The Iceberg

Thank god I’m on semi-vacation. At the time of this writing, I had rolled out of bed about two hours prior, actually woke up one hour prior, and started recalling the events of last night about five minutes prior. So here we go:

My co-worker and I arrived at the Wa Bar at around 9 pm last night. Remembering the line of people waiting outside of the bar at the last World Cup, I worried that we’d be unable to find a seat. My worries were unnecessary. The bar was only about half-full and we grabbed the same spot where we watched the previous night’s American debacle (oh yeah, and the Australia game too). I had mixed feelings about this. It was nice to possess such a prime location - facing the screen and right in front of the “beers in ice” - but I immediately sensed that this year’s World Cup atmosphere wasn’t going to rival that of 2002. A text message from a friend in Seoul saying, and I quote, “It’s fucking bonkers here. City Hall has been packed since 5.” had me once again questioning my decision to move to Yeosu. The mood in the bar was much like the mood overall in Yeosu, somewhat subdued. In 2002 I’d estimate that about 90% of the population was wearing red, but here the number was more like 20%. See for yourself:

I had some time to kill before the kickoff*, so I started digging through the ice to see what was available for consumption when I stumbled across this:

DNA in a bottle. I contemplated the ramifications of this and cursed Hwang Woo-suk, then decided that - despite my numerous flaws - I would stick with my own DNA and ordered a draft.

9:45. As game time approached the bar slowly started filling up and a few more patches of red appeared. More than a few smiles, but not a single Dae-Han-Min-Guk (DHMK) thus far. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the World Cup.

Game time. The bar was now nearly full. The only two remaining places were located directly across from me, which turned out to be serendipitous, for moments later two very lovely young ladies whom you will see in a moment strolled into the bar and occupied those very seats. Maybe Yeosu isn’t so bad after all.

Early in the game I remember thinking that it reminded me a lot of the U.S. game. Korea did well to control the ball but couldn’t create opportunities. The only difference was that they weren’t battling from behind early in the game. About twenty minutes in I turned to my friend and asked if there had been any shots on goal to that point. I think there hadn’t. The game was quite boring, frankly, and so were the patrons in the bar. No shrieks from girls whenever a Korean defender cleared the ball. Only one feeble attempt by some girls near the television to start a DHMK chant. And no looks from the girls in front of me.

Damn!

Togo scored their goal around the thirtieth minute. The mood in the bar shifted from complacency to anxiety. At least now there was some sort of energy. I could sense things starting to build up by the time halftime rolled around. Ah yes. Halftime. That is when the night truly began. The most boisterous individual of a group of nice chaps sitting near us (and next to the two girls) decided it was time to liven up the crowd, “Everybody!!! We need to give power to our team! One, two, three, let’s go! DAE-HAN-MIN-GUK!!!” There it was. The crowd came alive. Nothing like nerves and alcohol to stir the emotions. Better yet, the two girls finally turned away from the television and we made eye contact. One of them - I’d describe her as a poor man’s Jeon Ji-hyun - smiled and I could see she was mustering up the courage to say something. You all know that look. The “prepare the word order, I can do it, it’s going to be so fun, here it comes, one-two-three SPEAK” look. Sure enough, she did it. “Hi! What’s your name? Where are you from?” BINGO!

As the second half rolled around, I suggested to our new male friends that we all knock back a 500cc glass of beer should Korea score a goal. They were keen, and so were the two girls. “We can do it too,” they pronounced. Fair enough. I wasn’t going to argue with them. Here is a photo of my new World Cup viewing partners (sans Jeon Ji-hyun, I’ll explain her absence later.)

Ahn Jung-hwan entered the game at the start of the second half and I made the unfortunate discovery that a friend of mine has a very unhealthy man-crush on him. “That’s my boy,” he announced, “he was the man in 2002 and he’s going to get it done.” It turns out he was right. Everyone’s favorite cabbage patch doll (Lee Chun-soo) got off a nice strike following a foul and … GOALLLLLLLLLLLL! I was ready to down my glass of beer but our spirit manager had a grander idea:

(Click photo for video)**

Translation: Everyone! Let’s all raise our glasses!

I liked this guy. A few minutes later he stood up again and shouted, “Everyone! These foreigners here are not even Korean, yet they came here wearing red clothing in support of our team. Let’s all drink in their honor!”

At this point the atmosphere was rocking. As an added bonus, the owner of the bar got caught up in the moment and offered everyone a free bottle of Budweiser for each Korean goal. S-WEET! I decided to capture the mood on video for all of you to see. (Okay, I’ll admit, I wanted to capture my two new female friends as well, but I honestly was trying to capture the mood. Straying from the subject for a moment, one of the funny things about filming with a digital camera is that people think you are taking a photo. That was the case here.)

(Click photo for video)**

Soon after, Korea scored the go-ahead goal and it just got even crazier. The only downer of the evening was that Jeon Ji-hyun’s boyfriend rocked in with about ten minutes remaining in the game. But even that may turn into a positive, as his insistent pouting over something led to a fight with Jeon Ji-hyun and they ended up storming out of the bar. With any luck, she’ll be free for the next game.

My new friends and I stuck around for the first half of the France-Switzerland game. I decided at halftime to wander the streets and soak up the mood. It was a good decision. Every block or so I had people running up to me offering me cans of beer, candy, jerky, and more. My co-worker had left with his friend after the Korea game for another bar. I called to find out where he was and told him to come outside to meet me. While I was waiting for him, another group of friendly strangers started talking to me. They were seated outside of a small restaurant watching the second game. They offered my friend and I chairs and we sat down and watched the rest of the game with them. After the game we all went to a noraebang (singing room). All said, it was a great night. One peculiar thing I noticed, though, is that as the night wears on and the drinking persists, it seems to take a toll on certain individuals’ capacity to make a “V” for photos. Have a look:

A lot of people complain about the overzealousness of Korean fans during the World Cup. Admittedly, “DHMK” and “Oh, pilsung Korea” can grow tiring real quick when they’re being sung over and over two years after the fact. But my advice during the World Cup is: Embrace the mood. Plunge headfirst into the River of Red and let the current take you where it may. It’s quite a fun experience.

*To my non-North American reader(s), is this term appropriate?
**For some reason, the video is choppy and the final second or two is cut off when you play it for the first time. (At least on my computer.) Just close the window and open it again to see it all.