The Bias List - KCON London Review 

Singer and hallyu wave superstar, Rain, graced the Eventim Apollo with his stage presence, powerful moves and pristine vocals  last night, as he formed part of KCON London’s lineup with iKON,  Twice, Treasure and OHMYGIRL. 

Despite the relatively young audience, shouts of clamor and excitement echoed through the concert hall when legendary hits like Rainism, It’s Raining and 30 y filled the air. 

“It felt like my ovaries were gonna explode!!!” A female fan hysterically screamed when we asked her how Rain’s stage was. 

And we get it.

Damn. 

Mr. Jung Jihoon, take responsibility!!! T_T

**

As he sliced the steak, he pretended not to notice that Changmo had been studying him. The guy was doing a poor job of hiding it too. 

They were in the Ritz’ restaurant, having dinner. He thought Changmo would lay low on the questions since he’s treating him to one of the restaurant’s most expensive full course meals. 

“Yah…” He can hear Changmo mumble as he chews his food. “This steak is incredible.”

He wasn’t buying it. He’d rather eat and keep his mouth shut than fall into Changmo’s bait of small talk.

It’s not that he didn’t want to talk to his friend and manager. It’s just that he didn’t want to answer his questions. 

Yes he’s been in the hotel most of the time, mostly using the gym or taking a swim. Not once did he tag along with the staff as they experienced London with the little time they had. Some of them even found time to catch a match at the Emirates Stadium. And now it’s their last day and everyone’s been bugging him to take a breather and go out. 

His KCON performance exceeded his expectations. He was a little nervous since the crowd were mostly fans of the younger groups he was with, but he was surprised to see some of his Clouds in the audience. Not to mention the fact that he probably stole a handful of young kpop fan hearts from the audience too. 

“Do you want to go somewhere before we check out?” Changmo asked.

He kept chewing his food.

“Yah!”

“What??” 

“That’s an actual question, why aren’t you answering me?”

He made a face and said he’s full, then rose from his seat and walked towards the elevator. 

The elevator was deserted. He pressed his floor number and waited, leaning on the elevator walls. He felt frustrated with Changmo and how nosy he was. 

Jihoon shook his head and pinched his cheeks in an effort to reorient his thoughts. 

He took his phone out of his pocket and scrolled mindlessly through his email. He’d rather think about work. As he finished skimming through it, he also noticed some unread messages. 

He saw BoA’s icon and clicked on one unread message.

Yah, you’ve been gone too long. I’d need a shirtless photo to power me through this week 🤣

Take care and see you when you get back!

Her message made him smile, but it also made him think about his open-ended conversation with her last time. 

It’s not like she’s been bugging him about it. She’d been nothing but cool. But the longer he thinks about it, the harder it seems to make a decision. 

Does he like BoA? YES.

Does he want to be in another relationship?  Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe never? 

This is where he gets stumped.

Add to that Changmo’s nosy questions about him and his decision to stay indoors in London. How can he tell Changmo that London is like a treasure trove of memories he’d successfully kept locked deep inside his brain? That going out would probably be more of a punishment than a treat? He can’t possibly say that without looking like a sad loser and  It’s making him want to go to Cheongyang and lock himself up in his cabin. 

His train of thoughts were interrupted when the elevator doors opened. It didn’t take long until he was inside his room. Some of his clothes were still splayed on the bed, waiting to be packed. 

As he mindlessly folded his clothes, he thought about going to someplace far away. He needed a vacation. 

And suddenly, an idea came to him. He knew just the place.

**

It was a Monday morning, and the cobblestone streets of Old Town were slightly less populated than the last time she drove through it. She chose today to finally check out the shops and maybe find a nice cafe where she can hang out and read. She didn’t have much sleep because some new people in the hostel decided it was okay to host a rowdy party until 2 in the morning, and hanging out in a nice cafe while sipping on coffee seemed to be a great way to wake herself up. 

She also brought her camera with her because after four days in Corfu, she realized that every part of the island is so breathtaking. The Venetian styled architecture and the quaint little shops and restaurants reminded her so much of Italy too. 

Wanting peace and quiet with her breakfast, she drove to Earth Cafe. They serve the best flat white and have a wide selection of food from local delicacies to American staples with a charming, old town twist. It’s fast becoming her favorite haunt in town.

“Can I get one blueberry waffle with a flat white, please?” 

The barista nodded and said her food will be served shortly.

Jieun found a table away from the entrance and from other patrons. She wanted to call Inna too, dying to have someone to rant with about her new annoying neighbors in the hostel. The timing is perfect - it’s just past 1pm in Seoul.

“Jieun!!!” Inna greeted excitedly from her phone screen. She was at work, but she went inside a deserted meeting room to take her call. “Yah, you look great!”

“Hi Inna! I try…the beaches here are breathtaking and I go almost everyday, so I think I got a little tan.”

“It looks nice. I hate it when makeup artists white wash you. It makes you look like a vampire.”

She laughed at Inna’s lack of a filter. 

“We should really come back here together.” She offered.

“That sounds tempting, but travelling with a toddler and a husband seems very unappealing to me.”

“Haha! I’ll take care of Yerin, you take care of Dongwook!” She enthusiastically suggested, which made Inna chuckle.”Also, if we do come back here, I’ll choose another place to stay at.”

“Why? Isn’t Sunrock nice?” Inna sounded worried because it was her and Si Eon who arranged her Corfu getaway.

“Oh no, it’s not that it’s not nice. It is. But the walls are very thin…and lately, I’ve been having a hard time sleeping because the people from across my room have been partying till late for two straight days now. I even heard a couple making out outside my door..it’s so annoying!” 

Jieun’s voice rose with every syllable. 

When she looked at Inna from the screen, she was surprised to see her smiling meaningfully. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Inna’s smile spread even wider across her face. 

“What??” Jieun repeated.

“You probably need to get laid too, honey. You actually sound like one of those old ladies who reports teenagers to the police for having a good time.” Inna replied, laughing hysterically when her face turned sour.

She had to smile a little when the barista approached her table to serve her breakfast.

“Yah, that guy is so cute! You should practice flirting with him!”

“Inna!! Shhh!”

“Jieun, these people don’t understand korean, stop being such a nervous ahjumma!”

She rolled her eyes, then started digging into her waffles. 

“I’m serious, Jieun. You’re single, in one of the most romantic places you’ve ever visited. And you’re eating by yourself at 8 in the morning, complaining about people having fun while vacationing?”

“Yah..don’t make