Spotlight - Bang Chan

1 - Out Again

Seoul summers are absolutely no joke. 

Even at 9 pm, Hot, humid air felt like plastic wrap across my skin, making the makeup under my eyes feel sticky. I desperately waved a hand at my face to keep my eyeliner from melting, knowing I'd be standing in this line for a while. 

"Oh don't be dramatic, Jae." The only friend of mine that stuck for longer than a month, Mun Ari, chastized me from my left. "We'll be inside soon enough." 

"As if that's gonna help any," I complained, waving my hand faster. "If anything it'll probably be hotter inside." 

I leaned around the group of guys in front of me to sneak a look at the entrance to the venue. A dark, red brick staircase leading down into darkness was roped off at the top, and a large neon sign reading "Live Music Every Weekend" hung proudly from above the archway. When I moved out to Seoul two years ago this was a place to discover real underground music, but once a local band had taken off after performing there about a year prior, it had been nothing but normies flooding the place. 

"I still can't believe that wannabe group ruined this place," I sighed, taking my place back in line. "I went to one of their shows when they were first starting out, met the guys. The leader is a dick." 

"I've heard the whole story, hun," she said exasperatedly. "Did you maybe think it was because you bombarded them with requests to work with them?" 

I shot her a deadly look, hoping it'd light her perfectly shiny black hair on fire. "That's the only way to get a chance at the industry, Ari," I glanced at the staircase once more. "And you know damn well that's why I'm here again tonight." 

"That's why you're out nearly every night, but it's rarely landed you a deal that's lasted longer than a few months," Ari explained, giving me a passive pat on the back. "Let's just hope whoever's performing tonight finally gives you that chance." 

I ignored her attempt to console me and instead focused on the line in front of me. The whole schtick of this place was that the name of the artists performing there wasn't released, you just had to go and find out for yourself. Though it seems fun, there were a few nights I bumped into that godforsaken wannabe group and was forced to walk right back out for the sake of my pride. Their music isn't bad at all, good even, but the way they treated me back when they were still nobodies was appalling.

Well more so just him, not all four of them. 

"Jae," Ari smacked my forearm, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Get out your ID, we're next." After a quick flash of my ID at the bouncer, we were both plunging down the stairs. Heavy bass made the brick tremble, the sound reverberating in my chest. I felt myself break out into an excited sweat just thinking of the euphoria the night might bring. 

The narrow hallway opened up into a large two-tiered auditorium. The walls were covered in the same old brick as the entrance, but the stage setup had recently undergone some frankly incredible changes. A huge circular light fixture hung over the stage, glimmering with the same morphing light as the backdrop. Tonight's theme seemed to be red, which wasn't necessarily uncommon, but I felt a twinge of panic at the possibility of them being here tonight, but I quickly shoved the thought aside. Red and Blue were the most common color concepts, they're the colors of the unimaginative. And besides, The show didn't start for another 20ish minutes at 10pm, and there's nothing a drink wouldn't fix. I saw Ari glancing around at the already thick crowd while following me towards the shining shelves of liquor. 

"Before you dive into the bar," Ari warned me, protectively putting her arm through mine, "Promise me you won't get completely hammered tonight? I know you know your limits, but it's really busy tonight, and who knows what trouble you might get into." 

I felt myself soften a bit at her tone as I could tell she was genuinely worried for my well-being. I was well aware I didn't deserve her care, but it didn't stop me from appreciating it occasionally. 

"Aish you really know how to ruin my fun," I rolled my eyes sarcastically. "Yes, I promise," I said smiling. Ari shook her head at me as I dragged her over to the crowded bar.

2 drinks and 20 minutes later we were squeezing ourselves through the crowd, struggling towards the front of the stage. One of the best perks of not only being a staggeringly short 5 foot but also a decently pretty girl was being able to push through crowds without too much complaint, and bet your ass Ari and I were exploiting it. We reached the rail just in time for the lights to begin dimming, the whoops and hollers of the crowd erupting around us. 

"This is actually cool as hell," Ari shouted into my ear. "I should join you more often!"

I gave her a questioning look, "We'll just have to see about that."

The red light intensified as the fog machines kicked into gear. A gritty guitar rang out, sending the crowd into even more of a frenzy. I coughed as more fog spewed out from the sides of the stage, obscuring the audience's view. Another stab of electric guitar pierced the air, this time followed by a roll of the drums. I could only see glimpses of black boots on stage, and I was frankly in awe of the detail put into this entrance. A steady, slow riff began, the drums, keys, and bass joining in one by one. A tall figure appeared in the midst of the fog, stepping forward to the mic stand at the very edge of the stage, closest to me. 

"Seoul!" His strong voice echoed, overpowering both the music and the crowd. 

I couldn't help but go slack-jawed at what I saw in front of me.

 Merely feet away, guitar in hand, was the smug and pierced face of Bang Chan.