My Inner Fangirl is Defrosting in Seoul

One thing that I have always been throughout my life, is a fangirl. I had a surprisingly successful "The Walking Dead" Facebook fan account when I was 10, then a Dan and Phil one (embarrassing, I know) in middle school, and a BTS one in middle school-high school. There were many interests before, in-between, and after, but those are my big three that anyone who knew me during those periods in my life knew about. 

That part of me had to slow down and be put in the backseat once I got to college. I had to balance classes, extracurriculars, jobs, a social life somehow, and that left no time out of my 24 hours in a day to devote to my interests. I considered myself a big fan of K-pop in middle school-high school (my ult. group back then and now is still BTS, though) and was an active member of multiple fandoms, so it was a new feeling to be so behind on what was going on and what was new. Groups I loved disbanded or stopped being active, new groups came in the picture, dynamics were changing, and the genre had further broken into the mainstream. 

The fangirl inside must still be holding on strong, because I decided to accomplish my goal of visiting South Korea, as I had become interested in the language and culture during high school after being exposed through K-pop. Now that I'm studying abroad in Seoul, it feels like a bridge between me and my younger self is being built. I find myself reliving a lot of memories and emotions here. I get excited when I recognize a song playing in public from a group I loved, and sometimes have those "who is that?" moments when an idol that I don't know is on some ad and they catch my eye.  

With more free time and opportunities, I decided to tune back into her. Here are some of my favorite experiences doing that and how I felt. 

 

K-Link Kpop Festival 2024 (ITZY pictured)

My friends and I bought tickets for the K-Link festival, which featured a lot of big names (Aespa, Riize, ITZY, NCT Wish, etc). I was really excited, but also a bit worried that it wouldn’t be for me anymore because I didn’t know a lot of the new music (or groups). Immediately after the concert began, I knew my thoughts had been dead wrong. The festival opened with ITZY, who were one of my favorite groups and I had liked since their debut. I almost levitated out of my seat when I saw them onstage. At that moment, I tried to imagine how my 14 year old self would have reacted if I told her that one day I’d be 20, watching ITZY perform “Dalla Dalla” in South Korea. The rest of the concert was amazing, and I had a blast with my friends. I added a lot of songs to my Spotify on the bus ride back, and came out of the venue with multiple potential biases and groups to get into. 

 

"BTS restaurant" Yujeong Restaurant in Gangnam

This weekend, I decided to do some solo “ARMY” activities. I did some research and found a restaurant in Gangnam that BTS used to frequent during their trainee days. They’ve mentioned it a few times and now many fans visit it and leave BTS memorabilia and notes behind. The food was delicious (I had their bibimbap), and it was nice to take in all of the decor and try to look at all of the little details while having a sappy fan moment. 

 

Second floor in Hyuga Cafe in Gangnam

After dinner, I took a short 15 minute walk towards a BTS-themed cafe built in their old dorm. Because it was nighttime, there weren’t many people inside but there were enough to create light chatter in the background. I explored the building after ordering my drink, and was surprised to find that there were multiple floors and rooms. Some of the walls were covered in notes and photos of BTS, and the walls on the first floor housed BTS and ARMY related (beautiful) paintings. I took my time sipping my drink and enjoyed the calm atmosphere and good music booming throughout the cafe. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed my “fangirl” revival experiences, and I hope you are able to take advantage of the vast opportunities to engage in your interests in South Korea if you decide to come to Seoul.