[Official Report] Cha Eun Woo (ASTRO) holds first exclusive fan concert for 2 DAYS... Luxury guests such as Yoon San-ha and Tomohisa Yamashita also appear

Cha Eun Woo, a member of ASTRO and an active actor, held his first solo fancon "CHA EUN-WOO 2024 Just One 10 Minute [Mystery Elevator] in Japan." It was held for two days at the Belluna Dome in Saitama on 30th and 31st March. On 30th March, his birthday, Yoon San-ha, a member of 'ASTRO', made a surprise appearance and the event was broadcast live exclusively on U-NEXT. The 31st March saw a special guest appearance by Tomohisa Yamashita, who performed a gorgeous collaboration stage. In addition to the collaboration songs, he sang songs from his first solo album "ENTITY", which was released on 15th February, and a total of 16 songs, including ASTRO songs and J-POP cover songs, as well as fun talks and games for about two and a half hours. They enjoyed themselves with AROHA (the collective name for ASTRO fans).

"CHA EUN-WOO 2024 Just One 10 Minute [Mystery Elevator] in Japan" started with a performance in South Korea on 17th February, and will continue to Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Singapore and Indonesia in Asia until April and Brazil and Mexico in June. In Japan, the special stage will be joined by not only gorgeous guests but also 'ASTRO's' original Japanese songs and J-Pop cover songs at the Belluna Dome, his first and largest scale. Under the title 'Just One 10 Minute', meaning 'show all your charms within 10 minutes', Cha Eun Woo became the developer of the 'Mystery Elevator' that 'can go anywhere you want' and the event proceeded. This article focuses on the 31st and also reports on the birthday surprise on the 30th.

In honour of the title 'Just One 10 Minute', the opening of the event started with Lee Hyo Ri's cover song '10 Minutes'. She then showed off her beautifully sculpted abs by rolling up her shirt for 'Fu*king great time' and excited the audience by changing on stage for 'STAY', the title track of her first solo album.

During the fan meeting corner, 'Mystery Elevator' arrived at the 'Select Shop' on the 97th floor, where he picked up a 'yellow hat and ribbon' in a shop stocked with goods related to Cha Eun Woo, who was born in 1997. This was the same one he wore at a kindergarten playground. Wearing the item, he cheerfully introduced himself as '5 years old, I'm Lee Dong Min (his real name)' and delighted his fans with a cute pose of his mission in a shy but flirtatious manner.

On his 30th birthday, a big purple present box appeared in this corner. From inside the box, the youngest member of 'ASTRO', Yoon San-ha, surprised her with a cake while singing 'Happy Birthday To You'!　They hugged each other and said: 'I couldn't make it to the Seoul concert, so I rushed to Japan. It's not easy to find a brother like him, is it? Yoon San-ha said, "I was so filled up to see my brother perform in such a big venue all by himself", to which Cha Eun Woo smiled smugly. The fans' penlights were used as candles, and the two of them blew on them together to create a beautiful flame, which they extinguished in turn from the seats in front of them.

After a lively talk and games, the audience was treated to a section of 'ASTRO' songs. Yoon San-ha appeared again for 'Candy Sugar Pop' on 30th. She took out a piece of candy from her pocket and said "Here is a present for you. Congratulations!" and handed it to Cha Eun Woo, who danced and sang together on the centre stage, ending with a toast.

During 'Jealousy (Wonderful Days OST)' arranged to the band sound, they rode on a trolley to the backstage, enjoying communication with fans in the arena and the stands. He says "I get nervous when we make eye contact, but I'm happy to see AROHA's reaction." He then sang "I wanted you to hear it with my voice, so I prepared a cover song as a special stage" and sang 'Maybe' by 'YOASOBI'. He encouraged the fans to wave their hands left and right as he rode the rhythm. Cha Eun Woo said, "It's fresh and exciting to sing cover songs."

On the 31st, he said, "I'm inviting people who cover 'ASTRO' songs! and sang an original Japanese song 'Let's say goodbye to the person you love the most", followed by his song and the appearance of special guest Tomohisa Yamashita. The two sang sweetly in turn amidst loud cheers, facing each other in the final chorus and shaking hands stiffly when they finished singing.

Yamashita says: "I was so excited when I practised this song by myself at night." Cha Eun Woo explained their connection: "I met Yamashita for the first time at MTV VMAJ 2023 and promised him that we would meet again." Yamashita also expressed his friendship, saying, "I was filming a drama, but I came here to fulfil my promise." Cha Eun Woo added: "Before the performance started, Yamashita gave me a surprise birthday present. He gave me a very big bottle of champagne! I'm going to drink it today." He happily reported to his fans. Yamashita said: "My mother loves you. It's the same as everyone else's. I was able to show my filial piety!" They smiled and hugged each other, and Yamashita sang his love ballad 'Loveless'.

In the last section of the show, Yamashita appeared in a sparkling costume and sang Utada Hikaru's 'First Love' on the rotating centre stage with her eyes closed and full of emotion, saying: "I wanted to convey the lyrics of this song. Did you get what I wanted to say?" He asked the audience, "Did you get the lyrics of this song?"

'Mystery Elevator' arrived at its final location, the 'Constellation Keep'. On the first day, he drew 27, his age, and on the second day, he drew the kanji for 'Just One 10 Minute', 10, by lining up the stars, but on the central star he drew the ASTRO logo. 'Thanks to all of you, I was really happy yesterday and today. Were you all happy too?" She asked the audience, "This is a song in which you are the main characters" and closed the main part of the show with her gentle voice singing "Memories", which conveyed memories of the long time spent together and the loving hearts of the audience.

For encore, they changed into casual costumes and sang the ballad 'You're the best' with acoustic guitars and their warm voices. He then said "Thanks to all of you, yesterday and today, I think I was the happiest person in the world" and tried to take a commemorative photo, when the fans in the audience raised their phone lights in unison with the slogan "We'll always be next to Unu" and sang ASTRO's "Like stars"! They surprise Cha Eun Woo with a surprise. 'AROHA, daisuki (I love you)! I was moved. The lights are like stars in the night sky. Let's be like stars to each other." Cha Eun Woo expressed his joy and gratitude. Finally, they sang the cute song 'Love so Fine' with the dancers to bid farewell to each other.

'It was such a meaningful stage for me that I even forgot it was my birthday.' He said. His first solo album 'ENTITY', released eight years after her debut, reached No. 1 on the iTunes Top Albums chart in 21 countries and territories. The album, for which he wrote all the lyrics himself, contains the honest emotions he feels as an artist Cha Eun Woo and as a human being Lee Dong-min, and has opened up a new talent. He is also attracting attention as an actor, with the drama Wonderful World (available on MBC/Disney+) starting on the 1st March in South Korea, but it was a two-day event that reconfirmed his great love for ASTRO and AROHA, which is always present in his activities.

Interview and text by Yukari Sakamoto