The LoveShot

Scene XII: The Threat - His Side

Word didn't reach the boys until the middle of their concert that day. The crowds were more rowdy and louder than usual, which wasn't a problem until Lee began to hear a slight mixture of profanities and accusations from the fans mixing with their usual supportive screams. Confused, he turned in, listening even harder to be sure that those profanities were what he had truly heard - and they had been. Taken aback by this unexpected hate, Lee immediately stopped the concert to figure out for sure what was going on. Grabbing the mic, he bent down to be at eye-level with the crowd and question them.

"Guys, where's the love? Why are you acting like this?"

"It's because you're such a fucking traitor!" One fan screamed. Immediately, Lee laid eyes upon the security guards on their way to throw the hateful fan out, but with a raise of his hand, he stopped them.

"What do you mean, traitor? What have I ever done to you?"

"You lied to us, Kwang!" They hollered back. "Have you not seen the news?" Another fan inquired.

"News?" Just as he had said so, the manager called the boys backstage for their break while the guards tried to calm down the crowd. As soon as the boys sat down, the manager threw random magazines onto the table and began to rant.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you realize that there's no way to fix the type of tabloid shit like this?" All eyes were on Lee. Whether it be on the magazine covers or his face, everyone in the room was cutting daggers - especially Jun. "Do you even realize what you have just done by being seen like this? We might have to cancel the tour!"

"Relax, E. It can't be that big of a deal just because he's been seen with one girl, right?" J asked.

"Oh?" The manager instantly turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. There wasn't a single station that hadn't been broadcasting the news. Lee couldn't move. He hadn't the slightest as to how to react, and so, he sat there. "Look what you've done! Who even is this girl?"

Tuning out the voices screaming inside and outside of his head, Lee Joon began thinking of only one thing: 'What about that girl? Do they know who she is yet?'

After the manager finished screaming at the boys, Jun walked over to where the magazine sat, staring at them for a moment, and then looked straight up at Lee Joon's face, saying, "And you said this wouldn't affect us.." Walking past him, he knew that the words he had just said had sliced deep wounds into Lee Joon. Despite the pain and weight of having possibly ruined his bandmates' career, all he could think about was her. Suddenly, the news media caught his attention.

"And fans have seemingly already found who this mysterious woman is. Tweets have been reposting rapidly trying to find out if this girl has any sort of social media account and they have apparently found, not only her Instagram account, but also where she works!"

"What?!" He piped up in horror.

"Yes. Photos of her at her job and apparently escaping the mass Paparazzi has been getting cycled all around the internet since early this morning. Apparently, she must not be taking too well to her fifteen seconds of fame." The reporter joked, causing Lee to go bitterly numb. He immediately stood up, but paused as he set eyes on the video evidence of her running away from the Paparazzi. He felt his heart get crushed into a million pieces and immediately had the urge to do what he wanted to do.

Walking angrily toward the exit, he was stopped. "Where do you think you're going? We have a show to finish."

"Not right now, J."

"You know, you can't save her." He yelled after him, causing him to pause. "It'll only get worse if you try to go out there after her. The crowds will follow you and everything will only get worst than before for her."

"How do you know? How could you possibly know anything having to do with her?" Lee angrily spat.

"Because I know you. You can't save everybody. You sometimes have to save others by first saving yourself... Just let her go."

"No."

"Then at least be considerate enough to wait until after the show. We need you here now. So at least save us first." Biting his lip, Lee stood there for a moment in the hallway before continuing to walk forward.

He could hear the crowd cheering and the constant struggle between the guards and the fans. It was getting outrageous. And so, the manager made the announcement that the concert was off. Though just before they had officially ended it, the band agreed to play one last song. And before that last song, Lee Joon Kwang said a few words.

"Although you all have heard this song a million times, and despite hating me right now, I now request of you two simple things..." He bit his lip his hold back bitter tears. Everything for him in this moment was at risk of falling into shambles as if it never was. But it all seemed to depend on if he could fix it with these few simple words: "One, please don't hate. And if you must hate, hate me. Don't hate the band, don't hate our music, and don't hate the people that the media tries to place us with to form unnecessary lies. Hate. Me." He took an audible deep breath in the microphone whilst closing his eyes. He could feel the world's hate boiling him. He just wished it were him alone being burned. "Secondly, if you would have us, please just listen to our truest plea in our last song." Backing away from the microphone, the song began to play.

The only difference being that there was an audible silence throughout that the audience actively participated in in order to fully take on the request that Lee had made to close out with on this last song.