Cha Eun-woo poses with the audience at the Manila leg of his 'Just One 10 Minute: Mystery Elevator' tour, March 16, 2024. Photo: @CHAEUNWOO_offcl/X

MANILA — Unlike most shows featuring Korean stars, the recent Manila stop of Cha Eun-woo’s “Just One 10 Minute: Mystery Elevator” tour was devoid of big production numbers and elaborate stage designs, delivering a no-frills night of music and kilig.

Of course, the event kept the essentials: the usual eye-catching background visuals, props for the entertaining segments, and bursts of confetti. But those never took the attention away from the South Korean singer-actor, who charmed his Filipino supporters for two hours with his heartfelt singing and eagerness to interact with them.

Excited screams filled the Mall of Asia Arena the moment Eun-woo stepped onstage, opening the evening with his cover of Lee Hyori’s “10 Minutes,” immediately showcasing his sweet-sounding voice and sleek dance moves alongside four backup dancers.

During a recent guest appearance on Hyori’s talk show, Eun-woo explained that he covered the song because he is a fan of the K-pop diva. It also relates, he said, to his past “live chats” with fans that usually ran “for at least 10 minutes.”

The screams grew louder as Eun-woo moved on to the sensual “Fu*king great time,” in which he frequently lifted his shirt to reveal his abs. The performance ended with the Korean heartthrob lying on the stage — a position he would stay in for a good few minutes, apparently exhausted from his opening set, his heavy breathing audible through his mic before greeting the audience with: “Kumusta po kayo? Ako si Cha Eun-woo (How are you? I’m Cha Eun-woo).”

“I came here with a lot of excitement. And because I’m standing right now, in front of you, I feel very amazingly happy,” the 26-year-old artist said through an interpreter.

“Because I wanted to make this a fun day for all of us, I made this [event] into a fan concert,” he said, referring to the format that involves both fan-artist interactions and song-and-dance numbers.

In one segment called “Eun-woo’s Concept Store,” fans were delighted to see the star wear a cat-ear headband and paws as he endearingly delivered the Filipino line, “AROHA, magtampo ako (I will sulk).” AROHA is the fandom name of Astro, the K-pop group which Eun-woo belongs to.

After trading the headband for a crown, the dashing Eun-woo then expressed a Korean phrase in five different ways, including in a sexy manner that had him removing his jacket to reveal his toned shoulder and arms, once again drawing cheers from fans.

In another section called “Cha-Cha Studio,” Eun-woo took photos with lucky audience members, posing with them through split screens. He found himself amused as a male fan flashed a “finger heart” at him instead of doing a “rock scissors paper” pose as instructed.

Interspersed between the segments were performances, allowing Eun-woo to showcase tracks off his recently-released debut extended play “Entity,” including “U&I,” “You’re the Best” and single “Stay.”

Cha Eun-woo debuts as solo singer with EP 'Entity'

“It hasn’t been long since my solo album came out but I’ll try to show you more songs in the future… I promise,” he told fans.

Eun-woo also performed a medley of Astro’s singles, including “Crazy Sexy Cool,” “Knock” and “Candy Sugar Pop.”

He also dished out his solo track “First Love” as well as songs that he recorded for his acting projects, including “Jealousy” from the series “A Good Day To Be A Dog” and “Love Sailing” from the film “Decibel.”

PHILIPPINE MEMORIES 

At one point, Eun-woo reminisced about the time he lived in the Philippines. 

“When I was in fourth grade, I was in Tagaytay for six months, maybe,” he said.

“Back then, I was very young but now that I recall my memory, I think it was a very happy memory that I can turn back to,” he added.

And the fan concert (produced by PULP Live World) was another opportunity for Eun-woo to create meaningful memories with his Filipino supporters. For instance, the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to him even though his birthday was still weeks away.

“Thank you because you guys are the first to sing happy birthday to me,” said Eun-woo, who turns 27 on March 30.

In what would probably be the night’s most touching moment, Eun-woo was shown a video that included messages from his Filipino fans. As they expressed their love for him, the star waved back or flashed finger hearts at them, as if they were actually in front of him.

Visibly touched, Eun-woo said, “While I was watching the fan video, I thought that I was really thankful that we’ve reached this point of our relationship where we’re able to influence one another this much greatly.”

Cha Eun-woo ‘always happy’ to perform for Filipino fans

Before closing the show with “Love So Fine,” a song from his hit romantic comedy series “True Beauty,” Eun-woo vowed to return to the country.

“I really want to make more great memories to cherish with all of you. I promise to be back here in the Philippines more often,” he said. “Today was a good memory and happy moment for me. Mami-miss ko kayo (I will miss you guys).”

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