Evidently (and utterly unfortunately), my mind was not on the same page as my body. While I insisted on ensuring myself a good night’s rest in preparation for a day filled with concert activities, my body opted to operate at its own pace. Two hours of turbulent slumber later, I awoke to a horrid headache and nauseating stomachache. Things were not looking too pleasant.
I immediately recalled the Kimbap I had consumed earlier in the day, along with the fruit scone from Alchemy my favourite fangirl had so graciously provided me with. Neither had seemed unhygienic nor powerful enough to disrupt my sleep patterns, yet I was wide awake against my very will.
As soon as the clock struck 5 AM, I lethargically dragged myself to order something that would appease the queasiness. “GOT7 awaits me!!” An angry voice echoed within me. “Being well is not an option. I shall pull through. I must.”
I immediately recalled the Kimbap I had consumed earlier in the day, along with the fruit scone from Alchemy my favourite fangirl had so graciously provided me with. Neither had seemed unhygienic nor powerful enough to disrupt my sleep patterns, yet I was wide awake against my very will.
As soon as the clock struck 5 AM, I lethargically dragged myself to order something that would appease the queasiness. “GOT7 awaits me!!” An angry voice echoed within me. “Being well is not an option. I shall pull through. I must.”
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Congee soon arrived with a pitcher of warm soy milk in accompaniment. An odd selection of toppings also made an appearance: Chinese pork floss, pickled pink ginger, kimchi, Korean yellow radish, and Japanese umeboshi stared me in the face.
While chicken noodle soup may be the go-to sick food of many Canadians, I was raised off of lightly salted congee. The unassuming soft rice porridge worked miracles, for I fell into a peaceful state of unconsciousness for at least one hour after its consumption. Three hours of hibernation is undoubtedly inadequate for taking on a packed schedule, but it remained a more favourable situation than no sleep at all.
Day 3 of the Convention comprised of back-to-back Artist Engagements for GOT7, ASTRO, and Red Carpet. Artist Engagement sessions, as noted in previous sections, comprised of Hi-Touch and Audience. While Hi-Touch pass holders were provided a separate waiting area and lineup for earlier access to Concourse Hall, Audience pass holders were simply thrown into a general lineup. The number of Hi-Touch passes was significantly less than that of Audience, and reasonably so. Groups of greater popularity, though, seemed to have a greater ratio of Audience to Hi-Touch passes.
The clock neared noon as attendees of the previous Artist Engagement session vacated the hall. Shortly afterwards, the Hi-Touch pass holders were invited inside, just after the Platinum and Diamond ticket holders had a chance to grab their front row spot. Many of us were impassioned supporters of small stature, meaning that capturing a shot of our favourite idols wasn’t the easiest task to accomplish. It was very fortunate that the two girls in front of me were kind enough to allocate a spot in between their shoulders for my camera to peek through. Friendly actions of this sort had been unthinkable in the Audience section.
My first event of the day was GOT7’s Artist Engagement. The elimination of Wanna One Artist Engagements had resulted in a sudden influx of interest in the multilingual veteran group, though I hadn’t exactly realized this until encountering the mob of fangirls camped outside the meeting grounds at 10:30 AM. Some had purchased their Audience passes for $20-$50 USD; even some members of the lucky Hi-Touch group had relinquished $200 or more to obtain their exclusive pass. I had managed to obtain my own without much hassle, but apparently this was not the norm.
With a second row-view secured for the entirety of the session, I managed to capture quite a selection of crisp shots from behind the burly media crew and Go Pro-equipped KCON staff members.
Leading up to the event, music videos played in a loop on the screens adjacent to the stage. The crowd cheered for NCT 127 and Wanna One, though the largest reactions was in response to Never Ever. The atmosphere was nothing short of amazing: determined IGOT7s effortlessly completed the fanchant in perfect harmony.
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Kevin Woo of U-KISS first made his appearance as the MC of the Artist Engagement session. GOT7 then made their grand appearance and took turns introducing themselves. A brief Q&A session – or a short interview – took place. This was then immediately succeeded by a Games segment, which entailed each member to roll a large inflatable dice and act according to the number on which it landed.
Each member took a turn at rolling the dice and attempting the challenge placed before them. Mark and Bambam landed on #2 Aegyo, while JB did a smooth jig upon landing on #3. Youngjae’s imitation of Bambam’s rap in Never Ever deserved much applause, as did Jackson’s efforts to encourage the crowd to sing along to Stop Stop It.
Jinyoung is my favourite member of the group, if this space hadn’t made readers aware already, and I subconsciously found myself chanting “Six, six!!” when his turn arrived. My not-so-silent prayers were answered, and the next thing I knew, he tossed his embarrassment aside for a squeal-worthy take on Rihanna’s Work. My insides became a confused mix of bewilderment and elation; I was cheering so loudly the girls next to me would have gone deaf had they not been in an equally tumultuous state.
Members holding a Hi-Touch pass was then instructed to form a line in preparation for the event. I staggered into the queue while gripping my 녕긔탱긔 headband, willing it to remain steady until I reached the stage.
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Oddly enough, the butterflies in my stomach from the previous night had vanished entirely at the moment I ascended the mini staircase. Meeting the seven members of my favourite K-Pop group again was fun albeit a little nerve-wracking. A part of me honestly found it comfortable and familiar at the same time.
My personal recount of the Hi-Touch is as follows:
- Bambam; "Say hi to Shabu Shabu!" while grabbing his hand with both of my own. This was met with no response. (I might add: his new silver hair looks phenomenal.)
- Yugyeom; I did not say anything and just hi-fived him.
- Jinyoung; "건강 하세요 제발" hands (roughly translates to “Be healthy, please”) while clasping his hand with my two hands. This was met with no response from what I can recall, though footage captured by members of the Audience reveal that he actually nodded in my direction. Whether he understood my poor pronunciation is another story altogether though.
- Youngjae; I mistakenly said "목소리 좋다" instead of "목소리 최고" while clasping his hand with my two hands. Again, there was no response. He merely continued smiling.
- JB; "Best leader Im Jaebum" while clasping his hand with my two hands. Similarly, there was no response.
- Mark: "Welcome Home!" followed by a brisk hi-five
- Jackson: "唔好再瘦啦！要身體健康” (roughly translates to: “Don't become any skinnier! Be healthy!"” in Cantonese), while clasping his hand with my two hands. He appeared beyond haggard and, again, gave me no response or return of expression. To me, he looked exhausted, undernourished, and much too thin for someone of his physique
One could say that I was utterly disappointed by the lack of response I received from the members, but it did also feel as if they were in a slight daze themselves. I did not regret a millisecond of the interactions though – GOT7 is my ultimate bias group and I was thankful that I hadn’t forgotten the phrases I carefully considered beforehand, regardless of whether it made it into their ears or not.
With the conclusion of the Hi-Touch session, the session concluded with a group selfie (which KCON has yet to publish for our pleasurable viewing at the time of this writing).
With the conclusion of the Hi-Touch session, the session concluded with a group selfie (which KCON has yet to publish for our pleasurable viewing at the time of this writing).
Side: A girl holding a “Wang” sign took extreme measures to make it into the photo, going as far to yank my shoulder back and attempt to wedge herself in between me and the girl in front. “My friend saved this spot for me!” she declared in a thick Chinese accent. Not a single soul turned in her direction to validate this statement. I merely winced that she had invaded my bubble and scoffed at her tall tale. Sorry, but it’s First Come First Serve in North America.
As soon as I made my departure from the GOT7 Artist Engagement, I immediately found myself lining up to attend ASTRO’s session. I had retained an Audience pass for Fantagio’s only male idol group and took to joining the general lineup for a glimpse of the six members.
Those that hadn’t been occupied with the previous Artist Engagement session were already spotted squatting in the general waiting area. Much to my dismay, I was already at the back of line.
Those that hadn’t been occupied with the previous Artist Engagement session were already spotted squatting in the general waiting area. Much to my dismay, I was already at the back of line.
By the time I re-entered the premises, ASTRO had already made their way onto the stage. A sea of cocked heads, smartphones on selfie sticks, and fanboards blocked my view entirely. Even the adjacent screens were camouflaged from view.
I stood on tip toes for the bulk of the games session, but could put up with the crowds no more by the time Hi-Touch rolled around. Moonbin and Rocky’s freestyle dances were entirely hidden from my position in the Audience viewing area.
My departure from Concourse Hall was followed by more lining up – this time for Red Carpet.
Read Part 2 HERE !
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