Kim Seon Ho at the press conference for his Bench fan meet Photo courtesy of Bench

Kim Seon Ho returned to Manila for his fan meet with the top lifestyle and clothing brand Bench. Ahead of his scheduled event on July 22, the Korean actor and #GlobalBENCHsetter graced a press conference, looking cool and sleek in a black and white gingham button-down, white T-shirt, and black trousers.

Hosted by Robi Domingo, who's a fan of the Hometown Cha Cha Cha actor, the press con had Kim Seon Ho talking about his collaboration with Bench (he was in awe when he saw his giant billboards in Guadalupe!), how he feels about becoming popular as 'Good Boy' (from his K-drama Start-Up), what he wants to explore more as an actor, and more.

As he stepped onstage to meet the press, he nervously greeted everyone, saying, 'Mabuhay! Ako si Kim Seon Ho. I really feel blessed and grateful that I was able to visit you guys again through Bench.' He said he knew that Bench is really a big brand in the Philippines, but he realized that even more so when he passed by the brand's iconic Guadalupe billboards, so he really feels blessed to have been included in their roster of global ambassadors.

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Upon sitting on the couch to get the Q&A going, as an icebreaker, Robi told him to not worry about a thing and cited Kim Seon Ho's Tagalog lines in his debut movie The Childe: 'Ngumiti ka d'yan. Ako'ng bahala sa'yo.' The actor broke into laughter, showcasing his signature dimples.

He was in Manila last January for another fan meet, and this time around, he wanted to try the famous cold dessert in the Philippines, halo-halo. And, at his fan meet later that day一while cooking tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) onstage一he said he finally did get to try it, along with lechon and bulalo.

Now, halo-halo is typically associated with summer or the hot weather, but Kim Seon Ho's visit fell on a rainy period. Robi joked about this, telling him, 'During the past few days, it's been raining so hard, but when you came, you brought in the sunshine. It stopped raining all because of you.' Riding along with the joke, Kim Seon Ho said in between laughs, 'Talaga? Jinjja?' We can't agree more with Robi一no matter the season, this oppa can really brighten up his fans' day!

Onscreen, people fell in love with his ability to capture and melt hearts through his superb acting and his irresistible charm and smile (oh, those dimples!). But seeing him in person and hearing his thoughts, we realized there are more things to love about Kim Seon Ho that makes him deserving of the new wave of career opportunities coming his way and the overwhelming support his fans are showering him with.

At his press conference and fan meet, we got to know Kim Seon Ho better and discovered new things to love about him:

1. He's a hardworking actor. He makes sure to come prepared on the set of his shoots. For an actor like him, work doesn't start when he sets foot on his filming locations一it happens ways before that. And in Kim Seon Ho's case, it usually takes him one to two months to prepare. He usually looks for references for his roles, so he could get into his character better and take a deep dive into what the character requires. He also makes sure to talk to the director to understand what is required of him. Despite these efforts, though, he thinks he's a lazy actor. But perhaps another way of putting it is he isn't complacent. 'He tries to push himself to be a better actor,' the translator told us. 'He has a lot of room for improvement as well, so he's very optimistic of himself.'

2. He likes to take on challenges. Since he made his TV debut in 2017 via the K-drama Good Manager, Kim Seon Ho has showcased versatility throughout his filmography. He said there are lots of possibilities when it comes to the characters, but the edge of that character will ultimately come from him. He likened the individuality of the characters to clothing一there are so many styles and when he wears one, it takes on a different look and style. 'As an actor,' his translator said, 'he always wants to have a new challenge.'

3. He has a keen eye for detail. At the press conference, he was asked about his hidden talent. He said he thought he was good at drawing, but recently, he realized he isn't. At the fan meet, there was a segment where he had to draw three things associated with his K-dramas (a camera, a collection of IDs, and a corn dog)一for someone under time pressure, we think he did a pretty amazing job. But in another game, wherein he had to spot the differences between two similar photos, he was on a roll and was able to find differences in so short a time. We thought that gave a glimpse of how his attention to detail is remarkable.

4. He's the 'best boy.' Despite his success, his humility shines, making him truly deserving of the moniker 'Good Boy' which became popular through his character Han Ji Pyeong in Start-Up. Released in the thick of the pandemic, Start-Up enjoyed global success, and it was what also paved the way for Kim Seon Ho to be known globally. Commenting on what it feels like to be loved by so many for the character he portrayed, Kim Seon Ho said that he's really grateful to his character, Han Ji Pyeong, because it was through it that he was culturally accepted by a lot of people. Picking up from his answer at the conference, his translator said, 'The K-drama Start-Up, in Korea, when we say the term 'good boy,' it is usually used by the elderlies to the young ones [which means] you're innocent, you're pure, right? So it actually describes the internal character. He's kind, he's really pure hearted. And with this character in Start-Up, Han Ji Pyeong, he was really into the character that he cried a lot as well in the K-drama. Since he was really into the character, when he hears the term 'good boy,' it really makes him feel emotional as well.' With that, we echo what Robi said in the press conference, he's not just a good boy, he's the best boy!

5. He's a storyteller and a great listener. With every answer of Kim Seon Ho, it became evident that he likes having conversations. That means he likes voicing out his thoughts but he also listens to other people's ideas to be collaborative. He said the character he portrayed that he thinks he's most similar to is Hong Du Sik (or Chief Hong) in Hometown Cha Cha Cha, a character that's a go-to jack-of-all-trades in his community and someone who enjoys talking to people a lot. With that, when he was asked about his favorite genre, he talked about the favorite scenes he likes to work on instead. Kim Seon Ho said that he especially likes and remembers those scenes wherein he gets to showcase his ordinary self by having conversations with people. He's the type of actor who likes collaborating with the director, too. For his debut movie The Childe, for instance, he said he really talked to the director (Park Hoon Jung) to better understand how to execute the action scenes of his character, the Nobleman.

6. The extraordinary Kim Seon Ho enjoys ordinary life. And even in ordinary daily scenarios, he gets inspired. He said he enjoys walking and considers it his pastime. It's an activity that not only relieves him of worries but also exposes him to what's happening in society. He likes observing what people do. And we think this comes in handy when he breathes life into ordinary characters in his projects, ultimately making his portrayal authentic and relatable.

Kim Seon Ho debuted as as actor in 2017, with K-dramas like Good Manager, Strongest Deliveryman, Two Cops, You Drive Me Crazy, 100 Days My Prince, Welcome to Waikiki 2, Catch the Ghost, Start-Up, and Hometown Cha Cha Cha. But he's also a theater actor (his most recent play is titled Touching the Void) and had experience in hosting the variety show 2 Days & 1 Night. He recently made his film debut via The Childe.

Lead photos by Marc (@callmemakeu)

Gallery photos courtesy of Bench