On June 1, global girl group TWICE made a triumphant, anticipated return to the Philippines. This time for a 'Snacktacular' fan meeting as the brand ambassador for the snack company 'Oishi.' 

This marks the girls’ third visit to the country, following their successful ‘TWICELIGHTS’ stop in 2019 and a two-night sold-out show for ‘READY TO BE’ in Bulacan. Their fan meeting in Manila was held at the Mall of Asia Arena, drawing another full-house event for the beloved group.

Hours before the ‘Oishi’ fan meeting, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu sat down with select members of the press to answer some fun and interesting questions. We also had the chance to ask TWICE about one of their core and cherished memories as part of the group. Jeongyeon answered that one of these moments is when they extended their contracts.

When asked about the song they would dedicate to Filipino ONCEs, Jihyo answered, “21:29.” It’s a song that the members finished penning the lyrics at exactly 21:29, and it was during their concert in Manila in 2019. It can also mean TWICE being the number “2,” ONCE as the number “1,” and “9” as the number of the members.

Check out the rest of the press conference’s Q&A below!

Can you share with us your favorite moments with the fans in the Philippines?

Tzuyu: It was the first time we visited Manila in 2019. The passion and love from Filipino ONCEs to us were really overwhelming and touching for us. That was one of the “O, Wow! O, Wow!” for us.

Jeongyeon: Our second visit here was for the ‘READY TO BE’ tour, and we were given the opportunity to perform in a bigger venue. A lot of fans have waited for 4 years for us to perform here in Manila again. The overwhelming support and how they waited for us were really touching as well.

Who’s the most competitive in the group?

[Mina, Chaeyoung, and Momo point at Jihyo]

Momo: Jihyo!

Any “O, Wow! O, Wow!” moments from the tour?

Dahyun: ONCEs were able to sing all the songs with us from start to end in the Korean language. I was surprised by that.

One behind-the-scenes story from the tour

Chaeyoung: One is when we went to Manila in 2019, Dahyun was kind of sick before the event itself, but she was really good on stage.

Any “O, Wow! O, Wow!” scenes from the Oishi 60-second shoot?

Sana: During the shoot, we were divided into subunits. We had different shoots, but every time we went to the holding area, we were recommending to each other what snacks of Oishi are really delicious. We were sharing our favorite snacks with each other.

What is your favorite Oishi snack?

Nayeon: My favorite is Miggos. Even when we are in Korea, we are asking for more stocks of Miggos so we can eat more. When we came here to the Philippines, we were able to try some new products and snacks of Oishi.

Sana: When we were departing from Korea to Manila, we brought along Miggos and Jeongyeon was able to give the media people in Korea snacks. And they loved it.

What made you say yes to the Oishi collaboration?

Dahyun: TWICE really loves snacks, and Oishi is one of the famous brands in the Philippines so we thought that collaborating with Oishi would cause a good synergy!

The members were divided into subunits: Sweet Sweet (Mina and Chaeyoung), Cheesy Cheesy (Nayeon, Sana, and Tzuyu), Corny Corny (Jeongyeon and Dahyun), and Anghang Anghang [Spicy in English] (Jihyo and Momo).

For Sweet Sweet subunit: What’s the most recent sweet moment or interaction you’ve had with each other?

Mina: It’s the fact that we are together that makes it already a sweet moment.

Chaeyoung: During our US tour, we went to a shop, and we saw a very cute teddy bear necklace that was divided into two pieces. We bought them.

Mina: Chaeyoung bought it for me!

For Cheesy Cheesy subunit: Could you share a memorable gift you received from other members?

Tzuyu: I've received a lot of gifts from other members, but what is memorable is when Momo gave all the members pajamas during Christmas. Inside the box, there was very cute packaging.

Nayeon: I receive a lot of gifts as well, and all of those gifts are memorable. But since Jeongyeon and I just had eye contact, I’ll choose the air purifier I wanted to buy for a very long time. I received it from Jeongyeon. Now, I’m living by breathing the good hair from the air purifier that Jeongyeon has gifted to me.

Sana: There are also so many gifts that I've received; everything is so memorable too. But there’s one thing I always see in the house, which is the wall clock gifted by Mina. So, the quality of my lifestyle is getting one level higher whenever I look at the wall clock. Thank you (to Mina in a cute way)! (laughs)

For Corny Corny subunit: When you’re not performing or doing activities with TWICE, what’s something you enjoy doing with the members?

Jeongyeon: There’s a game in Korea that’s called the “What If” game, so you can ask someone, “What if this happens?” The members and I love asking questions.

Dahyun: Actually, I thought of the same thing as well.

For, Anghang Anghang subunit: What level of spiciness can you tolerate when it comes to food?

Jihyo: Me and Momo are actually not good at spicy foods, so we were thinking about what would happen [the moment we were chosen for the Anghang Anghang unit]. That was our reaction. When we tried the spicy prawn crackers, it wasn't really that spicy, but you can still enjoy the taste of spiciness.

Momo: Spicy prawn crackers were not so spicy, but I was able to enjoy the spiciness. It’s delicious.

Any favorite Filipino food?

Jihyo: Whenever we come to the Philippines for a concert, we prepare Korean foods, so we are not able to really try Filipino cuisines. One thing that I want to try is Halo-halo. It's like the Bingsu in Korea.

TWICE is going to commemorate its 9th anniversary. How are you going to celebrate this milestone?

Tzuyu: It has been such a long time since we went on a trip or vacation as 9 members, and this is because we have so many schedules. So this year, we hope to celebrate and gather together at a restaurant.

Special thanks to 'Oishi' for the invite!