" Ha ha ha.....thank you." Grace Generation members bowed down, thanking their fans for cheering them on. They did five whole songs back to back, so obviously, they were tired.
" Woooo, Red, I love you!"
" Noona! Look over here!"
" You are the best!"
" Yoona! I love you!"
" Gwiyeowo!"
Everyone cheered them on as they saw fit; they were pretty excited seeing them perform, especially when they gave their best to their fans. As Mi Sun instructed, they went above and beyond thinking about covering for the boys' group if they couldn't perform.
It was time for a five-minute break before the next group came to the stage, and as Yoona was walking back, she could see Leeteuk and others in the waiting area. She looked around to find Samuel, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Before their performance, he called Yoona and did some weird postures, telling her to hold him. She almost slapped him, thinking he was harassing her, but seeing no malice in his eyes, she refrained from doing so. It ended after five minutes, and he sent her away for her performance.
" You are all suited up? What's next?" Red came to Leeteuk and asked.
" I don't know. He hasn't shown up since you guys left. I don't know what he is thinking." Leeteuk sighed. If he didn't come, Leeteuk considered apologizing to his fans to salvage the situation with impromptu songs.
" I told you he was unreliable from the start! Humph!" Yoo Soo-jin snorted.
" Let's trust him. Didn't he call Yoona before our performance? What did he say?" Shindong asked, trying to calm them down.
" Don't even ask about that; he is insane! She told me he t-touch..." Ningning tried to say it, but she choked up thinking about it. She was more embarrassed about it than the person in question!
" Don't tell me! I know he was a sleazy bastard! What's more, what can you expect from that face!" Eunhyuk said angrily. He was imagining all sorts of things, but knowing Yoona, she must have kicked him in the balls, which meant he was too embarrassed to show his face here!
" Congratulations on an awesome performance!" Suddenly, Emma popped out, holding a bouquet of flowers with a warm smile on her face.
" f-for me?" Kim Bo-mi, who was standing quiet, was the recipient.
" Yes, Ah, It's from him. He was too embarrassed to give it himself." She pointed at Darren, who was hiding her mouth, coughing awkwardly, looking in their direction. He wanted to give it to her personally, but it would be a disaster knowing Emma's personality.
So, utilizing her to present his gift fulfilled his job as a boyfriend and a fan! He also bowed slightly, seeing Bo-mi gaze at him.
" Huge... Is he really my fan?" Bo-mi could only think how he looked like a bear. Not only was he tall, but he was also quite muscular; in front of him, she looked like a young deer!
Meanwhile, Rupert was conversing with other members who could speak broken English, trying to calm them down.
" You can trust Sami; he will be here soon."
" Still, what could he do-"
" I can do a lot; why are you guys standing here? Shouldn't you be up there?" Samuel made his entry with dashing strides. His attire was identical to other group members except for an extra mask.
" Oh, what's with that white mask?" Rupert asked.
" I can't possibly expose myself here, right? I thought it's best to wear something low-key."
" Will this tiny mask work?" Samuel only smiled at his question; with his titles, it was easy to disguise himself if others like them didn't know about his identity beforehand.
" A-are you sure about this?" Leeteuk came forward and asked. Other members were also conflicted about it and were curious if he thought it was the right solution. Won't they only embarrass themselves before their fans?
" It will be fine, but before that, I was late because of him." Samuel pointed at his back, and they were shocked to see the person he was referring to behind him.
" Leave it to him. Yoona, too; I will see you soon. For now, let's head out with confidence!" He urged them, and with the presence of an unexpected guest, they suddenly felt everything would work out.
...
...
...
Suddenly, the venue went dark again; now that the crowd had experienced it once before, they were much calmer. Cheers constantly reverberated across the hall as they waited for the final group to perform!
But a video started playing on the big screen behind the stage instead of music. It was an overhead view of the auditorium where members of KR Juniors could be seen practising. Music played in the background, but it was damper than usual.
Just when the public thought it was some sort of gimmick, Siwon, the group's youngest member, collapsed, holding his ankle; a heart-wrenching scream left his mouth as its expression turned painful.
The music was stopped, and every group member came to his rescue; it was hard to see with the wide pixelation and poor quality of the security camera, but even then, the severity of the situation was adequately conveyed.
Few more people joined in, but the scene immediately cut to the part where Leeteuk announced that his ankle was sprained. What followed was a back and forth as Siwon protested that he could perform after resting for a few hours, but in the end, the manager came and took him away carrying on his back.
Siwon's resolute will was properly conveyed through his screaming voice, and the scene where he forcefully tried to stand up only to fall back on his butt was portrayed vividly. After a short three-minute video, the venue lit up again, and now a single person was standing at the forefront facing his fans.
Siwon was holding a crutch to support himself, and his leg was already in the casket as he had the microphone, facing the crowd with a depressed look. No one said a word throughout the video, but seeing him in this state pained their heart even more.
" Hello, everyone," Siwon said, waking them up once more as they started shouting.
" OPPA!"
" Siwon! Are you hurt!?"
Many questions started pouring in, but Siwon let them scream to their heart's content before saying anything. He didn't know that he could face them this soon but when Samuel suggested it he readily accepted, although it was an unfortunate accident, he had to take responsibility for it!
" I know you were looking forward to it, but regretfully, I have betrayed your expectations. With this injury, I will not be able to perform tonight. I am ashamed but more angry because I let my group down." Siwon bowed as low as he could. He could only go so low with the crutches, but his efforts were conveyed correctly.
Samuel prepared everything, and with two other people holding the microphone from the waiting area, they kept interpreting his words in English and French. People's cheers turned into painful shouts as they began lamenting being unable to see him perform tonight.
Just as they were fearing for the worse, Siwon continued his speech.
" But thankfully, our group's backup member has been training with us for a few months. Even without me, I don't want to see my group cancel their performance. H-he.." Siwon slowly walked back to where Samuel was standing and patted his back.
No matter his confidence, he thought he was doing something insane. Even though Samuel told him to trust him, he felt he was giving the public unrealistic expectations. If Samuel messed up after so much hype, Siwon would be labelled a liar, and the whole group's image would be ruined!
Seeing him hesitate, Samuel only nodded, and suddenly, the spotlight was on him. Since it came to this, Siwon could only trust his guts, which was obviously telling him not to do it!
" He is Hyunsaeng. Please look forward to their performance." It was a name Samuel came out on the fly, which literally means white in Korean. With his white hair and mask, he felt it was a fitting name. Besides, it was a one-off thing; people would soon forget about him, so he didn't have to be so fancy with it!
" What? Have you ever heard about such a person?"
" No, it's my first time seeing him. Looking at his physique, he doesn't look like an idol, more like a model or a bodybuilder?"
" What about you? I heard you were bragging about running the biggest fan club outside Korea. You must know something, right?"
" I don't. Is he wearing a mask, too? You can't get a good look at his face."
" Where did they find him? He didn't look like a typical Korean."
Initial shock turned into scepticism; they became more interested in Samuel than Siwon's sudden injury announcement.
" Please take care of me from now on." Samuel suddenly greeted them, and hearing his gentle voice immediately left a deep impression on the crowd. His pronunciation was perfect; it's like he was living in Korea his whole life!
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