A club in Poblacion, a local grocery store, the mall, Jollibee; K-pop idols can sometimes be found in the most unexpected of places in the country.
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Filipino K-pop stans are currently having a great 2022 now that concerts are back (with a vengeance!) and international travel is more widely available. The K-pop concerts that were halted for the past two years are in full swing, and there’s little sign of them slowing down anytime soon. Often, these K-pop groups and idols who travel to the country for a concert operate on a strict timetable that affords them little to no time to explore Manila.
But some idols do find the time in their busy schedules to see the sights and explore. While you would think they would use it to see famous destinations, some just so happen to have different plans and find themselves in unexpected places. Here are some seemingly random locations fans spotted K-pop idols hanging out and about while they were in Manila.
AESPA’S NINGING AND GISELLE – SM MEGAMALL
Earlier at Pull & Bear SM Megamall, I heard a loud “UNNIE!” that caught my attention, to my surprise it was aespa Ningning coming towards where I am, I glanced to my left there’s Giselle beside me. She’s so cute & jumpy showing a top to her unnie 🥹 pic.twitter.com/1ukmdPDOew
— ™🧀Kim (@5hineeLtm) April 10, 2023
Oh, just two A-list K-pop idols shopping at a mall on a Monday afternoon, no big deal. A day before their highly-anticipated set at K-Verse, aespa’s Ninging and Giselle shook social media when the two were spotted going around and shopping at Megamall.
ITZY’S YUNA – A BAKERY IN CEBU
#ITZY's #YUNA spotted in San Fernando, Cebu. Gosh bumili daw ng pandesal don😭 the fan is so lucky to see her that close.😭 pic.twitter.com/dlKUQmsNbR
— ً (@maianorii) January 21, 2023
One day, you could just be buying bread at a local bakery and the next you stop on of the hottest 4th gen female K-pop idols in the shop. That’s what lucky Filipino MIDZY experienced when Yuna was spotted at a bakery in San Fernando, Cebu presumably as part of a short side trip before she gets back on the road for the group’s world tour. It’s honestly giving TWICE’s Jihyo spotted at a Break Talk in Cebu vibes and we don’t mind that at all. Shout out to the fans who gave Yuna her space.
MOMOLAND – SM HYPERMARKET
😻🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/EBNuyel859
— 🏴☠️ (@MrckyStupendous) November 26, 2022
K-pop girl group MOMOLAND is no stranger in the Philippines. They’ve had an extensive promo in the country before, and Nancy was at one point set to star in a series with James Reid. And with their recent return to the country for the Ripples of Hope 2022 concert, their love of the Philippines remains intact. In fact, the girls were spotted casually shopping at an SM Hypermarket branch. It feels like a scene ripped straight from fan fiction, but it did happen and is yet another peak 2022 moment.
WAYV – SM BY THE BAY AND INTRAMUROS
Aside from performing in the country, WayV had some free time to go exploring around the city. As they shared in their Philippine vlog, they had lunch at a Filipino restaurant that had a gorgeous view of the ocean. Afterward, they scrolled along the baywalk near MOA Arena as if they were just tourists and not a global K-pop group. The video also gave us their reaction to the viral video of fans screaming at them as they were waiting to ride the pirate ship. And for their return to Manila this past March, the boys squeezed in time to do a tour of Intramuros.
SEVENTEEN’S S.COUPS AND MINGYU – DINNER AT A KOREAN RESTAURANT
@gyucheoi so this is what love looks like 😭 #seventeen #seeyousoon #gyucheol #scoups #mingyu #betsmanila @SEVENTEEN ♬ original sound – aleccuenca on IG 💯
Imagine this: you’re having dinner at a Korean restaurant somewhere in the MOA complex and all of a sudden, SVT’s S.Coups and Mingyu show up. For lucky fans and patrons, that was a reality as the two K-pop idols were spotted casually dining at a nearby restaurant. Despite the craziness of their two-day concert in Manila, the group found the time to explore the area. Some members went to S Maison and inadvertently turned the mall into a tourist spot. Joshua and DK, meanwhile, were spotted riding some of the nearby rides. If you were in the area that weekend, you probably could have passed by a SEVENTEEN member.
TAN – INTRAMUROS
@heizyl #Fyp #foryoupage #kpop #kpopgrouptan #kpoptan ♬ DU DU DU – TAN
When the K-pop boy group TAN visited the Philippines, their schedule wouldn’t just take them to mall shows and fanmeets. Fans also spotted the boys in, among all places, Intramuros. They also visited Jollibee and treated it like with was a tourist spot (and we don’t blame them). The group was even spotted casually dining at a food park in Cebu. You really run into K-pop idols at the most random of places.
JAY B – POBLACION
@mmnotangel Hello! 2.0 ✨ Randomly encountered Jay B from Got7 & James Reid lol i hope they had a great time!! 🥹🫶🏼 seeing Jay B up close MADE ME WEAK!!!!! 🥹🥹🥹 #jayb #got7 #jaybgot7 #jaebeom #jamesreid #jaebomgot7 #jaybinmanila2022 #jaybinmanila #jamesreid #kpopfyp #celebrityencounters #fyp #carelessmusicmanila #4u #fypシ #xyzbca #fypviral #viral #hayme ♬ Hello 2.0 (Legends Only) [feat. ØZI] – James Reid & Transparent Arts & JAY B
Not only did Jay B finally give us that much-anticipated performance with James Reid for Hello 2.0, but the K-pop idol even had time to hang out with the Careless Music chairman in HQ in Poblacion. Not many can say they got to party with Jay B in Poblacion
BAMBAM – GERRY’S GRILL
Our shot puno king really got his whole life during his short but memorable stay in Manila. First, he had lunch with Liza Soberano and James Reid at Alamat in Poblacion. Then, his big-sis-in-spirit Sandara Park treated the GOT7 member to Gerry’s Grill, one of her favorite restaurants in Manila. He really is just like us, casually eating sisig and drinking San Miguel Light like a local.
CHA EUN WOO – A TRICYCLE IN CEBU
@giagiobelle wah nako kapalit ug ampalaya ganina sa mercado! Kay na starstruck ko kagwapo kaayo Cha Eun woo in lapu2x city! nitan aw pajud nako! 😍😭 #chaeunwoo #cebu #lapulapucity #fyi #fy ♬ Love so Fine – CHA EUN-WOO (ASTRO)
Whoever had the idea to have Cha Eun Woo pose by a tricycle, you’re doing amazing sweetie. It was a visual we never knew we needed, but are happy it’s real. It was part of his shoot in Cebu for his photobook magazine. But at the time, most didn’t know what the context of this surreal and viral moment us. At the end of the day though, it gave us one of our favorite things the idol actor has ever done, and for that, we are grateful.
Continue Reading: This 24-Year-Old Filipino K-pop Fan Shares Her Fancall Experiences
