Karen Bordador explained how she got to host Korean singer and actor Seo In-guk’s fan meeting in Manila on Aug. 12 amid bashing from some netizens.
Bordador replaced actress and singer Kristel Fulgar as host of the event just hours before the fan meeting started.
Korean star Seo In-guk at his fan meeting in Manila on Aug. 12 (Jonathan Hicap)
Karen Bordador (left) replaced Kristel Fulgar as host of Seo In-guk's fan meeting (Instagram)
While Karen Bordador (left) was hosting the fan meeting, Kristel Fulgar was in the audience watching the event (Instagram)
Seo In-guk with Kristel Fulgar (Instagram)
Some netizens told Bordador to apologize to Fulgar while others said she already knew that she would be the host of the fan meeting and that Fulgar was just used to promote the event.
Fulgar announced before the fan meeting that she would no longer host it. In a YouTube video, she said, “I rehearsed and the Korean technical director eventually told me that I won’t be hosting anymore.”
“Since it was just a rehearsal, I’m not used to giving out 100 percent of my energy. So if they found my energy lacking during the rehearsal, I told them I will do my best. I expected them to let me up the stage again to show them the 100 percent I was talking about but they didn’t allow me and they currently contacted another host,” said Fulgar.
She said, “They keep telling me that they just want a good event. They didn’t even give me a second chance to prove myself. And I’m ashamed to the people that already expected to see me up there. I’m so sorry guys.”
One netizen wrote on Bordador’s Instagram account, “‘Despite the sudden change you did great’??? Ang rude nito kay Kristel. Saka yun yung point! An hour before lang nagchange pero gamay na ni Karen? Wow! Something's fishy talaga. Ginamit lang si Kristel for promotion and obviously this Karen knew something about it! How come nakapag ready kana agad? Nakapag ayos? In just ONE HOUR.”
"At least have the decency to reach out to Kristel. U know she’s been looking forward to that event for a very long time," another netizen commented.
One netizen posted, "DAPAT SI KRISTEL YAN EH SUS."
Bordador took to YouTube to explain how she got to host the fan meeting. In her video titled “Impromptu hosting challenge: Seo In Guk’s 1st Asian Fan Meet in Manila,” she said, “I didn’t know I was gonna host it. It was such a huge surprise.”
She said she previously hosted former 2NE1 member Park Bom’s event in Manila “and after that, I had a really good relationship with the organizer from Korea.”
“They are so different when it comes to local production. With the Korean team it's extremely detailed,” she said, adding that for Park Bom, she had six rehearsals on the event day.
For the Seo In-guk event, Bordador said, “Around 12:30 I got the call from a couple of people. And then at first, they said someone wanted to get my number but I didn't think much of it but then I noticed my phone had different kinds of messages of needing me for an event so I didn't really know what exactly it was for until I got the, the, the call and then the person said, “Oh it's gonna be today. Can you make it?’”
She showed messages from her manager from Star Hunt of ABS-CBN.
“Ano sasabihin ko sa kanila? Go ka na? (What would I tell them? That you will go?” the manager’s message, sent at 1:19 p.m., read.
Bordador replied “Yes” at 1:30 p.m.
Her manager told her, “Ka, kinakabahan ako. Sure ka kaya mo ah. Kasi last time na impress daw ang Korean Management. Kasi ikaw daw hinanap (Ka, I’m nervous. Are you sure you can do it? Because the last time the Korean Management was impressed with you. Because they asked for you).”
“I told them give me an hour and I’ll think about it. They gave me until 2:30 p.m. They asked me to come [to the venue] at 2:30 p.m. I said yes and then I said I’m gonna go,” she said.
Upon arriving, Bordador said, “I went to the dressing room and then a few minutes later, we went straight to the stage [at 2:38 p.m.] and that’s where I met the Korean team and the Filipino team. The scriptwriter and a couple of people..the interpreter.”
She clarified, “So I didn’t really know what transpired earlier because it’s none of my business. The point is they needed me that time. I just told myself I want to make sure my mind's gonna be a 100 percent focused on this one and I put my phone down and I'm like, ‘Okay let's dive into.”
Fulgar said she was already at the venue at 7 a.m. for the rehearsal.
“We didn’t really go through the entire script because there was no time at all. I think it was around 3 or 4 p.m. already already when we started going through the the pages of the script. FYI the event is at 7 p.m. so it's only a few hours but thankfully I've had a lot of training with radio and also hosting a talk show,” said Bordador.
She added, “I you know want to give a good show. I don't want to look like ‘I just arrived.’ Let's say if I memorized everything. It's like pretending that you know everything but you do not. I was on stage but only for a few segments. I really did not have time to go through the entire script. But I was thinking of just doing it per segment because I wasn't gonna be out the entire time.”
“What I really wanted is to ensure that all the fans of Seo In-guk would have so much fun. That's the most important part and I'm so grateful to the director. We got to rehearse with him [Seo In-guk] for the first time ever around nearly 4 P.M and it was for the food truck [segment],” she said.
Bordador said, “I’m extremely happy for all the fans that went there . He’s so handsome by the way. He’s so tall and he smells good and OMG when I touched the arm. It wasn’t like just an arm. It was like rock solid.”