Thousands of hooded faces came into view from the bottom floor of the auditorium where the door left us. Overcast shadows spilled onto the ground from the contrast of the dark room meeting blinding strobe lights positioned above the stage. The colossal room was in a half moon shape, having staggered rows of attached movie theater type seats being separated in sections by lengthy narrow aisles. Chairs squealed and rocked as most of the patrons were getting on their feet clamoring along to the music, flashing signs and neon glow sticks.
Shuffling closer to Jeff, we pushed through a sea of dancers in a roped off enclosed region in front of the stage. BTS security stood in a solid line underneath the couple foot drop off of the platform, ensuring no miscreants could climb their way up to cause problems for the band. Jeff's intimidating stature caused most of the crazed fans to get out of his way as he dropped me off in the front row, center stage.
"Get out of our way circus freak, down in front!" A few sassy looking teenage girls sneered at Jeff from behind us and proceeded to harass him for blocking their view momentarily. The dejected look on his face told me all I needed to know. Whirling around, my elbow 'accidentally' made contact with loser girl number ones face, causing her hands to fly up in an attempt to soak up all the blood. "Enjoy your now chronic nosebleeds asshole", mumbled out of my mouth as the two girls scurried off to be swallowed by an endless crowd.
Jeff had made his way over the metal railings to position himself in front of me under the stage, masking in with at least a hundred other security guards. We both exchanged a quick thumbs up and an awkward laugh as the giant speakers surrounding us all boomed out the intro to "Dope". Stark white dress shirts and thin black ties moved in unison to the well-choreographed dance and each respective member's part to sing.
Being so near to the stage felt surreal, like I could reach out and touch one of them from such a close proximity. Cheers and shouts encouraged them to continue as one performance in particular caught my attention over the others. Jungkook was positioned out in front of the pack leading the step sequence, forehead glistening with sweat as he completed each dance move with ease. Watching him was mesmerizing as they moved into the next dance for "Danger" without skipping a beat, looking perfect and complacent.
While V sang another part of the chorus, Jungkook, J hope, and Rapmonster took the time to high five some of the lucky patrons in the front row, close enough to reach from the stage. Getting caught up in the excitement, I extended a hand as well to try my luck at getting his attention.
Jumping up and down I yelled his name, only to have it drowned out by the multitude of speakers vibrating everyone's ear drums off. J hope noticed me first, courteously smacking the palm of my hand and yelling to grab the others attention as he continued down the row of gaggling girls flailing their arms. After J Hope literally threw Jungkook into the opposite direction to center stage, a light slap reverberated off my hand timidly.
Big brown eyes were on me for the rest of the routine causing me to shift uncomfortably where I stood, becoming more and more self-conscious. "Out of the thousands of people here there is no way he is only staring at me… right?" Not being able to tell if his focus was on me or the crowd that took up residence behind me, the song was brought to an end, enticing cheers and various stuffed animals to be thrown on stage.
"Hello Chicago! Are you all having a good time?" Boomed out over the speakers situated in every corner of the concert hall, causing an uproar of cheers to engulf the space. A universal spokesman voice was being produced from an unseen location carrying out to the main lobby. "It's almost time for the show to be over, but first we have a special surprise for you Army fans out there!" Enthusiastic yells were deafening as people clamored around me tossing out guesses and speculations to deduce the prize.
"One lucky fan from the audience will be chosen to come up on stage and have the boys sing to them!" The crowd lost their mind in excitement, commencing screams to come from every direction that could be heard from space. "But wait there's more!" Mocking the voice brought me some form of comfort in these now trying times of learning to cope with punctured ear drums. "But wait there's more!" Mocked back out of the speakers making me wonder if I should use my powers for good or evil.
"The fan will also get a kiss from a BTS member chosen at random!" Pondering whether or not that was even legal, every light in the auditorium flipped off at once plunging us all into darkness. A thin wavering spotlight scanned out over the crowd moving in a snake like motion, illuminating anyone under its gaze. The light spanned over a large area in a short amount of time, leaving a trail of disappointment and melancholy radiating from those not chosen.
Suddenly blinded, my hand slid up to my forehead to try and shade the excess light from daggering into my squinting eyes. "Looks like we have a winner! Come up on stage to claim your prize!" The announcer was way too enthusiastic for my liking and nervousness started to bubble up within me.
"So this is what Rapmonster meant when he said they needed 'help'. Oh no I'm not good at being the center of attention" Visions of me tripping and falling, bringing down all the stage lights, and ending up on the news flashed in my head as Jeff moved the metal railing stands out of the way for me. He caught my arm to lead me to a set of eight or so dusty grey steps that led straight up to the main stage. Forgetting simple functions, my legs wobbled like a newborn giraffe in heels trying to shake the on edge feeling that now clouded my mind.
A warm powerful hand wrapped around mine, guiding me up on to the wooden platform in front of thousands of people. Suga winked at me quickly as he was already rapping the intro to "Just One Day" inches from my face. The lyrics captivated me, "I want to put my body in your warm and deep eyes/ I like that, your long, straight hair", as his free hand slid underneath my hair to brush it behind my shoulder. Never seeming to lose his cool demeanor, his talent with words was awe-inspiring as he circled around me on stage. "Yo ma honey, whenever I see you, I run out of breath", was my favorite line of his causing me to break out smiling like a giddy school girl.
Overlooking the fact that thousands of eyes were on me, I decided to have some fun while being on stage. Suga was precariously close, his silvery hair dancing along with him in the expensive lighting. Patiently waiting, Suga finally spoke the line, "Your voice when you say my name". "Yoongi!" Came out of my mouth just loud enough for him to hear over all of the background noise of the song. The action seemed to throw him off guard if only for a moment as he bit his lip, eyeing me. Regaining composure the beautiful poetry continued while he grabbed my hand for the last of his lines. My heart raced knowing who sang next, bringing the massive swarms of butterflies back.
Suga spun me around, causing the world to blur as my back made contact with another person. A hand weaved into mine as a velvet soft voice I recognized rang out from behind me, "Just one day, if I can hold your hands/ just one day, if I can be with you/... If only we can be together". Jungkook's words were heartfelt and had a tinge of sadness to them. Without breaking his on stage character his hand guided me back around to face him to continue the arranged dance. The other BTS members were uncomplainingly sitting in black cushioned chairs bobbing their heads to the music holding their fingers out to make a "one".
Seeing there was not an extra chair for me, Jungkook pulled me onto his lap as he sat down in a swift motion. Being sat at an angle, both of my legs draped over his barely hovering over the floor. His arm went around my waist to keep me in place as my nervousness was getting the better of me. I peeked up apprehensively to find he was already staring at me with interest, surveying the outfit that was hand-picked for me. Or rather him.
V chuckled approvingly standing atop a designated chair off to the side singing in a deep seductive voice. Jungkook ran his fingers over the mesh fabric of the dress, lightly tracing over my collar bone and neck. A shiver ran through me as the gentle feeling of my hair being brushed aside found me again. This time shielding my expressions from the crowd and leaving the side facing him completely bare.
Fingers ran up my exposed shoulder and jaw, stopping at bright red specialty lipstick. His thumb traced my bottom lip causing my breath to hitch at his whisper, "areumdawo". Hearing him call me beautiful was like being in some kind of dream, making my mind hazy. Rapmonster's part was coming to an end as I was being shifted upright, feet landing effortlessly on the stage once more. Jimin's voice echoed in the hall, "Do it, Do it" while their dancing continued, easily sharing lines among all the boys.
A force pulled my arm from behind driving me away from Jungkook, twirling me in the opposite direction. Face to face with a smug J-hope, hands enveloped both of mine trailing off to the far left and right edges of the stage presenting me to the audience like some kind of show pony, excitedly rapping. Jimin joined in, jumping onto J-hope's back singing his lines in a mocking tone. The action almost caused all three of us to tumble over the edge onto the crowd below, but we were saved by J-hope's reflexes and Rapmonster plucking Jimin off his back like a mother cat.
Without slowing down, the boys ran into formation in the middle of the stage beckoning their hands out to me. Disoriented, the lights dropped again, revealing a smiling Jin holding out a rose to me from where he stood atop a plush black chair. He knelt down in front of me in one smooth motion, clutching both my hands to place the rose between them with a wink. Before I knew what was happening, my body was tilted into a Hollywood style dip kiss pose with Jin supporting my weight easily with one arm. A thin black microphone was attached to the pocket of his plain white shirt picking up his voice perfectly as he spoke.
"Chicago! What do you say I give this lovely lady her prize and kiss her right now?" Screams blotted out any other sounds in the building causing my eyes to widen in surprise. "What is he doing?!" my mind raced as Jin's purple and red tinged hair lightly brushed against my forehead. Sweat caused his shirt to cling to his body, highlighting every muscle of his picture-perfect physique as he bent to hold me up. "Come on it was a joke!" Echoed around us in laughs as a very angry looking Jungkook and equally scary Suga linked arms with Jin to drag him off into the abyss.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen that brings our show to a close! I hope you all had a good time!" The mystery announcer surfaced again to kill us all with fake showman enthusiasm. "Before we wrap up, our guest has to choose a BTS members name at random for a kiss!" A tall man dressed in all black clothes doting obscure sunglasses indoors appeared on the stage. A shadowy top hat rested upside down in his hands as he shook it from side to side, shuffling the contents. Wordlessly, the hat ended up in front of me presumably to draw a name out of. Nervous about leaving my fate up to chance while also pondering if the covert man was part of the CIA, I hurriedly picked out a piece of folded paper.
Silence fell over the room as it seemed thousands of people were leaning in from their seats for the verdict. Too scared to actually look and see if that was the case, I busied myself with unfolding the paper. "Jungkook" was written in neat looped lettering taking up as much room as possible on the small piece of stationary.
Secret agent man tapped his headset twice and disappeared into the shadows along one of the stage walls. As if to distract me from my moderate concern about the strange man hiding in plain sight, the now louder announcements returned. "Jungkook's name was chosen!" Screeches filled the arena as the speakers continued to inaudibly give out instructions. Unsure whether the screams resonating from the crowd were angry or excited, Jungkook made his way to my location after practically kicking Jin offstage. One last broadcast rang out among the shouts, "please give this lovely lady a kiss on the cheek to wrap up tonight's spectacular show!"
Sneaking a peek at the massive crowd, a sea of lights shone in the dark space, lighting up a minuscule part of various faces and outstretched hands. "It's easier if you don't look at how many people have their phone out recording your every move, you know." Jungkook spoke in a low voice, mocking me. "It's hard not to be nervous. I don't want fan fueled drama and rumors to ruin your career", I replied honestly.
Giving me a curious look he took a step closer to me, closing the distance between us. His dark straight hair swayed with him lightly framing his face still dusted with sweat. "You're more worried about my career than with your own fame?" His question threw me off guard. "He was right. Unconfirmed rumors and clickbait articles could make me shamelessly famous or even rich." "Who cares about any of that", I mumbled aloud. "The only thing I wanted was to meet you."
A gentle hand found its way under my chin, bringing my face up to meet his. "This is something I should have done a while ago", he whispered barely audible. A gaudy in unison "OOO" from the crowd erupted as his warm lips pressed against mine, thankfully ignoring the kiss on the cheek instructions given to him. Sensing his nervousness, I quickly returned the unexpected kiss, lightly grabbing the front of his collared shirt. "Wow what a turn of events folks! The Bangtan boys really know how to leave a country with a bang!"
The announcer laughed at his own joke as we reluctantly broke the kiss. "We hope you enjoyed their last show ever in the United States! Please locate the exit signs nearest you and have a safe night!" "Their last show ever", my thoughts echoed sadly as Jungkook pulled away from me abruptly. Confused, I stepped toward him as he stepped back in tandem. "I'm…I'm so sorry", he bowed to me just before turning to run off stage out of sight.