Kim Soo Hyun at his 'Eyes on You' show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Photo from @soohyun_k216

South Korean superstar Kim Soo Hyun is known for his amazing acting skills that easily make viewers cry with his expressive eyes and mastery in delivering lines. But at his 'Eyes on You' show in Manila, the Queen of Tears actor may have probably brought people to tears due to laughter. Kim Soo Hyun gave his fans a glimpse of his sense of humor throughout his two-hour show last June 29 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The event, presented by Wilbros Live, is part of the 2024 Kim Soo Hyun Asia Tour which started in Bangkok, followed by Yokohama and Manila; his next shows will be in Taipei, Hong Kong, and Jakarta. This tour comes a decade after his '1st Memories' tour in 2014. When Filipino fans bought tickets to his show, they knew they would get a fun fan meet experience with the top Korean actor. After all, this wasn't the first time Kim Soo Hyun held a similar event in Manila; he had a fan meet event with Bench in June 2022 and one with Dunkin' in January 2023.

So yes, it's always fun with Kim Soo Hyun who's generous with fan service. But oh boy, we didn't expect to get an event that was close to a fan concert! Normally, fan meet events are more of Q&A portions and games. But Kim Soo Hyun's 'Eyes on You' show in Manila leveled up the concept with an over-the-top stage setup and a band to boot.

Lovin' him with all our hearts

Before the show started, a video featuring his roles in movies and TV shows was shown, with the fans' cheers peaking during the parts where It's Okay to Not Be Okay and Queen of Tears were flashed. And because many are fresh from feeling all the romantic feels in his latest K-drama with Kim Ji Won, where he portrayed the character of lawyer Baek Hyun Woo, it was only fitting that Kim Soo Hyun kicked off the show with a performance of the Queen of Tears OST 'Love You With All My Heart' by Crush while the big screens onstage flashed illustrated sceneries in Germany (such as in Sanssouci Palace), where some parts of the series were filmed.

Sure, it was not a flawless performance, and Kim Soo Hyun knew it and adorably laughed about it. After his performance, host Sam Oh asked him to greet his Filipino fans, and he said, 'Kumusta ka? Ako ay si Kim Soo Hyun. Magandang gabi!'

Sharing his thoughts about his opening number, Kim Soo Hyun said he wanted to make a grand statement with it, but that the screams of his fans were penetrating his in-ear. The crowd didn't seem to mind that he was off-key, because it was an enjoyable performance that struck a chord, especially if you're a huge fan of Queen of Tears.

To cool down from all that hype from the first performance, a Q&A segment followed, where Kim Soo Hyun said through a translator, 'Sobrang masaya ako na nakita ko kayo uli.' It was not his first time in the Philippines, so Sam asked him about his favorite Filipino dish. He described a dish sizzling on a stone plate, and everyone immediately knew he was talking about sisig. He also said he had chicken and rice from Jollibee the night before the event, a Filipino twist to what they call 'chibop' in Korea.

At one point during this segment, Kim Soo Hyun became the 'King of Tears,' as he got so emotional from seeing the smiles on his fans' faces and hearing their screams. He even stood up, picked up some tissues, and stepped away to wipe off his tears. 'Gamsahamnida. Salamat po,' he told the crowd.

Capturing fan's hearts further

In a segment called 'Yongduri Photo Studio' (Yongduri is the village in Baek Hyun Woo's hometown in Queen of Tears), Kim Soo Hyun was asked to share behind-the-scene stories of a couple of photos he posted on Instagram. He was to answer three questions per photo. But as a twist, he could only comment on them in 100 seconds. He took his time explaining the first photo (shot in Germany, he's wearing a white tank top and a black jacket that was falling off on one shoulder in the photo). One of the questions about the photo was whether his jacket slipped down naturally or if he did it on purpose; he said that since it was pretty hot that day, he just thought of removing his jacket a bit then he proceeded to recreate the photo. The crowd went wild when he did so, and the adorable Kim Soo Hyun gestured for everyone to calm down. The last question for that photo was whether he prefers doing outdoor shoots in the summer or winter. He said that while his favorite season is winter, he prefers outdoor shoots during summer.

The 100-second time was up even before they reached the second photo, but he willingly went on to talk about the second photo. It was a photo of him covered up while visiting a clinic in Queen of Tears episode 1; in the photo, he's with Oh Jung Se, who played his brother in It's Okay to Not Be Okay and was featured in a cameo as a psychiatrist in Queen of Tears. Sharing what it was like to work with Oh Jung Se, Kim Soo Hyun said that the vibe of the shoot was fun, he misses him already, and that he finds him trustworthy.

Kim Soo Hyun's commentary on Queen of Tears

The next segment of Kim Soo Hyun's 'Eyes on You' show was dubbed 'Exclusive! Soo Hyun's Commentary.' Here, a couple of scenes from Queen of Tears were played for him to comment on. The first one that was shown was a scene from episode 11 where, because of her worsening illness, Hong Hae In mistakenly thinks she's riding the car with Baek Hyun Woo (Kim Soo Hyun) only to come to her senses later on and realize she's actually with Yoon Eun Sung (Park Sung Hoo); Baek Hyun Woo comes to her rescue, blocking their car with his and shouting 'Hae In' for her to recognize him.

Asked what he felt while filming this scene, Kim Soo Hyun instead shouted 'Hae In' and the crowd erupted into cheers, much to his delight. 'Inom muna kayo ng tubig,' the translator interpreted Kim Soo Hyun's funny comment as if telling everyone to calm down. He proceeded to answer the question, saying through the translator, 'When I was looking at Hae In, anger and sad[ness] and then a little bit of sorrow and then worry about the health of Hae In. That was how I felt when I was shouting… But of course, feeling sorry for Hae In.'

The next scenes showed Kim Soo Hyun's Baek Hyun Woo sharing the screen with Kwak Dong Yeon's Hong Soo Cheol who he described as 'a cute character.'

Inspired by a scene in Queen of Tears, a 'Surprise Quiz' segment gave fans a chance to answer the question on what fell at Queen's Department Store, as Baek Hyun Woo wanted to surprise Hong Hae In with it because she thinks she might not see it again. A fan answered 'snow,' and she was right! Then suddenly, fans were treated to a surprise snow props and effect at The Big Dome.

Kim Soo Hyun's newly discovered Tagalog words or expressions

One of the things we always look forward to in fan meet events with Korean artists is the part where they're asked to say Filipino or Tagalog words. That segment on Kim Soo Hyun's show, titled 'Learning About the Philippines,' definitely did not disappoint. Host Sam Oh and his fans taught him how to say words like 'omsim' (reversed word of 'mismo' or exactly), 'eme lang,' and 'charot' (the last two are synonymous with 'joke'). In case you didn't notice, the layout of the visuals for this segment featured an image of Do Min Joon's (Kim Soo Hyun's My Love from the Stars character) library.

For the first word, Sam challenged him to use the word 'omsim' in an interaction. She asked the crowd to tell him 'Kim Soo Hyun oppa, ang pogi mo,' and he was supposed to reply with 'omsim.' But the humble Kim Soo Hyun replied with 'salamat po' instead.

When it came to 'eme lang' and 'charot,' he gamely said the words but with a hand gesture twist for 'charot,' recreating how a fan he spotted from the crowd said it. And he enjoyed saying that word so much he kept repeating it and doing the hand gesture many more times during the show. Applying those words while interacting with his fans, he was supposed to reply to the given statements with 'eme lang' and 'charot.'

Sam: 'I heard you're having so much fun that this two-hour show was gonna be a four-hour show!'

Soo Hyun: 'Charot! Eme lang!'

Sam: 'You know the shower scene in Queen of Tears? I heard we're gonna see it live and in person tonight!'

Soo Hyun: 'Charot!'

After this fun segment, Kim Soo Hyun went backstage for an outfit change. He first wore an all-black ensemble with a tank top, blazer, and trousers. While changing into his second outfit, there was a lucky draw where Sam picked ticket numbers of lucky fans who would join Kim Soo Hyun in a game. Once that part was done, he reemerged onstage, still rocking a stylish smart business look but this time in all-white.

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Winning moments for the fans

Games are always part of fanmeets as they bring the artists closer to their fans. For Kim Soo Hyun's event, the game was called 'Mission! Relay Challenge.' There were 10 participants divided into two groups that competed in three challenges: 'Unity Game' where they were supposed to do the same poses on cue after hearing a keyword; 'Table Curling;' and 'Drawing Speed Quiz' (where each member will draw something that will contribute to a bigger picture and Kim Soo Hyun was to guess what the drawings were; funnily, both teams drew a coconut and a coconut tree).

Their prizes for participating in the game? All 10 of them got to take pictures with him after the show. As a bonus, the winning team got necklaces with a pendant design he drew himself; they came in luxurious black boxes with a gold 'Kim Soo Hyun' print and zip locks with his drawing printed on them too. As if that wasn't enough, he even personally handed the gifts to his fans and shook their hands.

KSH: 'K' Sings from the Heart

The 'Eyes on You' show then felt like an '[All] Ears on You' kind of event, as Kim Soo Hyun prepared (English!) song numbers. It was like he was channeling his character 'K' (aka Song Sam Dong) from Dream High.

He impressed everyone with his version of The Calling's 'Wherever You Will Go.' The fans sang with him, prompting him to say, 'It seems you guys know this song more than I do. Actually, I think Filipinos are really good at singing, right?'

Kim Soo Hyun then sang 'Someone You Loved' by Lewis Capaldi. He missed some lyrics and struggled to hit the right notes, yes, but he kept the show going. He let the crowd sing parts of the song, and it was such a cute moment. After the number, he said, 'Actually, kanina nu'ng kumakanta ako, sigurado na nawala ako sa kanta ko.' Feeling sorry for his performance, he thanked the fans for singing along with him. The fans shouted 'gwaenchanha' (which means 'it's okay' in Korean); he couldn't control his laughter and told the fans he would do his best for the next number.

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The next number? No less than 'All of Me' by John Legend. Kim Soo Hyun thanked the crowd after his performance then apologized. 'In Korean kasi, ito 'yung tinatawag na, okay, you guys repeat after me,' he said, adorably embarrassed. 'A-i-goo. Aigoo! We have to do 'aigoo' three times, okay? Aigoo, aigoo, aigoo!' Aigoo means 'Oh my' or 'Oh dear' in Korean. The fans shouted 'gwaenchanha' again, and he showered everyone with finger hearts.

Kim Soo Hyun promised a better song number for the next part, telling everyone he would do his best so he wouldn't fail. He kept his promise and entertained his fans with the classic 'She Taught Me How to Yodel' performance. He was so fun to watch that some of his fans couldn't help but sing and dance along in their seats. After watching these numbers, Sam knew the fans' thoughts exactly, as she said, 'I do not have the words. Is this a fan meeting or a Kim Soo Hyun concert?'

KIm Soo Hyun in his 'All of Me' performance

Kim Soo Hyun showering everyone with finger hearts

Kim Soo Hyun in his 'She Taught Me How to Yodel' performance

Showcasing his self-deprecating humor, Kim Soo Hyun acknowledged that his song numbers weren't the best but that he drew a lot of strength from his fans. From the shower of finger hearts earlier in the show, then came a shower of flying kisses!

After the laugh trip moments, the event turned emotional as Kim Soo Hyun watched a video showing messages from his Filipino fans. 'I would like to sincerely express my gratitude to all of you who have prepared this video for me. Thank you so much. Actually, when I was planning for this fan meeting, I wanted to give you guys a lot of laughs and a lot of enjoyment today in the show, but it seems like I was the one who laughed more and enjoyed more in this show,' he said. 'Moving forward for a long time when I'm, you know, acting and pursuing my career and whenever I'm feeling tired or I need some strength in life, I'll remember all these beautiful faces and I will be coming here to get a lot of strength and support from all of you guys.'

By that time, we knew the show was about to end, and so, the fans who didn't want the show to wrap up shouted, 'Walang uuwi! Walang uuwi!' (No one will go home!) The funny Kim Soo Hyun bopped a little with this chant and then he said, 'I have to actually go, right? Actually, if I exit that way (pointing to the side of the stage), I will enter that way (pointing to the center of the stage), right?,' hinting at an encore performance. He then exited the stage and then the screen flashed 'Kim Soo Hyun,' signaling everyone to shout his name out loud as if calling him back onstage for his final performance.

And then there he was, performing his song 'Way Home,' which is part of the Queen of Tears OST. What a fitting finale! We hope he knows he has a home in his Filipino fans, and he's always welcome to come back. Well, as he revealed at the event, he will be back in the Philippines this year and will start shooting a new drama this month, too.

Queen of Tears star Kim Soo Hyun's 'Eyes on You' show was such a feel-good show that we wouldn't be surprised if his fans shed some tears of joy. After all, the fun-filled, heartwarming event also turned this oppa into the 'King of Tears.' Till your next fan meet (or concert?), Kim Soo Hyun!

Lead photos by Gracielle Libero and from @soohyun_k216

Event photos by Grace Libero-Cruz

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