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Despite the news of an impending typhoon last Sept. 24, the K-drama fan in me simply could not resist attending “2022 Hwang In-youp 1st Fan Meeting” in Manila—the last stop of the Korean star’s first official fan meeting across Asia made possible by Ovation Productions.
Gusts of cold wind and rain showers met me as I walked towards the entrance of the New Frontier Theater in Cubao, Quezon City. But as soon as I got inside the theater, I immediately felt the warmth from In-youp’s supporters, all excited to see their idol.
When In-youp finally appeared onstage, he immediately greeted his fans in his deep soothing voice, “Mabuhay, Philippines! Ako po si Hwang In-youp,” and further showed off his fluency in Tagalog to his fans’ delight, adding: “Bumalik na ako. Salamat! Mag-enjoy kayo.”
The 31-year-old model-turned-actor welcomed his fans whom he calls HIYILY (which means Hwang In-youp’s family, a cross between his name’s abbreviation—HIY, and the last three letters of the word family—ILY) by serenading them with the song, “Starlight,” from the soundtrack of his hit 2020 K-drama series “True Beauty.”
Host Sam Oh then joined him onstage for the segment Hwang Quiz, a fun game to test his knowledge of the Philippines, where five lucky fans will get to receive a signed polaroid of him if he answered the questions correctly.
“You know that I studied in the Philippines, right?” In-youp quipped. Having lived in the Philippines for more than four years, “I’m very confident. I also studied Philippine history and all that stuff,” In-youp added, assuring his fans that he can ace the quiz.
During the segment, In-youp couldn’t help but reminisce his fond memories while studying in the country and the friends he has made here, some of whom would often tell him, “When you go back to Korea, you might want to be an actor.
