We all know that being a K-pop fangirl isn’t easy, especially when you happen to be one of the unlucky ones who happens to live half a world away from your beloved idols. We all know the sacrifices we’ve made, skipping sleep to vote for our bias groups as they make their comeback appearances on various music shows… The ridicule we’ve had to endure as those around us scoff at our undying love for a genera of music that makes no sense to them because “you can’t understand the words…” And the agony we live with, knowing that we’ll probably go our entire lives without ever meeting any of our idols in person… See? Being a K-pop fangirl is rough but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with its own set of rewards.
One of the best things an K-pop idol group can do for their international fans is announce a world tour that actually tours the world. (Which may sound funny to some but if you’ve been a K-pop fangirl for any amount of time, you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about here… *cough* Touring seven different countries in Asia does not count as a world tour! *cough*) Words can barely express the elation one feels when you realize one of your bias groups is actually touring in your country, it’s like a dream come true but when you realize your bias group is touring in your city… Words fail completely.
Naturally, as soon as the news of your bias group’s tour breaks, you jump online, scouring the internet for anything you can find on tour info and tickets. The wait you have to endure before ticket sales are announced is excruciating but it pales in comparison to the anxious jitters you suffer through as the clock winds down to the exact moment those tickets go on sale. The mad dash to be the first to buy said tickets is furious and painful, especially if you end up with seats not nearly as close to the stage as you’d hoped to get but you console yourself with gentle reminders that at least you’re actually getting to see your beloved bias group. (Though honestly, consoling yourself with that fact doesn’t really help but you try and try and try to make yourself feel better anyway.)
Eventually the sting of not scoring front-row tickets wears off and as the day of the concert steadily approaches, the remorse you once felt turns to excitement which eventually turns into downright giddiness and, in extreme cases, a full-on fangirl meltdown. Days before the actual concert, you’re agonizing over what to wear and whether or not you should bring a gift for your bias and wondering what time you should get to the venue, knowing that camping out overnight isn’t actually going to get you in any sooner but you’re tempted to anyway, just because you don’t want to miss anything…
It’s actually kind of amazing, the effect our bias groups have on us. They persuade us to shell out ridiculous amounts of money just for the chance to spend an hour and a half in the same room as them… They compel us to buy over-priced merchandise, just so we can have some sort of tangible evidence that we did, in fact, get to spend an evening with our bias group… And they inspire typically level-headed individuals to break out into intense moments of fangirl crazy that would never otherwise be reached. In short, these bias groups possess some sort of magic that entrances us and keeps us forever hostage. (And you now have my permission to imagine yourself being held captive by your very own biases… ㅋㅋㅋㅋ You’re welcome!)
I honestly have to wonder how fangirls in South Korea manage to keep their heads clear and their wallets full because with B.A.P’s concert in Chicago only three days away, I’m having a terrible time with both! I can’t say “no” to any of the concert merchandise, sleep has become a thing of the past, my heart feels like it’s constantly racing and these past few days have dragged on for what feels like an eternity. How I’m going to manage to survive until Saturday is a bit of a mystery and all I can say is, it’s good I’ve got fangirl friends on Twitter to help me through; it’s so much easier to deal with an extreme case of fangirlitis when you’ve got friends who are suffering right along with you! I think I can speak for all of us when I say, “Bballi Saturday! Bballi!”
Of course the question remains, is all of this anxious suffering worth the few brief moments we get to spend with our bias group at their concert; to which I reply with a whole-hearted, “YES!” There is nothing more meaningful and worthwhile to a K-pop fangirl than spending an evening with fellow fangirls, cheering enthusiastically for our beloved biases. Not only is it a chance to make our dreams of meeting our bias group come true, it’s also a chance to meet fellow fangirls and make new friends and that in itself is enough to make it all worthwhile.