Koffee & Kpop

For the first time, I went to a company-sponsored birthday cafe. (At least I’m pretty sure.)

Youngjae has been my bias in Got7 for a long time, since before I came to Korea. My first kpop album was Got7’s Present: You, and I specifically ordered Youngjae’s version. I carried around that photocard of Youngjae for quite some time. I liked him because I thought (and still think) he has amazing vocals and he’s goofy and adorable. I tend to go for the main vocalists in most of the groups I like, and usually not the most popular members.

I discovered this birthday cafe on Youngjae’s Instagram stories, the first sign that this was company-sponsored. Idols don’t usually post about birthday cafes. There were no other, fan-created birthday cafes so of course I had to go.

Unlike most birthday cafes, this was open not just for a weekend but an entire week, from Sunday to Sunday. There was no typical paper cup that comes with purchase, which made me a little sad, but it’s okay–I really don’t need anymore. (She says, before Key’s birthday cafes this weekend.)

The cafe, Cafe Soundwave, was one I haven’t typically seen on the idol birthday cafe lists, located on the third floor of a building in Hapjeong.

It was a very classy birthday cafe with professional photos, a wall for handwritten messages, a Photoism booth (with a rather underwhelming border, in my opinion–just the shape of a bird, which is the symbol for Got7’s fans), posters and photocards for immediate purchase and keychains and posters for pre-order. All of this were signs of a company-sponsored birthday cafe, as I’ve never seen anything for pre-order or official goods at any fan-created birthday cafes.

I met a new friend who was lovely, we chatted a while, and then I went to another cafe to wait for my friend who was visiting from the UK. One day I’d like to have the resources (time, money) to create my own birthday cafe.