What went down at Lovely Runner star Byeon Woo-seok's first fan meet in Singapore

It’s been a month since the South Korean drama Lovely Runner came to an end, but the craze for its male lead Byeon Woo-seok seems to have just begun.

Catapulted to fame after his portrayal of Ryu Sun-jae in the drama, the 32-year-old actor held his first fan meet titled Summer Letter in Singapore at the Singapore Expo on Sunday (Jun 30).

The event, which sold out within hours, saw Byeon singing, interacting with fans and even recreating iconic scenes from the drama with them.

Lovely Runner’s success seems to have taken the world by surprise amid popular releases such as Queen of Tears and Atypical Family on Netflix. 

The story is centred around a fan – played by Kim Hye-yoon – and her desperation to save her favourite idol from a tragic end; the romantic drama incorporates both laugh-out-loud comedic moments and tear-jerkers in every episode.

The tvN production broke viewership records during the airing of the final episode on May 28. For the first time, daily viewership on South Korean streaming platform Tving surpassed Netflix, with total viewing hours at 2,500,010, according to Mobile Index. 

But no one seems more surprised to be at the receiving end of the drama’s success than Byeon himself. 

During the event, a fan-made video was played unexpectedly and caught him off-guard, with many local fans speaking words of encouragement to Byeon in Korean. 

“I didn’t expect it at all,” said the celebrity amid tears, who continued to thank fans frequently for their support throughout the event. 

Fans, however, have taken to expressing their unhappiness with the event's promoters Three Angles Production online. 

"The Singapore fan meet is so disappointing mainly (because) the promoter does such a bad job," wrote a fan on the agency's latest Instagram post. 

The post, as of writing, has almost 900 comments, with a bulk of them from Indonesian fans with similar complaints. 

"BWS worked so hard for his fans. He deserves better," said another. 

At the press conference held prior, Byeon expressed his gratitude at being able to host a fan meet in Singapore, taking time to hand out a yellow rose to each member of the press. 

“Thanks to the success of Lovely Runner, I got to travel the world for my fan meets, meeting fans worldwide,” said the actor. 

Byeon also spoke about his latest obsession while on tour, his acting career and what he plans to do in Singapore – which included a list of places to dine at.

I have a friend in Singapore and “he gave me a list to check out”, said Byeon, who added that he plans on having chilli crab and chicken rice too. 

Reflecting on his travels around Asia for the tour, the rising star said he had been obsessed with “the cultural differences in each and every place” he visits, especially with the different ways people express love. 

When asked if there were any dream roles he would like to see himself in, Byeon said his experience with Lovely Runner has greatly influenced him. 

“Before I acted in Lovely Runner, I was into a lot of different genres, including action and fantasy,” said Byeon, adding that it was the first time he got to be “deeply, emotionally immersed” into a character. 

“I don’t want to choose my next character or work according to a certain genre or the type of character … I really don’t want to limit myself.”

While his recent role may have thrust him into the spotlight, loyal fans or avid K-drama viewers will remember him from his roles like Strong Girl Nam-soon or 20th Century Girl. 

Spoiler alert: He doesn't have the happiest of endings in either. 

Despite Lovely Runner being a romantic comedy this time, Byeon said he was "overwhelmed" with emotions when reading the script for the final episode. 

"I remembered I actually called the scriptwriter to have a long chat with her about why I was feeling so sad despite this being a happy ending."

He also said that his time as Poong Woon-ho in 20th Century Girl helped him overcome his "camera phobia" and "some trauma" he was going through at the time - making it a project close to his heart. 

When asked about the moniker "rom-com genius", the South Korean actor believes in doing his best to hone his craft and "put out the best acting possible" to earn any such title. 

Looking back on his career, Byeon said he can "say very confidently that I did my best" and he always had his fans "giving me unwavering support and love".

"And thanks to that, I think that's what really kept me going until today. Thanks to that, it will keep me going for the next long journey ahead."