Cha Eun Woo looks back on living in Phl
South Korean star Cha Eun Woo isn’t dubbed by his fans as the “face genius” or “visual king” — a term to refer to his heartthrob looks — for nothing. The member of the idol boy group ASTRO, whose career was sent soaring outside of his home country through dramas like My ID is Gangnam Beauty and True Beauty, could hardly finish his sentences without having to elicit screams — and to think, this was just the presscon and not the actual fan meet yet.
“Hello guys, long time no see. I miss you. How about you?” the actor-singer began during an event on Saturday with select press and SVIP ticket holders (including actresses Denise Laurel and Kim Domingo) at the Novotel Manila Araneta. The meet and greet was held ahead a few hours before his official fan meeting titled Just One 10 Minute Starry Caravan in Manila at the Araneta Coliseum.
It was Eun Woo’s return visit to Manila almost three years after his first fan meet in October 2019.
Alternately speaking between English and Korean, he promised a great time with the fandom, also called Arohas, who even on the night of his arrival, already “very warmly” welcomed him.
The 25-year-old debuted in the K-pop scene with ASTRO in 2016, although as an actor, he first appeared in the drama Modern Farmer in 2014.
Asked how much he has changed since then, he paused to think before musing, “Most noticeable change? I don’t know exactly. But maybe… I think I’m the same. Yes, the same.
“Is he?” TV personality Sam Oh, who served as event host at the same time interpreted, asked the audience.
“No! Better,” fans playfully protested in reaction.
“Yes, I got better but I think I learned a lot after my debut,” Eun Woo answered.
One thing’s certain, he wants to continuously improve as an artist. “No. 1, I don’t feel I have achieved that much yet. Instead of doing something new and learning something else, what I’d like to do is to be better at things that I’m doing already — whether it’s singing or acting, and all the different things that I do now,” he expressed.
During the media event as well as the fan meet, Eun Woo also spoke about the time he lived in the Philippines. He came here when he was around 11 or in fourth grade, and stayed for six months to study English.
He further went down the memory lane and had fun naming favorites from living in the country, namely jeepney, Jollibee, mangos, mangosteen and visiting a certain mall where he used to go “once a month” to eat kebab.
The fan meeting featured the “signature” segments like games and reenactment of scenes from his popular K-dramas. He also played the piano and performed Shawn Mendes’ When You’re Gone and Love So Fine, the original soundtrack of True Beauty, as fitting finale to the event.
Eun Woo will next be starring in the K-drama Island, where he portrays the role of a young Catholic priest and exorcist.
Korean news outlets had also reported in July that he was in talks to join the lead cast of the Hollywood film K-Pop: Lost in America starring comedienne Rebel Wilson.
The Cha Eun Woo Fan Meeting 2022 was presented by DNM Entertainment Makeitlive. Smart Prepaid also partnered with PCCW’s leading pan-regional OTT video streaming service Viu to have its subscribers gain access to the live event. Earlier this year, Smart gave fans the opportunity to spend a special day with the actor-singer through a Smart Hallyu Hangouts virtual session, where fans were able to interact and get to know their idol.
Eun Woo’s K-series My ID is Gangnam Beauty, True Beauty, as well as the variety shows he was part of such as All the Butlers and Handsome Tigers are still streaming on Viu.