One step closer to Seo In-guk
"Seo In-guk! Seo In-guk!”
Fans of the Korean actor and singer chanted as they waited for their oppa to emerge onstage at his Bench fan meet dubbed “One Step Closer with Seo In-guk,” which happened on Aug. 22.
The Main Atrium of the SM Mall of Asia was packed with Heartriders and SIG Angels, with some fans traveling from as far as Laguna, Bulacan and Nueva Ecija, to see Seo In-guk in person. Even the floors above the atrium were lined with people hoping to catch a glimpse of the Korean star.
In-guk, who shot to fame after winning Superstar K in 2009, has won over fans as both a singer and an actor, starring in a number popular K-dramas—an impressive list that includes Boyfriend on Demand, Doom at Your Service, Cafe Minamdang, Shopping King Louis (also known as Shopaholic Louis and definitely one of my favorites), Reply 1997, Death’s Game, and, most recently, See You at Work Tomorrow!
He joined the Bench family as a Global Bench Setter in March this year, starring in the retail giant’s Boyfriend Jeans campaign. And just months later, he flew to Manila to spend time with the fans who had been eagerly waiting to welcome him back to the country.
“Are you ready to meet your idol?” funny host Bae Jinho asked the excited crowd, who responded with deafening screams and cheers.
Seo In-guk came out, looking handsome in his Bench varsity jacket, white shirt and jeans. He waved to his fans and began singing his 2022 song My Love.
Love in three languages
The crowd screamed, sang along, and kept exclaiming, “Ang pogi!”
They told him they love him in three languages—English, Filipino, and Korean.
In-guk greeted his fans, saying in Korean, “It’s been so long since I’ve been here and I’m really grateful to Bench for bringing me here… Seeing you guys makes me feel so excited.”
In the first segment of his sit-down conversation with Bae Jinho, photos were flashed onscreen and In-guk was asked to talk about them. The first set of photos were from his Bench campaign shoot. “I had a really, really good time shooting this,” he said.
He described the different looks as the different charms of an oppa—an athletic oppa, a campus oppa, an oppa who looks like he’ll buy you meals in school, an oppa who likes hanging out at the library, a carefree oppa.
When it comes to clothes, In-guk likes keeping it casual, he said. “I really like casual style—this style that I’m wearing today is what I prefer. I wear stuff like this a lot in my daily life but if I have to go somewhere important or if I have a meeting, I do a more formal style. And at Bench, it’s easy to find both styles and I think that’s such a great thing.”
He looked at photos from his previous trip to the Philippines and said, “These were all shot near the sea. I actually want to go back where we shot that.”
He gamely answered questions about the kind of person he finds attractive (“Somebody who converses really well is very charming to me”), his perfect date (“Instead of walking on eggshells, I want something simple”), his roots as a musician (“I think it was in high school. Because I wanted to sing, I gravitated towards grabbing a musical instrument. At first it was the piano and then I ended up with the guitar”) and his deep love for animals (“I really like animals. I’ve been into golf lately and when you play golf you see a lot of animals—deer, rabbits, ducks and cats. I try to touch them but they all just run away. I love all animals except the ones that bite”).
When asked how he relieves stress, In-guk said, “These days, I’m crazy about ramyun. I know Filipinos like Shin Ramyun but instead of Shin Ramyun, I’d like to recommend Squid Jjamppong Ramyun. You have to add tuna extract from the can—if you eat it like that it’s so good.”
He also had a tip when it comes to adding eggs to ramyun. “Some people break raw eggs and whisk them into their ramyun but next time, put in a fried egg.”
Teased about how passionate he is about the subject, he said, “In my free time I research the best combinations for Squid Jjamppong Ramyun. I’m very serious about it. I can give you all the tips.”
Playing Kang Si-Woo
In See You at Work Tomorrow!, In-guk plays Kang Si-Woo. “He’s very strict, very serious about work but to the one he loves he’s an absolute fluffball of love.”
When asked what he thinks fans like about the character, he said, “I’m also curious.”
“Muscles!” some fans screamed.
He laughed and said, “Oh right, I took off my clothes.
Someone in the audience had been waving a towel printed with a shirtless image of In-guk. Amused, he asked to see it, and then he posed with the towel and asked for a pen so he could sign it before returning it to the owner.
He asked the audience for recommendations on what Filipino food he still needs to try. “I thought I tasted a lot of Filipino food already but it turns out I hadn’t.”
“Jollibee!” some fans yelled.
He smiled and said, “I ate Jollibee right as I got here.”
They told him to try sinigang next.
Time for games
Then, it was game time.
First up, a tongue twister game that had fans trying to say this phrase three times fast: “Sinangag, sinigang, sisig.”
After a fan was declared a winner, In-guk volunteered to try it as well. He was told to say “Sinangag, sinigang, sisig, Seo In-Guk.”
He failed his first attempt. “This is so hard,” he said, as the crowd laughed and screamed. “Give me one more chance.”
He tried again and succeeded. Everyone cheered.
In-guk isn’t just known as the master of kissing (his kissing scenes are fire—just check out the couch scene with Jisoo on Boyfriend on Demand), he is also a master of aegyo or acting cute so in the next segment, he did cute poses while the camera panned the crowd in search of fans who would pose with him, doing hand hearts and air kisses.
Another game followed—four fans battled it out to see who could say “Seo In-guk, saranghae (“I love you” in Korean)” the longest. But before that, they got the chance to talk to In-guk onstage. One of them told him, “You’re not just good looking, your heart is pure… Filipinos love you so much.”
The game began. The first fan lasted 13 seconds. The second fan did 11 seconds but clasped hands with In-guk before leaving the stage so, in my opinion, she still won. The third fan screamed the sentence, making In-guk laugh. She clocked in just eight seconds. In-guk commented that her high pitch made her sound like Mariah Carey.
The last fan hit an amazing 15 seconds. Her prize? Getting to stare into In-guk’s eyes for 10 seconds. In-guk didn’t just stare into her eyes, he tucked her hair behind her ear and held her hand. I’m surprised she didn’t melt.
For the final game, fans got to spin a roulette to land on different prizes: a signed Bench shirt, a good morning or good night greeting from In-guk, a selfie with him, and the one the fans wanted the most: a hug from the Korean star.
39th birthday of Bench
Because it was the 39th birthday of Bench, In-guk sang the birthday song for the brand. “This is such a memorable thing,” he said. “I’m here in the Philippines because of everyone here and it’s because of chairman Ben Chan that I’m able to meet everyone here.”
In-guk asked Ben, who had been sitting front row, to join him onstage for a photo.
Host Bae Jinho gushed about In-guk’s sweetness. “Wala sa script yan,” he told the crowd. “Gusto lang niya talaga magpasalamat.”
The fan meet ended with a gift from In-guk’s fans: a tribute video featuring their heartfelt messages. I could have sworn I saw In-guk getting teary-eyed while watching. It was also funny how he kept spotting the people in the videos in the crowd, pointing them out.
“I’m so touched,” In-guk said. “I’m so thankful. I want to say to everyone that I’m grateful that you’re here with me to make some beautiful memories. More than any other feeling, I think nothing beats the feeling that you are loved. Your love is really my biggest strength. It’s my biggest cheer and the biggest luck in my life.”
He added, “It’s because you guys exist that I’m able to be here and it’s because of you that I’m able to do this with Bench. I’m grateful for the big love that you give and I hope what you take away from today is great memories with me. I’m actually shooting something for you guys that you’ll see very soon and I’m also making more music so I hope to see you very soon.”
He had one final song for his audience, the very apt All For You. He loved that his Filipino fans were able to sing along with him despite the language difference.
After one final “kamsahamnida” and another “mahal kita, Seo In-guk” from the crowd, he exited the stage.
One step closer—until the next time.
