Sarah is a 26-year-old young woman, originally from Canada and living in South Korea. She came to Korea for her studies and finally decided to settle in the country. Sarah has always been fascinated by Korean culture, K-dramas, and K-pop. That's why, when she was accepted as an international student at one of the country's "S" universities, she was in complete ecstasy. Since arriving in South Korea, Sarah has truly been able to experience South Korean life and culture. Many illusions were shattered along the way, but her love for the country has remained immense. This is why, after her studies, she found a job at a major local company and settled down. She also met her current boyfriend.
One of Sarah's great passions is being a K-pop fan. Since she was a teenager, she has been a fan of several second and third-generation groups. This is one of the reasons she came to Korea: to be closer to the idols and have more opportunities to meet them—something that isn't possible abroad, especially in Canada, which received a bit less attention compared to the United States. Her boyfriend is aware of this passion; he is a fan of some K-pop groups himself. Not at the same level of intensity, but they have a very honest and sweet relationship.
Because Sarah is a very involved fan, she prefers to be a hardcore fan of only one group at a time. She consumes K-pop from several groups, but she is only truly a fan of one. Regardless of the generation, she appreciates the music and the personalities of the artists. She is the kind of fan who collects albums and merchandise. She makes edits, votes, attends fan events, and joins fan clubs. In short, Sarah is a hardcore fan.
Just as Sarah was falling out of love with her last K-pop group, she came across JYP Entertainment's announcement for people who wanted to be audience members in Phase 2 of their survival show to create an international co-ed group. Generally, Sarah doesn't become a fan of participants who haven't debuted yet because their future is uncertain—there is a fifty percent chance they won't debut. However, Sarah told herself she would just go and see; she would treat the event as entertainment, a show like any other. The only other indication was that the show was filmed entirely in English. Sarah and two of her friends, Bom and DoYeon, got tickets for the event.
On the day of the event, the crowd was massive but orderly. Everyone handed over their phones and signed a non-disclosure agreement. There were even employees, both men and women, to search people in case there were hidden cameras. For a group she truly stanned, Sarah would have disassembled and hidden a camera in the most obscure places on her body. But for this event, she decided to go relaxed. Aside from her phone, which she handed to the staff, she had nothing else on her. Sarah, Bom, and DoYeon entered the theater after about twenty minutes of waiting. They took their seats, which were actually quite good, as they were in the fifth row.
Once inside the venue, even though it was still afternoon, the atmosphere was striking. It looked like a real concert. The stage was rectangular with a platform on the left side where the judges' seats were positioned. There were several screens so the audience in the back had a good view of the stage. The girls weren't fans of any candidates on this show yet. They were, however, enthusiastic about participating in the program. Contaminated by the atmosphere, they were filled with excitement. At exactly 6:30 PM, the hosts appeared on stage.
_Good evening Seoul!!! Mina shouted.
_OMG, it's Myoui Mina! DoYeon screamed. I have no regrets!
DoYeon was a huge fan of Twice. She was a multi-fan, but Twice was her favorite group and Mina was her bias. That was actually one of the reasons she came to this program.
_Welcome everyone to Phase 2 of Stardom: The Clash. JunHo continued.
_I remind you that tonight, you are just here to enjoy the show. You have nothing to do but fall in love with our contestants.
_22 teams will face off on 11 songs from their K-pop seniors. It's a battle of girls against boys. The judges will have to decide who made the song their own the best.
_Without further ado, let's begin The Clash. Mina announced.
_Give a big welcome to Team 1, who will perform the song Don't Call Me by SHINee.
Team 1, the boys' group, entered and gave a good performance. The girls' group that followed them gave a better performance of the song. The team 3 that follow danced to the song Fantastic Baby by Bigbang. They had an amazing performance. Sarah took the opportunity to have fun in the crowd. She sang along to the songs she knew and danced to those she didn't. Several groups followed, some did a very good job. For example, a male group performed Stray Kids' Maniac in a very suave manner. Sarah couldn't recognize any of the members, they were all newcomers. Two of them stood out immensely. One was a blond Caucasian who was the center of the group. His dance movements were out of this world. The other was a young man with tan skin and an oriental look. His deep voice singing the "Maniac" part was simply breathtaking.
_Ah, Oppa! I'm your fan starting today!!! Bom cried out, excited by the center's fierce dancing.
_OMG!! Can you get pregnant just by listening to a voice? Sarah, hold me, I'm going to faint. DoYeon announced.
_Get a grip! If you faint, you'll miss the rest. Sarah replied, completely serious.
_You're right. Breathe, DoYeon, breathe...
Other incredible performances were those given by the two groups that performed the song Zoo. I don't know if it was just the choreography, the rap, or the chemistry between the members, but the crowd was wild for them. People were shouting the names of members who seemed to already have public recognition.
_Wow, they are incredible. Sarah shouted.
_As expected from company trainees. Bom agreed.
_The lot of participants this time is truly incredible!! Bom finished, all excited.
The evening proceeded normally until female group number 11 entered the stage. The members were dressed in street-style clothes in red and pink colors. Some were in cargos, others in joggers and overalls with tops or hoodies. They took their positions on stage in a classic combination: two people in front, one in the middle, and two slightly behind. From the very first notes of music, the crowd was in a frenzy because Fire by BTS is a classic.
As soon as the music began, the Black candidate in the center stood up. Like a puppeteer, she made a motion to pull up each member of the group to the rhythm of the music. The members, looking like disjointed figures, stood up one by one. The synchronization of the members in this group was incredible. After the intro, they returned to the original choreography of Fire, full of energy. The vocals were perfect, especially the "Bultaoreune" part done by the Black candidate. The crowd was literally on fire.
_Ah, she is so beautiful!! Are her eyes real?! Is she even real?! I feel like I'm being pierced by her gaze. Girls, I think I'm in love. Sarah sighed.
_I think we're all in love with her. DoYeon explained.
_ She is so beautiful. Bom sighed dreamily.
And just when you think it's over, a center change occurs as smoothly as possible after the first chorus. Sarah noticed this new center was Asian. She became the puppet master and controlled them. Then, at the moment of the bridge, when you think the puppets will never be free, the first center dropped into a split with unheard-of smoothness. She stretched her hands forward and sank into the floor to break her chains, all while controlling the song. Not a single sound of breathlessness was heard in the microphone.
_Oneul deureo sorijilleo Burn it up!!! Bultaoreune"
Once the girls were freed from their chains, it was chaos. They literally conquered the stage. They dispersed across the entire stage as if liberated. They began dancing to the original BTS choreography, full of energy. They let loose on stage; it looked like it was their own concert. The crowd couldn't help but scream at their performance. And Sarah, who had promised herself not to support candidates before they debuted, became a fan of the Black candidate from group 11. One could hear the screams echoing throughout the stadium.
_Fire !!! Fire !!! Ssak da bultaewora Bow wow wow!
Aside from the main vocal, another person who had a lot of impact was the group's rapper. Orizon, now JiHo, turned a good portion of the audience into fans because of her rap, including DoYeon. Her clear voice and perfectly delivered lines combined with her dance skills; how could one not become a fan of her?
The rest of the evening went incredibly well. Other groups also left a huge impact on people. Like male group 13, who performed the song Bite Me by Enhypen. Their giant dancer was incredible, too bad he wasn't the center. Female group 16 with the song Starry Night by Mamamoo. They had an incredible vocalist. Her unique and honest voice surprised everyone. Or male group 20 with the song Loco by ITZY. Looking at the center of that team, two thoughts crossed the minds of all the fans present: "He is so handsome it's unreal, blue eyes suit him perfectly," and "Indeed, some are truly born to shine and be stars."
Once the performances were over, Sarah, Bom, and DoYeon headed toward the exit with all the other fans. They could barely contain their excitement.
_Haa!! I was literally struck right in the heart. Bom cried out, all excited.
_Me too. I said I wouldn't be a fan, but the heart has its reasons. I need to go home quickly and watch the presentation videos to identify the members who impressed me. Sarah said.
_Me too. Do you want to watch episode 1 together next week? DoYeon asked.
_Of course. I can't wait. Bom shouted.
Sarah's head was filled with things to do. Discovering everything she could about her idol, supporting her idol. Oh, how she regretted not having brought a camera to take photos and videos of that incredible stage. She had to get her computer equipment out for edits. The freebie photocards, she had to find the contact info of that fan who drew fanart for her old group. Who knows, maybe they would also fall in love with the same candidate. After all, her baby was wonderful. Who wouldn't love her?
Such was the life of a fan. One fine day, you fall in love with someone extraordinary. Someone who doesn't know you and maybe never will. But when that connection is formed, the fan can only give unconditional love to their star. To the point, sometimes, of organizing their entire life around that artist's schedule. Hoping that every effort they make will help the artist, even if only a little.
___
References:
_Song Don't Call Me by SHINee
_Song Zoo by TaeYong, Jeno, Hendery, YangYang
_Song Fantastic Baby by Bigbang
_Song Fire by BTS
_Song Bite Me by Enhypen
_Song Starry Night by Mamamoo
_Song Loco by ITZY
_Inspiration drawn from the songs Ride or Die by Jeff Satur, and Take a Hint by Victoria Justice and Elizabeth Gillies.
Thank you for reading and have a nice day.