Getting from the airport to their hotel was an interesting experience. Jonghyun had, of course, witnessed fanatical fans before and was well used to large numbers of screaming girls by this point. However, the airport created an enclosed space that allowed the congregation of impressive numbers of people and also allowed them to block the exit. There was nothing malicious going on, it was merely fans wanting to see their favourite idols up close, but it was a little overwhelming. Especially as all the yelling and screaming was in a language Jonghyun didn’t understand. SHINee clearly did, the members often responding in kind to a fan question or comment as they passed. Taemin seemed to be in an especially chipper mood for some reason, even posing for a couple of photos and winking at the crowd.

Security were stellar. They had guided the team out of the airport, luggage and all, and didn’t allow a single fan more access than they should be allowed to the group. It was an impressive operation and Jonghyun respected those people immensely.

Finally getting to the hotel had been a relief. Jonghyun was sharing with Manager, as usual, and the SHINee members were doubling up by age in their own rooms. It was a good arrangement, if a little awkward. Manager was older than Jonghyun and the two men had very little in common, so conversation didn’t flow easily. However, it was still easier than if he was rooming with Onew, as evidenced by their incredibly awkward conversation on the plane.

Shaking his head to dislodge any unnecessary thoughts, Jonghyun gathered all the items he would need for the day. He was to attend SHINee’s Tokyo concert that was scheduled for that evening. He was allowed to attend as he wished and was thinking he would head into the crowd for rehearsal, which VIP ticket holders were able to attend, and then watch the show from the VIP section of the crowd.

This was probably his most exciting shadowing opportunity to date. He hadn’t been to a SHINee concert in years, not since he was at university, and he definitely hadn’t been able to afford VIP tickets; not when he had to buy one for Sodam too. Grabbing his bag, containing his notebook and his trusty camera – the very same one he had taken to those very early SHINee concerts way back when – Jonghyun gave the room one more look over. Deciding he had everything he could possibly need, the blue-haired boy left the room, locking it behind him.

Manager and SHINee had left earlier that morning to the venue for some last minute practice and costume fittings. Jonghyun had been informed that he was not to attend as he would ‘just get in the way and the boys need to be focused for the day’. So, he had claimed an extra few hours of sleep, did a little more brainstorming of song ideas and basically prepared himself for the night ahead.

It was now 2pm and the show was due to start in five hours. The VIPs would be let in for the rehearsal in three hours and Jonghyun honestly wasn’t sure what he would do with his time. He had already received a brief tour of the stadium the previous day. SHINee plus all their staff had stopped by straight after getting out of the airport, their large van taking them all right there. Jonghyun had been amazed by the sheer scale of the building. He had seen SHINee in concert multiple times but never in a building of such magnitude. Set-up had already begun inside, with large screens, lasers and all the other special effects one would expect from a concert of this scale being erected, however it was far from finished.  It was set to be a phenomenal sight when complete and Jonghyun couldn’t wait to see it full of fans.

The trip to the venue was easy enough. The composer had been given a public transport card and a map by Manager that morning because ‘taxis are damn expensive in this country’. The man’s brief explanation of the public transport system had left Jonghyun feeling overwhelmed and unknowledgeable but, luckily, the network was easy enough to navigate. He was sure that was partly because of where he was going, it being a main attraction within the city, however, he was appreciative of the helpful signage nonetheless. He had almost boarded a train heading in the wrong direction at one point but managed to realise at the last minute and quickly fix his route before something disastrous happened.

So, it was a very proud Jonghyun that approached the concert venue. He felt very accomplished that he, Kim Jonghyun, a man who had never stepped foot outside of Korea and basically failed any and all foreign language classes he had taken at school, had managed to navigate his way through the centre of Tokyo. That pride quickly faded once he realised he couldn’t find his employee badge which would grant him access to the large building in his bag.

The building’s security watched his with sharp eyes as the blue-haired man dumped his small backpack on a bench near the entrance and proceeded to root around inside, looking for his access card and employee cards – which he had affixed to a handy lanyard he had stolen from Jiwoong. There was a large crowd of fans already there, already organised into neat lines and waiting for their chance to enter and Jonghyun felt his neck burn as he realised that all these people were witnesses for his uselessness. Rooting around with a little more urgency he finally emerged triumphant, his SM Entertainment employee badge, complete with authorisation for venue entry specifically for this, clutched in his hand. Slipping it round his neck he approached the security guards guarding the side entrance Manager had told him to take. 

“Kim Jonghyun?” The man asked with a heavy accent. He had clearly been watching the blue-haired male as he scavenged in his backpack and had inferred who he was at some point. Jonghyun nodded. “We were told to expect you. Set up is still in progress.” The man’s Korean was strongly accented but good. Judging by the expression on the other guard’s face, he had no idea what his colleague was saying at all.

“Is it OK if I join the other fans? I’d like to experience it from the fans’ point of view.” Jonghyun said, slowing down his words as he saw the security guard begin to struggle to understand.

“Of course,” The man said, stepping away from his post. “Mr. Nam,” It took Jonghyun a moment to remember that that was Manager’s surname, “explained to me your role in the evening. You are to be with the VIPs, yes?”

Jonghyun nodded, following the man, “Yes.”

“Perfect,” The man said, approaching the head of the VIP line and pulling up the cloth rope of the fence, allowing Jonghyun to step under. There was a ripple of muttering that spread through the VIP line, as well as the non-VIP lines nearby as he did so but Jonghyun was not paying attention to that at that moment. “I am Takuya Hideyo, security liaison for SM staff today. Give me a call if you need assistance.” The man said, handing Jonghyun his card.

Accepting it and giving a shallow bow, Jonghyun expressed his thanks in his limited – very limited – Japanese, “Arigato.”

Takuya chuckled, sending a wave over his shoulder as he left, “Have a good afternoon Mr. Kim.”

Jonghyun grinned, finding the man to be incredibly likeable. His accent was a little difficult to understand but that wasn’t his fault or an issue in the slightest. Spinning on the spot, Jonghyun gulped as he came face to face with dozens of pairs of eyes.

The VIP queue was quite long already. As the VIP section was mostly standing room there was precedent to arrive early in order to get the very best view of the stage. Apparently these girls didn’t appreciate his sudden appearance at the head of the line.

Bowing he said, “Konnichiwa. Watashi no namae wa Jonghyun desu.” He was sure he had completely butchered the pronunciation there. He really wasn’t good at languages. However, it seemed impolite to introduce himself in Korean when he was in Japan. Actually, on second thought, maybe he should greet them in Korean too, so they knew he didn’t speak good Japanese. Giving an awkward wave, he greeted them a second time, “Hello.”

The girls in the line stared at him like he was a little bit strange. Their prolonged silence made Jonghyun feel nervous and, ruffling his hair awkwardly, he said, “Anyone speak Korean? I’d love someone to talk to if we’re going to be here a while.”

There was silence in the line for longer than was comfortable to bear and the composer shifted awkwardly on his feet as he looked around.

“I do.” A girl slightly further back in the line said. Her Korean was accented but not in the way a foreigner’s would be.

She was young, maybe twenty years old. Old enough to live abroad alone, certainly; perhaps a university student. She was wearing a SHINee shirt that Jonghyun recognised as having been out of print for a few years now – it had been limited edition, too – and he appreciated the dedication she clearly had. She was cute too, in a sweet, shy kind of way.

Jonghyun grinned and walked down the line, the people parting around him easily, to stand next to the Korean girl. “Hi. Busan?”

“Kyoto for the time being.” The girl said, looking a little nervous to be talking to him. Jonghyun found this strange, he wasn’t scary or weird, was he? “I’m Jieun, this is Ayumi.” She introduced, gesturing to her friend, a pretty looking girl who was clearly Japanese.

“Nice to meet you,” The girl said in stilted Korean. “My Korean is… bad. I am sorry. Understand better than speak.”

“Nice to meet you girls, too,” Jonghyun grinned, “I’m Jonghyun.”

“I know.” Jieun muttered then blushed dramatically when she realised he had heard her.

Jonghyun chuckled, “I see my reputation proceeds me.”

“It’s only because I use the SHINee forums and…” she trailed off awkwardly, “yeah.”

“I have fans. People know me.” Jonghyun joked, trying to get the girls to relax. They were both so tense and awkward right now.

He was a little surprised at how relaxed he was right now. In the past he would have been terrified to even consider going into a group of SHINee fans without his sister as a buffer. Even when Sodam was present, he refused to interact with other fans and discuss anything at all. He was too afraid of being judged. But now, here, he felt at ease and actually wanted to talk to these girls. It felt good.

“As if,” a third voice chimed in from behind him. “You just have an ego.”

Jonghyun spun around and gasped, “Woah, Koreans. Koreans everywhere. Jonghyun, nice to meet you.”

“Sohee,” The girl said. Her hair was short, spiked on one side and highlighting the intense eye makeup she was sporting. She looked like a girl who wouldn’t take flak from anyone. Jonghyun respected that.

“You guys excited?” Jonghyun asked, grinning. “It’s going to be a good show.”

“You have inside information?” Jieun asked. She had mentioned she used the SHINee forums, so Jonghyun was certain she knew he did.

“Hmm, some. The guys kept a lot of it a secret but Taemin at keeping secrets, so…” He shrugged acting unaffected.

“You know Taemin?” The Japanese girl, Ayumi, asked quietly. She may have sounded nervous but interest glowed in her eyes. Jonghyun was pretty sure he knew which SHINee member was her favourite.

“I know them all. I work for SM.” He explained.

A small ripple of noise spread through the gathered fans. People who spoke Korean were translating the conversation for people who did not – in absence of anything more interesting happening in the line. Apparently, many people had not noticed his staff badge. Although, on closer inspection, all the girls around him also sported lanyards, each containing a VIP ticket, so he supposed it wasn’t so unusual for them not to notice.

“Wow,” The Japanese girl gasped. “What do you do?”

“He’s a composer.” Jieun said.

Jonghyun nodded, “I’ve been contracted to write the new SHINee album.”

“Wow,” the Japanese girl repeated. “That is sugoi.”

Jonghyun didn’t know what ‘sugoi’ meant but he could infer it well enough from the context. “It is pretty cool. It’s actually why I’m in the crowd with you guys. Get to know the fans, write better songs and all that.”

“But aren’t you a fan yourself?” Jieun asked before realising how pointed that question seemed, “I mean, that’s what the forums indicated and the documentary.”

“Huge.” Jonghyun chuckled, “But one on one access to my favourite idols is always nice.”

“How do we know you’ll write good songs for our boys?” Sohee demanded. “You could just be a hack pretending to be a composer to get close to them.”

“You don’t trust SM?” Jonghyun asked. Seeing her skeptical look he chuckled. He supposed from a fan’s point of view the company was a little shady and didn’t always seem to have the best interests of the idols in mind at all times. He had seen many a rumble of distrust towards the company. “I’ve got a fairly varied portfolio. Upper-management trust me, SHINee trust me to do a good job. I don’t plan to fail.”

“Varied portfolio.” The girl snorted, “Whatever. I’ve never heard of you. How are you gonna write a whole album for SHINee when you’ve never written a single song for them?”

Jonghyun looked at her confused. “If you’ve never heard of me, how do you know I ?”

“He has written a SHINee song though,” Jieun chimed in, interrupting what was sure to be a tirade from the stronger looking girl. “He wrote Juliette. There was a whole documentary about it.”

“Wait…” Sohee said, “That dorky blonde was you? My god, you were such an awkward loser.”

“Thanks for that,” Jonghyun rubbed his neck self-consciously. “I like to think I grew up well.”

The girl gave him an assessing once over, “Well enough, I suppose. Now, I have a few ideas for SHINee songs.”

Jonghyun gaped at her sudden change of moods before laughing aloud. “Ok, let’s get comfortable, I feel this could take a while. I’ll take all of your input too.” He said addressing the crowd at large and feeling gratified when he heard multiple people translating.

Settling himself on the ground and watching the others in the line follow suit – some were already seated but many had stood when Jonghyun entered the line. Pulling out a notebook and a pen, he prepared for a long brainstorming session.

“Right, let’s hear them, then.”

Two hours later and Jonghyun had filled ten pages of his notebook with various notes. Some people, like Sohee, had incredibly specific desires when it came to what they wanted to hear from the group. Others had less demands but desired a specific genre or for a specific member to be featured a little more. It was an enlightening session and had actually given Jonghyun many potential avenues to explore.

The conversation quickly moved on – as quick as it could when many people were talking through amateur interpreters – and they talked for a while about their general likes and dislikes in songs. Jonghyun was able to work out several things that were practically industry standards that the fans didn’t seem to like, so that was interesting. He always aimed to make his music original and hopefully avoid clichés and catches that everyone had heard before, however it was sometimes hard to avoid. With this information he could make a good case as to whether he should include them or not.

The group also spoke about what they loved about SHINee and how they became fans in the first place. Some people had interesting stories, such as Jieun who got into the group because of her mother who had a strange affection for adorable young boys. Others were more standard stories of high school and discovering kpop music along with everyone else. One Japanese girl apparently got into the group because Onew looked like her brother and she liked to by playing the songs, she had then become addicted to them. A fanboy – another fanboy! – commented that his little sister loved SHINee and he had been forced to endure their music. Until he realised how good it was and had since amassed a greater collection of albums and merchandise than the girl ever had – apparently she was hardcore into EXO now.

It was only as the line began to move and the accumulated people began to enter the venue, their tickets being checked at the entrance, that Jonghyun realised that, for the first time, he was going to see SHINee as an unabashed SHINee fan. He felt a rush of warmth and pride spread through him at this thought. All around him were other people who shared and understood his love for the boys and not a single one was looking at him like he was strange or unusual. It was a liberating experience.

Grinning widely, Jonghyun took in the large space. The VIPs moved to the front and found their spaces for the rehearsal and the following concert. Jonghyun ended up next to the barrier along with Sohee, Jieun and Ayumi and he was glad they were all together, he liked these girls.

Spotting a staff member he knew, Jonghyun signalled the man over. As he approached, Jonghyun spoke over the sound of the crowd in order to be heard by the man. Only the VIP ticket holders were in the room currently and already it was very loud in there. Coupled with the sounds of the stage technicians moving equipment around and it was difficult to hear others talk.

“Did you get my text?”

The man didn’t even bother to answer with words and merely nodded. Signalling he’d be right back he headed to the side of the stage. Jonghyun hummed – not audible in the room but loud in his own head – and shrugged innocently. He saw Sohee roll her eyes and he stuck his tongue out in response, ignoring the girl’s scandalised response.

The SM Entertainment staff member returned relatively quickly, clutching three passes in his hands. Giving them to Jonghyun he gave a jaunty salute and wandered off, back to whatever he was doing before. Distributing the passes to the three fans, Jonghyun watched in amusement as their eyes widened dramatically at reading what they said – in Korean, English and Japanese.

Sohee’s head snapped up and she gasped, “You’re kidding me, right?” Her voice was maybe an octave higher than it had been before and she looked shell-shocked.

Jieun and Ayumi didn’t look much better. In fact, the Japanese girl was practically gaping as she stared at the badge.

“Back stage passes?” Jieun mouthed. She may have spoken but it was nowhere near loud enough to hear. However, Jonghyun could read her lips well enough.

“You were a great help to me and great company. I thought it was unfair to not thank you in some way. I texted Minnie earlier and he was cool with it.”

“Backstage passes.” The girl repeated, not looking completely focused.

Ayumi seemed to have finally snapped out of her daze and she practically launched herself at Jonghyun, babbling in Japanese and embracing him in a hug. Laughing loudly, he patted her head and carefully peeled the girl off of himself, rubbing at his hip where it had impacted the safety barrier.

Their little show had attracted the attention of many people around them. Most seemed confused though some, those close enough to hear them speak and who spoke Korean, looked envious. However, their looks of envy were quickly wiped when someone stepped on the stage.

The VIPs had been instructed not to scream during rehearsal, to allow the group to focus, and most members of the crowd managed to comply admirably. However, a few were unable to control themselves, releasing little squeals that were quickly stifled. Taemin, the one who had stepped on stage, winked at the crowd – causing another round of muffled shrieks – and turned back to the roadie he was listening to.
 

The rehearsal went on in that vein, with the entrance of all the members resulting in a quick ripple of noise across the crowd. It was actually fascinating to observe the rehearsal and to see the focus on the faces of the SHINee members. They were clearly very dedicated to getting this right and, although they had practiced back in Seoul, it was a little different on the actual stage.

However, all too soon it was time for the show to start. The SHINee members left the stage and the rest of the crowd was directed into their seats or standing areas. The organisation was impressive. The venue was so large and there were so many people present yet, within half an hour, the hall was practically full to bursting with people and ready to start.

 

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CHAPTER NOTES: I’ve never gone VIP to a show so I’m using a lot of creative license here. I hope it’s not too outlandish.

Cherry blossom festival pictures are up if you're interested in that, by the way. See my AFF blogs :3