My One Great Step Bangkok Adventure a.k.a Ack, I Felt Like a Pedonoona But It Was So Worth It

So, as promised, I want to blog about my whole OGS experience, in case anyone is interested. In a nutshell, I had a great time, and thought it was totally worth all the tears and frustration to get myself there, even if I felt slightly y swooning amidst a sea of more age-appropriate fans, but it was so worth it because I was literally an arm’s length away from Sunggyu!

I get ahead of myself. (Warning: very long, incoherent rambling follows).

The Battle for Tickets

Let me start off by saying, I’ve only ever been to one other concert in my life. That was Darren Hayes, and if anyone else has ever heard of and/or loves Darren Hayes, they’ll know his fandom is quite different from Infinite’s. More sedate, is probably the word. Anyhow, that’s just to give you a rundown on just how novel all of this was to me, and if it wasn’t Infinite, I wouldn’t have bothered.

Ticketing in Thailand is a freakin’ mess! The one company that handles most of the major events has the world’s most horrendous website, as in, it only allows about 20 people online at a time. Twenty people. You read that right. For a venue that holds oh, about 4,000. True, the website is not the only source for tickets (you can also get them at outlets at the mall or via call center, for instance), but come on, how many people are going to do that?

So there I was. Ticket sales were set to commence at 10 AM on a Sunday morning. I called the organizing company ahead of time to check out which seats are closest to the action and follow all the news so I am on point. On the day, I wake myself up at 8 (mind you, I almost never roll out of bed on a Sunday until about 11), park myself in front of the computer, and wait. And wait. And have a snack. And wait some more.

Then…ticketing opens. Eagerly, I click in, heart thumping, and reserve a seat. I proceed to pay with my credit card. I have never bought anything online with a credit card in Thailand, only abroad, where I have had no problems whatsoever (even with an international card!), but guess what? In my own freakin’ country, they want to confirm the card ownership! I mean, I have all the pertinent details, and you want to verify that this is my own darn card?!? Are you crazy?!? That takes like 15 more minutes. Fifteen more minutes that maxes out the time the ticket is reserved, so I am kicked out of the system.

Fine, I say, and proceed to go through the process again. Minutes tick by. It is now about 10:45 AM, meaning tickets have been on sale for about 45 minutes. I click and click. Nothing. My internet goes bonkers. I say fine, whatever, and try the call center, where I am put on hold for another 15 minutes, meaning I get through at about 11:00.

Only to be told THE CONCERT IS SOLD OUT.

ALL 4,000 SEATS TO A CONCERT I HAVE BEEN PSYCHED OVER FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS HAS SOLD OUT IN A FREAKIN’ HOUR.

My voice actually shook when I asked the call center guy if he was for sure certain that all the tickets had been sold out. He was like, “Sorry, kid”, though I’m pretty sure I’m older than him, but yeah, never mind about that.

I hung up, dejected, cried a bit (yeah, I admit it), threw a little tantrum (which, thank goodness, no one saw) and spent the rest of the day just sulking.

I stayed off the Internet until the following Monday evening, when curiosity got the best of me.

Thank the stars, because the organizers came out with an announcement that the system had indeed been messed up and a ton of Inspirits called them and complained (and I bet some of them cried, too, like me), so they were resetting the system and making available a bunch more tickets.

Oh my Gyu. Noona was beyond happy at that point. A second chance? It was a dream come true. This time around, I didn’t take any chances. I got online, then connected to the call center via both my cell and a landline and made my mom call them, too. Seriously, I even wrote out instructions for her! (Love you, mommy!)

And I got my ticket!

I was all set. My friend and I both tried for meet and greet tickets, too, but that was a bust, but still, we had our concert tickets!

One Great Step! In Bangkok!

The show was set to start at 6:00 PM. I donned my Infinite wristbands and my most comfortable clothes, tucked my wallet and cell into my jeans, and off I went. I got there about 4:00 PM and the place was PACKED. Just…Infinite chaos central, with souvenir hawkers, cover dancers, sponsor booths, and of course, fans, fans, fans! And most, if not all of them, significantly younger than me, hahaha. I felt pedonoona right off the bat, but hey, I was there to have a good time!

Anyhow, I was among my people. Everywhere I looked, there were people wearing Cause I’m Sunggyu’s girl T-shirts and HOYA headbands and banners saying Jang Dongwoo, Special Boy. You know, I often feel isolated being part of this fandom, what with my age and the fact that I have so few IRL friends who love Infinite, but there, at that place, it finally felt like I belonged.

It started to drizzle, so I race to join the line, which wound about one kilometer around the side of the building. All around me, people were having conversations that made me smile. Of course, a lot of people were discussing the L dating rumor, which I will not touch with a ten-foot pole. Some girls were talking about what to call Hoya: Hobaby or Hoya?

Then, some girls had a Hoya sighting! The place we were waiting was right outside the windows to the backstage area and apparently (can’t verify, since I was further up in line), he walked right past a window. Yes, that set off lots of excitement. Lots of girls raced over to gawk and finally, a stern-faced guard came out and told them all to back off.

Waiting, waiting, waiting. Chatted with other people in line. Finally, the line starts to move. More excitement at the sighting of the stage costumes. I take note of one particularly distinct red sequined jacket. Screamed at that.

At last, after one final check to make sure we weren’t carrying recording devices, we were let into the venue. It wasn’t a particularly big space. There were two stages, connected by a long catwalk, kind of like a capital I. The main stage was in the front, the minor stage was closer to the audience. Two screens to the side were playing Infinite music videos, which we all sang along to.

I was in the pit, right next to the catwalk. Since I got there late, I was smack dab in the middle, but I figured I’d maneuver my way around once things got started.

And then…and then…the lights dimmed. Destiny (Version A) begins to play on the screens, followed by a most awesome intro video which I won’t spoil for you if you haven’t watched it via fancam already. Then, the beginning chords of Destiny sounded. Smoke and lights flicker onstage. The main screen pulls apart to reveal: Infinite! In cages!

Oh my God, the place EXPLODED into sound at that point! I admit, I almost fainted from excitement. I mean, there they were! Infinite! In the flesh! Not on the other side of a computer screen, but RIGHT THERE!

Needless to say, that kicked off a fantastic time. I can’t even remember the set list. They just did like every song I loved. They also did Request, which was just released the night before, the first place they sang it. Okay, it was prefaced with a bit of product placement for Samsung, but our boys gotta eat, right? And the song was adorable!

Just so many feels. I don’t have a sufficient vocabulary to explain them. I got some of my first impressions down in my previous blog post, but oh my Gyu, just so freakin’ awesome. I managed to wedge myself in close to the catwalk and was LTIERALLY an arm’s length away from Sunggyu. Sadly, he hardly stayed there. Everyone seemed to have their assigned spot, and my place was occupied mostly by Dongwoo, who, let me tell you, is infinitely (pun intended) more charming than I ever gave him credit for. I also got some really shaky vid footage of Sungjong mugging for the camera. And Hoya brushed by a couple of times.

The highlight for me though was when they were moving back to the main stage and Sunggyu turned around and smiled. That’s all. Just that. Not at anyone in particular. Just a smile, but oh my Gyu, NOT JUST A SMILE. Fellow Sunggyu lovers, you feel me, right? That Hamster is got SUCH a smile. I thought I’d faint dead away from the cute. Real life smile from Kim Sunggyu. At that moment, I would’ve pledged my firstborn to him (well, if it wasn’t already his, hehehe).

Um, what else can I get out coherently? Oh, they sang a sappy Thai song about loving you forever. I am not up on Thai pop so I couldn’t identify it, but other fans sang along, so I’m guessing it’s rather well known.

They did not use an interpreter, props to them for that. It’s clear they are all preparing really hard for their Stateside tour (yay for you guys!). Their English sounded very, very well-rehearsed. At one point, Sungyeol was like, “If you cheat on us, I will follow you to the ends of the Earth!” Hahaha. Fangirls fainting left and right at that one. Well, the ones who understood; not everyone speaks English in Thailand. Everyone spoke at least a little English. Their Thai was…passable. Though I heard more than one fan gripe that they had no idea what they were saying, hahaha, but hey, Thai is not an easy language to speak if you’re not used to a tonal language. Anyone who speaks a tonal language can attest to that. I thought they did a good job and they said all the proper, fanservice phrases.

However, in terms of English…Hoya, oh my goodness, Hoya. He was the English standout. I don’t think he spoke once in Korean. Not once. Sunggyu didn’t, either, that I can recall, nor Dongwoo, but they spoke a whole lot less than Hoya. Hoya was up there spouting English left and right. Woohyun even turned to him for help when he was stuck during one of the talk sessions. As someone who teaches English for a living (yes, that’s my job!), I was inordinately pleased at this. Just the level of effort he put into it. So touching. If I had to point out to my students a moment in real life when English would come in handy, I would definitely single this one out. “Hey guys, remember when you all moaned and groaned in class because I gave you another assignment? Well, one day, when you’re a pop star, you’re going to wish you paid more attention!”

During the closing speech, Myungsoo, Woohyun, and Sungyeol all used some Korean, but the others didn’t. Sungong’s speech was amazingly well-rehearsed, almost like a student presentation, and he looked a bit misty-eyed as he was saying it, which, yes, got the swoons going. I honestly could only follow about 50% of what they were saying, just because I was excited, it was loud, and yes, their accents are a bit thick, but what I caught was sweet, all about how we, the fans, are so important to them, they’re so thankful to us, that our relationship is the forever kind. You know, standard stuff, but adorable.

I hardly even recall what Gyu said, mostly because I was just in awe that he was RIGHT THERE. Hahaha. Flawless bias is flawless. Even the sweat running down his arms is a kind of sensual poetry. Hahahaha, sorry.

And that red sequined jacket I saw? Part of Woohyun’s solo stage! The backup dancers brought out jackets for him to choose; he went for a white one, and gray hat. He was aegyo-rrific during that performance, hahaha. Just grooving along to Beautiful in true cute Woohyun fashion. Heart machine can’t turn it off.

Sungyeol was on fire with the swoonworthy comments. After all the solo stages, they were asking which we liked best. His commentary on Myungsoo's? "I wish I was the teddy bear!" Yeah, dead Myungyeol shippers all around, hahaha.

As for the negatives, yes there were some, of course. Number one, if you are short, please, please reconsider getting a pit ticket. If you can spring for a seat, get it! I could, but I thought, “Hey, why not be in the pit?” Well, if you’re as short as me (I’m about 156 centimeters), then, like me, you will end up watching about 80% of the concert on your tippy-toes or through people’s arms. And people’s hair will get in your mouth. And they will touch you. All over. Thank goodness I’m not squeamish about that stuff, because there were hands and hair ALL OVER me. And if you faint or get lightheaded easily, refrain from joining. The teenaged girl next to me, a hardy specimen of youth, almost passed out. We were just crushed in together, the proverbial sardines in a can. I was thankfully able to keep my balance, but I shudder to think what would’ve happened if I’d fallen over. A skull fracture, probably, and Thais aren’t even known for pushing. Even when Hoya came by and people were rushing towards him, there wasn’t much pushing, but that many people moving en masse; yeah, avoid the pit if you don’t being touched.

And the guards or whatever they were, the crowd controllers. Listen, I know this is a Kpop fandom, but Hallyu does not translate into automatic understanding of Korean. They were screaming at us to move back, move back in Korean, which I understood from the context, but lots of others didn’t and it was only after they made gestures and got another Thai speaker into the mix did the message get across. By then, they were clearly mad, since we had apparently broken through a barricade of some sort (which I saw later, and it was pretty flimsy  and it was obvious it wouldn’t withstand the weight of 1,000 fangirls) and were quite short with us. They even shoved us back! Like, what?!? Listen, I am a grown woman, that’s fine, but to push at a bunch of high school girls when you’re big and burly and loud? Come on! Not cool, man! And they would’ve moved if you’d tried to make yourself understood.

And this next part…well, I debated whether to share it, because I don’t want to come off sounding entitled or weird or whatever, but yeah, I’ll put all the necessary caveats in as I relate this story.

First of all, this is not meant to be racist in any way, shape, or form. What happened to me as an isolated incident with very specific people, and I do not in any way believe it had anything to do with their nationality, just with who they were as specific people. However, I will probably evoke nationality in my rant, but I don’t mean it as an attack against Korea or Koreans (seriously, I love Korea, why else would I be in this fandom?), just those girls and the mentality they displayed, which I think stems from their reading of their nationality.

Okay. So, briefly, not a rant against Korean fangirls as a whole, just the specific Korean fangirls I had the misfortune to be crowded up against.

As I said, at the start, I was in the middle of the pit, but once the concert got going and we were dancing and cheering, I somehow found myself closer to the catwalk, right behind one of the barricades they’d put up to keep fans from, I don’t know, climbing up on stage? Anyhow, I was right behind two girls who were just clutching the rails of these barricades. Already, I knew they were Korean, because I heard them chattering to each other. Cool. Fine. Whatever.

A tiny, tiny, hand-sized space opens up between these two girls. I throw my hand in, not even close to either of them, and step forward a little, screaming, “Sunggyu!” Immediately, they SHOVED me back, screaming at me in Korean. The gist was, “Don’t do that!” Um, okay. It wasn’t like I was trying to steal their spot, just trying to get my chance to touch hands with my favorite Kpop stars, but okay, whatever.

Then, Sunggyu’s solo stage began. I scream, “Sunggyu, I love you!” and all the appropriate fangirly phrases, which, let me tell you, I was not the only one, and I kept it to a minimum, since I wanted to enjoy the performance.

Fangirl 1 actually turns to me and says, “You’re noisy!” in Korean.

What. The. Heck? And she did it in that tone I’ve heard people use when they use their own language to bully or intimidate others because they are so sure that no one will understand them, but hey girl, guess what? I DID UNDERSTAND YOU (thank you, Kdramas!) and I turn right back, and say, in English, in my politest voice, “It’s a concert. You’re supposed to yell.” Yep, that shut her right up. I mean, really? I was NOISY? At a concert where the decibel level was that of a busy airport? Did she think she was in a library?!?

Thankfully, after that episode, they pretty much left me alone (except at one point, Fangirl 2 was like, “Don’t push!” to which I responded, “Tell that to the people behind me!”), but from the snatches of conversation I caught and could translate with my 1% of Kdrama-gleaned Korean, they were none too happy with me. Or anyone, really. Basically, their attitude was: these are Kpop stars, we are Korean, they are ours.

Okay, here’s my rant. Look away if you don’t like rants. I won’t be using any bad language, but I will be venting my spleen.

GIRL, YOU GOTS TO BE KIDDING ME. Listen, in all honesty, and I mean this in the least creepy way possible, do you know who we are? It’s international fans like me, like all the non-Korean fans worldwide, who made it possible for your oppas to even HAVE a world tour. Yeah, you heard me. If we didn’t love those guys and buy their albums and translate their interviews and sub their songs, they’d be stranded back home. They wouldn’t be living out their dreams in places like Thailand, or Singapore, or the States. It’s because of us. Not you, us. There, I said it!

There wouldn’t be a Hallyu without people like me, so when you act all uppity and huffy and possessive, you turn me off your oppas. Which means I stop supporting them. Which means YOU HAVE KILLED THEIR DREAMS. How do you like them apples?

Even Hoya said it in his closing speech: They were here because of the love and support of their international fans.

I hope one day soon, those deluded girls look back on this and feel absolutely ashamed at what they did. They were lucky they were dealing with me, who is able to separate all my anger from everything else, and doesn’t tie her love to stupid stuff like this. I forgive them because they are obviously young (not an excuse or a blame thing, but I was young once, too, and usually being young and dumb go hand in hand, that’s all right) and very enthusiastic. One filmed everything. And they clearly loved Infinite like I do, but their brand of love was quite off-putting, to say the least.

Final Thoughts

To anyone going to OGS in other countries, prepare yourselves for an amazing time! I temporarily lost both my voice and hearing, but it was absolutely worth it! I didn’t catch anything (a new friend I made got a doll from Dongwoo!) but I came away with a deep satisfaction. The guys are gorgeous up close, true, but what I also saw, which shone through even more than the music videos and shows I’ve watched is just how freakin’ hard they work!

Yes, we already know they are one hardworking group, but that close, you can really see and feel it. They were all sweaty messes by the time their first set ended, but each dance move was executed powerfully and cleanly. Less dance-heavy numbers were all smiles and super-sweet fan interactions. They are true performers, they love the stage, and it shows. And my goodness, they went through song after song, with only the briefest breaks between them. Heck, they segued from Destiny into Paradise by stripping off their jackets onstage to reveal tanktops. Swoon, by the way, hehehe. They danced like 4 or 5 songs in a row, what stamina! And like I said, they didn’t miss out on any of the hits, didn’t hold anything back. The solo stages were great, the talk sequences were charming, and the vibe was brilliant. I just so happy to be there. Their energy, even with the pall of that rumor that shall not be discussed hanging over them was at 1000%. (Side note: Myungsoo straggled behind the others during their final performance, looking almost sheepish, and everyone screamed out, “Fighting, Myungsoo!”).

Also, don’t be afraid to break out what little Korean you know! When they were like, “Whose solo stage did you like the best?” I yelled out, “Sunggyu, daebak!” and immediately, everyone around me started cheering the same thing. I don’t think it even occurred to them to scream out “Daebak!” until I did, hahaha. And for the encore, we all screamed, “Dorawa!” And they came back out and performed it, how appropriate!

Other than the pesky fangirls, everyone else was super-nice. My people, like I said. We squealed over our biases and did fanchants and just bonded over the whole experience.

Oh my Gyu. I talked a lot!  I had a good time, hahaha. If you have any questions, or just want to share where you’ll be going to OGS, please do!

Infinite, fighting!