It may not be the first time for Kim Soo Hyun to visit the Philippines, but it is my first time to finally meet one of the first few actors I listed on my ‘fangirl bucket list must-see.’

This ‘One Extraordinary Day with Kim Soo Hyun’ event with the A-list OG Oppa is truly a not-so-ordinary day for me and for many fangirls like me who waited for his Manila comeback!

Beware: This post is filled with mixed emotions!

Pre-event

Being the first Korean actor to visit the Philippines right after the country opened its doors to international artists to conduct events again, Kim Soo Hyun’s Bench fan meet is truly most-awaited.

I could still remember how panicked I was during the days when the announcement for the event was up. It was when I even asked my friend to purchase items for me in SM Megamall as the selling day will be a weekday and I have work. I can’t even decide what ticket I am supposed to go for since I always wanted a friend as a companion during such events.

Event Day

As a fangirl tita who jumps from one event to another, I am all set for the special day. The only difference for this fan meet is that I needed to attend to work in the morning first before going to the venue. My friend who also set her passport renewal on the day of the event was already in SM Mall of Asia early in the morning to attend to her DFA stuff first.

She was able to claim our tickets just right on time and we met a few hours before the event. Before all the excitement, we decided to eat out first (just like we always do!), because our stomach roars louder than our fangirl hearts, perhaps most of the time.

The ticket says the gates open at 3PM but we were able to enter the venue at around late 5PM. Still, we are lucky that we didn’t line up too early like other fans did. Probably, this thing is no longer new to us that we are no longer willing to stand and line up for numerous hours just to get in.

As a person who loves events, I get to see familiar faces whom I’ve spent most of my youth with fangirling. I think the pandemic just brought us apart as we find it awkward to even greet each other hello. Anyway, I am with a friend in this event, and this friend is formerly an acquaintance with whom I used to only exchange hi and hello in the past but we got closer online during the lockdown.

The show

The Bench events aren’t new things for me. I’ve been a constant attendee for most of its Manila Korean shows. Well, it all started with Lee Min Ho and the rest is history. When Kim Soo Hyun showed up on stage, the crowd surely got wild.

Kim Soo Hyun isn’t a new face to many Filipinos. Growing up, I met characters of him in the dramas Dream High, Moon Embracing the Sun, My Love From the Star, and The Producer. These dramas made their way to the Philippines’ biggest broadcasting stations which also made our Oppa popular in the Philippines.

I became a fan of Kim Soo Hyun during his Dream High days and the cast of the said drama is on my ‘I should meet them’ bucket list. Soo Hyun being a Bench global ambassador is something we are truly grateful for because we got the chance to meet him through this brand.

Kim Soo Hyun greeted the fans who welcome him with loud cheers. Following this, he had the chance to have a little chat and Q&A with the fans. Lucky fangirls even made it on stage to play a game with him where they need to guess if a mentioned thing will be a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for Kim Soo Hyun.

More so, the interesting part is his reaction when he first tried the pineapple pizza. To be exact, the pizza box actually fell off the ground when it was delivered on stage. Still, our Oppa is kind enough to actually eat it. Asked what it tastes like after he tried it. He responded, “I just ate right in front of 3,000 people.”

Our OG Oppa also played Pinoy Henyo where he guessed numerous Korean words, answered some of the fans’ requests from the wish tree, and also made Halo Halo (unfortunately, with kamias and carrots!)

Overall, the event really hyped my fangirl heart in me. It’s been two years since I attended a legit Korean event and so I am very happy that it’s Kim Soo Hyun. I hope that in the coming days, the world will be a safer place to live again, where we can freely enjoy events together and create happy memories as we fangirl.