Chapter 52
For the next two weeks, Haru buried himself in the final, grueling days of filming. He threw himself into the skin of his character with a desperation that bordered on manic, using the scripted emotions to mask the genuine, hollow ache in his chest. Work was a sanctuary; on set, he was a reincarnated soul from 1999, not a man reeling from a dirt-road kiss that had apparently ended a friendship.
But the silence from Raiven was a physical weight. Every time his phone buzzed with a notification, Haru's heart performed a traitorous skip, only to plummet when he saw it was a weather alert or a message from Alice about scheduling. He replayed the moment Raiven exited the car at the dorms until the memory felt like a bruise he couldn't stop pressing.
Then, the tour arrived.
When Haru had originally handed the VIP tickets to Se-hee, he'd envisioned her taking one of her fellow influencer friends or one of her numerous friends who would appreciate the aesthetic of the VIP ticket and the proximity to the stage. He hadn't expected her to show up at his door, practically vibrating with excitement, announcing that he was her date.
" Haru-ya," she had said, crossing her arms. "You're the one who got the tickets. Besides, you need to see why so many people like them."
He wanted to decline. He told himself he should stay home and avoid the inevitable awkwardness of being in the same zip code as Raiven. But as he looked at Se-hee's beaming face, he realized he was lying to himself. He didn't just give in because she was persistent; he gave in because he was starving for a glimpse of the man who had ghosted him.
The day of the concert began at a time Haru usually reserved for deep REM sleep. Se-hee hammered on his door at 5:00 AM. By 7:00 AM, they were spiraling through a gargantuan parking lot at the Olympic Stadium, which was already swarming with fans.
"Look at this!" Se-hee grumbled, gripping the steering wheel as she eyed a group of fans setting up a picnic blanket on a median. "It's seven in the morning! Do these people not sleep?"
"You're the one who dragged me here, Se-hee," Haru pointed out, leaning his head against the cool glass of the window.
Eventually, she found a spot in the farthest reaches of the lot. As they walked toward the stadium, the sheer scale of the event began to settle into Haru's bones. As Sunghoon, he had attended award galas and film premieres, but the energy of a K-pop concert was a different beast entirely. It was a pilgrimage.
The sea of fans was a vibrant, pulsing red. Red banners, red headbands, and red lightsticks. Se-hee had insisted they match the official fanclub color. She looked effortlessly chic in a crimson cropped leather jacket and dark jeans; Haru had settled for a deep oversized knit sweater.
They spent three hours in the merchandise line. Haru watched, half-amused and half-horrified, as Se-hee systematically checked items off a list.
"I need the 'Red-Draft' plushie set, the tour hoodie, and three sets of the limited-edition photocards," she told the harried staff member at the booth. Her budget was clearly non-existent today.
As they moved through the various "fan zones," Haru began to realize his own anonymity was fading. Se-hee was recognized first ,fans of her channel approached her with squeals of delight, echoing her signature catchphrase. She handled it with the grace of a pro, posing for selfies and laughing.
But then, the whispers started.
A group of girls approached him, their eyes wide. "Are you Haru? You're so much more handsome in person!"
Haru offered a polite, somewhat shy smile. He took the selfies, listening to their words of encouragement. "We're rooting for you!" one girl shouted as they walked away. It was a strange, grounding feeling. In his first life, fame had come slowly, a steady climb, now everything was so different.
By 2:00 PM, the heat was becoming oppressive. They navigated the labyrinth of the stadium to locate a flower delivery Se-hee had led with some of fans and organized for the group, a massive arrangement of lilies and red roses. Finally, they entered the VIP section. The air-conditioned lounge was a relief, filled with other influencers, minor celebrities, and family members of the performers.
Haru sat on a plush sofa, helping Se-hee edit a "Get Ready With Me: Concert Edition" video. He appeared in the background of several clips, offering a genuine smile to her camera. But as the clock ticked toward 6:00 PM, his stomach began to do slow, agonizing flips.
Then, the lights died.
Sixty thousand people screamed in unison. It wasn't a sound; it was a physical force. The giant LED screens flickered to life, showing a cinematic introduction of the members.
Each reveal was met with a deafening roar, but when Raiven's face appeared, the volume reached a fever pitch.
The stage erupted in pyrotechnics, and there they were.
Haru's breath caught.
Raiven appeared at the center of the formation. His hair- long, dark blue mullet with light blue highlights - was styled to perfection, framing a face that looked carved from moonlight. He wore a headpiece that mimicked a crown of silver rings, catching the stage lights with every movement. His outfit was a daring combination of structural black jeans and a black mesh crop top that left nothing to the imagination regarding his physique.
He looked ethereal.
The concert was a masterclass in performance. Haru watched as Grey, his hair a striking ash grey, executed sharp, powerful movements that commanded the stage.
Suho, with vibrant pink hair, was a ball of infectious energy, his vocals soaring over the stadium. Se-hee was screaming beside him, waving her lightstick with a ferocity that made Haru fear for her wrist.
But Haru couldn't look away from Raiven.
Raiven's solo stage was a revelation to how talented he was.He appeared alone with a purple electric guitar, the stadium falling into a rare, hushed silence before he struck the first chord. It was a rock-heavy track, raw and aggressive. His voice was a paradoxical blend of a gravelly rap and a soul-piercing melodic belt. He had written it himself, and as he prowled the stage, sweat glistening on his collarbone, Haru felt a pang of something that felt dangerously like longing and admiration.
Raiven was a natural-born performer. He didn't just sing; he occupied the space, his gaze sharp and hungry as it scanned the crowd.
Then came the unit stages.
The atmosphere shifted as Neo, Grey, and Suho performed a sequence that integrated contemporary ballet. It was beautiful, fluid, and artistic. But it was the following performance that sent the stadium into a frenzy.
Raiven and Ash took the stage for a high-intensity dance break. The choreography was sharp, synchronized, and increasingly suggestive. At one point, the music slowed to a heavy, rhythmic throb. Raiven stepped behind Ash, his hand curling around Ash's neck with a possessive grip, pulling him back as he leaned in close to Ash's ear.
The screens captured every detail - Ash's labored breathing, the predatory tilt of Raiven's head, the way their bodies pressed together in a simulation of intimacy that felt almost too private for sixty thousand people to witness.
The fans erupted. What Haru had read about on social media suddenly made sense, why their ship was so popular. They looked good together it didnt help that they were two handsome people. To the crowd, this was fanservice, a narrative of tension and desire.
He wasn't jealous but he couldn't help the memories that flooded his mind but he quickly shrugged it off.
The concert lasted three hours, a whirlwind of costume changes, heartfelt speeches, and high-octane choreography. By the final encore, as the group stood on the extended stage to sing a ballad to their fans, Haru felt emotionally spent he couldn't imagine how the members felt.
The members were walking along the edges of the stage, waving to the various sections. Suho spotted Haru and Se-hee in the VIP area and beamed, pointing them out to Grey. They both waved enthusiastically.
Raiven was on the opposite side of the stage. He was talking into his microphone, thanking the fans for their support. His eyes scanned the VIP section briefly - a sweep of the crowd that lasted only a second.
For a heartbeat, Haru thought their eyes met. He felt that familiar, electric jolt, the one that made his heart hammer against his ribs.
But Raiven's gaze moved on, as smooth and impersonal as a searchlight. He turned away to join the other members for the final bow.