2025.08.29
In KPOP, there is a culture known as "Birthday Cafes" (センイルカフェ) where fans rent existing cafes at their own expense to operate them for a limited time in celebration of their favorite idol's birthday.
During this period, when you order a drink, you receive various perks such as original cup holders and trading cards, which of course delights fans, and also serves as a promotional effort to raise awareness among regular customers who may not be fans.
From the cafe's perspective, many customers come for the perks during the birthday cafe period, creating a win-win relationship for both the cafe owners and the fans renting the space.
And the biggest advantage of these birthday cafes is that the idol themselves often visits the cafe to interact with fans.
Some might think, "Only fans of minor groups would show up," but that's not the case.
Even super popular idols will make an appearance if their schedule allows.
For instance, despite being in military service, BTS's RM took a break to visit a cafe, and BIGBANG's Taeyang also showed up at a birthday cafe in 2022 to interact with fans.
Because of this, it's not uncommon for Japanese fans to travel to Korea to celebrate their favorite idol's birthday.
Now, the main topic starts here.
The author recently traveled to Korea to celebrate their favorite idol's birthday.
By the way, I went last year as well.
As mentioned multiple times in this column, the author is a fan of Kep1er, or rather, a Kep1ian.
Among them, my number one favorite is the group's leader, Yujin.
Since Yujin's birthday is on August 12, I traveled to Korea from August 11 to August 14 to celebrate.
However, a major miscalculation occurred here.
A few days before the birthday, Yujin herself sent a surprising message on Bubble (a paid app where artists and fans can chat) saying, "I have a packed schedule from morning to night on the 12th, so I won't be able to make it, but I will go to the cafe after work on the 11th."
On the 11th, I was scheduled to arrive at Incheon Airport at 14:30, and no matter how hard I tried, I could only reach the cafe in Hongdae by 16:00 at the earliest.
If Yujin arrived at the cafe before 16:00, I would miss her, which would be incredibly frustrating.
However, based on Yujin's words about going to the cafe after work, I believed she would definitely come in the evening and departed from Japan.
As planned, I arrived in Korea around 14:30, completed the immigration process, and headed to Hongdae by train from Incheon Airport.
Arriving in Hongdae at 16:00.
Looking around, Yujin had not yet arrived at the cafe. I made it just in time. I successfully won the chicken race against Yujin and headed to the birthday cafe.
This year's Yujin birthday cafe had six locations in total, including five in Hongdae and a special samgyeopsal restaurant.
I hurried to the birthday cafe run by a fellow Kep1ian while dragging my suitcase.
When I arrived at the cafe, everyone in the shop seemed nervous, knowing that Yujin would be arriving soon.
I ordered a drink, received my perks, and while waiting for Yujin's arrival, Yujin's mother unexpectedly came to the cafe.
We enjoyed a conversation using Papago to communicate.
When she asked, "Are you going to the samgyeopsal restaurant after this?" I replied, "Yes, we are," and she asked, "What time are you going?" It was a surreal situation where I was having a friendly conversation with my idol's mother.
I had met her a few times at concerts, and she is always smiling and very lovely.
Seeing Yujin's mother made it clear why Yujin is always so cheerful.
As time passed, the office car carrying Yujin arrived in front of the cafe.
The excitement of being able to meet her, after worrying about whether it would happen, was doubled.
Rather than explaining the situation, it would be quicker to check out the Vlog from the official Kep1er account and the photos taken by the author.
As you can see, it was a happy space from every angle.
Continuing from last year, we celebrated Yujin's birthday with the Korean version of Happy Birthday, making it a very satisfying birthday celebration.
Then, we moved to a birthday cafe run by a fellow Kep1ian, ordered drinks, and received some perks.
Yujin's mom had also moved here, and when she asked, "What time are we going to the Samgyeopsal place?" I replied, "We'll go when we're hungry," and she suddenly said something like a real mom, "I'm going ahead, so come later," which was amusing (laughs).
We chatted with Kep1ians who came from Japan at the cafe for a while, and soon after, we joined everyone at the Samgyeopsal place.
Yujin's mom was already having fun drinking, surrounded by Kep1ians.
Then, an unexpected surprise happened.
Yujin actually showed up at the Samgyeopsal place!
I was flustered because I didn't expect her to come.
As you can see, my favorite, Yujin, the leader of Kep1er, is loved by many fans.
Just seeing her interact with fans with a smile makes me feel grateful for supporting her every time.
I'm sure everyone has their own favorites, and I hope you all enjoy supporting them without regrets.
Especially since Kep1er was originally a limited-time group, they were supposed to end their activities in two and a half years. They were scheduled to finish in July of last year.
However, they surprised fans with a contract extension, and I now feel like we are in a bonus stage.
That's why I want to continue supporting them without regrets and without pushing myself too hard.
"Support your favorites while you can."
That's a saying that rings true.
The End
Neko-machi Peko
Head of the SKOOTA KPOP Team
Originally a rock music enthusiast who once considered working at Rockin' On. Started listening to KPOP due to BTS, then got hooked on BLACKPINK, and eventually fell deep into the KPOP world. Became a hardcore fan of Kep1er after getting hooked on the survival audition show 'Girls Planet 999', resulting in fully diving into the KPOP scene.