Award show season.
It was sothing that fans loved and hated at the sa ti.
However, no matter what their stand was on award shows, there was one thing certain-they would vote for their favorite artists like it was a real election.
The Prestige of Asian Pop Awards, also known as PAPA, and Asia's largest music awards ceremony, was only a few hours away, but the frenzy around it had been building for weeks.
Fans, both local and international, had gathered outside the venue in clusters, each representing their favorite artists.
Signs and banners with bright LED lights blinked as they were held high above heads, each one proclaiming undying loyalty.
The PAPA was notorious for its controversies-accusations of 'attendance awards,' where so thought trophies went to those who simply showed up.
However, with a full investigation conducted last year, PAPA was determined to earn back its credibility. This ti, they'd invited the biggest, most respected artists across Asia, wanting to earn the people's trust once again.
For fans, this event was a battleground, and every minute that led up to the main event made them palpitate like they had drunk eight shots of espresso.
The red carpet area was a glittering gauntlet for idols and actors alike.
Fans shrieked as their favorite idols strolled by, flashing smiles and practicing waves while dressed to the nines.
The biggest groups were due to arrive soon, and the tension was already increasing.
Jia and her friends held their spots near the front row, eyes wide and hearts pounding as they waited for glimpses of their favorite idols-DAWN.
Among the fan crowd, a fight seed to break out.
Bora glanced back and frowned. "Goodness," he muttered. "Are the girls fighting already?"
Two groups of fans squeezed too close together, began trading insults. The two arguing fans started out pretty discreet. It was nearly drowned out by the crowd's excitent, but it eventually beca a full-blown verbal fight.
"I can't believe you're here waving that ugly lightstick," one fan, a die-hard of the group CHAOS, spat as she gestured to the fan next to her, who was proudly brandishing a lightstick in ZERO's signature colors.
"Oh, please," the ZERO fan scoffed back. "Maybe if your faves actually put in so effort, they'd look half as good as ZERO on stage."
A few other fans tried to shush them, but the CHAOS fan rolled her eyes, huffing loudly, "This is why your idol smokes! Stressed out from that 'effort,' I guess."
Jia and her friends looked at each other, trying not to laugh while simultaneously feeling secondhand embarrassnt from the exchange.
"Here we go...can't even go a minute without fan wars around here," Wei said, shaking her head.
"Oof," Jia muttered. "I, too, would smoke if I had fans like this."
Security had noticed, too. Within seconds, two tall guards swooped in and split the fans up, ushering the CHAOS and ZERO supporters apart and toward the back of the line.
"Alright, you two, enough of that," one guard said sternly as they escorted the bickering fans away. The fans groaned in protest, one of them whining, "But she started it!"
The other retorted, "She was being disrespectful to my boys!"
"Out. Now." The security guard was unmoved, pushing them further away as Jia and her friends watched, trying not to make eye contact with the disgruntled fans now being led off. They chuckled in amusent and quickly turned their attention back to the main event. Group after group arrived in dazzling outfits, sending caras flashing with every step. Jia spotted KIZZ , the girl group known for their sexy stage presence.
Tonight, they wore matching red dresses, glistening under the lights with bold silhouettes and sparkling fabric. Their long, sleek hairstyles and dark makeup drew admiration from every corner as they posed gracefully. One mber winked at the cara, and the fans lost it; screams were heard through the cold air.
Not long after, CHAOS erged, the boy group making waves with their intense performances.
They wore slick black suits, classic yet powerful. The fans, previously arguing over them, resud their screams, montarily forgetting their earlier fight. CHAOS exchanged waves and nods before walking to the interview area.
"Haruki is so fine," Bora exclaid.
"Tell about it," Nari sighed dreamily.
Monts later, another group, ZTC142576-a rookie group whose na was too hard to morize-arrived in similar black suits.
They walked confidently, trying to keep their nerves under control as caras captured every angle.
Their fans cheered enthusiastically, hoping this would be their breakthrough mont in front of a broader audience.
Jia couldn't help but notice how the rookie group's energy clashed with CHAOS's, both presenting similar looks but giving off such different vibes.
"I think they're the fourth boy group to wear black suits tonight," Jia observed.
Bora nodded. "It's the classic outfit for award shows, really. If it's not black suits, then it's white suits, or not, it's red suits."
They began to get into the traditions of award shows. But then, the crowd beca more
excited than usual.
DAWN had arrived.
It was honestly pretty concerning how the fans imdiately recognized DAWN's car. However, then again, K-Pop fans were probably among the best investigators on the planet. If you had told K-Pop fans that their favorite idol was on the Titanic, then they would have done everything to save it.
anwhile, in the car, the mbers of DAWN were stuck in silence.
Despite performing countless tis before, they couldn't help but feel nervous. This was their first award show appearance, of course-so it was to be expected.
However, if you asked them, it wasn't the performance they were nervous about.
Instead, it was what they were wearing-sothing they had only co up with three days before the award show. It was tailored very quickly, and they didn't have enough ti to take
it all in as they got dressed just a few monts ago.
Sehun looked at his mbers and sighed.
"Can we really wear this?" he asked.
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