“You know without you I’m so lonely, when you’re not here 911 calling”… Ever since I went to S.Coups’s birthday cafe event, SEVENTEEN’s song “Darling” has been stuck in my head all day. For those of you who are unfamiliar with S.Coups, he is the leader of the Kpop boy group SEVENTEEN. In Korea, fans are very passionate about their idols. They don’t just listen to their music; they create official fan clubs, bond with fellow fans, and make sure their idols are well taken care of. To show their support and love, one thing Korean fans do is ensure that their idol’s birthday is well-celebrated and promoted. They do this by buying advertisement space in subway and bus stations and putting up birthday ads. Another thing they do is rent out a cafe and hold a birthday celebration for the idols. These cafes are decorated with pictures, balloons, and videos. As well, there are special-edition drinks and desserts available for purchase. The drinks come in a cup decorated with pictures of the birthday idol, and it is common for fans to go cafe hopping and collect these cups. As you can tell, Korean fans are on a whole new level.

I went to my first ever birthday cafe event last year for Tomorrow X Together member Huening Kai. It was a unique, mind-blowing experience that I knew I had to go through again. Since then, my bucket list for my summer in Korea this year has been topped with another birthday cafe event. This year, I decided to go to S.Coups’s birthday event, as I am a huge fan of SEVENTEEN. Most birthday cafe events are held in Hongdae, which is one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Seoul. I was also very surprised to learn that many cafes in Hongdae are opened just to host idol birthday cafe events. The cafe I chose to go to was also an official idol birthday event cafe, called Luvinidol.

I arrived at Luvinidol about 30 minutes before opening time and was shocked to see that there was already a lineup outside the cafe. Later, I learned that many cafes hand out gifts (related to the birthday idol) to the fans that arrive first. Inside the cafe, I ordered an iced tea, which came in a can decorated with S.Coups’s pictures. The cafe also had something called a “sharing corner”, where fans could exchange photo cards and other goods. I was able to secure SEVENTEEN’s official photo book for their recent comeback, as well as some photo cards of the other members. There was also a TV showing some of SEVENTEEN’s live performances, which I admit I spent a good half hour staring at.

I had a great time at S.Coups’s birthday cafe event and enjoyed seeing how passionate fans can be. Some places in Australia and Toronto have started to host birthday cafe events as well, which pleases me. I hope that perhaps someday I could host a birthday cafe event as well. If I do, come visit, and we can celebrate an idol’s birthday Korean style!

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