Sorry this is so late >>!
I didn't get there particularly early that day since I had to wait for my other friend who is Yunho-biased. By time we finally arrived, our other friends were a little annoyed, ah sorry. I won't ramble too much about other stuff, but basically it took us ages and ages to find the entrance and on the way we passed lots of merch stalls. I don't know whether it's because I got there too late, but I didn't see any HoMin goods… I spent a really long time looking for them but didn't manage to find any. Cassiopeia that day was nothing like how it used to be, it took up around 1/3 of the stadium, and there were a lot of Chinese and Japanese fans who'd come to see HoMin. My seat was in section A so it took me quite some time to get there. When I finally located it, I was slightly overwhelmed, the seats up above were already filled, and looking up, I realized that the biggest group there was still Cassiopeia, they took up nearly 3 whole areas. I remember seeing on the poster that Cassiopeia was only allocated two sections… After that I noticed some Yunho banners. Yunho is absolutely phenomenal, there were at least 9 Yunho banners, and it was pretty much the same for Changmin. I took a few photos and then walked off to find my seat. When I found it, I realized that it was actually very close to the front but quite far off to the side (later on I realized that it was actually a really good seat because all the artists would pass by in front of me on their way off the stage).
The Korean staff really were ridiculously serious, they didn't allow any umbrellas despite how sunny it was, bags had to be kept under the seats and the audience was to remain seated at all times. I really couldn't see the problem with me standing up, I wouldn't have been in the way of any body anyway.
I think most people know by now that we waited a full 6 hours for HoMin. The order outlined on the performance schedule wasn't followed and all of the HoMin fans got really anxious. Half way through the show, someone called me and asked for a live report of what was happening. Fortunately, I'd left home with a fully charged battery because HoMin still had not appeared by the end of the first segment. Before the break, Leeteuk told us 'You'll see the people you're here for'. We all thought he meant that HoMin would perform in the second segment and so I stayed put in my seat, refusing to go to the bathroom. Then I phoned my friend asking her to call again in a bit.
International calls are by no means cheap, and since the concert lasted for so long, we were all completely exhausted and slouching on our chairs. The only artists we saw were Super Junior, SHINee, SNSD, f(x) and BoA, they kept coming on stage one after the other. By that time, we'd really given up when all of a sudden, everything went dark. We barely had time to react when screams started to echo throughout the stadium. I really couldn't see HoMin anywhere but everyone else around me had gone insane and the staff's attempts to keep the audience in control had completely gone to waste.
Taking advantage of the chaos, my friends and I ran towards a different section that was closer to the stage and that when we saw Yunho and Changmin descending from above. We were all really excited then and everyone was screaming their names at the top of our lungs. Then, oh christ, then Yunho saw us… he nodded at us and flashed a smile. Most of us were too shocked to form coherent words. A few members of staff came over asking us to put down our flashboards and to go back to our seats except that none of us listened… we all just went and found an empty seat to sit on close to the stage. (My phone rang at that moment, but because I'd kept it on for so long, it ran out of battery and switched itself off) Once HoMin reached the stage, we heard a sped up version of 'Miduhyo' . What people didn't realize was that no matter how they changed the rhythm and speed of the song, it still brought an ache to our hearts when it reached our ears. When they got to the rap in 'Mirotic', I lost control. The stage that once belonged to 5 now stood only 2. Watching Changmin cover Yoochun's part of the rap was what really made the tears fall. I turned over to look at my friend and she was crying too. There was really no way we could have held the tears in in a situation like that. A few SHINee fans who were sitting in front of us saw us crying and spread the words to others around them. Lots of people turned around to stare but we really couldn't care less. When the singing was over, they greeted us with' Hello everybody, we are Dong Bang Shin Ki'. The pain I felt at that moment was simply indescribable and that was what brought about a whole new round of tears. All the fans were screaming as Yunho's solo began. It was really charismatic and it was a song none of us had heard before. I sat in my seat and watched quietly as Yunho danced his heart out. The weather was hot and stuffy, and watching him sweat the way he did made my heart ache. Behind him, Changmin appeared, and when the song was over, another Super Junior track began to play.
I felt a pang of disappointment hit me as the stage ended, but right at that moment, Trax came on stage with Heechul and Changmin got on stage. He began to sing a rock version of 'Don't Don' (To those who might've been mistaken, Changmin wasn't there as an accompaniment, he was the focal point of that performance, everyone else on stage was standing off to the side and he was the only person singing. His high notes were delivered beautifully so I honestly have no idea why some people thought he was there as an accompaniment…) Yunho didn't come on again after that and so I returned to my original seat. I realized that my friend had completely broken down, i looked at her and then looked back again at the stage that was now empty, and felt tears begin to fall. The two of us sat there crying for god knows how long and our makeup was completely ruined.
Eventually it was time for the group performance. HoMin came on in a different set of clothes. They were on the main stage but then they began to walk towards us. I paid no notice to the heels I was wearing and followed the crowd as they ran towards HoMin. Again, the staff had completely lost control over the audience and they'd pretty much given up trying. I stood right at their feet, really, I was so close I could see Changmin's uneaven eyes. The two of them took red balloons from us and Yunho ran to the very front of the stage calling our name (Cassiopeia). There were lots of us there that day. HoMin were just as they used to be, they remained at the very edge despite the crowd that was forming at their feet.
Finally it was time to leave. Just before I reached the door, I heard a loud shout and stopped immediately. Turning back, I saw that it was Changmin. Ah, that child, he didn't want us to leave. It was 12 in the morning by the time I got home. I was completely exhausted and I'd really cried my eyes out, yet the minute I got home, I switched on my computer to look through photos from a-nation. Seeing JaeChunSu putting their everything into their performances over at Japan suddenly made me realize that this was the first and probably the last time I was ever going to see Cassiopeia with my own two eyes*. Two whole days I spent going through photos from SMTown and a-nation. I was utterly worn out, in the physical sense of course, but even more so, I was emotionally exhausted. Right now, the only thing I want is to know that they're good and well. There's nothing more that I can possibly want or hope for.
*This was written by a Chinese fan who was staying in Korea at the time of SMTown.
Credits: TVXQasia
Trans by: dorfehh@DBSKnights
Shared by: DBSKnights
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