My friends and I returned back to the venue at about 3:30PM, aiming to wait in line for the performances to begin at 5PM. The ballroom was still crowded, as if they were already setting up their spot for the performances. I found this quite odd since we were divided by our ticket type AND by the group listed on our wristbands. But why were people already arbitrarily getting the best spots for the performance and why was there no designated section per ticket type?
As a benefit of P1, we each received a lottery ticket for a chance to go up on stage with the artist of our choice. Someone asked me where I received my ticket because she didn't get one, and I told her during check-in. Actually during check-in, it was so disorganized with the one worker holding the lottery tickets and asking if we've received one yet, rather than being proactive and instantly giving out the ticket as P1 was checking in. Anyways...the worker on the stage had a box with the lottery tickets inside, and planned to pull out 10 tickets. After pulling out one, no one claimed that number, and the worker was saying why would anyone already leave? As if you don't know...eventually they called out 10 numbers that people claimed, and they all went to the side of the stage, then eventually went back to their respective spots within pit.
Throughout the above fiasco, they kept playing instrumental tracks of Myungsoo's songs and of Infinite's "No More" which was a nice touch. Maybe this is a hint for The Origin 2...Myungsoo's fan meeting began promptly at 5PM with his VCR playing on the stage, mainly still shots from his poster shooting. Yeobongs were lit throughout pit, as well as the fan project where you throw a lightstick into a blown up gold balloon.
Myungsoo then walked on stage to the mic stand, did a quick sound check (he said "uh" into the mic) and began singing "내가 아니어도 좋아", his OST track from his 2017 historical drama Ruler: Master of the Mask. I was so happy to see Myungsoo singing solo in person again; the first and last time I saw him singing solo was during One Great Step in LA almost exactly 5 years ago! But there was one girl behind me who clearly wasn't an Inspirit and couldn't stop talking to her friend. At one point, one even said that she hoped Inspirits would go to the back of the venue after Myungsoo's stage was over. (Okay, first of all, I wish everyone had done that so fandoms would be in the front for their respective artist. And while I respective all artists for coming out and promoting Kpop and I was interested in seeing the other artists at this event, that girl just made it seem like the other artists were so much more worthy than Myungsoo. Furthermore, many Inspirits had already planned on moving to the back after Myungsoo's set, but that girl sounded so entitled for us to do this, when we were only being gracious and wanting others to see their artists up closer. She couldn't stop talking throughout Myungsoo's fan meeting, which was so frustrating and really detracted from my experience. In this sense, I truly preferred Myungsoo to have a solo schedule. The atmosphere here was so much different than KCON; with KCON, it was fun being with other fans and it seemed easier getting interactions from my artist, but here, the fans were negative and the interactions definitely were for the most part non-Inspirits and Myungsoo.)
After finishing singing, Myungsoo said "감사합니다" (thank you) and deeply bowed to the audience. He then said "어 안녕 안녕" (oh hi hi) and waved. Then an MC and the translator came out. One approached Myungsoo, waved, and said "hi" and Myungsoo followed. The MC took the spotlight and introduced herself and gave an apology, saying "I know it's been very frustrating today but I just want to ask you guys to cooperate and you guys are amazing so could you give yourselves a clap." I'm glad that she's acknowledging the white elephant in the room and her way to speaking did help to ease the tension I was feeling. Myungsoo was facing the MC for most of her spiel but the Korean staff on the side were trying to set up and then Myungsoo went over to speak with them. Myungsoo joined the MC and translator again.
Myungsoo then introduced himself in English! He didn't seem as confident, but said, "uhh h-hi everyone, my name is L, yah, 안녕하세요" (hello) and bowed humbly. The MC gestured the three of them to sit down, then Myungsoo gestured the MC, then the translator to sit down, in such a gentlemanly style.
The first segment was an interview. Before the first question, Myungsoo smiled so cutely! Then the MC asked Myungsoo "how he feels being in NY because I know that he was here a long time ago, I'm not sure how long" and there was something in me that yelled "two and a half years!" I think at this point I was really frustrated, and for the MC to say "I'm not sure how long" (something she could have easily found out before interviewing him) when she could've just left it as "he was here a long time ago". (I honestly feel so ashamed at my shameless yelling at that moment. I'm at a loss for words what came over me and would like to apologize to all those who were in earshot from me.) The translator spoke to Myungsoo while the MC asked her question to save time. Myungsoo replied, and the translator said, "It's been awhile since I've been in NY. It's amazing that I can sing in front of you guys." Then a fan shouted "love you!", and Myungsoo responded, "ooh love you ooh" so cutely. He continued with his answer, and the translator said, "I'm a little nervous because this excitement (?) is rare and it's amazing to see us (?) in this country."
The fans were cheering as the MC spoke then she said "they love you", and Myungsoo acknowledged the fans by saying "oooh oooh 안녕" (hi) again so cutely. The MC then went on to talk about Myungsoo's latest role as a judge from the drama Miss Hammurabi and asked if he had any similarities and differences with the character that he played. As he was about to answer, a fan shouted something and he replied "알겠습니다" (okay) before continuing on with his response. The translator said, "If there is something similar, there is the balance of personality that we share, but difference I'm not too sure. From Miss Hammurabi I had a special role. I was very happy to share something very special through this work. And in my next work I wish to show you a great side of me as well."
The fans cheered, then Myungsoo cheered with us clapping his hands and saying "oooh whoa ahhh" and smiling to us, then gave the audience a thumbs up while saying "너무 멋있다" (so cool).
The MC then asked what character he genuinely wants to try out in the future. Myungsoo replied, and the translator said, "In the past there were particular roles that I wanted to try but now I want to find something that suits me the most and that you guys will enjoy me performing. So I'm searching for the next one right now." Then Myungsoo said "예" and buried his face into his chest like he was so shy!
The next segment was entitled "Ask Myungsoo" where the organizers had previously selected 3 questions that fans had asked on social media. When the crowd shouted "Ask Myungsoo!" he was so cute to acknowledge us and just say random antics like "oh okay mhmm". The MC then asked if he will be honest in his responses, and Myungsoo again said "예 예 예 예 yes yes yes".
The first question selected was sent in by one of my mutuals! She had asked, "Of all the dramas you have done so far, which role was your favorite to be? Was it hard for you to become that character?" Myungsoo replied and the translator said, "The most recent one was definitely the most memorable one but it was also the hardest. There were a lot of lines and like 90% of them I had to keep practicing them over again. There were a lot of law terms I had to practice. That was definitely the hardest aspect but because of that it was the most memorable as well. The difficulty keeps updating so I'm assuming the next one's going to be more difficult." The MC then asked Myungsoo to thank Angelina, so he looked in her direction and said, "oh thank you Angelina, thank you~".
The second question was "Among the movies and animations you have watched, who's your favorite character and why do you like that character?" The submitter identified herself within the crowd and instantly when Myungsoo spotted her, he waved enthusiastically and said "aah 안녕 yeh" (hi).
While thinking about his response, he first cutely scoffed into the mic; it seemed like he really had to think about this one as opposed to the other questions where he already had an answer. The translator said, "He's a character from Disney. Do you guys know Pony? Stitch, from the movie Stitch. I went to the Disney pop-up store in Times Square. There's a big Stitch doll that was there, so I hugged it and took a picture with Stitch. I'm doing a fan meeting tour right now, and later there is a section where I give a film camera to a fan, and one of the pictures is going to be the one I took with the big Stitch." The MC elaborated on this special gift, saying that there is one slot left in the film camera where the lucky fan will take a picture with Myungsoo.
The last question from this segment was "Which artist are you dying to meet for the first time?" The submitter quietly identified herself and then the MC already started asking the question, but Myungsoo looked to the fan and quietly waved twice and nodded to her. He answered this question right away, and the translator said, "I haven't seen a lot of artists lately so there's one in particular that I want to meet. Infinite's really busy lately. I really want to meet Infinite these days." This was such a touching response and I felt it really brought Inspirits together, knowing that this time is hard (in regards to the members enlisting and working on solo activities) both for Inspirits and the Infinite members. I'm happy that the MC continued on with this topic, asking Myungsoo to give a message to the members. He gave his message which translated to (part of it I translated myself because the translator got one part wrong), "This message will probably go to them somewhere. Dear all, hope you guys are doing well. You guys are probably sleeping right now. I'm in NY! (And he made this cute arm wave! Pictured above) I want to see you guys in Korea, eat together, practice together, see you soon and let's stay strong. Good night~ (while waving!)". The MC then said that you can sense the love he has for his members and that she hopes we can see an Infinite comeback really soon. Myungsoo clapped at that. Aah don't we all wish we could see an Infinite comeback...
As the MC was segwaying into the next segment, she noticed Myungsoo was rubbing his face and kept staring at him. He noticed, and said, "yah yah yah" like he was back to being fully focused, then the MC asked if he was okay, and he replied, "aah I'm okay, I'm very okay!" and gave her a thumbs up. Then he said "예 예 예 가시죠" (
yes yes yes let's go).
The next segment was "Would You Rather?" where Myungsoo had to choose what he thought was the lesser of two evils. While the MC was explaining the concept to the audience, Myungsoo looked to the staff at the side and motioned for water. I wish they had prepared more to make the artists more comfortable. Then as the MC said "okay?" in asking if we understood, Myungsoo nodded and said "okay yah". The MC then gave an example for Myungsoo to practice, "would you rather eat a frog-flavored chocolate or a chocolate-flavored frog?" Myungsoo shifted back in surprise at the first option, then received a bottle of water from the staff. As he opened the bottle, he gave the MC a shocked look and shook his head while thinking about the two options. He then responded, and the translator said, "The first one." Myungsoo then repeated into the mic "First one". The MC then asked Myungsoo if he was ready, and he said, "yah oh yah oh yah". The first set was choosing between travelling around the world without having a home for the rest of your life or living in the most luxurious mansion without being able to leave for the rest of your life. Myungsoo thought about it for a bit, then gave his response. The translator said, "I think the first one's better. The second one...if I lived in the greatest house in the world, I wouldn't be here in NY. I'd rather tour around the world without a home." The second set was choosing between living as Kim Myungsoo or living as Im Barun (his role in
Miss Hammurabi). Myungsoo responded right away, and the translator said, "In the end, Im Barun is a character. I can experience more by living as Kim Myungsoo." The last set was choosing between visiting 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future. He thought for a second, then chose going into the future...There's a lot that I'm curious about in the future. If I travel to the past, I know the history already. I will travel 100 years into the future where everything is new and tell people about it...I think there'll be flying cars and better cell phones." The MC then went on about our generation wanting better technology, then put her arm up and said "woo whoop" and Myungsoo copied her motion and said "yeh woo whoop yeh".
The MC then transitioned into the next corner, where Myungsoo would sing another song. From Myungsoo's previous fan meetings from this tour, he had been singing his OST from
Ruler: Master of the Mask, Infinite's "No More", his new song "Talk and Talk", and either "Love U Like U" or "지난 날 (The Day That Passed)". I guessed he would sing "No More" next, and was eagerly saying it out loud. Then when Myungsoo began introducing it and said "Infinite", I was sure it was "No More"! The translator said, "This used to be a song by Infinite. I'm about to sing a song we used to all sing together as a solo. 'No More'. I hope you guys enjoy it." While a staff member was setting up the stage, Myungsoo did a quick sound check, then when the stage was ready, he said "Music start." As the backtrack began, Myungsoo started singing Woohyun's lines, but was weary during Sungjong's line and hesitated singing because he knew the backtrack was off. He continued singing, and I couldn't stop cheering when he did Dongwoo's rap! This song fit Myungsoo so well, and I'm happy he sang an Infinite song despite being a soloist.
Right after the song ended, the MC and translator came back on stage. Myungsoo spoke about the song, and the translator said, "There was a little error in the song. So I'll sing the first verse in a cappella." I'm so proud that he called out the mistake and that he's even singing the verse again to make up for it, even though it wasn't his fault. He then asked if we could sing the chorus for him. Myungsoo sang so beautifully, I'm so happy he was able to showcase his vocal talent without the backtrack. When the chorus came up, he ended up singing it, but he pointed the mic to us during the "oh oh" part so I sang that, while Myungsoo sang all the lines. He then continued to the English-speaking lines of the chorus, and more of the audience sang along. But of course that one girl behind me said to her friend how I kept saying the song title over and over but I couldn't even sing one line of the chorus. This seriously really frustrated me and ruined my experience of seeing Myungsoo perform live. K-EXPO had already ruined every other experience, but at least I wanted to watch Myungsoo sing and fangirl in complete happiness, but that girl took it away from me just like that. I lip synced all of Myungsoo's next songs in fear that the girl would make another comment about me. But in all honesty, I didn't know majority of the lyrics to "No More", but this isn't even promoted song prior to Myungsoo's fan meeting! Infinite has been releasing music since 2010, there is no way for Inspirits to know all the lyrics to their entire discography, especially to a song that was never promoted as a group. But of course the other artists at this expo debuted in 2016 and 2017, so it's completely understandable if those fandoms know all the lyrics to their artists' discographies when it's so much more limited to Infinite's. I'm not saying Infinite is superior, but that people should have a better understanding before they open their mouths. I think for everyone to truly enjoy a performance, it's completely acceptable and should be encouraged to fangirl/fanboy and cheer for your artist, but to talk about others is just rude and seriously detracts from others' enjoyment.
Myungsoo bowed to the crowd as the MC and translator came back on stage. Myungsoo politely motioned for the MC to stand to his right to balance the stage. The staff member brought back the chairs and the three sat down. The MC pointed to the balcony and asked if the crowd up there was okay, and Myungsoo looked up and waved to them. The next segment was supposed to be a music game, but the MC gave a mini interview first to give Myungsoo a moment to catch his breath. The MC said, "You've been in this drama, you've been in Korea a lot (she mentioned how she didn't know when the last time he went out of Korea was. If she had done a simple search, she would've found that he's doing a global fan tour, and was just in Taiwan for that a week prior)...what makes the American fans stand out to you?" He replied, and the translator said, "I felt it before too, but there's a lot of energy. I saw that you guys were making a circle and dancing in the middle. And I saw that and was thinking, 'They're better than me at dancing'. I think that you guys are great." I'm guessing he's talking about the random dance play segment that happened earlier. The MC then asked one more question, "How do you plan on communicating with your US fans in the future?" The translator translated Myungsoo's reply as, "I have to come travel here. I'll put it on social media that I was here or I was there, tell you guys where I was. Study English hard." The MC then transitioned to the upcoming game segment by asking Myungsoo if he feels confident in playing games. Myungsoo then cutely replied, "Uh game, oooooh..." then gave a response. The translator said, "I'm not good at it but I'm confident in it."
The MC explained the game, entitled "I Know This Song." They will play the first five seconds of a song, and you have to identify that song. Myungsoo will play against a team of five. A worker brought the lottery box out for Myungsoo to choose the five winners. The first ticket Myungsoo drew wasn't claimed. Eventually they selected five tickets that were claimed. I recognized one of the chosen winners as one of the ten winners from earlier. The setup was confusing, but perhaps Myungsoo was only drawing five winners out of the original ten tickets, yet the MC had everyone in the crowd take out our tickets as if we all had a chance. The MC then asked Myungsoo some filler questions as the winners made their way on stage (if he's played this game before, and then more specifically in America, and he replied, and the translator said, "I've heard about this game before...haven't played in America").
The 5 winners got on stage and walked in front of Myungsoo to get to the other side (some literally just kept walking without looking at Myungsoo as he stood up to try and greet them). Please note that what I'm writing is purely my observations of what happened on stage, and isn't dissing any of the winners. I'm writing this more to point out that the setup of these on-stage interactions were poorly thought out. P1 ticket holders receive a "raffle entry to artist interaction on-stage", however there are four artists and most attendees are only going for one artist. Therefore if you win the lottery, you may not be on stage with your chosen artist. Most of the winners on stage with Myungsoo weren't at this event for him. Therefore however they acted or didn't act on stage, I completely understand. To make the situation better, the raffle boxes should have been separated depending on which artist engagement you had purchased. It's awkward for the winners, and for the artist, when there is no real connection.
The winners introduced themselves as the MC engaged with each of them. Myungsoo thoughtfully paid attention to each winner as they spoke. After the first contestant introduced herself, the MC let Myungsoo know this was one of his opponents. Myungsoo waved at her and humbly bowed twice while saying "네 네 안녕하세요 네 네" (
yes yes hello yes yes) so cutely! The third winner was really nervous, so the MC got the crowd cheering for him to gain confidence, and Myungsoo applauded at that. Above, here is shortly after Myungsoo clapped, and is giving all of his focus onto the fourth contestant as she spoke. The MC gave some contestants more time to speak than others, like the second winner got about five seconds while the fourth winner, she went on to ask her, "Are you a big fan of L over here?" This question really put anyone on the spot, especially when this wasn't an Infinite-only event, but the contestant was really calm and replied, "All of them, I'm big fans of everyone." (Honestly if I were up on stage with a different artist, I'd have no idea how to answer this question on the spot. I commend her for her answer.)
After all contestants introduced themselves, the MC asked Myungsoo to help calm their nerves. She then asked what does he do when he's nervous. Myungsoo answered "aegyo" and then said "fighting!" while doing the pose. He was so shy afterwards, hiding himself from embarrassment and even turning around! He then said, "예 감사합니다 예 예 huh" (
yes thank you yes yes) and eventually got his cool back. The MC then asked "who's rooting for our fellow peers" and Myungsoo clapped for them, then she said "who's rooting for L" and when the crowd cheered more loudly than for our peers, he got shy again covering his growing smile with his hands and then making small claps in front of his face.
The MC then explained if one of the participants thinks they know the song playing, they just raise their hand up and shout "I know this song". She had the participants practice, and afterward, Myungsoo raised his arm out and made shouted too to practice! He then got embarrassed again and shielded his eyes from his embarrassment.
The first song clip played (Infinite's "Be Mine") and Myungsoo immediately raised his hand and said (in English!) "I know this song! '내꺼하자'" ("
Be Mine") then he belted out two lines from the chorus!. Inspirits got to hear a bit more of Infinite! The MC then joked around and asked Myungsoo who's the artist, and he cutely pretended to deeply think about it, then finally said "Infinite".
The second one played (an old Big Bang song), and the contestants got really excited while Myungsoo stood there contently. They played the third song clip next (Blackpink's "Ddududdudu"), and one contestant got it right away. The MC then asked her how many "du's" are there (we had all assumed in the entire song), and she didn't know, so the MC asked Myungsoo "how many 'ddudu's' are in the title" and you can hear the overall confusion and frustration from the audience. Myungsoo originally said three, but then everyone in the audience showed four fingers, so he changed his answer to four. The MC gave the point to Myungsoo, and he suddenly did a victory dance, jogging in a circle! The MC then asked for confirmation with the audience that the score was 2-1, and Myungsoo replied, "yah yah". The MC then said "fighting" and Myungsoo said the same.
The fourth song clip played ("Havana") and the contestants got it instantly. The MC then asked if the score was 3-2, and we all said "2-2", and Myungsoo kept shaking his head. The fifth one played (L's solo "지난 날 (The Day That Passed)" and the contestants all just stood there while Myungsoo started singing the first few lines! Myungsoo got the point, then the MC joked with the contestants saying, "You guys didn't answer that one on purpose".
The MC suggested that they just play 2 more rounds instead of the full 10 rounds, as she thought this game wasn't as engaging or possibly because they were short on time. They played the sixth clip, and again the contestants knew right away while Myungsoo stood there calmly. After the contestants won the point, the MC walked toward Myungsoo and he made this cute "X" gesture with his arms at her.
They played the last song clip. No one knew this one, but Myungsoo stood there while looking like he was thinking really hard about this one. They let this instrumental track keep playing, then Myungsoo said (via the translator), "I think I know what it is," then he started singing the lyrics! In the middle of singing, he said (via the translator), "What is this?!" and continued singing. Eventually he recalled the artist is Buzz. He kept going on like this, switching between singing and saying his thoughts out loud. Finally he said the song title, "가시 (Thorn)". This song really suits him so well! I'd love to hear a full cover of this.
One of the contestants said they wanted to play another round, so the MC asked Myungsoo, and he held out his arm to the contestants and said "어 예 예 예 예 예" (
oh yes x5) then he said more, translated as "Of course, anytime" then Myungsoo repeated the translator and said "Of course". The next song clip played, but no one knew. They played the song again and kept the track going, and Myungsoo sang along. The game ended, and the MC told Myungsoo, "I want you to know they love you very much, because I think they knew all the answers and they let you win". Myungsoo replied while facing the contestants, "네, 감사합니다" (
yes, thank you) then shy looked down to his feet. Next the MC said that "We have a lot of presents that even though he (gesturing toward Myungsoo) won, he'll probably give to you guys, (now facing back to Myungsoo) am I right?"
Myungsoo eagerly responded (via the translator), "Yes, of course! Should we hug?!" He gave such a warm, comforting hug to each of the winners. The first two winners looked especially dazed after their hugs; I can only imagine how it's like being hugged by Myungsoo! As the winners walked off stage, Myungsoo smiled genuinely and waved and even put his hand on some of their shoulders as they passed by. Myungsoo was so sweet to the winners, I can't get over his fan service. Then before one of the winners walked off the stage, she turned her back to the audience and pointed her thumbs to her back, showcasing her A.C.E jacket. Honestly this is a bit rude, considering you were chosen for a different artist's interaction and you're showing your love for a different artist while on stage. I'm thankful Myungsoo didn't see this, especially when it seemed like he thought everyone at this event was an Inspirit.
The MC then commended Myungsoo for his incomparable fan service, and Myungsoo shyly smiled and bowed as he clapped, and said "감사합니다" (
thank you). As the MC continued talking, a worker came up to Myungsoo and put a sheep hat on his head. Myungsoo couldn't stop smiling, probably freaking out about what's about to happen next. The worker then pressed the sides of the hat to demonstrate the ears flapping. Myungsoo then said (via the translator), "What is this all of a sudden?" The MC explained that the loser was supposed to wear this hat and dance, but they'll just have Myungsoo do so instead. The MC and Myungsoo compromised on Myungsoo dancing for five seconds. Myungsoo was so embarrassed, trying to hide his face from it all, then he said, "Oh my god 진짜!" (
really). When the music started playing ("Red Flavor" by Red Velvet?!), Myungsoo just looked up in disbelief at what he was supposed to do next. Myungsoo then got comfortable, started pressing the buttons to flap the ears, and bounced to the music, then waved his hand and took off the hat as to make the moment disappear. He knelt on the ground, resurfaced, and kept saying "Wow, wow, yah, wow!" and rubbing his arms as if to rub off his memories.
After Myungsoo regained his cool, the MC moved on to the film camera segment. They played a VCR of Myungsoo speaking to the camera in regards to his fan meeting in NY with English subs at the bottom of the screen. It was pretty difficult reading the subtitles. In the VCR, Myungsoo gave a brief introduction and honestly spoke about how nervous he was for this event. Then he answered a few questions like his summer plans, what a photo means to him, if he has plans on opening a photo exhibition. Then a crew member hands Myungsoo a disposable film camera, and Myungsoo said (via the subs), "I love a film camera, because it's an analog camera. You literally 'capture the moment'."
Myungsoo then went around NIT Coffee taking selcas with the film camera!
And then when Myungsoo changed his angle and it showed NIT Coffee's interior design at the time, which was for Golden Child's "Let Me" promotions, my Goldenness self started fangirling and screamed "Donghyun!". I was so caught up with the background, I feel so bad for not focusing on Myungsoo!
Still in NIT, he then wrote something on a notepad and drew his famous emoticon. Then the interview continued, and he answered questions like is taking pictures challenging for him. The entire video took place in NIT, just during his interview segments it was hard to identify the background. He then had a photoshoot with his notepad, and was so cute acting like a dinosaur at one point!
Myungsoo then said that he left one last spot in the disposable film camera and asked the camera if we should take one together.
After the VCR ended, the beginning of "Love U Like U" began playing! Myungsoo came out a little bit after, in a new outfit, and had missed the first line, but jumped right into the song. During the second verse, he came to the right and touched the crowd's hands. He also took someone's phone and took his time finding the perfect angle with the crowd in the background before taking a selca with it. Myungsoo made his way across the front row, touching more hands and taking another selca with someone's phone. It's especially times like this where I really wish they had the designated tiers and that Inspirits were in the front to have this special moment with Myungsoo.
"Love U Like U" is especially meaningful to me because it's Myungsoo's (duet) OST from "Shut Up Flower Boy Band", the drama that got me into Infinite. And Myungsoo performed this song as his solo stage the first time I saw Infinite live, at One Great Step in LA. I'm so happy to have been able to see Myungsoo perform this song again, six years after its release!
The MC and translator came back on stage, and the MC held the disposable film camera. The MC said, "This is one special gift, a one-of-a-kind, a film camera that he used." The MC and Inspirits greatly understand just how meaningful this gift is. The MC then asked Myungsoo how he got the idea to give a film camera as a gift. Myungsoo replied (via the translator), "First I thought hard what's the best way to give the best memory to my fans. I thought I should go to a country, make a memory there, and then share that memory with a fan. Of course I didn't see the pictures in the camera. Only whoever gets the camera can see the pictures. It's a film camera, it has that vibe. Everything leading up to the NY fan meeting today is captured in this camera. The Stitch picture I mentioned before is also in here. I'm going to choose one person to give this to. I took about 25 to 30, and there's one left to take. Whoever gets chosen will take the last picture with me and take the camera."
At this point I think the MC sensed how Inspirits weren't the ones chosen to go up on stage with Myungsoo, and she kept looking to the side of the stage and trying to figure a way out of not using the lottery box and choosing a raffle ticket. Finally the MC said, "We're not going to do the lottery box" just as a staff member with the lottery box handed the box to Myungsoo and he stuck his hand into the box. Myungsoo handed the MC the chosen ticket as she continued looking to the side of the stage, then she nodded, and asked for confirmation, "It's all mixed up in here?" while pointing at the box. I think the MC really tried to help Inspirits out, but with no luck. The MC stood there for awhile, holding the ticket and not saying anything. She finally spoke, "I was going to try and not use the lottery box, I feel for you guys, but he already chose...I'm sorry, this is what we're going to do, I don't make the rules. Are you guys okay with that?" So they continued with the chosen raffle ticket, and the MC read the lottery number and said that if this person isn't here, then they'll choose a fan not through the lottery box.
Someone did claim the ticket and the moral of the audience sounded very low, so the MC told us to show some love. As the winner got on stage, Myungsoo gave her all of his attention and said "안녕 hi hello" (
hi) and waved. The winner seemed really calm and showed no enthusiasm while standing next to Myungsoo. The MC asked the winner (who introduced herself and said that she's 14) if she's a really big fan and asked what is her favorite thing about L. She looked at Myungsoo and said, "His smile." The MC then asked if she's excited, and the girl timidly said yes. The MC dragged it on, saying that it's not enough excitement, and had the girl reply again and show more enthusiasm.
This moment was definitely one of the top three lowlights of the entire day. Myungsoo truly cares for his fans and thought carefully to give an Inspirit the perfect gift. They had chosen a non-Inspirit who showed no enthusiasm whatsoever (which I understand isn't the winner's fault, but it just adds to the fuel). And for the MC to drag on this moment with the winner was just too much; Inspirits did not want to see this.
Myungsoo said that he would take the last photo himself as a selca with the winner. He put his arm around her shoulder and took the photo, handed her the camera, and gently touched her shoulder. As she began walking away, Myungsoo grabbed her hand in an awkward handshake, waved, and said "안녕" (
bye). Inspirits started chanting "Kim Myungsoo" and he acknowledged us with his "예 예 예" (
yes yes yes) followed by something else that was muffled in the crowd.
The MC then wrapped up the fan meeting, "Honestly I think you guys are amazing. Thank you for being so supportive. Also I think his (gesturing toward Myungsoo) fan service was amazing." She said that it has to come to an end but Myungsoo will sing one more song. The MC concluded by asking Myungsoo how was his US fan meet. Myungsoo instantly said "예. 어, 예. 어 예에에에" (
Yes. Oh, yes. Yesssssss.) which garnered laughs. He then gave his response, and the translator said, "I think I'm leaving with a lot of great energy tonight...I think it's getting me really excited too. I'm very happy to make great memories and spend time with you guys tonight. Whether it's NY or somewhere else, I hope to see you guys...(translation was weird)...let's take a group photo."
The MC and translator stepped off to the side, a worker got in place to get ready to take the picture, and Myungsoo turned around, waved, and cutely said, "어 안녕" (
oh hi). Myungsoo then knelt down for the photo and the crowd mainly raised their arm making finger hearts. One girl in front of me got on her friend's back so I knew for sure I wouldn't be in the picture, but I held my yeobong up high in hopes that it could make it into the picture. Myungsoo then got back up and asked the crowd what pose we should all make. He then gestured a finger heart and said, "하트 하자" (
let's do a heart) before getting back in place for the photo. Myungsoo then gave us a countdown in English, and after the photo, he said in English, "Okay one more. One more, one more, one more!" We took a few more shots.
The MC and translator joined Myungsoo again in the center of the stage. The MC stated that Myungsoo has one more song he'll sing and asked him to tell us more about it. He said (via the translator), "The song that I want to sing right now...I'm preparing my solo album right now. I'm recording a wide range of songs at the moment. This is one of the songs. I wrote the lyrics myself. Starting with this song, I hope you guys get more excited about the upcoming songs on this album. I hope you guys enjoy this song." He had also mentioned "지난 날 (The Day That Passed)" and I completely flipped out, but the translator didn't say anything about this. I remember sometime throughout the fan meeting he had said that he would sing "지난 날", so I was really excited to see this live!
A worker brought out the mic stand and Myungsoo began "Talk and Talk". He sang in place and at a point took off the mic from the stand, and it really felt like he owned the stage; his stage presence has really grown! The style of this song is definitely different from the usual ballads that Myungsoo performs, so I'm anxious to see what other styles Myungsoo tries for his upcoming solo debut! Furthermore, I'm so proud of him for writing the lyrics of this song.
After the song ended, he bowed and walked off the stage. Then they played another VCR! It was the filming for Myungsoo's fan meeting poster using instrumental version of "지난 날" as the background music. In between takes, he kept making cute kitty faces to the camera! At times he spoke to the camera, with English subs at the bottom. He said in Korean, "My double eyelids are back" then clapped and then hid his face in his hands. "I saw my eyes in the morning and my eyes were swollen, so I had like double, triple eyelids. So I was so confused. And I was massaging my ears and the double eyelids came back in time for the filming. How nice! Do you know how hard I try every morning?" I love how they can just talk about random things in these behind-the-scenes clips, though of course it's more meaningful to Inspirits and would make more sense to show at an Inspirit-only event.
The editing kept emphasizing that the VCR is for Inspirits.
Myungsoo continued making such cute poses throughout the shoot! The remaining of the VCR continued showing Myungsoo's photoshoot and his random thoughts.
At times when he wasn't serious in posing, Myungsoo would joke around. At one point he had to stand next to a bird cage, and he asked, "Should we put a bird in here? I think we should put one white pigeon in here." Then he went on to say "I feel like I'm filming for a makeup commercial, for real!" Then he pretended to hold up a product in his hand to advertise.
At the end of the VCR, they displayed Myungsoo's handwritten message in English! "I'm so glad to have you in my life. See you next time, love you! Kim Myung Soo." The last scene showed Myungsoo humbly thanking the staff and clapping for their hard work.
Myungsoo then came back out and started singing "지난 날"! I was surprised at the setlist because at his other fan meetings he had been singing four songs, but this was his fifth of the night.
After he finished performing "지난 날", he began his ending ment and the translator came back on stage. Myungsoo noticed that the translator's mic wasn't working, so he reached his mic over to her so she could use it. He said (via the translator), "Thank you. There were a lot of problems leading up to today's event, thank you for singing (?) through it all. I wanted to show you all the best but there's a little disappointment but being with you guys brings me great happiness." For Myungsoo himself to apologize for all the mishaps that happened, I felt so bad for him. This was his first solo schedule in the US and it definitely didn't go smoothly, and he apologized on behalf of this organization. We then started chanting. "괜찮아! 괜찮아! 괜찮아!" (
It's okay!) Then Myungsoo continued (via the translator), "Oh, it's allowed. Should I do one more?" And he sang the last few lines of "지난 날". I'm so proud of how confident he is singing and how much he's grown; it was so touching hearing him sing one last time for the night. He finished his ending ment (via the translator), "...thank you all again for coming tonight. Thank you." He waved to the audience, bowed, said, "Bye bye", and walked off the stage.
After Myungsoo's fan meeting ended, the staff announced that there would be a 15 minute break. This was especially upsetting that this break wasn't announced sooner, because during Myungsoo's stage, everyone purposely tried to get the best view for when their artist came on stage. But now with the break, everyone dispersed, and pit was reset when the next artist came on stage. At this point my friend and I had really high emotions - I was happy to have seen Myungsoo again, and at his first solo US schedule. However I had already come to terms with seeing Infinite "for the last time" at both That Summer 2 Day 6 and Infinite Effect in LA, and those were both really bittersweet and great ways to say goodbye. But this last goodbye was much more bitter than sweet. This countered with my friend, who was much more sad knowing this will be her last time seeing Myungsoo before he needs to enlist. We were so wrapped up in emotions that we didn't even think to watch Myungsoo exit the venue. Later we found out via fansites that he had left right after his stage ended, when we were still caught up with our feelings.
When The Rose's stage began, we headed to the very back of the ballroom, which was much roomier. This section is slightly raised, and is probably where the lower tiers were supposed to go. There are two bars at the side of the ballroom. I was able to get free cups of ice water from them, which was a plus. From this point on, I can't recall much about the other artists' performances, since I was just too wrapped up in how poorly the whole event was run today.
In between stages, my friends and I headed to the basement level, where the bathrooms were located. To my pleasant surprise, there were also a few really comfy couches down here. I came down here twice to take some much needed naps.
For A.C.E's performance, I was by the entrance of the venue, on an decline. It was pretty spacious here since it was more like a walkway from the entrance to the ballroom.
I was in about the same spot for Astro's performance as well. On the right you can see the balcony view. This may be where P3 and P4 ticket holders were, which was clearly a much better view than some of us who were in the back for P1.
After Astro's performance, everyone left the venue. Outside at 9:53PM we caught a glimpse of the Astro members walking out the entrance into their car right in front. The security guards were really strict, firmly telling fans to step back.
I was back at the entrance, and saw fans were taking down the K-EXPO posters to take home. I asked a worker if I could take one too (not that I want one, but just so I can take something back as if it could make up for everything that's happened previously), and he kindly removed one poster really carefully, making sure not to damage it, and handed it to me. I'm so happy there was at least one really kind and civil worker there.
Afterwards, my friend and I decided to head to Koreatown for a late dinner. We arrived in the district at 11PM, and saw one of the really well dressed men from the expo standing in front of a really high end KBBQ restaurant. It really irked me thinking that my money was wasted just so the organizers could eat lavishly.
My friend and I settled on a nearby restaurant that had a deal on alcoholic beverages. I've never ordered an alcoholic drink before, but with everything I had to deal with today, I thought this would be a great first time. We ordered a watermelon suju. The bathroom of this restaurant had the K-EXPO poster plastered on the door - there was no escaping.
At 1AM, my friend and I headed to Times Square to take some selcas. Here is a teaser (more like one of my bad selcas to delete) of a future blog post...Goldenness photos in New York City! My friend and I had early morning flights at JFK (aah, JFK holds a very special place in my heart as this was where I saw Golden Child for the first time), so we hung around here in the wee hours until it was time to go.
Afterthoughts
Here is a breakdown of the benefits for P1 versus what I actually received:
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Access to All Shows: Front Row (P1 Area)
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False - every ticket tier was in the same pit
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T/F - printed signed poster
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Golden Ticket Opportunity
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Unsure - there was no public announcement about this event
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Raffle Entry to Artist Interaction On-Stage
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True - but to much disappointment on not choosing the artist
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12-month DramaFever Subscription
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T/F - I received my code on Oct. 2. On Oct. 17, I received an email saying I canceled my subscription (which I didn't). I then found out that DramaFever has shut down effective immediately, therefore this benefit is no longer valid.
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* Group photos not available for A.C.E.
And now onto the second part of this post - on the Wednesday after the event, I called my credit card company to dispute the charge. The declined my request as I didn't have proof of the services I didn't receive (and photos or video don't count as proof) and because the expo was still held and I technically still attended. Afterwards I emailed both showclix (the ticketing company) and K-EXPO. showclix declined my request and directed me to K-EXPO. K-EXPO sent a generic response saying they aren't issuing refunds and that the event could have been cancelled instead but "we didn't want everyone to lose the opportunity to meet the artists and the artists also truly wanted to meet you all". For all three requests, I brought up how the services I had been promised with the purchase of my P1 ticket were not executed (hi-touch, front section for the performances, and the autographed poster). It wasn't about the money, but I just wanted justice to be served for not receiving all the benefits I had purchased within my ticket.
Reflection time: I had so much anger and frustration the days after the event. I can barely watch my fancams without feeling the hatred all over again. But if this event happened again and a Woollim artist came, I hate to say that I'd do it all over again; any chance to see one of my groups, I'd have to capitalize on it. I just hope K-EXPO learns from their first event, understands that they need to provide the benefits that they promised, and that they can only improve from here if they do hold the event again.
These past few months have been life-changing, from KCON NY to KCON LA to K-EXPO, and 2018 has definitely been one of my two biggest years for Kpop. I'm getting older, Infinite is getting older and going to the military, Lovelyz never leaves the Asian continent, who knows if Golden Child will come back to the US...I really hope my Kpop adventures can continue but the future is definitely uncertain.
The July 2018 issue of Korean fashion magazine CeCi was released in late June. My brother bought me a copy at Sejong Bookstore kn LA's Koreatown for $17 in the first week of July.
To my pleasant surprise, one of the first few pages revealed L's LabNo ad!
As for Golden Child, Bomin and Jaehyun are featured on one page. This is another sneak peek of Jaehyun's blond hair! And Bomin said since it's a magazine photoshoot, he wanted to try something different so he revealed his shoulder for the first time...!
This issue is perfect for Woollim stans, with L, Bomin and Jaehyun, and now Kei! Kei is featured in a 10-page segment entitled "Ready for Summer".
