Jihyo's strategy worked, but with every passing second, the crowd continued to grow, and people began pushing closer toward the group. As a result, things quickly started getting out of control.
They underestimated just how much Llana's supporters wanted to see her perform live.
The four of them were being shoved from all sides, and fear slowly began to creep in.
Llana tried to steady herself, slightly raising her arms to shield her chest from accidental contact. Her heart pounded violently from nervousness, so much so that she struggled to calm herself, afraid she might be overwhelmed by anxiety.
She wasn't used to this kind of attention—being an introvert, the crowd felt overwhelming and suffocating.
They had no security or protection with them—only the two cameramen, who were struggling to keep up with the surge of people.
"EVERYONE, PLEASE CALM DOWN!" Jihyo shouted through the megaphone, her voice cutting clearly through the noise.
Seeing the situation worsen, Llana's secret protectors acted immediately. They forced their way through the crowd, pushing through until they surrounded Llana and the others, shielding them as best as they could.
"MOVE!" the leader shouted at the crowd, pushing them back gently but firmly to create space for the group to breathe.
The moment Llana saw them, she couldn't help but sigh in relief.
The company hadn't provided them with any protection, so Llana was certain these were the same guards who had always been secretly following her.
"Llana!"
A morena girl who looked to be around twenty-four to twenty-six years old shouted excitedly from the crowd, desperately trying to catch Llana's attention.
"Ouch! Gago!" she suddenly cursed in tagalog, wincing in pain. She shot a fierce glare at the guy beside her. "Hey! You just elbowed my side. That hurt."
"O-oh, I'm sorry," the guy stammered, clearly startled and a little intimidated by her sharp tone.
"It's okay. You're pardoned. Just be careful next time," the girl replied, nodding solemnly like a sage before breaking into an easygoing smile.
She couldn't really blame him. With everyone trying to push through the crowd, it was inevitable that someone would get hurt.
But that wasn't going to stop her.
She would push forward no matter what, just to see Llana and attend their concert.
This was a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity.
She was only in Korea temporarily, just a tourist on vacation. Who knew when she would get a chance like this again?
She had to make it count.
If she had to fight her way through this crowd, then so be it.
"Everyone, please stop pushing each other and behave. Especially the guys, be a gentleman and protect my girls don't push them!"
Llana took the megaphone from Jihyo, and at that moment, her Leader's Authority suddenly activated, instantly calming the crowd and compelling them to obey her command. The men straightened their backs and began acting like gentlemen, just as Llana had instructed and immediately started behaving themselves.
"Everyone, let the girls go first!" a guy with glasses shouted.
"Llana's right. Men shouldn't be pushing girls around," the guy beside him added, nodding seriously. "Guys, we're letting the girls go first, okay?"
"Yes!"
"Good," he said with a firm nod.
Then suddenly,
"Llanaaaa~" he called in an exaggerated, high-pitched voice, batting his eyelashes. "I'm gay. Can I go first with the girls?"
"Yah!"
"HEY!!"
The guys exploded in protest.
"That's cheating!"
"You switched teams too fast!"
Llana doubled over laughing without a sound, the others also burst out laughing.
She wiped a tear from her eye and waved him forward. "Go ahead, sister."
All the men obeyed and started letting the girls take the front.
Jihyo, Momo, Chaeyoung, and even the guards couldn't help but feel amazed at how easily Llana controlled the crowd. And how well-mannered her male fans.
The girls who were ushered forward blinked in surprise before smiling gratefully.
"Thank you!"
"Thanks for letting us pass!"
Their appreciation made the guys stand a little straighter. Some scratched their heads shyly, while others tried to act cool, but all of them looked pleased.
Even Llana herself was surprised—she hadn't expected that at all but also proud.
'System, I thought this ability could only be used during performances?'
[You are mistaken, Host. Leader's Authority grants you a commanding presence that inspires trust, obedience, and unity among your followers.]
[These 'excited' crowd are your fans.]
Llana noticed the emphasis in its tone but ignored the dry remark.
[Which means they are your followers. That is why your ability works on them.]
'…I see,'
"Llana, you're so pretty in person!"
The morena girl from earlier finally reached the front. Her face glowed with excitement as she looked up at Llana.
"Thank you. And so are you," Llana replied warmly, smiling at her while speaking in Filipino.
The girl froze.
"Wait, what? You can speak Tagalog?" she squealed, eyes widening in disbelief.
"Of course. I'm part Filipino. Have you forgotten?" Llana said with a hint of amusement.
"Oh my gosh!" the girl covered her mouth, trying and failing to contain her excitement. "That's amazing!"
"Are you going to the concert?" Llana asked.
"Of course I am!"
"Good." Llana handed her a ping-pong ball. "Make sure you come, okay? You'll use this to vote for us, so don't lose it."
The girl accepted it like it was something precious.
"I won't. I promise."
Llana smiled before turning to the others, continuing to interact with the crowd. She answered questions, exchanged a few words, and handed out more ping-pong balls one by one.
The once chaotic crowd had turned orderly. Fans waited patiently for their turn.
Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Momo were also busy interacting with fans, including some curious people who had pushed their way forward earlier without really knowing what was happening.
"JIHYO! JIHYO! I'M YOUR FAN! WHOOO!"
A man from the back shouted at the top of his lungs.
The crowd burst into laughter, and Jihyo laughed as well. She tiptoed, trying to see him, but failed because of her height.
Grinning, she took the megaphone from Llana and raised it to her mouth level.
"KAMSAHAMNIDA!"
The crowd cheered loudly.
"CHAEYOUNG! I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO WATCH YOUR PERFORMANCE! PLEASE SAVE ME A BALL!" another person screamed, this time for Chaeyoung.
Chaeyoung laughed out loud, matching his energy. "NE!" she shouted back with a bright grin.
Momo stood besides her team, smiling softly as she watched the overwhelming support her members were receiving. Warmth spread through her chest. At the same time, a quiet hope surfaced inside her, hoping there's someone out there for her too.
"MOMO! FIGHTING!"
Her head snapped up. For a moment, she simply blinked in surprise. Then her lips curved into a bright, genuine smile.
"Ne~ I will! Kamsahamnida!" she called back, looking toward the direction of the voice.
"Momo-chan, your stage last time was amazing. I'm really looking forward to your performance tonight."
A girl standing right in front of her spoke in Kansai-ben.
Momo froze for a second before her eyes widened in recognition. "Where are you from?" she asked, her voice lifting with excitement.
"I'm from Kyoto too!"
"Really?" Momo's face lit up completely, her smile widening with genuine joy. "That's amazing!"
Finally, after handing everything out, Llana and the others said goodbye to the crowd, who reluctantly let them leave.
However, they still needed to walk around to give out the remaining 87 ping-pong balls. They hadn't expected to invite 163 people in just 30 minutes. Before leaving, however, Llana's group performed "Like That," which delighted their fans even more.
In just 2 hours and 40 minutes, they managed to give away all the ping-pong balls and invite a total of 250 people, reaching their quota before the 5-hour limit. Because of this, they were overjoyed, knowing they could at least rest for two hours before their rehearsals started.
In addition, their group had a great mix of languages. Momo could speak Japanese, Llana spoke both Filipino and English, and the others spoke Korean. Because of this, they were able to interact with tourists from different countries and successfully invite them to watch their guerrilla concert.
They would be the first to perform later. Llana hoped everyone would enjoy their performance.