In what seems like a million years ago now, MNet scheduled an online Meet & Greet with MBLAQ to celebrate the release of their 6th mini album, Broken. It was initially scheduled for Thursday, April 17, 2014 which would have been really cool for me since I was in Seoul at that time to see G.O in his second musical, Seopyeonje. Then the Sewol Ferry tragedy happened and out of respect for the families who lost loved ones as well as for a nation mourning, MBLAQ and MNet collectively decided to postpone and reschedule the meet and greet. It would happen at some point, we just did not know when. In the meantime, we were encouraged to buy up the CD and vie for position as ‘top buyer’ for some extra special love from the group during the meet & greet. I was determined to be one of those top buyers.
The MBLAQ Meet & Greet finally had a date – June 5th, 12:00 PM KST. Or so it would have seemed. I was stoked. I was still holding my position (4th) as one of the top buyers. So long as I did not slip into 5th, I had a strong chance of remaining in the top five and getting some extra prizes as a result.
Then there was another schedule change and the Meet & Greet was moved to Friday, May 30 at 2:00 PM KST. Ok, ok..this was still ok. It would mean having to stay up past midnight my time but I was psyched and ready to see what an online meet and greet was all about. I had no clue as I never participated in one before. As added security, I cushioned my firmly purchased 37 CDs with a flat 13 more to make an even 50. This moved me into third place and we were five hours from show time.
I have to say watching this event unfold real-time was pretty exciting. And, seeing G.O and Mir seated next to each was a clear indication that things were probably going to be a little out of control. G.O and Mir together are like a perfect comedy duo. Mir’s excitable personality along side G.O’s quick wit is a sound recipe for laughter-inducing hijinks. And they did not disappoint! Seungho and Thunder kept the party under control and Joon was absent due to filming.
Before I continue, let me take a moment here to absolutely LOVE on G.O’s new look post-musicals!!! KYAAA!! He cut his hair and let the goatee grow in. So sexy…so very very sexy!
In addition to them chattering away between themselves, they also were going to have the opportunity to randomly select winners for additional items for those fans who purchased CDs through MNet. When fans purchased one (or more) of the CDs they were able to leave a message for the guys.
As each of them began randomly choosing tiles from a grid mosaic of fan pictures (starting with Seungho), they would pause and read the messages. While Mir generally butchered the fan’s name, the sensible duo of Seungho and Thunder would read the messages out loud and G.O would add his thoughts. It was really sweet. I actually think they were shocked to see so many fans from all over the world. See guys…….there is so much love out there for you from ALL corners of the globe!!
By the time it was Mir’s turn, things were pretty crazy because, well…Mir. I love this maknae – he truly makes me laugh. Plus I absolutely love his dynamic with G.O. There is something about these two that play off each other like no other relationship in MBLAQ. I think Mir’s quirkiness and delightful sense of humor entertains G.O so much. I also think Mir brings out the cute in G.O when they are together and playing off each other. And don’t even get me started about how they sound together when G.O envelops his gorgeous voice around Mir’s rap and, vice versa.
Sometimes I think G.O fights hard to keep a straight face. Mir is indeed lovable and you can sense the strong affection big brother hyung G.O has for him.
At a certain point in the broadcast they singled out and gave special thanks to the top five buyers saying they were appreciative of the five of us for buying so much because they felt in doing so we were going to be sharing their music and sharing them to others. Yes, this is my thought exactly and definitely my plan.
Of course, when they called off each name, Mir promptly butchered mine and called me Michael. Bwaaaahahaaa! Oddly, I am used to this since my mother gave me the unconventional spelling of the name: M I C H E L E. So I cannot fault Mir for getting it wrong. But it was either Seungho or Thunder who repeatedly had to correct him.
I was third top buyer out-purchased by only 34 CDs!! But wait…the best is yet to come. Back to the grid of fan pictures, as they were once again randomly selecting fans. When I saw the grid come up with a number of my pictures on it, I got nervous. REAL nervous. Because the guys are so cheeky, I had no idea how they would respond to a more mature fan among the sea of young things. I think they clicked on my picture – I am not sure now because I was reasonably discombobulated! Either way, my picture was there on the grid and because I made a number of purchases, I had a number of pictures on the particular page of tiles they were stopped at.
OH MY GOD.
Mir once again called me Michael. And, was once again corrected!! LOL! And then the unimaginable happened. G.O made the connect when he saw my picture because he leaned in close to look at the laptop screen once he figured out who I was and recognized me. I SO wish I would have caught a screen shot but I admit that part of me was in the process of dying of nervous embarrassment and fear as to what was going to happen and what they were going to say.
But G.O is ever the gracious and amazing man who absolutely threw me another curve by not only remembering who I was, but also telling the others and all of the people streaming that broadcast live that he knew who I was and that I came to his musicals. OH.MY.GOD.
Let me have a moment, please. *fanning self…fanning self…fanning self*
I did not realize this as I had my screen maximized during the better part of the event, but during the broadcast, people were translating what the guys were saying. I probably should have paid more attention to that! But once I heard my name, I kind of went into a fangirl semi-coma of sorts and well…you can understand, I think! Anyway, this is what I eventually saw:
G.O knows Michele. G.O recognizes Michele as a fan who came to see his musical often.
OH.MY.GOD. I thought he might remember who I was if he saw my picture and could make the connect. What I was not prepared for was him actually announcing it. What can I say about him that I have not already said over and over in my previous posts about seeing him after his Seopyeonje and Kingdom of the Winds performances? G.O appreciates his fans. Every last one of them. His appreciation is genuine and sincere. He did not hold back telling everyone how he knew me. He did not hesitate to let everyone know that he recognized me and how he recognized me. I am at a loss for words for how much I appreciate and adore this man. It is not enough that he is ridiculously talented and outrageously handsome. It is his character that makes him so much more than the sum of his parts and he is perhaps THE most attractive man (both inside and out) I have ever met. His kind heart and warm and friendly nature simply have no match.
And, this amazing man knows me and knows my name. For me personally, that is pretty epic since he is my bias after all! ^^
I am impatiently waiting to see if someone uploads the event and if (and once) that happens, I will supplement this post so that I can both relive and share it.
♥♥♥
Byunghee is such a sweetheart..
When i saw your name and picture i was like “isn’t that jio’s awesome fan from US who went to his musicals?” and then BAMM!! he mentioned that he recognized you.. and then i went omg omg byunghee as if he recognize me and not you lol.. i dont know why i was excited for you XD..
i felt like i wanna hug him, i dont know why.. i have a soft spot for him in my fangirl life and my bias is not even him but Joon.. kekeke ^^
Hi!!! Thank you SOOOO MUCH!! It was such a surreal moment and I bordered between saying don’t pick me to pick me! It was such an inner struggle. I was dying of embarrassment one minute and worried about what comments they would throw out there at me. You know how cheeky they are!! And because they have such a comfortable relationship with their fans, it is easy for them to joke around with them…especially G.O and Mir…omg, those two – I just adore them!! I was so nervous. With Mir calling me Michael and chuckling…sheesh, I thought I was in for a royal MBLAQ roasting!!! HHAHAHAHA!!
But when Byung Hee looked at the laptop screen then looked in real close after he recognized who I was, I just died. To hear the excitement in his voice when he was telling everyone he knew me and that I came to his musicals – well, it just warmed my heart. That he made the connect was sooooooo amazing – to remember me was one thing, to acknowledge it like he did was just incredible! You are so correct, he is such a sweetheart. IN the truest sense of the word. He is kind, warm-hearted and what I think most of all, genuine and sincere. He really truly from his gorgeous heart loves his fans. There is no pretense. I honestly don’t think he has it in him to be fake. So I completely understand your desire to hug him. Joonie…….listen up my love, Byung Hee is a champion bias wrecker!! I mean seriously. I was a raging raging Rain fan and inasmuch as I still admire Rain greatly, I have completely turned my heart over to Byung Hee and with him it will stay. I can’t explain it but my feelings for him are so much different and feel so much stronger. Bias wrecker. 🙂
He is the best. Genuinely warm-hearted, sweet, gracious and sincere. That is the best way I can describe him. Then there is that talent. Just pushes it all to a new level. That it is all wrapped in such a gorgeous package is just a bonus. I think Byung Hee’s attractiveness stems from his character and intelligence more than anything. He is so very lovely and I can completely understand your urge to hug him. On one of the nights after I saw him perform in The Kingdom of the Winds, he was standing right in front of me before getting in the car and I just had to put my hand on his back. I will tell you he radiates such warmth. I did not want to remove my hand…..ever!!! Haahahahaa!! That he did not mind made it all the better. But this is just indicative as to how comfortable he is around his fans. They are family to him. My goodness….I love him!!
Thank you so much again for stopping by here and for the lovely comment. And please beware the power of the Byung Hee…bias wrecker!!! ^^
Hugs,
Michele ♥
you know what, i just woke up (it’s 9.10am here when i wrote this) and read your reply. giddy mode striked me!! HAHAHAHA
to be honest, Jio (idk why i love to spell his name like that XD) is not even my bias wrecker, it was Seungho (damn u seungho panda!). I would say Jio is the bias wrecker of my bias wrecker LOOOOL..these 87line hyung always crawled up and ruined my bias list…but whatever, i loved each one of them to death..
I saw MBLAQ live in front of my eyes when I went to MBLAQ concert in Bangkok in 2012. Guess what? The moment I saw Jio like really close (I was standing really super close to the stage) when he came to our side, I was like “OMG OMG JUNG FREAKING BYUNGHEE YOU FINE HAIRY FURBALL WHY SO HANDSOME???” He looked wayyyyy better than in pictures, on tv/camera..like dayuuummm son,u gorgeous human being LOOOL..
Yes, he’s damn attractive, brilliant and shamelessly funny also smart-ass XD. He is so adorable sometimes I want to punch him in the face hahahaah.. Sorry, but I troll Jio a lot, like really a lot.. and I spazz him on twitter a lot more than I spazz my bias. My friends sometimes confuse who is my real bias lol..
OMG…I was LAUGHING OUT LOUD so hard at the Starbucks reading your comment. “OMG OMG OMG JUNG FREAKING BYUNGHEE YOU FINE HAIRY FURBALL WHY SO HANDSOME??” I was dying…OMG is right! You are SOOOOOO LUCKY to have been able to see them and to be that close to see him. YES, I agree with 100% about him looking even more handsome in person. He is outrageously and ridiculously handsome. And agreed…he is brilliant, so funny, quick witted, smart assy and adorable. All of those things and more. Oh…and the fact that he is your bias wrecker’s bias wrecker…I was laughing so hard!! I am sure he would be pleased to know that he is a bias wrecker bias wrecker!!!!
I have a friend who is SH-biased and every now and then she completely goes alittle spazzy over G.O and then has to step and remind herself that SH is her bias! See what I mean about that G.O??!!! Gosh, I love that he can do that. He is so likable and lovable. When he walked out after his musical shows, he was chatting away with the fans – seriously they are like family to him. I’ve never known a celeb to be so comfortable around fans. He is a remarkable young man.
So are you in Thailand because I could use a good connect should those boys show up there. I have never been to Thailand but it is most certainly on my list. My next question is are you official A+ as I can always use one of them in my corner! I am not. Would like to be but hear it is a challenge to become so. If you have info, pass it along – I would be so sincerely grateful!!
Finally, what is your name?
Bwaahahahaa just rereading your comment “damn u seungho panda!” They all have such wonderful qualities about them that are attractive. I love that Cheondoong is strong and silent and that he truly is focused on making good music as well as improving himself. Joon is blowing me away in Gap Dong. I mean, he is taking a horrible character and making him sympathetic. Kudos. Mir is a doll who just makes me laugh and feel good. He also has a very nice backside which not too many men have a nice butt, you know?…LOL!!! I love that Seungho is such a steady even keeled guy who is the perfect leader if there ever was one. He can body wave pretty damn well and looks very hot in those baseball caps he always wears and wears in any direction and they all look good!
G.O is my man..my ultimate dream man. I love everything about him.
OMGGGG Michele!!! You can’t see me, but I’m grinning from ear to ear. Partly coz, well, OMGGGGG what a fangirl fantasy come true! Your bias telling everyone he knows you – PERFECT post title, PERFECT sum-up! XD The other reason I’m grinning is coz, I TOLD YOU HE KNOWS YOU!!! 😀 And now I have EVIDENCE! Lol! XD
So blown away on your behalf, my dear. And so happy for you, that you’re livin’ your fangirl dream & having such discombobulating exciting times! ❤
Hi Young Miss!!!!
I was completely freaking out….as you can probably imagine. When they singled me out and G.O look and looked again then with that surprised recognition I have now been able to see a few times, honestly he did not hesitate and right away was like I know her. I was stunned and floored and delighted. I really wish I was able to go to Tokyo, Brazil, Chile or Mexico to see them but I know it is not possible for a number of reasons. All of the Latin America shows are sold out I believe. They are doing Music Bank in Brazil so they won’t do a full concert. They are doing some kind of K-pop festival type show in Germany in September so again not a full concert. The only full concerts are the Zepp shows in Tokyo which I would have gone to if I was able to get that one freaking day off!!! But, all things for a reason. Byung Hee is going to have to wait to see me again….hehehehe.
Really tho, I cannot say enough about him. He truly is authentic in his appreciation. He could have easily recognized me and let it go. But he made a point of acknowledging me as his fan. I am his forever more. There is no turning back for me now. 🙂 I believe he did say my name too. I know Mir kept calling me Michael and I am not sure who was correcting him. It was pretty funny. I think he made the connect with name though during this broadcast. It was like Michele..wait a minute…I know this one!! When that light went on when he made the connect…he is SO adorable, truly! LOL! So yes NOW he knows my name. Will he remember it, I don’t know – but I am confident when I see him again, whenever that may be, he will most likely remember me.
Now…what the heck am I going to do with 50 autographed copies of Broken????
Yes, all things for a reason 🙂 I hope the video becomes available so that I can witness the moment too! And, you could use at least some of the CDs as giveaways on your tumblr page.. Or make them available to US-based fans on ebay? Not all US-based fans would’ve been savvy enough to order the CDs directly like you did. Having it available on ebay could make some fans really happy ^^
Yes, those 50 copies will definitely be used as giveaways on the tumblr blog!!! Inasmuch as it would be great to recoup the $$ spent, I feel better giving them away, actually. As I think Seungho said, they were appreciative of their top buyers because they knew we would be able to share the music and info about them with others. So I will definitely be sharing the wealth.
I never knew making the rash decision to go see G.O in April would turn out like this. It has been the wildest ride ever but the best ride, to be sure. I cannot wait to see that young man again….I hope it will be soon!!^^
Hi Michele,
I hope no one is judging you right now because you laughed so hard at Starbucks reading my comment XD.
The reason i love to troll him because he troll people a lot too..(oh well byunghee,what u give u get back!!) It’s just I can only do it virtually without him even knowing it..sigh. And Joon always the victim…
Yang Seungho, i would say the most gorgeous man i’ve ever seen in my entire life. I swear.. he’s like a goddess, i was jaw dropped at the concert when i saw him. his milky skin glowing throughout the concert.
Joon went down from the stage for fan-service and i manage to grabbed his hand (i swear i didn’t wash my hand after concert LOL).
I had an eye contact with Thunder for like 30seconds during Oh Yeah..goshhh he is so cheeky asdfghjkl.. and lastly the adorable Bang Mir puppy, he’s such a tease!!! He pretended to be so chic but then couldn’t hold his laugh..and then he wiped his sweat and throw the towel to fans..
Ohh I forgot to tell you my name is Rucci and I’m from Malaysia. I also followed you on twitter.
I went to Thailand with my friends just to see MBLAQ. I think it was a pure luck for me and my friends because we manage to get the good spot at the concert, we were in standing area. It was a crazy decision actually, I just randomly asked my friends about going to Thailand to see MBLAQ, and we’re ON lol..
Yes, I am an official A+. I registered last year, but until now JTC haven’t give us the official card. They suppose to give us before the “BROKEN” comeback, but until now I don’t see any news about that. Duhh JTC =_=”..
So nice to meet you Rucci!! I love how Joon is your bias yet Seungho is the most beautiful man you have ever seen in your entire life….bwaaahahaha!! Actually, there really is reason to love on all 5 of them!! I am thrilled to hear you (1) traveled to see them and (2) were SO CLOSE for a concert! After seeing G.O up close during the two musicals I went to, I do not think I could ever see them in a large venue. I will need to be up close. Period. I cannot see myself going into a stadium situation and watching the show on a big screen. Nope, not happening!! I am not sure MBLAQ will ever tour here in the US, but we fans are certainly hoping they do at some point.
Oh..and no one judged me. In fact, I saw looks of jealousy on their faces because they were wondering what on earth was making me SO HAPPY!!! And hey Malaysia is great – I have not yet been there either and would love to go….I need friends in all parts of that world!! If MBLAQ decides to do a show there and it works in my schedule, I may call upon you Ms. Official A+ for help in getting tickets!! I know how the whole ticket thing works as I have been privy to that for Rain. I am sure it is a similar system whereby tickets are generally available to official fan club members first before going on sale to the general public. It truly is their way of thanking the hardcore dedicated fans. But hey…I am hardcore and dedicated too…! I hope there is another recruitment for the official fanclub as I want IN. If you hear anything, please pass it along!!
Ok..so who are you on Twitter? As if I am not following back, I want to! 🙂
Things have been going both crazy on my blog and on Twitter since the MNet Meet & Greet. It occurred to me last night that I think I was the only fan who was officially recognized by one of the guys. Now, that can either be very cool or very scary!!!! I am hoping it is a cool thing! I also hope that when I get a chance to see Byung Hee again, he will remember me. He is such a sweetheart…..I just cannot love on him enough!
ohh sorry..i forgot to tell my twitter username.. it’s @rucci87 🙂
Got it! And following! 🙂
Oh Michele! I’m so happy for you! This is really enjoyable to read even though I don’t faithfully follow MBLAQ~ It probably felt amazing that G.O recognized you! I just can’t imagine. I think I want to cry~ 🙂
You go, Michele! 🙂
Hi Janey…seriously it was a fangirl dream come true! G.O is a special young man and that he loves and appreciates his fans like he does makes even that much more special! I don’t think I could adore him more…well, maybe a little bit more! The trouble is is that now that I have had a taste of that appreciation, I want more. It has been a struggle to stay in my seat, as it were and not fly off to wherever he is at the moment!!! But the rational Michele does take over every now and again…thankfully!! I do look forward to my next G.O adventure, though!!^^