The A-Z of Love

Beginning of the end

Instead of including soundcheck in the VIP tickets, for these concerts, they included a Hi-Touch event after the concert. Zoey was worried after hearing that due to the concert finishing late yesterday, the staff had rushed the VIP fans through so fast that the Hi-Touch had turned into a Hi-Tap. Some ATINY had posted on Twitter that all they had seen was a blur of faces and their hi-fives had either missed ATEEZ completely or just brushed their fingertips.

Zoey's seat for day two was just slightly closer than where she had been for the soundcheck yesterday. However, once the concert started she realised that floor seats were a completely different experience. As the people around you were all at the same height you felt closer, part of the group. There were negatives, such as the voices of the fans singing were so loud you almost couldn't hear anything else, and of course, you had to dart around the lightsticks and phones which were held up in front of you. Yet, there was a vibe that made the whole experience special.

The concert was even better the second time and Zoey had no regrets about spending so much money. Although, she suspected she would change her mind in the future when she thought about exactly how much she had spent on her latest obsession. She would just have to remind herself that there was no point in saving up for a future when you don't know what will happen. It's better to live now and do things which will make you happy than to deny yourself opportunities.

For today's concert, Yunho said he had a confession to make: he was a wizard. As a Harry Potter fan, Zoey was delighted as the dance put on glasses and brought out a wand. He proceeded to prove his magical abilities by shouting Lumos and turning on all the lights in the arena. Then Yunho and Wooyoung had a duel, Jongho showed off his rapping skills as the lead vocalist of the group, and Mingi spun around like a ballet dancer.

Zoey expected the concert to pass in a blur, but luckily it felt as though it went on forever. When it came to the end, she almost felt content, but for her and the other VIP ATINY, there was more to come. As the arena emptied, she sat in her seat waiting to be told where to go next. There was a hum of excitement as the rest of the VIPs chatted about the concert.

When they were finally told to start moving, Zoey was almost shaking with nerves. Generally, she wasn't good with crowds or being around people, particularly men. Although she had been a little on edge before the concert, once it started the performances were enough to distract her. It also helped that music calmed her.

As she followed the queue for the Hi-Touch, Zoey almost turned around. She was sure it would seem silly to everyone else here, but she was almost scared to meet ATEEZ. These were people who she had watched through a screen, daydreamed about, and just seen perform from a distance. Now she was about to be close enough to touch, to truly see their faces and them see hers. It was overwhelming.

The queue seemed to go on forever, but when it was finally her turn it was as if time slowed down. She was met by the smiling face of Mingi and Zoey was sure she looked starstruck as she processed seeing the Idols face to face. The tall rapper waved his hand at her and she blushed as she raised her hand for the hi-five.

Jongho the Maknae was next and his presence was oddly calming to her. The feeling only increased as their hands touched. Zoey missed the frown on the singer's face after she moved on to the next member in line.

Although Zoey could admit that she found a lot of people intimidating, ATEEZ was no expectation. They were handsome and talented, and the way they performed was special and impressive. Seonghwa in particular had always taken her breath away with his performances. She barely had the courage to look at his face as their hands met, so she missed the look of astonishment on his face and that his eyes stayed on her for a little longer than any of the other fans.

As she carried on down the line, Yunho smiled at her, and then Wooyoung and San formed a heart together with their spare hands. Zoey felt stunned as she reached Yeosang. He was the first member to catch her eye with his stunning beauty. She felt her cheeks burn as he smiled at her. When their hands touched she let out a giggle of happiness, before shyly biting her lips as she moved on.

Hongjoong could be a stern leader, and sometimes the group needed that to keep the younger ones focused. He was also extremely hard working and amazingly talented and Zoey was in awe as she stood in front of him. As her hand met its final hi-five, she felt safe and understood as she looked into the leader's kind eyes. As she walked away from Hongjoong's friendly, smiling face, Zoey wondered what she had been nervous about.

As soon as the girl turned to leave, Hongjoong looked back down the line to find all three of his soulmates looking back at him. They had all felt it, that fan was their final soulmate. He quickly waved over their manager and described the fan.

"Don't let her leave. We have to meet her."

Zoey was grinning as she walked along the corridor after meeting ATEEZ. She was a little in shock at what had just happened, but also very happy.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Her smile disappeared as she was approached by a man wearing a lanyard which identified him as an ATEEZ staff member. Zoey stopped walking but looked at the man wearily.

"Yes?"

"Come with me, please."

"Is- Is something wrong?"

"Follow me."

Hesitantly, she nodded and followed the man as he led her to a room which looked to be used as a lounge or waiting area. Zoey tried not to panic as he asked her to sit and wait. She couldn't bring up the courage to question him further before he left the room. Alone, she hugged her arms around herself to hide her shaking hands and waited to see who would walk through the door next.