Youth is Not Over

I became a BTS fan quite by chance. As a wife and mother of grown children, I thought that the fun and carefree feeling of youth was over. I’ve never been a part of any fandom and Twitter was just a pretty much unused account. It all started one summer when I started watching kdramas. When I was a kid and young adult, I loved the artistry of Asian films and the storylines. Recently, I started watching again. One day while searching for my next kdrama using YouTube, I ran across a Korean singer singing American gospel songs! They were darn good! That intrigued me, so I searched some more and found a Korean duo singing American R&B. They were good! One day while looking for some entertainment during Covid quarantine, I ran across these young men who were practicing a dance. The song was Boy With LUV! I was shocked! They could dance! There was one who had real swag, Jhope. They all did, really. One was so cute, Jimin! Two looked like twins, but could dance, Jungkook and V. They moved so fast that it was hard to focus on any one. I wanted to know more about them! Then I saw “On” Woaah! I was blown away! I became excited, but scared! I mean, who could I share this with? Who would understand my affection for these young men of a different culture, ethnicity, and country from me. Their music was fun, energetic and sexy. I learned their names, eventually.  Heartbeat, Epiphany, Serendipity, and Young Forever were the first to be added to my playlist. As I heard more, I added more! Now, I have entire albums and counting! Then I found Army on Twitter and felt a part of something magical! I looked forward to their next online concerts, next comeback, next Vlive! Friends and family didn’t share in the interest, but they understood that I was serious enough to buy me Bangtan gifts for Christmas. The Army bomb was my first prized possession. I joined a Army group chat and feel that I have possibly found lifelong friends. My life is brighter, more fun because of those 7 wonderful, inspiring, angelic human beings. I felt I’ve turned back the clock.  I can dance  to  their  music (or try to) and be happy. I can laugh at their Run episodes and delight in their achievements! I can’t pick one, so I have 7 biases. I can’t wait to meet them in my first live concert. I am sure that there will be an ocean of purple tears on that day! Happy tears! Borahae!