A Sound from the Moon

Thirty Nine

The day we left for my first world tour, SMTown released the music video for Dumb Dumb. We watched it with giggles and Irene gave it a quick look before saying, "The industry is warming up the fans with the video."

"They won't know what hit them," Seulgi said as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I shared an excited smile with her.

The first night was the most amazing night. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. It felt like I was going on a roller coaster of emotions as we got in position. All the choreography I've been practicing for weeks was the only thing my mind carried throughout each concert. I genuinely said to each crowd that they've given me the best first experience I could have had for my debut. Each night, I fell asleep with the memory of their uproarious cheers.

But my favorite part of this tour was going to places I would never think of going and all for free! To name a few places, we went to London, Chile, and even Los Angeles! I was so close to my mother and I begged the manager to let me use the free day we had at each stop to visit my mother, but he sadly shook his head and I understood. It would delay the whole tour and fans were ready to see what has come of Red Velvet.

I sadly looked out the window of our plane as we left Los Angeles. Irene was sitting next to me at the moment and she gave my hand a soft hold. I gave her a small smile and she gently said, "I bet your mother would have loved to see you there. I'm sorry the situation can't give us more time to visit her. But you know that it's important to stay on top of schedule, especially with tours."

"I know," I sadly said.

"You're doing so well, Yerimie. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, unnie," I said with a lighter smile. I put my head on her shoulder and she gently moved so I could stay comfortable on her shoulder.

"You should do a FaceTime video with your mother at our next concert."

I did try to do that but my mother isn't very good with technology. She would rather talk to me on the phone when I get back to the hotel. Someone that did do a FaceTime with their parents was Joy and Wendy. I was able to give a brief hello to Wendy's father before going on stage and Joy talked to her parents in our hotel room.

Joy and I are roommates with Wendy throughout this tour. So I got to meet her parents and have a small chat with them. They're so sweet just like Joy is. I also got to meet her puppy that she got on her birthday. I'm not the best with animals, but he was very adorable through camera.

Irene often talks to her sister on the phone. She says she hasn't seen her older sister since the last time she met with her in England. She isn't very open when it comes to her family. All I know is that Jisoo's sister and Irene's sister are somewhat friends. Seulgi's parents are just as gentle as she is and Wendy's parents resonate her easy going personality.

I sometimes wonder if people see my mother through me. I often feel like I don't even know my own mother myself. All I remember is seeing her in the hospital or weak in bed when she was home. I have no idea what I'm supposed to resemble. For now, I resemble the only thing that's true in my life. Music. The light I found through dance and music. That's what I show to the world. It's all I have left.

We were in Canada on Thanksgiving. We had a long concert that day where Wendy got emotional on stage when she shared to the crowd that it's a dream come true to perform in a country she practically grew up in.

It was weird not to celebrate Thanksgiving, but I quietly thought of it that night as I worked on homework in the hotel lobby. My school knew I was on tour and I would be back for the week of finals. So I was given extra homework online for practice. It isn't like in the States where they have separate exams for each class. This one is an accumulation of everything I learned in that single class. Why does it feel harder?