Cloud USA

— Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Hi there, Clouds and Rain fans. 🙂

It’s my fault that these accounts are being posted so very late. Life happened—continued illness, a dead computer, a death in the family, Daddy Cloud’s health, etc. I also had to take all of May to prepare my urban fantasy manuscript for submission to one of the Big Three publishers in the US. It is what it is, folks.

I can’t thank Cloud USAer Maria enough (and Japanese Cloud Michiko) for giving such a rich and amazingly detailed account about Rain and of her time at these two events, for letting us know the things Rain has said from his own mouth. Maria, you are a gem and your family is awesome in their support of your support for Rain.

Wanna know if Rain reads the comments on his Instagram? Or what color underwear he was sporting that day? Or the special wishes he granted Clouds in the audience? How important it was for him to make eye contact with every fan?

Everyone, please enjoy this amazing read! 🙂 ^@@^

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Rain Japan Fan Meeting in Seoul, South Korea 4-25-15 and MET Gala in New York City 5-4-15
By: Maria @ Cloud USA / @tonicny
Images and fan cams credit: Maria @ Cloud USA / @tonicny

Compiled by: Stephe @ Cloud USA

If you share these accounts on other fan sites, PLEASE do so in this exact order and in its entirety, with credits intact. Maria’s done a lot of work! Thank you.^^

I am so grateful and thankful for having made so many wonderful friendships because of Rain. Just a few personal notes before I start the fan account.

It was April of 2012 that I came to know of Rain, so, like Rain celebrating his 13th debut, I was also celebrating my 3rd of following his career. Actually for me, the exact date of the fan meeting (4/25/15) was also my wedding anniversary and instead of celebrating it with my husband, I spent the day with great friends and with Rain in Seoul, South Korea. I feel extremely lucky to have a very supportive family that understands this “fandom” of traveling to support Rain and his music and meeting with friends near or far. They look forward to hearing about my adventures and experiences during my travels.

It all started with me just inquiring with my friend Michiko in Japan about the details of the announcement of the fan meeting. By the time she’d explained all the details, I was already convinced that I wanted to experience this and she very kindly helped make another dream come true.

I have always wanted to return to Japan in the spring, so this was the perfect combination.

It was an amazing, week-long, non-stop sightseeing trip from the minute I arrived in Japan up until Friday 4/24, the day we flew to Seoul. I feel very comfortable traveling even if I don’t speak the language. I love the Japanese Cloud sisters I have come to know and be friends with, and the people of Japan have always been so very helpful and friendly if I needed help with directions.

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Friday – 4/24/15. I met up with Michiko at Narita Airport in Tokyo on Friday 4/24 at exactly 10 am, as our flight to Seoul was leaving at 12:30 pm or so (only a 3-hour flight compared to the 14+ hours from New York). I’d last seen Michiko over 13 months before and although we stay connected regularly it was so good to finally see her in person again. The tour was very well organized as we had our own Rain tour check-in area.

Upon arrival to Seoul, we were transported by tour bus to our hotel with a stop over at a Duty Free Shop and we encountered heavy traffic jams. Michiko and I were scheduled to join other Cloud sisters at Igasinga, a restaurant where Diamond Lover scenes had been filmed (the owner happily and proudly showed us Rain’s autograph). We barely made it and had to quickly eat our first taste of real good Korean food because the restaurant closed 15 minutes after we arrived. The décor was really nice and the owners so friendly. Very sorry we didn’t spend enough time there to really taste their food properly.

As a group, we decided to end the evening by going to Makgeolliano Restaurant for more fun and to be with many other Japanese Cloud sisters, and to show our support for Rain’s dancers Hongshi and Gori (read MORE about them below ↓ after the Saturday fan meet!). Cloud USAer Tammy met us there.

A great time was had and I think we were one of the last groups to leave.

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Saturday – 4/25/15. We spent the morning going to eat brunch at Japanese restaurant Tokyo Saikabo, which served delicious food and is near CUBE and CDL. A pre-celebration was had for being all together again.

After brunch, we walked over to CDL (Cheongdam-dong), briefly stopped as we were on a tight schedule due to the bus picking us up at the hotel at a certain time to go to the event.

The bus left at 3 pm and event was starting at 5 pm. No one knew the exact location and it did take some time to get to the venue. Once there, we were instructed to get our lottery assigned seats and lottery assigned group photo place. Seat numbers were G13 and G14 and 35th group out of 49 for the group photo, and we had 3rd and 4th spots and it meant that one of us would have the opportunity to stand right next to Rain (screamed silently) and the honors went to Michiko as she did so much to make this trip happen so smoothly. Once we entered the performance hall, I noticed that no matter which seat you had, everyone was in close proximity to Rain (screamed silently again!).

Event Activities started at 5  pm. Rain appeared on stage and everyone went wild! The screams were deafening and he looked so handsome and happy. Once he appears, you get hypnotized by his handsomeness and can’t take your eyes off of him and you follow his every move.

He started with performing “30 Sexy” and “It’s Raining.” Rain sounded really good and into his performance with his beautiful voice and cool and sexy dance moves. Had been 6 months since I last saw one of his live performances. He sang a total of 8 songs divided into 4 sets of 2 songs each in between other activities.

He also sang Instead of “Instead of Saying Goodbye”, “LAsong”, “How to Avoid The Sun”, “I Do”, “Hip Song” and then “LASong” again. We also watched the “LASong” MV and his latest behind the scenes commercial for Lotte Hotels and there are so many amazing looks (you know the kind…) with the new pictures.

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Talk Session (translated by Michiko):
Presenter/hostess appeared on stage and introduced Rain and yes, Clouds went wild again. Hostess spoke Korean and Japanese.

Here are some of the translated questions and conversations that took place, not necessarily in this order.

What inspires him to write songs? Rain answered he had already written a couple of new songs and hopes to release a new CD by end of the year.

What was it like to do a drama in Chinese? He explained that in the drama he speaks about 30% Chinese and 70% Korean. It will be aired around August of this year.

Hostess asked if he would recommend places we could visit while in Seoul. He mentioned that the Namsan Tower is like the Tokyo Tower and Gangnam is like Shibuya of Tokyo. He said it is time for Spring sales, and going shopping is interesting. Then he started to talk about which are his favorite places in Tokyo instead. He said he often goes to Shibuya in Tokyo. Likes ramen noodles and sushi but he is tired of eating this and recently his favorite is to eat “Yakitori” which is grilled chicken pieces on bamboo sticks or kabobs and he is especially fond of raw chicken breast meat. He asked all if they had ever tried this and some said yes. Rain was surprised to hear this.

What type of photos does he like to post on Instagram? He said of his dogs and food.

Does he check the comments on his Instagram? He said yes.

Rain also mentioned hearing about how many had gone to his dancers’ restaurants and also CDL, and the dancers were very tired but to keep going and make them work harder. He mentioned that he would post a photo of his recommendations on Instagram as to where we should go (after the event, Rain posted a CDL picture).

During the next set of songs and dances, Rain changed up some of his dance moves to poke fun at Hongshi and Gori as they were the most tired. Rain reappeared on stage having changed from the suit to a very cool look, jeans and a black t-shirt.

Photo group session. 49 groups of 10 people with Rain in the middle. 3 groups on stage at a time and Rain would move from group to group and leave the stage and return when the next set of 3 groups was ready. It moved surprisingly quickly as there were many helpers on stage moving everyone on and off stage. There were specific rules that anyone closest to Rain could not touch him or they would stop the photo from being taken.

(Image credit: Tammy Harriel / @tammyyams66)

Rain special gifts. 5 lucky Clouds won by lottery (Rain picked their seat number out of a box) special Rain items like a black hat, a cap, sunglasses, VIRUS t-shirt, Diamond Supply t-shirt. He demonstrated each item, making all sorts of expressions. Each lucky Cloud got to receive the item directly from Rain along with a handshake and a hug. The Cloud reactions before and after the hugs were priceless.

Rain granting Clouds special wishes. Clouds won by lottery, with their seat picked by Rain. Two asked for a hug, one asked to have a picture taken with him, one requested Rain to sing more songs, one asked him for his best pose. I don’t think that Cloud was prepared for what happened next. Rain startled her by getting so close that he almost touched her nose, and looked into her eyes. She was all shook up (priceless reaction)! Rain granted all wishes.

True/False questions. Everyone had to stand up and if you guessed wrong, you sat down.

•  Which eye does Rain blink with? (left eye)

•  Can Rain name 3 Japanese artists in a few seconds? (he was not able to)

•  Was Rain wearing black underwear? (He turned around with his back to his Clouds to check, and with a sexy look he said they weren’t black. His undies were red). I got this one wrong and sat down.

•  Could Rain do 10 push ups in 10 seconds? (He actually did them and yes, he was able to)

•  Can Rain join both hands behind his back? One from the waist up and the other from his shoulder down (he was not able to in this manner, he tried to do it in a different and easier way)

•  Can he win Rock Paper Scissors against the hostess? (he lost)

The last 3 to 4 Clouds standing received a gift and a hug from Rain on stage.

Handshake with Rain. Each one of us went up on stage, one by one, and shook hands with Rain and received one of the new beautiful Lotte posters directly from him. He was so focused on making direct eye contact with each Cloud and saying hello and thanking them in Japanese. I had a chance to watch so many reactions before and after the handshake, which were totally priceless. My turn came, and he said hello, and it was during this one second of time that I quickly said to him how much he is loved, and he replied with a thank you!

This activity was also completed very quickly, as there were many helpers on stage that moved you along. Some fans have asked for specific details of how Rain looks close up, and all I can say is that he is very handsome, tall, sexy, gracious, cute, kind, and yes, like others have said, his skin is truly flawless and I do really love his eyes.

Once this was over, Rain appeared on stage one last time and acknowledged everyone by bowing at each section in the venue and this was interpreted as a show of love and appreciation. He also once again thanked everyone. Comments from many of the Japanese Clouds was that this gesture was extremely impressive.

With this gesture, the 2.5 hours with Rain were over. It seemed like the time passed by so quickly.

It was an unforgettable evening with Rain and great friends.

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John Makgeolliano

A large group went to eat at a Korean BBQ restaurant which was extremely good. Afterwards, we headed over to CDL but it was closing time and many Clouds were still there, so we stayed for a short time and then headed over to once again show our support to Hongshi and Gori (Rain asked that we do so) at John Makgeolliano Restaurant (줜 _ 막걸리아노) to end the evening.

Gori (Park Kyeong Yeol) and Hongshi (Song Jae Hong) really do it all in their restaurant. They work really hard. Gori was serving and at the register, and Hongshi was in the kitchen with the cook. John Makgeolliano is on the second floor of the building. It has a warm, cozy atmosphere, good drinks and yummy food, and the makgeolli rice wine is terrific. John Makgeolliano is a place one can have a great time with their friends.

(These images credited to john_innyeonnam @ Instagram, Korea Seoul Mapogu YeonnamDong 228-47 2F Tel:070-8816-2850)

 

I had seen so many pictures of others being at these types of events and always thought one day I will be there too. My heart feels so grateful and thankful for having had this opportunity to meet Rain. Many Thanks go to our Japanese friends – a special thank you to Michiko and Toshiko for the help in assisting with being able to attend this event and the love they showed us from beginning to the end.

There were many in Seoul I had previously seen or met at the Zepp Tour in 2013, and it was so great to see them again. I made many new special memories with truly beautiful, loyal and dedicated Clouds, and I am happy to call all of them Cloud Sisters.

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Sunday – 4/26/15. We returned to Japan. Michiko and I said, “So long, until we meet again…”

I stayed overnight and left the following day Monday, April 27th to return to USA. It was while I was at the airport that I learned Rain would be coming to New York the following Monday 5/4/15 as he had been invited to the MET gala annual fundraiser for their Costume Institute, which is considered to be the event of the year for NYC. I was beyond thrilled that Rain would be there. I knew that somehow I was going to go to NYC to see Rain again as these opportunities are rare and few in our own country.

Due to jet lag and catching up with work from while I was away, the week went by pretty quickly and the weekend was here.

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Sunday 5/3/15. Cloud USAer Patsiii and her sister and I met in New York City, and I had also learned during the week that two Japanese Clouds were flying to the US just to see Rain at the Met Gala event (one of the Clouds I had already met at the fan meeting in Seoul). A clue was posted on Instagram about which flight Rain was on and coincidentally it was the same flight as the two Japanese Clouds, which I am sure they were beyond happy about. We made the decision to go welcome Rain and the Japanese Clouds at JFK Airport as this would give us another opportunity to see Rain. We also met up with ScorpiolaBi and her friend.

The plane landed at 8:20 pm or so, and by the time Rain came walking through the arrival area it was sometime after 9 pm.

I had brought a small bouquet of roses and sunflowers to give to him as a gesture of welcome to New York. Somehow I was going to get the nerve to go up to him and hand him the flowers. I thought I would have a better chance to give him the flowers outside, just as he was to get into his car, so that is where I waited for him. Upon spotting him, I did looked twice to make sure it was him. He stopped to talk to two friends right by the exit doors, and I thought, why not go greet him then? And so I did.

(Airport images credit: ScorpiolaBi)

I approached very calmly, and oddly didn’t feel nervous. I apologized for interrupting his conversation and told him, “I just want to welcome you to New York” and gave him the flowers. He smiled, and said thank you. I also congratulated him on being invited to the Gala and told him to have a great time while there and while in New York. He repeatedly said thank you. 🙂 I then asked if he wouldn’t mind signing my group photo from Seoul. He said “Oh, sure” and took the picture, looked at it, and signed the back of it.

During this time, his friends were nearby and looked on with happy faces. I told them it was so great to see Rain in the USA as I had traveled a few miles to other countries to see him. They seemed very happy too, and once again Rain thanked me.

I decided that it was best not to be snapping pictures during this time (not that I didn’t want to) because 1) they would have been blurry from my hands shaking, and 2) I just wanted to make good eye contact with Rain as I spoke and not have a camera in my face or his. I had also realized that my phone was at full storage capacity for photos and I wasn’t going to hold Rain up any longer while I first deleted pictures.

At this time, all the fans that were there came over for autographs. I took the flowers from Rain’s hand so that he had free hands to sign autographs and gave the flowers to his friend. He signed just a couple and then a security guard came over and told us all to leave the area. Rain apologized and took his bag and went outdoors. All followed him to where he went to wait for his car, and because the car was not there yet, he had time to sign more autographs.

He seemed very approachable and happy.

I watched Rain get into his car and leave. At this time, I also saw Rain’s manager/assistant and I had the opportunity to welcome him to NY. He smiled and said thank you. While all this was happening, our Japan Cloud sisters were also with us. Eri and Cheiko are both long time Clouds whom have been to many of Rain’s concerts all around the world.

» Fan cam LINK: Patsiii’s FB video of Rain in the airport in NYC.

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Monday 5/4/15. Knowing very well that this event was a major one, I decided that I would go wait in line bright and early to hold a good spot for all of us behind the barricades. I arrived at the Met Museum shortly after 10 am and only a couple of people were already there waiting to see Chinese artists/actresses. The view of the Red Carpet steps was almost directly across from where I was standing. Every hour that passed, more people started to line up and by 1:30 pm everyone in our group was there saving their spots, as after this time it was impossible to leave. If you did, you lost your spot.

As time came nearer for stars to arrive, I was so excited to see and cheer for Rain again. There was so much chaos with cars and buses going by, police officers directing traffic, and not to mention arrogant photographers. The TV/photographers/media and etc. filled in both sides of the steps and there were many even in the fans’ area, in particular right behind and next to me.

As stars started to arrive at around 5:30 pm or so, the more chaotic it got when trying to get their attention to get that perfect shot on the Red Carpet steps. Scorpiola Bi was the only one in our group that spotted Rain arriving, as the drop off for the stars was away from our view.

Once Rain appeared in view near the bottom of the steps (he was with an invited group of beautiful Chinese actresses), he was noticeable right away as he was tall and handsome. Some time passed and someone guided him to walk up the Red Carpet stairs. Rain looked cool, calm, and collected. We cheered for him and I did notice at one point when he was waiting he was looking directly at our area, so I think he saw and heard us.

Rain looked exceptionally handsome in his custom tailored MCM tuxedo and he truly looked like royalty. Amongst the men, he really stood out. This was my very first time watching such an event live, and I must say it was exciting to see some of the other major stars walk the Red Carpet steps. The gowns were absolutely stunning.

The last person that we saw arrive was Rihanna, which was about 8 pm or so.

Our group was exhausted from being under the sun all day and standing for all those hours. We all decided we needed to reward ourselves with a great meal so we went to Shilla, a Korean BBQ restaurant that Rain has been to in the past. We enjoyed finally sitting down to rest, having dinner, and spending time together talking about the day’s events.

As I look back, I feel very lucky that I had the opportunity to see Rain again so soon after the Seoul fan meeting. I look forward to my next adventure with Rain and my Cloud sisters.

Thank you so much for your friendship, and for reading my fan accounts!

— Maria

~ by Cloud USA on June 29, 2015.

Posted in Bi Rain, Bi Rain Appearance, Bi Rain images, Bi Rain News, Cloud USA, Jung Ji Hoon, Korean Entertainment in the USA, Rain U.S. Appearance, Rain's Global Clouds
Tags: Bi Rain, bi rain fan cams, Bi Rain fan meet, Bi Rain images, Bi Rain in New York, Bi Rain singer/actor/entertainer, bi rain's dancers, cloud usa community members, JiHoon's hyungs, Jung Ji Hoon, MET Gala, Park KyeongYeol/Gori/BigK, Rain Bi Fan Account, Song JaeHong/Hongshi