HAHA's (하하) first solo fan concert was meant to be his moment, but it was unexpectedly overshadowed by Yoo Jae-suk (유재석). A new preview for SBS's popular variety show Running Man revealed Yang Se-chan (양세찬) sharing that the most memorable part of HAHA's concert was Yoo Jae-suk's performance, much to HAHA's chagrin.
In the preview, Yang Se-chan recounted his concert experience, jokingly saying, "I think the best part of the concert was Jae-suk hyung's live performance." Despite it being HAHA's fan concert, Yang Se-chan's praise for Yoo Jae-suk's stage instantly drew laughter from the set. Other Running Man members joined in the teasing, quipping, "It seems like more than half the people came to see Jae-suk hyung!" They even added, "Videos of Jae-suk hyung's live performance are circulating everywhere online!" leaving HAHA to reluctantly become the butt of the joke.
HAHA held his 2026 fan concerts in Busan in August and Seoul in September, with Yoo Jae-suk making a surprise appearance to sing "Love's Redevelopment." His entrance immediately captured everyone's attention, even stealing some of HAHA's spotlight. Now, clips from the concert are once again being used by the Running Man members for teasing, reigniting discussions about HAHA's "main stage being stolen" moment.
In fact, HAHA had openly discussed his first solo fan concert during a recent appearance on the variety show Radio Star. He revealed that only about half of the tickets for the Seoul concert were sold, leading him to self-deprecatingly admit that despite his high recognition in the entertainment industry, his actual popularity might not fully match his fame.
HAHA also confessed that he didn't want to rely on Yoo Jae-suk even for his solo concert, fearing he would again be mocked for "always feeding off Yoo Jae-suk's popularity." Although he has been a household name in variety shows for many years, he admitted to truly longing for more audience affection.
"I want to be liked by everyone too," HAHA candidly stated on the show. He believes his role as a supporting character in variety shows, highlighting others, is cool, but as a singer, he still hopes to one day stand center stage and truly be the main act.
However, HAHA couldn't help but poke fun at himself, asking, "But if I'm supposed to be the main character, isn't my current popularity a bit lacking?" This mix of self-deprecation and genuine confession allowed him to share his true feelings about popularity and audience support after years in the spotlight.
HAHA's remarks sparked discussion among Korean netizens, with many pointing out that "high recognition" and "willingness to pay for tickets" are two different things. While HAHA enjoys high popularity and recognition in variety shows, this popularity doesn't necessarily translate directly into concert ticket sales for his music career.
Some also analyzed that HAHA has primarily cultivated an image as a "variety entertainer" over the years, rather than building a fanbase as a singer. They believe, "People like him because he's a variety entertainer, but if you consider him as a singer, they might not necessarily buy tickets to his concert." Other netizens noted that HAHA has extremely high exposure on TV and YouTube, allowing audiences to easily see him regularly, which might reduce their motivation to specifically pay to attend a live performance.
One netizen stated directly, "He's really funny on variety shows, but whether people are willing to pay for a concert to support him is indeed a completely different matter." Another commented, "There's ultimately a difference between having a good impression of someone and enjoying watching them, versus being willing to spend time and money to buy tickets to support their performance."
Beyond HAHA's concert topic, this episode of Running Man will also feature an autumn "1 Night 2 Days" trip to Cheorwon (철원), with Heo Kyung-hwan (허경환) making his 12th appearance on the show. The members will visit various Cheorwon attractions, complete missions within a time limit, fill a bingo line, and try to avoid penalties. The episode is scheduled to air on the 4th at 6:10 PM KST.
