[Cloud USA editorial] Sharks in the water.
Okay, let’s get real. He was a young, rising star, about to step out on his own. Everybody was surrounding him, not with love, but with their claws out, ready and waiting to dig in deep.
Even that creepy newspaper (who shall never be named in this blog again) had this to say about that time period in Rain’s life: “At the time, Rain was trying to become independent from JYP. Entertainment companies who were trying to recruit Rain spent lavishly on him in order to work with him.”
Guffaw. Well, of course they did. They would have been stupid not to. I mean, heck, if I’d had money to invest in the kid at the time (if I’d even known about him…), I might have invested it too. (Only I’d likely have been much smarter and invested it in something a little more stable than casino chips. I’m just saying…)
But don’t you see? The problem isn’t that they might have given Rain the money/A.K.A. chips (unless the funds were illegal, which, frankly, is the “giver’s” problem more than it is the receiver’s). It isn’t even that Rain might have gambled it away in some VIP room–where anyone in their right mind knows the stakes are always high. No, sirree. If the situation even happened at all, then the problem was most likely this one: RAIN DIDN’T TAKE THEIR BAIT.
Yep. That would have pissed these guys off royally, and they would have been thinking, How dare he? How dare that boy take our money and then not take our generous offers?
Yeah, RIIIGGGHHHHT.
The bottom line is I don’t believe for a second that Andrew Kim or any of the rest of those sharks loaned Rain any money. Period. Could they have given him chips with which to gamble? Well, of course they could have. But why would they have? Oh, wait. Let me think about that for about a millisecond. Maybe to take advantage of a young, somewhat naive and newly independent pop-star, who wouldn’t have known any better than to take the perks he was being offered from friendly and trusted faces?
That’s right. My take on it is if Rain did happen to find himself in such a situation, it is much more likely that it went down something like this. Sharks: “Hey, buddy! Here ya go….(hands Rain a stack of chips)…Now, go on have yourself a good, good time, okay?” Wink, wink.
And if that was the case? If it had been you who had been handed those chips, what would you have done. Oh, come on. Don’t lie to yourself — or to me either. You know darn well you would’ve thrown a few chips on that table and played a couple of hands. You know you would have. Hell, I know I would have.
And so frakin’ what? Since when has it ever been illegal to gamble in Vegas? I mean really. Did I miss something somewhere? Good grief.
— Terri @cloudusa.wordpress.com :-}
° ° °
I’m not lying to myself — that actually happened to me.
The prologue and first two chapters of my fantasy manuscript had won Third Place out of 145 novels in a nationwide contest. My writers’ group sent me all the way out to the West Coast, to Lake Tahoe, to the huge writer’s conference where my work would be on display and where I would be rubbing elbows with big names in the business. It was pretty amazing to me, a simple, suburban mom.
And if the magic of suddenly being a success wasn’t enough… there was the massive casino on the first floor of our resort hotel. I’d only seen casinos on TV, had never been in one before, and it was fascinating.
The close friend who had volunteered to accompany me on the trip and show me the ropes (and who was much more worldly than I was at the time) was a veteran when it came to casinos, and handed me chips one night. “You can’t visit a casino and not play. Go on, have some fun!” And I did. He also funded my stay at the Blackjack table. It was great. So where am I going with this story?
I’ll tell you where. Not for a moment did it ever occur to me to ask where he got those chips or how he paid for them. Why? Because I was with someone I trusted. And because I was with someone I trusted, there was no reason to ask.
I’m sitting here right now, some years later, and because of the malicious slander that is being done to Rain, I’m realizing that I still have no clue how or where my friend got those chips (and I’m thanking my lucky stars that some friends in this world CAN be trusted).
I don’t believe for one second that Rain had the time to camp out in some casino back then. Hell, he barely had time to go to the bathroom! But if he did, his only crime would have been trusting the wrong people to do the right thing by him. And that hardly warrants the media or anyone else garroting Rain and convicting him in the press the way they have, in favor of a man who the very courts have said is acting without merit.
What in the world are you all thinking? Huh?
— Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com ^@@^
Cloud USA 
@Marisara….this Kim (thing), was connected to StarM somehow. StarM bought the concerts rights for the N. American portion of the tour. they contracted with different promoters to handle different countries. a promoter for the Canada concert sued StarM. Hawaii sued StarM, Revolution, JYP and Rain. then StarM sued Rain and JYP. i may be mistaken (so if anyone is clear please share), isn’t this Kim the person who served papers to Rain on the steps of the Hawaii courthouse? that suit was for $30mil. (is he the person who was in charge of setting up the concert hall at the Staples Centers)? if so, i think that’s the case he lost (and of course he would). all of these cases Rain won because he didn’t have any say so in the technicalities of the concert. so now he wants to say Rain borrowed money from him. it’s a common thing that easily happens here in the US but this is not the culture of Koreans. family honor dictates life styles for Koreans and Rain has a heavy burden to uphold that honor being the only son and the only bread winner who has an undying love for his mom. they just don’t accept someone else’s money that easily. and if Rain has a gambling problem, why didn’t he gamble in Macao? Kim may have thought he was a friend, but i really doubt Rain took him as a friend without knowing anything about him or his background. they only had a 1 year association (2006-2007). i’ve known people for 5 yrs. or longer and their not my friends, they are just people that i know or who i do business with. first Kim says he gave Rain “cash”, now it’s “chips”. was it cash, was it chips, was it both, or is it nothing but a big lie?
i have to say, i am not a gambler. never played a lottery, never played cards for money. i spent 5 days in Vegas for business, walked all through those darn gambling venues (you have to). but i wasn’t interested. others in my party weren’t either, but some, even though they promised not to, couldn’t resist the temptation. but i do believe you can go to a casino and not gamble. heck, i found myself going in the opposite direction and spent much of my money on shoes, clothes and gifts. i’ll wait for the outcome on this one, but it just stinks to high heavens to me. thanks for the editorial CloudUSA, it really is food for thought.
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Thanks for the info. Very interesting. I know is very tempting to go on and play, I mean Vegas is created around gambling. That’s why you have to go thru casinos so you are entice to play. You have a good point there, Rain is the only provider of his family so he knows that is his responsibility to uphold the family honor and income. I know honor is very important in the asian culture. I was seeing korean weddings, out of curiosity and in the wedding is tradition for the groom to carry around piggy back style his mom and then his wife to represent the taking of this burden. It broke my heart when I realize that Rain only would carry his wife if he decide to do that on his wedding day. Sigh. So taking this in consideration, I think that Rain, at that moment, was very aware of his responsibility and that was his concert.
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In Vegas it is customary to give gambling chips to people you are trying to do business with, if BI took them it’s because Kim GAVE them to him in the hopes to ally himself with BI, I hope BI did take those chips and had a good time…it’s how it’s done in Vegas!!
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I am in agreement with the commentary from Stephe and the comments here. I just came back from Vegas this past July on vacation, this was my third trip there. Our family has gone on vacation these past three summers. I had never been before that and when you go for the first time, yes you do get caught up in the big bright lights and the larger than life atmosphere. YOU WILL gamble a little, I know I did and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with that. As far as Ji-Hoon and these allegations go, I have said already if Ji-Hoon is guilty of anything, it is being TOO TRUSTING. As Stephe has said the individuals surrounding this newly independent, extremely popular young star, knew good and DAMN well that Rain had no real clue about their true motives or intent and he trusted that they had his best interests when they obviously did not. Ji-Hoon will prevail, I feel, when the real truth is revealed. It’s hard to truly know someone’s “heart” you only have your instincts to go on. As much as I love Rain and this whole world of entertainment that has brought him “into my life”, honestly I don’t think I would ever want to be famous, it’s hell really knowing who to trust, it really is. I hope those individuals HE IS SURE OF, he keeps really close so they can help protect him. It’s DOG EAT DOG out there!!
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Stephe, you were indeed lucky thank god. Our poor, poor JiHoon I feel so bad for him, he is and I’m sure has made mistakes and will make more in the future and hopefully he will learn from them. However I have known some in the industry and they have told me things that are unbelievable, and if you don’t have a great voice on your side forget it! Our Jihoon was just like you said young impressionable and trusting without the prober voice to back or advise him in things( not to say this is true). Just one more thing I’d like to add like I’ve said before, Let them without SIN cast the first stone(waiting) just what I thought impossible. Again RAIN(bi) Jung JiHoon I will always 100% support.
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I agree with everything that y’all have said. I never believed Mr.Kim accusations either.
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Well said, I’m with you on this one.
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If Rain went to that casino, that I really think he didn’t, or not it’s harmless to me. If this person give him some chips to play then it was like a present and Rain accepted it as such. they were working toguether at the time so it was ok for Rain to accept it. But what I think was wrong from Rain’s management was to let this person in charge of the concert without checking if that person was doing his job. Why they didn’t ask before if everything was ready for Rain’s concert? Did they check this person’s background before making that contract? Why nobody check before the concert if the stage was safe? I don’t know how that happened but I think that isn’t Rain’s fault that this person got close to him without a proper check up of his management. You are right Stephe, Rain was confident because he thought that this person was a legitimate businessman because his management let him think so. Who accepted Kim in the first place? If that person were doing his job properly; Rain wouldn’t be in this mess.
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