Chapter Two

Lilly

   "Maria! I swear to God, if you are not out of that bathroom in the next five minutes, I'll drag you out by your hair!" Eva yelled, banging her fist on Maria's bathroom door. I sighed, looking up from Fruit Ninja. The door opened and Maria walked out in a perfectly co-ordinated outfit. My very recent internship as a photographer prevented me from having any pretty clothes to wear. It was only my first week at this internship, within which other interns had been sent to random locations to test their potential. I was so shocked when I found out that I was going to their Christmas Eve showcase for their album photoshoot. I could come and go whenever I wanted, but could not enjoy the concert that we had graciously been given tickets to.

   "Finally. Grab your stuff, we need to get going." Eva began throwing stuff in Maria's bag as I grabbed my photography kit and furry jacket. Eva dragged Maria away and I followed.

   At the concert hall, we found our way to the backstage door showing them our passes before we were lead in.

   "Who do we ask for directions?" Maria asked once we were inside before pulling out her phone and calling Mark.

   "Mark's phone, how can I help you?" Jackson asked through the phone Maria had put on speaker.

   "Hey, Jackson. It's Maria, we're here and we are lost."

   "Are you by the backstage door?" he asked a faint sound of door closing was heard.

   "Yeah."

   "Stay put I'll be there in a minute." The line dropped and Maria looked at her phone baffled.

   "He hung up on me. I hang up on people. People don't hang up on me." 

   "A little change is never bad." Evangeline snickered

   "There you are!" Jackson shouted from down the hallway. He and Maria embraced each other in a hug before Maria grabbed his ear.

   "How dare you hang up on me!" she said, as a constant flow of pained sounds left Jackson's mouth.

   "I'm sorry. I won't do it again, I promise." he pleaded.

   "If you two are done flirting, we should go," I rolled my eyes as we all started following Jackson. Jackson blushed while Maria rolled her eyes lopping her arm through Jackson's.

"Ignore these petty peasants. Lead me to the castle, Sir Knight." Maria commanded, holding her head high trying to imitate a princess. Jackson picked her up bridal style earning a squeak as she grasped onto his neck.

"Yes your highness.

"You two are a match made in hell." Evangeline said sarcastically. Jackson led us into the dressing room which was, surprisingly, very near, and burst in through the door.

"I have the princess!" He exclaimed shifting to Korean. Maria gasped dramatically before jumping out of his arms and threw herself next to where Mark sat.

"I see how it is. If I ever carry you again." He sat down next to Junior with his lower lip jutted out and arms crossed.

"So glad you could make it guys." Mark said standing up after prying Maria's arms away from himself to hug the two of us as well. We greeted the rest in Korean with bows, except the sleepy guy knocked out on the couch, Youngjae.

"Youngjae-ah!" Jb said shaking his shoulder, "Wake up!" The black haired boy looked up dazed, rubbing his eyes.

"Nae?" He asked sleepily, looking up at his red haired leader, "Oh hi, you guys are here," He bowed and we returned it.

"I look cute right?" Maria asked Yugyeom who was sitting on her other side on the couch. The youngest looked at her with his face tinged pink. He nodded cutely. Maria bullied him by pinching his cheeks and cooing weirdly, making everyone laugh.

"So cute, Yugyeommie," He stood up and walked to the bathroom making more laughter ring around the room at his shyness.

Evangeline had already taken a seat on one of the empty makeup chairs leaving the only space available for me next to Youngjae. So I sat down listening to Maria ramble to Mark about some new flips she'd learnt to do, Evangeline had sparked up a coversation with Junior while BamBam, Jackson and JB had, after convincing their manager begun a V app, apparently.

Nevertheless, even as I sat I couldn't sit still and was all fidgety, looking around for my guardian for the internship. He was supposed to find me later on and guide me around the job but he had not shown up yet.

In this time, Youngjae, sitting next to me on the couch had taken out his phone and started playing something. I leaned over, curious and the game he was playing caught my eye quickly.

"Is that... Death Reign 2?" I asked quietly, my eyes wide, "On your phone?" 

He looked up at me, shocked, "You know this game? Seriously?" 

"Of course! I love it! I was waiting for the sequel for the past six months; how do you even have it?" I questioned him, still very surprised.

"Well, I have my sources, y'know," he winked before showing the game to me.

"Where is Youngjae?" Jackson read out a comment and turned the camera to where Youngjae and I were sitting. Youngjae waved at the camera before it was turned away. Yugyeom decided to join his hyungs and leave Maria pouting.

"Yugyeommie!" Maria whined making grabby hand gestures. I rolled my eyes at her dramatic gestures and tuned everyone in the room out. This game had more significance. Youngjae and I talked until he had to get into his outfit and get his hair and make up done.

In a while, my guardian also showed up and I got busy getting briefed about the locations and poses and the album for the band. 

 Evangeline had during sometime along with Maria wandered over to their manager and the three were in a serious discussion. Their talk ended with a smile and handshakes.

"What were you talking about?" I asked once all my briefing was done and I understood all the basics.

"You done flirting with Youngjae?" Maria teased an do rolled my eyes.

"I wasn't flirting with him," I laughed, "He had this really awesome game in his phone and was showing it to me."

 

"Anyway, they have an off day after Christmas so I was asking him if they could spend Christmas and the next day we could go looking around. He's not on board to the idea but said someone from the staff has to be there." Evangeline explained. I nodded and Maria walked up to where BamBam was trying to use liquid eyeline by himself but kept messing up.

She offered to help him but Bambam kept trying to push her off by saying stuff like how he's "such a man" and "can take care of his own business." By the end of it, Maria was laughing hard and left Bambam alone to handle his business.

"Ok boys! Time to start the show!" the manager called out. The boys nodded, finishing up their last minute makeup and hair and following the manager out to the stage. 

"Good luck!" I cheered. As soon as the boys were gone, the girls and I also split up. Maria and Evangeline left to enjoy the show while I headed towards the location my guardian had guided me to. Now that I was alone, the nerves kicked in fully. 

Photography has always been my passion. I've always loved the camera, the sound of that shutter going down, and the feel of capturing so many precious moments in your hands forever. It's a lovely feeling, and now that I've made it this far, I don't want to disappoint those who gave me this chance to prove myself. 

Even though I'm not really a big fan of theirs, I'll become the best photographer Got7 have ever laid their eyes on.

Neverthless, I was still very curious about how they were performing the the moment, considering they were a Kpop band who I had never seen performing live before, so I decided to look around for TVs put backstage as I was still allowed to move around. I found one near the calling office of sorts, and I peeked through the window, watching them in awe as they danced with incredible footwork and coordination to an exceptionally well composed and intense song, repeating the words, "If I do" and "If you do." It seemed to be a sad and melancholic song but somehow the beat and the energy and passion with which they were dancing made one get into it to a huge extent. 

I was completely amazed and stood there in a daze until the song stopped and the screen showed them all line up side by side on the stage and announce, very loudly, "Merry Christmas!" to all the fans, as the sides of the stage started spewing fake snow and glitter and colorful ribbons everywhere, as a warm celebration of Christmas Day tomorrow and cheering rang out through the ground. 

Suddenly the group were jumping and laughing on stage, cheering and wishing their fans a Merry Christmas over again with as good English as they could manage. 

Their happiness itself seemed so contagious that I started smiling to myself, it was amazing how genuinely happy they were. They wanted the same for their fans. 

Soon, the showcase was over and the group came back backstage, incredibly exhausted but nonetheless having elated faces and all grinning from ear to ear.

I ran up to theme to congratulate their success as I saw the, file into the dressing room. 

"That was incredible, I was so amazed!" I remarked happily, "That was such a brilliant performance, you guys were absolutely amazing!!" I was so elated that I forgot most decent vocabulary.  

Just as I said that, Evangeline and Maria came inside the room and both jumped on me, hooting, then Maria jumped onto Mark.

"Mark you cutie," she grabbed his cheeks pulling them in different directions, "do you know how hard it was for me to not sock the girl next to me because she kept screaming very weird stuff I would never want to see you doing. But you were so gooooooooooood. I brought you up well." She grabbed him in a headlock giving him a noogie. Jackson chuckled as the skinny boy tried to pry Maria's hands away.

Then she grabbed Jackson's arm, pulling him roughly to her side, cheering, "You weren't kidding about the flips, I'm so jealous. You have to teach me those. And you are a Knight Sir Wang, please keep those body rolls and pelvic s to a minimum, you might scare the poor children away."

"Thanks, you guys," Mark told us, estatic, "It means a lot." 

Bambam and Yugyeom were jumping around, even happier than the rest, and kept bombarding Evangeline with questions about how she found their performance and how they looked, until JB was forced to step in to stop the harrassment, instead slipping in a question of his own.

"Did you find a good spot?" He asked her carefully, "Were you guys able to see us alright?"

"Yes, it was perfect," she answered him gladly, "Your choreography and intensity of the song blended together so well, it was an incredible experience."

Even if I were blind I wouldn't have missed the slight smirk that crossed the leader's face as he heard that compliment. *

Junior wa sprawled on the couch, scrolling intently on his phone while Youngjae lay on a stool, looking half dead. I decided  go to him.

I walked up to him as he had his head thrown back and eyes closed. He looked exhausted and seemed asleep, but as soon as I sat down on a couch arm next to him, he bolted right up and then relaxed. 

"You were great up there," I smiled at him, punching his arm lightly, "your voice is really something else"

"Thank you," he forced a smile through his tired state. 

I was curious, "Was it really that tiring? You still have a photoshoot, y'know."

Youngjae looked up at me abruptly, and as if he was ahocked, asked, "How do you know that?" 

I chuckled lightly, "Because your photographer is me." 

 Apparently all the members heard that statement and silence greeted me, after which I was being harassed left and right questions and roars. 

 . Apparently none of them knew that I was to be their photographer. I also stood there, looking confused like an idiot, ubtil Maria decided to ask the question for me, "Did you guys really not know that Lilly was going to be your photographer, you guys?" 

 More silence followed, before Mark and Jackson yelled at her in unison, "You mean you knew but never told us?! Both of you??"

 "Yeah..." 

 "But-" I stuttered, confused, directing everyone's attention toward me, "But I thought someone would have already told you?" 

 "That's the thing, we never get to know our coworkers, rather than our manager or producer that well or anything," Youngjae replied to me quickly. 

 Before I could sa anything more, the manager to the group walked into the room, with my own manager following behind (guys wherever I wrote guardian change it to manager). They announced that the break had ended and the boys needed to get ready for the photoshoot. 

 

 As this was an assignment for me, my manager wouldn't help me any further and would only assess my skills from the side. We were led to the studio, the boys gossiping behind me as they walked. Eva and Maria came too, but stood a small distance away from the cameras.

 The group bowed to me, saying loudly, "Pleasure to be working with you!" 

 I knew it was a custom to say that sort of thing and all, but it made me feel uncomfortable to such an extent that I found myself muttering "No, don't say that," and shaking my hands. 

 The poses were quite intense to suit their strongly themed album. Individual shots were extremely calm, with subtle themes like Youngjae dressed in all black and holding flowers while sitting calmly. Others went like Jackson looking hopefully toward the sky, JB standing with his back to the camera but turning his head to look directly at it, with a piercing glare that suited the themes of the album, and Junior looking distraught after a fight of sorts. Mark, Bambam and Yugyeom had the same shots in essence, looking exhausted from too much stress. Mark's gaze was deliberately made very tame and harmless while Bambam and Yugyeom were made to accommodate a "dangerous" gaze into the camera. The group shot was of them lined up, looking up the sky in a spaced out expression, as if they were helpless and thinking about what to do. This was a hard shot to capture, as it was difficult to capture the expression of desperate helplessness. It took about three retakes after which the session was done.

 The shots came out pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. 

 With the further exhausting photoshoot out of the way, the team was free of any schedule now, and dispersed to sofas and stools, wanting nothing more than sleep. 

 "Hey hey, for your first time as a pro, that was some solid photography right there!" Eva hugged me with one arm tightly. 

 "Yeah! Hold that pose right there; perfect!" Maria mocked what I was saying to Got7 during the photoshoot in high voice, but I was too amazed and ecstatic at seeing the look of approval and a nod from my manager that I completely ignored her insults and laughed out loud. 

 Snow gently began to fall outside. It was nearing midnight now, and the three of us started to get ready to leave. 

 Eva and Maria talked to the group about something as I looked through the photos I took on my camera, and when they returned I found that it was a meeting at a park tomorrow, for Christmas day. The boy's seemed very happy about it, and waved us a goodbye before we stepped out into the chilly air for home.