Gangster to Idol

[Filler Chapter: Leo's Backstory]

Leo had always been the quiet one, the one who never quite fit in.

Growing up in a small, rundown neighborhood at the edge of the city, his life had always been a series of harsh realities and unspoken dreams. His family struggled to make ends meet. His father worked long, grueling hours at a factory, coming home too exhausted to notice much of anything, while his mother did odd jobs just to keep food on the table.

Leo couldn't remember the last time they had sat together as a family, shared a meal, or even had a proper conversation. The house always felt cold, not because they couldn't afford the heating, but because it lacked warmth in every sense of the word.

Leo was the middle child, sandwiched between an older brother who had left home the moment he turned 18 and a younger sister who was still too young to understand the depths of their struggles.

His brother, David, had been his role model, the only person Leo had ever truly admired. But when David left, Leo was left alone to deal with the burden of expectations.

Everyone thought Leo would step up, take his brother's place, but Leo wasn't like David. He was quiet, shy, and constantly unsure of himself. The weight of being the "man of the house" crushed him slowly, day by day, until he felt like he was suffocating.

Music had always been his only escape. From a young age, Leo would sit in his room, earphones plugged in, and lose himself in the rhythms and melodies of his favorite songs.

It was the only time he felt free—when the weight of his life wasn't pressing down on him. Music became his refuge, a place where the noise of the world quieted and all that mattered was the beat that matched the rhythm of his heart.

But despite his passion, Leo never truly believed he had any talent. He would sing quietly, barely above a whisper, always afraid someone might hear him. .net

At school, the kids made fun of him for being different. He wasn't athletic, wasn't popular, wasn't the type to stand out. His only friends were the few other kids who were outcasts themselves, and even they didn't really understand him.

Leo's life felt like an endless loop—wake up, endure the day, retreat into his music, and repeat.

Things got worse when his father lost his job. The tension in the house became unbearable. His parents argued constantly, and Leo could feel the bitterness seeping into every corner of their home.

His father grew resentful, his mother quieter, and Leo began to feel more invisible with each passing day. The one time Leo had worked up the courage to sing in front of his family, his father had brushed him off.

"That's just noise," his father had said, his voice heavy with frustration. "What's singing going to do for us? You need to focus on something real."

The words stung more than Leo could admit. From that moment on, he stopped singing out loud. He stopped believing in the dream he had nurtured since he was a child. His confidence, which had never been strong to begin with, shattered completely.

But life has a way of changing unexpectedly. One day, Leo's mother saw a flyer for open auditions for a talent show. The show promised fame and fortune to anyone who could make it through the grueling competition, and though she wasn't sure about Leo's chances, she thought it might give him something to hope for.

She handed him the flyer without saying a word, but her eyes held a glimmer of encouragement.

Leo didn't want to go. He didn't believe he could make it. But a part of him, buried deep beneath the layers of insecurity and fear, wanted to try.

For once, he wanted to see if he could be more than just the quiet boy in the background. So, with trembling hands and a heart full of doubt, he signed up for the audition.

The audition was a nightmare. Leo stood in front of the judges, his voice shaking, his body stiff with nerves. He barely got through the first verse of his song before one of the judges stopped him.

"Next," the judge said coldly, not even bothering to look up from her clipboard.

Leo felt like he had been punched in the gut. He left the room, head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone. He knew he had failed. He had expected it, but the reality of it still hurt more than he thought it would.

But fate wasn't done with Leo just yet. As he was walking out of the building, a producer ran after him. The show needed more contestants, and despite his shaky audition, there was something in Leo's voice that had caught their attention. He had potential, they said.

Maybe he wasn't polished, but there was something raw, something real. They offered him a spot in the show, and against his better judgment, Leo accepted.

That's how Leo ended up in the competition, surrounded by trainees who were leagues ahead of him. Most of them had been training for years in big companies, honing their skills with professional coaches.

Leo had none of that. Every day felt like a battle just to keep up. He saw the way the other trainees looked at him, the way they whispered behind his back. He wasn't supposed to be there, and everyone knew it.

The pressure was unbearable. Leo practiced until his voice was raw, until his muscles ached, but it never felt like enough. Every time he stepped on stage, the nerves came rushing back, choking him, making his voice waver.

He was always afraid—afraid of failing, of letting everyone down, of proving his father right.

And then one night, after a particularly brutal rehearsal where the vocal coach had pointed out every flaw in his performance,

Leo broke. He sat alone in his room, head in his hands, tears streaming down his face. He wanted to quit. He wanted to go back to being invisible, where no one expected anything from him. At least then he wouldn't have to feel this crushing weight of failure.

Leo had long since let go of his dreams, or at least, he thought he had. After countless rejections and endless disappointments, he convinced himself that some dreams just weren't meant to come true. Instead, he threw himself into something different—vlogging. It was a way to escape, to build a new identity that didn't revolve around his failures.

Through his vlogs, Leo found a small community of viewers who appreciated his candidness, his humor, and his outlook on life. Slowly, his confidence grew.

As time passed, Leo managed to pull his family out of the financial pit they had been stuck in for years. They no longer had to worry about making ends meet or stretching every dollar. Things were better. Life had improved. He had succeeded in a way. But even as he built this new life, a part of him never forgot the dream that had once burned so brightly inside of him.

That dream of standing on a stage, letting his voice soar, and sharing his music with the world.

Years went by, and then the auditions for *RRR: Rising Rockstars* opened. It had been so long since Leo had thought about singing seriously. Yet, something inside him stirred, something he thought had been buried for good. He hesitated at first, unsure if he was ready to face failure again. But that old spark wouldn't be ignored. So, with shaky hands and a hesitant heart, Leo took his shot.

But it didn't go the way he hoped. It never did.

Leo had failed. Again.

He sat in his small room at the *RRR* production center, staring blankly at the walls. His luggage sat half-packed on the floor, the reality of his defeat sinking in. He couldn't believe it. After all the years of waiting, after building up the courage to try again, he was walking away empty-handed.

"Maybe it's not for me after all," Leo whispered, his voice barely audible. The words felt like they were ripping something out of him. He had wanted this—needed this—so badly, and once again, it felt like the world was telling him no.

His heart heavy, Leo slumped on the edge of the bed, his mind numb. The TV in the corner was still on, but he wasn't really watching. It was just noise, something to fill the silence in the room. But then, through the fog of his thoughts, he heard a voice. A deep voice that resonated in a way that made his chest tighten.

He blinked, slowly turning his head toward the screen.

There, on the stage, was C.C., singing, his voice raw and full of emotion, and somehow, it pierced right through Leo's despair. Each note seemed to reach into him, touching something fragile that he had tried so hard to protect.

Leo's throat tightened, and before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face. He didn't even know why he was crying. It wasn't like C.C.'s performance was meant for him, but in that moment, it felt like it was.

The music washed over him, and for the first time in a long time, Leo felt . . . comforted. The way music had always comforted him when he was younger. The way it had held him together when everything around him was falling apart.

That feeling—he had forgotten it. He had forgotten what music meant to him, what it had always given him when he had nothing else. And now, sitting in that room, hearing C.C.'s voice, it all came flooding back.

Leo sniffed, wiping at his face with the back of his hand. He felt embarrassed, crying alone in his room, but at the same time, something inside him had shifted. How could he give up now? How could he walk away from the thing that had always been there for him?

The answer was simple. He couldn't.

He wasn't done yet.

"I'll be back," Leo whispered to himself, his voice stronger this time. He stood up, hurriedly packing the rest of his things, wiping away the last of his tears as he zipped up his suitcase.

His heart was still aching, still bruised from the disappointment, but there was something else there now. A quiet resolve, a determination he hadn't felt in years.

As he slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door, he paused for a moment. On the screen, C.C. was still singing, his voice filled with an intensity that left the audience breathless. Leo watched for a moment longer, then smiled to himself.

Like C.C. had sung, he wouldn't give up.

No, not this time.

Leo left the room with a new sense of purpose, feeling lighter than he had in years. He didn't know what the future held, but for the first time in a long time, he was willing to fight for it.