Sergeant Jeung Ji Hoon’s duty is complete. He can put the last 21 months behind him and get back to doing what he does best. Oh wait, he does a few things pretty well, come to think of it! Well, just do anything but be soldier in the ROK Army. He has done that pretty well and can now just file it away as something else he has accomplished and accomplished successfully. That will suffice for me!
I never anticipated spending the night outside the West Gate at the Defense Media Agency of the ROK Army in Seoul, South Korea on a rainy July night. Never anticipated having to make trips to a park restroom to charge my devices. Never anticipated seeing my fangirl artwork of a poster get washed away by a momentary monsoon at 2AM. Never anticipated having an MP reprimand me not once, but twice for text messaging (he thought I was taking pictures). No, never anticipated any of that when I planned this trip. But there I was, among a group of fans from all over the world waiting for one thing and one thing only: to see Sergeant Jeung Ji Hoon be discharged from his duty as an officer in the ROK Army.
It all started out really good. It was cloudy and the rain seemed to be keeping its distance so the other Rain could make an appearance. But the wait for the Sergeant was going to be a long one and the night even longer. We were ready.
We arrived at the gate around 11:30AM on July 9th. Sergeant Handsome Rain was to be discharged at 8:00 AM July 10th. See what I mean, it was going to be a long one. At some point in the afternoon we were approached by a man who seemed very interested in why were there and where we were from. In fact, he even wrote down the various countries being represented at that early stage: Japan, Philippines, USA, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Pretty eclectic group if I do say so myself. He then proceeded to show us a picture on his cell phone of himself and Sgt. Rain! Wow! Was not expecting THAT! Thankfully we had a fluent Korean speaker in our bunch (thank you Josie!!) and she was able to converse with him. We discovered he was a high-ranking officer with the ROK Army and that he knew Rain. Fortuitous, indeed.
Furthermore, he took our info down because he wanted to let Rain know we were there. He told us that Rain had a very busy day ahead and a party in the evening (probably with his unit). As it turned out, our friendly officer was the one coordinating the area and readying it for Rain’s discharge. This is why I am 100% confident that Rain KNEW we were out there and most likely knew we were going to be out there the entire night.
Clouds are a dedicated bunch. And I met some really wonderful ones. You know, you really get to bond with people when you are sitting outside in the rain all night long. Because the rain did fall. Goodness, it poured! Still, spirits were high because Sgt. Rain was coming home!
And, we were ready to celebrate!
As the night slowly made its way to day, the anticipation was growing. As was the crowd. Throughout the night we were approached by media. But nothing could have prepared us for the onslaught that came around 6:00 AM, about two hours prior to the discharge time. Yes, the media was arriving and arriving in throngs.
They were like a virus. They kept coming and they kept spreading. They eventually blocked our view of the gate and we knew we were not going to get a chance to see Rain.
I had to make a move. I knew that if I did not get up in there with them, I would not see Rain walk out. I just could not wrap my brain around NOT seeing him after being out there for 18 hours!!!!! I just wanted to catch him walking out. Really though, more than anything, I wanted to see him smile. I wanted him to be happy knowing we were there. My poker media face on, I infiltrated and managed to grab two shots the moment he walked out.
Oh, it was so good to see him!! The moment we waited for. Twenty-one long months all ending right then, right there! He moved fast. He stopped in front of the press, made a statement we could not hear and then made his way to the vehicle waiting to whisk him away. He made two attempts to stop and greet his fans. He tried. He sincerely tried. The media wouldn’t allow him a moment with his Clouds. From the moment he walked out of the gate to the two attempts he made to see the fans, he looked visibly tense, and did not smile his full and beautiful Ji Hoon smile. The one thing I hoped for, the only thing I hoped for did not happen. This fancam captures the mayhem pretty well.
Now that this is all said and done and Rain is a civilian again, I can look back on it and say….it was GREAT to be there. It was wonderful to share that moment with other fans and with him. And although it happened so fast and was over in a flash, I am still elated that I could be a part of it. There is so much to look forward to now that he has completed his duty. I cannot wait to see what he brings to us. But for this moment, I hope he is basking in the comfort of family and friends and that tucked away in the back of his mind is the knowledge that we were there for him and that we are so happy to have him back! And, I am confident we will see that big, beautiful smile again, really soon!
Michele, love this! Thank you so much for sharing so many updates as it was happening. What a very memorable experience. It just seemed impossible for Rain to reach the fans but like you said he tried not once but twice maybe if the car he was in would have had an open sunroof he could have been in view by all and it might not have been such chaos (doubt it). THANK YOU! Continue to make memorable experiences with the remaining days of your Seoul-ful trip.
Thanks Maria!! It was an experience I will not forget any time soon! I am just happy I was there to celebrate him and his release! Sure, I wish things could have been better, but knowing that he tried so hard to acknowledge us, well that is enough for me! Just need to see him smile now that he is out! 🙂
Michele, what a wonderful account. Thank you for taking the time to provide us the details of your experience. That was lucky you had a Korean speaker in your group. All in all, even though you didn’t get to see his smile, you did get to bond with some other clouds. I can’t wait until Cube/Rain fills us in on his plans. Hopefully, there is something there before you have to come home.
Patsiii
Yes, you are correct!! Met some truly wonderful Clouds and now have great contacts here in Korea as well as in Japan, Spain and Turkey! Since Ji Hoon can go anywhere at any time, it is good to have a Cloud base everywhere, right?? Thank you for supporting me here! I still have more Seoul to see and will be sharing more up until the sad day I have to leave! 🙂
Dear Michele. What a wonderful experience you had, as well as keeping the rest of us in the loop. Thank you thank you for going and giving the rest of us the chance to feel close by. What a thrilling twenty four hours it was leading up to the moment. I felt so elated and drained by all of the activity around the world on the web. It was brilliant to be involved in the fantastic energy created by the admiration for wonderful Rain. Of course we all wish him the very best in all he pursues, but my question now is……when will we get to see him out of that uniform?! All love and smiles to you and continued fun together, experiencing the legend of Ji Hoon. Cheers from Susaye Greene
Thank you, Susaye!!! It was a grueling night but one filled with so much camaraderie and love. I will always remember as each hour passed we would commemorate it as there was a digital clock built into the side of the wall of one of the buildings on the base where we could watch the time. When an hour would pass we would gleefully squeal…literally! It was an experience I will never forget thanks to Ji Hoon himself and to the amazingly beautiful Clouds there to welcome him. <3
hello friends ,clouds ! I want to congratulate them was a big day on 10/7/2013 , was wonderful to see you all the girls out there accompanying the rain!! I also met great friends because of rain, from all over the world, rain unites us! a big hug and thanks
He does unite us!! That is such a special ability of his! I know his heart was hurting for us that morning and I am so thankful he tried so terribly hard to get to his Clouds. Such a beautiful, gentle and kind young man. I will always remember that day with both sadness and joy! But now it is behind him and he need only look forward! His Clouds will always be ready to stand with him! Thank you for visiting!!! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment! <3
hello , yes rain do unite us! I wish the rain very happy.- the day of its release I saw very sad . kiss friend
This was really touching and beautiful fangirl. It was like being there in person. thank you for sharing your wonderful experience. I, also hope to see Ji-hoon beautiful smile again soon, after he has some well deserved R&R. Peace, love, & Light, to Rain and to all Clouds 🙂
He will smile again for us very soon!! He makes me happy and proud to call myself a fangirl! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. This one was bittersweet to write for me, but I wanted to share. <3
Nice blog post, Michele! 🙂 I wish I were there too! 🙂
Awwww, and thank you for stopping by to read it and leave a comment!! I wish all the Clouds could have been there that morning as I know it was so difficult for him. I was simultaneously happy and sad. Now the world is his again and I am ready for him to take it by storm!! <3
Congrats on accomplishing what you went there for, Michele! I’m sure Rain was touched by all the love, even though he couldn’t stop to say hello. I’m sure his heart was full <3
You know how I feel about this tender-hearted young man!! I know it was a difficult morning for him. Nevertheless, I am so happy to have been there. So happy. You have been cheering me on since the early prep days leading up to Seoul and I am ever so grateful that you have indulged me every step of the way! Indulging a fangirl is no doubt an essential part of the fangirl creed one of which I will always be ready to return in kind! <3
I enjoyed reading your day to day, hour by hour and minute by minute experiences while in Seoul with our Cloud friends. Thank you. What a profound account it was. It’s as if I was standing next to you while you recalled your escapades. Thank goodness you were there to represent us. All of us were with you when you saw our soldier… at least that’s how I felt. I felt really excited and overjoyed with you seeing our Rain. Take care and enjoy the rest of your stay in South Korea.
Thank you SO much for this! It was one part sad, one part happy. Happy because he was discharged at long last and it was SO good to see him; but sad because the media prevented him from spending time with us. He tried twice but each time the media was all over him and in his face. Oh, that day. I won’t long forget it. He walked out of that gate stern and tense. He was holding so much back and that is why I believe he was so quick to walk out, to speak and to get in the car. I felt so bad. I did not feel bad for us, the fans, I felt bad for him because I know how much his fans mean to him and I know he KNEW that some of us were out there all night and he wanted to be able to show his appreciation, but the media wouldn’t let him. I certainly will not soon forget that morning. And the really sad part was that all night we were celebrating with each passing hour. I don’t know if we were just giddy from no sleep, but it was wonderful to feel that bond with the other Clouds, especially the Clouds I met from Japan, Spain, the Philippines and Turkey. I am happy you were with me as I shared my moments. It was a difficult post for me to write in some ways because I think I anticipated it being more celebratory and I definitely thought we would see a happier Ji Hoon, but he had to hold back or face even more criticism. Poor guy, I feel for him so deeply and can only hope he is smiling every moment now as each of these days post-MS pass! Thank you for your kind words! <3
Michele,
What a wonderful post! I found myself catching my breathe as the anticipatory moment of his arrival occurred. Thank you so much for sharing the details of this time. How I wish I could have been there, but am thankful so many of his Clouds were able to be there and show their support. It had to have done his heart good, especially when told of all that were waiting overnight in line to support him. How wonderful for you to have met so many Clouds from other countries. That had to have been so much fun. Thank you so much!
Liz
Thank you, Liz! I won’t soon forgot those two days nor will I ever forget seeing him walk out of that gate! ♥
Hello Michele Thank You it made me feel like I was there.
Thanks, Gi. It is a day I won’t soon forget!
MICHELE many thanks for sharing your esperiencias in South Korea with all the fans in the world so grateful of their reports.
Thank you Mina and thank you for stopping by! I cannot nearly do the experience justice, but I am certainly trying! <3
Great fanaccount! Are you going to be there for the Seoul Kyunghee fanmeeting on 8/3? I’m a foreign fan but I want to go, I just don’t know how.
No….! I left Seoul yesterday and could not extend my stay!! I would have loved to have gone but I am not Cloud 8!! :(( I am sure there will be plenty of fancam videos and pictures!! Cannot wait to see everything after Aug 3! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment!!! ♥♥