Honestly, taking on Seoul Popcon for the first time was close to a reckless decision. COEX as a venue, three days, a crew of more than 25. While preparing we asked ourselves more than once whether it was even possible. Still, on 12 September, the moment we finished setting up and welcomed the first visitors — that mix of nerves and excitement is still vivid.
How did we gather 25 people?
The first thing we did after deciding to join was recruit the crew. Running a three-day event without gaps required a rotation. Standing all day is physically hard for one team, and more importantly we felt fans needed a reason to come back — different cosplay every day.
Recruiting brought more than 25 creators to the Mystic Muse booth. The lineup covered a wide range of genres, from games and animation to web novel adaptations, and everyone took their character seriously. Having a crew that understood and expressed their characters rather than simply wearing a costume was reassuring throughout the preparation.
Setting up the booth was far more complex than expected
COEX is a vast space, so we spent a great deal of time on flow alone. We laid out the merchandise area, the cheki photo space and the photo session zone so visitors could move through the booth naturally — the plan changed two or three times between the first drawing and the actual setup.
The staff schedule was tight too. Who stands where at which hour, when they rotate, where they change costumes. With an event this size, the unexpected happened as well: a wig suddenly needing repair, equipment trouble at the booth. Having backup people who could respond immediately made all the difference.
Moments with fans
What stayed with us most across the three days were the fans. People lining up before the booth opened, people who had been checking on X the night before to see which cosplayer would appear. The image that keeps coming back is our crew breaking into a smile after a cheki, when someone said "you look exactly like the character."
Merchandise moved much faster than expected. By the afternoon of day two some items had already sold out, which left us apologetic toward fans — though it also meant that much interest, so gratitude won out.
The story continued after the event
Even after we packed up, posts about Seoul Popcon kept appearing on social media. Not only ours — visitors shared their own photos and videos. Some tagged us when posting their cheki, and one person even made fan art from a photo they had taken.
Going through those posts one by one became our team's pleasure after the event. We ran hard for three days, and seeing those traces stay online and carry on — it felt as though the event hadn't quite ended.
Seoul Popcon 2025 was an experience of scale for us, but more than that it was an event made possible by the crew who joined us and the fans who came. If we get the chance to stand on this stage again, we'll come better prepared.