Hongdae

Hongdae is primarily known for its night life. We are situated right along the main strip of clubs. Not only that but those clubs are often frequented by KPOP stars. That is why the girls wanted to come here. Sadly, since we all crashed early yesterday because of the ‘excitement’ of moving, they missed GD (from Big Bang) and CL (from 2NE1) only a half a block up the street. But we are going into the weekend so they will have a few more chances before we relocate again.

Clubs or no, it is interesting to watch this city come alive as the sun sets. The mountains aglow with nature’s palette on the horizon as the neon signs begin to illuminate the street. It is this cue that the street vendors use to begin setting up their tents and wares. There are certainly many set up during the day, but the numbers triple at night. The smells vie for your attention and set your stomach rumbling. And between one sampling and the next you shop. Well, the girls do. The clothes are much too small for me as are the shoes. I can’t wear jewelry most of the time because of working in the lab. But I have not given up hope of finding a sparkly bow-shaped hairpin as was featured in ‘You’re Beautiful.’

Though not related at all, they refer to each other as siblings in both English and Korean. They even pick on each other like sisters. One of the major things to ‘fight’ over are their idol biases. Fortunately, they really do have different ones, but that does not stop them from instigating each other by pretending they like the same ones or finding other ways to torment them.

When Lizzy and I were here in the spring of 2015, Lee Min Ho and Kim Soo Hyun were everywhere. Lee Min Ho had recently finished ‘Gangnam Blues’ and Kim Soo Hyun had wrapped up ‘My Love From Another Star’ which were both immensely popular and garnishing them lots of celebrity endorsements. There were posters on every wall and in every window. There were full size cut-outs in front of every store. You saw them on ads on the sides of buildings, in elevators, and on tv. They appeared on the drink you held in your hand and the wrappers of the snacks that you ate. They flash by you on the sides of busses.

Lee Min Ho is Kim’s bias. And Lizzy’s when she wants to get a rise out of Kim and has nothing else to use. Kim was looking forward to seeing her bae and posing with him at every opportunity. However, betwixt and between trips, a new KDrama called ‘Descendants of the Sun’ starring Song Joong Ki took the KDrama world by storm and recently finished airing the last episode and he has usurped Lee Min Ho. So there is an on-going search to find Lee Min Ho. We have still found him on a few things here and there but it is exactly that – a search. Lizzy will now and then call out, ‘Kim, there’s your bae!’ only for Kim to turn and see a picture of Song Joong Ki and Lizzy busting a gut laughing.

But chances are that if anyone’s dream will come true it will be here in Hongdae. We shall see …