Chapter 44: Fly to the Sky II

The intro for ‘Ghosts’ started playing, and Yoo Chun started rapping as he stepped off the platform he was standing on.

Yoo Chun: This is Micky, baby, puttin’ it in for S-Cube…
Haha…
Sierra, baby… do your thing…

Sierra: I turned around as I felt your presence
I was disappointed when I saw, there was no one there
I continued to walk and I heard you whisper
The ghosts of our past are haunting me, haunting me

Skye: I was walking in a crowd when I saw you
Standing right in the middle, as people passed by
I called your name and all at once you disappeared
The ghosts of our past are driving me mad, driving me mad

Shoei: Why can’t I exorcise these thoughts away
They’re driving me to insanity,Why do they torture me
Sierra: I scream in silence as the ghosts ravage my mind
I wish I can end this torture by ending my life

S-Cube: I wish you didn’t walk away
Without a word, without a care
The memories we shared are suffocating me
Only if you came back, you’d be able to save me

I wish you didn’t walk away
Without a word, without a care
The times we spent together keep reminding me
Only if you came back, you’d be able to save me

Yoo Chun: Yeah~ yeah~ here we go…
The ghosts of our pasts just won’t go away
How much more do I need to beg
For you to come back, to stay
Only you can save my sanity, baby
Only you can cure me
Without you I’d go mad
As I drown in my screams

Shoei: Why can’t I exorcise you from my head
You’re driving me mad, you’re torturing me
Sierra: I scream in silence as your ghosts ravage my mind
Stop haunting me, I beg you, if you’re not coming back
Skye: Just take my life, and end this right now

S-Cube:I wish you didn’t walk away
Without a word, without a care
The memories we shared are suffocating me
Only if you came back, you’d be able to save me

I wish you didn’t walk away
Without a word, without a care
The times we spent together keep reminding me
Only if you came back, you’d be able to save me

Yoo Chun: You heard me, baby…Come back to me

As the song ended, we received another deafening round of applause. Just then, the rest of TVXQ appeared again and the audience went absolutely crazy at the sight of them.

“Kamsahamnida,” S-Cube and Yoo Chun waved as the rest of TVXQ joined us.

“Wow… wasn’t that a great performance?” Chang Min asked the audience and they screamed their approval.

“Maybe Yoo Chun should join S-Cube from now on,” Jun Su teased and the audience yelled their disapproval.

“No?” Jae Joong teased the audience. “You’re saying Yoo Chun should stay with TVXQ?” the audience screamed again.

“Don’t worry,” Yoo Chun laughed. “I’m going to stay with TVXQ until the day I die.”

“So what do we have in store for everyone here tonight?” Yun Ho turned to the guys.

“I don’t know,” Jun Su winked. “I’m pretty tired. Can we all go home?” he asked the audience.

“No!” they yelled back at him.

“No?” he sighed. “Araso…” he smiled.

“Does anyone want to hear the dolphin cry?” Yoo Chun said slyly and the audience cheered.

“Yah!!” Jun Su exclaimed and jabbed Yoo Chun.

“Come on, Jun Su,” he laughed. “You need to give our fans here something to remember.”

“Yea, hyung,” Chang Min chipped in. “Do the dolphin cry!”

Jun Su looked a little embarrassed for a moment, then decided to do it. He raised a fist in the air and cried out. A wave of laughter and cheers echoed through the arena.

“Let’s get back to business,” Yun Ho said and they got into their positions. “This one’s an old favorite. Everyone, enjoy.”

Strains of violins played from the huge speakers, it was ‘Tri-Angle’. Skye, Shoei and I took the opportunity to run backstage. I had another costume change for my duet with Jae Joong. We had a long break back stage as this would be the part where mainly TVXQ performed. 20 minutes later, Jae Joong, Chang Min and Yoo Chun appeared in the dressing room. This meant that Yun Ho and Jun Su were performing ‘All Rise’, which was originally sung by the English band, Blue. As they walked in, the assistant rushed forward and started dabbing off the sweat on their faces with tissues.

“It’s so hot out there!” Chang Min exclaimed.

“Yea…” I laughed. “And I thought I was gonna feel cold.”

“The stage lights are like lasers,” Jae Joong said as he dabbed the sweat from his neck with a tissue. A little piece got stuck to his chin. I stood up and went toward him to pluck it off. “You ready?” he asked me softly. We were supposed to sing ‘Insa’ after Jun Su’s solo performance.

“Yea,” I said softly and smiled. “Go get changed,” I pushed him and he walked quickly to get into his next costume.

When he walked back, he was a vision in white, dressed in a white and grey suit and his hair was slicked back just as he had it during the Prince in Prague photo book. He looked like a prince, no doubt. He had on a matching top hat and was accessorized with some impressive diamond studs. I was dressed in a v-necked, white and flowing chiffon dress, which had really thin straps and the skirt touched the floor. On my head was a little crystal encrusted tiara and in my ears, crystal chandelier earrings to match the tiara. The makeup artist rushed forward to put the final touches to my makeup, which had been toned down earlier, since the performance of ‘Desperate’ and ‘Ghosts’. I now had a more natural and rosy look with lips that were glossed and glittering.

“2 minutes!” the PD yelled and Jae Joong and I started walking toward the exit to the stage. We thumped Yun Ho on the back as he walked past us, on his way to the dressing room.

“Good job,” I smiled at him.

“Thanks,” he grinned.

At the point where we had to go our separate ways so that we exited on the right and left side of the stage, respectively, Jae Joong took my hand and held it to his lips. He turned my hand so that my wrist faced upwards and kissed it softly.

“You look like a princess,” he said softly and touched my face lightly before he turned and walked towards his exit. I smiled to myself as I walked towards mine.

The stage was filled with mist as the piano and violin opening of ‘Insa’ played. The audience cheered as our entrances were illuminated and we slowly emerged from the beams of light like as if we’d just stepped in from another world. As we walked down the grand staircase, the music slowly changed its tone and tempo to the Electronica style of the version we’d recorded with the Clazziquai Project. We reached the base of the staircase and Jae Joong held my hand with his left hand and the microphone with his right. We started walking towards the right of the main stage as he sang and when we stopped, I waved at the audience.

Jae Joong: parami momun keu shiganjoch'a
naegen nomu mojaran gol
han bonae miso majiman insa
saranghamnida keudae

(We walked towards the runway as I sang and walked down it slowly, still hand in hand.)

Sierra: shigane chich'yodo sarange apado
keu siganjoch'a ch'uokigo
majiman insal haneyo
saranghamnida
saranghamnida

(We reached the fork in the runway and stepped on a round platform surrounded by a metal rail that reached our waists. An assistant rushes forward to latch the railing and the platform brought us up about 12 feet into the air. The audience started cheering as we went upwards; some were waving their balloons like crazy to catch our attention.)

Jae Joong & Sierra: Fly away, fly away, love
Fly away, fly away, love
Fly away, fly away, love
naesaenge danhanbonwi saranga
annyong

The lift was brought back down and we got off it and walked back to the main stage as we continued to sing the rest of the chorus until it was a faint echo. The song ended and we bowed and then gestured to a piano which was rising from the middle of the stage. Yoo Chun was sitting at the piano and he played the opening of ‘Yeowoobi’, the song he’d composed himself.

Yoo Chun: Chogum pureuji anheun nomu heurijido anheun keu moksori
naerineun keu ap'eume p'ihal usanjoch'a chunbi mot hago

(Jae Joong and I walked towards Yoo Chun to stand by the piano.)
Sierra: Pabo kattago ajikeun choeumira pabo kattago haedo

Yoo Chun: Teo isang heureul su obneun nae nune koin nunmuldeulman
karigo

(I gesture to Jae Joong and then to the audience.)

Sierra: Nae sarangui misoreul alge hae chun keu sigan sogeseo
ojjeom keureoge malrahgagetji eoje keu bimulch'eoreom

(Jae Joong takes my hand and holds it to his chest.)

Jae Joong: Geuminhangeoyeoseo mal hanmadi teonjin keu sunganmada
deo isang heureul su eobneun nae nune koin nunmuldeulman
kamch'ugo

(He lets go of my hand and puts an arm around me; the audience scream.)

Sierra: Nae sarangui misoreul alge hae jun keu sigan soge seo
eojjum keureohge malrahgehgehtji eoje keu bimulch'eoreom

Jae Joong: Irohge chiuji mot hae kaseumman teouk cheoryreo ojiman
ojjeom keurohge kidarigetji ajik nan heurinikka

Yoo Chun: Ajik nan heurinikka

(Jae Joong tilts my chin up with his left index finger and then turns to look at the audience.)

Jae Joong: Malgeun haneule hanbangul hanbangul nan ulgi sijakhamnida

The cheers were deafening as Jae Joong spoke the last words of the song. The three of us turned to face the crowd and we bowed.

“Kamsahamnida!” Yoo Chun shouted and waved.

The lights on the stage dimmed and we got off quickly as Yun Ho, Chang Min, Skye and Shoei entered. They were to perform Shinhwa’s ‘Perfect Man’ together.

The rest of the concert went by quickly and soon, it was time for the finale. We joined TVXQ in their performance of the song ‘Balloons’. True to the cosmic team, this time, we were all dressed in cute alien-esque outfits inspired by the alien characters in the Disney cartoon, ‘Lilo and Stitch’. We ran out onstage as the intro of ‘Balloons’ played. The audience squealed in recognition of the song.

As we danced, the audience waved their balloons in time to the song. We ran out to the ends of the runway and waved at the audience. The crew passed us some baseballs with our faced printed on it and we tossed it at the audience. The girls in the audience squealed in excitement whenever they caught one of the baseballs. Someone threw a huge teddy bear at Jun Su and it almost knocked him to the ground. He grinned and picked up the bear. As we walked back to the main stage, Jun Su dragged the bear along the stage, like a child would with a toy that was almost as big as he was, except that the bear was only half of Jun Su’s height. On the main stage, we gathered on a special platform which will take us offstage. A beam of light shone down on us and graphics of the spaceship seen at the introduction of the concert showed up on screen. The platform brought us upwards, until it was hidden by the top area of the stage. As we went up, we waved goodbye.

“Kamsahamnida!!” we yelled to the audience. All the way up, the audience was screaming like crazy. I spotted a few of them wiping their tears on their sleeves.

“We love you NYC!” Yoo Chun yelled.

The moment we reached the top of the stage, the beam of light immediately turned off and the stage was lit in a dim light. As we got off the platform onto the walkway above the stage, credits for the concert rolled up on the huge screens onstage; the concert had ended. We filed down the stairs which brought us to the corridor backstage.

“Yeah!!” Skye yelled as soon as we walked into the dressing room. We laughed and gathered in a group hug.

“Good job, everyone,” Yun Ho said.

“I was so nervous back there,” I laughed. “I was afraid that the lift wouldn’t be able to take the weight of the eight of us.”

“Me too,” Chang Min exclaimed. “Hyung, why didn’t you leave the bear onstage?” he asked Jun Su.

“It weighs like nothing. You guys are so paranoid,” he grumbled and hugged the bear.

“That’s a big bear,” Yoo Chun said. “It could easily weigh in at 5 kilograms.”

“Araso,” Jun Su said. “No more bears on the lifts in future.”

We packed up and reached Atlas at about 1am. I threw myself on the bed the moment I walked into my room. Jae Joong walked in a minute later and threw himself on top of me.

“Jae Joong!” I gasped at the impact of his weight.

“Mian,” he said as he got up quickly. I turned around and glared at him, or rather, I tried to glare at him. I struggled to keep my eyes open as I was almost falling asleep when he came in.

“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” I said as I closed my eyes, succumbing to my tiredness. He laughed and lay down beside me; his fingers came to touch my eyelashes lightly and my eyes twitched as he did.

“You look hilarious when you’re trying to keep your eyes open,” he said.

“I can’t help it. I’m so sleepy,” I mumbled.

“Aren’t you going to shower?” he said as he poked my ribs lightly.

“I want to…” I moaned. “Carry me to the bathtub.”

“In your dreams,” he said. “I’m gonna shower first.”

“Then I’m not gonna shower and you’ll have to sleep with a stinky me.”

“I don’t mind,” he laughed.

“Ya…” I whined. “Help me up.”

“Araso…” he said as he pulled me up by my outstretched arms.

I fumbled my way to the bathroom through half-opened eyes and had a quick shower.

That night, I slept soundly in Jae Joong’s arms until the sunlight flooded the room in the morning. I opened one eye to look around. I smiled as I realized I’d almost forgotten we were in New York. I closed my eyes, then turned to face Jae Joong and snuggled closer to him, hiding my face from the sun by burying my face in his shirt. He stirred slightly and he tightened his arms around me. Our lives felt like they were at their peaks at the moment. What could be better than what we have now?