RIVER LUCERO (The rival)

Age: 25 Birthday: October 1, 1999 Origin: Manila

Visuals: Tall, wiry, always dressed in black. Has a pierced eyebrow, heavy rings, chipped nail polish, and perpetual five o'clock shadow. Smokes clove cigarettes. His stare can silence a room.

Backstory: Matteo’s former roommate and creative collaborator—they once had a messy hookup history,, full of power games and unresolved feelings. River now DJs part-time, writes zines, and builds sound installations. He instantly dislikes Eli for being “too soft,” but the tension between them soon evolves into something more complicated. River is jealousy incarnate but also a tragic mirror of who Matteo might become.