Kim Min-gue —photo courtesy of Rise Media Philippines
As someone who has attended a fair number of Korean celebrity fan meetings, I have realized that these programs can often feel formulaic. So it all boils down to the star’s ability to hold the audience’s attention and keep them on the edge of their seats.
Kim Min-gue (pronounced Kim Min-kyu), star of the hit K-drama series “The Heavenly Idol” and “Business Proposal,” showed that he could. With performances that were equal parts captivating and heartfelt, he left the audience feeling like they truly connected with their idol.
When he took to the stage at New Frontier Theater two weeks ago, it seemed like he had just emerged from a television screen—much like how his “The Heavenly Idol” character High Priest Rembrary gets transported to the world of humans.
Sporting a pink shirt, black blazer and white pants, the South Korean actor kicked off the Manila stop of his “Heavenly Moment” tour with an enthralling performance of MeloMance’s “Love, Maybe,” an original track from “Business Proposal.”
Kim Min-gue [photos courtesy of Rise Media Philippines]
Fans also got to hear about his experiences working as Cha Sung-hoon, the CEO’s secretary, on the set of “Business Proposal,” like how his costars Kim Se-jeong and Seol In-ah were the show’s “mood-makers,” a K-pop slang term that refers to the “energizer” of a group.
Min-gue endeared himself more to the fans by going the extra mile and speaking in Filipino. He learned popular Filipino phrases such as “Mabuhay,” “Ako po si Kim Min-gue,” “Ang ganda mo,” “Mahal ko kayong lahat,” and “Masaya akong makasama kayo,” which had the crowd cheering.
But the moment he bashfully asked, “Pogi ba ako?” a thunderous “Yes!” reverberated across the venue.
Kim Min-gue [photos courtesy of Rise Media Philippines]
Love for photography
Through the segment “Daily Moment,” the actor gave his fans a peek into his personal life: He talked about his hobbies, his adorable pets and his love for video games.
Photography is something he’s particularly passionate about. And when asked about his style, Min-gue revealed that he prefers capturing the atmosphere or mood of a moment, instead of focusing on a specific subject.
“Whenever I take pictures, I don’t want to focus on the physical objects that can be seen in the photo,” he said. “I want to take pictures to also remember the different atmosphere and the different mood that I was feeling at the time.”
Teary eyed
Kim Min-gue [photos courtesy of Rise Media Philippines]
He then showed a photo of his “very beautiful” cat Xian. “Isn’t he cute?” said Min-gue, who owns two other cats.
Finally, he confessed to being an avid video gamer and shared a photo of his new PlayStation 5 gaming console: “To be honest, my hobby is playing video games and I have been really enjoying it the last few days.”
Min-gue was moved to tears when his admirers surprised him with a video featuring highlights of his acting career so far, as well as brief heartfelt messages.
Kim Min-gue [photos courtesy of Rise Media Philippines]
Min-gue also looked back on special experiences at various fan events and vowed to keep working hard to bring his supporters more joy in the future.
“I’m thankful that through the different fan meetings, we get to make wonderful memories together. I will use the cheers you’re giving me as fuel to continue joining different projects and taking on different roles, so I can give you all the smiles that you deserve. Thank you so much!”
Heavenly moment
Kim Min-gue [photos courtesy of Rise Media Philippines]
More than a gathering, Min-gue’s “Heavenly Moment” fan meeting (organized by Rise Media Philippines) was a unique experience that everyone, including myself, will never forget. For those lucky enough to have been there, it truly was a “heavenly” experience filled with tears of joy, laughter and memories to hold on to for a long time.