Humanize

Chapter 7

The conference day.

"Ow, there are more artists than I thought."

- Ready?

Wearing an elegant outfit which was composed of shirt trousers and jacket, Jiyeong turned to see Elijah, who was smiling at her.

Even though she was more aware of the reality now, she still had to process some of the things that happened.

"And how supporting Miss Kang was when I told her I got chosen and that I would leave the job it's still unbelievable."

Apart from the fact that she felt horrible for leaving Haneul there by himself.

"Luckily, he's way stronger than I am, so he'll be alright."

She smiled, feeling relieved by the words he told her before she left for the conference.

"You'll be amazing. Just give all you got and make sure to let them know who you are."

She'll try her best to let them know her intentions.

- 5 minutes to go, Miss Moon.

Closing the curtain quietly, she made her way towards the backstage, where she organised her thoughts in order to make a good speech. She felt confident since this was something that she really liked, and for the technical part she counted with some sheets that would support her.

"You can do it, Ji, the stage is yours."

- 1 minute. - this time it was someone of the staff of the theatre where the conference was celebrated, and that made her nervous.

"No, don't be nervous, everything will be alright."

And now, more than ever, she was really glad she met BamBam, the BamBam, yesterday.

"By how friendly and down to earth he is, I can imagine how supportive he would be."

Watching videos in YouTube until late definitely was worth it to know some of this things about them.

"But this isn't a video, this is the reality."

When the same staff member told her that now she could come out, she took a deep breath, holding tightly the papers and, with all the confidence she could express in her walk, made her way towards the lectern, which rested in the middle of the stage.

"- Woah, she's young! She looks so cool!"

"- I love her outfit, maybe I should take note about it."

"- Okay, okay, calm down, she's gonna talk!"

Jiyeong couldn't help but smile at the random voices coming from the idols in front of her, now paying total attention to the young stage director.

- ...Good morning. - she greeted politely, crossing her legs to contain the nerves and remain cool.

It might be silly, but it helped her a lot.

As if for encourage her, the idols smiled at her, and she even saw BamBam give a thumbs up and mouthing a "you can do it".

"And they are treated in dubious ways... No, this has to change."

That gave Jiyeong the strength to talk directly from her heart, putting delicately the sheets on the lectern and cleaning her throat to make sure her voice would be strong and stable.

- First of all, the EAM would like to thank you all, especially the artists, for deciding to join the project we have here in South Korea. It's been a long time since we pursued the dream of expanding our believes of the power of music, and, more important than that, the power of humanity.

She received a round of claps, which made her stop and smile, quietly. That let her see Elijah at the corner, filming her as he told her.

"Even the one and only Mister Brams will watch this. Keep going, Ji!"

Once the clapping died, she continued.

- As you may know, this South Korean division of the company has been created in order to promote South Korean music, and, especially, K-Pop, to the world. Basing on our creed, respect and love towards the different cultures and sounds must be crucial in order to succeed as a company who believes, as I said, in the power of humanity, which gives sense to this project and, may I say, - she looked at Elijah for support, who nodded and smiled - provides it its core. That's why we are so thankful that you decided to show the world what you are made of through us, who will provide you all the support, professional and human, for you to open your borders, even more, to the international stage.

Jiyeong checked the sheets for a moment, organising them fast to make sure she didn't lose herself.

- Regarding the exact definition of the project that we will develop during this months, I'll explain it now: the EAM's extension in South Korea, born with the goal of preparing the country for the shows of the EAM in its worldwide expansion, will work along with the artists to prepare a show for the 20th of June of 2020, where, with a vocal, stage, lyrics, presence and, the most important, emotion presentation, the artists will show their music to a worldwide audience, presenting themselves to the worldwide music scene. From now, 20th of January, to the 20th of June, we will work together, EAM and companies, to make sure the idols succeed in the D-Day, and, most importantly, they reach it healthily. - she smiled, softly, while looking towards the idols, but she gazed the papers again in a matter of seconds, feeling shy at looking at the artists she admired and loved - For that reason, the team of the South Korean Division of the EAM will count with a CEO, representative of the EAM headquarters in the country, managers, stylists, choreographers, producers, a huge technical team, doctors, official drivers, and more members that will make sure everything would be perfect and the artists work in a comfortable environment.

More claps followed her speech, accompanied with smiles, which made her feeling relieved.

Then she remembered Elijah's words.

"- It would be nice if you introduce yourself, just to make them familiar with your face since you'll work together for quite a long time."

Once the noise faded, she interlocked her own fingers, letting her hands rest on the lectern, and talking through the microphone again.

- Before ending the conference, I, to make things more comfortable and familiar between the artists and our team, would like to introduce myself. If you saw my ID, probably you'll know, but I'll say it for everyone.

She cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks burn out of embarrassment.

"Exposed to a crowd, and not a normal one, a crowd full of idols and company CEO's and staff, what have you gotten yourself into, Ji? Being the introvert you are?"

- I'm Moon Jiyeong, the official stage director of the South Korean Division of the EAM. I really look forward to working with you all, and express all you want to say through your songs to the rest of the world through the stagings that will complement the performances. - she could feel some intense gazes on her figure, but she couldn't build the courage to look back and discover who they were - With this what I want to say is, please, don't be scared of being who you really are. - something in her mind screamed that she had to remain professional, but that fought with the "act natural" words from Elijah and Haneul, and, of course, her own feelings - I encourage you to voice all your opinions during the process, to give advice for the staging elements, to say "no" if you don't feel safe or comfortable during a frame, and to behave naturally around me. I-I know this may sound unprofessional, but I'm willing to risk my position if I can, at least, tell you to not feel tense nor like another complement of the show, but as human beings who want to express themselves through art. - Jiyeong looked up, only to find bright smiles from the idols, suddenly feeling small and vulnerable - Wi-With that said, I would like to thank you once again for taking part in the project, a-and I wish you a good day.

"You almost died there! You didn't have to say that much!"

Embarrassed, Jiyeong made her way to the backstage, where she let herself fall against the wall, digging her fingers in her hair.

"Great! Now they will think of you as a crazy fan!"

The impression she didn't want to leave.