Bearing My Seoul by Taryn Blake

Author:Taryn Blake [Blake, Taryn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: travel, ambw, bwam, humor, Korea, kpop, Seoul
ISBN: 9781737978428
Publisher: Gold Apple Books
Published: 2021-11-19T05:00:00+00:00

In May 2008, after having been beaten for the second year in a row for the Time 100 Reader’s Poll by Rain, American TV personality Stephen Colbert invited Rain to his show for a dance off.

This consisted of Rain doing a few of his signature moves and Colbert giving 100% to some very comedic moves. The moment was just in time for the release of Speed Racer, an American film in which Rain plays a secondary character.

For his fans, myself included, it was thrilling to watch the two worlds collide.8

In the fall of 2008, Rain dropped his 5th album, “Rainism.” The eponymous title track had a line about how Rain’s “magic stick” would “make your body shake” which I found comically gratuitous. The Korean ratings board was not amused. The whole album got marked as explicit.

When tickets for the tour were released, I pinged my friend Hannah to go. We were both in Korea for just this sort of thing. We got decent seats and eagerly awaited the show.

I picked out my outfit in advance: a gold fabric mini-dress sheath. The back was open through the mid-torso with a small hand-tied bow and three opalescent buttons beneath. I love Korean fashion. If you’re going to bare body parts, be cute about it, ya’ know?

Hannah and I did what American girls do when they’re on their way to see a favorite artist—we dressed like we were about to hit the club. When we got to the concert, I realized that this is not universal.

Not only were Hannah and I the only non-Asians in our section of the stadium—she with her naturally blond hair and me with my coffee brown skin—you could say we were flaunting our foreign assets.

The show was electrifying. Every bit as crass as expected…and more! I could not have anticipated Rain and his male dancers doing stripper pole work on stage. I didn’t know whether I should close my eyes or my mouth after my jaw dropped. But the whole point of live performance is surprise, right?

I was surprised to see the family of four a few rows in front of us seemed to view the whole thing as wholesome entertainment. Mom, Dad, and elementary-school-aged children all bobbed their heads and clapped glow-sticks pleasantly to the beat.

Why am I so easily scandalized?

Rain sang, 난. It was every bit as salacious as expected. As he was showered with water from above the stage, I believe I stopped breathing. I am happy to report that I survived.

In the stadium, a few sections to the left of us were two Western-looking girls also dressed for a night out. Both were tall and thin.

One had on a bright red lipstick and a matching red wrap-around dress. With her stature, pale skin, and blond hair, she would probably stand out anywhere.

Our seats were in the risers of the stadium in a section that allowed us to see a staff-only hallway below us to the right. Various production team and facility staff could be seen milling about.

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