My best friend, who lives in New York, called me and we started sharing news on how each one’s life was going in different states. Soon she asked me how 블로그 (bool-lo-gue: blog) writing was going. I said I enjoy writing, but I get often stuck when finding topics. She suggested to write about a Korean boyband, 방탄소년단 (Bang-tan-so-nyun-dan: B.T.S.) She said B.T.S is 인기가 많다 (in-kee-gah-man-tah: popular) these days, and they just had a successful 콘서트 (con-suh-t: concert) in New York.

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I immediately thought that a successful concert they had might’ve been for Korean 팬 (pan: fans) in New York, just as other Korean 가수 (gah-soo: singers) concerts, that I recalled, were for mainly Korean fans who live in America. Thus, I silently decided to ignore her recommendation since  I didn’t know much about them, nor I have ever been a fan of boybands.

It is a matter of 개인 취향 (gae-in-chi-hwaeng: personal preference), but I also thought I was a bit old to be interested in 한국대중음악 (han-gook-dae-joong-eum–ak: Korean pop, K-pop) boybands.

In my head, many K-pop boy/girl bands I remember were 얄팍한 (yal-pak-han: superficial) and I’ve never really been a fan of that type of music. I also admit that my 지식 (jee-sik: knowledge) of Korean celebrities who actively participate in the American entertainment industry is limited. It is partially my shortcoming that I gradually stopped paying attention to Korean entertainment news, but I don’t have easy access to Korean culture where I live, not like my friend who lives in a big 도시 (doh-see: city).

Eventually, I got curious and started 조사하다 (joh-sah-ha-dah: researching)  BTS anyway. This boyband surprised me. In fact, I enjoyed their music. I am personally not into their 겉모습 (gut-moh-soop: appearance), but I understand why they have a large number of fans all over the world. Each of these seven boys has their 매력 (mae-ryuk: charm), which I expected from a K-pop boyband.

As my research continued, I got more interested in B.T.S. I found out that they were guests on my favorite talk show- The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. I don’t know 뒷이야기 (duet-ee-yah-gi: the background story) of how they ended up making a speech at 유엔 (you-en: the U.N.). They made an incredible one, which I thought was worth sharing with many people. I started to think that I might have misjudged them just because they are a boyband.

In fact, the speech B.T.S. made truly spoke to me. When I was younger, I often wished that I was someone else. I also thought too much about what others would think of me. The benefit of getting older is getting wiser. I don’t care what others think of me as long as I am honest with myself. I am happy with who I am, despite knowing that I am never going to be perfect. 인생은 짧다. (in-sang-eun-jjab-dah: life is short). Who cares what others will think of me?

I am proud of BTS, not because they are popular 연예인 (yeon-ae-in: celebrities) who came from my country. I admire what they have done behind the curtain of fame and success in their earlier life. What they said at the UN was a beautiful message to many people, particularly young adults who don’t know how to love themselves. Knowing who you are and embracing yourself might take some time. However, it is the most amazing thing you would have done to yourself in life. Be proud who you are, and don’t be shy to speak up for yourself.