“Boba With Luv” Provides A Warm Blanket For ARMY

K-Pop has come far in the past decade, sliding into American mainstream pop culture. One group, BTS, or Bangtan Boys, has particularly pushed the needle forward and become the biggest boy band in the world in recent years.

Their latest album, “Map of the Soul: 7”, became BTS’ fourth U.S. number one album, putting them in the same ranks as The Beatles and The Monkees. The group also had a successful stadium tour last year, selling out on their Rose Bowl dates to the tune of $16.6 million, the highest-grossing show in history of the stadium.

With a new tour on the horizon, BTS’ fans, otherwise known as ARMY (Adorable Representative MC for Youth), have found numerous ways to express their excitement. Whether it’s through streaming their new videos on YouTube, or watching “Carpool Karaoke”, ARMYs never fail to show up in numbers.

Take so-called “cup-sleeve events” for example. Originated in South Korea, these events occur at a cafe or boba shop to celebrate a group member’s birthday and/or group anniversary. Fans purchase a drink and get a complimentary cup sleeve.

This also provides an opportunity to meet other fans.

“It’s providing kind of that safe and comfort for people who are really introverted and can’t really make friendships in the real world,” Lailani Manimbo, the creator of Boba With Luv said.

Lailani Manimbo, 30, posed with a cup-sleeve. Creator of Boba With Luv.

Lailani has been a fan of BTS since the “Love Yourself” era, attending their concert in 2018. She created Boba With Luv after attending a cup-sleeve event in Chinatown for member J-Hope’s birthday last year in February.

After waiting two hours for a cup sleeve and seeing the many ARMYs attending, she told her boyfriend she wanted to organize one. Last June, she coordinated her first cup-sleeve event titled, “BOBA WITH LUV,” a play on “Boy with Luv,” at Heeretea in Fullerton, right across the street from CSUF’s College Park building.

Her second cup sleeve event for members RM and Jungkook’s birthdays was when the rest of the Boba With Luv team came on board. Kiana Woods and Jennifer Garcia didn’t know each other until then. They took charge in helping their friend out when 50 fans showed at Heeretea.

“I was standing in line and I looked at her (Lailani’s) face. She walked in, arms full of bags and plushies,” Kiana said. “I looked and I was like, ‘Do you need help?’”

Kiana Woods, 25, posed with a cup sleeve. She has been an ARMY for 3 years.

From then, Kiana started to line up ARMYs by numbering them. Kiana met Lailani during the “Love Yourself” tour and kept in touch, while Jennifer and Lailani met during the first Boba With Luv event, which celebrated the group’s sixth anniversary.

The events grew larger and larger as the months passed. The crew would prepare 500 freebies. Freebie bags are usually filled with stickers, cards and other items donated by fellow ARMY artists. It eventually ballooned to 1,000 freebies for the recent planned event for members SUGA and J-Hope. Vendors who create BTS-related artwork began showcasing and selling their work by the second event, some of which created intricate pinwork.

“The enamel pin community is its own world,” Lailani said, pointing to Jennifer as an avid fan.

“I’m just like, yes, yes, yes! We need to have them.”

Jennifer Garcia, 23, posed with a cup-sleeve. She has been an ARMY for 3 years.

Jennifer said many fans have made it into a source of income. Boba With Luv has received numerous requests to participate from other artists, but due to the size of the venue, they frequently turn them down.

The overwhelming amount of love from ARMYs attending the events still gets to this trio. Lailani has been recognized by fans at different events, something she admitted she can never get used to.

“There are many times after each event, where we just burst into tears,” Kiana said, then pointing to Lailani, “Especially this one!” (“It’s a traditional thing, okay!” Lailani added.)

Ecstatically, Lailani revealed a scrapbook filled with letters of gratitude from ARMYs who have attended. Many were handmade. Some fans wrote that the event got them out of their shells.

Excerpts of a scrapbook Lailani made to compile all the thank you letters BOBAWITHLUV has gotten.

“I want Boba With Luv to be known as a place where you can just go solo and then leave making friends,” Lailani said. “That’s what I want. Because I feel that sense of belonging when we do these things.”

Unfortunately, the Boba With Luv event originally scheduled for this past weekend was cancelled due to growing coronavirus concerns, but the team plans to push forward with a new date and no intentions of stopping future events. Lailani said she has seen the events grow into its own separate community within the ARMY fandom. When speaking about expanding to more venues and future collaborations with BTS’ fansites (members of the K-Pop fan community who take photos of the members), Lailani said she would like to have Boba With Luv to stand alone.

“What Boba With Luv has become for other people, we want to protect it,” Kiana said. “Like with BTS, we want to protect what it is at its core.”

Attendees have echoed the same thoughts as the organizers, with some stating that Boba With Luv’s vibe is inviting and family-like.

“When I first came in, I was like, yup, this is my home,” Joanna Calleja said, describing her first experience at Boba With Luv. “There’s all this people who like the same thing as me.”

Joanna is currently a junior at Cal State Fullerton, pursuing a degree in psychology. She had heard about Boba With Luv through a promotional poster after making her usual stop at 85 Degrees, which is only two doors down from Heeretea.

She is shyer at social gatherings, but felt group solidarity during the event. She said the organizers were friendly, describing the time when she brought her speaker out to entertain those waiting outside the venue. Kiana was also entertaining the crowd by playing games.

The Boba With Luv team agrees that Boba With Luv continues to be a safe space, something that they drew inspiration from the group themselves. BTS’ message, “Love Yourself,” has resonated with many. The group paired up with UNICEF in 2017 to promote anti-violence, pushing for self-acceptance and love.

Joanna said she has a friend who suffered from mental health issues and found solace after getting into the group. Likewise, Jennifer brought up her personal struggles, wanting to ultimately love herself. Lailani also works as an ER nurse outside of Boba With Luv. She later described her work struggles publicly on her Twitter account before wishing that the event continued on so ARMYs could “surround themselves with friends” in a time of uncertainty and trauma.

“There’s a saying on Twitter that BTS comes to you when you need them,” Joanna said.

BTS has been lauded by both domestic and international entertainment outlets for their honest lyricism of the human condition. Their 2017 hit, “Spring Day,” continues to chart both in the U.S. and South Korea three years later, delivering a powerful message of comfort during times of hardship. “Magic Shop,” released in 2018, also has a similar message directed at their fanbase as the group offers a place that expels all fears in exchange for comfort.

In a time when everyday life has ceased and physical human interaction is limited, the comforting message from BTS has kept fans at ease and in peace. Boba With Luv’s Twitter account was filled with retweets from previous attendees and vendors Friday night as they asked for photos from past events.

Back in South Korea, ARMYs donated their concert ticket refunds to coronavirus relief funds, following in the footsteps of member SUGA’s contributions.

Currently, the BOBA WITH LUV team still has plans to reschedule the third event. They are also looking into doing smaller events, both virtual and physical. You can follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @bobawithluv for updates.