Shadows of the Spotlight

Chapter 75

The next two days went in rehearsals and concerts, sparing us little time to ourselves. I went through what has now become a routine for me, trying to limit my thoughts to the task at hand.

But today was different. Today was the last concert of the tour.

Standing on the balcony of my hotel room, I gazed at the Eiffel Tower glowing against the Parisian night sky. It was hard to believe this journey was coming to an end—not just the tour, but everything Arc and I had shared. All the hard work, all the magic we'd created, would culminate tonight. And so would our relationship.

I'd tried to guard my heart, telling myself this was temporary, but it hadn't worked. Somewhere between his stolen smiles, the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't watching, and the small, thoughtful gestures he made even during his busiest days, I had fallen hopelessly in love with him.

And tonight, I had decided to fight for us.

After the concert, I would tell him. I had planned to risk it all—I would go back to New York tomorrow as scheduled, wrap up my life there, and take the time needed to convince my family. It wouldn't be easy, but I was ready. Arc was worth it.

But I wouldn't tell him before the performance; I didn't want to distract him.

The Stade de France was alive with energy. The audience roared, their lightsticks forming a galaxy of colors in the massive arena. Arc was in his element, owning the stage with the same charisma and passion that had made millions fall in love with him. The concert was coming to an end.

For the last set the staff arranged for a guitar for him. He placed his mic on the stand, took the guitar and sat down.

"노바스. 이건 'My Path'라는 제목의 미발표 곡이에요. 보통 제 노래는 여러분 모두에게 바치지만, 이번에는 특별한 누군가에게 바칩니다. 이 곡은 솔로 아티스트로서 그룹 멤버들 없이 첫 투어를 진행하는 제 여정을 담고 있어요. 그래서 이 곡은 제 오빠, 가족, 그리고 그룹 멤버들께 바칩니다. (Novas. This is an unreleased song titled 'My Path'. Normally all my songs are dedicated to you all but this time it's dedicated to someone special. This song talks about my journey as a solo artist, doing my first tour without my group members. So this song is dedicated to my brother, my family, and my group members)," Arc said in the mic

The crowd gives a big round of applause and when Arc starters strumming the melody of the song the whole crowd goes silent. The whole stadium listened carefully as Arc poured out his feelings through this song.

When the song came to the end the crowd roared, that's when Jihoon gave me a subtle signal. I switched to the in-ear system connected to Arc.

"아크, 당신 앞에 있는 모니터를 볼 수 있나요? 제작팀에서 당신에게 몇 가지 지시를 내렸습니다. (Arc, can you look at the monitor in front of you, the production team has some instructions for you)", I relay to Arc.

Arc obediently looks at the monitor, only to notice that the normal black screen is replaced by the view of the crowd and then it changes to the view of the VIP booth.

Arc's eyes widen as the screen shows the familiar faces of Gemini, Alaric, Lynx, Xander, and Yonder, seated near the back.

Arc froze, his expression shifting from confusion to shock and then to pure, unfiltered emotion. His lips parted, but for a moment, no words came out.

The crowd roars and Arc's attention goes back to the crowd. He continues with his closing segment speech. At the end of the speech Arc bowed deeply towards the direction his bandmates were seated. "Thank you," he said softly, his voice full of gratitude.