The lanyard is warm against my neck, chafing against my shirt's collar. Surrounding me are Carat fans that are losing their mind for what is about to go down on stage. Screams arise when S.Coups image rises on the VCR screens. Carat bongs are being waved around haphazardly, their lights creating a burning night sky within the arena.
I scratch at my wrist, pushing away the sweatshirt Soon Young had given me before disappearing into the hallways backstage. His manager had been quick to hook me up with a VIP ticket pass to their concert and sent me on my way. No mention of reimbursement activities or gratitude for taking better care of their idol than they ever did. No, they just wanted to get Soon Young ready for soundcheck before any of the Carat's noticed that their thirteen member group was actually down to eleven.
I stand back against the wall of the nearest section, as close to the stairs as I could possibly get. A deeply rooted part of me wants to run away from this concert, to get into my car and drive as fast as I can back to Illinois and back to my normal, uneventful life.
But, what if I don't want normal anymore? What if I'm meant to do something greater than sit in a cubicle and write up articles I don't care about? Perhaps my degree was a mistake. Maybe I should've been following my heart instead of following the logical fallacies that filled my head.
The lights begin to dim in the arena, the music swelling as it pours from the speakers. The fans in the pit rush toward the edges of the stage, elbowing and shoving each other out of the way in order to get the best angle with their cameras. Heartbeats appear on the screen and screams arise from the legions of fans surrounding me. I remain pressed against the pit wall, with my arms crossed in front of my chest and the VIP badge dangling between my rib-cage.
It's at that moment the music videos fade away from their place on the LED screens spanning the stage. A different video flashes onto the screen, the music shifting to something that would make any pitiful fangirl's heart race. I can't help it, I stand taller against the wall, the infectious energy of the crowd electrifying the air around us.
I was sorely unprepared for what happened next.
With the music booming out of the speakers and the heat of a thousand lights burning through the stage floor, the group took to the stage to the ear-drum shattering sounds of Carats screaming out for them. I began lifting my hands to cover my ears, but a glare from the nearby fans quickly deterred me from doing so. My eyes drifted back to the stage to watch the guys, with their sparkling stage costumes, meticulously styled hair and makeup, and infectious grins on their faces. For the next ten minutes I was utterly enraptured with their effortless, clean vocals and perfectly in sync choreography.
No wonder my sister and Soon Young were so excited to get to the Seventeen concert—being a part of something like this? It's utterly life changing.
"Hut! Seventeen. Say the name, we're Seventeen!" the group's collective voice booms around the space, meeting a vivid response of raucous screaming and various cries of "I love you."
The boy's chests are heaving and a few have grabbed bottled waters and are wiping off their sweat with towels. I cannot even begin to imagine just how hot it is to be on that stage beneath those lights, feeling the weight of thousands of fans on your back, marking your every move. Making sure that your vocals are flawless and that you can maintain your energy for a three-hour window of time—How do they do it? How can they continue to be their fan's rocks and emotional support without exhausting themselves in the process?
I watch Soon Young on stage. His face is glistening with sweat, his chest calming the longer he stands there. He gulps down half a bottle of water as everyone else is talking, but something doesn't feel right. He's glancing around at the audience, his eyes drinking in the sights. I notice he's spending a curious amount of time looking into the pit, which only sends the fans into a thrashing, screaming frenzy.
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Spring Flower (A Seventeen Fanfiction)
Fanfiction"Is it exhausting being happy and optimistic all the time?" I ask him, laying back in the car seat. I turn my head, my hair falling off my shoulder to brush against my neck. He turns his whole body in the driver's seat. His cat eyes seem to drill ri...
