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RM from the global idol group BTS performed songs from his solo album “Indigo” at the famous American music show NPR Tiny Desk. As the first song to sing at this show, which was held to celebrate the release of his solo album, RM chose “Seoul.”  After the live show, RM said that Seoul is the city he has spent the most time in since he started making music, and as his second hometown, he wanted to sing a song about it.

How awesome would it be to travel to this dynamic city with your bias? Just thinking about it puts a smile on your face. When stanning meets travel, what could be better than that? Feel the joy of sharing time and space with your bias by visiting places where their favorite items are or where they often spend time. Let’s begin this trip where you might get lucky and run into your star at Seoul’s hottest places.

Lemon Seoul, Where the Past is Put on Replay

There is a place where you can see an entire collection of various retro electronics. There are vintage audio types of equipment, such as the retro turntable shown in a video clip where RM sings at NPR Tiny Desk, boom boxes and cassette tapes, and robots you thought could only be found at robot museums, as well as action figures for many avid collectors. K-pop stars, including Super Junior’s Yesung, Zion.T, Brown Eyed Soul’s Youngjun, and Naul, but also vintage and retro lovers, know Lemon Seoul very well.

When you open the doors of Lemon Seoul, a place full of retro products, your journey to the past begins. Although these products were made 30 to 40 years ago and are no longer produced, there are a lot of beautiful and classy products with unique designs. At Lemon Seoul, vintage machines are restored to their best condition through a repair process, and a feeling of retro is evoked with new, not faded, vintage items.

Lemon Seoul only allows one team to enter at a time by reservation to let the visitors concentrate on listening to music. So don’t forget to make a reservation before you go. Take a retro trip to Lemon Seoul, where the balanced scenic view of Changgyeonggung Palace and downtown Seoul can be seen from the window. The area near Anguk station, where Lemon Seoul is located, is full of Seoul’s attractions mixed with traditions that can enrich your trip.

• ●Location: 84, Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (12F)

• ●Operation Hours: Monday, Thursday to Sunday from 13:00 – 19:00 (Must make a reservation before visiting: Send a DM to its Instagram account for inquiry)

• ●Instagram: @lemon_seoul

Nice Weather Market, a Department Store with a New Concept of Sustainability

People who draw and paint seem to have an extraordinary aesthetic sense in their daily lives. If there was a market that these people visit, how special would it be? Nice Weather Market is just the right answer to this very question. It is where Song Min-ho, the rapper, artist, and WINNER’s member, takes the webtoon writer Kian84 shopping on the entertainment TV show “I Live Alone.”

Located in Garosu-gil, one of the most popular places in Seoul, Nice Weather Market’s blue sign contrasting with the red brick building immediately grabs attention. This place seems to have put together all the trendiness in the world, and even the music playing in the store has a unique vibe. Armed with flair and excitement, you can find a wide range of products, such as clothes, fancy goods, food, grocery items like the maroon jam that Song Min-ho bought, natural wine and props, dinnerware, and camping supplies. With a new concept aimed at becoming a sustainable convenience store, this department store offers a variety of eco-friendly and vegan products to help consumers practice culturally and socially-aware consumption.

In addition, many products and brands picked by Gen Z and Millennials of Korea are curated, such as Jayass Kiosk of Humantree, the pioneer label of Korean street culture. Go to Garosu-gil, the hippest street in Seoul, and shop at this new concept of a department store that Song Min-ho has picked.

• ●Location: 35, Gangnam-daero 162-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (1F)

• ●Operation Hours: Every day from 11:00 to 20:30

• ●Instagram: @niceweather.seoul

Serious About Wine? Then Visit Natural High

Natural wine has made remarkable progress in Korea in recent years. Natural wine preserves its natural aroma and taste without adding or removing any chemical substances in the production process. Along with its natural taste and aroma, wine labels with outstanding designs are also a factor in natural wine’s popularity. SHINee’s member Key, who is showing versatile talents by playing an active role in entertainment shows lately, is also known for loving natural wine. A place that Key, who enjoys cooking and takes food seriously, introduced on Instagram became popular.

This place is called Natural High, offering healthy Australian brunch menus during the day and wood fire (cooking with wood fire) cuisine with Australian natural wine in the evening. Having a list of 94 kinds of natural wine from 14 wineries in Australia, Natural High is also famous for being visited by Blackpink’s Jennie. Transformed from a greenhouse-like appearance with lots of plants during the day for brunch and natural wine to a modern bar at night, Natural High is a great place to go on anniversaries or for dates.

The vibe difference between daytime and nighttime is what makes Natural High attractive. Take note that wine orders are mandatory when you visit after 5 pm. With a glass of wine, look forward to running into your bias in Hannam-dong, where the taste and charm of Seoul are prevalent. Cheers!

• ●Location: 248, Noksapyeong-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

• ●Operation Hours: Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 22:00, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 22:00

• ●Instagram: @naturalhigh_seoul

When You Think of Your Lovely Bias, Visit Café Highwaist

Ikseong-dong in Jongno-gu, where hanoks form a beautiful harmony with the small alleys, is known for its cozy atmosphere. The tiled roof of the hanok, low walls, and small Korean signboards are stylish. This neighborhood has many hidden gems and is where Koreans find familiarity and foreign visitors find refreshing sceneries. Let us introduce a star’s hidden gem in Ikseon-dong, one of the oldest hanok villages in Korea.

Cafe Highwaist, a charming place where the warm sunlight greets you as if you are inside a fairy tale, became even more famous when Jisoo from Blackpink uploaded a photo of her birthday cake on her Instagram.

Café Highwaist is a well-known vintage animal cake shop. You can find various baked goods here, including many types of scones and pretty cakes that make you happy just by looking at them. The lovely interior and cakes that delight the eyes and mouth present a fairytale-like time to those who visit.

As Café Highwaist is already well-known to foreigners through YouTube vlogs and other platforms, it is crowded on weekends and weekdays. So if you’d like to take some time to enjoy this place, we recommend you visit right when it opens in the morning. You can pre-order its famous Teddy Bear Whole Cake. Enjoy a happy dessert at Café Highwaist, the café that is lovely and sweet, just like your bias.

• ●Location: 18, Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

• ●Operation Hours: Every day from 11:00 to 22:00

• ●Instagram:  @cafe_highwaist