“YEAH, LET THE BOY DO HIS JOB!” a voice comes over the speakers and then an insane outburst of laughter. “LET’S FIND OUT HOW GOOD HE IS!”

Gods, Kibum, what have you brought onto yourself. Now he’s not only challenging Taemin but both of you.

After this announcement Song gives up. He orders his men to leave Key alone and retreat. But they’re dragging the rest of us out. Jjong tries to argue since his intervention had been necessary for ‘Mirotic’:

“What if he pulls another one like that? What if they need me to sing along?”

“Do you really think we are stupid?” Song asks back angrily, “just because we messed up at first doesn’t mean we’re entirely retarded. We have already taken precautions for that. You’ll stay within safe proximity of the stadium. Equipment to transmit your voice into the performance area has already been installed. It won’t sound pretty but should be sufficient.”

“But how will I know ...?” Jjong goes on.

“I’ll show you how”, Song replies darkly.

We leave through the backstage exit. The policemen remove our handcuffs as soon as we’re out in the open and us towards the front of the stadium. There are still masses of people streaming out of the exits. Although we are surrounded by security I have the impression that Song tries to use us to drag the crowd out of the danger zone by displaying us on the nearby plaza.

It works. Our fans follow us to a hastily knocked up stage in the center of the forecourt and from there are eventually channeled out of the area.

We can hear the blasting sound of the bomber’s random track-mix over outside speakers and as promised technicians have installed a makeshift sound-system with a microphone that apparently can transmit into the stadium.

Turning back towards the hall I have to swallow hard. The 10 by 10 meter display above the main entrance shows a close-up view of the center stage inside. We’re watching our members’ fateful performance ...  live.

People surround us on our little platform. But the best fans in the world are mostly cautious and the initial panic has almost subsided entirely. They’re certainly nervous and upset but not unreasonably so and I can see that they are following instructions by police and security calmly and even taking care of those who have been injured or are disoriented.

What moves me most though is that many in spite of the dangerous situation keep looking back afraid for Taemin and Kibum. I don't think it's sensation mongering but genuine worry. I’m not sure how much of the actual situation has been explained to the audience but apparently they at least have a rough idea that their safety depends on our dancers.

Minho discretely points to a group of about 20 young women and girls lined up in front of our stage facing the stadium.

“They’re praying for them”, he tells us quietly.

Jjong turns away. He’s crying.