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| Seen above is a two-story mansion in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, July 25. It was featured in the second season of the "BTS In the Soop" reality show. Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo |
'BTS In the Soop' mansion available on Airbnb for $7 per night
By Kwak Yeon-soo
PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― For BTS fans who cannot help but wonder if they could escape the stress of city life and relax in the countryside like BTS did in HYBE's "In the Soop" docuseries, there's a one-of-a-kind stay package to experience it for themselves.
For just one night in August for just one lucky person and one companion, Airbnb will rent out the place where the global superstars enjoyed a brief getaway from the pressures of fame in the second season of "BTS In the Soop."
The residence is located in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, which is about a three-hour drive from Seoul. The 2018 Winter Olympics host city is well-known for its dense forests and mountain scenery.
Multiple ski resorts as well as ranches with frolicking sheep and wind turbines are situated across mountain ridges. With an average altitude of over 700 meters, PyeongChang is one of the most popular summer destinations for people looking to beat the heat.
The countryside mansion on a 200-square-meter site is a peaceful place where one can see nature from the doorstep or through the floor-to-ceiling windows. In the show, the members used the two-story mansion as their residence and two other houses next to it for sleeping.
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| The deck where BTS members enjoyed barbecuing in the evening during the second season of "BTS In the Soop" / Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo |
In the garden, there is a deck to enjoy barbecuing in the evening and a rectangular pool where J-hope and Jin played with a unicorn-shaped inflatable tube. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy specially served charcoal-grilled hanwoo, or Korean beef, on the deck. Bang & Bakers egg tarts, which can be bought at HYBE Insight, the entertainment giant's music museum, and "tteokbokki," or rice cakes simmered in spicy sauce, will also be provided as snacks to welcome guests.
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| Suga left his autograph with a message that reads, "We had lots of fun together!" on the glass door of the entrance of the main residence. Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo |
There is also the trampoline that BTS members jumped on and the basketball court where Jimin practiced basketball shots. Fans can find Suga's autograph with a message that reads, "We had lots of fun together!" on the glass door of the main entrance.
Inside the mansion, there is an open kitchen and a dining space where BTS members shared meals and late-night snacks. A model plane that J-hope made during the first season hangs from the ceiling.
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| BTS members have a meal in the dining space in a scene from the second season of "BTS In the Soop." Screenshot from YouTube |
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| The dining space where BTS members shared meals and late-night snacks Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo |
The living room has a comfy sofa, a large TV, a karaoke machine, a guitar and a trumpet. Guests can play the guitar just like Suga or the trumpet just like V. Sadly, however, they aren't the same instruments BTS played. The karaoke machine and sound system will allow fans to sing songs from the septet's latest album "Proof," along with other hit tracks.
"We tried to preserve as much of the original furniture and amenities from the show as possible, but the BTS members took home their personal belongings, such as their musical instruments and paintings, when the show ended," said Eum Sung-won, the head of communications at Airbnb Korea.
One of the highlights of the house consists of the large portraits of BTS, which serve as photo spots in the house. There are photos in each compartment of the house, taken during either concerts or reality shows.
Behind the stair area, a rear wall opens to a home gym space, where Jimin and RM showed off their workout routines in the show. Fans can take advantage of the gym equipment.
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| The bedroom was originally the place where RM was seen reading books. / Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo |
When heading to the second floor, the place where RM was seen reading books on the show has been transformed into a bedroom with a queen-sized bed and purple sheets. Purple has become the representative color of BTS and its huge fan community, ARMY, after V first declared "I Purple You" during the group's annual fan meeting in 2016. Fans can take some quiet time to read through the collection of books offered in the study. A space telescope is also in the room for watching stars at night.
The property is currently owned by HYBE, which purchased the main house and the two separate guest villas surrounded by lush gardens at around 1.3 billion won ($992,685) in 2021. The spacious estate took roughly a year to renovate to film the reality show.
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| An inflatable unicorn that BTS member Jin played with during the second season of "BTS In the Soop" floats in a swimming pool on the deck. Korea Times photo by Kwak yeon-soo |
According to Eum, the promotional renting event is a part of the company's global "Only on Airbnb" campaign, which rents out houses featured in movies and TV shows to selected guests.
Previously, it has rented out Carrie's apartment from the "Sex and the City" series, the iconic house from the Christmas movie classic "Home Alone" and a Winnie-the-Pooh-inspired tree house.
"We exclusively developed this stay package in collaboration with HYBE," Eum said.
Because the band consists of seven members, a one-night stay will cost just $7, including taxes and fees.
However, the selected guests will have to stay in the main residence only as the two villas will not be open to visitors.
In addition, guests are responsible for getting themselves to PyeongChang Station. That means guests coming from abroad ― if they win the chance to stay in the luxury mansion ― must pay for their own flight tickets to Korea. However, they will be provided with a roundtrip ride service for the 20-minute journey from the KTX train station to the hillside estate.
"We will provide a minibus or van from the train station to the mansion because the house is located in a remote area where one needs to drive up narrow, twisting mountain roads. We are concerned about revealing the exact location, as visits from unwelcome tourists can cause disturbances in the neighborhood," he said, adding that HYBE plans to control entry to the mansion in the future.
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| A guitar and a trumpet in the living room / Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo |
The Airbnb official hinted that the estate will be open to more ARMY members in the future on other occasions. "Staying the night is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but there will be another opportunity to check out the property soon," Eum said.
The picture-perfect mansion has but one shortcoming: guests should be aware of the giant bugs that scared J-hope and Jin off during the show.
Fans were divided over the announcement of the event.
"I can't imagine! To sit on the same furniture. I am totally fangirling right now! I need to touch some grass," a fan tweeted, while another commented, "Wow! I wish I could come to it!"
A few critical opinions could also be found on the one-time stay deal available to two lucky guests for exploiting fans for business. "What happened to this estate being only BTS' home to relax? I remember seeing the second season, and in the beginning, it said it was only for BTS to stay! Kind of sad they didn't live up to that. It's all about making money I guess," another fan wrote online.
"Is the lucky person who gets to stay there the winner of 'Squid Game 2' or something? Because that's what this limited, one-time stay deal sounds like," another wrote.
The booking process opens Aug. 2 at 11 a.m. (KST) for the one-night stay on Aug. 29.
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| The separate guest villa surrounded by a large garden, where BTS members slept in the second season of "BTS In the Soop." Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo |
While fans await the rare opportunity to visit the mansion, they might want to spend a night at other "In the Soop" filming spots.
The first season of "BTS In the Soop" was filmed in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, at a private house called Lake 192. The venue, which won a Korean Architecture Award, includes one primary mansion as well as one guest villa along a lake, with a private garden. Reservations can only made by phone, but weekend stays are fully booked until November.
Although there are no plans for a third season of "BTS In the Soop" as the members announced recently they would be pursuing solo projects, member V is currently starring in a spin-off of the show, "In the Soop: Friendcation," alongside another group of famous celebrities known as the "Wooga" Squad, including actors Choi Woo-shik, Park Hyung-sik, Park Seo-joon and rapper Peakboy.
The filming location is Seorojae, a modern mansion in Goseong, Gangwon Province, which is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Seoul. The ocean, lakes and forests full of elm and pine trees are all nearby. Guests can enjoy campfires, ice-skating during the winter and swimming during the summer.
