The venue announced itself from a block away—a low roar that grew as the van got closer, flashes already strobing through the tinted windows before they even pulled up.
"Remember," Manager Park said as they slowed to a stop. "Smile, wave, answer anything soft, ignore anything else. You've done this before."
"Not like this," Jisoo said.
"Close enough. Follow Haejin."
Security opened the doors.
The sound was immediate and enormous. LUMEN! LUMEN! LUMEN!—hundreds of voices layered into something that felt almost physical, a wall of noise and love and cameras going off like lightning strikes. The red carpet stretched ahead of them, lined with press on both sides, photographers already jostling for position.
