“Can I hug you? No, wait. You don’t want to be hugged.”
“Ugh.” Siwan made a disgruntled noise and rolled his eyes. They were clearly in public? What if someone saw? “You can give me a hug, Lia-yah. It’s okay.”
She did. It was a nice hug, where she told him she would miss him too, and he had to remember to take care of his hyung, and that she was going to root for the band, always. That he could come to Manila to see her anytime.
“You know Cal went to the airport after Bomseok. I think it was about six months after he left, and hyung just moved to Hannam with us. He said he hated being in that apartment alone, and he might as well go to Canada,” Siwan said, and Lia’s eyes widened in surprise. Cal didn’t even tell her that. “I drove him. He had his passport, his wallet, and a harebrained idea that it was all he needed. He wanted that big, movie moment, you know. The running up to each other, the kissing like you didn’t want to breathe without each other.” Siwan laughed. “Just…FYI.”
Lia ignored him. “What happened?”
“Your brother called, saying he wanted to work with us on the new mini album.” Siwan chuckled. “Said he’d heardBolt of Bluewhen he was younger, and wanted to explore what CoBOLT could sound like now. How listening to us was like a lightning strike moment, that changed everything.”
Lia didn’t realize that her brother had noticed that. It had been a defining moment for her, the realization that she was a person who was a fan of a group. That she liked this kind of music, that she was the kind of person who was willing to fly thousands of miles for things she loved.
“Anyway. I’m just glad I got to meet you.”
“Is this your way of saying goodbye?”
“No. If you’re going to be a part of Cal hyung’s life, then I’m going to be here. And now, you are not getting rid of me. Ever.”
“Oh. I like that.”
“I know. Me too. I’m going to get you a ticket to the showcase.” Siwan told her in that matter-of-fact way of his, tapping on his phone like it held the secrets to all ticketing ever. “I’d better see you in front, Lia-yah, I swear.”
Lia smiled and teased him about not really being a fan, but the idea of the showcase was exciting. The last time she’d seen CoBOLT was nine years ago, and she felt better prepared to watch the show back then than she was today. She didn’t have merch! Was it too eager to go early? What time should she be there?
Today’s showcase was happening at a small venue near Hongik University, the kind of place that was dark and sticky and served beer, and she hadn’t set foot in since she turned twenty. Lia had looked up the capacity—three thousand on a really full day—and hosted artists she’d never heard of, whose reputations were probably better known in circles that weren’t KPop.
There was a line forming at the venue when she arrived, and Lia could almost taste the excitement. To her surprise, there were many foreigners, speaking a variety of languages, from Portuguese to Cantonese. A fan was handing out scrunchies that had LED lights inside in lieu of a light stick (because this band did not have a light stick! A crime!). Another fan distributed handheld posters reading “COBOLT FIGHTING!” with romanized lyrics and instructions to sing along to “Bolt of Blue”in the back.
Lia’s work brain caught her notice that only a few fans had official merch—most were just wearing blue—but what the agency hadn’t supplied, the fans seemed happy to fill the gaps with. It was hard to tell who the Minji fans were versus the BOLTs, because maybe it was a fork found in the kitchen situation?
Lia’s phone rang, which was odd until she realized it was Cal. Eyes wide with shock, her first instinct was to swipe the call away. Until he called again. Jeez!
“Hi,” she whispered to her phone. “Um, now’s not a good time.”
“Oh. I thought…I mean, where are you?”
“Um. Secret.”
“Did Teddy not tell you about the showcase?”
“Yes, but?—”
“Why do I still have to convince you that you’re a part of this?” Cal asked, and his tone took Lia aback. “Of course I—we.Wewant you to be here.” Then he seemed to decide against censoring himself. “I want you here, Lia. You can’t leave me without hearing us, and?—”
“I’m here.” She said, so close to saying his name, she had to physically stop herself by putting her hand on her mouth. “I’m in Hongdae. At the venue. I’m outside. Cloudy Hall, 7 PM.”
The relief from his end of the line was palpable. Mostly because she could feel it too, like a balm to a worrying itch.
“You’re here,” he repeated, and she knew that everything had changed. That a choice had been made, and she would never know a life that didn’t have Cal in it. Lia felt responsible for the choice she had made and wanted to keep it close to her heart, knowing that whatever happened, it was a good one.
“Siwan got me a ticket.”
“Siwan! That little—I’ll have Dongyeon hyung find you. Do not move. We need to talk.”
“Now?” Then he hung up, and Lia wanted to melt into the pavement because her legs suddenly felt like jelly. How very foreboding of him. In front of her, a blonde BOLT turned her and smiled.
“Photo card?”
