Playing with Fire: A BLACKPINK Story

Chapter 6: Showtime

2018.

The roar of the crowd was deafening, and I was only backstage. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to stand there in front of those 20,000 screaming fans. Fortunately, I wasn't going to have to.

The girls were going to have to though. And by the look on their faces, they were all very aware that in a few short minutes, they were going to be doing just that. Their nerves were so tense that I could practically see the stress radiating off of their body.

Lisa was giving Jennie a neck rub, trying to work out some of the kinks that had formed due to the stress. I was nervous for them.

That wasn't the only reason I was feeling nervous. At some point, Jisoo had gotten up from her seat on the other couch and joined me, tucking her legs up under her and looking at me with eyes that showed that she just needed a friendly presence. I was happy to provide that presence, but her closeness was making my heart beat a little harder than it should have been, given the circumstances.

You're acting like a teenager!

I scolded myself, but nothing I told myself would make me feel any different. It was... just the way things were now. I was getting used to it—and maybe, just maybe, I was starting to realize that it wasn't so bad. That I could balance this feeling with my professionalism. Maybe we could do it.

That's what I was telling myself when Jisoo turned and leaned her head on my shoulder, letting out a small sigh. <Nervous,> she said. "My stomach is full of... butterflies." She looked at me, trying to gauge whether her English idiom was correct. I gave her a smile to indicate that it was.

I saw Rosé trying to hide her smile, but her poker face was terrible. Either that, or I was just getting good at reading her. I had a feeling it was a little of both.

"You're going to do great," I said, making my voice as calm and reassuring as possible. "You're the best in the world. You know that."

"Still scary," said Jisoo. She shivered, though whether it was for effect or due to actual nerves, I couldn't tell.

There was a knock on the green room door and Jisoo shot off my shoulder like a rocket. The girls all turned, knowing what that knock meant. I stood up and gave them an encouraging smile. Rosé inhaled deeply and nodded.

<It's time,> came the voice from the other side. One of their managers, I believed it was.

<You got this,> I said quietly. <Go show them what you can do.>

Jisoo gave me one last glance before the four of them filed out the door, with my bringing up the rear, ready for the show to begin.

---

Now that I was closer to the stage, the sound of the fans was overwhelming. I almost couldn't believe that the four women I had been living with, the four bubbly, silly, and sweet women that I had come to know, were about to face an arena of 20,000.

But I could believe it, because I had seen how strong they were, and I knew that no matter, they were going to make sure that their fans got the show of a lifetime. I took up a position just off stage, where I could keep an eye on as much as possible. I cranked my earpiece so I could hear security—but only in one ear, so I could hear the show as well. It wasn't just for selfish reasons. I wanted to know at what point of the set they were at so that I could keep track of where the girls were and what they were doing.