Day 122: 27 December, Friday

Temperature: -10/-1 degrees

Weather: Windy (super)

Its Friday so TGIF! Amanda's coming at night so I'm excited!!

Didn't really sleep well last night although idk why. Fell asleep (after so much difficulties) at 3.30am and the next time I open my eyes its only 5.50am. Couldn't sleep so I check my social medias for a while before trying to sleep again. Woke up at 8am again. I guess it was too warm I couldn't sleep. But anyway I woke up and decided to make myself some breakfast since I had time. French Toast for breakfast! Made use of ingredients available in the guesthouse.

Three eggs for breakfast!

French Toast!

Meihwa, Taiquan and Sean left at about 11am to head to Lotte World while Yixin and I left the guesthouse to head to meet Yvonne! Our first plan of the day was the pop up store "Boy Who Cried Wolf" at Apgujeong!

We took the subway to Sinsa (after a few transfers) and met Yvonne there! Its a very windy day and I almost froze to death. *brrrrrr*

Plastic Surgery District on the map :P

We managed to find our way there after asking for directions and we took a lot of photos because the entire shop is EXO!

Asking for directions...

Boy Who Cried Wolf!

The members' names are on the menu...

EXO's songs!

Principal's Office

overpriced hoodies

Dorm Room

Toilet

Gym

Signed Basketballs!

Signed Baseballs!

Kris' locker on the right!

Left to right: Chen, Xiumin, Chanyeol, Kai

Nice hoodies but costs KRW$89,000

Cafeteria

Miracles in December

Library

Don't they all look the same?!

Posters...

Even stamps... 헐

Sehun's rainbow hair!

But sadly the stuff inside are all over-priced so we didn't buy any stuff. In fact, 90% of the people in the store didn't buy anything too! I wanted to get a drink so that I could keep the cup holder as a momento but the drinks costs KRW$6,000 and above...

We decided to get Gongcha instead. Haha.

So we left the place and took the subway to Apgujeong Rodeo to walk around! Its kind of the rich man's area (like our ION/Taka which is also known as Jaesuk's hometown) so we didn't buy much things! We chanced upon Cofioca and Everysing too so we spent some time there!

Saw 2PM at the subway station for idk what...

Junho & Chansung!

Nickhun & Wooyoung!

Junho! (idk where's Taecyeon)

Atas food court.

Cofioca & Everysing is just side by side!

Signatures of idols in Cofioca...

A very small shop though...

Everysing!!

Albums are cheap!

Legendary SJ.

EXO...

Photo Cards at KRW$1,000 each.

The most prestigious merchandise for kpop fans.

overpriced ._.

SJ merchandise shelf~

We walked all the way to our next destination too: entertainment companies! We're meeting Cheryl and Adrial at Cube Cafe, but first we walked to SM Entertainment because it was the furthest. There were fans waiting outside (and apparently they give fans free coffee) for their idols. We didn't want to wait so we left~

Global Artist Training Centre coming soon!

SM Ent carpark

Rumours that this is SHINee's Key's car... Hmmm

SM Entertainment

Fans waiting~

Next up was FNC Entertainment which is CN Blue's company! And there were alot of those black vans that kpop fans are familiar of! We saw one under the company but fans wrote EXO's name on it. Lol. EXO is from SM lah.

FNC Ent carpark

black vans!!

EXO...?

Most prolly their dorm.

And then once we were done we headed for Cube Cafe!

Congrats on Junhyung's first solo EP!

Cube Studio!

Its my second time here (1st time: Day 18)  yet I still don't see the boys... Kinda disappointed but its okay because they are busy with Gayo Daejun tonight!

Honey bread~

Chilled for a while and ordered some food & drinks until Cheryl and Adrial came and then we headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner!

I was feeling full from the Honey Bread at the cafe so I didn't eat but Adrial and Cheryl ate bibimbap, Yixin ate hotstone bibimbap and Yvonne ate Omelette Rice. Halfway through dinner these six tall, (handsome). idol-style guys walked in damn quickly and based on my instincts of a kpop fan I guessed they were either idols or trainees! They seem to know the aunt in the restaurant and I was trying to peek at them cos they looked not bad. Yixin was joking we should take photo with them and ask for signature now so that in future if they get famous we're in for some good stuff but Yvonne just calmly said, "what if they don't debut?" Lol.

Just a snapshot of them.

When they were done eating, I realised that they didn't pay for their meals. The aunt merely jotted down what they ate and they left. Until when we were paying when I found out this.

So they're trainees from FNC Entertainment...

Well, who knows we might see them successful one day? Haha

So after dinner they took a subway heading towards Jamsil to go to Lotte World to meet the rest! They were planning on buying a night ticket (which is cheaper than a full-day ticket) just to enter to take photos and maybe play a few rides. I headed the other way back to Hongdae because I still had time before heading to the airport to fetch Amanda!

I did my blog and packed my stuff, showered and then headed out at 9.35pm. I checked the arrival timing of the AREX train first before heading out and it said 21:46 which was about ten minutes later! I rushed out of my guesthouse and hurried to the subway station but I didn't make it in time. I checked the next timing and it was 6 minutes later. I boarded the next train and took about an hour journey before I arrived at Incheon Airport at about 10.40pm.

Walking to board AREX

On the AREX heading to Incheon Airport

But I still had some distance to walk before reaching the Arrival Hall. It took me about 15 minutes to reach the arrival hall and it was almost 11pm already. Amanda's flight was scheduled to depart at 13:35 and arrive at 22:35 but the arrivals board shows that they landed 9 minutes early. I wanted to leave home slightly later cos I predicted there would be an hour delay (Amanda texted me at 2.35pm). It was only until I met her that I realised my phone timing was an hour faster!! (KST is an hour faster than SGT!) Meaning she didn't have a delay but I thought she had. Thank god I was on time!

Christmas decorations!

Gonna come back to this place real soon...

Anyway Amanda (she came with her bf :P) took about an hour before she came out. They came out at 11.28pm and the last train for AREX is 11.45pm! Thank god they came out on time and we made it on the last train! I made things go faster by purchasing and recharging the T-money cards before meeting them~

So we took the train back and arrived in Hongdae at about 12.15pm. The only exit available was Exit 6 because we took the last train and other exits are closed. It was kinda a big problem because I didn't know how to get to the guesthouse from Exit 6! I don't even know where Exit 6 leads to. But we had no choice so we walked on and what made it worse was the -9 degrees chilly weather (and their first exposure to such low temperatures). I tried to hail taxis but none of them stopped (which I don't know why) so I resorted to asking passers-by. Four months of living in Korea taught me that strangers can be very unfriendly at times so unless I had no choice I wouldn't ask. Thankfully the guy I approached was really nice and he gave me directions when I asked him where is the subway station exit.

Note: I wanted to look for Exit 1 because its nearest to our guesthouse but I asked him for the nearest exit. And he told me to walk straight. Until I passed Exit 4 then I realised he might have given me the wrong instructions...

Thankfully (yes very thankfully) I spotted Exit 2 across the street and people were going in and out of it! So we tried our luck and hola! The exit was open so I went underground and came up again from Exit 1! (I really had no idea how Exit 6 could lead to Exit 1 on ground so I really had to go underground and come up again...)

We walked out of Exit 1 and because they were hungry we stopped by a roadside stall to grab some food! they ordered one deokbokki and two fishcakes. I was looking out for their stuff while they were eating when this young guy (slightly older than me perhaps but not yet middle-aged) kept looking at me. I was guessing he's looking because he thought I must be a foreigner (which I indeed am) with all thise luggages. I kinda blocked his way and he was still looking/staring at me so I said, "쥐송합니다." (sorry in Korean) and he was like, "오? 감짝야." (Oh? I got a shock). I just smiled at him. And then he started talking to me. Asked me where am I from, why am I in Korea etc. Just as they were leaving, he just shoved a box of PB cake into my hands and said it was for me. I was damn shocked and I asked him, "진짜요?" (Really?) and he said yes. "For Christmas & New Year." So I gladly accepted it and thanked him (and his friends) "너무 감사합니다, 반갑습니다, 아녕히가세요~~" shocking experience. 

Well anyway, after what seemed like decades we finally reached the guesthouse! Only to find more problems. The door was somehow locked and no one could open it, so we had to climb through the window. Yeah, haha. And the staff said its part of "Adventures in Korea" Lol.

Well at least they got to their room safely! And it means bedtime for me too!! A long and tired day (due to not enough sleep from yesterday night & travelling long distances today)!

Thank you this girl for bringing my Christmas + Birthday gift from Singapore to Korea (please pardon my super small Christmas gift for you & Zongwei)!! Also, idk to laugh or cry, she actually brought the minions & Hello Kitty Ez-link card I asked her to buy for me to Korea. And now I got extra baggage. Wonderful. Just kidding. Can't wait to have fun with you!

Goodnight everyone!! May the adventures begin tomorrow!!