Day 31: 1 Month!

It has officially been one month since coming to Korea! The time has gone by so fast… I feel like I haven’t accomplished as much as I hoped I would and my Korean is nowhere near where I thought it would be after a month. However, I have been having so much fun and I am really glad that I came.

Ok so today was amazing! A great way to celebrate one month here and probably one of the coolest memories I will have from this trip as well as a once in a lifetime opportunity. It all started with Sunny. Sunny has a friend who works at a production company called KBS. KBS produces dramas and variety shows but they are also the company who runs Music Bank (a music show that idols perform on every Friday when they are promoting their album). Sunny was able to get me tickets to go see Music Bank (which are free but basically impossible to get because the process involves a long application and a whole lot of luck). I was meeting with the Sunny’s friend's wife since his friend was busy. She was going to show me around the building and then take me to the show.

We planned to meet at 2 pm, but I arrived a little earlier. I was at the main entrance of the building and there were people with cameras waiting outside. I wasn’t really sure why until black vans started pulling up and idols got out. I basically had a mini freak out on the inside and then tried to take a few pictures while also staying out of the way. When the idols arrived at the gates there were people waiting outside with cameras and then also people that were inside the gates that would follow them while taking pictures. I felt pretty bad for them being followed and pushed around like that so I stayed farther away from the gates and didn’t follow them. I saw two members from Monsta X arrive. Minhyuk got out of one side of the car and then walked around to the other side so he could share an umbrella with Wonho (it was kinda rainy and gross out). Minhyuk looked ridiculously good in person and I was super excited to see them perform! I thought more members would come out of the van but I waited for at least 10 more minutes and no one else did. I saw a few other groups arrive including Cosmic Girls and S#aFLA. There was also a solo artist that came with a cute pumpkin bucket filled with candy and she gave out candy to fans that were waiting (I think it was Chungha, but I was too far away to see properly).

Once Sooyoung arrived I got in her car and we drove around for a while to try and find a parking spot. When we made it inside she told me that we were actually meeting one of the people that worked at the building and he was going to show us around since she hadn’t been there in a long time.

We met Jaehyun at the cafe and he bought us some snacks. We sat down to eat and chat for a bit and then Sooyoung decided to tell me that they were going to try and set up some meetings with idols for me. At this point my face went bright red and I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Then I found out that Jaehyun was a KBS producer and he had produced a drama called Producer, which was huge in Korea! He also produced a survival show called The Unit, which I watched several clips from and I absolutely loved the group that the show created. I was excited to meet him and asked him tons of questions about the production process and his job. He has a drama coming out in May next year so I will have to keep an eye out for it.

He asked me what groups I like and I told him that I liked mostly boy groups such as Monsta X, BTS, and NCT. All of this was feeling pretty surreal and then he goes “Ok are you ready to meet Monsta X”. Right now I’m smiling even remembering the moment. We got up, he swiped his fancy card, and then we went downstairs to look around the building. He showed me the cafe and garden in the new KBS building and pointed out the original building, which they still use for other staff. Then we walked through a hallway full of TV studio control rooms. I was even able to take a picture of one of the rooms.

After we walked through that hallway we came out to another one and suddenly the idols started appearing. My face was so red by this point that even Sooyoung and Jaehyun were joking about it. We arrived in the waiting room area and I could see all the rooms where groups get their makeup done and then wait before it’s their turn to perform. There was one hallway with the rooms for NCT, Cosmic Girls, South Club, and several other groups. We passed by Minhyuk and another idol chatting in the hallway. Then there was an open room with several chairs and doors outside that I think are where the artists come in from. There was another hallway beside this room where Monsta X’s waiting room was.

We sat down in the big room while Jaehyun waited to meet someone. This someone turned out to be the Starship Entertainment’s producer… He said I needed to wait a bit for Monsta X but I could go and meet Cosmic Girls in the mean time. They were all so adorable! I didn’t know the members names but I have watched their music videos and listened to their songs. They were super cute and sweet and there was one girl with long red wavy hair that talked to me in English. She asked where I was from and we talked about random things and then I complimented her English. Another one of the members laughed at this and told me no don’t say that or you will boost her ego/confidence too much. I took a picture with them and then they had to go back to their waiting room. It was so nice to meet them and they were super sweet, I will definitely keep an eye on their music in the future!

We were waiting in the hall for a couple more minutes and idols kept passing by. It was so insane and totally felt like a dream. Every time a group would pass by they would bow and say hello. A lot of people seemed to know Jaehyun and want to talk to him too! I saw Weki Meki, Fromis 9, several NCT members (including Mark), S#aFLA and more. Then I got to meet Monsta X.

I’m pretty sure I was shaking at this point and I definitely was not thinking properly. I met 4 of the members (Minhyuk, I.M, Kihyun, and Shownu) outside their makeup room. We went into one of the interview rooms where the MCs of Music Bank interview groups before they perform. I shook Shownu’s hand and tried to say hi to the other members. I remember apologizing for how red my face was but everything else kind of seemed like a blur. I got to take a picture with them and while we were taking pictures Minhyuk asked me questions like where I was from. His English was really good and he was so sweet! I tried to talk to him but I was also so overwhelmed and surprised that this was happening that I don’t even remember what I said. Then he asked who my bias was and I pointed to I.M. He and I.M switched and I was really surprised. I didn’t mean to make him move since I really like all of the members and was happy to be chatting with any of them. Jaehyun told them in Korean that I was a big fan and they got excited and asked oh really and then I said that I enjoyed watching their reality show Monsta X-Ray which seemed to make them happy. Sooyoung took pictures with them as well and then it was time to say bye. I think I shook Kihyun and Shownu’s hands (again it’s kind of all a blur) and Shownu asked if I was going to be watching the show. I said yes and wished them luck!

After they left the room Jaehyun joked about how red my face was and I tried to get my heart rate back to a normal pace. They were all insanely good looking in person, super nice, and a lot taller than I expected. I wish my brain had been functioning better so I could have expressed how excited I was to meet them and tell them that I really was a big fan. Monsta X was created through a survival show called No Mercy, which is one of my favourite survival shows. The performances that they created during the show are some of the coolest I’ve seen and I still rewatch them occasionally. After their show I have continued to follow their music and I’ve loved every album that they’ve released. They weren’t really popular to begin with but they have recently been gaining a lot more recognition. A couple months ago they had their first ever music show win and I remember watching the video of them winning and tearing up a little because I was so happy for them. They were all so shocked and happy and a bunch of them were crying, it was super emotional. They are a really entertaining and funny group and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching their appearances and variety shows, which never fail to make me laugh my butt off. They were such wonderful people and I am excited to continue to cheer them on in the future (between the time this happened and when I finally got around to writing this post they have won on 4 more music shows with their current song!).

After meeting them I took a picture with the Starship producer and Jaehyun and then we waited in the hallway for a little longer. I wasn’t really sure why we were still in the hall, but I wasn’t about to complain. Jaehyun kept asking if I knew some of the people passing by since he didn’t know a lot of idols. I tried to explain who they were and he seemed impressed with how much I knew. At one point a solo artist named Kim Donghan walked by and I pointed him out to Jaehyun and said I liked his music. He was on a survival show called Produce 101, which I watched most of and he debuted in a project group called JBJ after the show. (I enjoy staying up to date with as much k-pop music as possible, regardless of the group, and trying to discover new groups that aren't as popular, so I know way too much information... if only my memory was this great when it comes to formulas and theories). The group was only meant to perform together for a year or so and he debuted as a solo artist after they disbanded. Then Jaehyun goes “ok you can meet a few NCT members now” and I was like sorry what!? So out of their make up room comes 5 NCT members including Johnny (who is my bias in the group) and my brain short circuited again. I really needed a heads up about all of this so I could've composed myself a little better haha. They were all so good looking and I was not expecting this to happen at all. Johnny was ridiculously tall and I was so shocked. He asked where I was from and said some other stuff but I honestly don’t remember what else he said or what I said in return. My brain clearly was not functioning properly, but I supposedly didn't make a fool of myself so that's great. We took a picture and I think I said thank you (I really really hope I did) and then they had to go back to their room. It’s so hard to meet, let alone take a picture with a group from SM because their management is incredibly strict so I’m really thankful that I could.

We went back out to the big room and I continued to watch artists walking in and out while trying to calm down. At one point Jaehyun got up and started chatting with a lady and then he waves to me and says “this is Emily she really likes your artist”. Ends up the lady he was talking to was Donghan’s manager (the guy I had pointed out earlier). So the lady asks if I want to meet him and of course I said yes. We walked to another waiting room hall and I got to take a selfie with Donghan.

The idols I’ve met so far have all been way taller than I thought they would be which has surprised me. They have also all been so nice! I wish I spoke Korean well so I could actually converse with them properly.

After I took the picture with him we finally left the waiting area place. Jaehyun took Sooyoung and I outside so we could get our tickets and go in through the regular entrance. We had great seats right in the fourth row and near the aisle so we were close to the centre of the stage. People can’t take any pictures or videos inside the studio so I wasn’t able to take a picture of what everything looked like. It was a small area with maybe 20 or 30 rows of seats facing the stage. There were tons of cameras and people at the front of the stage to monitor the recording. The stage itself was pretty big with huge fancy backgrounds that would change for each performance. On the left side of the stage was a small area where they film the MCs when they are talking or introducing artists. On the right of the stage is this small dark queue area, kind of like what you would see when you are lining up at an amusement park. This is where the idols line up while they are waiting to perform.

We were early (the live recording of the show started at 5) so we got to watch the rehearsals. Most groups rehearsed their whole song but some just did bits of it. Then the live recording started. At this point Sooyoung had to leave to go to work so it was just Jaehyun and I. Since it was live there were screens on the side where we could see what viewers were actually seeing on the tv, including commercials. It was really cool to watch all the stages and see people walking around behind the cameras to film it all. At one point Jaehyun even waved someone over and started chatting with her, ends up she is the assistant producer for Music Bank… no biggie. It was kind of strange to see Cosmic Girls perform because they were so cute and kind when I met them but their stage was more dark and sexy, so very different! I saw Monsta X and NCT and all sorts of other artists and it was so amazing. Some of the artists had pre-recorded performances (like Stray Kids and Monsta X). Monsta X did one of their songs live but they had pre-recorded their main song. While their pre-recorded performance was airing they still did the dance onstage for fans that were in the building watching (probably for fan service). All the other groups that had pre-recorded songs also did this. Some had more relaxed and cute performances since they didn't have to sing and it was more for the fans and for fun.

I am so thankful for all the people that made this amazing day happen for me. It is something that I will forever remember and smile about. I’m also really thankful to the artists that took time out of getting ready to take a picture.

After Music Bank, Jaehyun walked me out to the subway and pointed out a few places I should visit in the future. I thanked him very much for everything and then called my mom to freak out about just meeting a bunch of k-pop idols.

I took the subway back to my place, quickly packed a bag, and then got back on the subway to meet a friend.

Alysha and I had made plans several weeks ago to go to Everland (a huge amusement park) together for the day. She offered for me to stay at her house the night before since it was closer. She picked me up from the subway station at 9 pm and then we drove to her house which was about 30 minutes away. I have only actually met her in person twice before, once when I was living in North York for the summer and then briefly on the day I landed in Korea. She is one of the most bubbly, happy, and kind people I have ever met and it felt like we had known each other for a long time.

We talked about music that we liked on the car ride to her home. She is a huge fan of Avril Lavigne and knew way more about her than I did. I surprised her with my knowledge of Korean music. I love k-pop but I also really enjoy a lot of other Korean artists that aren't pop and it's always funny to surprise people with how many singers I know.

When we arrived at her house her mom was waiting for us with a bunch of food. She had made samgyeopsal and it was super yummy! We chatted while we ate and I found out that Alysha's mom is a big BTS fan. She was really excited about their amazing UN speech and was so amazed by how influential they have become. After eating she gave us chips and ice cream for a snack and we all sat in front of the tv to watch BTS music videos. Alysha didn't know much of their music so we took it upon ourselves to educate her. We watched almost every single one of their videos, Forever Rain, and some live performances before we switched to EXO. We sat on the floor until 1 in the morning just watching music videos and it was one of the best nights I've had so far (the perfect way to end such an amazing day). I am so thankful for all the kind people that are making this the trip of a life time!

Alysha posted this on her instagram

Hope everyone is doing well,

Emily

(October 26, 2018)

P.S Here's a photo of me with KBS producer Jaehyun as well as a Starship producer (craziness).