Page 138 of A World Apart
“I know! My soul is ready!” Dramatic, but I got it. Mine was too.
Despite my feelings for Jihoon, despite whatever emotional growth I’d gone through this year, despite the separation I felt for Jihoon and the group, I had been a fan first.
The lights in the arena suddenly dimmed, the runner lights flanking the aisles and some low-lying house lights the only illumination, until-
The stage spots flashed, once, twice, and then a continuous pulse in time with the beat that thundered from the towers of speakers framing the main stage. The audience exploded with screams and cheers, lightsticks appearing from all over thearena, constellations dotting the darkness, individual beacons identifying the Vibers in the crowd with more precision than the volume of their cries.
The vibrancy of the atmosphere was a tangible, electric thing, sweeping us all up in a frenzy not seen before now. It was enough to make me feel almost sorry for the other performers.
Just then, the music silenced, the strobe lights shut off, cloaking the arena in a sudden hush, the audience obediently quieting, for the most part.
Then, with a thunderous drum beat that I felt through my shoes, the silhouettes of the five members of GVibes suddenly appeared on the stage, the smoke machine and spotlights giving the illusion they stood ten feet tall.
Once again but with more intensity, the audience erupted and from somewhere in there, the fanchant started up, repeating over and over until the opening bars of ‘Pulse’ began, unfreezing the group and driving them into motion.
Though I was several rows back, I was close enough to the stage to be able to identify them all immediately, my eyes seeking Jihoon reflexively. Watching them perform in real life felt transformative, and I screamed and stamped my feet along with every other fan in the audience, regardless of my personal relationship to the main vocal. Just then, I was a fan. I could be his girlfriend later.
They performed four songs in all, ‘Pulse,’ ‘Work Harder,’ ‘I’m Gonna Stay,’ and ‘Fall in Love’ − for which Haley came out and performed with them. I might have felt jealous, if I hadn’t read that she’d recently married her long-time sweetheart. It was incomprehensible to me how they managed to dance that hard, that fast and sing at the same time. It seemed superhuman to me. Idols were built different.
By the end of their set, I was practically vibrating with energy, the kind of energy that feels like you’re never going to be able to come down from. There was an uproar from the crowd when they eventually left the stage, and I half expected them to run back and honour the loud cries of ‘encore,’ but they did not and instead, the tech crews ran on to reset the stage for the next and last performer.
Breathing hard, I slumped back down in my seat and pulled out my phone to send a text to Jihoon:
Me
Come back out! I demand more!!!
Hedidn’t reply for a few minutes, which I expected, but I was still impatiently biting my inner cheek when he eventually did.
Joon
Did you like it? I worked extra hard for you.
[Sent 22:22]
Me
It was amazing! I might pass out. hahaha I want to come to all of your shows from now on! I’m furious I’ve missed so many
Joon
Don’t pass out or I won’t get you tickets to any of our future shows. I’m glad you liked it! I wish I could watch the rest of the show with you. Don’t enjoy it as much as our performance, okay?
[Sent 22:25]
Me
I’m not staying, I wanna get home early before the streets get too busy.
Joon
Let me know when you get home
[Sent 22:27]
I got up to leave and so did the teen girl next to me. We locked eyes and she said, “I’m done here now.” Well, okay then.
We headed out of the arena going in the same direction − to the main doors at the front of the building. On the way, I loaded the Uber app and luckily there were several in the area, probably trolling for fares leaving the Ball. I had to walk a little distance from the centre itself, but it sure beat having to get the bus, or beatingtraffic when everyone else left at the same time. Sliding into the back of the Tesla, I congratulated myself on a smart decision.
