PyeongChang Winter Olympics 2018! ~ 평창 2018년 동계 올림픽 Day 2

After watching the men's single short skate the day before, we had no other plans for our time at the Olympics. That was at least, until the ice skating event ended and they announced the line up for the kpop guests that would be at the live stage the following day. I had had no idea that BAP was going to be at the Olympics while I was there, so my friend and I both were extremely excited to learn that they would be coming. BAP is my favorite kpop group of all time and they will forever be Best Absolute Perfect in my heart. They are all so talented and hard working.

Not ONLY was BAP going to be at the Olympics, other than paying 2,000 won to enter the Olympic Park it was completely free to see them! With that being the case, my friend and I assumed that there would be many fans there to see them, because it was a first come kind of set up. Even though they didn't perform until 8pm, we arrived at the Olympic Park at noon. We tried to waste time inside the park, but in all honesty there wasn't much to do there if you didn't have tickets to an event. We sat on the ground at the live stage and watched the event live streaming on the big screen there, watching the Men's Free Skate. Then we wandered around, played on the VR Bobsleigh machine, and frequently visited an art exhibit nearby (because there was heat). It was cold outside, which would have been tolerable for a few hours, but not quite all day. We were freezing. My toes hurt so bad because they were cold. However, we refused to leave our things and the spot we had claimed for the show. We WOULD be front row, no matter what. I ended up breaking down and buying ramyeon to eat, and also bought myself some hot packs and earmuffs from the official goods store (had to use up my Visa money anyway...).

We watched a few live performances throughout the day, a DJ, BBoy Crew, traditional dancing, but time passed slowly. I got bored. And I got cold. That is when we had a surprise. BAP suddenly walked out on stage at like 6 pm. They were doing a soundcheck, but I was thrilled to see them earlier than I had expected. My friend frantically waved at Zelo and he returned her wave too, so we were both dying a little. They were the kick that kept us going the next two hours until the show began. We thought that they performed first, because the line up listed on all the posters showed them first. So, the plan was to see them perform and then go home. We were wrong. They went last, which proved to be a problem for us later. Almost a very big problem.

We saw a variety of other performances, from bands and girl groups to soloists, and then finally at like 9:30 BAP came out on stage. Of course I screamed and waved a little, super excited to see them so up close. They played three songs in total, one of which was from their newest album. They seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage despite the cold weather. I hope their dancing managed to keep them warm while they performed, since they took their coats off to dance.

The highlight of my night though was Daehyun. He is my bias, and forever my top favorite singer. During their final song, my friend and I saw him wave to a member of the crowd, and so naturally we started waving at him too, hoping to get his attention. Being in the front row benefited us greatly, as he not only saw us both waving at him, but HE WAVED BACK. He waved at me and I nearly died right there I was so excited. After the show we tried to stick around and see if they would greet fans, but they didn't. Probably ran off somewhere to get warm, which I wouldn't blame them for doing.

💓 💓💓

BAP slays the crowd with their amazing vocals, rap, dance and pure talent ~

See the full video of their performance below:

Now I mentioned the fact that BAP performing last was almost a very huge problem. Here is why...

So, we finished at the Olympic park and had to get back to Jinbu where we were staying. It was about 50 minutes away by bus. We waited in line, took a free shuttle back to the bus terminal, and went to buy tickets home. With the Olympics going on I had heard they'd added a lot of buses to all the routes nearby, so I hadn't been worried. I should've been worried, and then finally I was very worried. There were no more buses to Jinbu when we arrived at the terminal. I was shocked, it was still early, and the events had just ended. How did they expect everyone to get home!?!

We asked two locals for help and they confirmed our fears, buses to Jinbu were finished until morning. My friend and I jumped straight to our Korail application and there was one last train heading to Jinbu, and it was a miracle we were able to buy tickets. Then we had to make it on the train though... it left in like 25 minutes, and we had to get to the station, get through security, and make it on the train before it left. We ran through the terminal and to the taxi stand (luckily we knew where it was already). Then once he dropped us off at the terminal we ran to security, with several people rooting us on, clearly obvious that we were trying to catch the train. We made it, luckily, but it was another exhausting effort on our part. We pretty much collapsed upon returning to where we were staying. Seems like I can never travel anywhere without some sort of transportation disaster scenario. As stressful as it is and as much as I hate it when those situations happen though, usually it has always been worth it.

Napoleon Musical - 뮤지칼 나폴레옹

On the evening of September 16th I attended my very first theatrical performance at the Charlotte Theater in Jamsil, Seoul. I had never seen a true professional level musical before, and I thought it was unique that the first time I would see one it would be in a different language. Now, that did mean understanding it was very difficult, because I don't know Korean very well. However, since the actors were wonderful and I know a tiny bit of Korean, I was able to somewhat follow along, at least for the first half... I am sure it would have been more meaningful had I understood it fully, but I still think it was worth the money I paid to go.

The Charlotte Theater was gorgeous. It is small, but I thought it still was grand. I felt a little out of place and under-dressed, like I was in a place for high class people as a wannabe member of the middle class society. It was okay though, as there were many commonly dressed people mixed in with some very over dressed ones. Immediately you could pick out the die hard musical fans from those just looking for a new experience. The color scheme of the theater was soothing and tasteful, with a beautiful staircase and an escalator also. It was a harmonious mix of a classic theater and 21st century technology.

At first I was concerned that the seats my friend and I had were not optimal, because we were the 5th row back in the balcony. I was worried we wouldn't be able to see very well. However, since it is a small theater, even from our seats the view was clear and close. Now if there is one thing that I can say for certain it is that the theater does not tolerate much of anything, they are SUPER strict, especially when it comes to photos and seating. When we entered the theater a man helped us to our seats and we were told no photos were allowed inside the theater. Of course...everyone I know would try to sneak a photo... I just wanted visual evidence of my presence inside a theater for the first time. I thought taking a photo of my ticket would at least be acceptable, since it was just a simple piece of paper, one that I spent lots of money on....

However...as I took the picture...of my ticket, in my lap, I had someone approach me and reprimand me. It was a bit of a disappointment. Surely I thought at least photographing my ticket would be okay. I wanted to try and take just one photo of the stage before the performance began, but considering I had already been told twice, I certainly wasn't going to risk being asked to leave just for a stupid photo. I decided to just enjoy the show with my eyes and memory.

I noticed they also were very strict with the seating. During the showing the night I was there a majority of the balcony was empty. I was surprised by this, since when I bought tickets it had showed the rows in front of me were sold out, but upon arrival they were vacant. Now in most cases, anyone would try to sit closer, since the seats were there. I didn't; I was content with where I was and I am glad. Prior to the beginning of the show and then again during intermission every seat was checked one by one to ensure people were where they belonged. If anyone was seated incorrectly they were asked to move, even if the seat was vacant. Of course, this is because some seats are considered VIP, and the ticket prices vary depending on the seat. I was surprised because they took it seriously down to the exact seat. There was one couple sitting in front of me who were just one seat to the right of where there assigned seats were, by mistake, and they were asked to move. I guess since the theater has many sold out shows it is important that the seats are heavily and always enforced, even when there is a show with a smaller audience.

On to the show itself, I thought that it was amazing and well put together. The actors had voices that fit their parts very well and the costumes fit the time period well. What I found intriguing was the set changes. In university I had taken a class on the history of theater and how ancient Greek and Roman theaters through modern times worked. I never thought this was information I would apply to my daily life, and yet, here I was using it. It made me curious to see the actual mechanics of how they could change the set so drastically in an instant. I wanted to go back stage just to see how it all worked firsthand. I thought the set changing was awesome. Also, now days the set can change digitally too. The theater could lower a transparent screen so that the actors and set could be seen through it, but also special effects could be projected to overlay the performance. It was a pretty unique way to add to the show.



Another bonus (actually...the main reason I saw this particular musical in the first place) is that my favorite singer, DaeHyun, from B.A.P., was performing in his first musical for the part of Napoleon's brother Lucien. It was fun to see him and his musical talent in a different form from just strictly the kpop idol style of music. It was also really wonderful to be able to see him in person and his handsome, famous, and spectacular talent. Seeing your favorite celebrities in person is a whole new experience, it solidifies the fact that they are a true, living person and not just some fictional person that you idolize. It makes the experience so much more real.




The musical lasted approximately 3 hours when you included the intermission at the half way point. The first half I was able to comprehend for the most part just based on the acting, but I got lost during the second half. I am pretty sure at some point that characters died and it was focused on decisions and regret, but I can't be sure without understanding Korean. Even if I can't understand it exactly, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to go, for the experience, the set, the actors, the fancy building, and for my favorite singer.

On the staircase leading to the balcony 

Info on the Charlotte Theater:
English:Charlotte Theater
Main Website (Korean Only)