MANILA — During Chinese boy band WayV's first visit to the Philippines last October, the members admitted to feeling upset with the turn of events.

Ten and Winwin missed the group's appearance at a local concert due to health problems, while the remaining members who attended barely performed any of their songs, filling the set instead with an interview segment and a series of games.

At the end of the set, Kun, Xiaojun, Hendery and Yangyang vowed to return with the other members and show more performances to their Filipino fans.

After five months, the boys made good on their promise through the Philippine stop of WayV's "Phantom" fan meeting tour, recently held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Kun, Ten, Xiaojun, Hendery and Yangyang were more than grateful to the passionate fans who trooped to the Big Dome for their group's first solo event in the Philippines.

"We've been through a lot to be here and I also know you guys [went through a lot] too," Xiaojun told fans at the event, organized by DNM Entertainment.

"It's not easy for you guys to be here so I really appreciate WayZenNies (fans). Thank you so much. I missed you guys so much," he said.

WayV is the China-based team of NCT, a 23-member boy band under K-pop juggernaut SM Entertainment. The group debuted with seven members but Lucas has been inactive since 2021 while Winwin was absent in the fan meeting.

The quintet opened the two-hour fan meeting with back-to-back performances of its 2021 single "Kick Back" and "Try My Luck," a song that notably samples Mozart's "Requiem."

In "Broken Love," a slow song off the group's latest extended play "Phantom," the boys took a break from their sleek dance routines to bewitch the audience with their gorgeous harmonies.

WayZenNies could not help but sing along when the band performed the fan-favorite single "Love Talk," and went wild as the boys showed off their sexy side in "Nectar."

WayZennies now here at the Araneta Coliseum for @WayV_official’s “Phantom” fan meeting #WayV_Phantom_in_MANILA | via @jaehwabernardo pic.twitter.com/XDatio02Kq

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) March 26, 2023

During a special number, the boys sang and danced to songs by their label-mates at SM Entertainment — aespa's "Illusion," NCT Dream's "Candy" and SHINee's "Sherlock" — while wearing tiaras and headbands with animal ears.

WayV also did a "What's In My Bag?" segment, where they pulled Philippine-related items from the bag of member Hendery, who bragged in jest about being familiar with the country and its culture. The items included a pamaypay (anahaw fan), brochures to tourist spots, and a "Good Morning" towel.

The members also looked back on a previous visit to a seaside amusement park in Pasay. Xiaojun, in particular, looked for a fan who recognized him during the trip and kept yelling at him from one of the rides — an encounter captured in a clip that went viral on Twitter.

WayV also presented its latest single, "Phantom," before closing the evening with the feel-good song "Good Life."

Hendery once again assured Filipino fans that the group would come back.

"WayZennies... do you guys remember what I said last time? I said, 'Philippines, see you soon.' We made a promise, so we're gonna do one more promise. We will see you again," he said.

"With all our hearts, we really thank you all. We'll come back more often. Thank you very much for loving us," Kun said.

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For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the Hallyu Corner microsite.

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