Hwang In Youp Delivers A Night To Remember Through His First Fan Meeting In Manila

“Welcome Home Hwang In-Youp!” Filipino Fans Reunite with The ‘True Beauty’ Actor in his Fan Meeting in Manila

Just a few months after his first fan meeting in Manila for cosmetics brand BYS, South Korean actor Hwang In-Youp went back for another night with his Filipino fans at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao last September 24, 2022. 

After his successful fan meetings in Seoul, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand, In-Youp reunites with his fans in the Philippines for the final leg of his 2022 fan meetings. For his opening number, the spotlight illuminated the stage with the actor holding on a mic stand at the center as he started singing Starlight, the song from his breakthrough role Han Seojun. The crowd gushed as if watching the Korean Drama True Beauty all over again, but this time live!

Welcome Home Hwang In-Youp!

After the sentimental song number, Hwang In-Youp was interviewed by the event’s host Sam Oh. His answers showed a lot of Filipino influences, after living in Davao years back. When asked if he was able to eat delicious food, he quickly responded with “Yes, halo-halo from Chowking in SM Megamall.” Amusingly he quipped that he knows you have to mix this local dessert, as he had it a thousand times already. “It tastes like heaven,” he added.

As a prize for answering difficult questions related to Philippine history and culture, the actor received a cup of halo-halo!

Aside from food, In-Youp also impressed the crowd with Filipino words like “Mahal kita”. During the In-Youp Q&A segment, someone asked him “Why so gwapo?”, to which he replied with “Maganda din kayo.”

Is there a chance that In-Youp will visit Davao again? The actor replied, “I really want to go to Davao again, but my schedule can be a little tight. Maybe within the year, I will make a secret trip.”

A True Shining Star

Although his claim to fame is True Beauty, Hwang In-Youp has been in several  successful Korean dramas. His popularity did not end in one-hit wonder as he proves his versatility in acting and dedication for the craft. In the fan meeting segment called In-Youp’s Filmography, fans looked back on the several roles he played on the small screen, while the host asked a question related to it. Here are some of them:

Park Dan Ho from The Tale of Nokdu (2019) – For the actor, the most challenging part was not the three to four layers of the traditional costume, but having to wear his hair in a tight ponytail which caused him to lose a lot of hair!

Goo Ja Sung from 18 Again (2020) – Playing a student role, the host asked how he was while in school. In-Youp said that he was average in school, he loved halo-halo and Jollibee, and his friends taught him street basketball. 

Han Seo-Jun from True Beauty (2020) – While studying here, In-Youp’s friends asked him if he wanted to become an actor in Korea. So when his show True Beauty did so well here in the Philippines, In-Youp wondered if his friends watched it too

Na Il Deung from The Sound of Magic (2022) – In-Youp learned how to play the guitar for this role, but aside from this musical instrument, he also knew how to play the beatbox which his Filipino friends taught him when they were still students.

Gong Chan from Why Her? (2022) – In his latest Korean drama, In-Youp’s character for Why Her? was the opposite of the roles he played before. He wanted to show his fans a totally different character. Making his fans even more kilig, In-Youp added: “If I have someone special in my life, I will be very bold (in expressing it) like Gong Chan.”

In-Youp is also part of the ongoing Korean reality show Young Actors’ Retreat along with his co-stars from The Sound of Magic, and big Korean actors such as Park Bo-Gum and Park Seo-Joon. 

Mister Fan Service

Most probably everyone in the audience during this 2-hour fan meeting will say that the highlight of this show is In-Youp’s fan service. In the middle of his Q&A, In-Youp wanted to give a message to his fans in Filipino. With the help of his translator, he said, “Salamat sa pag mamahal niyo”.

Although a self-confessed shy boy, In-Youp was also very game when it comes to his fans’ requests, from sharing his favorite pose in front of the camera, to dancing to Han Seo-Jun’s Okey Dokey Yo! 

During the break, they also showed a special HIY Vlog that In-Youp recorded while in Korea. It showed a day in his life, working on a photoshoot, and driving to a restaurant outside of Seoul. After the vlog, In-Youp went back to surprise his audience by going around all corners of the venue to say hi and make eye contact with everyone who made time to see him that night!

The show was indeed 100% fan service, with lots of fan interactions onstage including staring contests, clapping games, and arm wrestling. Lucky fans who were able to participate instantly won a polaroid photo opportunity with the actor who made sure he lost the games so his fans could get the prizes!

“I hope that your days will be filled with happiness and love”

As the fan meeting came to its end, In-Youp gave away a signed Korean Traditional Fan to one lucky fan where he also wrote the sincere message “I hope that your days will be filled with happiness and love”.

Just before the group photo, the actor was surprised with fan video messages. Like a true homecoming, both his Filipino fans and the banners raised during the group photo touchingly said: “Welcome Home Hwang In-Youp”, making the actor feel right at home here in the Philippines.

To close the stage, the actor sang I Mean It from the Korean drama The Sound of Magic. The night did not end without a quick “Hi-Bye” session, where everyone present were asked to go up the stage for a final close-encounter with the actor. It was indeed a night filled with happiness and love.