John Ryan Estrella (in red cap) takes a groufie with his friends with Korean Pop stars Kai , Sungwoon, Ravi and Timoteo in the background. | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / John Ryan Estrella
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Jhon Ryan Estrella was looking for a place to have dinner on Monday, April 22, when a familiar face caught his attention.
It was Kai of the famous Korean all-male pop group, EXO.
“When I got there, I was looking for a place to eat because I was really hungry at that time. While searching, I saw this familiar face that really caught my attention,” Estrella told CDN Digital.
“Come on it is Kai of EXO! Even though I was shaking, I tried to stay cool so that they would not notice that someone recognized them,” he added.
Estrella then called his three friends and asked them to join him for dinner.
“I was just waiting for my friends to arrive. When we were seated, we took some stolen photos but we did not try to go near them or try to talk to them. We did not post the photos while they are still there,” he added.
He did not ask for a photo opportunity since he wanted the Korean stars to enjoy their dinner.
When he uploaded his photos on his Facebook account, some Korean pop fans noticed that Kai was joined by Sungwoon (Wanna One), Taemin (SHINee), Ravi (Vixx), and Timoteo (Hotshot).
The four are collectively called by their fans as “Padding Squad.”
As of 5:32 p.m. on April 23, Tuesday, Estrella’s post has gained 3,400 likes and 3,500 shares.
It was a dream come true for Estrella to see the Korean pop stars up close.
“Super (dream come true)! My friends spent a lot of money to watch them live but they were still far from them. (In my case), I was only one table apart from and we were eating in the same restaurant. Isn’t it amazing?” said Estrella, who was still in cloud nine as he narrated his experience.
Korean Pop stars Kai (EXO), Sungwoon (Wanna One), Ravi (Vixx), and Timoteo (Hotshot) were spotted inside a restaurant in Cebu. | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / Jessy Rose Tuala
This is not the first time Kai was spotted in Cebu City.
Last January 31, Kai surprised his fans when he posted a photo inside a Cebu mall.
Estrella, 27, is a Korean pop dance teacher from Lapu-Lapu City.
He became a Korean Pop fan since 2008 because of the Wonder Girls’ song, Tell Me.
“I liked their dance and I got introduced to Super Junior. I have been a Korean pop fan since then,” he said. / celr