Making my fanboy dreams come true, one K-drama star at a time
My journey as an avid K-drama fan has been nothing short of exhilarating so far. It all started when I stumbled upon Autumn in My Heart on Philippine television. I was instantly captivated by how Song Seung Heon played the role of Joon-Suh or Johnny, so I made sure to tune in to the show to the very end.
From then on, I casually continued to watch more Korean drama series such as Stairway to Heaven and My Name is Kim Sam Soon, as well as movies like A Moment to Remember, starring Jung Woo Sung and Son Ye Jin. The more I watched them, the more I found myself drawn to the talented actors who brought the characters to life. It wasn't long before I began dreaming of meeting them in person—little did I know it would actually come true.
For me, pursuing a hobby like watching K-dramas is fun, especially if you have friends to share all the "feels" with. I'm thankful to have met fellow enthusiasts in college, with whom I would excitedly exchange recommendations during breaks. It was also around that time when Korean artists—actors and K-pop idols alike—started visiting the Philippines for concerts and fan meetings. While I really wanted to see them then, I wasn't able to do so due to certain circumstances. But I never lost hope and continued believing that there's a right time for everything, including seeing my favorite Korean stars in the flesh.
After three years of working in the Philippines and several laps of K-drama marathons, an opportunity to be relocated to Korea for work was presented to me. I was barely able to contain my excitement because aside from being able to build my career in a country that I had always wanted to visit, I knew that this was also my chance to turn my K-drama fan dreams into reality. It was the easiest "yes" I've ever said.
I've been living in Korea for six years now, and it opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. I soon found myself attending fan meetings, concerts, and even bumping into my favorite actors on the streets of Seoul.
Meeting my favorite K-drama stars
My first time meeting a Korean celebrity was in March 2018, and it was none other than Lee Dong Wook. I won an online raffle for his fan meeting, which was held at the same venue as the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. It wasn't all fun, though, as we weren't allowed to take photos and videos during the event.
We were later given free tickets for an ice hockey game, which took place around five hours after the fan meet. I had work the next day, but I decided to push through with it because I had nothing else to do anyway. I was on my phone, waiting for the match to start, until I heard people screaming. To my surprise, Lee Dong Wook arrived—and he was seated just a row below mine. What an unforgettable experience!
I got lucky at an online raffle again and met Park Seo Joon at a fansign event organized by a Korean food brand in late 2018. When it was my turn to get an autograph, he said "Hello!" to which I responded with "Annyeong haseyo!" and a couple of Korean sentences to quickly introduce myself as his fan. He replied, "Oh, your Korean is good. I will speak to you in Korean then," and asked me about my work. It was a small talk I absolutely enjoyed.
The stars aligned for me again in another online raffle, where I had to purchase a certain amount of goods from a Korean apparel brand. Of course, I did it for one of my ultimate biases: Jung Woo Sung. As a longtime star in the Korean entertainment industry, he told me he was surprised to know that he has a foreigner fan like me while he was signing my poster.
I continued meeting other Korean actors and idols until the pandemic happened.
I just spent the lockdown watching multiple K-drama shows during my free time from work. It was also around that time when I started becoming a big fan of Kim Seon Ho for his acting performance as Han Ji Pyeong in Start Up, which also convinced me to watch Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, where he portrays Hong Du Sik. I had a deep fascination for the latter—it even inspired me to visit its filming locations in Pohang. Later on, I found myself watching his other series, knowing more about him on the Internet, and hoping to see him in person one day.
It finally happened when he had a fan meeting tour across nine countries in Asia from 2022 to 2023. As a true "stan," I went and met him at all the stops. In one of them, Kim Seon Ho recognized me and told me he sees me often. See how much he appreciates his fans?
I also attended as many stage greeting events as I could for his movie The Childe, both in Korea and Japan. During the affair in Seoul, the cast was asked to hand out giveaways to lucky fans, who were determined by drawing lots. But Kim Seon Ho did it differently: He looked at me and announced to the audience that he would give the signed official movie postcard to me. I was so touched by his kind gesture.
Just weeks ago, I was fortunate to see the cast of Queen of Tears, and even met its female lead star Kim Ji Won (known as Hong Hae In in the series) at the airport. I still have yet to get over the Korean masterpiece (yes, even to this day), so I poured my heart out in a letter thanking Kim Ji Won for her outstanding performance that really moved me on the show. Thankfully, I was able to give it to her directly, and she received it with a smile. After sharing it on my social media platforms, I was touched to read fans' praises to Kim Ji Won for being a humble actress who interacts with her fans nicely.
I met the cast of Lovely Runner at their recently concluded stage greeting event. Being able to see Byeon Woo Seok in real life was amazing in itself, but it was something else cheering "Sunjae-ya" (Byeon Woo Seok's character in the series) in front of him. It felt like an absolute dream. I also got to speak with Sung Byoung Sook, the actress who plays the grandmother of Im Sol (played by female lead actress Kim Hye Yoon) on the show. She complimented me for my good Korean skills after knowing that I'm from the Philippines.
Since I document and share my fan experiences on social media, mainly on my Instagram and X accounts, I get a fulfilling feeling whenever I hear from people I meet online and in person that they live vicariously through my posts. I feel happy knowing that I'm able to make them happy with me, just by meeting Korean actors in person and helping convey their love in my interactions with them as best as I could.
It's been a surreal experience for me as a Filipino K-drama fan living in Korea. I get starstruck, but at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude towards them for bringing joy and inspiration into my life through their craft. As I continue with my fan journey, I remain grateful for the opportunities that come to me and the memories I create along the way. It's been a dream come true, and I look forward to what the K-drama world has in store, not just for me, but for my fellow fans, too.
with Daniel Henney
with Ju Ji Hoon
with Kang Haneul
with Kim Go Eun
with Kim Jung Hyun
with Kim Taeri
with Kim Woo Bin
with Lee Jae Yoon
with Lee Jun Young
with Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung
with Lee Mu Saeng
with Moon Sang Min
with Park Hae Joon
with Park Hyung Sik
with Park Shin Hye
with Shin Hae Sun
with Son Suk Ku
with Song Joongki
With Song Seung Heon
with Wi Ha Joon
with Daniel Henney
with Ju Ji Hoon
with Kang Haneul
with Kim Go Eun
with Kim Jung Hyun
with Kim Taeri
with Kim Woo Bin
with Lee Jae Yoon
with Lee Jun Young
with Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung
with Lee Mu Saeng
with Moon Sang Min
with Park Hae Joon
with Park Hyung Sik
with Park Shin Hye
with Shin Hae Sun
with Son Suk Ku
with Song Joongki
With Song Seung Heon
with Wi Ha Joon
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