A day in the life of a 44-year-old K-pop fan in Korea

In this episode of Korean Next Door, we spent two days at a birthday cafe for Stray Kids' Felix in Hongdae, Seoul, with the five STAYs who built it from scratch. Among them is Choi I-su, a nail artist with 24 years in the trade. We followed the team from the day before opening to closing time on opening day: hanging the banner, setting out their personal SKZ merch collections and dozens of BbokAri plushies, counting down to the doors opening, handing out hand-knitted cup sleeves, running the lucky draw and putting Felix's face on fans' fingernails. No agency. No sponsors. No profit. Just a team of fans who met on X, ranging from a middle schooler to a 44-year-old, who spent a year planning a party for Yongbok's birthday. In Hongdae alone, nearly 100 birthday cafes open every week, and the guest of honor never shows up. So why do fans keep throwing these parties? And what makes a nail artist of 24 years more nervous than she's ever been? Find out in the video. Narration: Daniel Jongha Kim 🎬 Korean Next Door is a human documentary series by Howdy Korea, bringing you intimate portraits of the people who make modern Korea tick. ▶ Subscribe for new episodes:    • Korean Next Door   📌 CHAPTERS 00:00 DAY 1 00:11 meet Choi Isu 01:23 meet BbokAri 01:49 how big a fan? 02:27 how she became the fan 04:28 Korea's age standards 05:09 DAY 2 05:54 cafe opens 06:46 the first nail art event client 08:18 fans enjoying the cafe 09:06 evening 10:05 relationship of fan and the idol #straykids #kpopfandom #kpop #fanculture #documentary