Entertainment Life With A Camera

Chapter 188

COMEBACK SHOW. (1)

Ida Sol, a fan of Awidem, stared blankly at the white screen that appeared due to the traffic overload on the fan cafe.

“Oh, this is hopeless.”

She opened her SNS and complained that she failed to apply for the comeback show. Fortunately, she had many friends who were in the same boat.

“Ah, I guess I’ll just enjoy being a fan from the comfort of my home.”

Should I invite Min Hee unnie, who also couldn’t get in, and watch it together while eating chicken? Ida Sol smiled bitterly as she thought that. She was more disappointed because she wanted to participate in the recording no matter how long it took.

And the next day, she checked the list of the comeback show applicants as if she was confirming a lottery win. She had no hope, but she still looked for a glimmer of it.

“Huh…!”

She gasped. She was so shocked that her whole body stiffened. It was the first time Ida Sol experienced that.

“Crazy, is this real?”

She looked back and forth at her name and the last four digits of her phone number on the screen.

“What do I do!”

Ida Sol, who finally came to her senses, jumped up.

She was on the list. Out of 700 people, she was number 86!

***

On the day of the comeback show, Ida Sol went to the Nnet production center in Ilsan with high expectations. She took a selfie with the production center as the background and sent it to Kim Eun Ha.

(Ida Sol) How is it? – 8:20

(Eun Ha Kim) Lucky you – 8:20

Is that all? Ida Sol turned off her phone with a dumbfounded expression.

‘She’s been a bit cranky lately.’

Kim Eun Ha, who said she would try to be a home master, bought Awidem’s data from a proxy photographer and practiced photo editing, and eventually bought a camera. She spent most of her time with her home master friends.

“It’s still quiet.”

She arrived 40 minutes earlier than the scheduled time for the headcount, so there weren’t many fans gathered yet. Ida Sol felt like her heart was already pounding.

“Please take a mat from the front!”

It was a camping mat for one person. There was a sticker of Awidem on the vinyl packaging. It was a small preparation for the fans who would sit on the street all day.

‘It’s soft… nice.’

She was so nervous about her first comeback show that the only thing she prepared was a spare battery. Ida Sol regretted it too late.

‘I should have brought more stuff, like snacks…’

She was interrupted by the voice of the fan manager.

“Please sit in order of your numbers!”

There were numbers cut by hundreds on the floor in front of the fan manager. Ida Sol went to the place marked 1-100.

“What’s your number?”

“I’m number 86.”

This should be about right, right? Ida Sol tore the packaging of the mat and sat down on the floor. She liked the softness.

“Everyone, line up! I’ll cut it off at 9 o’clock!”

The fans who were walking slowly from afar ran like crazy as the time approached 59 minutes. If they were late, they couldn’t line up according to their assigned numbers. They had to go right to the back of the 700 and stand in the last row when they watched the show.

“There! You’re late! Go to the late line!”

A fan who tried to sneak into his number after bowing his head was caught by the fan manager. He looked like he was about to cry as he stood in the late line.

“What’s going on?”

“Someone must have sold their ticket.”

The fans around them murmured.

There were 700 fans and 200 reserve fans for the recording, so those who didn’t bring their materials were mercilessly sent home.

“Oh, what do I do! I didn’t bring the pre-order receipt!”

A fan who screamed and collapsed on the floor was also there.

“Can’t you check it on your phone?”

“You have to print it out and bring it.”

She eventually left the place sobbing at the fan manager’s firm words.

‘It hurts my heart.’

Idasol looked at her retreating back with a sad expression.

She had to wait until her identity was verified and the first stage recording began.

The person in front of Idasol turned his head and said shyly.

“Who is your favorite member?”

“I like Ian…”

“Wow! Me too!”

Idasol was bored of looking at her phone. She noticed that the fan who spoke to her first was awkward in his speech.

“Oh, are you a foreigner?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, where are you from?”

“Thailand!”

Wow, he came all the way from Thailand. And he spoke Korean well. He smelled like an extraordinary K-pop fan.

While Idasol was chatting with the Thai fan, behind her, someone who seemed to be a homma (a fan who buys a lot of albums) was having a serious conversation.

“How do you think the cut for this fansign will be?”

“Oh, I can’t predict it. There’s also online fansign…”

“Do you think it will be separate from online fansign?”

Online video call fansigns continued even after the coronavirus subsided. It was easier for overseas fans to access, so the cut was higher than face-to-face fansigns.

“How many albums did you buy for the pre-order?”

“600.”

“You bought a lot. I bought 450… Will it be enough?”

“450 is tricky, you should have bought 500. It’s better to buy more and get in than to buy less and miss out.”

And the fansigns that were given based on the pre-order sales had an even higher cut.

‘Wow… How can Kim Eunha be a homma…’

Idasol swallowed her saliva as she overheard the conversation behind her. 450 albums might not be enough… The popular idols’ fansign cuts were no joke.

After waiting for about 30 minutes, the fan manager who received a call from inside got up from his seat.

“Let’s go in for the recording! We’ll keep your belongings, so leave them here!”

There were unusually many fan managers. Some stayed at the seats where the fans sat to prevent any possible theft of belongings, and the other fan managers led the fans into the studio.

“Wow, they’re really close.”

“Can you see their pores?”

Idasol whispered with the Thai fan she had quickly befriended. The distance between the standing and the stage was closer than she thought.

‘Ah, I should have bought higher sneakers for the standing.’

Idasol frowned as the person in front of her was taller than her. But soon, she felt excited to see the members.

“Everyone! Don’t say personal messages to the members! We’ll kick you out!”

“Don’t reach out your hands to get the members’ attention! Jamjam! That’s not allowed!”

“Don’t get caught taking personal videos! You know you’ll be blacklisted!”

The fan managers scattered around recited the precautions.

***

The members who finished preparing in the waiting room stopped before opening the door to the studio.

“We have to do what we always do.”

The members formed a circle and faced each other. As they were about to join hands as usual, Jo Taewoong made a suggestion.

“Let’s not do this here, but outside.”

“…Should we?”

“It would be nice to shout with the fans…”

“Okay, then let’s just go in.”

Kim Myungjin opened the door for the members. As the Awi members entered the recording studio, the fans screamed.

The members stood on the right side of the standing area, where they monitored. The fans who held the right fence shouted louder.

The fans who were standing moved to the right to see the members’ faces for one more second, and the line shifted to the right.

“Everyone, stay in your place!”

The fan manager who was pressed by the fans breathed in and held it. They were holding the fence with the fans and turning their backs to the members, in order to catch any unexpected actions or illegal filming by the fans.

The members who glanced at the fan manager with a serious expression gathered their hands with a smile.

“Let’s shout quickly and go up to the stage. The fan manager in front of the stage will die.”

“What if she does?”

“Anyway, let’s get together.”

The fans who watched said ‘Let’s see the slogan’ and Lee Juhyuk opened his mouth.

“Guys, this is the first fan meeting we’re doing.”

“Corona… Wow, it was really long.”

Kim Hyun grumbled.

“Don’t be too excited to see the fans. Let’s finish the stage safely. Don’t hurt your leg like Jinhyuk did before.”

“What!”

“Anyway, let’s do our best for the long recording today. You know the next words, right?”

“We are Who we are!”

The members shouted in unison, and the fans who had been waiting for them to chant also joined them.

“AWY!”

“Wow, awesome.”

“Our fans are so witty.”

The members smiled brightly at the fans. They held their microphones and climbed onto the stage, and the fans cheered loudly.

“We really missed you so much.”

Some fans shouted “Us too!” They were not the ones who would listen to the fan manager’s warning not to do so. It was hard to catch each fan who made personal comments anyway, since there were so many of them.

“Was it hard to get here?”

Lee Joo-hyuk’s words made the fans in the front row shake their heads vigorously, saying it was not hard.

“Did you all have breakfast? You must be hungry, just hang in there.”

“We prepared a lot of reverse gifts for you, you know?”

The members communicated with the fans until the production team finished preparing for the recording. It had been a long time since they had such a time of communication, so Ian also actively opened his mouth.

“How do you like us today? Do we look cool? Ah, I knew it.”

“Today’s recording is not too long, right? Let’s do our best until the end.”

Suddenly, the comeback show PD picked up the microphone.

“AWY, we’re going to start recording.”

“Yes!”

The members shouted loudly and went to find their dance positions.

Da-sol swallowed her saliva. The intro of the song that Park Jin-hyuk had specially remixed for today flowed.

“What is this?”

“It’s Dawn!”

The fans screamed.

‘Ah, this is it.’

The stage was complete only when there were fans cheering for them. Ian closed his eyes and enjoyed the sound of the fans’ cheers. He smiled brightly and lifted his microphone.

***

The members who had finished one stage smiled with sweat all over their faces. They had to record an average of two or three times per song, so they had to go down to the stage to monitor.

“Huh?”

Cho Tae-woong, who was following Lee Joo-hyuk down the stage, stopped blankly as he saw the tears that fell from his eyes.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going down… Huh?”

Kim Joo-young, who had bumped into Cho Tae-woong who was blocking the way, looked at his face and stuttered in confusion.

“What, what is this. He’s crying. What do we do?”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

The members who were anxiously looking at him, wondering if his illness had relapsed, were moved by Cho Tae-woong’s answer, who sobbed and barely spoke.

“No, it’s just… I’m happy.”

Does crying spread? Park Seo-dam also sniffled.

Last year, when they had to perform without an audience because of Corona, and the unfortunate time when they had to stop their activities.

It might have felt like a short time to someone, but it was a very long time for the members.

“Guys, don’t cry!”

“Guys, you did a great job!”

“Don’t cry! It’s okay!”

The fans who noticed the change in the members shouted loudly. Some of the emotional fans also followed Cho Tae-woong and Park Seo-dam and cried.