You purse your lips together and force an awkward smile towards Min Suga.
"Hey, Y/N! So much confusion here -" Seyeon laughs after making her way to you, "- but we finally meet." Both of you shake hands. "I'm Kim Seyeon, I work under Source Music - we're looking forward to working with you!"
"Pleased to finally meet you, Seyeon!" you respond warmly. She's a petite lean woman with short hair and a vibe like Monica's but a face that's much more emotive. You feel like you'll like her.
Seyeon addresses RM and Suga, "Y/N is the first Indian artist we're signing with Source as a part of our Asian Artists for the World initiative," she pauses while RM goes "aaaah" and continues, "she's also making her first appearance on the Korean stage this week at Asia Song Festival..."
You start to feel a little embarrassed, it's as though it's a parent-teacher meet and Seyeon is your teacher while RM and Suga are your d-
Suga says something to you in Korean interrupting your thoughts.
"Sorry?" You raise your eyebrows, not getting a word.
Seyeon translates for you, "'Didn't you think Kpop was plastic? Why are you signing with us now?'" and then she turns to Suga, "what do you mean, Yoongi shi?"
For a moment, you're confused. You don't remember making that specific remark - but then, a faint memory comes to you of Monica telling you about the Gaon Chart that night - you did say something like that. But he wasn't supposed to listen or even understand. You scowl at Suga - this eavesdropping little - little -
- 5 Days Later -
The dancers converge on you right before the beat drops. The lights dim for a split second of silence, and a stage crew member hooks on the harness around your waist. You raise your arms in triumph as you sing, rising above a sea of people cheering for you, singing with you. An involuntary gasp escapes your lips as the harness pulls you up too fast - there's a sharp pain in your right quadriceps. You continue singing as if nothing happened. A thrill spreads from your heart to the tips of your fingers as you take in all the love and give everything to your performance, to your audience. The harness lowers slowly. You sway sideways, letting your fingers meet those of your fans.
The song ends, you're back on the stage, but the people can't stop screaming. You try to speak over them a few times but it's no use. You don't even remember the last time the crowd went this wild for you. You tear up.
"Thank you, thank you so much, Gyeongju! I love you!" You speak in Korean. It's weirdly accented and you know it, but the people love it nonetheless.
Gyeongju city. You'll remember this audience forever.
Backstage is a blur between thanks, paper towels, water bottles and that giddy feeling you get after a good performance. You never expected such a welcome from a crowd where more than half of people were probably hearing you for the first time. The chill in the air hits you on the way to the green room. You pull close the thick gown Monica gave you to wear over your costume.
A security person says something to Monica, who's leading the way, but you don't quite catch it.
"What's happening?" you demand.
"Nothing, there's some commotion outside, we ought to head to the changing room fast."
"Commotion? Is everything alright?" you ask, worried.
"Yeah, yeah. Apparently, someone saw some idol somewhere in the crowd and everyone is going crazy now."
"Huh? Which one? Who'd be nuts enough to venture into the audience area anyway..." Plenty of idol groups and soloists performed today, and there were still four or five performances after yours. You were the opening performer for the night segment.
"It's just rumors - they are saying BTS is here."