[KCON18NY] Day-2: Convention Part 2/3 - Golden Child Hi-Touch

Here I continue my adventure at KCON NY 2018 Day 2, blogging about Golden Child's hi-touch event. This is a continuation of my previous post, where I talked about buying KCON merchandise, going to the Goldenness fan meeting, and attending Golden Child's Star Live Talk.

You may wonder how I am able to process life after this event - I am not processing anything, and therefore everything I'm blogging about is strictly from my fancam as I can't tell what's reality and what's imagination anymore. This is another point I wanted to bring up - you are definitely allowed to use your phone to take pictures and video during the entire artist engagement. You are not allowed to take pictures or video while you are on stage for hi-touch, but you can take pictures and videos of others doing hi-touch while you're back in the audience.

Sometime after 1:30PM we were led inside the venue. We had to show our hi-touch voucher before being let in, then there was a security checkpoint. Inside the arena, the security guards told us to be careful of the raised floor and not to run. There was an n-shaped barricade in the center where audience would be in the center and hi-touch would be closest to the stage. Diamond and platinum ticket holders entered first, followed by regular hi-touch participants. Though I was first in the regular hi-touch line, after entering the venue I could choose to either be in the second row center or first row far right. My friend and I chose to be in the first row on the barricade and were just a few feet away from the stage, however with an obstructed view of the far right. I got into my spot at 1:37PM. Next thing I knew, the Goldenness with the black jersey I met at the fan meeting was standing to my left! And then the two Goldenness from my area was also just behind me! I was so happy that the Goldenness I met over these past 2 days were all here and we could see Golden Child together! While the venue was getting filled up, the screen toggled between playing an advertisement and Golden Child's "It's U" music video. Every time the music video played, we would practice the fan chant! It felt so great being in unison and being together to support our idols.

At 2:01PM Golden Child's artist engagement finally began! The boys walked up the stairs and happily waved at the camera on stage before waving to all the fans. They entered the stage and stayed in this order throughout the Q&A, from left to right: Tag, Joochan, Jibeom, Y, Jaehyun, Bomin, Donghyun, Seungmin, Jangjun, Daeyeol. Right away Daeyeol was the most energetic, bobbing up and down and waving to everyone! The MC (Danny from Buzzfeed?), who hyped the crowd and translated for Golden Child, was on the far left of the stage and asked the members to give an introduction. The members leaned forward and looked at Daeyeol while Jangjun kept pointing at Daeyeol, and Jaehyun passed his mic down to him. Daeyeol hyped the crowd by saying "Hello everyone, we are..." and all the members said "Golden Child!" Then each member did individual introductions. It was a bit hard to hear from all the screaming but this is what I think the members said!

Tag: Hello everyone, my name is Tag from Golden Child. (I couldn't hear.) It's really nice to meet you guys. I'm so happy.
Joochan: Hello everyone, I'm Joochan, I love you so much!
Jibeom: Hello everyone, I am Jibeom, nice to meet you!
Y: I'm Y, nice to meet you
Jaehyun: Hi guys, I'm Jaeyhyun. Thank you!
Bomin: Hello everyone, my name is Bomin. I love you.
Donghyun: Hi everyone, my name is Donghyun, I love you! (Then he did a half heart with his arm above his head!)
Seungmin: Hello, I'm Seungmin, nice to meet you! (Then he did a finger heart!)
Jangjun: Hello everyone, I'm Jangjun, nice to meet you!
Daeyeol: Hello everyone, I am Daeyeol. (I couldn't hear...)

The members then sat down in the same order. Sadly I couldn't see Daeyeol too well as he was at the far right. And here you can see just how close to the stage the barricade is. There were a few KCON staff who walked in front to take footage of the artist engagement.

Next was the Q&A session. Technically the first question was before the Q&A, but I just clumped them all together for convenience.

Q1: How does it feel to be in New York, KCON New York, for the first time?
Tag: It's my pleasure and it's an honor to meet every single one of you guys. And I hope you guys remember this moment, because I will never forget this moment. Thank you.

Q2: This is to all the members. If you're a girl, which member would you like to go out on a date with?
Donghyun was thinking for a bit, then cutely and shyly raised his hand to answer! He spoke in Korean while thinking, then stood up and cutely turned around and looked at the members on the left, then finally decided "okay, Y hyung!". The MC translated "so, disclaimer, I am not interested in guys at all, but if I was a girl, I would choose Y hyung". The MC asked for a reason and translated for Donghyun, "he's nice and he's supportive". The MC added, "and good-looking?" and Donghyun looked toward Daeyeol then back to the left while saying "uhhh..." then the MC concluded, "alright, pass!"

Q3: Do you guys have a favorite pop song, and if you could, could you sing us a little bit of it?
Y named a song and started singing a few lines! Then Joochan went next, and stood up and started singing his selection and really getting into it. I'm sorry I couldn't hear or understand what songs they chose.

Suddenly a fan shouted, "DAEYEOL I LOVE YOU!" and all the members turned to her direction  and chuckled and Daeyeol gave a serious, approving nod!

Q4: When do you get the feeling that your fans are really lovable and cute?
Seungmin: All the time. (He said other things but fans were cheering so loudly. Then he did another finger heart!)
Tag: Always. Always.

Q5: Golden Child is always going on stage, giving you guys the best performance. (Now talking to the members) How do you guys relieve your nervousness on stage?
Jaehyun: Um actually we take a deep breath ... and second we think about our dance moves ... and it erases our nervousness for us. (There was a lot of cheering with Jaehyun's fluent English so it was hard to catch everything he said!)
Jangjun: I just...give a shout. Ooooh! (And he made that arm strength gesture!)
The MC told Jangjun to demonstrate in the center, so Jangjun got up and walked to the center, saying "like this, like this. When I'm on stage, and I'm nervous, I say 'ooouuaahhh!'" And he made that same gesture while turning around and facing his members, hyping them up, then he made that gesture to us! The MC told us all to try it together on the count of 3, and all the members joined in.

Q6: A lot of you guys know Golden Child is making a comeback next week. Just for all of you, how about a preview?
Daeyeol spoke in Korean, and the MC translated, "We are definitely coming back next week. Our concept for our next comeback is summer. It's going to be something very cool, breezy".

The Q&A session ended in just under 8.5 minutes. The next segment was Game Time! The first game was the Random Speed Game. They will play one song, but will vary the speed of the song while the members have to maintain their choreography to the speed of the song being played. The audience got to choose the punishment of the loser, either doing aegyo or having the other members putting random props on the loser, and aegyo won. The members got up and the staff members began collecting their chairs, but Donghyun was so kind and helped to move his and Bomin's chairs while Bomin was just standing there cutely looking around. Tag, Joochan, Jaehyun, and Y also helped move their chairs. I always find these simple gestures so touching of the members!

Right before the music began to play, the members were standing in a row, deep in concentration, looking down at the ground, mentally preparing for the game!

They began playing "It's U" at regular speed. Soon it was sped up, and Donghyun and Jibeom gave each other confused looks but Donghyun began dancing again while Jibeom just stood there! Many members messed up, so they did it again. This time the members began in the "It's U" beginning formation, ready to go. The song began, then sped up at the same spot and all the members transitioned to the new speed so well! The song transitioned between normal, fast, and slow, and the members still continued their choreography so well. It was so fun to watch while shouting the fan chant in unison! Golden Child danced to the entire song with the varying speeds.

The MC then singled out Jaehyun who seemed a bit dazed during the game. Jaehyun cutely waved his hand in disagreement. The MC then let the members decide. Sungyoon then bent down at the waist and retied his shoes. The MC counted from 3 and all the members pointed at Jaehyun, and Jangjun said, "You, it's you!" Jaehyun seemed a bit sad as he walked to the center stage in preparation for his aegyo punishment.

Jaehyun did 3-set aegyo, with the first one being a big heart above his head.

For the second one he crouched down and did the flower palm gesture under his chin, and he was so shy he turned his head to the left in embarrassment!

For the third one he jumped up and did gunshot gestures. The Random Speed Game lasted about 5 minutes.

The MC announced that "Golden Child will play another game, and this one is even more special because Golden Child is going to be playing this game with you guys. Golden Child is going to pick one lucky fan to play charades." I literally groaned out loud because as much as I wanted to go on stage, I don't like charades because I can't think on my feet. I had asked people who had attended the earlier artist engagements and they said that the lucky fan was usually chosen like "my favorite color is blue. Who's wearing blue socks?" and that they played charades with an animal theme where the fan had to act. The MC translated the idea to Golden Child, then Jangjun immediately asked, "Who's wearing Golden Child clothes?" If you don't know what I was wearing here, check out my Part 1/3 post here! The photo above is right when Jangjun asked his question. It makes me wonder if he saw me this whole time and had wanted to choose me all along! I had also tried to draw attention to myself during their Star Live Talk, so maybe Jangjun did see me then.

After this point, everything has been a haze! Even exactly one month after this event, I'm still having so much trouble rewatching my fancam without dying of happiness/embarrassment. The Goldenness next to me and I both raised our hands, and Golden Child looked our way and sounded amazed ("whoa!"). The MC asked one of us to come up, but I was thinking, me or her? My friend on the right then pointed to the Goldenness on the left and then to me, indicating for Jangjun to choose. The MC said the one in the glasses, and I can no longer process life. One of the Goldenness from my hometown also offered to continue recording for me! My friend on the right let my hometown friend stand at the barricade to record. I ran like an idiot to the back of pit, realized I couldn't escape, then fans guided me back to the front and the staff opened the barricade for me to go up on stage.

Daeyeol, Jangjun, Donghyun, Bomin, Seungmin, Jibeom, and Joochan were all looking at me and clapping while Jaehyun, Y, and Tag continued waving to the audience. I walked up the stairs with my hands covering my face - this was the ultimate fangirling experience, fangirling in front of the idols I fangirl over! The members then started singing the beginning of "DamDaDi" while doing the dance in place and Jangjun shouted his "aeyo aeyo".

Then the MC suddenly said "let's dance". I instinctively did the point dance, and Jangjun and Daeyeol were genuinely smiling and dancing along while the others smiled (and probably secretly judged at my disgraceful dancing). I stopped quickly and all the members cheered and clapped.

Somehow when I'm at home fangirling, I'm totally conscious and fully understand what's going on. In the audience of seeing Golden Child, life feels surreal, but I can still feel and process that they're in front of me. But once I was on stage, I felt like a robot going through all the actions I was supposed to, but I had no feeling and couldn't process life.

We got right into the game. There would be a Kpop song title shown on the screen, and the member up had to dance to it and I had to guess the song. While the MC was explaining my role, Daeyeol, Jangjun, Donghyun, and Bomin kept looking in my direction! I was honestly so focused on trying not to look like an idiot and to do well because I can't think on my feet (I refuse to play those sort of games with friends or family!) that I didn't take the time to bask in Golden Child's sunshine and fangirl myself to tears. As the members were getting into place, Jangjun said, "Macey, are you okay?" He knew I was dying on the inside despite me trying to keep calm...!

While the MC was giving an example to me, Jibeom, Y, and Donghyun were discussing which way to face when it was their turn to dance by demonstrating with their hands. The MC asked in Korean if the members were ready, and Jangjun (who continued holding a mic) shouted, "yup!"

The members got in line with Jibeom first, and the screen revealed EXID's "Up & Down". When Jibeom saw the song title, he seemed so confident! And there was Jaehyun at the end laughing like crazy! Jibeom walked to the center of the stage, then faced me, then the audience, and kept pointing  cutely in both directions because he didn't know which way to dance. I love this photo because it captures Jibeom's cute gesture and Jaehyun laughing hysterically.

Jibeom confidently danced facing me for 10 whole seconds and I literally just stood there frozen like an idiot. The MC kept repeating "big hit...!" then I had a mini breakdown. Above is me apologizing for not knowing, then Jibeom began dancing to the audience. Jibeom was dancing for almost 20 seconds before the MC said "pass", probably because I was taking way too long. I'm so proud of Jibeom dancing to a girl group song and I really hope I didn't let him down...no matter what my old self thought, Jibeom CAN dance to girl group songs!

Next Y came up to dance to BTS' "Fire". I just stood there again like an idiot and the MC only let Y dance for about 7 seconds before saying "pass".

Daeyeol was up next and had to dance to "Pick Me" from Produce 101. I love how Sungyeol danced to this entire song and now his brother is dancing to it too. Daeyeol danced just a few seconds to the most iconic part of the choreography and gave me this shocked expression of how could I not know this song.

In the middle of Daeyeol's shocked expression, I told the MC that I only know Golden Child songs.  (To give a bit of my background, previously I only knew Infinite songs. I also know Lovelyz songs, but not to the extent of Infinite. I feel bad if I gave people the wrong impression - Golden Child is the second group I stan after Infinite, and I legit didn't know majority of the songs that Golden Child danced to.) The MC keeled over laughing, then said in the mic, "Macey just said 'I only know Golden Child songs'". Daeyeol started his proud-dad-clapping and thumbs up and Jangjun raised his arms up in approval.

Now clearly the MC knew this was not the game for me, so he said "let's try one more" just for fun. Seungmin went up and danced to Pentagon's "Shine". I was so excited that I finally knew one! I only knew this because I saw Pentagon perform it on Friday at Klub KCON and on Saturday at the concert. Seungmin pointed to me in congratulations while Daeyeol proud-dad-clapped for me and the other members clapped as well though not as enthusiastically as Daeyeol.

Next Donghyun danced to Twice's "Likey". He was smiling so wide, he was beaming like the sun while he danced! The choreography was obviously foreign to me, so the MC kept giving obvious hints like "JYP" but I just blanked out. Then Jangjun said into the mic, "only Golden Child" while pumping his fist. Jangjun was so sweet, he was very understanding and made me feel so accepted.

Joochan was next and he danced to "Bang Bang Bang" by Big Bang for 9 seconds. The MC gave the hint "dinosaurs"...? Afterwards Joochan chuckled at me in a good way for not getting it.

Next Jangjun danced to Sunmi's "Gashina". I have the most regret for not guessing this, especially when Jangjun had that same wavy hairstyle as when he danced to this during their eggie vlive. Jangjun was still very encouraging and supportive as he kept doing the fighting pose after his turn.

Bomin went up next with Super Junior's "Sorry Sorry". Despite having my original bias standing in front of me, I was only focused on the game. He did the famous point dance of the song for 3 seconds and I got it right away. The only reason I got this was because I listened to many groups prior to late 2012 when I converted to listening only to Infinite. He clapped for me then gave me a thumbs up!

Next was Tag who had to dance to Red Velvet's "Red Flavor". He danced for a good 10 seconds while I continued staring like an idiot. The MC gave me really obvious hints, starting with "girl group" and "SM". I said "Red Velvet" and the members leaned in anticipation and got excited that I was getting close, pictured above. I then said "Bad Boy" which is wrong...then the MC kept saying "red...red...red..." and I said "Red Flavor" and afterwards Tag seemed especially excited that I got it and the members clapped more passionately this round. I'm so sorry Bomin if I let you down...!

Jaehyun walked to the center since he was up next, but was so excited and retreated back when he saw there were no more rounds on the screen.

Next the MC took a Polaroid photo of me with Golden Child. I was bending down in the center while the members were behind me and Bomin and Donghyun got right next to me! This part was actually captured in KCON's official Day 2 recap video here! I'm really happy that KCON captured this and put it in their video - it's much more high quality than the Polaroids^^

Honestly this would have probably been the exact moment that I would've passed out. But my subconscious defense mechanism made me compare this moment to back in the day when I volunteered as an English teacher aide for Japanese students and took group photos with them. Oddly enough I had that mindset and was able to take the picture well instead of pass out.

The MC decided to take another photo since he cut off someone (it turned out to be Bomin). The members kept their spots but changed their poses while I kept my "Damdadi" pose (though I used the wrong hand). Afterwards I turned around and half-bowed to Joochan, Donghyun, and Jibeom, the members directly behind me. These three thoughtfully half-bowed to me too! The MC handed me both Polaroids, then I turned back around to the members and half-bowed again. This time Joochan bowed more deeply, followed by Donghyun and Jibeom with deeper bows than previously, then Bomin and Jangjun half-bowed to me.

The members then clapped for me and Daeyeol half-bowed to me and watched as I walked off the stage. I was on stage for about 5.5 minutes with Golden Child. So many of these details I didn't realize until after watching my fancam so many times, such as Jangjun saying my name and asking if I'm okay, the members bowing, Daeyeol watching me leave...though I didn't think it was possible, I love them all so much more every time I relive this moment.

I'm going to give a quick reflection before jumping back into the artist engagement. In my 24 years of existence, I had always been introverted, shy, anti-social, etc. Becoming an Inspirit helped break out of my shell as I studied in Seoul by myself. But I wanted to take it to the next level with Golden Child - I had regrets not trying to interact with Infinite more, and I didn't want to make the same mistake twice. So with KCON NY, I went all out. I knew I would stand out by wearing a jersey. When Jangjun asked who's wearing their clothing, I instantly jumped up and down and raised my arms. I got on stage, danced, and played a thinking-on-your-feet game. When I told my grandma, she even said she was proud of me, which is a very rare thing to hear. Not only did I meet my idol group, but I grew so much and really did become a different person.

The next segment began right as I was leaving the stage. Everyone in the audience was really nice and gave me my spot back on the barricade. There was a pre-KCON event where participants can create unique awards for the artists, and one would be selected to be presented at their artist engagement or backstage. The MC presented the title "The Golden Boys Who Shine The Brightest" to Golden Child. Jaehyun said, "Thank you for giving us a really awesome award and we will love you guys forever. Thank you so much". The members gave thumbs up to the audience. This segment lasted about 2 minutes. Afterwards the MC announced that it was time for hi-touch. The entire time Golden Child was on stage before hi-touch was just over 23 minutes.

People in the hi-touch section started forming a line to the right of the stage, then they handed their hi-touch voucher to the staff. Others just stayed in the hi-touch section, mentally preparing themselves. I waited a bit. Some people say going first is when you get the most time with the artists, while others say going last you get the most time. I wasn't sure what to believe, but I decided to go in the middle. Also I would have thought that I'd record other people high-fiving, but I guess because I'd get to do it too, I had no will to film others.

I got in line with my 2 Goldenness friends. While waiting on the stairs, again it felt like my spirit had escaped me and I was just going through the motions. The hi-touch order was: Donghyun - Daeyeol - Jangjun - Bomin - Joochan - Jibeom - Y - Seungmin - Jaehyun - Tag. Donghyun smiled so brightly the entire time and said "I love you" while high fiving, then gave me a thumbs up. As I high fived Daeyeol, I told him "어제 편지 받아서 고마워", meaning thank you for receiving my letter yesterday. He was so friendly and acknowledged me by smiling and nodding, then giving me a thumbs up. Jangjun gave a high five and leaned in towards me, making it more personable! Bomin really stood out by firmly shaking my hand and looking at me genuinely in the eyes. Honestly I only remembered Donghyun, Daeyeol (me talking to him, but not his reaction), and Bomin, and everyone else was such a blur. I remember gently high fiving everyone else and repeating "thank you" to them. Based on a fancam I did see Jibeom look toward me and give me a thumbs up after I had walked away. Despite the short time, each member really tried to make the moment special for each fan by kindly looking them in the eyes. My entire time high fiving lasted 19 seconds. As I walked down the stairs, the MC asked me if the Polaroids turned out okay, and I said yes (though they were a bit blurry, I was still so dazed by everything. And if I had said no, would I have had another photo opportunity...).

Here is one of the only photos I took of hi-touch. As you can see, I was a few rows back after coming off the stage.

And here are my Polaroids with Jaehyun, Seungmin, and Y in the background.

At the end of hi-touch, the cameraman went down the line as each member "high fived" the camera. The hi-touch session lasted about 11 minutes.

Afterwards Golden Child hung behind the table for a bit while the MC instructed them off the record.

The members then came back to the front of the stage. The view isn't nearly as good as the one I had before...

Golden Child then took 3 group photos with the audience in the background. The first photo has a happy theme, second cute, and third wild. Jangjun and Daeyeol were demonstrating all 3 emotions! Pictured above are the two acting happy. Golden Child sat on the stage and the cameraman took the 3 shots. KCON only posted 2 of these photos on Twitter, and I was too far back to be shown.

Afterwards Jaehyun represented the group and said the ending ment, "It is really good to be here and I really liked being with you guys and love you. Thank you!" (He said something like this...everyone was screaming at this point so it was hard to hear). The members waved. Daeyeol bowed, then Donghyun followed, then Jangjun, then Joochan and Y. Daeyeol was the last to walk off the stage, and blew one last kiss to the audience. The artist engagement ended at 2:39PM.

As I was exiting the venue, people congratulated me, said I did well, that I deserved it, and when they saw me during the previous days they were rooting for me to go up on stage. It made me feel so happy that strangers approached me and were all so genuinely nice, adding to the best experience of my life! Here is a better shot of my Polaroids to commemorate the weekend. I'll finish this series with my red carpet experience next.

Ordering My Golden Child Goldenness Albums

In this post I'll blog about my experience ordering and receiving my Goldenness albums. I have an unboxing review post for Goldenness here. Goldenness was released on July 4th, 2018. Though this album is only a single with 3 tracks, the album is a bit heavy and therefore 1 album costs around $19USD - $25USD. There are 2 versions of this album, and each album comes with 1 random photocard out of 20 and 1 random ticket out of 10. I planned on collecting them all, and decided to pre-order 4 albums total. I compared prices and found that Ktown4u charged about $42USD for 2 albums plus 2 folded posters plus shipping (however they have asked for a higher shipping fee after I had completed my purchase), while YesAsia charged about $84USD for 4 albums plus 2 unfolded posters, and they offer free shipping on orders over $39USD. I decided on YesAsia so that I could have unfolded posters and not worry about paying additional shipping.

My YesAsia packages shipped on July 6th like the site promised, and included tracking. Both my album package and poster tube arrived on July 17th. All 4 albums were stacked together and wrapped in 1 layer of bubblewrap, nestled inside a cardboard box.

The album packaging is made of very thin cardboard, so some of the corners were inevitably squished in transit.

While opening the albums, I only put pressure in the center of the flap which created a noticeable crease. This happened for all 4 albums.

I first opened the red versions. I pulled the red Jangjun photocard and Donghyun ticket in the first red album, and the same Jangjun card and Jaehyun ticket in the second red album. Then I opened the black versions, and pulled the red Y photocard and Daeyeol ticket in the first black album, and the red Seungmin photocard and Tag ticket in the second black album. The cards and tickets are placed together anywhere from the first page to the middle of the photobook.

Here are all of the photocards and tickets I pulled from my first 4 albums.

My 2 unfolded posters came well protected in a sturdy cardboard poster tube.

Each side comes with a plastic lid and an ample amount of bubblewrap to protect the poster edges from chafing on the lid.

Here are the 2 posters! They are in perfect condition.

The following 2 days after my albums arrived, I contemplated how I'd collect all the photocards and tickets. Not many people were trading, and even fewer were selling. As much as I don't like having duplicate albums, I decided to order 4 more copies on Amazon. I'm usually hesitant on ordering Kpop items on Amazon because they're usually much more expensive and don't count on the charts. However I found Amazon selling a set for $44.75USD (pre-tax but with free shipping) that comes with both album versions and both folded posters here. The item description states that this purchase counts on both Gaon and Hanteo charts, and hopefully that's true. I chose the seller CATS GIRL which is fulfilled by Amazon and based in Nevada. I bought 2 sets on July 19th for $98.54USD after tax, pricing each photocard or ticket at $12.32. My order originally had an expected delivery date of July 25th to 27th, but after my package shipped out on July 20th, the delivery date updated to the 22nd.

My package did arrive on the 22nd in a small cardboard box.

Each set was bundled together in a clear bag, then the 2 sets were sandwiched together with the folded posters at the top and bottom when placed in the box. My albums were packaged really well because the posters acted as a buffer and protected the album corners from being dented during transit. Overall, my albums had virtually no dents, though one album did have a weird line on the front cover. This time I was able to open the albums without creating a crease on the flap - the trick is to put pressure towards both sides of the flap rather than the center.

In my first set, I pulled the red Joochan photocard and Joochan ticket for both albums.

In my second set, I pulled the black Jangjun photocard and Tag ticket from my black album, and the red Donghyun photocard and Daeyeol ticket from my red album.

Here are all the photocards and tickets I pulled from my second 4 albums.

And here are all of the Goldenness photocards and tickets that I pulled from my 8 albums. Overall, I have quite a few duplicates that I would like to trade for those that I'm missing, and I'm considering cross trading (photocard for a ticket and vice versa).

I have finally completed my thorough unboxing of the Goldenness album here!

[KCON18NY] Day-2: Convention Part 1/3

Sunday June 24th, 2018 marks the day I meet Golden Child at KCON. I wore my jersey again, this time with my matching Nike belt. I decided to also wear wedges today for a better chance at seeing Golden Child at their Star Live Talk, Hi-Touch, and Red Carpet, though I knew my feet would pay for it. I was so nervous for what this day would hold!

I got to the convention grounds right when they opened at 10AM and headed to the KCON merchandise booth. There was already a long line and today was much hotter compared to Friday and Saturday - those days were overcast and refreshing, while today was very sunny and unforgiving. KCON sold their own merchandise such as tees, sweatshirts, and lanyards, as well as their artist merchandise like photocards (the image is from each artist's own promotion, not an exclusive KCON photoshoot), baseball jerseys (why must they sell baseball jerseys this year when I worked so hard creating mine...), and more. Majority of the artist merchandise was sold out, however there were still a lot of Golden Child and Fromis_9 goods left, as well as some Stray Kids items. They were also selling autographed Wanna One albums for $40.

I bought the fan letter kit for $8, Golden Child pin badge for $7, 2 Golden Child and 1 Stray Kids autograph & KCON decal sticker set for $8 each (for a friend! I only wanted the Golden Child merch, but now that I bought this Golden Child sticker set, I don't know what to do with it. The logo sticker isn't even their logo?!). Sadly the 3 sticker sets didn't survive the long day in my tote...(I'm sorry to my friend...). The badge is really cute and is actually Golden Child's logo, so I can display it with pride.

As for the fan letter kit, this is the official kit that you must buy if you want to write a fan letter to 1 of the artists, drop it off in their mailbox at Star Square, and have the possibility of having your fan letter read at the red carpet. Above is my completed fan letter, which I dedicated to Golden Child.

After I was done with the merchandise booth, my friend let me know that there was a special event at the MWave booth. If you take a picture at this booth and post it on Twitter or Instagram using their designated hashtags before noon, you will be entered for a chance to take a polaroid with Golden Child. There was no SNS announcement of this event, it's merely if you happen to be at the MWave booth and see their advertisement, then you're in luck.

I ran to the MWave booth and as I was friendless, had a staff member take my picture for me. There were various artists' autographs on the wall, but I honestly didn't care what the background was. I actually never post photos of myself on Twitter or Instagram, but this convention was my first for many things. I posted this picture on Twitter and somehow it blew up. I had to be back at this booth by 12PM for the winner announcement.

This year KCON also held fanclub meetings for all the artists. Whichever day that artist is performing, their fanclub meeting is held on that day. These events are organized and run by fans for fans or convention goers who are interested in learning more about the artist. The artist doesn't actually show up to these events. I went to Golden Child's Goldenness fan meeting, which began at 11AM. Everyone was given a name tag where we wrote down our bias's name. And here was me officially declaring that I'm both Bomin and Jibeom biased. As an ice breaker, everyone played Goldenness Bingo, and here I met another Goldenness who had made her own jersey! Hers was the black jersey first revealed on May 22nd at Golden Child's first fan meeting Golden Day. Next the 2 fanclub meeting moderators hosted trivia. The questions were all choosing between 2 options, then the last question was meant for the first person to raise their hand. The 2-part question was 1) what is Bomin's number and 2) what is the significance of that number. I am the most shy and reserved person and hate drawing attention to myself, but in that instant I had so much confidence being in my element, raised my hand first, and answered both correctly. I won a KCON tote bag and KCON lightstick. Next the moderators held a dance competition, and the girl in the black jersey outshined the others and won a Joochan photocard. I'm so happy we had the most dedication in our outfits and were able to showcase our love at the fanclub meeting. Then we practiced the "Damdadi" fanchant a few times. At the end, a moderator passed out the support project she had created - a banner and pin. 1 girl who is a US group order manager also had Dove Honey fans to pass out. That fansite master said that she wouldn't be at KCON but wanted the GO manager to pass them out. Above our my goods from the fanclub meeting.

Here is the backside of the Dove Honey fan. I'm so excited to have gotten a fansite good! I know other fansites were present but unfortunately I didn't run into any of them.

At 11:35PM the fanclub meeting ended, though attendees could stay to trade photocards and talk. I left the area and stumbled across 2 signs - 1 for the Golden Child hi-touch line and the other for the Golden Child audience line! This line is actually a temporary line - the official line right next to the entrance of BHHH where the artist engagements are held was still being used for Fromis_9's engagement at 12:30PM. I was in the front of this line and soon there were around 15 people lining up. At 11:55PM the group around me saved my spot (some where there just to hold a spot for their friend, not even to go for Golden Child's hi-touch), I headed back to the MWave booth. They announced 3 winners to take polaroids with Golden Child - 2 winners from Twitter and 1 from Instagram. It was not clear at all that they would choose separate winners from each SNS, and I was not a winner >.< Golden Child would be heading to Star Square at 1:30PM right after their Star Live Talk at 1PM, however hi-touch line usually enters the venue 30 minutes before which was at 1:30PM. Therefore I had to prioritize how close I wanted to be to the stage for the Star Live Talk, how close I wanted to be to the stage for hi-touch, and if I should even bother seeing Golden Child at Star Square. In the end, I decided it was best to be as close to the stage as possible for hi-touch, be in the back for the Star Live Talk, and opt out of going to Star Square.

I wasn't keeping tabs on time, but eventually a staff member came and moved the Golden Child hi-touch and audience lines to the official spots in front of BHHH. Oddly enough someone was already in line in hi-touch, but she was understanding and left after we explained to her that we had been waiting longer. I asked the people around me if they were okay if I stepped out for 25 minutes to see the Star Live Talk, and they were all understanding and let me go. The girl behind me also had her mom with her (who wasn't going to the hi-touch) and graciously offered to hold my spot in line. I also asked the staff member who was counting hi-touch attendees if it was okay if we stepped out but had someone not going to hi-touch to hold our place, and she was perfectly fine with it. I decided to step out of line at 12:50PM and to leave the Star Live Talk early at 1:23PM to be back in line.

A few minutes later I arrived at the KCON Stage where the Star Live Talk was being held. EXID held their Star Live Talk at 12:30PM and were already off the stage. There was a barricade about 10 feet from the stage, then many people waiting for Golden Child, and then me in the very back where it was roomy, I could still see all of the stage, and hopefully Golden Child could see me as well. It was really hot today where I'd drip sweat into my eyes - I definitely suggest bringing tissues to wipe your sweat! A few minutes before 1PM, the MC hyped up the crowd and talked about how she got into Kpop.

Right at 1PM Golden Child came on the stage from the right. My first time seeing them at an official event, and it was so beautiful! They were wearing new stage outfits - matching black button-downs, jeans, and Dr. Martens. The MC on the right spoke in English (and occasionally in Korean), and there was a translator sitting behind Daeyeol and Tag. Right away, Jangjun and Tag spoke so much English! I created a condensed transcript of the talk:

MC: Please sit down! Take a seat!
Jangjun: Whoa.
MC: Golden Child, do you want to intro yourselves?
Tag: Hello KCON, we are...
Golden Child: Golden Child!
Tag: So glad to meet you guys.
MC: Welcome to KCON. You guys look great!
JJ: Thank you so much.
MC: Is this your first time in New Jersey?
JJ: Yah. First time.
MC: Have you eaten anything good?
JJ: Eat? Some food? Uhh, chicken, and pizza, and steak.
MC: So you ate it all. Your fans are going crazy!
(Many fans had Golden Child fansite slogans and fans! The members clapped and gazed into the audience.)
MC: Question one! You received a lot of attention for your very film-like teaser and graduation theme album. Which concept do you prefer - baseball team or graduation class?
Translator for Tag: He liked the baseball concept better even though both were very fun to perform.
JJ: Yah, I think I am too.
Trans. for Y: He also thinks the baseball one was really fun but the graduation one gave them a new opportunity to show a new side of themselves.
MC: Can you share any difficulties you had while working on your album?
Trans. for JJ: They worked so hard practicing for their dance that their sweat fogged up the mirrors and they weren't able to see their own images so it was really hard to practice.
MC: You guys just love the fact that they sweat. You guys are like "I want that sweat!"
JJ: Sweat.
MC: Golden Child "It's U" the video, what is your secret to such a stable, live performance? How do you guys always slay it?
Jaehyun: Actually we practice a lot until late (into the) night and we share how to sing well while dancing. And our vocal line members have pretty creative ideas on how to sing well.
MC: Wow, your English is amazing. Next question! Who is the best to watch movies with?
Trans. for Bomin: Since he's the youngest he thinks it's fun to watch movies with the older boys.
MC: What movie have you guys seen recently? (Jaehyun did an Avengers pose with his arm up). Avengers!
BM: Jurassic Park.
JJ: Black Panther! Wakanda forever!
MC: We should have Avengers with Golden Child.
JJ: Oh! Thank you so much!
MC: Who is the best dancer of the group?
Tag: Yah uh, I think Donghyun. He's really good at dancing.
Donghyun (while looking at Tag): Thank you.
MC: Who eats the most? Who can do a mokbang?
JJ: Uh maybe I think Joochan.
MC (to Joochan): What's your favorite food?
Joochan: Um, chicken and pizza?
MC: Who's the messiest?
Trans. for Daeyeol: He says he doesn't think anyone in the group is messy.
JJ: We are so clean. Yes.
MC: You mean you do 빨래 (do laundry), you do 설거지 (wash dishes).
JJ: Yah, we do everything.
MC: I heard you guys are coming back with a new album. Can you talk a little bit about the album?
Trans. for DY: They have a new album coming out next week. So please support them when it comes out.
MC: American artists. Who do you guys like listening to?
JH: Um, Taylor Swift.
JJ: Yah, Taylor Swift.
Y: Maroon 5.
JH: One Direction. One Direction.
Y: Maroon 5.
JJ: Childish Gambino. This is America. (And he did a little dance in his seat!)
MC: Are you guys going to be coming to America a lot more now?
JH: Yah.
MC: You'll have to come back so we can do more interviews!
JJ: Uh yes, sure. If I can, I always want to go (to) America.
MC: Really?
JJ: Yah.
MC: Where else have you been in America?
JH: Wisconsin!
Y: 없습니다 (I haven't).
MC: We got to take you somewhere!
JJ: We should go.
MC: Are you guys going to go to New York City while you're here?
JH: Uh, we don't know yet.
MC: You guys work very hard, right? What do you do when you're not working?
JH: Uh, actually we watch movie a lot. And we go to cafe and drink some coffee. And, I think that's all.
JJ: And I want to go to Shake Shack Burger! It's so famous here! I want to go there.
MC: Do you guys watch TV shows?
JJ: Yah. I always watch The Simpsons.
Y: Spongebob.
JH: NFL.
MC: Did you watch the World Cup?
JH: We watched it.
MC to the audience: What do you guys think you'll say to Golden Child if you have the chance, and I'm going to ask this girl right here with the Golden Child sign. Don't cry girl, are you crying?
JJ: Don't cry! Don't cry!
MC: Who are you guys really influenced by? Korean music wise.
DY: Infinite!
MC: Would you guys ever do a duet?
Trans. for DY: They would like to do a collaboration with Infinite.
MC: Who else? Do you guys like any hip hop artists?
Y: Uh, BTS.
MC: You guys can be that big in America. You're young (Y gave her a thumbs up), 잘 생겨서  (handsome; Y laughed), and have a really good smile. What do you want to say to other people who want to be singers or who want to go after their dreams?
JJ: Dreams come true. No pain, no game.
Y: Fighting!
MC: Because Golden Child in the beginning, before your debut, you worked very hard, right?
JJ: Oh really? (His sarcasm!)
MC: In like 5 years, what do you want it to look like?
Trans. for JC: He wants to show more great things when he's on stage. He'll work really hard so that you'll keep loving and supporting Golden Child.
MC: Is there any concept that's crazy that you guys would like to try? Sexy?
DY: Yah, sexy concept. (Jangjun had to demonstrate too...!)
MC: What else would you want to try?
Y: Hip hop.
MC: Can you teach me a dance move?
JJ: Yah. (in Korean) Donghyun is Golden Child's dance machine.
MC: Donghyun, do you want to teach me a dance move?
JJ: Let's get it!
DY: Are you ready?
(Donghyun slowly danced the "It's U" chorus while Daeyeol said random encouraging things in English and counted in English. Jangjun said "be careful!" when the MC lost balance. Then the members started singing the chorus, first at normal speed, then they sang it really slowly to match the MC's slow dancing! Jangjun said "it's awesome!".)
MC: Who has the best vocal of the group?
JJ: Maybe Joochan and Y. Joochan and Y is very good vocal.
MC: Can you teach us a note?
Trans. for Y: He's going to sing one of his own parts from a song. (The song is "Lady". While I'm still upset that this song doesn't have Jaehyun or Bomin, it was SO amazing hearing Y singing it impromtu rather than as a performance. He sounds so amazing live! He sang his first few lines of the song, as well as Daeyeol's line.)
MC: Whaaa oppa!
JJ: Oppa!
Joochan: (in Korean) I'll sing "모든 날 All Day". (He sang the first few lines of the chorus!)
MC: Can you teach me a note?
(Y started singing the chorus of "Lady". It was so beautiful, and hearing him sing "you just be my love" was amazing especially when the last word gets drowned out by the others' overlapping parts.)
MC: Slower, slower, slower.
(Y sang the same part again more slowly, one line at a time. Then one word at a time.)
MC: Man I am sweating. 너 더워요? (Are you hot?)
JJ: Yah, it's too hot in here.
MC: Are American fans crazy?
Trans. for DY: They're so passionate so they're very glad to see them.
Trans. for JC: Even though it's so hot you guys are still out here.
MC: Is there anything you want to say to your American fans who came all the way here?
Tag: Yah yah. It's my pleasure and an honor to meet every single one of you guys and I hope you guys remember this moment because I will never forget this moment. Thank you so much. (You can tell he really rehearsed this to try his best to convey his feelings to us. I was so proud of him! Tag ended up saying this again at both the red carpet and the concert.)
BM: I love you Goldenness! (*Dies* hearing those words come out of Bomin was a very beautiful moment for my weak heart. And now I also know how our fandom name is supposed to be pronounced! Gold-en-ness.)
JH: Uh, we're so thankful that you came here and I love you guys so much and we will do our performance and we will put all the effort for our performance. Thank you.
(Then Tag shouted out something I didn't understand.)
MC: What song do you guys like performing the best?
DY: Do you know "Damdadi"? Yes, "Damdadi". (Then he started doing the dance move in his seat!)
MC, to a fan up front: You love them girl, are you crying?
JJ: Please don't cry!
MC: What's your name?...Gaby!
JJ: Gaby!
JB: Thank you, thank you. (And he did 2 thumbs up to her!)
MC: Gaby, this is your moment. (Gaby indicated that Donghyun's her bias.)
DH: I love you! (MC said her name is Gaby). I love you Daby! (It was cute how he said her name wrong!)
MC: Is that crazy for you guys, when your fans start crying?
Trans. for DY: He says this is the first time.
DY: Thank you so much.

At 1:22PM, I decided to head back to the hi-touch line. I slowly walked backwards toward the exit while hoping Golden Child would spot my jersey...I wanted them to know that I wasn't leaving early because I was bored,but because I had to get up close for their hi-touch! Luckily their Star Live Talk ended about a minute later, and I didn't miss much. Golden Child then left the KCON Stage, hopped into a van, and headed to Star Square where the area was fenced off and fans could crowd around to see the boys arrive there. Based on all the fancams, it seems like you could get so close to the boys during their Star Square event. I hopped back into my spot in the hi-touch line.

I'll continue my experience of Golden Child's hi-touch and the Sunday red carpet in my next posts!