Confessions of a Mask

“My heart was a desert.”

Physical attraction isn't something you can negotiate with. No matter how much he likes Sonoko as a person, his body refuses to cooperate.

“My life was a masquerade.”

Growing up feels like learning a script before you even know your lines. Kochan spends his childhood trying to match his face to what everyone expects to see.

“I was beginning to understand that I was not like other people.”

There is a strange comfort in feeling different from everyone else. He leans into his private obsessions because they are the only things that feel real.

“That day the arrow pierced me.”

Blood and violence shouldn't be beautiful. But for him, the image of Saint Sebastian is more moving than any actual person.