Page 89 of K-Pop Double Life

“It shouldn’t be all we can ask. He’s twenty-three. He should be worrying about music and fans and his career, not whether someone’s going to kill him.”

“Welcome to being famous.” Her voice was dry but not unkind. “The bigger you get, the more people want a piece of you. Some of them in ways that aren’t healthy.”

The sound check wrapped, and Jin walked straight to me, sweat-drenched and breathing hard.

“Water,” he said, and I handed him a bottle before he finished the word.

He drank half of it, then poured the rest over his head as he often did. Water droplets caught the stage lights, and for a second he looked exactly like he had when I met him. Eighteen years old, terrified before debut, trusting me to make him ready for the world.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

“Like I might throw up.” He smiled weakly. “But I always feel like that before shows.”

“Liar. You love performing.”

“I do. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get scared I’ll miss a cue or that my voice will break. I was a mess before London and that has shaken me.”

That was my fault, because I’d abandoned him. “You’ll be terrific,” I said, squeezing his hand. “You always are.”

By the time the rehearsal ended, my T-shirt clung to my back, and I’d run through a whole box of towelettes tamping down perspiration. Each of the group members looked like they’d been through a swimming pool. Jin’s dark hair was plastered to his forehead, his T-shirt soaked with sweat.

“Go shower,” I told him.

He grinned. “Yes, sir.”

Watching him disappear into the dressing-room corridor brought only momentary relief. The backstage area was quieter than the stadium floor, but it wasn’t empty. Electricians rolled cases past open doors. Caterers unloaded trays. Security guards checked credentials at every intersection. It took only one unfamiliar face to make my pulse jump.

Allianz Parque had the nicest dressing area of any on the tour. Each room had a private bathroom including a shower, a hair and makeup station with large mirrors and lights, and wardrobe racks.

There was a catering area nearby, as well as an office Sun-hee-noona, Grace, and the other team members could use. A stadium security officer stood at the entrance to the area, checking IDs.

The bus back to the hotel smelled like the passion fruit shampoo and lemon verbena soap provided by the venue. It was sweet without being cloying, reminding me that I was halfway around the world. I closed my eyes as the bus left the stadium, wishing the scents could drown out the worry that had settled in my chest.

The Tivoli Mofarrej had provided us with a large conference room where the group could hold a press conference. Grace briefed us all as the group took their places on a makeshift stage. “We’re expecting Brazilian television entertainment reporters and music journalists,” she said. “We’ve also credentialed several fan-site photographers and social influencers.”

“We’ve double-verified everyone,” Liam added. “And we’ll have additional hotel security at the entrances to stop anyone who looks suspicious.”

Then Grace introduced a young woman with purple strands of hair among the black, wearing a low-cut blouse and ankle-length slacks. She looked unmistakably Korean at first glance, but there was a subtle blend of features that hinted at her mixed European and Korean heritage.

“This is Camila Kim,” Grace said. “She’s going to moderate the conference.”

Camila waved at everyone. “Did you know that São Paulo has the largest ethnic Korean population in South America?” she asked, speaking our language. “There’s a tremendous interest in K-Pop and K-drama here, so you’ll have a lot of very enthusiastic fans.”

Everyone took their places on the stage, and I sat in the audience between Sun-hee-noona and Mina. The journalists all hurried in, eager to get the best spots, and quickly Camila began, giving an introduction in both Portuguese and Korean.

After that it was a wild round of questions and answers. Sometimes Camila translated from Portuguese to Korean, sometimes Grace did, and other times the reporters asked their questions in Korean and were answered that way.

Fortunately, no one asked about Cannes, or about security on the tour, though Jin had to dodge one question about personal relationships. “Between rehearsals and touring, none of us has time for relationships,” he said, and all the other members nodded.

“Though we like to see pretty girls in the audience,” Woo said, and the crowd laughed.

“But Jin is trending on social media with a boyfriend,” the reporter said.

Camila took over quickly. “We’re here today to discuss the tour and the concert. Next question, please.”

The reporter protested but Camila glared at him and pointed at the man next to him, who asked, “The title song on your album is from the movie My Lover from the North. Would you like to see more connection between North and South Korea?”

Camila groaned. “No politics either.”