Protecting What We Have: A Tale Of Friendship

Prologue

The concert was lit!

Jeonsa Yesulga or JY for short wasn't a world-renowned boy band for nothing. Their energy and stage presence was well deserving of their name, 'Warrior Artists' (for international fans), for they go at a song as if they're leading a battle and it's beyond amazing to attend their live performances.

Gyo Hoon, the twenty-five-year-old leader was effortlessly jumping around the stage, his flaming red hair following his movement where it wasn't restricted by his designer bandana. Besides being the famous rapper nicknamed Fire Tongue and one of the best dancers in the industry, his high IQ contributed to his nerdy side; and the resulting duality was absolutely charming. One could see the elegance in his moves even without choreography and his rapping was on another level. Add to that a spoonful of stage adrenaline and a pinch of clumsiness and the whole crowd was swooning over the tall handsome leader, chants of their sunshine idol almost drowning the songs.

Beon Seokchin, stage name Chin, the eldest of the group, was there to catch his Hooni every time he stumbled on a toy some fan threw on stage. His mother-hen mode was always on! His vocals never wavered and his unparalleled chocolate boy appearance and high self-esteem kept stealing fans' hearts away. There was no doubt that at least a dozen of his moments in this concert and his look with the newly dyed blond hair would be trending on social media soon enough.

Beom Daeshim, another rapper in JY, who is self-nicknamed Hiro (which literally means 'hero'), was a beautiful contrast to the other two's light and shiny aura. His dark and mysterious image was amplified in the atmosphere of the live show especially with his dark clothes and black hair. The fans weren't fooled though. Hiro was the strong-willed, twenty-six years old boy from Daegu, with a difficult past, unique physical features, relatable lyrics and over-the-top production techniques. He fought against all odds and became not only one of the most famous rappers/producers in the world but also a successful businessman with a chain of five-star restaurants that no one knew how he could manage while being busy with the idol life.

The maknae twins were as chaotic on stage as they were off it. The youngest of the two, Hak Hajoon dropped every high note on the scale and still looked both cute and sexy, his fit athletic body kept the fans transfixed and his cute genuine smiles made their hearts flutter. Despite his shy personality, he transforms into a real showman on stage and he somehow never hesitates to turn his fans into melting puddles by throwing hearts, winks and lots of cringe-worthy love confessions. If only he could transcend his hair colour preference too...the fans were sure they saw his hair dyed in every colour that exists!

His few-month-older same year-liner Roe Daehyun, had a different kind of charm. The model looking, silver-haired guy with weird behaviour and a perfectly handsome face kept enchanting all ears with his honey-like voice. He had unique tastes and a keen eye for food and a secret not-so-secret crush for anything rap related including but not exclusive to his rapper hyungs His stage name 'Dae'; chosen in reference to both his actual name and his home town Daegu; was the most researched online. His facial expressions and out-of-the-box antics were probably the reason.

Together with Hajoon, they turned the stage into a playground, and they performed probably every single TikTok move they've ever seen between their songs. Their energy was contagious and the joy they spread was unparalleled.

Everyone in that concert couldn't feel more pride in being Bohoja-s. When JY first came up with the fandom name, the internet went into a frenzy. International fans joined in releasing translations for the rest of the world to identify with Korean fans. Bohoja meant 'Defender' or 'Guardian', a 'Protector' of a sort.

The members did an infamous Vlive about it and explained how they wanted to be the warriors, to give strength and hope to their fans but at the same time, how they couldn't be who they are without Bohojas and their continuous love and support protecting them from loneliness and failure.

Needless to say, many fans had to change their phone screens that day, there was a limit to how many forceful clicks one could apply on those heart icons and crying emojis per second after all!

Once the concert was over, the idols gave their speeches, a tearful overwhelming goodbye was shared with the fans and everyone stepped out joining their staff backstage. Those were the men behind the scenes, a major factor in JY's success.

Gwan Sangwook, their company, RealArt Entertainment's founder, believed in them and fought for the band's perennity despite the shadows of bankruptcy hanging above their heads at the beginning.

The management team, from manager Ya Seung, who considered the boys' wins as his own, to manager Jo Hyunshik who knew the boys more than their own siblings did. And all the other dedicated managers, stylists, designers, engineers and artists who helped the idols all along and made sure they got the comfort they needed and deserved both on a professional and on a personal level. Running the show behind the stage, the boys relied on them heavily.

The concert was, as usual, a big success! Withlight hearts and buzzing bodies, the boys were escorted to their dorms wherethey would rest before waking up to another schedule full of art, passion andbitter-sweet body aches.