Day 48: Myungdong Shara Shara and Myungdong Station

Today, Friday, August 8th, my friend and I had one last adventure in Myungdong, Gangnam and Magwon Station, which I'll split into three blog posts.

As Twitter showed that a new wave of Myungsoo endorsements had arrived at Shara Shara, I decided to stop by the location in Myungdong that's next to the 32cm ice cream and across from Etude House and Holika Holika. I usually avoid this location as the worker outside is always so aggressive, but decided to test my chances. I went inside and asked how much I'd need to spend to get freebies. They said 10,000₩ for the fan (which they had given me while I walked in...), 40,000₩ for a postcard, or 300,000₩ for a poster. And this is why I hate this company so much -.-  But my friend ended up buying about 47,000₩ worth of snail face creams, and the worker gave her a Myungsoo gift bag, along with two new fans (without the hole cut out) and two rolled up posters (similar image as the fan)! After we had walked out, I noticed that they didn't give us postcards (despite us not spending 300,000₩; though I was scared they'd just take away all of our freebies) I went back in and asked if we could also get postcards. The worker hushed us and said she should only give one, but she gave two! I think the manager wasn't in, so we were able to get so much!

Afterwards we went into Myungdong Station for some Kpop shopping. There are two Kpop stores that I know of, and the first one I went to was in the middle of one of the two hallways. Here, I noticed that there were more Elite products! They had the poster set like last time, but this time they also had two copies of the mini comic book and a sample of it. I have a feeling they had this last time I went, but I was just too excited about the other Elite product to have noticed this one. I bought one for 5,000₩, along with another Infinite mobile strap for 6,000₩ and an Exo ear cap (for my friend!) for 7,000₩.

The other Kpop store is at the corner, near an exit. This time around, there were many official goods, such as SM shirts from the Pop-Up Store (selling for the same price, in their plastic bags), along with white One Great Step tees for 45,000₩, and even two Second Invasion tees for 29,500₩! There was even still a thick layer of dust on top. Also there was a huge supply of magazines, including The Star from June 2013 for 4,000₩ and High Cut from December 5th, 2013 for 3,000₩ featuring Infinite on the covers. Also there was a huge load of official slogan towels for many Kpop groups. For Infinite, they had Man in Love and Last Romeo for 20,000₩. I ended up buying both magazines featuring Infinite, the Second Invasion tee and Last Romeo towel!

I talked to my Korean friend later on and she said the slogan towels are probably fake, as only Woollim sold them in front of broadcasting stations before music shows and now they're sold out. She's also questioning the concert shirts, which makes me sad, as I was so excited about buying all of these. I'm not really sure what to think though, so I'll just put this thought past me.

In the end, I got Myungsoo endorsements and rare and official Infinite goods, so it's been one great day for this Inspirit!

Day 47: Edae Shara Shara and Revisiting Woohyun's Restaurant

In the middle of finals week on August 5th, my friend and I continued our last week in Seoul together with another adventurous outing.

A few days ago I saw on Twitter that Shara Shara has new fans, this time of Myungsoo rather than an ad for their summer sale! There are also new mini standees of Myungsoo, but they weren't available in the store yet (I asked a worker about it, and she said maybe in September). On my way to the Edae Subway Station, I stopped by Shara Shara (from the station, walk down Exit 3 for one block to a dead end, then turn left and walk down half a block, and it should be on the right!).

It seems to be the criteria for Shara Shara employees to be aggressive, curt and crude, and for Shara Shara to have ridiculous policies for exploiting Myungsoo fans, especially compared to other Korean cosmetics stores. As I entered the store, a worker handed me a basket and this gorgeous fan, so I felt obligated to buy something for the fan. After much pondering, I settled on a cooling stick that instantly refreshes when applied to your skin.

At the counter, there were Myungsoo postcards (the black version; white is long gone), tumblers and notebooks. I asked how much I'd need to spend before getting freebies. She said with a 40,000₩ purchase, I could get a postcard or four mask face sheets (not with Myungsoo's face on them), and with a whopping 300,000₩, you can get more freebies. I knew some ridiculous amount would be listed, and knew not to get my hopes up at a Myungsoo notebook. Oh well, my 9,900₩ purchase still came with a free face mask sheet, surprisingly.

Afterwards, my Mexican friend (it is relevant that she's Mexican, as that's more fascinating than an American here) and I headed back to Woohyun's brother's restaurant for our last visit. I was really craving that grilled intestine again!

It was a Tuesday, at 7:40PM when we arrived this time. The ahjussi (who we later confirmed was Woohyun's dad) who cooked our meat last time opened the door for us, so we quickly rushed in, and they sat us at the tables again. There were two parties of older couples, one group of three Cantonese fangirls, and another group of two fangirls. One of the Cantonese fangirls gave (who we assumed as) Woohyun's mom a nice box of Chinese foods with a sticky note on it. The mom soon opened it and said 맛있네 (it tastes good). They looked like dried crackers. Later on Woohyun's dad asked Woohyun's mom what it was. The other ahjumma worker (who was so friendly and not intimidating like Woohyun's mom) also tried the snack.

Here is what we ordered this time! I wanted to take initiative in writing down our order this time, and completely failed. I wanted the intestine, but accidentally chose the item above it! It wasn't until they brought out our plate of raw meat that I noticed. I asked Woohyun's mom, who was at our table, if I could change my order or not, and she kept insisting that this meat was delicious and wouldn't budge. But Woohyun's dad, who was nearby, said that it's fine to switch. He then placed the other meat dish that we correctly ordered on the grill, started walking back to the kitchen with the wrong meat, noticed that one piece of the correct meat was still on the plate, brought it back to the grill, and went back to the kitchen and came out with the intestine. I was so thankful that he was able to make the switch!

Woohyun's mom then distractedly cooked the ribs and cut them for us. She left, making me hesitantly cook the intestine myself. It was so divine when they cooked the intestine to perfection; while my pieces were all burnt, I'll someday learn to master this art.

Later on, the kind ahjumma worker gave us free 된장까지 (soybean paste soup), which was different from past visits! Here's a photo of our entire dinner, with more side dishes as well.

In the middle of our meal, an ahjussi with a knife and pineapple walked to each table, offering a slice. When he came to our table, I thought he worked here and was just giving us some dessert fruit, so when he asked where we were from in Korean, I naturally was honest. Then he tried to sell us the pineapple -.- Since then, I'm more weary of who I tell information to and I'll try to be not as naive.

Once we finished, we waited until Woohyun's dad was at the counter so we could pay him. When I took out my embarrassingly gaudy, super flashy gold card, Woohyun's mom came over and looked at the card, joking in Korean that they don't accept credit card. I was about to get cash then, we she said she was joking, and I replied 신용카드 괜찮아요 (credit card is okay)? After this episode, Woohyun's dad asked if it's a Hong Kong credit card (as the Cantonese people previously paid, and maybe I do look more Hong Kong like than I give myself credit for), to which I said no. I want to elaborate, saying my mom is from Hong Kong, but I always stop myself short and need a first awkward conversation with someone before I'm comfortable enough to keep going.

On the counter they filled up their business card holder since last time! Also, instead of fans, there's a paper version from Lemoncandy.

Just after we paid, my friend asked Woohyun's dad where the bus stop was, as we were planning to go to Insadong. Before I had a chance to see if my note to Woohyun was still posted on the wall, he brisked us out of the restaurant and walked us out onto the street for a good three minutes, caring pt showing us the bus stop! During this moment, I observed that he was short, just the same height as me, right under 5' 4"! Then we arrived at the intersection, and he told us to cross the street half way to the bus stop. My friend bravely paused and asked 우현 아버지 있어요 (Woohyun's father exists)? to which I corrected 이에요 ((someone should have just corrected me with 예요) are you Woohyun's father?). He then quickly nodded and pointed us on our way, as the crosswalk just turned green.

Another wonderful day, but I'm just sad as this is probably the last time I'll visit Woohyun's restaurant, which is definitely my most favorite out of all of the members' restaurants.

Day 02: Myungdong, Gangnam, Noryangjin Fish Market, Dongdaemun

To start off the day, we are at a little stand just outside of our hotel in Myungdong called 호봉 토스트. This stall serves a variety of toasted sandwiches and freshly blended fruit juices for around 3,000₩ each.

I ordered the 호봉 Special, which had a warm toast sandwiching a slice of ham, tomato, red onions and chopped potatoes, along with a plum juice. I'm mind blown at the sweet, savory taste of my sandwich and freshness and pulpiness of my juice! The drink was so refreshing, I came back later on for some orange juice too! Also I ordered in Korean, but the shop owner was also fluent in English, Chinese and Japanese. And the workers were so hospitable, setting up seats for us outside of their stall.

Like many of the other surrounding stalls, this was broadcasted on a TV program.

We walked around Myungdong, which has so many streets for pedestrians (rather than cars) and there are so many cosmetic shops, the same ones just storefronts away from each other.

The only cosmetic store I was interested in was Shara Shara, since their products are difficult to obtain for foreigners and their endorser is none other than Myungsoo. (This was taken before 9AM, when all the shops were stilled closed, hence why the L cutout isn't visible). The first Shara location I saw in Myungdong was a very cramped hallway and had aggressive sales ladies who kept insisting that after spending 100,000₩, then I'd get the L goodies (face mask sheet, postcard and tumbler), and a smaller purchase wouldn't consist of anything. She even argued that other Shara locations have run out of the L face masks, so I'm lucky that it's available here. Frustrated with the ridiculous pricing on my precious L (though of course he's priceless!), I left empty handed, hoping to run into the other Shara branch in Myungdong.

After a few blocks, I found another Shara Shara in a nice, larger and roomier corner location! Here's the gorgeous storefront. And better yet, inside the shopping baskets were the L face masks as freebies! Already I knew I'd have to buy something this time.

At the register was the collection of L freebies, including posters (only 3 left), postcards (only the black version left), face masks, notebook and tumbler, which would need a purchase of 75,000 or 150,000₩ for various freebies.

After discussing with the sales lady, she generously made me a deal: I spend 30,000₩ and receive a poster (which I already have) or the other L face mask and a postcard. I decided to buy a 28,000₩ body scrub that had a "buy one get one free" promotion and a random 2,000₩ item. I'm so happy to have continued my Myungsoo Day with these amazing goodies; it's like spending $10 for each Myungsoo good and getting the scrubs as a bonus!

Afterwards we went to Lotte Department Store in Myungdong. Just outside is a food stall with unexpectedly pricey, but delicious, street food. The 김밥 was the best!

Though we were quite full, we then went to the basement of Lotte, which consists of a very glamorous food court that has vendors such as Beard Papa's (that has 빙수 and fresh fruit drinks, much different from the States!), Chinese food Korean style, kimchi, udon, sushi conveyor belt, and raw seafood like abalone!

From here, it was off to Gangnam to Samsung D'Light! This Samsung store is located in the Samsung building and takes up the first three floors. The top floor has high tech displays and a very cool 3D experience in an elevator about storing data. Also on that floor are various home entertainment rooms and a test kitchen. The second floor has motion-sensored video games and a counter of cameras with still life objects at a table to test out the cameras. The bottom floor had all the phones, tablets and accessories. I came into the store not interested in purchasing anything, but just as I stepped onto this floor, Infinite's "Reflex" played which really made me feel high-kind-of-happy. Speaking of infinite, there were sadly no endorsement advertisements in the store.

However, on display was the Samsung Round, a curved phone, but the workers said this phone was too outdated to sell. Also on display was the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom 2, a phone with a high quality, built-in camera, which wouldn't be released until the following week. As these phones aren't available in the States, I hope to get my hands on one!

Next stop was Coex Mall! Just as the taxi was pulling up to the mall, I saw the most beautiful ad: it was a small truck with L's Bravo Viewtiful Part 2 on the side! I found this surprising, as it's been about nine months since his book came out.

Coex is currently remodeling until December 2014 so some areas were closed. Besides the aquarium and movie theater inside, there wasn't anything else. Despite a lack of interesting shops, it was well worth the trip as I got to see an ad for L!

Following Coex was Kyobo Tower, to visit its basement shop, Kyobo Bookstore. In this shop, the left carries books while the right has a joint CD shop called Hottracks. This shop is a bit small, but I found the three products I was looking for! Sadly there were no posters to give away though. There was even a copy of Infinite's instrumental CD, Origin, still available for 24,000₩!

For dinner, we went to the Noryangjin Fish Market (노량진수산시장), which was like a large, open warehouse. The first floor had many vendors selling live and frozen seafood. Most don't speak English, but there are a few English speaking vendors floating around to help guide you. Once you purchase your seafood, which is then placed in plastic shopping bags, you go to one of the many restaurants on the second floor or the back of the first floor. At the restaurant (some of which are floor seating, others at a table), you pay a base price for entering, and then an extra charge per dish cooked using your just-bought seafood. The chef also discusses how he'll cook each dish for you, such as sashimi, steam and BBQ.

One thing this market, or Seoul in general, is the live baby octopus that can kill you if its tentacles suck onto your neck while swallowing. Here's a blurry photo of the octopus, which was still wriggling around in the dish! To finish off the perfect evening, this restaurant played songs from Infinite's latest album: "Reflex," "Season 2," (which I thought "Last Romeo" would follow, because who would just play an intro song), and later on, "나란 사람!"

It was difficult finding a taxi at the fish market, but eventually we followed one taxi on standby who got out of his car to hang out with a group of other standby taxi drivers. We approached him and instead his friend spoke to us in Konglish. They were very nice and eventually decided to drive us despite being on break. While we were speaking in Korean, some guy had slipped into the back seat of the taxi! Our driver began to get in, and was shocked to see someone back there. His friend opened the door, shooed him out, and kindly let us in. I finally had my first real conversation with a Korean, which was very exciting! Proves to me that maybe I can get, eventually without the use of English.

Our last stop for the night was Dongdaemun, which is a shopping district with five multi-level malls of fashion shopping! Despite being like a nigh market, several floors, as well as this underground mall, sadly closes earlier than expected.