Two idols, 25,000 screaming fans. We’re surprised Trinoma’s roof hasn’t been blown sky-high after the deafening clamor they’d raised during the press launch/fan event last Aug. 15. The crowd erupted into shrieks every time Siwon and Donghae moved; a smile here, a wave there, and everyone went ballistic. That pretty much meant the fans were screaming nonstop for a good 30 minutes or so.

Oh, it was Super, all right. Super crazy. But for the legions of diehard fans, it was super worth it.

Our top 3 favorite moments from the SiHae mania:

#3: Fans going the extra mile. When it comes to their idols, fans would do anything. People bought P1,000 worth of Bench products just so they could join the raffle and be one of the 700 fans who were entitled to good seats at the event. And because it was a school day, younger fans from all over the metro came straight from class and braved the traffic and the downpour just to see their favorite K-pop stars up close.

#2: Crossing sound and language barriers. The two answered mostly in Korean during the Q&A portion of the event, but they gamely tried their hand at talking in English and Filipino with the fans at times. “Hello, Philippines!” Siwon said, and the rest of his friendly greeting was drowned in the collective squealing. Donghae went a little more hip-hop: “Wassup Philippines! My name is what?”

When asked what they thought of their fans, the two switched to Filipino. “Maganda,” Siwon commented, grinning slyly while Donghae said with feeling, “Nami-miss ko kayo.” Then, they announced in unison: “Mahal ko kayo!”

#1: He kissed a girl … and we liked it. If his role in the 2010 Korean drama “Oh! My Lady” was any indication, Siwon is a natural with kids. But to witness it firsthand simply melted our hearts (among other things). During the short autograph signing onstage, his face lit up when a little girl, hardly any taller than the table, stood timidly in front of him. He leaned over and planted a big kiss on the lucky kid’s forehead, eliciting the highest-pitched shrieks of the night. Getting crazy jealous of a 4-year-old might be wrong on all counts, but not this time. Girls, methinks he really would make a great dad. Feel free to dream away.

Every generation gets the teen idols it deserves. In recent years, we’ve seen the boy band craze rise and fall and rise again. From boys-to-men bands ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys, to Disney heartthrobs like the Jonas Brothers, to more recent imports One Direction and The Wanted, anytime pop culture pundits count them out, boy bands come back stronger and, strangely enough, better.

While every batch has its filler (side-eyeing you, A1 and 5ive), those Swedish pop tunesmiths seem to be doing their work, coming up with tunes that take the “guilty” out of “guilty pleasure.”

When my editor told me that local retail giant Bench was bringing over Super Junior, one of the K-Pop craze’s biggest acts, and that I was to cover it, at first I was indifferent. At 24, I haven’t really been keeping tabs on the recent teen sensations, Taylor Swift aside. Plus, I’ve never really grasped the appeal of teen acts singing in a language you don’t understand. But the Olympics tends to kill the cynic in you.

Closing out the 2012 ceremony, the Spice Girls, those ‘90s ambassadors of “Girl Power,” came back from the “What ever happened to?” pile and delivered a one-two punch of their hits Wannabe and Spice Up Your Life. While age tends to make the weaknesses more apparent (Posh barely knowing the choreography, the realization that most of those girls can’t really sing, etc.), it also puts the K-Pop craze into perspective. 2NE1 is their Spice Girls. Super Junior is their Backstreet Boys.

With that understanding in mind, I made my way through the lobby of the Peninsula Manila, where the interviews with Super Junior members Siwon Choi and Donghae Lee were to be conducted, only to be stopped by rapid Super Junior fans. “Are you their manager? Please let us in,” a young girl pleaded with me. This is what I get for looking vaguely Korean. As I tried to peel her off me and explain to her that I have about as much access as her (uh, except with a one-on-one), I ran into Jojo Liamzon from Bench.

“It’s crazy,” Jojo said. “There are some who’ve been lining up in TriNoma since 4 a.m. For the fans, just the idea of the boys going to TriNoma is enough to move them to tears. They’re already crying and the boys aren’t even there yet.”

Siwon, who has over two million followers on Twitter, has, according to VMAN magazine, “emerged as an icon without parallel in the ever-expanding culture of K-Pop.” Donghae, for his part, has explored acting to much success.

The conversation I had with the boys was admittedly stilted. They needed a translator to converse and with just 10 minutes per interview, that doesn’t really leave you with much. But every so often, a bit of spontaneity would break out—like when they stole a glance at their cheat codes of Filipino terms and smiled, caught red-handed, or when they couldn’t figure out where to sit. The grind of life on the road might not leave much for the boys to do but with trademark aplomb, they seem to have learned to find the fun anyway.

YOUNG STAR: Your fans have been clamoring for you to work with Bench for a while now. How has the reception been so far?

SIWON CHOI: I was so happy to hear because I was sitting on a bench at that exact moment we found out. (Laughs)

DONGHAE LEE: I was so happy because we haven’t had a lot of chances to come to the Philippines and now because of Bench, we’re here in the Philippines. On the way to the hotel, we saw the big billboard and we were very honored to be with Bench.

You’ve shot two collections with Bench already. How was the shoot you just did?

Siwon: The photographer yesterday was from the States, very famous from L.A. (the same guy who shot Bruno Mars for Bench). And because it’s the second time we’re shooting, the photographer knew exactly what they wanted and what Bench wanted. It was very easy to shoot for the new collections yesterday.

You guys have modeled a lot of different types of clothes, in the many shoots you’ve done. What made you guys sign with Bench? How do you find the clothes?

Donghae: We like the styles because they were very free and comfortable. The Bench style is very comfortable but stylish. Most of the clothes yesterday are really things we would wear.

You guys have a crazy schedule. I can only imagine how bad the grind must get.

Donghae: We’re very busy these days. When we have time, we just sleep. We’d love to go watch movies and travel but these days, we just sleep. But we’re very thankful. It’s fun.

What did you know of the Philippines before your concert here last year?

Siwon: Before we came, we knew the Philippines as a very polite country. A long time ago, when Korea was having a hard time, the Philippines came to Korea and helped the Korean people. We’re very thankful, as a country.

There are a lot of fans hiding in the lobby. Just desperate to see you guys.

Siwon: First of all, we’re so sorry to our Filipino fans that we can’t come here more often. But we hope for their continued love and support so we can come here more often, so we can bring all the members of Super Junior next time.

DONGHAE: And next time we have a concert here, we can wear the Bench clothes! (Laughs)

MANILA, Philippines – Super Junior members Donghae and Siwon arrived in the Philippines today to do an event for a Philippine clothing brand.

The two Korean stars arrived on Aug. 14 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 at about 10:54 a.m. via Korean Air flight 621.

Earlier today, Donghae announced on Twitter that they were going to the Philippines.

“We going to Manila ^^ See u soon guys !! With Siwon,” he tweeted together with a photo showing him and Siwon inside a plane at Incheon International Airport.

Fans flocked to the NAIA to see Siwon and Donghae.

“They are here! Lots of ELF going wild here at NAIA for Siwon and Donghae! #SiHaeinManila,” posted clothing brand Bench on Twitter.

“Im here philiphines. feel so good now!”

tweeted Siwon upon arriving at NAIA.

Donghae and Siwon will meet about 700 fans tomorrow for BENCH’s “SiHae in Manila Promo” that will be held at the TriNoma Activity Center. The fans were selected through a raffle by BENCH.

“The Bench Family welcomes @siwon407 and @donghae861015 to the Philippines! We hope you will enjoy your time here! #SiHaeinManila,” tweeted BENCH.

Earlier this year, Donghae and Siwon were signed up as the latest endorsers of BENCH.

I have added to the gallery 3 high quality photos of Siwon and Donghae from a BENCH Ad taken on June 16, 2012. Click on the thumbnails below to view the entire set. Enjoy!

• Why I love Super Junior? I wasn’t into K-Pop when Super Junior debuted, I started noticing them only after they released Sorry Sorry (in my opinion, THE song that shot them to superstardom and got them where they are right now). My first impression of them was “Why so many members?” and “What’s with the haircut?” While watching EHB, it was then when I realized that these boys began to grow on me. They have a nonchalant approach to fame and they don’t take themselves too seriously, that’s a quality I rarely find in other K-Pop groups. I realize in Korean entertainment world, idol images are shaped and they have to maintain that, but every so often, with SJ members, their real personalities appear in interviews, variety shows, radio broadcasts and especially Super Show. They way they interact with each other make me feel like I’m watching the boys-next-door, approachable, funny, dorky and humble. I guess that imperfection shows that they are real and relatable.
  
  Why I love TwELFs and SPL? When I first started collecting information about Super Junior, I stumbled upon several fanbases, but TwELFs stood out to my attention immediately for several reasons: quality content, good English, pleasing to the eyes & easy to navigate.Like any other new converts, I joined in the fandom bandwagon and participated with gusto especially on Trending Topic projects. I was surprised to know that TwELFs founders were still in college, because they ran a tight ship with the blog and Twitter account. I was even more pleasantly surprised when I communicated via Twitter with the founders, because they were so friendly and unpretentious. TwELFs blog has meaty content without sacrificing entertainment value. It is informational without sounding too serious and at the same time, provides all the fun tidbits for fans –newly minted or veteran.
  
  SPL is oozing with creativity (e.g. forum members referred to as Students and Super Junior members as Professors!) and over a short period of time has gained the reputation of being one of the most acclaimed international forums for ELFs. SPL keeps making changes for the better and continues to carry out credible projects for Super Junior and ELFs. SPL is a labor of love, and I salute the people behind it, who are such dedicated hard-workers.