Filipino businessman Christian Albert Gaza’s billboard stunt to woo K-pop girl group BLACKPINK’s Jennie to a date landed him in Korean media and online communities.
Last Oct. 30, Gaza, 28, uploaded a photo of a billboard for Jennie, 25, that he paid for that was put up on a rooftop of a building in Yongsan, Seoul.
The billboard carried his photo and the message asking Jennie for a date. “Kim Jennie Ruby Jane, you are my ultimate crush. ‘Can I take you out to dinner’ and make me the happiest man alive?,” the billboard message read.
“I don't know how to contact her kaya pina-billboard ko na lang sa puso ng South Korea, few kilometers away from BLACKPINK's YG headquarters. (I don't know how to contact her so I put up a billboard in the heart of South Korea, a few kilometers away from BLACKPINK's YG headquarters). I hope she will say YES. #JennieChristianDinnerDate,” Gaza posted on Facebook.
The billboard’s location is in Noksapyeong-daero, which is a little over 9 km away from YG Entertainment’s headquarters in Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul.
Gaza, who calls himself "Jennie's Number One Fan," said he paid P1.5 million (about $29,800) for the billboard and he is not regretting it, saying, “Genuine happiness over money.”
His billboard caught the attention of various Korean media outlets and reported it on Nov. 5. The photos were also posted on Korean online communities.
Some Korean netizens said the act gave them goosebumps while others found it funny. Some even mentioned Big Bang’s G-Dragon, who was rumored to be Jennie’s boyfriend.
Last February, Korean media outlet Dispatch published a report stating that G-Dragon and Jennie have been in a relationship for over a year.
In response, YG Entertainment, the agency of the two stars, said, "It is difficult for the company to confirm as it is the artists' personal life. We ask for your understanding," according to SBS News.
“GD must be scoffing at this,” one netizen commented on an article about Gaza’s billboard while another said, “GD's going to end up buying out your company if you don't back off,” according to Netizen Buzz.
Other comments are:
- “Even if he spent not just 35 million won but billions, I think seeing someone act like this towards me would give me goosebumps”
- “Jennie's richer than you, though”
- “So this is what it means to be rich but still look poor”
- “Ajusshi ... you make me want to throw up. What're you doing to a young kid”
- “Her boyfriend is GD, do you think she'd ever give you the time of day?”
- “But can you beat GD...?”
- “She's dating G-Dragon, why would she ever date you”
- “GD said no”
- “Does he not know that she's dating GD”
On Nov. 5, Gaza posted a statement on Facebook addressed to “his haters & bashers in South Korea.”
“If you are poor with a poor mindset, money is everything. Chances are you would think and feel that everything revolves around money and that the rich are capitalizing on this idea. Hence, the rich getting all the things that they want because of their financial capacity.
“On the other hand, if you are rich with a rich mindset, you would only treat money as an instrument in order for you to pursue happiness and achieve bigger things in life.
“The reason behind my billboard proposal is for me to get the attention of my ultimate crush, Jennie Kim. It doesn't matter if it cost me 35 million won because the happiness and fulfillment that I am getting from doing it is priceless and no amount of money can top that.
“Should Jennie choose to decline my dinner invitation, I would respectfully accept her decision. What's important is the fact that I was able to muster my courage to ask her for a date.
“As a millionaire, I strongly believe that the greatest form of success is achieving genuine happiness and Blackpink Jennie is the happy pill of my life.
“If you have a problem with that, then that's not my problem anymore. Good evening, South Korea,” he said.
In another post on Nov. 6, Gaza denied that what he did was creepy.
“Me? Creepy? Creepy pipz are those admirers who invade your privacy by stalking your private life such as place of residence, circle of friends, workplace, and the like. I was not even in Seoul when I put up my billboard proposal. As a global celebrity, I chose to express my admiration for Jennie Kim in a very publicized manner so that I can get at least 5% chance of being noticed by my ultimate crush,” he said.
He added, “According to Google, the definition of creepy is ‘causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease.’ How can my billboard cause an unpleasant feeling of fear to Ms. Kim? Tell me. She's not a private individual. Blackpink Jennie is an international public figure known by more than 200 million people around the world. Unsolicited publicity is part of her daily life.”
“Did I send creepy messages to her? No. Never. As a matter of fact, it is my first time to message her today. Before you make false accusations against me, please be more rational. Yes, I am an attention-seeker narcissist who craves the attention of my crushes. Yes, I am the former ‘National Scammer of the Philippines’ turned millionaire businessman. But there is one thing that I am not and that is a creep,” he said.