HoMin Fansigning at Yeongdeungpo HotTracks

PROOF~ That's me with my huge bag and my blue pea coat that I was also wearing in my pic at the JYJ signing

So, my friend Stephanie and I had planned an AMAZING fangirl TVXQ weekend.
We went to see a performance of Tears of Heaven Friday night, went to Music Core on Saturday, and planned to go to Inkigayo (another music show) on Sunday. We also both bought Junsu's Musical Concert DVD. Soooooo worth it.
Well, we both had entered to get into the HotTracks fansigning for TVXQ and WE BOTH GOT IN~~~!!!     LUCKY!!!!

So, we were in Itaewon Saturday night to celebrate St. Patty's and we were flippin' out. Our plan was to get drunk and go steal some of the Tears of Heaven banners that were hanging off the street posts. But, other fans had the same idea and they were mostly gone by the time we got there. Also, probably because of the theft, there were lots of police patrolling, so we decided that it would be really bad if we were arrested and missed the fansigning.

So, we went to sleep. Then we woke up, had breakfast, watched the Junsu DVD, and then got ready for the fansign. We, as per usual, were running late and the fansigning was at Youngdongpo Times Square. I cannot even describe how huge and confusing that place is. It really does boggle your mind. So, after lots of freaking and running, we finally make it to the fansigning with 15 minutes to spare.

Because the fansigning was out in the open in the middle of a mall, I'm sure that that location was a security nightmare. So, they wanted the fansign over as quickly as possible, so they only were signing the hangul (Korean) version of everyone's names, which sucked. I tried to sneakily write my name on the piece of paper, but I was caught. >.< So, the security lady rewrote my name on another post-it note. Soooooo close!

Anyway, Changmin was first. Because they were rushing people through, I actually rehearsed what I wanted to say. I walked up and said, "Annyounghaseyo" and he responded in kind. Then, (in Japanese) I said that his English was really good. And he politely denied it and I said, "No, no, no. [Your English] in the drama, at your birthday event... it was really good" And then he sniggered like he was embarrassed then I said, "Ah, Changmin-sama yappari" except I stumbled over the Japanese here, so it sounded rehearsed and not cute, which was unfortunate. >.< Then, we both bowed and said goodbye.

When I went down the steps to Yunho's line, there for 3 HotTracks employees were were directing people in the line! It was wrapped around. As soon as I realized that the line had to curve because there were so many people in Yunho's line, I laughed. Yunho, such a chatterbox.

He's really cute and he knows how to circumvent his managers. LOL As long as he's writing, he can talk for as long as he wants. And he wants to talk longer to someone, he will stop writing and talk to that person. But, as soon as he's done writing, he knows that the management is going to move that person along. Yunho is really good at creating time for people.
Anyway, I was behind another girl when Yunho's head lifted up and we made eye contact over her shoulder. And I slightly nodded my head at him.

So, anyway, we both say "Annyounghaseyo." Then, he asks me a question in Korean, which went completely over my head. I didn't process it because so many things were going through my head and I was still shock that I was meeting him again, so when he spoke Korean to me, it did not compute. I can't even venture a guess as to what he might of said.  So, as per usual when I don't know what somebody says in Korean, I just say "Yes." Which is really a bad habit, but I knew that I didn't have much time and I didn't want to waste it. So, I just immediately jumped in with Japanese. I told him that the new song was really good and that I went to MuCore for the first time to see the live performance. He then asked me if I had fun and I said of course. I also talked about how his dancing was really good and how handsome they were, etc. He laughed and thanked me. And then I said, "No, thank you!" Then we both bowed to each other and I left.  

Yunho looking around at all the fans

Then, I went upstairs to get a smoothie from Smoothie King, because I was parched. After I ordered, I tried to look for Stephanie in the line, but I couldn't see her. Finally, I spotted her and we met up on the third floor. We watched the rest of the fansign, drank our smoothies, then headed to Seoul Station to get something to eat. Then, Stephanie took the KTX back to Daegu.

So, four conclusions have come from this experience.
(1) I will NEVER be late for a fansign again
(2) I HATE the Youngdongpo Times Square with the fire of a supernova. I cannot put into words my absolute loathing of that building and its construction.
(3) Yunho is an amazing person.
(4) I like private fansigns as opposed to ones like this that are open to the public. Everything is more relaxed at a private fansign. But, you get more pictures from open fansigns, so there are pros and cons.

Changmin Birthday Event

CREDIT FOR PICS :: NEVEREND

At 8:50 it began with 《How Can I》, then at 11 it ended with 《Keep Your Head Down》 



For Changmin’s birthday party, the MC was SHINee’s Minho and his first lines were nothing but praises for Changmin. He stated, “Changmin hyung is the best in the world. He’s so handsome, so strong. How come he’s so handsome?” Changmin responded jokingly by saying, “Don’t make me yell at you in front of my fans.”


As soon as Changmin walked on stage, fans started screaming. Changmin asked 'You scream over everything. What is there to scream about?' Minho started to praise Changmin along with the fans, dishing out random compliments, saying that the way Changmin was sitting looked really cool.

Then a chair was brought on stage and when Changmin sat on it, fans screamed. Minho joined in with the fans complimenting Changmin on everything he did. Changmin replied, “I am only copying Choi Siwon.” When Minho complimented him, Changmin smiled and frowned at the same time.


MAX GRAPH  
CREDIT FOR PICS :: NEVEREND

CREDIT FOR PICS :: NEVEREND

The next segment of the party was where Changmin had to draw his life story on a board. There were horizontal and vertical lines on the board. Anything that was positive would be drawn above the horizontal line while anything negative would be drawn below it. Changmin then exclaimed that he can’t believe he has to draw it manually because he thought it was automatic where images would appear once the pen touched the board. CM: Are you really asking me to hand draw this? I thought this thing was automatic! The type where you just prod it and it draws the thing itself. Minho then confirmed that indeed the board was not automatic.




Changmin was given a board and asked to illustrate the ups and downs of his life in the form of a line. There was x and y-axes on the board:
Above the x-axis - high points of his life       Below - low points

Changmin then began his artistic portrayal of his life story.  Whenever Changmin mentioned something depressing, the fans would sigh, and Changmin would say 'Stop being all sympathetic!' And they'd scream instead. Then Changmin would complain again, mumbling 'Well there's no need to be that excited either…'

He first talked about his birth. He said when he was born he felt especially handsome and that he had milky skin. Minho then asked the fans to scream, “Milky skin Changmin! We love you Changmin!” At five years old, Changmin said he still did not know anything. Minho asked, “Did you have a high voice like you do now?” Changmin replied, “Of course not! At that time, I didn’t know about celebrities or idols, I only I was my mother's child!” Changmin then explained that when he was five, he had two emotional incidents during preschool. The first time was when a teacher said to Changmin, “You look so pretty!” and then bit him. The second time when a girl falsely accused Changmin of hitting her.

When he was ten, Changmin went to a ski park with his father. Changmin insisted that he was only a beginner but his father said that he was of intermediate level. In the end, Changmin injured his leg. There was also a time he was naughty in school and his parents were asked to come. Changmin said, “I was only being a little naughty and they asked my mom to come to school!”
Changmin entered junior high at fifteen. At this stage, fans screamed, “2nd year in junior high!” Changmin replied jokingly, “I know! I’m not stupid. Everyone knows that at 13, you’re in 6th grade“. He then began once again saying he had entered his 2nd year of junior high and upon hearing this, fans started to scream the name of Changmin’s junior high to which Changmin confirmed their screams. He also added, “Although there isn’t any ulterior meanings to this. There were lots of motels next to the school.”

Changmin then talked about being discovered by a talent scout. At the time, Changmin was behind the school playing badminton. He said that his charms must have impressed the scout so much that the scout decided to recommend him to SM. At the time, Yunho hurt him by saying “If you’re just here and not serious about it, then it’s better to leave early!” Changmin worked hard and eventually debuted as a member of TVXQ. Minho then chimed in, “At the time, you were thinking about becoming a small cat weren’t you?” Changmin replied, “Flaming charisma Minho!”
He then talked about his first girlfriend. However, Changmin was eventually dumped. Following his mention of a girlfriend but then being dumped, fans first screamed then sighed. Changmin then said, 'Just now when I said I got dumped, you guys screamed so loud and were so high about it! Aish!'
Then starting at age 20, Changmin began telling his life story year by year. Minho interrupted saying, “As MC, I was planning to request that you do so. I didn’t know you also felt the same way.” Changmin then boasted, “No matter what, I did debut prior to you for so many years!” When sad stories were shared, fans sighed. Changmin said, “Don’t show such sympathy”, but when fans immediately screamed happily, he said “What’s so happy about it?” Then, Changmin said that now, he is very happy. He said, "Now. Right now. Now" in English. SQUEE!

When Changmin started complimenting Minho, he replied with pride, “I won in this game against hyung 4 times in a row”, even adding within how many minutes. Changmin said, “At the time, I really wanted to hit this dongsaeng”. Minho then started to copy Changmin’s laughter. He first showed Changmin’s laughter when Yunho says something not funny but Changmin, being polite, laughs. He then showed how Changmin laughs when he truly hears something funny and laughs. Minho also mentioned that last time when Changmin was on Heechul’s show, he had heard it while he was in the car and thought Changmin had died laughing. Minho said that at the time, all he heard in the radio broadcast was “calm down, calm down” and in the end, it took five minutes before Changmin’s voice could be heard again. He said, “I really thought Changmin hyung had laughed to death.”
Then came time to watch a video made by fans. Minho told Changmin to look forward to it. To this, Changmin’s response was “I am already really looking forward to it. I am looking forward to it so much that I feel like crying.” When Changmin saw clips of himself crying, he stated, “I look good even when crying.” The ending was a picture and on it was written “To: Shim Changmin. From: Changmin’s fans”.

When a Valentine’s Day tune came on within the clips, Changmin used his finger to portray the part of the rabbit. Minho asked, “Why did you do that?” To which a fan screamed, “It’s my birthday!” Changmin replied, “It’s not just you. Millions of people are also celebrating their birthdays”. When brought up again, Changmin then said, “Such a big crowd, I can’t see you.” The lights came on and Changmin told the fan who had a birthday that day to raise their hand. Changmin continued to make the rabbit sign with his hand several more times.

When it came time to cut the cake, Yunho brought the cake on stage. Minho jokingly said, “This one looks familiar. How about a self introduction?” Yunho then introduced himself and said, “This cake looks a lot like mine. But I assure you it’s not the same one!” Minho then said, “You sure you didn’t just remove the top of the cake and replace it?” After saying this, Changmin attempted to remove the top of the cake and said that it was not removable. Minho allowed Yunho to say a few words to Changmin. Yunho held onto Changmin’s hand and started to say a huge speech. Changmin asked Yunho, “Must you keep holding onto my hand?” Yunho kept saying his speech and the two held hands till the end of Yunho’s speech. Fans then started to scream, “Bobo! Bobo! (kiss)” Changmin, somewhat embarrassed, replied, “I am a normal guy. Compared to guys, I like girls more. You have understand the feelings of the one kissing me, Yunho and the one being kissed, me!” In the end they two didn’t kiss, but they did hug.

Changmin then spoke a few words to the fans and although he told the fans not to laugh because it was a serious moment, fans could not hold back their laughter upon hearing his request. Then a fan screamed, “Please move closer!” to which Changmin, wide-eyed replied, “Come forward come forward, how dare you talk to me without using honorifics!” However, Changmin, along with Minho and Yunho all pulled their chairs closer to the front of the stage.

In order to calm everyone down and make them listen to Changmin, Yunho said 'Everyone clap your hands 3 times'. Changmin said 'This is like in university where the professor has an assistant sitting beside him. Yunho hyung is really good at this kind of thing.' 

When it came time to answer questions from fans, Changmin and Minho kept on talking and Yunho didn’t really have a chance to speak. Yunho finally couldn’t take it anymore and jokingly yelled at Changmin, “Hey! Look at me too!”. This caused an eruption of laughter from the fans. Then when it was time for Changmin to talk, Yunho was drinking water and even said to fans “You guys must focus!”. Changmin frustratedly said, “If you didn’t drink water they would focus their attention on me.”

One of the questions from fans was to act out parts from “Secret Garden”, in particular the part where there is receipt of the text message. However, the three expressed that they haven’t yet watched the drama. In the end, they instead acted out the lines of the host of Strong Heart saying “I’m busy! No! Go away!” Changmin then cutely said, “Didn’t get mad right?”
Speaking about acting cutely, Minho attested that he saw Changmin acting cutely when he was in the car. Whenever a car cuts him off or something similar, Changmin will get really angry. However he will calm himself down by talking to himself saying “Changmin-ah, You did very well. Don’t get mad hmm?”. Changmin did a live rendition of this and fans thought it was really cute.



Changmin: Thank you for attending my birthday party. Who am I to receive so much love from you all? Ha, thank you. I'll work hard in the future to repay you for your love.

The party then ended with a live performance of “Why (Keep Your Head Down)”. Right when it started, the dancers pushed Changmin out on the stage and also unbuttoned his shirt completely, exposing his chest and abs. Changmin was pushed to the front and half-heartedly danced Yunho's part and we all screamed out "Shim Changmin! Shim Changmin!"
 Then when it was time for Yunho’s part, Changmin went to the back of the stage (behind the dancers) to button up. While the KYHD performance for Yunho's birthday event was very serious and intense, they were more playful and did a fun performance for us this time.

Tears of Heaven Musical

TEARS OF HEAVEN ADVERTISEMENT

On Wednesday, February 16th, I went to see Junsu's musical performance of "Tears of Heaven." It was absolutely amazing. I cried three times. It was soooooo good. Honestly, by the end of the performance, there was not a dry eye in the house. Guys were crying. It was really powerful and moving. Even thinking about this musical makes me tear up. 
Brad Little plays the American commander and whenever there is a scene with him in it, all the other characters speak in English. The mix of languages was really cool and gave the musical a sense of realism.

It's very similar to Miss Saigon in that its about American soldiers or pro-American characters ruining the lives and happiness of Asia(ns) during the Vietnamese War.

The play starts out with Tianna, a famous singer from America, who arrived in Korea to give a concert. Tianna is a Vietnamese war orphan and went to Vietnam to try to find information about her parents. Queyen is her manager and aunt. She is visited by a writer named Joon who tells her that he knew her mother and tells the story of how they met.

Linh, a Vietnamese singer, has been dating Colonel Grayson, an American commander of the ROK-US forces in Vietnam. He is called away on business and proposes to Linh before he heads out. She accepts. While he is gone, she meets Joon, a Korean soldier. She realizes that she really doesn't love Grayson and she just accepted his proposal because of pressure and everyone telling her how lucky she is to have caught the attention of an American commander. Linh and Joon fall in love and everything is grand and perfect. His tour of duty was coming to an end and Linh planned on going with him to Korea.
However, her "friend" Queyen, who desperately wants to go to America, tells the Colonel of her plan when he comes back. Queyen was counting on Linh's relationship with the Colonel to secure a visa for her. So, the Colonel retaliates by extending Joon's tour of duty and sending him to the front lines.
Later on, Linh is told that Joon is dead and Grayson pressures her into going to America. Linh finds out that she is pregnant with Joon's child, but Queyen persuades her to go to America anyway and not tell Grayson. Queyen is packing up the house when Joon arrives. Queyen lies and says that Linh already went to America with Grayson. So, Joon believes that Linh betrayed him.
Queyen and Linh  then fly to America. When Grayson arrives in America a month later, she is showing. Grayson wants her to put the baby up for adoption, which Linh won't agree to and she leaves him. Grayson then tells her of Queyen's betrayl. When Linh confronts Queyen, she miscarries. Linh dies in childbirth and leaves her daughter, named Tianna, in Queyen's care. Queyen raises Tianna as her own.

After Joon finishes this story, Tianna kicks Queyen out of her life and is reunited with her father.

It was truly awesome. Junsu gave an amazing performance. My one critique of him would be that he's not a musical actor, so he had to fight to be heard over the orchestra and other cast members. He didn't have the right breath support and he had to exert himself to get those notes out. That being said, he sang his songs beautifully and embodied the emotion of each song. Junsu was really kick ass. His acting as young Joon was really good. I was super impressed. He was really awkward as older Joon, but I guess that was part of his charm.
Incidences/Intense Scenes:

• During the bar scene when Queyen tells Grayson about Linh and Joon, there's a part in it when Grayson grabs Queyen's hair, pulls her head back, and then shoves her down. On my night, Brad Little must have been a little too "in-the-moment," because when he pushed her, he pushed her really hard which made her loose her balance off her chair and she ended up on her knees. I would have thought it was just part of the performance, but when the lights went off to change scenes, Brad Little put his arm around the actress and was frantically talking to her and it looked like he was apologizing and making sure she was okay. 

• During "Tiger and the Dove" scene, Junsu accidently broke the tail of the tiger shadow puppet when he was a little too enthusiastic with his arm movements. At the end when she says goodnight and closes the door, Junsu looked down at the puppet and said, "Ah. This tiger's tail is missing. Oh well" LOL

• There's a Korean actor who is playing an American soldier named Bill. His English was fantastic and when he spoke Korean, he broke it up and put weird inflections on it to make it sound like it wasn't his first language. But, in the first scene in Vietnam, Grayson asks Bill to escort Linh home. But, he already had plans with Queyen, he tried to break it off, so he could follow the Colonel's orders. Then, Queyen whispers in his ear what she'll do to him, and he says in English, "OH! Oh, that's hot." Then, he asks Joon in Konglish to take Linh home instead of him. Retelling it, it's not particularly funny, but in the musical, it's really funny.  

•  When Grayson comes to give Joon his orders (at Linh's house), he essentially tries to blackmail Linh into going to America in order to save Joon from going to the front lines. But, Joon resists and Linh gives Grayson back the ring he gave her. Joon said, "My orders, sir." Then Grayson said, "Here's your one-way ticket to Hell, son." Then, Grayson puts his back on, just so, and screams in Joon's face, "TEN-HUT!" There was so much fucking anger where they both were staring each other down. It was intense. I don't think I breathed during this scene and my entire row jumped when Grayson yelled, "TEN-HUT!" After this scene, I think I said, "Holy fuck" about three thousand times.

• Junsu's English was so cute! "I believe you have something for me, Colonel" and "My orders, sir" and one other line that I couldn't understand even when I saw it for the second time.

• The choreography for the fall of Saigon scene/song was fantastic. There are times when they all line up on one side of the stage, walk across it, and at certain marks some of the dancers fall out of the line like they'd been shot. 

• When Joon is captured and brought to an enemy camp, Sang (a VC soldier) grabbed Joon's hair and pulled his head back. His vocal chords were straining and it sounded like each line was dragged from his soul while he was trying not to cry. I was so shocked by the acting.  

Stephanie and I went to another performance last weekend and we both STILL cried. This is a great musical. The songs, the set designs, the choreography... all fantastic and breathtaking. Awesome.

 I'VE NEVER LOVED LIKE THIS: LINH & JOON
THIS IS WHEN LINH DECIDES TO ACCEPT JOON'S LOVE, LEAVE THE COLONEL, AND GO TO KOREA.
 When I saw this musical for the second time, I sobbed during this song because I knew what horrors lay ahead of them and this song was so happy and so fucking optimistic. ;~;
"No need to tell me how the story ends...I've never loved like this. Isn't it wonderful? Isn't it destiny?"

 CAN YOU HEAR ME? : LINH & JOON
LAST SONG OF THE FIRST HALF. AFTER JOON RECEIVES HIS ORDERS, HE'S ON HIS WAY TO THE FRONT LINES. SO, THIS SONG IS ABOUT THEM PLEDGING THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER AND PROMISING THAT THEY'LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN ONE DAY.

Can you hear me? Can you hear me? / Cross the distance we’ll take flight / Carried on the wings of angels/ are the promises that we both made tonight / Can you hear me? Can you hear me?

 I'VE HAD TO LEARN : JOON
This is the first song after intermission. One of my favorite songs in  the musical. Junsu sings it so brilliantly... it's awesome. Basically this song is about him trying to rationalize killing people, knowing that he will have to live with the horrors that he is witnessing, and that the only thing that keeps him going is Linh.

EXCERPT OF LYRICS
How can I tell you/How it feels to see/A country torn in half/Ripped apart by war/How can I tell you/How it feels to know/The only difference between them and me / is who will stand and who will fall

I've had to learn/Learn how to kill/Learn how to hate against my will/Learn how to fight

No, I wasn't born/With a gun in my hand/But yet every soldier understands/When duty calls/It's somebody's freedom or your own

But what of these ghosts that I must carry to my grave/Did he have a wife/Did he have a dream/Someone who loved them like you loved me/Why do I have to take his last breath away


So you learn not to run/You learn not to cry/You learn how to aim your weapon high and with them all/Never regretting what you're fighting for
Cause what you're fighting for/Is the one thing/You have left

 TEARS OF HEAVEN
This is the song Linh sings after she is told that Joon is dead. The set designers really did a great job~ in general, but particularly with this scene. <3 It was beautifully sang and composed.  This song made me cry. 
EXCERPT OF LYRICS 
A dream has died/And now it's time for fate to decide/How I'll go on without you/How I'll let go of your hand
Love divine/for one shining moment was mine/that ended before it began/so I'll cry tears of heaven
Hope still lives/inside me that's where it is/I'll cling to every tear drop/I'll reach for you with every breath I take

JOON'S REPRISE:  "TEARS OF HEAVEN" AND "CAN YOU HEAR ME?" (AUDIO)

Last song of "soldier" Joon. After Queyen tells him that Linh went to America with Grayson, he does a reprise of "Tears of Heaven," then the scene switches to Grayson sending Linh and Queyen off on a plane to San Francisco. After the plane takes off and the airport/landing strip is destroyed by bombs, Joon arrives and sings a heartbreaking reprise of "Can You Hear Me?"

CAN YOU HEAR ME? REPRISE 

LIVE MUSICAL VERSION  

 SHADOW OF MY HEART
The second song of the musical: Tianna sings this song about how there's a void in her life because she doesn't know who her parents were or anything about their lives. 
This moment should be filled with meaning / This moment should be flushed with sun / Instead this sorrow is all I feeling / Sadness every dream undone
My life has known so many secrets / The past to all hidden from my sight / I should be happy / but I'm plagued by energies in black and white
Like shadows on my heart that bind / shadows on my heart that see / A heritage that lives somewhere / Yet still unknown to me
A history that doesn't hurt / eclipses on the rain / that separates the light from dark / erasing the shadows on my heart

JUNSU'S LAST CURTAIN CALL: 03.19.11 

Shuttle to the theatre from the subway station

Outside the National Theatre of Korea

Painting of Junsu as "Joon"

Today's Cast

TEARS OF HEAVEN POSTER

Cool tiled wall that takes up one side of the first floor

CREDIT FOR PICS : blog.naver.com/cyzhvkfmvp

CREDIT FOR PICS : blog.naver.com/cyzhvkfmvp

CREDIT FOR PICS : ssarang2323.blog.me

CREDIT FOR PICS : ssarang2323.blog.me

Yunho Birthday Event

First of all, I apologize for the length of this fan account. Its written in stream of consciousness, so I ramble. =)

I arrived at City Hall station a little past noon and didn't realize how far the art center actually was from the station. Thankfully, I remembered the bus number from the map, hopped on with a lot of other fangirls, and went up a steep, steep mountain to get to Sangmyung University's art center. By the time I figured out where I was supposed to go and actually arrived at the university, it was around 1:45 pm.

Sangmyung Art Center

Event Poster

Event Table

 I waited in line for about an hour, went up to the table, showed them my documents, and they gave me a wristband and fan goods~~! Point of interest: the same security team that did the JYJ fansign also did this event, so I saw the same behind the scenes people. I think their name was Dream Korea Security or Korea Dream Security-- something like that.

Fan Goods/Momentos: Wristband, Cassie balloon, TVXQ Light stick, streamers caught at the event, mini-posters, and card

Ticket to the event

Yunho Card

Fan Message on the back of the card

One of the mini-posters

Another mini-poster

Anyway, then, I sat off to the side to write a fan letter. By the time I was done, it was after 3 pm and we were supposed to be lining up at 5:30. It was balls cold and all the buildings were closed, so I had no idea what I should do.
Finally, I decided that I needed to eat, because 15 hours of being awake + not eating = badness. Also, fan events are always stressful as hell. You're stressed that you won't find the place because they're always in the middle of nowhere (i know that 1000+ fangirls in Seoul Square is a bad idea, but it would nice if these locations were easier to find), you're scared of being denied access for some stupid reason, and then you're anxious about the fan event itself. And it was soooo flippin' cold outside. We were up in the mountains. It was cold, gray, and damp with the wind blowing on us. Even when we went inside to get our tickets, I could see my breath when we were in the lobby. Standing up there with nothing to do was not fun. So, I went down the mountain to try and find some food. I found an awesome coffee shop called "Coffeeine". Everything else was closed because it was Sunday/Seolnal vacation, so that was pretty much it. I got a coffee and a blueberry bagel with cream cheese. I felt so bad for the ahjusshi behind the counter. He was the only worker there and all the fangirls descended down from the mountain like a pack of ravenous wolves. We were placing orders faster than he could make them. I had to wait 45-50 minutes for him to make me a cafe mocha and toast my blueberry bagel-- just because there were so many orders before mine. He probably doesn't see that many customers on a Sunday and his hands were shaking so badly. ^.^" Poor man.  I hung out in the coffee shop until 5:30, then I headed back up the mountain. My calves were killing me on Monday.

Anyway, I had an amazing seat~! Even though it was on the second floor, I was first row, dead center. It was fantastic. The security guy looked at me and my amazing seat and asked to see my ticket. I pulled it out of my purse and in my head I said, "In your face, bitch. I'm a foreigner but I can figure out where my seat is, thank you very much!" They had two projector screens set up on either side of the stage with an image of Yunho (same as the event poster). They were also playing the KYHD album while everyone was getting seated, which we all enjoyed.
Ohh~  they were also REALLY serious about cameras. Before the event started, they just yelled at you and confiscated your memory card. During the event, they kicked you out after confiscating your memory card. I saw two girls from the second floor who were escorted out, crying. I've only seen two fancams of this event and those girls were ballsy. I hope and pray that this event ends up on AADBSK4, because I need subs. >.< I actually want to know what they were talking about.

When the event started, they played the KYHD dance 1 MV (non ugly-fur-suit version ftw). The crowd half-heartedly did the fan chant-- mostly I think it was due to the fact that we weren't sure if it was appropriate. But everyone was waving their light stick to the music, so it was a good atmosphere. Everyone was getting pumped~~.
After the KYHD video, ONEW comes out as the MC~! He then does an intro and then Yunho comes out! Massive cheers and light stick waving!!! He wore tight pants, boots that laced up mi-calf, a suit jacket, and a very sparklely bow tie that didn't sit flush against him, so the sparklely side wasn't that visible-- which I think was a good thing.
Onew and Yunho were talking and they did an intro interview segment. Then, SM made a long video history of Yunho video moments and pictures. They did a timeline of Yunho starting with DBSK's debut in 2003 through their recent comeback. It surprised me that they touched upon the lawsuit, but it was really at the very last of the video. To me, it was presented in a very, "Yeah this happened, but TVXQ lives on." This video made me feel really emotional, because it covered dbsk's highlights, focused on Yunho of course, but still DBSK triumphs. Like, Purple Line going #1 on Oricon, them receiving their daesangs, clips of Yunho performing at all the different concerts and Goong, and I thought, "I was a fan through all that. I witnessed them doing those things and have supported them." I'm not the only one, of course, but it touched me to remember all those moments. Onew and Yunho were really cute. They kept thinking the video was over, but then more and more clips and images would pop up. Then, came the batch of sexy Yunho photos-- candids from HTTG with his shirt off, other random, misc candids, and stills from the Wrong Number video. When the screencap of him in the bath tub came on, the fans lost their minds, as if they had never seen that mv before. Then Yunho said, "Yah! something something namja something something." Probably something along the lines of, "you shouldn't look at men when they're taking a bath" or "why are you so excited to see naked men"

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): Yunho: (Embarrassed) Yah… Why do you girls get so excited when you see sexual images [of men]…

After that, Onew and Yunho talked a bit more. Then, the backstage people brought out this shadow box thing, with 4 spaces. Then, when it was lit, you could see that they're were 4 mystery guest silhouettes. As soon as it was lit, EVERYONE knew which one was Changmin (the 1st box). Even Yunho knew and kept referring to that "mystery guest" as Changmin. It was really funny that when Changmin would give a smart answer, Yunho would say, "Ah, that's DEFINITELY Changmin!" HAHA! As soon as Yunho identified Changmin, he then speculated that there was probably a SHINee and SuJu member among the other guests.  They were picking balloons off the stage so that they could use the helium to disguise their voices. I think Changmin was getting a headache from all the helium--- he inhaled at least 3 balloons worth and everytime he had to breathe in more helium, he would give this big, traumatized sigh before doing it. Awwww.... He definitely talked the most out of all the guests.

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): Most people could recognize Changmin from his silhouette. Yunho said 'Stop trying to hide yourself Changmin, we can all see that it's you'.

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): And as soon as Changmin out everyone knew it was him, just by the silhouette everyone said, It’s Changmin~   The fans were all calling for him to come out, but Changmin said, “If only I come out, what will that make of the others?” So he stayed there.

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): They were asked, Does Yunho have a lot of aegyo? And all 4 answered with O [Yes]. When does he have a lot of aegyo? They answered that if Yunho sleeps for two hours he’s fine but he really can’t go without two meals (it seems like if he’s hungry his aegyo really comes out)
He’s a person who moves as much as he eats. Onew said, Is this a chargeable hyung? [like a battery, haha] He’ll always be like, “let’s all eat and live” [a common Korean phrase, which Yunho seems to take very literally lol]. If he has a piece of chocolate or candy he has exactly that much more energy to move around. No matter how sleepy he is he has to eat. Onew said he’s the same way, if he eats one spoonful of food he’ll have exactly the strength to eat one spoonful more and keep eating. Onew said Yunho’s exactly the same as him, hyung is very similar to him keke. And Yunho showed his hungry aegyo, “Give me fooood~~”

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): Have you ever had a hard time because of Yunho’s small face?  His hometown friends answered that because [of his small face] Yunho always stays in the back when they take pictures lol.  Changmin said because Yunho’s face is small he gets envious when he looks in the mirror, and Yunho responds should I auction it? [not sure if that's the correct translation, but basically Yunho brags about how small his face is compared to Changmin's.] He’ll say something like that and Changmin gets really annoyed lol



EDIT (taken from trans fanacc):  What’s something you would fix about Yunho?
His hometown friends said when they hang out he should discuss/decide things to do all together because when Yunho wants to play he decides things very impulsively. He’ll go, “Let’s do this!!! Come on~ let’s do it~~!!” and so they’ve ended up suddenly going to see the ocean and even went all the way down to Jeju Island before because of him kekkekk

Changmin: And when Yunho looks for his cellphone he should start with checking his own pockets first
Before he would go, “Someone has my phone! I’m gonna break his back!!” [LOL in satoori/dialect, ahhh I love when his satoori slips out it's hot. Haha. Anyway, that's the same phrase he used when Changmin accidentally ended a game that Yunho was playing for 6 days straight LOL. From Champagne]  He would be like that but because the things he loses strangely come back to him anyway, he’s got a weird confidence. So he doesn’t act like before anymore and just goes, It will eventually turn up~


EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): And, when are you embarrassed by Yunho?
Changmin says that when they go bowling, after his turn Yunho always has to high-five his team and stuff. He said something like, That stuff is fine but if there are people around who know you don’t you get embarrassed doing all that ceremony? And Onew says that there’s someone like that in Shinee too, who is tall and has a small face too (talking about Minho).

Asked what are Yunho’s nicknames, Changmin answered “Jung Star,” “Action Jung,” and “Top Star Jung Yunho,’ and there are more but they are derogatory so he won’t say them.
Yunho said that the first time Changmin went “Jung Star~~~” he felt good/proud, but later Changmin would go “Jung star~ Jung star~~~” about really trivial things so Yunho realized, “Ah, this kid is making fun of me.”  But it was really funny how he was going “Jung Star~~”

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): Do you know one of Yunho’s secrets? Everyone answered with X.
Yunho said that if he were to tell a friend, “this is between you and me only,” his other friends would feel bad so he will let them know and let them know, and eventually all of them will know.
But those things are just kept between friends.

Anyway, this started the True/False Question segment. Each guest had a stick with an X and an O on it. If they thought the answer was true, they would hold up the O, False = X. The only question I really understood was the one about Yunho's aegyo: does Yunho do a lot of aegyo. Of course, the guests all unanimously answered true.  Oh, and when they asked if there were any nicknames for him, they said, "Action Star." Changmin calls him "Jung Star." Also, throughout the event so far, Yunho was guzzling water like there was no tomorrow. I'm not sure what was said and I don't remember who was speaking (I really don't think it was Changmin, though), but whatever the answer was, Yunho was taking a sip of water and whatever was said made him laugh and spat some of the water out. LOL!

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc):                                                
MC (Onew): I've heard that you'd like to get married at 29?                                                  
Yunho: I plan to get married at 32 because I still don't have a gf.                            
Fans: Really?                                                      
Yunho: Really, I don't have a gf

MC: Do you normally like to show aegyo?                                             
Changmin: Yes he does, for example 'I'm hungry, feed me!'

After the segment, the mystery guests were revealed-- it was Changmin (yappa!), their manager, and two of Yunho's non-celeb friends. Then, everyone gave Yunho a happy birthday message and you could tell that Yunho was super touched. Then, they brought out the four-tiered cake with a 2 and 6 candle (actually, he was born in 86, but the way the Korean birthday system works, he's now 26). One of the bodyguards that I see a lot of around TVXQ came and put a very fuzzy birthday hat on Yunho's head. Then we all sang Happy Birthday in Korean. While we were singing, the guys on stage sprayed that fake-snow-in-a-can stuff and Yunho did a pirouette in it. SO CUTE! After he blew out the candles, they popped streamers over Yunho and a millisecond afterward, the airguns blew streamers into the audience. It was AWESOME! Then, I think the audience was yelling for someone to throw the cake in his face. Then, when the audience didn't get what we wanted, we called upon the powers of Choikang Changmin. "Shim Changmin! Shim Changmin!" LOLZ!  Then, Changmin said something along the lines of how he couldn't do it (he decided to be merciful on his birthday) and something about his manager-- maybe the manager would get mad or something. Then, the audience started chanting something else. I'm not sure, but to me it sounded like, "Mah-nah-jah! Mah-nah-jah!" If that's true, then that was hilarious, but I'm not 100% positive. Onew put sprayed some of the fake-snow-in-a-can on the back of Yunho's hand to appease us. :-/

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): When the cake was brought up, the fans cheered Changmin on to smear icing on Yunho's face but Changmin refused and very earnestly explained that their manager had once scolded him for getting cake on the other members' faces and nearly killing them and is now too afraid to ever do it again. The fans didn't give up though, and kept encouraging Changmin to do it, saying 'it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter!' Yunho butt in and exclaimed 'Yah! What do you mean it doesn't matter! It doesn't matter to you guys but it does to me!'

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): Then the cake came out!!! When Yunho blew out the lights something like a firecracker popped from above (like silver tape/streamers for the fans). I think Yunho said, should we just save this cake and use it for Changmin’s birthday?
And fans were going “birthday punch, birthday punch!” and he said we can’t do that, and fans started calling “Shim Changmin, Shim Changmin!” Changmin said “I can’t do it, there was a time I did it and got yelled at, and also I wouldn’t just do it casually/lightly” LOL   So in the end Yunho was safe haha.

Then,  the extra people left, the crew cleaned the stage really quickly, and Onew and HoMin moved to the front and talked for a bit.
Then, they performed "How Can I." Yunho was super worried about his voice because he was talking so much, but he was pitch perfect. So amazing. The fog was SUPER intense, though. Seriously, when you first saw the fog, it was filling the stage like a freaking werewolf movie. But the end of the song, the fog was past their knees! LOL
Yunho left really quickly after (I think he had to pee), so Changmin and Onew talked for a bit. It was really funny to see Changmin act like a bratty, teasing hyung.

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): Half way through the show, Yunho had an 'urgent situation' and had to walk off for a bit. According to the man himself, he'd drunk too much water and needed to 'relieve himself'. He said he'd get through it at top speed and come back as soon as possible. He then waddled off the stage like a duck with his arms by his sides, hands spread open. The fans all fell over laughing. Changmin said to Onew (the MC) 'What should we talk about to stall for time? He must be doing it at the speed of lightning right now, he's desperate'

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): After singing the song, Yunho said “Earlier I drank too much water, so I’ll go to the bathroom and be back lightning quick” Changmin went, “Since you drank water you have to dump out the water” haha, that made me crack up. After Yunho left his seat, Changmin said that even though you see Yunhohyung walking out like that, as soon as he’s out of sight he’ll probably be running like mad.
Onew asked how do you know that, Changmin answered, I’ve done something like that before too.
Anyway Yunho came back really fast. When he got back Onew asked, how did you feel 20 seconds ago? Yunho answered that it was really hard then. I think he said that when he hit the high note in “How Can I” it was so hard he was holding in his tears hehe.

Then, Yunho came back and they played the videos of Happy Birthday messages from other artists-- the memorable ones were a rap duo and one kept saying, "U-Know! Happy Birthday!" in very angry harsh English. And Yunho was like, "YO MAN! THANK YOU!" LOL! Then, G.NA message was completely in English, so Onew/HoMin were all saying random English words---"Uh huh" "Oh yeah" like they understood what she was saying. The audio for SoShi and Onew/Taemin's birthday greeting didn't work. So, for SoShi, they would nod and say things like they understood. For Onew/Taemin's video, Onew quickly paraphrased what they said along with the video.

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): We watched a lot of stars wishing Yunho happy birthday by video, but SNSD and Shinee’s videos had no audio. But with SNSD’s video, Yunho and Onew were acting like they could hear it and were going “Yes,” and “thank you,” and Changmin went, “Am I the only one who can’t hear anything?” Onew dubbed Shinee’s video.

Then, they showed the video messages from fans. You could tell that he was super touched and I think he teared up a bit for those.  Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

After that, the crew brought them chairs and they all sat down. Then, a table with a glass of rolled up papers was put in front of them-- FAN QUESTIONS! There were only a few that I understood. A few were addressed to/included Changmin, which surprised me, but Yunho seemed more than happy to share the attention. One of the questions asked how Yunho spots the difference between noona and younger fans, and he did hilarious impressions of both. Mostly of the younger fans. He screamed and flailed into the mic. When he first started to fangirl scream into the mic (imitating us), Changmin pulled his head sharply back, closed his eyes, and put a finger in his ear, as if to say, "Ow."

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc):     
Fan: Yunho oppa, how do you tell between fans of different age groups?                                 
Yunho: Noona fans tend to smile while gazing at me. Younger fans say things like 'AIGOO, YUNHO OPPA I LOVE YOU!' Fans of the same age are usually more composed. They'll look at me, stop and calmly say something like 'Please take care of yourself'


EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): 
And there was this question, Even though Changmin tells you not to put your mouth on bottles when you drink and not to go inside with your shoes on, why do you keep doing it? Yunho answered, I don’t go inside with shoes on anymore, and Changminnie puts his mouth on bottles when he drinks too. 

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc):
Do you have any complaints/dissatisfactions with Changmin?
He said, Even if I do I won’t say anything because I’m his hyung. [Awww <3HoMin]

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc):  
Did Changmin give you a present? Yunho really loved this question and said he’d been waiting for a question like that!  And so Changmin said, Earlier in the waiting room I was talking to hyung’s [Yunho's] friends and asked them, did you give hyung a present? [They answered] No, Changmin did you give him a present? And I answered no~   Usually when you’re really close you can ignore/forget about things like that. And so Yunho replied with something like, I got it, then I can just forget about that too.

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc):
And he was asked, You said you want to get married at 28, how’s that going?
Yunho said that’s changed, now he wants to get married at 32. Because he will have to be responsible for one person then, so he has take care of things like his finances, go to the army, and there are still a lot of things he has to do so he will go [get married] after all that. Fans were saying “No you can’t~~~” and Yunho replied “Then when will I go?” and we laughed.

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): 
And he was asked if he had any kinds of “jinx”/superstitions.
He said that before going on stage there’s an important thing he does which is that he’ll pray, but sometimes he forgets to and when that happens somehow his confidence will drop.
And along with praying, he has to have the mindset that “I’m the best” when he goes up on stage.

Another fan asked who was the first person to send Yunho birthday wishes and, while everyone shouted "Shim Changmin!" Yunho revealed it was actually his younger sister, Jihye. Then he talked about how Changmin's message was really short, just "Happy birthday." And Changmin said Yunho's response was equally short, just "Thank you."

 EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): Yunho: Changmin's text was the 14th in my inbox, I received it at 12:38

During this segment, something made Yunho laugh so hard, he almost fell off his chair! The entire audience laughed. Also, Onew helped pick something off Changmin's cheek-- an eyelash, a piece of fuzz or something, but all the fangirls collectively squealed.

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc):
Onew: I heard Yunho loses his possessions a lot.
Changmin: Yunho sshi, next time you lose your phone, please don't go through other people's pockets.
Yunho: Be careful on the 18th Changmin (his birthday)

Yunho: 'Changmin is a really good kid, everytime there are stalker fans chasing after us, he'll be like 'Go hyung, I'll take care of this'               (LOL so hard! Changmin is truly an amazing person. I adore him)

Yunho was asked if he'd had any embarrassing moments.                                   
Changmin: Loads, most of the time when that happens, I just act like I don't know Yunho hyung.

When talking about Yunho's hobbies...                                        
Fans: Bowling!                                                           
Changmin: Looks like you got found out hyung                                       
Yunho: Besides bowling, I also like karaoke.

This is the part where he sang Lee Juk's "I'm So Fortunate"-- Onew probably asked him a song he usually sings at noraebang or likes to sing, so he chose this one. Changmin is the the one who is making a sharp click sound into the mic. I miss DBSK acapella like woah~ T.T
Yunho Singing "I'm So Fortunate"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFsMDL-0XmI 

Changmin was especially witty and teased both Yunho and Onew throughout the night. So, when (I think) a fan asked for them to sing something, Changmin helped the fans pressure Yunho into singing an excerpt of "Honey Funny Bunny." Again, I'm not exactly sure what was said, but it's along the lines of "Oh! Any more and we won't have any material for the concert!" or "if you want more, you have to wait for the concert!" YES PLEASE!

EDIT (taken from trans fanacc): Yunho sang a few lines of Honey Funny Bunny. When fans asked for more, he said 'Nah, I wouldn't have anything to sing for my solo at our concert'
At the end of this video, you can also hear them pressuring Changmin into singing and some Yunho aegyo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RSKJ0bhjgc

Then, Yunho was helping the fans pressure Changmin into singing "Confession." But, Changmin was like, "No, no, no. It's Yunho's birthday. If you want to hear me sing come to MY birthday party" etc. And just when we all thought that he wasn't going to do it (including Onew and Yunho, it seemed), his dulcet tones resounded through the theater. Such a tease, Changmin! :P   Then, they teamed up and got Onew to sing "Your Name."

Yunho was having trouble with the string around the rolls of paper, so Onew and Changmin teased him and he tried to go through them as quickly as possible. They ran out of time after a few more, so they did the closing remarks. The audience of course was having none of THAT. So, we all complained. Then, CHOIKANG Changmin was like, "What do you want from us? It's been over two hours!!!" LOL

So, they all went off stage. Then, Onew came back and was talking to us. I think he talked about how nervous he was (you could tell he was nervous, poor bb. But, HoMin was uber supportive) and we all told him it was okay. He then bowed and thanked us. Then, towards the end of his talk, I think he asked us if they wanted him to sing something. So, fans suggested KYHD, but he was like, "No, no, no, I can't do that." Then, he introduced "Wae." I thought they were going to perform it, but it was just the regular mv. Still, the fan chants were hella strong and awesome. Then, when we thought it was over, we saw the dancers get into place  and the audience lost their minds. The fan chant was insanely loud and together. The entire audience was energized. Also, new KYHD outfits and I approve. Sexy imperial military outfits. HOT! I'm so happy that SOMEONE captured that performance.
왜 Keep Your Head Down Performance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpKKPgVNv9A

Then, it was all over. I went outside to catch the bus back to City Hall and while we were waiting, I think I saw HoMin's silver van pass us. They had a police escort down the mountain and three taxis filled with fangirls immediately pursued. About 10 minutes later, a beat up white van drove past us. I'm not sure if that's for the dancers or not, but if HoMin were smart they would be in the beat up white van instead of their easily recognized (at an event at least) silver van. So, who knows?

After the event was over, I felt somewhat mixed. I'm so happy that I went-- it was amazing, I had fun, HoMin laughed all night long, Yunho clutched his stomach so many times because he was laughing so hard, and it was overall super cute and touching. That being said, I would have definitely had more fun if I understood more of what was going on. After it was all over, with a full 2 1/2 hours of being bombarded with Korean and desperately wishing that I knew what they were saying, I felt a little culture shocked after it was over. I felt isolated and slightly confused and it didn't help that I had a hunger headache. So, I am happy that I had gone, especially now that I've had a few days to process it. I'm not sure why I felt so lost and confused after it was all over, but I did--- so whatever. Hopefully, I won't feel that way after Changmin's birthday extravaganza.
 ^.^v
THE END... finally.