having to read these words from his family's lips shattered him, they hadn't responded to his knocks not because they had no idea that he was there..... but because he was a nuisance to their merriment.

Alan stumbled backwards, almost tumbling over the broken vase. The sharp sound attracted his older sister,who immediately went to know what's wrong but ended up locking eyes with Alan. She sneered, her eyes filled with unfiltered disdain and hostility. Then she rolled her eyes, hissing before shutting the curtains in his face.