Glow

😳 Pain and Pleasure

As the guys pack and get ready for the flight the next morning I check in on Yoongi. He's abrupt, but he says he's fine, so I trust his word.

Instead I go back to making sure the maknae line gets the required attention. Helping Jungkook with packing up his electronics, our hands grazing each other. Giving Jimin morning cuddles to wake up. Taehyung assisting me in doing last minute checks before we all head to the elevators. I get down on all fours and search under the couch, the tables, the beds. Earbuds are found, lost earrings from sleeping in them are discovered in the bedding, toothbrushes are quickly added to already packed suitcases, and I hold Taehyung's hand as we get into the vehicles.

There's one more concert here, an early one, before we leave later in the evening. This time I am to hang out with the makeup noonas while the guys sing and dance their hearts out for their ARMY. As we approach the venue I can see the crowds waiting to get in. The vehicles take a route around the back before we get within even three blocks of the crowd of ARMY and avoid being surrounded by eager fans.

****

The crowd is... not wild, but sort of like that? The controlled enthusiasm emanating from the sea of bodies is like a wave of energy. I can see how the guys get hyped up for their fans, for being on stage. 

I know that I would drown in that energy, but I can see how they react the way they do. It makes me aware of just how different we are. It takes a certain type, a particular personality to be someone who takes a stage, feeds off the crowd and grows stronger from it. I am in awe, watching the monitors in the back room.  The set up is almost the same as before, blow-up beds are off to one side, a buffet of local fare staying warmed along the wall opposite the doors to the room. This time there's no couch, but instead tables and chairs are scattered in the large space, allowing people to eat and relax in quiet or together as they choose.

I've grabbed one of the chairs and gathered with a few of the noonas and one of the guards as we sit closer to the monitor showing the live feed off a stationary camera. We cheer along with the crowd, doing the fan chant occasionally. Someone occasionally brings over water or a plate of finger foods and we all nibble and sip, not daring to tear our eyes away.

One of the noonas nudges me, pointing to Hoseok. She proudly mentions that her makeup on him is staying despite him sweating. I nod, shooting her an admiring glance. The others chime in, broken English statements using the rest of their names and I smile, realizing that this is the first time they've added me to their circle. With high fives all around for their impressive work I get up to find something sweet to share with them, missing something important.

A gasp from the group surrounding the monitor and Yoongi's stage name said by several voices and I turn to see Jimin helping Yoongi stand up. 

I quickly return to the tv, my hunt for sweets forgotten. As I try to focus on what happened to Yoongi the guys move out of camera range. There's a lot of Korean chatter around me, and I remind myself to step up my learning process as I try to patiently wait for the guys to come back into view of the camera.

It's as we hear a commotion from the hallway outside that I realize the stage show has changed.

****

Yoongi falls out of the hold two of the dancers have on him, collapsing onto the air mattress beneath him. The agony on his face is obvious to everyone there. He grasps his shoulder wincing at even his own touch.

Even as people gather around his mattress Manager Sejin strides in, harshly ordering people in their native tongue. The noonas quickly leave, heading to the makeup room to wait and keep out from under foot. The guards usher the on-call doctor in, checking to make sure Yoongi didn't do severe damage to himself.