ENHYPEN's ‘The City’ delights fans across Jakarta

Fans hang out in front of ENHYPEN's pop-up store at Neo Soho Podomoro City in Jakarta, Sunday, which is part of "ENHYPEN WORLD TOUR ‘FATE PLUS’ THE CITY JAKARTA." Korea Times photo by Lee Gyu-lee

By Lee Gyu-lee

• Published Aug 20, 2024 3:27 PM KST
• Updated Aug 21, 2024 3:17 PM KST

JAKARTA, Indonesia — On Sunday morning, dozens of fans gathered at Neo Soho Podomoro City, a shopping mall in west Jakarta, to visit a pop-up store for K-pop boy group ENHYPEN. The store is part of the special project "ENHYPEN WORLD TOUR' FATE PLUS' THE CITY JAKARTA," which runs from Aug. 9 to Sept. 8 across the city in conjunction with the band's stop in Indonesia as part of their world tour.

"The City" turned the Southeast Asian country's capital into a playground for ENGENEs, ENHYPEN's fans, with various events, from ENHYPEN-themed hotels, cafes and restaurants to entertainment activities, expanding the experience for fans to indulge in the band's first solo concert in Indonesia. As part of its world tour titled "FATE PLUS," the group — comprised of members Sunghoon, Jungwon, Jake, Heeseung, Jay, Sunoo and Ni-ki — held concerts on Saturday and Sunday at ICE BSD City Hall 1-2, selling out all 21,000 seats.

For 12-year-old fan Ica, who visited the pop-up store with her parents, it was a rare opportunity to access the group's official merchandise, along with special products only sold at the place, like key chains and "The City" bags.

"I came here to buy (ENHYPEN's) photo cards because there are currently no official merchandise stores in Jakarta. So I bought the cards and the stickers," she said, adding she has been a fan of the group for a year. "I became a fan of the group because Ni-Ki is so handsome. He's my favorite."

Another fan, Tyas, shared that she had traveled from Surabaya, the country’s port city about 780 kilometers east of Jakarta, to attend the concert and enjoy the citywide events.

“I came to Jakarta just for the concert. I went to the concert yesterday, and this is my last day in Jakarta,” she said, holding an ENHYPEN-inspired drink from a cafe.

"I've been a fan of the group since 2021. I really like the charisma, voice and style that Jay has."

Due to the group's immense popularity in the country, the t-shirts at the store sold out within just two days of its opening on Aug. 8, and the albums were gone in five days.

The events include two cafe brands, Kopi Soe and Kokumi, that offer special ENHYPEN-themed drink menu items named after the group's songs, such as Bite Me Blueberry Cheese, and three restaurants, Menepi Sejenak, Taeyang Sung and Norae, with group-inspired menu items like Tamed-Dashed Toast.

Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta also offered an ENHYPEN-themed room where guests were given a "FATE PLUS"-related welcome kit and other merchandise during their stay.

Some of the highlights of the events were a Sing-along Party and Random Play Dance, a game where fans dance the correct choreography to randomly played songs.

About 500 people gathered at the Sing-along Party, held at the same mall on Aug. 9, to sing ENHYPHEN’s songs together and play group-related quizzes, while also enjoying a parade of Pikachu characters in Indonesian traditional attire known as Batik.

Random Play Dance event, held on the street by Gelora Bung Karno on Aug. 11, saw 250 people take part in the game to a total of 26 different songs from HYBE’s artists, including 10 of ENHYPEN’s hit songs.

Another session of the Sing-along Party will be held on Aug. 24, during a Fountain Show at a recreational park, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.

Promotional works for the group, like posters and ads, were also put up throughout the city, including videos of the members playing on regular Commuter Line subway cars.