A Stay's Concert Day Adventure: Waiting in Line and Idol Culture Shock
Today is the day of the Stray Kids concert! I finished work at 8:30 PM yesterday and came straight to Incheon.
Going home first (work is in Yangju, home is in Nowon) would have added another 30 minutes to the trip.
As soon as the concert dates were announced, I booked a room with a non-refundable policy for two nights (Friday and Saturday). The room was in the 40,000 won range per night, so it was a great deal.
The rain was pouring like crazy on the way here, but I talked on the phone with an online acquaintance from the same industry.
I was worried I'd get sleepy on the drive, but talking on the phone for an hour made the trip fly by. Is this real life?
(Those who know me know I rarely talk on the phone. I'm not phonophobic, but I just don't like phone calls.)
I watched a movie on Netflix that was so good that I went to bed at 2:30 AM and woke up at 8:00 AM to eat breakfast and head out.
The accommodation was cheap, but far away, so I drove for about 30 minutes and arrived at Incheon Asiad Main Stadium, where the concert is being held.
There were so many cars that parking took quite a while, and it was almost full by 10:30 AM. Ugh...
I thought about going to a nearby cafe if I had some time in between, but I don't think I'm brave enough to move the car...
I forgot my glasses cleaning cloth and went back to get it, intending to move the car, but I ended up even farther away. ㅜㅜ
But it seems better because it's right in front of the Star Creator Zone (슈스제), one of the event zones. But is that a line at 11 AM?!
I ate breakfast, but I didn't have coffee, so I went to Mega Coffee first. Caffeine is essential.
I want to relax at the cafe, but I really want to participate in the Star Creator Zone event, so I decided to stand in line. ㅜㅜ
There are opening times, and the Star Creator Zone event starts at 2 PM, but registration for the waitlist starts at 12 PM.
I know how the system works since I tried the Spotify event last time, so I think an hour and a half will be enough time to wait.
There seem to be hundreds of people in front of me, and everyone has blankets and chairs. Should I bring a blanket tomorrow?
This isn't what I wanted to do while waiting for the Star Creator Zone event. I hope I can get it.
The Mapo pop-up was a total fail, so I'm trying to go to the on-site merchandise pop-up, but reservations for that also started today at 11 AM.
I really don't understand why I can't even buy merchandise with my own money freely, and fandoms are scary.
Stray Kids isn't even the best K-pop group in the world, but is this situation real? My reservation was exactly at 11 AM.
And it closed in less than a minute. Haha... I'll do proxy buying. If you're there on site, please contact me. lol
Considering I was frantically searching for where to make a reservation at 10:58 AM, I think I did pretty well. Haha...
Considering that the reservation itself is only possible if you are nearby, it's really amazing. ㄷㄷ
This is the concert arrival story of a late-blooming fan. Idol culture is really dynamic. ㅎㅎ
Instead of feeling frustrated or tired, learning about a new culture on site is so much fun.
And I realized that preparation is always essential, so if you're going to wait in advance, a blanket or cushion is a must.
I want to be reborn as a "J" (presumably referring to a dedicated fan) through this opportunity, but I wonder if it's possible? -_-
But at 11:35 AM, a notification popped up to enter the merchandise pop-up. I'll stay in the Star Creator Zone line. ㅜㅜ Next update soon...
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