The Idol's Wife

"Ash, the next performance is due in fifteen minutes!" Ash's manager informed him.

"Alright," Ash sighed. Dasom and Jinhyun were there with him at the dressing room. They were in the middle of their concert tour and the third series of performances were underway.

"How many more performances do we have?" Dasom asked.

"One more week only," Jinhyun said, checking the schedule. "The next stop will be the last one and then we can go back home."

He turned to Ash.

"It feels weird," Jinhyun commented in a sad tone. "To perform without KJ."

""Yeah," Ash agreed. "But we have no choice. Our agency handles the schedule. We're under their contract."

His voice had a hint of bitterness. He resented the agency's stance on the group's activities while their leader was lying in a coma. 

"CEO Ahn is really cruel," Dasom said furiously. "How did he even think of making us perform without KJ? EXOTIC never performed without any member! It was either all of us or none of us! Did he forget that we turned his failing company into one of the top entertainment firms? How can he even suggest such a thing?"

"But don't you think it's strange?" Jinhyun questioned.

"How so?" Ash frowned.

"I mean," Jinhyun's brows furrowed. "Remember when KJ had a minor accident during one of our practices two years ago?"

"Yeah," Ash said slowly.

"It was not a major accident," Jinhyun went on. "But, CEO Ahn cancelled the whole concert to let KJ recuperate. He lost millions but he still would not let us perform without KJ, even though KJ insisted to continue."

"What are you trying to enunciate?" Ash asked.

"Well…" Jinhyun bit his lips. "CEO Ahn told us that the Cartel was after KJ. And now, KJ is in a come. Yet, CEO Ahn insisted that we continue with the concert this time. Was he really worried about losing money?"

"Even if we're here, KJ has been given the highest security by the Abyss," Dasom reasoned. "Besides, we could not have provided much help there. It's KJ they're after. They'd attack him directly. But with Abyss there, they won't be able to do much. If they had, we'd have gotten the news."

Ash's mind was full of questions. It was true that CEO Ahn's behavior was odd. Was he really the same man who used to cancel whole concerts whenever any of the EXOTIC members were injured or sick?

"You guys are up!" the manager announced as he barged in.

"Let's go," Ash said. They stood up, ready to head out towards the stage.

"So, you guys remember the sequence?" Ash asked as they were walking out of the room.

"I will do the breakdance as usual," Jinhyun recounted. "While Dasom will take over KJ's poses."

"Yes, and when we'll reach the second stanza, I'll start the rap," Ash said. "Meanwhile, Dasom you-"

Suddenly, a mousy girl bumped into him. She blushed after realizing whom she bumped into.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked.

"That's alright," Ash smiled at her. The girl was wearing a volunteer badge and was probably from the organizer's team. She scurried off, her cheeks red.

"Let's go," Ash told the others. They nodded and climbed up the stage.

Bright flashes of lights welcomed them as they ascended the stage. The crowd in front of them was the largest one they had till date. After KJ's accident, it seemed the fans wanted to support this concert as much as possible for the sake of their leader. Even if there were some critics, most fans showered them with love and admiration for continuing the concerts to commemorate KJ's contributions. 

The cheers of the crowd were deafening. The whole stadium was lit with purple and yellow lightsticks, the official colors of their fandom. The sea of lights illuminated the whole place, not leaving a single dark spot. The lights flashed into the sky, glittering in the dark, making the whole place look like a festive heaven.

As the three members stood on the stage, an extra mic was placed in the middle, to symbolize the person missing from there.

Looking straight at the audience, Ash directed his words to them and to the friend who was back home. The crowd's cheers slowed down.

"For the first time in years our group is performing without our leader," Ash spoke. "He is not only our leader. He is our friend. Our brother."

"We did not want to continue this concert without him," he continued. "But someone told me that this is what KJ would have wanted. For the show to go on."

"Which is why we will perform today, not just for our fans but also for the brother who is watching over us. He may not be here in person, but he's here in spirit. Jiwon, this is for you!"

The crowd cheered harder, many fans shedding tears as the members took their positions. A silent dawned upon them as everything went dark. Then the stage lit up once again. Jinhyun's majestic vocals rang throughout the stadium

"We're all trapped in this deathly maze

Baby, we're no longer who we were before…"

As the lights flashed at him, a sudden prickling feeling crept up on Ash. His senses were on high alert. He dimly noticed Dasom was going forward to sing his part. Even though the crowd was cheering their hearts out, Ash was sensing a dangerous premonition.

As if in a daze, he glanced up. One of the large headlights loomed dangerously above the center stage, where Dasom was standing. On an impulse, Ash ran forward and leapt at him.

Dasom was completely taken aback as Ash jumped at him. He was pushed back and they fell backwards. Within seconds, a loud crash rendered their hearing. The crowd's cheers turned to screams as shattered glass pieces flew everywhere.

Everyone was panicking and ran haphazardly. Ash looked up to see the large headlight had fallen on the spot where Dasom was standing just moments ago. Jinhyun, who was standing a little at the back, was out of harm's way. He was shocked by the turn of events.

Dasom, on the other hand, was completely immobilized with shock. He had escaped death very narrowly.

"W-w-what…?" he stammered at Ash.

"I want to check something," Ash said, getting up. "Jinhyun, take Dasom back to the room."

The organizers were trying to calm the crowd down but to no avail. They were running towards the exit in fear and confusion. Ash pushed past some of them and headed over to the fallen headlight.

He studied the object till he found the wire which was supposed to support it. It was a heavy wire and sturdy enough to hold the large light. However, upon examining it, he realized the wire did not snap; it was cut.

He took out his phone and texted Mirae about the incident. She replied immediately.

"Are you alright? Did you see anyone suspicious there?"

"I'm fine," he texted back. "There was a girl who bumped into me earlier. Coult if have been her?"

He hit sent. Within seconds, a text appeared.

"I'll have my men secure the CCTV footage from there," she wrote. 

Ash sent her one more text before heading back to his members. He hoped she would be able to act fast on it. 

….

Dasom and Jinhyun were sitting at the waiting room, still trying to fathom what happened.

"How did the headlight just fall like that?" Dasom whispered. "We practiced on that stage this morning and nothing was out of the ordinary."

"I don't know," Jinhyun admitted. "There's something strange about this…"

"You're right."

They looked up to see Ash standing there. 

"What do you mean?" Dasom demanded. 

"It wasn't an accident," Ash replied grimly. "It was a planned attack. And I think I know who did it."

"Who?" Jinhyun asked.

"I'll tell you later," Ash said. "For now, pack up your stuff. We're going home."