You are currently viewing [FANACC] 2013 10 12 EXO Banpo Fansign Part 1: “OMFG I GOT INTO THE SIGNING”

[FANACC] 2013 10 12 EXO Banpo Fansign Part 1: “OMFG I GOT INTO THE SIGNING”

So um… Hello? As you can see, this is a fanaccount, and a long-overdue one at that, too! /facepalms I thought maybe I should start on my trip post first, before posting this, but this entry has been sitting around in my drafts for MONTHS, so here it is ♥

Just an overview:

  • This is a FANACCOUNT of the 2013 10 12 EXO Banpo / Floating Island / Hangang Fansigning by Hottracks.
  • I was luckily blessed to get picked for the signing (there were only 150 fans!)
  • I am a Park Chanyeol fan.
  • 2013 October 12th was the second day in my 23-day vacation in Seoul last year.
  • I audio recorded the fansign ^^’

This is a pretty long fanaccount, and so I have decided to split it into two. ^^ The second post will have my short conversations with the members while they were signing the album~! I think that’s it for an overview… Here goes my fanaccount~

The Last Fansign

So last year, around early October, there was a notice that there would be a Hottracks Fansigning for EXO’s Growl Album. It was going to be the last Growl fansigning and  to be eligible for the lottery to get into it, fans would have to purchase the album from Hottracks within a certain period.

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At that time, I was still in Manilanila, and wasn’t scheduled to arrive in Seoul until October 11th. Fortunately though, some of my friends (Hai Karen and Elaineee) were already Seoul then, and agreed to help me purchase the albums.

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Take note I already had two copies of both versions, but because I wanted to take a shot at the fansign, they were super kind enough to buy 6 copies for me (LOL that was all I was willing to buy), and go to all the trouble of carrying the albums, and going back to the Hottracks in Kyobo to drop the raffle entries (THANK YOU SO MUCH LOVES, XOXO).

6 copies aren’t much, but there’s nothing wrong with trying right? All I had to do was keep my fingers crossed that I get picked out of probably hundreds of entries. *_*

I’m looking at our Line convos then and getting teary eyed lmao ;_;

For about a week until my flight, I totally forgot about this and barely worried about it.

 

Seoul 도작! and the “List”

So I arrive in Seoul at around 9 or 10pm, and I was in the train otw to Hongdae when I remembered that the list of those chosen for the fansign will have been posted on the Hottracks homepage.

So here’s the thing for album fansigns, either you get picked for:

  • Signing – Congratulations you’re one of the few who get your albums signneeeed by the group
  • Viewing – Congratulations you can come and watch the boys being all cute and adorbs while they sign other fans’ albums

For this last fansign, only 150 people will be chosen for signing, and 750 people can be picked for viewing.

Can you imagine my reaction when I realized I was #138 and it falls within the list for SIGNING???? HELLO EARLY BIRTHDAY GIFT (hehe my BDay was on Oct 23)! I was dying gone I wanted to go to heaven but I realized my stop was near, and so after spazzing on Instagram and Twitter, I made a beeline out of the station and to Hongdae Guesthouse where I would be lodging for the next three weeks. ^^

 

 

 

 

 

D-DAY: October 12th + Searching for the damned Banpo Floating Island

[WOW WP ATE UP A HUGE CHUNK I ALR TYPED /weeps]

It was Saturday, and I woke up early despite sleeping late the previous night (went on a long-overdue and much needed date/stroll around Hongdae with Shine unnie). What can I say? It was D-Day, I was excited, a bundle of nerves and I couldn’t quite put a finger on the exact route to take to get to the Floating Island. All I new was that we had to get off the Express Terminal Station, on the other side of the Han River lol.

Shine unnie told me we were meeting Jacqui (The one and only @jaejoongism on Twitter), as well as our friend Andre (@evile1690 whom we haven’t seen since he left Manila to study in Korea). We headed off to MyeongDong where we agreed to meet with them for lunch! ^^ While waiting, we went to Everysing and just basically looked around until we decided to get pizza for lunch and wait for them there~ (I’ll write about this in a separate entry hehe)

At around 2pm, I was starting to kind of worry. Since I wasn’t sure of the route, I wanted to at least set off for the fansign early so I would have enough time to look for it, and lessen the risk of getting lost and not making it to the fansign. I was prepared to set off alone, but Shine unnie offered to accompany me, and Jacqui and Andre were also super nice to join me in search of the Floating Island! (Thank you so much guys!!! ;_; )

So we went on our way, and from MyeongDong got off at Express Bus Terminal station. Tbqh, this part is a bit hazy to me now. I only remember we got off, and then thought that it was still kind of far from the actual venue, so we hailed a cab and after a quarter of a kilometer or less, he dropped us off because we would need to walk to get there. Rofl. It wasn’t that far, and there were numerous fans walking too, so we kind of just went with the crowd til we got to the venue.

Arriving at Banpo / Floating Island

I didn’t get to take a photo of how the whole place looked like with my phone (I did take photos with my dSLR though, but like I said in a previous entry, all of my photos from this trip were transferred to my HD that got stolen in late December ;; ), however, here is a video I took upon getting settled in my seat:

[ 4:11pm ]  There was a huge parke area and bleachers surrounding it. : ) Chairs were lined up for the 150 people for signing. It was facing the stage that was floating on the Hangang. On the huge screen/s the Growl and Wolf videos were on loop.

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^ That’s the stage. If you’re wondering why there’s a steel railing, it’s because beyond that is WATER. WATERR. The stage is floating on the Hangang, thus being called, ~Floating Island~.

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At the entrance, they looked for the stub from the Hottracks lottery entry, as well as my passport. They also asked for the last four digits of the phone number that I had used (I kind of fumbled for a bit, and had to search for it in my Kakao thread with Pao unnie lol). After that, they handed me a new number: 110, that will serve as my seat number as well.

I realized I would be needing post-its to mark the pages where I wanted the boys to sign for me. But omg of all days to forget my post-its, it just had to be THAT day. Luckily I had a pack of mini ones hidden away in my pocket notebook. I was going to be using it for the first time since I first bought it in Seoul back in 2009. After 4 years, it would be serving its purpose! Haha. I took my time browsing through photos, writing their names and putting on post-its. I was a little bummed out when I realized that the Chanyeol photo I really liked was in the M version, and that I had brought the K version instead. OHWELL.131012-4

After a bit, two of the fan staff going around  approached me and asked for my album. They browsed through it (possibly checking if I wrote questions or something, because apparently that was no longer allowed) and then later on handed me an orange post it, where they asked me to write my number, and my name in Korean and English (Chinese too, if I wanted lol), and specifically had it posted on the backflap of the album. And that was it, waiting time begins!

Waiting & freezing for the boys

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Jacqui, Andre and Shine unnie stayed outside the area. I didn’t leave my seat anymore and waited patiently *_*  I did spend my time messaging them though, because I honestly felt bad they had to wait out for me ; ___ ; I was also constantly messaging Aya (@sehunownsme), Saki (@yifanns) and Donna (@foureveurs) just to try and get a hold of myself so I at least have an idea what to do later on.

I also asked Pao unnie (@paositivity) for help re: what to say to Chanyeol! Haha ^^ [Thank you unnie, ILY!]

There’s basically one thing I ALWAYS, ALWAYS say, and tell my friends / my sister / tweet etc: CHANYEOL IS THE BEST. So of course I wanted to tell him that; I settled for  “찬열아, 넌최고다!” I’m usually pretty calm, so I had high hopes I wouldn’t freeze and be able to say this.

However, I never got to think about what to say to the other members. This was a 12-member fansign. And I only thought of what to say to Park Chanyeol. There are eleven more people! But I have tunnel feels and tunnel vision you see… All I could think about was PCY! > <

[ 6:07PM ] I asked help from friends, but around this time, I felt like it was too late to compile a list ; _ ; Aya O. suggested I ask Luhan something, and that one I totally remembered. But for the rest, I just couldn’t think of anything nor could I absorb suggestions people were telling me at that time. All that was running through my head was that, “OMFG PARK CHANYEOL” And /cries That’s that.

By this time, the sun has already set, and IT WAS DAMN FREEZING. We were facing the floating stage, and there was water separating us from it. Take note that this was the Han River we’re talking about. The temperature was already cold as it is, add the fact that we’re right in front of a river it was also quite breezy and I was regretting not bringing my TVXQ! blanket with me.

[ 6:17PM ] The fansigning was scheduled at 6PM, but they announced that the boys were going to be late.

IT’S TIME

[ 6:29PM ] It was around this time that white vans drove in, and JFC THEY HAVE ARRIVED.

 This was all I could take before one of the fanstaff took notice and reminded me to keep my phone inside my bag. /sigh

The boys made their way to the stage through the connecting wood bridge. I stayed glued to my seat as I watched them walk and ofc had my eyes glued on Park Chanyeol’s back ;_; Never mind the fact that I was damn cold and hungry, HELLO CHANYEOL’S BACK! (it’s the best back ever!!!!!!! /dies in seat)

They started making their way to their spots at the long table, and the order was:

Tao Baekhyun Suho Chen Jongin Luhan Yixing Xiumin Kyungsoo Sehun Kris Chanyeol

At this moment it dawned on me that JFC MOTHERFATHERS HE WAS GOING TO BE FIRST. I was half excited but a bit more nervous I MEAN HELLO WTH SERIOUSLY FIRST? FIRSTTTT!!! /sniffs

The boys said a quick message to the fans as they got ready, and the fanstaff also started assisting those in the earlier rows. I just tried recording audio at this time, they were blasting the whole album, but I kept it on anyway. I placed my phone in my coat pocket, still on record.

Finally, it was my row’s turn. We lined up in a single file and walked to the wooden bridge. And waited for our turn for about 15 minutes more. JESUS. I tried not looking to my sides of the bridge BC HELLO HANGANG! I’m not very fond of big bodies of water and I had a very vivid imagination too. [MISH DON’T DIE] I made sure to stand right in the middle of the bridge because I feared I might fall or something. (Hey, at least this kind of distracted me from my impending face-off with my life-ruiner, Park Chanyeol).

[FANACCOUNT] 2013 10 12 EXO Banpo Fansign Part 2 or the Night Park Chanyeol called me “Meesh Noona” and I went to heaven