SEOUL: A Seoul cafe and restaurant that once served as bases for BTS members when they were mere K-pop trainees have been drawing visitors from around the globe ahead of the band's huge comeback concert.
Friday’s (March 20) stream of visitors to Cafe Hyuga, once a dormitory where band members stayed, included Evelyn Florntino, who flew from the Philippines where she was visiting family after failing to get tickets to the group’s tour dates in the United States. Instead, she'll attend the Seoul concert, a day after the release of their fifth studio album "ARIRANG.”
"Unfortunately (I) was not lucky to get a ticket,” the Hawaii resident told The Associated Press. "So now I’m here in Korea to at least watch the free concert they’re doing tomorrow night.”
Florntino, who had researched the cafe on Google, called it "humbling” to see the modest building wedged in a narrow alley of low-rise buildings in Gangnam - a wealthy district better known for its luxury high-rises and upscale boutiques.
Alejandra Valencia had travelled even farther, from Colombia, drawn by a deep personal connection. She credits the band with pulling her through a period of depression.
"They saved me,” Valencia said. "And the time flies, and now I am an ARMY,” she said, referring to the group's fan base.
A short walk away, at the restaurant Yoojung Sikdang, owner Jang Young Kun greeted visitors Friday in a purple BTS hoodie - a gift from an Australian fan. The restaurant is in the building that housed BTS members’ old dance practice room.
"BTS was with us here in this building for about three to four years,” said Jang, 78. "The basement was their practice room - they trained down there and really shared their everyday lives with us.”
K-pop trainees are young hopefuls recruited by entertainment agencies and put through years of intensive singing, dancing and performance training before they debut publicly - a system that shaped global K-pop bands like BTS, which debuted in 2013, and Blackpink, among others.
Jang recalled the members eating at his restaurant daily between practices. He also remembered the morning RM and Suga came upstairs to share some news.
"Namjoon (RM) told me the group had settled on a name - Bangtan Sonyeondan,” Jang said.
"I told them, ‘You’re going to blow up with that name. It’s Korean, it’s unique.’”
"The BTS boys were incredibly polite,” Jang added.
"They had such bright, warm personalities - if they saw you 10 times a day, they’d bow a full 90 degrees every single time. They were always greeting people, always cheerful, and they worked incredibly hard. They’d practice through the night, then come out and wash up in our bathroom, even dyeing their hair in there.”
For fans Diana Meza and Claudia Leal, who travelled together from Monterrey, Mexico, the draw was straightforward.
"Their songs aren’t shallow - they all have an important meaning,” said Leal, who has been a fan of the band for about five years.
"We started liking them … first because they’re super good-looking,” she said. "And then, because we loved everything.”
The comeback concert, which streams live on Netflix on Saturday at 8pm Korean Standard Time (7pm in Malaysia), comes after a four-year break for the K-pop supergroup. It is expected to draw tens of thousands of fans to Gwanghwamun Square, one of South Korea’s most famous landmarks.
All seven members of the band recently completed mandatory military service. - AP
