The Bus Full of ARMYs: My Last-Minute BTS Detour in Busan

It was my second-to-last day in Busan, and I was supposed to be finishing a stamp rally.

Instead, I changed my plans because of a shopping bag.

Earlier that day, I kept seeing people around Centum City carrying bags that said Nike by BTS. At first, I assumed the pop-up was somewhere inside the shopping mall. It seemed logical. Why else would so many people there be carrying the same bag?

But when I looked into it, I discovered that the pop-up was not at Centum City at all.

It was at Millac the Market, in another part of Busan.

The day before, I had not had enough time to go. This was my last chance, so I decided to make the trip.

The problem was that it was already sometime between three and four in the afternoon.

I also needed to return to my lodging by around 6:30. I had already told the people I was staying with that we would watch the second day of the BTS concert together.

I had only a few hours to get to Millac the Market, find the pop-up, shop, and travel back.

It sounded possible.

At least, it sounded possible before I reached the bus stop.

Every Bus Was Full

I was already at the correct station. I knew which bus would take me toward Millac the Market.

Then the first bus arrived.

It was full.

Another bus came.

That one was full too.

Then another.

Also full.

I think three buses passed me. It may have been four. At that point, the exact number did not matter. Every bus that left without me took away more of the little time I had.

Finally, another packed bus arrived.

It was still full, but I could not keep waiting. If I let that one pass, I might not make it to the pop-up at all.

So I squeezed myself inside.

There was barely any space, but I found a spot near another international traveler standing ahead of me.

I started talking to her and asked where she was from.

“Texas,” she said.

And just like that, we started talking about BTS.

We talked about how long we had been fans, the concerts, and what had brought us to Busan.

Then another woman standing beside her joined the conversation. She was traveling with a companion, and they were both from the Philippines.

That was when I began to understand why the buses had been so crowded.

They were filled with ARMYs.

We were all trying to reach the same place.

A few minutes earlier, we had been strangers packed silently into the same bus. Now four people from different places were talking as though we had planned to meet.

Following the ARMYs

When we reached our stop, the two women from the Philippines seemed to know where they were going.

The Texas ARMY and I did not.

So we followed them.

She and I talked almost the entire way to Millac the Market.

That is one of the things I have always appreciated about being an ARMY. You can meet someone from a completely different part of the world and immediately have something in common.

You already have a place to begin.

Eventually, we reached Millac the Market and saw the large Nike by BTS displays outside.

We had made it.

Or so we thought.

At the entrance, representatives asked whether we had reservations.

We did not.

Neither the Texas ARMY nor I had realized that we were supposed to reserve a time before arriving.

The representatives asked us to leave our email addresses. They told us to wait nearby and watch for a message. If space became available, they might be able to let us enter.

There was no guarantee.

And the clock was still moving.

Waiting by the Water

The four of us waited together for a while.

The two women from the Philippines were called first. They had not been waiting very long before they were allowed inside.

The Texas ARMY and I were still waiting, so we decided to explore the area.

We went upstairs and looked around the small shops. Then we walked back downstairs toward the water.

The market was near the bay, and from there we could see the bridge. We took pictures near the Nike by BTS displays and talked while we waited for our emails.

For a little while, I stopped thinking about the time.

It no longer felt like I was waiting to enter a store.

It felt like I was spending part of an afternoon in Busan with a friend.

A friend I had met less than an hour earlier on an overcrowded bus.

Eventually, we went back inside.

I needed to use the restroom, and while I was gone, she received her email. By the time I returned, she had already joined the line.

Not long after that, my email arrived too.

I had made it in.

Inside the Pop-Up

By then, it was around 4:30.

There was a long line of excited ARMYs waiting to enter. My new friend was already much farther ahead of me. I saw her inside and waved.

Then the line moved.

We began looking at the merchandise.

The store was busy, and many of the items I liked had already sold out.

The shirt I originally wanted was gone, so I bought the men’s version instead. I also found another women’s shirt in a smaller size and bought a ball cap.

It was not exactly the shopping haul I had imagined.

But after the full buses, the walk, the reservation problem, and the waiting, I was simply happy that I had managed to get inside.

Somewhere between the lines, the displays, and the racks of merchandise, the Texas ARMY and I lost track of each other.

We had never exchanged phone numbers or social media information.

I knew she was from Texas. I knew she was planning to attend the concert in Arlington.

And that was all.

Racing Back for the Concert

Once I paid for my merchandise, I looked at the time and remembered that I still had to get back to my lodging.

I hurried out of Millac the Market and started looking for the correct bus stop.

I had to walk farther than I expected. Then I began the trip back across Busan.

At that point, I was sure I had pushed the detour too far.

I had told my roommates I would return around 6:30.

I arrived at seven.

Thankfully, I had not missed the concert.

I got back just in time to settle in and watch the second day with them.

The Part I Remember Most

I went to Millac the Market because I wanted to see the Nike by BTS pop-up.

I came home with two shirts and a ball cap.

But when I think about that afternoon, the merchandise is not the first thing I remember.

I remember the crowded bus.

I remember meeting an ARMY from Texas.

I remember the two women from the Philippines who seemed to know where they were going, so the rest of us followed them.

I remember waiting by the water, looking toward the bridge, and talking with someone who had been a stranger only a short time earlier.

Some people remain in our lives for years.

Others walk beside us for only part of an afternoon.

They help us find the next stop. They wait with us. They become part of the story.

Then the crowd moves, and they are gone.

To the Texas ARMY I met in Busan: I hope you have fun at Arirang World Tour at Arlington.

And I hope the concert is everything you want and hope to be.

Soul Path Insights