When JE Met JK

Permission To Dance- Las Vegas

May 2019

"I can't believe I'm doing this." she said, for roughly the 100th time. She looked around yet again, trying to take in and make sense of the throng of BTS fans that she found herself in the middle of. "Though I must admit", she continued hoping she was speaking loud enough for Pandy to hear her- "these seats are pretty remarkable". The venue was huge, initially looking like a logistical nightmare to anyone with little or no knowledge of staging. It had been a long time since Joscelin had found herself working in stage craft. She'd preferred being in front of the spotlight in her youth, but was smart enough to realize that working on the other side of it- in lighting, sound, sets, costuming.. any part of stagecraft was a sure way to learn and therefore to be a well rounded performer. Over the last 40+ years however, technology had vaulted stagecraft into the stratosphere making the old days of building and painting flats, hand painting banners and backdrops and any attempts to make it easier to hear the performers look prehistoric. She might not be performing any more, but she could certainly appreciate what it took to create the magic of big shows in these huge venues.

Smiling at the sound of fans already beginning to ruin their voices with fan chant, she looked up and was able to watch a group of techs who were making last minute checks on wire riggings and lights. Drone cameras had been launched and were likely already capturing footage. When she caught the eye of a tech and waved, he waved back.

"....so I know we won't' hear any of his solo work, but I'm okay with that. What song do you want to hear most tonight Josc?" She turned her attention back to her friend. It was Pandy who had gotten her to take the leap into BTS fandom. It wasn't until the two of the met at work that Joscelin had taken more than just a passing interest in BTS. 11 years her junior, Pandy had become many things to Joscelin in the past couple of years. Not only was she a fountain of knowledge about K-Pop, she was also wise, funny, smart as hell and always willing to speak truth when it was needed.

"Hmm? What.. oh, what song? You know how I feel about Born Singer, but a live performance of ON would probably blow me out of my shoes." Off to their right she watched a group of teenage girls dancing to the back track playing, wishing she could still move well enough to join in.

It wasn't much longer until the house lights dimmed and the show began. As she knew she would, Joscelin found herself transported into the mélange of color, light and sound as The Seven put on a show worth every penny spent, every mile traveled and every moment of day dreaming. Only three things made brief jabs into that bubble of joy- wishing there was less screaming, wishing she could be down next to the stage and the annoyance of not being able to ignore the need to visit the restroom.

It was not long after a scheduled break in the program that she realized she was going to have to head for the ladies room. For once she was happy to have been wrong, as the set was focusing briefly on the solo efforts and collaborations the boys had been sharing. When Pandy offered to go with her, she demurred knowing that Min Yoongi was going to take the stage next, and God help any ARMY who gets between fellow fan and their bias.

Thankful that they were on the mezzanine level which spared her from having to navigate a lot of stairs, Joscelin weaved her way through the few fans who were standing in aisles to the door exiting the stadium floor. She could hear the ebb of the crowd and the swell of the music that made it clear that Suga was center stage. Taking one turn and moving down the hallway she could see the entrance to the ladies room almost at the very end of a corridor. It didn't surprise her that other than stadium staff, there were very few other people in the hallway, this made taking care of the business she left her seat for much easier. After washing her hands she turned to the air dryer that was three steps away. On the second step she kicked something and heard it skitter across the floor. Looking down she saw what looked to be an ID Card on a lanyard. When her hands were dry she bent to to pick it up.