Megan and Mikael on joining K-pop craze, keeping marriage fun
MANILA, Philippines — Megan Young and Mikael Daez are keeping their marriage fun and exciting with shared and newfound interests. More recently, they got into the K-pop craze, thanks to Megan who became a K-pop music “stan.” Mikael is, of course, the former Miss World’s ultimate stan and The STAR was witness to how the TV host-actor supported his wife in her fangirling, most recently in the back-to-back Be The Sun Manila shows of popular idol group Seventeen.
Megan’s interest in K-pop started in December of last year with BTS. “Nakita ko yung mga stories and posts (ng friends ko), parang November palang, they were telling me they’re gonna go abroad (to watch BTS), they’re gonna spend all this money for watching, they’re gonna watch all the days. At first, medyo naloka ako, parang hala ang laki ng gastos nila dito sa BTS. So, I got curious and I did my own research. Who are they? Why do my friends love them in this way and what makes my friends so dedicated? Until I fell into the rabbit hole myself (laughs). I saw why my friends appreciate them and I ended up appreciating them just as much as my friends,” she told The STAR in an exclusive chat.
She then discovered the 13-member Seventeen and before she knew it, she was listening to their songs every day. When Mikael was in South Korea for two months to shoot GMA 7’s adaptation of the hit K-variety show Running Man, the group’s music kept her company at home.
Observing his wife turning into a fangirl makes Mikael happy. “Sa totoo lang, natutuwa ako. We have been together more than a decade. (Before), ako yung personality sa relationship namin na may passion for fandom. I was into anime and Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ako yung mahilig mag-explain at maghatak sa kanya, Bonez (his term of endearment for Megan), you have to watch this,” shared Mikael.
“He’s really the fanboy,” said Megan.
“Yes, I’m the one with the fanboy gene,” agreed Mikael. “Siya (Megan), chill lang, wala masyado. Ako yung marami — video games, Marvel, NBA. So, when I realized she started having that kind of passion towards something and it just so happened to be BTS, then now Seventeen and other K-pop elements and things, natuwa ako, because I feel like it’s a side of her personality I don’t get to see very often.”
Meanwhile, Megan may be considered a “late-bloomer” to the K-pop fandom, but she’s been all-in since! For one, she showed up at Seventeen’s two-day show at Mall of Asia Arena. As a K-pop concert newbie, she did her research. “I would ask my ARMY groups, who are also CARATS, may proseso ba ‘to? Kasi parang pinaghahandaan talaga ng iba?” she said, referring to BTS and Seventeen’s fandoms.
“I remember before when I would go to a concert, go lang and nood. Here, you have to prepare your light stick and bag. They have fan-made events where people give out freebies. Nakakatuwa ang whole experience… And on Day 1, since wala akong kasama, I decided to give gifts to people on my side, in front and behind me para lang maka-join ako sa experience of what it is like giving and receiving gifts (during K-pop concerts).
“It was just really fun experiencing it with so many different people. They were so nice. It was fun seeing the demeanor of people. When you talk to them, chill lang but pag-dating sa main concert, they’re like, ‘Rawr!’” she added.
Seventeen’s Philippine concerts, co-presented by Live Nation Philippines with Smart and Viu, were sold-out. Like many others, Megan failed to secure a Day 1 ticket at first. After messaging fan groups and offering to buy the ticket of anyone who, for one reason or another, couldn’t make it, her persistence paid off. Her fangirl heart was doubly happy when she managed to get two tickets on Day 2, which meant Mikael would be there by her side.
One realization for Mikael was that a K-pop concert has a lot of “cool things” going on, including “amazing technology” with the synchronized light sticks and all.
He further recalled: “I realized that (Seventeen) was my first full concert — ever. I’ve attended mini-promo concerts, with artists performing three songs, but I’ve never had a concert, especially that of a pop-dance group, boy band group. It was extremely surprising and tama nga nagbabago yung mga tao. Yung mga ladies, lumalabas yung mga primal feelings nila (laughs)… Nakakatuwa na nakakatawa rin because I didn’t think I’d see something like this but when I did, it made sense.”
“It’s like when guys are cheering for their favorite team… It was so fun to see everybody getting so excited and enjoying their concert time,” added Megan, sharing how her husband geeks out on his passions like basketball. “Every day, he listens to basketball news. No fail! Especially every NBA finals season, it’s the first thing I hear in the morning.”
Along with the fun are also “pitfalls” of being a fan. Both are conscious of not going overboard, believing there’s a way to be a “responsible” stan.
“There are pitfalls (laughs)... mapapagastos ka talaga,” said Mikael.
It’s not cheap to be a K-pop stan. The Seventeen concert tickets alone cost from almost P3K for general admission to as pricey as nearly P19K a piece.
Mikael continued, “I know the feeling. I get it. Pero ibibigay ko na yung advanced learnings ko sa kanya kasi sa akin siempre, maraming nasayang na resources. Because I was doing it on my own and I spent unnecessarily on things that didn’t really matter to me as much down the line. So, I’m just helping. It’s teamwork — teamwork right now guiding her through this fandom process of hers.”
Like when Megan got the tickets, the husband and wife had a discussion about just selling the latter’s Day 1 pass. “But then, I haven’t watched a K-pop concert ever,” Megan rationalized. “I didn’t grab the chance to watch BTS in Las Vegas when somebody was selling me tickets already and I said, ‘I’ll wait around for another concert.’ Anyare? So, I had to grab the opportunity. I really like Seventeen, I enjoy them as a group and their music. So (I thought) let’s make the most out of it.”
Nevertheless, she admitted that after watching the idol group twice, she isn’t sure if she’s going to the third one next month. “I have to think okay, ‘Ano ba yung limit ko sa pag-watch ng K-pop concerts?’”
As for Mikael, he’s just trying to make the most of his wife’s fangirl moments. When Megan failed to score a raffle ticket to the BTS Yet To Come concert in Busan last Oct. 15, Mikael “brought the concert” to Megan by coming up with a very cute set-up for her to better enjoy the livestream.
“It’s fun seeing her that way,” he said. “It’s maybe a bit awkward. I’m looking at her desk right now and I see 14 photos of men who are not me,” Mikael added, teasing Megan who protested that it wasn’t true, to which he reacted, “I counted (laughs).”
“But it’s not a problem. It’s funny sharing that and just enjoying the moment with her. I mean, I don’t need to be a fan as well to enjoy that with her. I like the songs. I enjoy the content they create… Nakiki-ride ako in the same way nakiki-ride din siya when I have my moments of fandom,” said the actor, who watched Twice’s Nayeon in a Seoul concert, memorized Blackpink members’ names, and embraced the Running Man Philippines stint because of Megan.
“This is very new and unexpected. But 13 years into our relationship, it’s nice to have something new and unexpected. Also on her side, it’s also a good way for her to discover these new feelings and emotions because they are new to a certain extent,” he said.
“And then, to understand how it affects her and people around her because everything that you do — be it katuwaan or maliit lang — I firmly believe you can always overdo anything. But at the same time, there’s also a way to underdo something in the sense na hindi mo nasisimot yung tuwa and ligaya nakukuha mo dito sa ginagawa mo.
“I guess, it’s an exercise in finding balance and finding growth in yourself. I actually tell Megan, ‘Enjoy and I’ll let you know when you’re going overboard or if you’re spending too much.’”
“And he tells me that,” Megan agreed.
“I think it’s really cool that Megan and I are able to communicate and be very open. For other relationships, I can also imagine how it could be very jarring… And if you don’t understand where it’s coming from, malulula ka talaga, bakit ganito?” Mikael said.
“Siempre maraming feelings yan and they are not always the best feelings — yes, selos — kahit fandom lang may ganun pa rin kasi what if you don’t understand where they’re coming. Good thing (being a fanboy), I understand and I want her to enjoy it.”
(You can listen more to Megan and Mikael break down both fun and profound experiences as a couple in their podcast, Behind Relationship Goals, on their YouTube channel and Spotify.)
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