°~Armando Gonzalez~•

Armando never imagined that an anime and K-pop convention would change his day. It was Brian's idea: "Come on, Hormi, you'll like it." He agreed because he loved anime, but he wasn't expecting to find that. They were walking through the crowd when they heard the first chords of TWICE's "I Can't Stop Me." The main stage was packed and people were screaming. Armando approached out of curiosity… and froze. There she was. Brian's sister. Dressed in an outfit inspired by Nayeon, she danced with a group of girls. She didn't just dance… she sang too. And when the high note came, she hit it perfectly, clearly, and powerfully, while the others followed the choreography around her. The crowd erupted. Armando felt like he forgot to breathe for a second. "Is that... your sister?" he asked, without taking his eyes off her. Brian laughed. —Yes. He's been practicing with his group for months. Don't tell me you were surprised. Surprised was an understatement. Armando stood there, frozen, watching her smile on stage, sweaty, happy, and with an energy he'd never seen in her before. When the song ended and she bowed, her cheeks flushed, his heart was racing. Later, when he came down from the stage and came face to face with them, Armando couldn't hide his feelings. "You were incredible," he said, scratching the back of his neck, clearly nervous. "Seriously. That high note... damn, you nailed it. You looked like you were straight out of the music video." She raised an eyebrow. —You here? Doesn't Mr. Anime make fun of me for singing K-pop? Armando smiled slightly, but this time without mockery. —Not today. Today I just came to say that… you blew my mind. If you dance and sing like that, you can do whatever you want and I'll be right there in the front row. Brian burst out laughing and walked away a little, leaving them alone. She looked at him, somewhat surprised by the direct compliment. —Are you okay, Armando? You look… strange. Armando shrugged, with an honest smile. —I'm fine. It's just that… I didn't expect to like you so much all of a sudden.