Sunday, July 14, 2024

What an exhausting few days of nonstop travel it’s been: from San Francisco to Boston to Philadelphia to Newark and now to Seoul. Over 7,270 miles or 11,700 KM traveled in less than four days.

Finding a place to shower was mission number one as soon as I arrived from the US this morning. I stunk. Lol. I smelled like sweat, beer, and baseball all mixed together. 

I found a capsule hotel at the airport to shower in and catnap for a little bit. I was still too exhausted to feel excited. At the same time, it was also kind of hard for me to believe that I was back in Korea just to attend Lee Gwanhee’s fan meeting event.

I honestly didn’t think I was going to get selected considering the number of entries the event got. But once I got the notice that I was, I initially didn’t know what to do. There was cost and time to consider. I wrestled justifying the cost of the trip. And in the end, I ended up booking the flight for a four-day trip. Crazy, I know. And not practical. Lol. It’s probably something Lee Gwanhee will not do.

When I arrived, I was greeted by friendly agency staff who were kind enough to let me use the elevator and store my luggage for me. I was then given a wrist bad that contained my seat number. It wasn’t a “sit anywhere you want” event. I guess that made it fair, but if you had come with a friend or your child, you would most likely be separated.

The venue was very intimate. The capacity looked to be less than 200. The event was well attended, with few empty seats. I guess there were some no-shows.

I was told there would be no English interpreter prior to the event, but I got a little excited and hopeful when the person who did the welcome announcement also said it in English. Unfortunately, that would be the only time. Everything after that was all in Korean.

Lee Gwanhee opened up the event with a song. Most people would probably say he sang and rapped well. The musical critic in me said he needed more practice. Haha. He was ok, but he was a little flat and out of tune here and there. Maybe he was nervous or couldn’t hear the instrumental track? I also wished he made more eye contact with the audience while performing; he looked at the teleprompter a lot for the lyrics.

During the 90-minute event, there were also Q and A as well as fan engagement activities (trivia, balloon couple game, Q and A). Lee Gwanhee sang and danced with fellow DB Promy teammate Kim Hoon. Other guests also included Kim Dong Hyun, Amoti, and brief appearances were made by Son Wonik and Kim Min Ji.

But I can’t help but think Lee Gwanhee was out of his element in this fan event. There were moments when he looked uncomfortable on stage. I don’t know if he just didn’t like the whole stage and spotlight aspect and how the event was very structured. When compared to the fan event in Indonesia, the Jakarta event had more energy, Gwanhee looked less restricted, and he seemed to have more fun.

After the event, fans were given giveaway gifts on their way out. Surprisingly, fans were not given the opportunity to take pictures with Gwanhee, which I thought was weird. But I still couldn’t wait for it to be my turn because this would be the only time I met with Gwanhee. When he saw me, I greeted him with a, “Hey, stranger!” He did his usual surprise reaction, “Ooh!” And then the smile he’s known for lit up his face. We had small talk and exchanged gifts. I gifted him with three Oakland A’s baseball caps, an A’s jersey, and a SELL t-shirt. At least the A’s are green in color like DB Promy.

Right after, I was given my luggage and shown my way out. I asked a staff member if I may take a picture with Gwanhee. They initially said no, but then one staff member said ok and asked me to wait a minute. I was grateful for that. I guess it was because I had traveled so far just to attend the event.

And yay, I finally got my selfie! Lee Gwanhee and I were able to talk again for a little bit after that. He told me about the trades and who’s gone from LG (as if I didn’t know. Haha.)  He also asked if I would return to S. Korea to watch basketball, and I said, “Of course.” He then asked who I would root for: LG or DB. I said LG, and we both laughed. I wonder if he thinks I’m joking. We hugged, and then I left.

So was this worth going to S. Korea for? I had a great time, especially at the end. But not being able to understand any of it and the interactions being so limited and restricted, I probably won’t do it again.

I will just see Lee Gwanhee next at a basketball game.

Read all the Diaries here…