So, I already talked a bit about Infinite Effect in Bangkok Day 1, a.k.a my murder by the cutie commander. I honestly can’t say any more about the first day, mostly because it was in a word “awesome”…but also because Day 2 was, if you can believe it, SUPREMELY, INFINITELY AWESOMER. It was so amazing, I honestly can’t find the right gif to express my feelings, so let me just go ahead and say that this will be a gif-less post. However, what pictures you will see are ALL MINE. That’s right! Noona got some choice pics! Towards the tail end when I and basically everyone else was like, “Screw this, I’m gonna photograph my bias!” And the guards were already tired at 2+ hours of wagging fingers and shining flashlights at people. My takeaway: if there is a no photography rule in place, choose your battles. Whip that camera/phone out at the very last moment, because what can they do to you then, right? Kick you out? It’s already done! (Now, if there are problems, though, you didn’t hear this from ynoona!)

Okay, let me start. This will be disjointed and kinda all over the place, and long, because FEELZ. SO MANY FEELZ. Please bear with me. Here goes.

Day 2 started early for me because I was one of the people who won a lucky draw to watch Infinite rehearse before the concert! That’s right! Me and 99 other Inspirits who forked out the maximum amount for a ticket. I have to say, I almost never, never win at these things. “Unlucky in games, unlucky in love”, you know? So imagine my absolute incandescent joy at seeing my seat number listed as one of the lucky 100! The registration to enter the concert hall for the rehearsal was at 11 AM, so noona was there at oh, 9 AM. Haha, but that wasn’t because I was nuts (well, no more nuts than usual). It was a Sunday and my parents had to be out early anyhow, so I grabbed a ride with them to the venue. Early birdism paid off for me, though, because when they opened registration, I was 9^th in line! The rehearsal itself was at 2 PM, though, so it was a lot of sitting around and sweating. Thankfully, I took along a ton of papers to grade, because that’s what happens when you’re a teacher by profession, you nearly always have papers to grade, ha, so that helped keep me from getting too, too bored and conserved my phone battery for the important business of sneaking Gyu (and his dongsaengs’) pics.

I was lucky that I brought my papers, too, because I had a bag and it was a great place to store all my Inspirit loot. Man, Inspirits be generous! I got some photos, fan (to support Woohyun, but you know, HEAT. So I was eternally grateful) and I actually broke one of my parents’ cardinal rules and took candy from strangers, hahaha, but I didn’t eat it, so that’s okay. The photos were all NOT Gyu; it was like we weren’t in sync or something. I got like three pics of L, Infinite H, and the aforementioned Woohyun fan. Finally, I couldn’t take it. I pulled out one of my L pics and screamed, “Anyone wanna trade Myungsoo for Sunggyu?!?” Someone did, haha. Sorry, Myungsoo-yah, but your hyung is number one in noona’s heart. So I got me a Gyu photocard. And later, they were handing out these little chalkboard thingies with pictures and I made sure to specify Gyu. Two Gyu pics! Things were looking up!

Around 1 PM, it was time for Infinite to arrive for the rehearsal. Excitement was at a fever pitch. We all lined the street leading to the dressing room because a glimpse of the guys from that close is better than nothing, right? It was BURNING, BURNING HOT. Like 36 to 37 degrees Celsius, I kid you not. The guards were all like, “Geez, you guys are tolerant” as in, “You b*tches be crazy”, but eh, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and besides, I a) am old and shameless and b) was wearing sunblock. (Always wear sunblock, kids!) There were some false alarms (the dancers came in this huge bus; like Infinite would travel like that!) but at last, there was a small fleet of minivans. All with windows tinted like heck and closed up, but the last, last one—Hoya had the window rolled like a third down and he waved! OMGYU!

Well, by that time, they were lining us up to see the rehearsal. We were checked and explicitly warned not to take photos of any kind or we would be asked to leave. No way was I going to risk losing my chance to stay, so no photos of that, sorry. Still, it was truly a fantastic experience. I was 9^th in line, right? So I ran ahead and right in front, right in the center of the stage! Just clinging to the fence they had set up. A few minutes later, the guys showed up, all casual wear. Dongwoo first, I think, sleeveless, as he is wont to be, haha, then Woohyun who asked us in Korean, “Are you well?” or “Did you sleep well?” I couldn’t really hear, but something like that. Gyu was one of the last ones. He was playing with his phone and wearing that red shirt that you might have seen him in in those backstage tweets with Woohyun in the background. He also had that “FRSH” cap on and that’s all I remember, because my brain turned to mush, haha. He played with his phone for quite a bit, even as the music started. I don’t remember all the songs they did. Julia and Moonlight, quite possibly another one, but it was only a few songs before they kicked us out! It was barely half an hour, I think, but still, pretty magical. Not sure what song it was when they came down the stage to interact with us. Again, brain…it was mush, haha. So, they come to the front of the stage, cue crazy fangirl screaming, but Gyu was far off on stage right and I was center! What! And we were both wearing red! Surely that must’ve counted for something! We were super-close. So close I could see Sungyeol’s acne! Hoya was right, right in front of me, as in, he couldn’t have ignored me if he wanted to, even with his shades on, haha. Sadly, the only sign I had on me was my Gyu sign (more about that later), so what could I do? I kept trying to get Gyu’s attention and Hoya looks down at my sign, and I couldn’t just ignore him, you know? But he sees his hyung’s name and then he shook his head like, “Nope, that’s not me.” Like, I know, dude, I’M SORRY, OKAY? I’M SUPER SORRY BUT THAT WAS ALL I HAD ON ME. I LOVE YOU, TOO! And me, in my infinite Gyustanningness, start pointing at Gyu like, “Him! It’s him, okay?!? I’m sorry, please call him over.” Mianhe, Howon-ah. Truly. I wasn’t thinking. But he seemed cool about it, haha. At one point, someone threw a cut-out of sajangnim’s face onstage and 2Woo started playing with it. So darn cute. Gyu was…kinda aloof. Maybe it was too early in the morning afternoon for him, ha. I screamed like crazy but he barely even looked in my direction, which bummed me, but eh, there were 100 girls, so it’s not like he was gonna notice me and my one dinky little printed-out sign, right?

So like I said, we were barely in there before they were screaming at us to leave. Right when Woohyun’s solo started! And boy, is that child a fan-babo! Even as we were being herded out, he kept looking over at us and even waved to people outside the door who were waiting to catch a glimpse of him. That blonde hair? Looks phenomenal in real life. Not so hot in photos, I’d say.

Then, there was more waiting. Which is par for the course for these things. I wasn’t so worried since I had an assigned seat and no need to rush. Noona knew better than to go into the pit this time. I mean, you’re close to the stage and whatnot, but the heat. And the crush. And the hormones. And the sweat. And the armpits and hair in your face. Yeah, no. Seat it was.

The concert was brilliant, naturally. It’s Infinite. Lots of little moments that just show they love performing. At one point in one song, I don’t recall which, sorry (brain = mush), Gyu started singing to Woohyun. Yeah, that got the shippers screaming. And after Pretty, Hoya ripped Dongwoo’s shirt. Ha. Gyu actually sang Kontrol second time in a row. Eh, still a great song. I screamed every single time he was on stage or screen or had a solo part. Like, no kidding, I made sure my love was known, haha. The girl in front of me was a bit taken aback. She was a Hoya-stan and tried to start an “Lee Howon” chant at one point, but pardon me, girl, if my leader is speaking, you DO NOT start cheering for anyone else. I started the “Kim Sunggyu” chant more or less all by myself, I am proud to report, and during one of their ments, I screamed so loud, Gyu looked over at me, I’m almost sure of it. If you see in some fan pics when he’s looking off to his left, that’s where I was.

Anyhow, fantastic concert, I screamed my head off, had a brilliant time. Then, first significant moment. Infinite F had their performance, which as we all know, is when they throw out those paper airplanes. And if you’re reading and following along, I think you’ve already predicted what happened.

That’s right. I got me one! I was in a bit of a grab struggle with the girl in back of me, but I was in the seat lower than her and had my hands on it first (I’ll tell the cops that!) so it was mine! MINE! I don’t even know whose autograph that is, but it’s mine and it’s going into a frame in my office, haha.

Well, great performances followed one after the other. None of the Japanese releases sadly, but still, amazing. Interpreter was a degree better than Day 1; still left so much untranslated, but at least she didn’t call Infinite H and Infinite F “Infinity H” and “Infinity F” and she finally got our fandom name right. Ugh. Do your research.

So, following our “dashi dorawa” summoned encore, they do Together and it’s the ending. Lights go partly up and the boys begin their final circuit around the stage. Gyu comes walking around the bend in the stage towards my section, looking Gyutastic, as we are all devastatingly aware. At this point, camera was out, rules be darned!

Even his back is luscious! Anyhow, he finally makes it to my section and I went for broke. I grabbed my sign, stuck it out, and just kept waving it like I was surrendering in a war. The sign was, like I mentioned, just a plain old print-out:

It says, “Sunggyu, I got my doctorate because of you. Thank you!” The subbers at Togetherinspirit7 graciously helped translate the phrase for me. Many, many thanks to them. So there I was, waving this dumb little sign, just…my brain was more or less blank, overwhelmed by my ovaries body…when all of sudden, SUNGGYU SPOTTED MY SIGN. Yes, he saw it. No, I am not being delusional (or no more than usual). No, he saw it, and do you know how I know? He stopped, smiled, and did that little finger gun thing people do when they see something interesting. HE POINTED AT MY SIGN AND ACKNOWLEDGED IT. His face kinda did that little, “Huh, I’m so jjang” look he gets, sorta mixed with his trademark modesty. You know the one. His patented one. And he smiled straight at me. At me. And then he wai’ed me. Which is how people say “thank you” in Thailand when they’re being super-polite. And I have the photographic evidence of it.

HE WAS STARING RIGHT INTO MY CAMERA AT ME! That’s right. That look was for me and my “this doctorate is because of you” sign that was so pathetic and ultra-unfancy because I at art but I love that child so much, it hurts and it’s true, my doctorate is like 25% his doing, at least, because his music and his humor got me through so much of it. So the fact that he saw it and just for one brief, tiny millisecond, knew that just makes me want to cry seven gajillion tears, but I won’t, because I’m a grown woman, so I will just spazz, haha…but my Gyu, oh my Gyu, OH MY GYU… Yeah, okay, I’m out. He probably forgot about it the moment he walked away, but noona is gonna remember it for a long, long time to come, bibimbaby. A long, long time. Long live Gyustanning.

This post approved by Kim “That giant microphone came from the Hoya-stans in my section!” Sunggyu.

*All photos credited to me! And the Gyu, of course!

P.S. If anyone knows of any fancams of Sunggyu during the ending of Infinite Effect in Bangkok Day 2, please, please let me know. I found a few, but none of my section. I want to know if anyone captured him seeing my sign. I was so dumb, I didn’t have my video camera on. It’s amazing I managed to get that one still pic!