I Literally Bumped Into Song Joong Ki In The Hallway—Then Went To The Best Fan Meet Of My Life!

Song Joong Ki is coming back with a new drama. In just a few weeks, one of my ultimate K-drama faves will soon be swooning our hearts again with another rom-com called My Youth. My excitement toward his new project made me reminisce about the day I unexpectedly bumped (!) into him.

You see, I was thankful enough to have scored a chance to attend Joong Ki's I AM Song Joong Ki: Live In Manila fan meeting and press conference last May 24, 2025. And since it was a full day for me as his fan, I decided to dress up in a suit that day as an ode to Vincenzo Cassano—obviously Joong Ki's character in Vincenzo.

After the press conference, I snuck away to a quiet, well-lit corner of Conrad Manila to film a quick "Fit Check" reel. As I was wrapping up, I heard footsteps approaching and had the feeling it was going to be Song Joong Ki with his entourage. And it was!

It's not every day that you'll get to meet your fave, right?! We'd spent most of our time watching them through K-dramas, fan cams, and whatnot. So, maybe I manifested too hard to be able to meet him, or maybe it was just the universe giving me an encounter to remember. 

When I saw Song Joong Ki in the hallway, I said "Hi" like a complete fool, and he replied with the friendliest "Hey." That alone was enough to make me melt, but then he pointed at me and said, "I love your tie." 😭

My brain completely short-circuited, and I blurted out, "I love you, too!"

Embarrassing? Absolutely.

One of the most memorable fangirl moments of my life? Also absolutely.

The fan meeting hasn't started yet at that point, but I'm already on cloud nine. More so when IAM Song Joong-Ki: Live in Manila, an event presented by IAM Worldwide and Publicity Asia, officially set the bar sky-high for what a meet and greet should feel like. 

Here's how Song Joong Ki made me—and thousands of other fans—completely lose our minds during his 2025 Manila fan meet!

Okay, the excitement started building weeks before the actual event. It was impossible not to get butterflies thinking about finally seeing Song Joong Ki in person. And even hours (and minutes) before he came up onstage for the meet & greet, the opening acts got the crowd fired up! Filipino singers Lara Maigue, Kayla Rivera, and Sam Concepcion performed like they were just as hyped as we were to see Joong Ki live.

Listen, we all know how handsome Song Joong Ki is just from watching him on screen. But seeing him IRL? Completely on a different level.

His stunning looks were on full display throughout the entire day—press conference, fan meet, ad shoots, and behind-the-scenes filming. Fans couldn't stop shouting "Ang pogi!" and even the venue security couldn't help but grin whenever he flashed that billion-won smile and threw in a little aegyo.

Here's something that caught me off guard: his voice has such a deeper, lower register in real life compared to his dramas and variety show appearances. It's the kind of voice that makes you want to lean in closer just to catch every word.

We wanted to know more about him off-cam, so we asked about his typical day. He shares that he typically reads a book before going to sleep. Then, he usually starts his day with coffee. “Guys, IAM Worldwide coffee is really delicious, so maybe you can try it [and make it] part of your morning routine,” he recommends. 

We also asked if he had any travel tips for Filipinos visiting Korea, and he shared a lot about how he normally spends vacation days. He said we can't miss out on Korean BBQ–samgyupsal, galbi, and bulgogi–that locals like him really enjoy. He suggests where to get traditional snacks, too: "When my foreign friends come to Korea, I always bring them to Insadong and Gwangjang Market."

Aside from the fact that Joong Ki has a K-drama lined up for airing in a couple of weeks from now, everybody knows that he's not stopping anytime soon as an actor. He's got lots of projects under wraps (for sure!) 

And so, naturally, fans were dying to know what role he wants to tackle next, and his answer had us all surprised. "I really want [to play] something like a vampire character in the future," he said during the event.

He mentioned loving his experience filming one of his popular films, A Werewolf Boy, so another fantasy project seems perfect for him. (Can we just imagine vampy Vincenzo for a second? OMO!)

Other than roles he's eyeing in the future, we also asked about the possibility of a season two for Vincenzo. Song Joong Ki was quite surprised at how much Filipinos loved the K-drama. When he asked fans why they were so obsessed, the fans in the arena screamed it was because of his "bad boy" image! This seemed to amuse him greatly, and he jokingly said he'd call the production team to make Vincenzo 2 ASAP. 

WE. LITERALLY. CANNOT. WAIT!

I've been a Song Joong Ki fan for a long time, so I always knew he had this mysterious side. But what I love about his current era is how sweetly he talks about his family.

The fan meet also showed us his competitive side, but more importantly, his incredibly sweet nature. The interactive segments were pure gold. Fans got to do charades with Joong Ki—and he got every single word right! And there's also a segment where Joong Ki showcased his flower arrangement skills, which he learned for his role in My Youth.

So, there, Joong Ki created a bouquet and gave it to one lucky fan. The fan in question: Filipina actress Janice De Belen! The South Korean actor literally dropped to his one knee and gave Janice a tight hug while presenting the flowers. So sweet!

Throughout both the press conference and fan meet, Song Joong Ki shared how he has many Filipino friends in Korea and Italy who've told him wonderful things about our people and country. The actor expressed interest in coming back to explore our beaches with his family and wanted to visit local supermarkets and restaurants to buy pasalubong for his wife and kids.

During the fan meet and with Janeena Chan as his host, he also picked up Tagalog words like "Masarap po," which he adorably repeated several times. He also made sure to learn basic Filipino phrases like "Salamat" and "Mahal na mahal kita." He even commented on how beautiful our language sounds and thought maybe it's time to learn it properly—you know, just in case any of his future dramas decide to film here someday. 😌

From start to finish, Song Joong Ki radiated the most positive energy. He looked completely relaxed and natural, showing off his charms at every opportunity. The fan meet ended with Joong Ki's words of genuine gratitude and hopes of returning because of all the warmth Filipino fans showed him. Honestly, we're already counting down the days!

This felt like an event truly prepared by fans, for fans. Every detail honored the worldwide star while giving us the interactions we'd been dreaming of. If you were there, you'd naturally leave feeling more excited than ever for his next projects and possible return to our islands.

Until then, we'll be here savoring all the fan cams, treasuring our photo cards, and binge-watching every Song Joong Ki episode to keep us company.