Pinoy Wivelys were for sure counting down the days until Sunday, May 21. Why, you might ask? Because their favorite Hallyu star Wi Ha Jun was coming to Manila for his first fan meet (not just outside of Korea, but first EVER), and they wanted to make sure he was given the warmest (and loudest) welcome. The crowd was hyped even before the actor stepped foot onstage, with seasoned host Sam Oh ramping up the excitement minutes before the clocked ticked 5PM.
It was so difficult to narrow down this list (because he was *truly* king of fan service), but here are eight highlights from the fan meet:
1. All the ~*feels*~ once the show started, thanks to host (and hype woman!) Sam Oh.
Together host and fans prepared three (!) different greetings to welcome everybody's favorite onstage: English, Tagalog, and Korean! He was already very energetic when he danced(!) his way onstage — a sign of good things to come!
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2. Actual games referencing Squid Game.
Wi Ha Jun played not just one, but TWO games referencing his iconic K-drama series Squid Game. The evening's fun began when four lucky attendees were called onstage to play "Stop Go" (aka "Red Light, Green Light"). Impressing the host and making the actor laugh, all four women wore wedding veils. The winning player came dressed in a sparkling floor-length gown and heels (which she removed prior to the game because she was *serious* about winning)! Fun fact: The fan meet happened on her birthday, so Wi Ha Jun actually sang her "Happy Birthday" — how sweet!
The second game referencing the series was "Don't Step On The Box." Another four attendees were named and had their turn to compete for a photo op with the Bad and Crazy lead. Wi Ha Jun had all the fans screaming when he gallantly offered his hand to each of the participants, acting as their guide and balance the entire time!
3. A once-in-a-lifetime date—with the ramyeon prepared by Wi Ha Jun himself!
On Sunday we learned that Wi Ha Jun is very particular about his ramyeon. He doesn't add extra ingredients like egg, and keeps things simple — but thinks that the amount of water used is the most important factor. "Is the water exactly 900ml?" he repeatedly asked. It turns out the actor probably knew something was up from the start, because he noted that the ramyeon was a bit too soup-y for his tastes. We're sure it tasted delicious, though!
4. Wi Ha Jun prepared a special surprise.
Fans all know of his TikTok dancing to "Hey Mama" (a song that became popular when Squid Game started catching attention as well). But having danced it in high school, he gave his PH Wivelys a treat by heating up the stage with Rain's "Rainism"—although it did take a couple of tries, because he wanted to do the choreo "talagang from the top." At the end of his fan meet we caught him dancing to "New Thing" by ZICO Feat. Homies (the song behind the popular "Saebbing" challenge) — too bad he only did a few seconds of it!
5. THE. 10-SECOND. STARING. CONTEST.
We are lost for words. Just when we all thought the night couldn't get any better (or fans couldn't be more jealous), one last fan was invited onstage for a 10-second staring contest with the Hallyu star. And he wasn't leaving anything to chance! Seconds after they started the countdown timer, he immediately went up close and personal and held her head between his hands. The screaming from the audience could have blown the roof off!
6. The heartwarming fan videos.
The montage of fan messages played out onscreen and got both the audience and Wi Ha Jun himself a bit teary-eyed!
7. Sitting on the floor (with Ben Chan!) for the group photo.
Host Sam Oh confirmed that Wi Ha Jun was the first to get Ben Chan to sit on the floor for a group photo op. It was a night of many firsts!
8. Photo ops and goodbye waves.
50 lucky SVIP raffle draw winners got a photo opportunity with the night's fan service king, while another 50 lucky raffle draw winners from Patron/VIP/SVIP lined up for a goodbye wave from the actor. This fan tried her luck with a flying kiss — and got one in return!
Wi Ha Jun clearly enjoyed his time with PH Wivelys. The actor shared a sweet message on Instagram on Monday, May 22: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart and I love you my Fans in the Philippines. Mahal kita."
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So, while a lot of us might be experiencing the fan meeting equivalent of PCD, I'm sure we're definitely looking forward to his next project — and we're counting on him to come back, because he's mentioned wanting to visit Boracay and Cebu! And special mention to the translator who switched between Korean-English-Tagalog so quickly, he did a great job!
