Travel NYC like Kino and Hong-seok of PENTAGON
We truly must thank idols for going to places we have always wanted to go, but never had reason to go near. While we might’ve complained about one or two locations, even we have to admit we had some fun in Times Square.
We digress. New York is known for the many different bridges that go in and out of all the boroughs. The Verrazano, The Manhattan, George Washington, and even the Outerbridge Crossing. But one seems to have grown in popularity in recent years. And a lot of idols have made this place a stop on their trips.
Cue PENTAGON.
Now we did say a lot of other idols have gone to this particular spot, including Ren of N’uest and all the ‘members’ of PLT, to name a few but we chose Pentagon as we had found certain spots they had chosen to photograph the famous location in a more artistic way.
Fun Fact: we are not as artistic, and had to work with the maddening crowds of a gorgeous summer day, and couldn’t wait until the middle of the night because we were on a time crunch as Sammie had gotten sick as a dog half way through the day.
Just over a mile long, and one of the oldest suspension bridges in the US, the Brooklyn Bridge is where not only cars can cross from Brooklyn to Manhattan, but above the cars is a pedestrian walkway and bike path. And it is the site that, by cloak of night, Hong-seok and Kino chose to visit in their short time in NY.
We loved walking the expanse as the wind cooled out heated skin. The contrasting views of downtown Manhattan and the ever-growing DUMBO area of Brooklyn sitting at opposite ends of the bridge, is fascinatingly beautiful.
We do plan to explore the spot at night very soon so we can say we traveled NYC exactly like Hong-seok and Kino of PENTAGON
1TEAM ‘Make News Like Extra! Extra!’ in NYC for their Hello! Just One U.S. Tour
After only debuting a year ago, 1TEAM, consisting of rapper and songwriter BC , leader and vocalist Rubin (루빈) , vocalist Jin Woo (진우), vocalist Je Hyun (제현), and finally, the maknae and the other rapper of the group, Jung Hoon (정훈), is already conquering the North American Tour circuit. With their unique blend of hip-hop, EDM, and alternative R&B, it was no surprise they were able to fill the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn with hundreds of screaming Team Ones on March 8th 2020.
As the lights went off, the shrieks got even louder as the fans screamed their lungs out for 1TEAM to hit the stage. We could feel the energy pulsating through our own bodies, and also as our eardrums felt they were going to pop from how loud the crowd was. The boys descended the side stage stairs, and hit the main stage, and somehow the cries got even louder.
The beginning of “Make This,” their title track for their most recent comeback, started with its deep, dark, EDM sound and fans recognized it instantly. If we told you we remained professional, we’d be lying. We were bopping along with the crowd, singing along as our camera decided it was going to have its own little fanatic mental breakdown.
While we tried to calm our camera down and let it know the boys were in fact real and in front of it, our hearts continued to race as we watched the amazing dance moves we had seen on our computer screens come to life before our eyes. Oh, and did we mention that most of their opening outfits were made of see through material. We didn’t? Well now we did. Composed of dark black or bright white lace the blouses left little to the imagination of Team Ones.
And once we got our camera to somewhat cooperate with us, they were on to their next song from their most recent mini album “Love it.”
Throughout the entire show they talked about how grateful they were to be on tour, and how excited they were to see the different famous places of not only NYC, but also their other tour locations. They interacted with fans picking different people in the audience to sing their favorite songs. They loved the fans and the fans loved them.
They had another outfit change and our hearts throbbed at the chill, hipster vibe their red and white ensembles gave off. Rubin even flaunted his gorgeous tattoos when he pulled the sleeves down of his dope silk varsity jacket. Which, tattoos on idols? We. Are. Here. For. It.
They continued the show with other tracks of theirs like, “TAK!,” “Countdown,” “’Bout U,” and one of our favorites, the song that got us to stan HARD for these guys, “Vibe.” Every song was filled with more and more energy, like they were simply building it all up to have it explode in the next song. Their energy was unparalleled to other shows we have been to recently. We couldn’t help but shake our butts and tap our feet in the back of the venue as we watched them kill it on stage.
Besides their own songs, like every group that comes to the US, they showed off their bilingual skills by singing some popular American music. Songs included Maroon5’s “Girls Like You,” Justin Biebers “Yummy,” and our personal fav Post Malone “Sunflower.”
We have always talked about our appreciation for MyMusicTaste and StudioPAV and how well they put together shows. This was no different. The reason we always love their shows is the fact you get time to interact with the members via Meet and Greets, and Hi-touch possibilities. Fans who had VVIP got to spend some time with 1TEAM and even got signed posters. And VIP’s got Hi-touch where they got to greet the members of 1TEAM.
The concert was one for the books. 1TEAM walked out going 100 and walked off after their encore at level 9000! We hope you guys can see them this tour, and if not please check out all their music videos and join us Team One’s. You’ll “Love it.” 😉
Travel NYC like Dae-hwi and Dong-hyun of AB6IX
As KCONNY 2020 is steadily approaching we decided to revisit the good ol’ days of KCONNY 2019 when a solid group by the name of AB6IX came and tore the roof down, and also enjoyed some unique sites of NYC.
While a lot of groups chose to visit our top ten least favorite places in NY, AB6IX went off the beaten path and chose less chaotic, more true midtown vibe. No flashing neon signs, or lights so bright you can’t tell is it’s morning, noon, or night.
Bless these boys. They chose, just a few avenues over from Times Square, the quiet, business populated area of midtown that is Lexington Ave.
We actually love this area. It’s close to where Sammie’s mom used to work in the Chrysler Building, and right near one of our favorite buildings Grand Central Station. It’s also famous for a gorgeous that location that is currently under major construction as Lotte has bought the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
And this is exactly where Dae-hwi and Dong-hyun went to take some adorable NY corner shots. At the corner of 49th St. and Lexington Ave. these two cuties stood exploring the unknown quiet chaos of one of the heavily business district of New York.
So after you climb the red stairs of the TKTS booths like Stray Kids, or the roof top bars like Pentagon and GOT7, you can enter the calm, cool, of the regular masses of the New York employer and employees and say you travelled NYC like Dae-hwi and Dong-hyun of AB6IX.
Stray Kids District 9 Unlock at Hulu Theater Unlocked Our Cold Dead Hearts
On January 29th, 2020, Stray Kids came to New York City to show the city that never sleeps what they are made of. And clearly they are made of talented singers, rappers, and dancers.
Now before we dive into the pandemonium of the show, we would like to admit something. Please don’t leave this page when you read this. We swear we will make it up to you!
We were not that into Stray Kids before the show. Hold on, hold on, HOLD ON!
But the second the show started we realized what we had been missing out on and we now stan. HARD. We are truly Stays now.
Ok so now let’s crack into the show. We did know several of the songs they performed, like “District 9” and “Double Knot”, which we have always liked but when we saw the performance live it was a whole new level of appreciation. These dudes are some of the best dancers we have seen live. Who knew one could body roll in that many positions? Seriously, if you made a drinking game with simply the amount of times they body rolled throughout the concert…well let’s just say you would most likely need your stomach pumped from alcohol poisoning.
And to add to the body rolls, they were climbing on each other, jumping over each other, and not like a normal frog hop. No, no, no. We can’t remember which members it was but the one was standing straight up and another member split jumped over him. With the shortest member still being over 5 and a half feet tall that is insanely impressive.
As they performed so many other bops that we now have downloaded and added to all our playlists like, “I am YOU,” “Question,” and “YAYAYA,” the lights coming together with the cinematic large screens exploding with color and aesthetic visuals, told a story of misfits finding a place to call home amongst each other. “Stray Kids everywhere all around the world,” as they repeated all throughout the night sent an energy through the whole place of love and understanding.
And like every group who tend to change their style and sound for an album or two, Stray Kids performed some of their ‘softer’ bops side with “Get Cool” and “Astronaut”. Once again, the dancing for these blew us away. They even had 3RACHA, their rap sub-unit, and their vocal line perform singular songs.
So as we weren’t huge Stray Kids stans prior to this concert, we were unfamiliar with who were the main vocalists, rappers, dancers and all that jazz. Let’s break down what we figured out about the members. Umm…Felix? Who said a boy with that baby face could have a voice deeper than T.O.P from Big Bang?! Oh and when he decided to flaunt his nice abs?! Boy! Big oof! And then the boy stood there and did the Renegade dance…COME GET YOUR MAN STAYS!
Followed up by Hyunjin who would go hard in his verses, while body rolling in a see through shirt leaving little to our imaginations, and literally had everyone in the venue screaming, us included. Han was no different. Seducing the crowd with his voice and the way he would look into the crowd? Lawd have mercy!
And Changbin’s speed when rapping? Good God, we wanted to get on our knees and apologize for sleeping on all the talent in this group. And the disrespectfully gorgeous and melodic voices of Bang Chan, I.N, Lee Know and Seungmin? We are deeply apologetic to these boys and we hope they will forgive us.
The thing that got us, besides the amazing singing, and rapping during “MIROH,” and “갑자기 분위기 싸해질 필요 없잖아요 (gabjagi bun-wigi ssahaejil pil-yo eobsjanh-ayo- You don’t have to get in a fighting mood suddenly) (Awkward Silence),” was how sincerely happy they were as Stays sang their songs along with them, danced with them, and cheered them on during their ments. That’s what really sold us on becoming Stays ourselves. All the members looked touched as they looked out to the crowd and spoke from their hearts about their excitement of being in New York again.
As they were wrapping up the normal part of the concert (as in not the encore we ALL know will be coming after they make their change into their tour shirts) they played the first song we ever heard from them, “Hellevator,” which was their pre-debut song which was when we saw so much potential in them that it’s baffling to even us that we didn’t keep up with them.
These guys put on a show that caused us to stan them and become Stays, if that doesn’t sell you on their stage presence, music, and talent, well we don’t know what will. If they are coming to a city near you, get tickets immediately. Stray Kids are a group of talented young men, who have so much heart and raw talent, you wont be disappointed. Check them out in this District 9 Unlock tour, and like us, unlock your cold dead hearts.
Travel NYC like Seungmin and Hyunjin of Stray Kids
Stray Kids went a lot of different places while being here in New York. And since they’re coming back NEXT WEEK, we decided to do one more before they arrive. Some of the spots we loved (Like when they visited The Roxy hotel, and DUMBO) and some we legitimately try to stay as far away from as possible (like Penn Station and now this new spot).
This spot is actually somewhere we had talked about and been to when ASTRO came to town. Yes, that’s correct. We went back to Times Square. JUST. FOR. YOU! To a section we actually have never even been close to if we’re being honest. We had seen it in videos, pictures, and we knew where it was but since it was in Times Square we avoided it like the plague.
Famous from the Alicia Keys and Jay-Z music video for “Empire State of Mind” those bright red stairs actually hold TKTS, an infamous Broadway ticket selling broker. We say infamous because they say they sell tickets cheap, when really they are the same, if not more than face value for the tickets. Fun fact if you come to NY and want to see a show…don’t go there.
The spot has now become an Instagram mecca for the tourists who come to see Times Square. And the boys of Stray Kids hopped on that bandwagon. And what they do, we do. And we have to admit…
It was pretty cool. Actually really cool. Yes, we will admit that something in Times Square was worth going to see. Between Broadway and 7TH Ave, on 47th St. you will find these large red stairs to climb up and see the enormity of Times Square. And you can snap your shot and check another location off your list as you have now travelled like Seungmin and Hyunjin of Stray Kids.
Travel NYC like Felix, Lee Know, and Woojin of Stray Kids (We still love and support Woojin)
Since Stray Kids are coming to New York in January, we decided to cover another travel of the boys from their last visit to our city. (Click here for our previous Stray Kids Travel)
We don’t live in NYC. While we wish we could, our day jobs do not make that a possibility. So we have to commute from our homes in New Jersey and Pennsylvania by taking the train. Every day we go into the city via NJ Transit, probably the WORST train system in the United States. (Google it. We’re pretty sure it is top 10 worst or pretty darn close)
But we digress. The reason we bring up the train is where it funnels into. New York Penn Station. Another nightmare of NYC. Yes, we are jaded to certain aspects of NY that some people will love to experience. The hustle and bustle of people waiting for and then ultimately running to catch trains, all the new food and drink spots that have been added, and now all the brand new construction causing even more pandemonium as half the waiting areas are closed…SUCH FUN.
But on one day several boys of Stray Kids chose to go and visit the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) section of Penn Station and enjoy a staple of New York, Shake Shack. And since we frequent the station we chose to go too! We didn’t eat Shake Shack as we are trying to not eat too bad ALL the time. Lol.
After you arrive in NY Penn Station, make sure to hit up the Shake Shack, have a burger and revel in the fact you traveled NYC like Felix, Lee Know, and Woojin of Stray Kids.
Travel NYC like Many K-pop Idols
While on our Travel NYC Like ___ journey, we knew this next place was a definite must see! From all the pictures we had seen of so many different idols making the spot a stop on their NYC travels the place was a no brainer.
ATEEZ shooting a dance practice video The spot we’re talking about today is a setting that we have seen many a k-pop idol frequent. Not even just K-pop idols like Stray Kids, and ATEEZ, but K-drama actors, like our boy Woo Do Hwan, who inspired Hwan Soo in Seoul Searching, jokingly, made a stop here.
Woo Do Hwanss funny insta post at the famous location This was another location that we had always seen and wanted to go to, but never actually went. But as we drew up the plans for this series, it was one of the top on our list. Rather easy to find, and not actually in Manhattan but in the borough of Brooklyn, we found this gem of a location.
Stray Kids during one of their challenges Located at the intersection of Washington and Water St. in the area lovingly named DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass), is where you will find this picturesque setting. Settled between the cobblestone streets and old brick factories now converted to shops and apartments, it has a view of the Manhattan Bridge so breathtaking it’s no surprise why idols make the trip.
Sammie and E. enjoying their day at the gorgeous area of DUMBO We felt like we could’ve spent all day stood in that intersection. The lighting changed with every passing cloud, and the sun dipping back down to bring on the moon, and we wanted to stay to witness it all. We unfortunately had a lot more ground to cover and we had to sadly move on. Maybe we will hit it up once again and spend all the time we had planned. And maybe we will even see you there while you take amazing, Instagram worthy photos and enjoy your travel like many kpop (and K-drama) idols.
Sammie wishing she could dance along with ATEEZ (Actually just wishing she could dance) PLT make fans Go Holic in NJ
White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, NJ was once again packed with K-pop fans. This time, it was for PLT. A group consisting of five solo artists ranging in different genres of music, like R&B, rap, and pop made NJ their kick off stop in their US tour. Fans lined up around the block, even in the chilled windy air, to wait to get in and get the best spot to see, Gaho, Moti, Jung Jinwoo, Villain, and June perform not only their solo songs, but also their combined music as PLT.
A little background on PLT. The five members, like stated above, are all solo artists under the label Planetarium Records. They have mixtapes, solo albums, singles, etc. singularly and then together to mix their genres to make music as a group, named PLT (a play on their record label name).
As we entered the venue, which we have been to many times, it never ceases to amaze us how gorgeous the place is with it’s stained glass ceiling windows, the large open space for fans to clamor into and the stage in the far back awaiting the presence of the artists who are waiting in the wings to perform.
The lights cut out, a screen dropped to promote the company that was able to make the concert possible, My Music Taste, and as the screen raised, the curtain opened and out walked Gaho. Dressed in a sleek black suit that, when he turned around, had pieces of printed cloth on the back, Gaho grabbed the mic and kicked off his set. He nervously explained her was jet lagged, but hearing the fans cheers gave him all the energy he needed to perform. The fans swooned as he sang his dulcet tracks like, “Going On”, followed by the soul crushing, heart breaking, ‘WHO HURT YOU?!’ song called, “있어줘 (eessojyo- stay here)”, and his most recent single, “Pink Walk,” which we still have stuck in our heads.
Gaho After thanking the crowd for coming, and letting him perform his music, Gaho walked off the stage to make way for the next artist. Jung Jinwoo, with his fluffy curls, oversized suit jacket and pants, stepped out to kick off his set with “위성 –weeseong – satellite) He was so nervous and excited, and the crowd was so happy he was on stage he missed his cue and asked for them to restart, letting the crowd enjoy his melodic entrance once more. He was sweet as he grabbed the hands of the fans as he walked across stage singing “She’s Got Everything,” a yet to be released song, and also “문제 (munjae – problem)” Jung Jinwoo had everyone begging for more and when he walked off stage, it was June’s turn to make the crowd lose their minds.
Jung Jinwoo June kicked of his set rather calmly. Sitting relaxed on a stool, dressed in a green and black flannel, with the new version of UFO pants (which we didn’t think would ever make a come back and have and we’re here for it), and a voice like Jay Park, he slayed the R&B game with his songs, “Gas Station,” and “Serenade.” The chill vibes of his set didn’t stop the fans from screaming for him to continue. When he wrapped up a few songs he spoke about how excited he was to be there and how he wanted to share some new unreleased music. Honestly, most of the members announced and performed an unreleased song and mentioned that new music was coming soon. It not only was exciting for them, but it made the fans crave more. After “오늘 밤은 (onul bamun- tonight)” he concluded his set and asked the crowd if they were ready for the next performer.
June We don’t believe they were and neither were we. As the music started, the fans went absolutely bat sh*t crazy and Villain, in his white denim jacket, spray painted jeans, blue hair with a center part and round Harry Potter like lenses, took the stage to start singing “Fairy.” Now we have never seen PLT perform live, we had heard that all their stages are amazing and we had seen some videos from previous shows but Villain came to kill. His overtly sexual motions as his hands ran up and down the mic stand caused us to hear squeals and even some straight moans from the crowd as he continued. He knew what he was doing and it fueled his entire performance. He finished the song and went into a personal story about how people are essentially shitty, and realized as he went to start his next song he had forgotten his set list. With a laugh and a smile he continued on and performed his hits “마니또 (Manitto),” and “Luhvin It” before also announcing he would be coming out with new music soon.
Villain It was then time for the final solo act. Moti. Once again, a man rocking a black suit, white shirt, but this time he added his own flare by having some pretty sick diamond chains. He kicked his set off with, “겸손 (kyeom seon- humble/modesty)” and when he moved away from his mic stand all hell broke loose. We’ve been crushed by fans before while taking photos. ASTRO at K-expo was probably the most insane. That was until this show. While we were crowded and pressed against the stage for all the other performers, when Moti came out is was a whole different ball game. The dude was running from side to side and seemed to always stop right in front of us. See crotch shot below for proof. He had the crowd who had already been at a 10 shoot up to a damn 20 as he performed, “Blue,” “GO,” and a new track set to hit the rest of the worlds ears next month.
Moti (crotch shot lol) Did you think after he performed it was over? Oh no. They still had their group act to perform. Remember how the crowd had bounced up to a 20? Yeah at the point they were over 100 and climbing to flipping infinity fast. PLT came out and it was like we entered Coachella with how loud and chaotic the crowd went. As they sang their group tracks like, “Igoholic,” “Blah,” and “Hocus Pocus,” they began showering the fans in water. As we were crushed in the front we got a solid shot to the face a few times. And while we were hype on how excited it made the fans we weren’t hype on it getting our camera wet. But such is the life of a concert photographer.
PLT Chaos All in all this concert over shot our expectations. We knew PLT were coming for us but not as savagely as they did. Every solo performance brought new waves of excitement, and when PLT came together there was no stopping the tsunami of hype. If you’re interested in seeing them and are in the US. Their up coming stops are Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago so hopefully you can make your way over to any of those locations. We highly suggest experiencing “We Go Holic” for yourselves.
Pentagon lights the universe at Beacon Theater in NYC
A cooling end-of-summer Thursday night in NYC always brings out some beautiful things. The last budding daisies blooming in corner parks, the restaurants fill their outdoor seating with patrons who enjoy people watching as the street lights flicker on to light others paths home. And finally, far off into the distance, the universe lights the night with twinkling stars to guide the world safely below.
But the universe in the sky wasn’t the only lights shining bright. The Universe of 펜타곤 (Pentagon) shown more dazzling than the heavens, as the band brought their fans to the Beacon Theater for what was to be a night that will not be soon forgotten.
Fans not only lined-up around the corner to wait to get in, they wrapped around the entire block. It was a sight to be seen.
Met cool people waiting online Walking into the theater we were greeted with an impressive architectural and artistic beauty. The theater was ornately painted and had insane large statues of goddesses and knights. We hope more concerts are at the Beacon Theater just so we can take more pictures of the venue itself.
While the concert started a little late, it didn’t stop the fans from freaking out the second the lights cut turning the whole building black and a video of the members began playing. 펜타곤 consists of 9 members (formerly 10, E’dawn left amid controversy of him dating Hyuna), Jinho, Wooseok, Yeo One, Kino, Hui, Shinwon, Yuto, and Yanan. While Yanan was not present for to concert due to injury, the other 8 carried on to perform and make him proud.
Once the video ended, fans got even louder as the members appeared on stage to perform the intro to their debut album, “Wake Up.” Fans were wide awake not wanting to miss a second of these guys owning the stage. “Sha La La (신토불이-shintobulee- there really is no real translation. It is Shalala…)” followed, which felt like a warm up, prepping us for what they had in store for the rest of the show. We’ve have followed these guys since their debut in 2016 under C**e Entertainment (If you’ve seen Sammie’s youtube channel you will understand this joke. If not click here to see.) and have been waiting patiently for them for them to come to the NY for their own tour. This summer has been the one where a ton of our favorite groups have come to NY and we are not complaining.
during their first ment In the middle of performing several title tracks from their albums like, “Gorilla,” “Like This,” “Runaway,” and their most recent “Humph!” they introduced themselves (but let’s be real, they need no introduction) and spoke about how excited they were to be on a US tour. They cracked jokes with each other and interacted with the audience asking questions like, “Are you excited to be here?” and “Are you ready for more?” Oh and did we forget to mention Hongseok pulled open to show off his abs but some one *cough* Shinwon *cough* walked in front of our section so we couldn’t even see?!? THE NERVE!!
Wooseok sending hearts to the audience The second video break ended, and they had clearly finished an outfit change, one member stood on stage. Kino. Now, Kino has slowly been creeping up our bias list and after we watched the sway of his hips as the opening music to Camila Cabello’s “Havana,” pumped through the speakers, we knew we were done for. Suddenly, YeoOne, Jinho (who had actually done a cover video on Youtube of this song), and Hongseok joined him on stage and, we cant lie, panties hit the floor. These boys were able to seduce us with a song we actually can’t stand due to it being so overplayed. That. Is. Skill.
When that song completed and the four men walked off the stage, the other four members, Yuto, WooSeok, Hui, and Shinwon came out and slayed another overplayed song, “Uptown Funk,” by Bruno Mars. Seriously, both these are songs we have been so sick of hearing and suddenly we didn’t want them to end!
Uptown Funk These boys went through more outfit changes than we had seen in a while and all 8 came out in all white ensembles to slow down the pace of the concert with several of their ballads including, “When it rains at night(밤에 비가 내리면 -bamae biga naerimyun- If it rains at night),” and “Beautiful.” Their vocals could bring tears to anyone who heard them. The harmonies? UGH! PHENOMENAL! No other word can truly describe what was heard. Even if we have video it couldn’t do it justice.
So let’s just recap:
They blew minds.
They dropped panties.
They melted hearts.
It was time for them to put all three together for their mind blowing, panty dropping, heart melting final few songs. Hitting the stage in yet another outfit change (not joking so many changes and they all looked handsome in different ways), they took the standard group photo with the crowd and performed “Critical Beauty (예뻐죽겠네- yepo jukkaettnae- deadly gorgeous) “Naughty boy(청개구리-chonggaeguri- tree frog),” “Shine(빛나리- beechnari – shine),” and a new fav of ours, “Fantasystic.”
Get you a man who looks at you like Kino looks at Shinwon (Yes we stole Sammie’s tweet) While we had to leave before the encore, we heard they came out in their tour t-shirts for a final speech and performed a song or two while waving and throwing their hearts to fans everywhere in the audience.
Talking about their tour 펜타곤 came, saw, and conquered NYC. Their vocals made us shiver, their rapping made us quake, and their choreography shot us up into the sky to become the Universe they love so much. It was a night to not be forgotten by the fans and hopefully not by 펜타곤. We wish them the best of luck on the rest of the tour. If they’re in an area near you we suggest checking them out immediately. If the ticket prices are out of your price range, we totally get that, we suggest you check out their music anyway you can.
#WAFFLEDEBACLE
Sammie here. Thanks for reading our blogs about the recent concerts we’ve been to and even our book Seoul Searching. This post is a little different than what we’ve done in the past. This is my account of what we here at K.F.C, as well as my coworkers and friends, have now deemed the IMFACT #waffledebacle.
Enjoy.
The day started like any other concert going day. I picked out an outfit, proceeded to change it fifteen times, until I ended up going shopping and finding the cutest dress to wear (on clearance too! I love me a sale J). I put on my most basic of make-up as I have zero skills in that department. And I spent an hour fixing my hair only to throw it up in my usual bun because I hate my hair any other way. My normal concert routine.
I arrived at the venue, waited in line, met up with friends, got into the building to meet the members of IMFACT as they signed an album to me, even some of them wished me a happy birthday. I fangirled a bit as we took group photos, and then the concert began. I rocked out, screamed, danced, and went crazy when they played my favorite songs. Again, my normal concert routine.
Then the show concluded, and it was time for the Pick-a-poses. This has always been one of my favorite moments of concerts run by Studio PAV. While most other companies have a hi-touch and a quick group photo after the show, Studio PAV delivers a once in a lifetime experience. A short, but intimate time with idols one on one. I have been to close to ten shows that Studio PAV has put on and usually I tend to say very little to the idols during these Pick-a-pose sessions. They say, “Thank you for coming.” I quickly respond with a smile and maybe a, “You’re show was great.” Click! The photo is taken, I walk away to get on the next line and repeat the same steps. MY NORMAL CONCERT ROUTINE!
WELL NOT THIS TIME!
I stood in line, waiting patiently, talking to the people around me about how amazing the show was and how hard IMFACT had gone during both their group and solo performances. I had no order to whom I wanted to see. As much as Jian was my bias, after the show they put on I was ready to make them all my biases. So, I chose the shortest line and asked who I was in line for as I couldn’t see the members ahead.
Main vocalist, visual, aka: perfection in an idol, Lee Sang.
A name I know I will now never forget. Nor will any of my friends, coworkers, or even my fiancé.
I was internally practicing what I wanted to say, like always, knowing the second, I was in front of him I would say absolutely nothing of what I had planned.
I heard the click of the woman ahead of me as her final photo was being taken and braced myself. It was my turn. My heart was racing, I told the woman with the camera in her hand the two photos I wanted and walked up to Lee Sang, his smirk could’ve knocked me off my feet if I wasn’t too preoccupied in my head. Thinking about it now, it was probably one of the sexiest things ever directed my way and I was too stupid to register it in the moment. I walked over and proudly, in Korean, told him the two numbers I wanted. The smirk suddenly became a full out smile as he asked if I spoke Korean. I responded quickly that I was learning and looked toward the camera for the poses.
And then, something I never planned for, happened. Something I never in a million years thought would ever be spoken to me from anyone apart from maybe my fiancé, left this idol’s lips.
“You’re very pretty.”
I’m not even joking I could feel his eyes on me. They were on me, and nowhere else.
My response? I laughed. I hadn’t looked at him. I couldn’t. Surely, he couldn’t be serious. And when he said nothing and the woman taking the photo still hadn’t taken the photo, I looked over to him. His eyes surprised at my response. Finally, my brain came to the conclusion, “Beesh he’s serious.”
I bowed my head and said thank you.
He followed up by asking me my name.
THIS WAS MORE INTERACTION THAN I’VE HAD WITH ANY OF THE OTHER IDOLS I HAVE MET!
I was simply staring at him for a little too long and his eyebrows raised while in my head I’m screaming, “Answer the damn question!”
I respond with my name. Mind you, we still have not taken the first photo. The woman was simply watching us. I’m pretty sure she had been in the middle of changing the film. It’s the only way the conversation was able to continue.
I will say again, I’ve done these Pick-a-poses multiple times. I have been there when the film needed to be reloaded and I stood awkwardly next to the members who simply waited for the film to be filled and the photo to be taken. We say nothing to each other. And I acknowledged it as, this is there job, they are being paid for this, they are tired and they want to go home so they want these pictures done and done quickly. I don’t blame them for that at all and I always forget to wish them a nice rest, but as you can all clearly see, talking to the idols is not my forte.
Lee Sang was different from all of them. Even from the rest of his members. He spoke confidently, but nervously. He was worried he had something incorrectly but also knew that he wanted to get out what he had to say.
I had again looked back to the woman ready for the photo, only to once again be asked a question, “Are you from around here?”
Snapping my neck in surprise that this conversation was continuing, I nodded my head and said, “Born and raised.”
That’s when the woman finally put the view finder up to her eye and we made the first pose.
Click.
One photo down. I looked to the poses as at that point I had totally forgotten what the second one I chose was and that’s when another thing fell from this man’s lips I never thought I would ever hear someone of his magnitude say to me.
He leaned in a bit and spoke slowly to make sure what he said was perfectly clear, “What should I do after the show? What should I see?”
My body felt like it had gone limp. My soul had left my body. No way. This god of a man was most definitely not asking me to hang out. No way. He just wanted to know what he should go and do before he had to hop on a plane back to South Korea.
I shrugged and responded, “hmm. I don’t know. What is it you want to see?” while internally I was saying “DO ME! SEE ME!” (disclaimer: I love my fiancé. With all my heart. But a damn sexy idol was potentially hitting on me. I’m still a woman. I have urges. And by the end of this, you’ll all see why my fiancé has nothing to worry about.)
The woman had begun to rush us to take the second picture. I was sad that moment had finally arrived but as she was trying to take the picture he kept talking saying, “We can still talk.”
WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WANT TO KEEP TALKING TO ME!?!?
He then mumbled something while smiling that I couldn’t understand, and I simply nodded my head thinking he had asked a yes or no question.
When I went to pull away he grabbed my hand and kept repeating a word that at first I was unable to understand and finally he spoke louder and I realized he was saying, “Waffle.”
I nodded to say I understood and repeated, “Waffle?”
He nodded excited and said, “I really want to try them.”
And here is where you will all see why my fiancé has nothing to worry about.
I responded, “Oh yeah! I love waffles.”
He smiled brightly and the hand that was holding onto mine went to my neck. I was dreaming. It had to be a sick vivid dream that wanted nothing more than to torture me. And then he gently squeezed and massaged, confirming I in fact was not dreaming, and suddenly 18+ thoughts were running in my mind begging for me to let them live their fantasy.
He let go and all I could think to do was walk away with a small “맛있어 (Masheeso- it’s delicious)”
You read that right. I WALKED AWAY! Instead of taking the bold move of saying something like, “I know I great waffle place!” for him to ask where and me to offer to take him…my dumb nervous ass walked away.
I could’ve gone back. I could’ve bought another Pick-a-pose, stood on his line, walked back up and said, “So about those waffles…”
So many scenarios I could’ve done, that I have now since played out in my head, all ending with me potentially EATING WAFFLES WITH LEE SANG OF IMFACT!
But alas, I didn’t do any of these things. I walked away never to see him again. Not knowing if he got those waffles he seemed so eager to devour. I walked away from an unfinished fan fiction moment. The romance writer inside of me died and has been laid to rest. She no longer resides in this body because she can’t believe what an idiot I was.
I told my friends and coworkers and all they could do was shake their heads in shame and say what an epic fail I had pulled. And that is how the IMFACT #waffledebacle ended.
But did it have to end like that? I could write a better ending, saying we found the typical New Jersey twenty-four-hour diner and got those waffles. I could say we talked about our lives, our likes and dislikes, and had some deep conversation over a large plate of warm fluffy squares topped with butter and syrup with a side of strong coffee to keep ourselves awake to enjoy each others company. I possibly could’ve said we drove around finding the perfect spot to wait for the sun to rise over New York City knowing I had to bring him back and we had to face reality.
And yet, none of that would be true and I am sat here left simply to wonder if Lee Sang got his waffles or not.
#waffledebacle
