There’s a “La-la-la-la-lalalalah…” that now keeps playing in my head. It’s that catchy “la-la-la-la-lalalalah” from the hit 2021 Korean drama Hometown Cha-cha-cha and the only “la-la-la-la-lalalalah” that you’ll play in your head when you meet in person the series’ main lead, Kim Seon-ho.
The South Korean superstar is so attractive that I was certain my jaw dropped while I was taking a video of him emerging onstage for his press conference as the latest global ambassador of retail giant Bench. How can one be so perfect yet so real? He wore a black and white checkered Bench shirt with a white Bench tee underneath, black trousers, and sneakers. The casual look suited him so well.
Good boy gives the good smile at Bench presscon. (Photo by Tinkerbell Poblete)
“Ako po si Kim Seon-ho,” he greeted us in Filipino, his smile displaying those dimples that have sent millions of hearts a-flutter in drama series (Start-Up, Hometown Cha-cha-cha). I think seasoned celebrity host Robi Domingo, who emceed the actor’s press con and the fan meet, melted at that moment.
Robi told Seon-ho that Hometown Cha-cha-cha was his and his fiancee’s favorite drama, and he’d sing “la-la-la-la-lalalalah” every chance he got at the press con. It was seriously funny, such that Seon-ho himself kept on laughing. Meanwhile, I wanted to make that deep baritone laugh my ring tone.
Seon-ho was here just for the weekend, and he had a packed Saturday: the press conference was followed by one-on-one interviews with select media, including TheDiarist.ph. Then he had to head to Smart Araneta Coliseum to prepare for his fan meet, produced by Bench, aptly titled Love to Meet a Good Boy: The Kim Seon Ho Fan Meet 2023.
Waving shyly to fans. Photo by Tinkerbell Poblete
Between his meet-the-press event and his rehearsal, Seon-ho still spent half an hour on Weverse Live to update his fans on his activities, still wearing his Bench OOTD.
‘Ako po si Kim Seon-ho,’ he greeted us in perfect Filipino
As a Bench global ambassador, Seon-ho said he was very happy to be part of a team that’s “kind and friendly.” He likened Bench to a family. The actor found the Bench apparel to be comfortable, cool, and easy to mix and match. One can be stylish every day with Bench, he said.
Kim Seon-ho with Ben Chan, the retail visionary who pioneered the Korean wave in PH retail. (Photo by Nenita Lim)
Seon-ho said he was surprised to see his huge Bench billboards. On Sunday, he posted on Instagram his photos taken by the Pasig River with the billboards as background.
Kim Seon-ho stands along the Pasig River overlooking his Bench billboards. (Photo by Bench)
I thought that was cute and endearing, especially since, like many other Filipinos, I wish the Pasig River was more like the Han River. A lesson I learned from Seon-ho’s photos by the river: Focus on what is beautiful.
I’m pretty sure this is why Seonhohadas, as his fans are collectively known, love him with all their might and are faithful to him. He is authentic and humble. (Seonhohada means “to prefer” in Korean.)
Their screams shook the coliseum the moment they saw him enter the stage. “Ang gwapo (He’s so handsome)!” I heard my mom say.
She’s always been on Team Good Boy and ordered me to tell Seon-ho that she loves him. I did, as a dutiful daughter. I told him that aside from Mom, some friends also asked me to deliver the same message. Seon-ho laughed and said, “Thank you! Thank you!” as he made the customary Korean bow.
Seon-ho made sure that his fans would enjoy every moment of the show. His tete-a-tete with Robi at the start of the fan meet was filled with so much trivia, like the fact that Seon-ho was a theater actor first before venturing into dramas and movies.
Asked what his favorite movie was, Seon-ho joked that it was The Childe (also known as Nobleman), his 2023 action-thriller movie where his character had a sinister take on being a good boy. He said that the Hollywood movie If Only was his favorite when he was younger.
At the fan meet (Photo by Tinkerbell Poblete)
When shown a picture of him in model pose, Seon-ho said he still has a hard time posing, to which a bewildered Robi replied, “Talaga?!” And Seon-ho said, “Talaga!”
Seon-ho said he was surprised to see his huge Bench billboards. He posted on Instagram his photos taken by the Pasig River with the billboards as background
If his dimples have caused millions to swoon today, Seon-ho said that they brought him a lot of insecurity when he was younger because of friends who teased him about them. “Now, as an actor, a lot of people appreciate and love my dimples. So now, I love them,” he said.
Asked what story he remembers the most about his dimples, Seon-ho said that when he was in elementary school, one of his friends got jealous of his dimples. But Seon-ho thought his friend was making fun of him, so he said that he had put something hot on his cheeks and that the dimples were a result of that injury.
Games at fan meets are always fun, and Seon-ho’s was no exception. Seon-ho did Pinoy Henyo and correctly guessed all words. He also aced the Spot the Difference game, though he was very anxious trying to beat the time.
Kim Seon-ho playing Spot the Difference in photos of a scene from ‘Hometown Cha-cha-cha’ (Photo by Tinkerbell Poblete)
With fans chosen via raffle, he played Pictionary and recreated famous scenes from Start Up, Hometown Cha-cha-cha, and 100 Days My Prince. Seon-ho instinctively reached out to shake their hands after they introduced themselves. Each time, the rest of the Seonhohadas screamed with excitement.
He said he thought his hidden talent was drawing, but he had recently discovered that he wasn’t good at it. “I’m still looking for my hidden talent,” Seon-ho said at the press con. To be fair, we all recognized the corn dog and the camera that he drew. He signed the drawings and gave them as gifts to his fans. For sure, these would be up on their walls soon, like priceless museum pieces.
He said his favorite dish was tteokbokki, and soon enough, a cart with ingredients and a pot were rolled in. Seon-ho admitted he hadn’t really cooked tteokbokki, which he only eats once a week to stay in shape. He put too much gochujang so the dish became too spicy, and when he tried to fix it, it became too sour. He couldn’t explain how it happened. But the fan who was chosen to taste the dish said it was good and gave Seon-ho a thumbs-up.
‘Oppa’ cooking ‘tteokbokki’ in fan meet (Photo by Tinkerbell Poblete)
We were all having a good time so the fan meet went by so fast. I felt a tinge of sadness that we had to bid Seon-ho goodbye. I hope he goes on Weverse live often to keep in touch with us.
I was over the moon when my Diarist boss, Thelma San Juan, told me that we were going to Seon-ho’s press con and I’d have a seven minute one-on-one interview with him. I admit, I haven’t been watching Korean dramas lately because a large chunk of my free time is devoted to the global powerhouse, BTS. But Start Up, and more so, Hometown Cha-cha-cha are special dramas because they helped get me through the difficult days of the COVID lockdowns.
The author with Kim Seon-ho during the TheDiarist.PH’s one-on-one with the Korean star, the latest Bench global setter
Excitedly waiting for the new episodes of Hometown Cha-cha-cha gave me something to look forward to, bringing a semblance of normalcy in those uncertain times. In Start Up, I was Team Good Boy because Han Ji-pyeong was simply that character you could not love and root for. To be able to see the actor who brought to life Good Boy and Chief Hong in person was a bonus for me.
This is a common question: “Is he really a good boy?” I’d say yes, and one who has kept his feet on the ground. Seon-ho said he will always be grateful that fans the world over have accepted him to be “Good Boy.”
He explained that in Korea, the elderly use the term “good boy” to describe young ones who are innocent, naïve, and pure. “It actually describes the internal character of the person who is kind and good-hearted,” he said through a translator.
Seon-ho said he got deep into the character of Han Ji-pyeong, such that he gets emotional himself when he hears the term “good boy.”
“To us, you’re not just a good boy. You’re the best boy,” Robi told him.
Robi described Seon-ho as more than just an actor, but “storyteller.” His acting skills draw audiences into the movie or drama.
Excitedly waiting for the new episodes of ‘Hometown Cha-cha-cha’ gave me something to look forward to, bringing a semblance of normalcy in those uncertain COVID times
I told Seon-ho that if I liked seeing him smile in his romantic dramas, it was the opposite for The Childe, where his smile indicated an impending gruesome death. There was so much blood and gore that, I said, I covered my eyes for most of the movie. I think I saw Seon-ho give a satisfied smile.
He said that he was initially worried that fans might not like him portraying a character totally different from what they’re used to. “But I have to be versatile,” he said.
Seon-ho was grateful that they apparently loved the movie. The most difficult scene that he had to do was to jump off a bridge because he was actually scared. Well, in the movie, he jumped, then had that scary smile on his face again. (Watch The Childe, the plot twist and the revelation at the end are awesome!)
But what’s harder to do, to act evil or be charming? To be charming, he said, an actor still must think and reflect to be able to make a convincing portrayal. Therefore, he said, “The current character I am playing is always the most difficult.”
As an actor, Seon-ho said he makes it a point to keep in touch with what’s happening around him, to be able to understand the different characters he would have to play. He still takes the subway, and he goes on long walks where he can observe people’s daily lives.
When asked what is his favorite genre to work on, Seon-ho said he would rather talk about scenes. His favorites, he said, are when he’s talking and having conversations with a lot of people. It’s something that people can relate to, and therefore, imagine themselves in the movie.
That’s why, Seon-ho said, he relates the most with Hong Du-sik, or Chief Hong, in Hometown Cha-cha-cha because the character was someone who always interacted with a lot of people.
Kim Seon-ho obviously devotes so much time polishing his craft, always wanting to give his fans the best kind of storytelling that he could.
Towards the end of the fan meet, Seonhohadas gave Seon-ho a video tribute. He sat on the stage’s floor as he watched it and was visibly moved by his fans’ love and support. A tear fell from the corner of my eye.
Kim Seon-ho’s only Tagalog line in The Childe has become the Seonhohadas’ promise to him: “Ngumiti ka naman dyan. Ako ang bahala sa ‘yo.”
