[Minwoo’s point of view]
I watched the golden clock on the wall slowly tick by. It was 7:57 P.M.
By now, the ballroom in the luxurious Gangnam Event Center was bustling with high-societal guests who were trying to mingle and make connections for their inner circles. There were various types of well-known names around me, including actors, singers, CEOs, and politicians.
I could only assume what sort of scandalous things happened behind closed doors with such influential people. When entering, aka sneaking in, I had accidentally overheard gossip that the tabloids would pay big bucks to feature in tomorrow’s headlines. These people needed to touch some grass or something.
I sat at a round table meant to seat five or six individuals, but I hogged it all by putting my crossed legs over the top. My feet caused a few crystal glasses to tip over. The loud CLANG got the attention of several attendees.
What they didn’t know was that I did it on purpose so the guests, who were giving me the stink eye for being undignified, would think I was already tipsy from the expensive alcohol. I wanted the attention on myself and not the additional ‘guests’ arriving late.
I leaned my head back and sighed when I saw the current time. 7:58 P.M.
Only a single minute passed? Why did it feel like thirty?
So boring and stuffy.
As I waited, I browsed through the pamphlet that came with each seat. It contained the schedule, list of speakers, sponsors, and all that good stuff that I couldn’t care less about. How this was considered entertainment, I would never know.
My hair and suit matched the formal theme. The red bowtie squeezed my neck too tight and gave me claustrophobia. Unlike the other patrons, I wore a white hospital mask to cover the lower half of my face. It was out of place and definitely suspicious. To be honest, I was surprised security hadn’t approached me yet to ask who I was since this was an invitation-only party.
It was astonishingly easy to get in through the back. In today’s world, that was foolish. For me, it was the best-case scenario I could have hoped for.
The clock read 7:59 P.M.
If Jihoon, our cameraman and tech genius, did his easy-peasy job to infiltrate the building’s security room, hack into their lighting systems, turn off the rotating cameras, and delete all video footage of tonight, our plan should begin in…
3…
2…
1…
8:00 P.M.
Half of the chandeliers switched off, leaving a warm glow that resembled a club atmosphere. The aristocrats had worried expressions, wondering if the power was going out. Some asked the staff when it would be restored while others mumbled complaints in their champaign stupor.
Within seconds, the speakers blared a deep bass that shook the glittering, marble tiles under our feet. My bones vibrated. The chairs and glass rattled with every booming pulse. The whining turned to questions and wide eyes.
Beside the dance floor, a lady screamed and dropped her drink, pointing at whatever she saw across the room. It made everyone’s attention go there, heads turning quickly.
A server was what frightened them. The disguised woman wore a U.S. President Nixon mask that I knew was purchased at a Halloween store in the clearance aisle. She jumped on the stage. The mid-sized orchestra scrambled quickly with their million-dollar instruments in tow, disappearing behind the curtain.
Imposter Nixon aggressively danced with the beat. Her body defied gravity, bending her spine unnaturally. The contortion moves had them gasping in horror. I wanted to laugh because if that was faint-inducing to these people, how would they survive the real world on the streets?
She stopped her bone-snapping freestyle and transitioned into hip-hop.
With all the attention fixated on the dancer, another woman in the crowd took the chance to reach into her fake diamond-encrusted purse to retrieve a screaming ghost mask. She shoved the bag at an old geezer and copied the same energetic routine. On different song counts, more people came forward with different masks. A cat. A demon. A motorcycle helmet. They were everywhere.
You could see them on the stage. You could see them on the center’s open floor. You could see them on the buffet tables, spilling food.
Like I said, everywhere.
Many of the visitors tried to flee, but the doors were blocked by the party wreckers. As this was going on, I never bothered to look up from my pamphlet.
Why?
Because I was the one who choreographed it.
I didn’t need to see which part they were at since I remembered each move by heart. I grabbed my mask hidden underneath my blazer and placed it securely on my head. It was the tragedy face representing drama theatre. Our identities couldn’t be revealed since we’d be arrested and put behind bars for a decade.
After all, South Korea’s government made it illegal to do these types of flash mobs and battles, deeming them as ‘public disturbances.’
I was the last one to go. The song built up, the tempo quickening. At the drop, I threw my piece of scrap paper into the air and pounced on the table to join them. My body matched the bass’s rhythm, making us one entity. The table was about to snap in half by my powerful stomps.
I immersed myself in the music with just a smidge of awareness so I wouldn’t lose my balance. The thing was rickety as heck. For a party with a huge budget, they sure went scant on the furniture. I bet the money flew straight into the building owner's pockets instead.
Jihoon appeared from the shadows. He hustled over to me to get footage of their group leader in action.
Might as well give them a show, right?
I went against the flow and back-flipped off the table. I ran towards a trio of older women. They clutched their pearls at my sudden approach. Not breaking eye contact with them, I lifted my shirt to expose my sweaty six-pack abs. The prim and proper ajummas covered their eyes, no doubt mortified by the young man practically humping the air.
Right before the song finished, five security guards barged in with their batons in hand.
“Hey! Stop!” the middle one yelled.
Like always, whenever the fun ended, we booked it out of there in pairs just in case the guards decided to go after one of us. It was easier to lose them by splitting up if we were the unlucky ones to be chased.
Today was ill-fated for me. A single officer came rushing my way. My escape partner, Ha-rin, was at my side.
“Where’s your date?” I laughed, referring to the elderly man who still had her costume prop. We pushed between the crowd.
“Shut up,” Ha-rin retorted in her horror movie mask.
We sprinted through the labyrinth of hallways. Once we hit a section that split like a T, she went left. I turned right. I looked back at the frantic officer. He ultimately decided to go after Ha-rin, assuming a woman in heels would be slower.
Thank you for your sacrifice, Ha-rin, I thought. In reality, I wasn’t worried for her.
I navigated the large maze until reaching my hidden spot to change clothes. My crew specifically chose it. The other day, during public hours, they scouted the place for any areas that wouldn’t be used tonight. There wasn’t a soul around. Perfect.
A fake bush concealed my backpack, planted there earlier. I took off my suit quickly and replaced it with gym clothes and a baseball cap. After I shoved the black-tie attire into the bag, I took off my mask and tossed it in.
ZIP.
I headed towards the nearest exit door. Once outside, I could blend in with the normal citizens—
I stopped mid-step, stiffening when I saw a guy with baby-pink hair watching me with gawking eyes. Every alarm bell rang in my head. We stared at each other in an awkward pause.
Why the heck is someone here? Was he at the party? How much did he see? My face. Oh man, my face! I’ve been exposed!
Pretty boy started to say something. “Hello, can I—"
I didn’t want to listen.
I dashed past him to flee. He didn’t follow. Once I got out of the back alley, I stopped running as soon as average locals surrounded me. It was difficult to relax because I was in fight-or-flight mode. My legs itched to rush home, but if I did that, it’d look fishy.
Security guards scrambled around the building. They scanned the public for any well-dressed offenders. This was why we had planned to change outfits before escaping.
Crap, crap, crap. I was in deep. Like, real deep.
I stood at the bus stop, casually glancing around if anyone suspected me. The couples who were enjoying their night out didn’t care about my presence. The coast was clear. For good measure, I leafed through random apps on my phone, pretending to be ignorant of the chaos my crew had caused just five minutes ago.
I hopped on the first bus that arrived. It did not matter where it went to, I just needed to get out of Gangnam. I sat down in the very back, sinking into the seat while pulling down my cap over my eyes. The breath I let out was long and drawn.
That dude seemed familiar somehow, but I couldn’t put a finger on it. My brain was too overstimulated to remember.
Was there a point to even stress about it, though? Seoul had almost ten million people. What were the chances of bumping into each other again?
***
[Cover Version 2]
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