Beyond Those Bright Stars

On a clear, moonless night away from the city lights, you can see a truly delightful sight – the stars. But behind those bright stars – a never-ending darkness lies.

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Meet Dean – a young high school freshman who was envied by everyone. He's always on the top of his class and always achieves excellence and recognition both in academics and in sports. Aside from being so approachable, helpful and kind, he's also popular among young girls because of his good looks and smooth presence That's why his fellow students loved him and wanted to befriend him because of those qualities that made him so perfect.

However, his "perfect" image that everyone perceived was lone "artificial" – yes, a charade that he maintains to win everyone's approval. The real 'Dean' in arrear of public's eyes was actually 'sad and alone'. He strived really hard to be perfect in order to avoid being like his parents who went imprisoned because of their bad deeds. But still, no matter how perfect he could be, his relatives never recognized it. They still identify Dean as a bad omen -- a black sheep that sooner or later would bring the whole family into disappointment, just like what his parents did.

Unable to win his relatives approval, Dean built a world for his own in which praise and recognition were the only most important. He doesn't care if he really had real friends or not. The only thing that he cared for was to ensure that everybody would love, recognize and respect him, so that he would never be in the 'dark place' again.

Everything went so fine for Dean. Until one day, he was knocked-out from his "Throne of Prestige" by another freshman student named Cleofe -- an energetic, cheerful, young lady who founded the school's very first Astronomy Club. At first, it was not a big-deal for Dean because he still had the attention of everyone. But when Cleofe stole not only the spotlight but also the position as the top of the class -- everything turned into a flop. Dean became so upset, and he sees Cleofe as a threat to the attention on which he succeed to maintain. And from that day on, he swears to destroy Cleofe to bring back the attention he had before.

And the fastest way he assumed to make his plan work---?

"...Is to make her fall in love on me."

Everything was perfectly planned by Dean. He joined the Astronomy Club to find out more about Cleofe. He mingled with her, talked with her, and even probed Cleofe's closest friends to flatter the young lady. Then finally, Dean earned Cleofe's trust– getting closer to his original plan of devouring Cleofe and retracts everyone's attention to him.

As Dean's strategy progresses, he found out that Cleofe was an adopted child. It eventually revealed that Cleofe also strived to be perfect; that she studies ruthlessly and obsessively just to maintain her good grades in order to make her foster parents proud of her. Though Cleofe admits that she only pretends to be perfect for her parents, she devoted to slowly abandon her false habits and rather be true to herself – just like how the stars are being true to themselves.

That was the time that Dean found similar pain while looking into Cleofe's eyes. It made him rethink again where his jealousy with Cleofe came from, caused him to have a change of heart. He slowly drove down his plan of beating Cleofe, while becoming bolder and increasingly attached to Cleofe's truthfulness. He also became open to others and eventually gained his first real friends.

And then one day, he just came out to realize that–'he was falling in love with Cleofe'.

But then, fear was about to approached Dean -- the fear of being rejected.

What would she think about me if she finds out who I really am?

Dean turned out to be more afraid than ever before. It was a horrible feeling – a realization that he nurtured a demon inside him – a demon that would eventually consumed everything, even the girl who unknowingly conveyed him close to the stars and helped him finally break free.

That's why Dean decided to avoid Cleofe. He quit the club just to avoid his affection for Cleofe to grow. Sometimes he sensed Cleofe trying to approach him, but he continued pushing Cleofe away from him. It's indeed painful; but he made that effort to protect Cleofe from his horrid self.

Until one day, he caught a news that Cleofe's going to transfer school. He also found out that Cleofe already handed on her current position as president of the Astronomy Club. She didn't even show herself to school for about a week. Then one day after school, Dean got a letter from Cleofe saying...

Meet me at the Observatory, 8:00pm.

Fear of losing Cleofe shed upon Dean, "I don't want to lose her". So he came to the Observatory to meet Cleofe.

It was a very clear night of the 7th day of July. Cleofe was observing the great line of flashing stars enhancing the impressive endless darkness of the sky. Then Cleofe suddenly turned her sight to Dean who tends to be discreet. Then she said...

"We're like stars. We can pretend and create an illusion; but we can never fake our brightness---we can never forged what's inside us."

"I know, that's why I'm here." Dean responded with a slight smirked. "...you knocked me in the head that time, then you never put me back in the sky again."

"Did you regret I hit you?" Cleofe asked.

"No." Dean answered. "...because the moment you hit me, was also the moment I fall for you."

After that night--the two parted ways. But they agreed to meet once a year on the 7th night of the 7th month; where they can be themselves and spend their time together while watching at the river of stars.

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