Acute Curtain Call Addiction #WeeklyShortShortNote

──The applause, it won't stop.

The moment he was enveloped by the spotlight on stage, he truly felt it.
"So this is what it means to be alive."
His fellow drama club members headed off to an after-party right after the show, but he alone could not leave the wings of the stage.
The lingering atmosphere of the audience, the reverberation of the applause, the swaying of the curtain.
All of it sent a sweet numbness through his brain.

The next day.
Even at work, he found himself unconsciously bowing deeply to a colleague's "Good work today."
"Thank you! Thank you for coming today!"
──The office buzzed with confusion.
As his boss gave a wry smile, he blushed and muttered, "I'm sorry, it's just a habit..."

Since then, his symptoms have only continued to worsen.
Even at the convenience store register, every time he finishes paying, he bows deeply and shouts,
"Thank you very much for watching the performance today!"
And when he is bathed in the stares of those around him──he wears an ecstatic smile.

The doctor's diagnosis was as follows:
"Acute curtain call addiction. Your mind cannot remain stable without applause and attention."

Now, he is standing in front of the curtains in his own home.
He raises his hands, bows, and bows once more.
Basking in the applause of an invisible audience, he smiles quietly.

──That night, a report came in from the neighborhood.
"I keep hearing the sound of applause from the room next door... even though they're alone."

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