The Philippines got a whiff of that strong NCT DoJaeJung scent as Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Jungwoo held their successful first fan concert at the Mall of Asia Arena on June 24.

Presented by Ovation Productions and VIU, NCT DOJAEJUNG Scented Symphony: Perfume marked its first and only stop in Manila with thousands of NCTzens in attendance. As a special bonus, a media conference, attended by members of the press and fans, was also held in Glorietta Activity Center the following day.

Perfume showcased the group’s recently released first EP live. Onstage, the trio was extraordinarily versatile as they showed the sexy vibes of “Dive”, “Kiss” and “Perfume”, the bittersweet “Ordinary” followed by extra sweet “Strawberry Sunday”. The entire arena was dyed in pearl neo champagne as NCTzens endlessly cheered with their lightsticks from beginning to end.

Getting to know Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Jungwoo

Aside from their striking live performance, we also got to know DJJ more. The fancon also featured an interactive Q&A session hosted by Sam Oh plus a few games.

Here are some things we learned:

When asked about activities they want to pursue, Doyoung and Jungwoo answered they want to do a world tour. Jaehyun, meanwhile, said he wanted to make more music with the group. During the media conference, the trio reiterated their desire to release more music and embark on concerts as a sub-unit.

They have yet to try Filipino food that evening, but they were looking to try halo-halo and lechon. (Update: Before flying out of Manila, they were able to eat the halo-halo, as posted in their photos in their Instagram stories.)

Jaehyun described Filipino NCTzens as “vanilla”. Repeatedly. When asked to describe the crowd in one word, he said “Vanilla. Sweet as vanilla.” He also said the same thing during their media conference the next day.

Jungwoo said he wanted to try hip-hop for their next concept. Doyoung chimed in “reggae”. Jaehyun sealed the answer with “hip-hop reggae”. The audience loudly cheered for a sample, but the trio laughed and said they didn’t have anything to show yet.

Doyoung sang a short but sweet snippet of “Like a Star”, citing it as his favorite OST track he has performed so far.

Asked which song from Perfume describes each member best, Jungwoo replied “Strawberry Sunday”, while Jaehyun chose “Kiss”, and Doyoung named “Dive” as his choice. They also dedicated the song “Kiss” to their Filipino NCTzens and recommended “Strawberry Sunday” among the tracks from their album, during the media conference.

Jaehyun has a very sharp eye for details. During the Spot the Difference segment, each member was asked to distinguish the slight differences in their respective photos within a time limit. Without asking for the help of the audience, Jaehyun was able to spot each flaw down to the tiniest detail.

Three lucky fans got the chance to play the game called “Guess the Lyrics” with NCT DoJaeJung. In a raffle draw held during the event, three audience members from different areas in the arena were picked to act out specific words charades-style from the lyrics of the group’s songs. Each participant was partnered with a DJJ member and each received a special Polaroid picture after the show. Again, Jaehyun, competitive as he is, took the lead for this game as well.

All three members of NCT DoJaeJung were ecstatic to be on the Philippine concert stage, leaving lingering memories with NCTzens who were there.

Doyoung said, “It’s our first time to come here as NCT DoJaeJung so I was really excited for this concert and I enjoyed it a lot, too.” He also thanked the emcee Sam Oh for hosting the show well.

Jaehyun affirmed, “Thank you for letting us have fun on the stage and letting us perform in front of you. I had a lot of fun today. I’m definitely going to miss you all. Stay tuned forever!” (Yes, he really said “forever”.) He also assured Filipino NCTzens that they will come back to the country as long as there is an opportunity.

Jungwoo, sweet as he is, said, “I’m happy to get so much time with you! Thank you for welcoming us with warmth and cheers! We hope you keep on cheering for us for our remaining activities, and I hope that you don’t forget we’re also cheering for you.”

Special thanks to Ovation Productions, VIU, and Ayala Malls for the invitation to the fan concert and the media conference.

Words by Sandra Mae Laureano