I will show you, that being an ARMY is a lifetime game-changer.

I have said this for far too many times to my friends that being a K-Pop fan is a really exciting phase of your life. But how wrong I was, because after finding out BTS and their music, being a K-Pop fan as well as an ARMY is not only exciting, but a once-in-a- lifetime game-changer.

The beginning of my journey started off by binge-watching RUN BTS! episodes. Since then, my Twitter following has become entirely BTS-related. Through Twitter, I became more aware of BTS’ contents, as well as which ARMY to follow. Being a non-English speaker, ARMY had me kind of limited to the exposure of the said fandom contents, at first. But then I came across some Indonesian accounts who were able to bridge the divide and assist me with my English-language barrier.

ARMY is currently one of the biggest fandoms in the world, this means there can be many perks to being an active member. One of them is that I get to cross paths with people who are not only interesting to talk to but also brilliant and so insightful to work with. This started when I followed an account of an Indonesian ARMY who is a florist, a brand strategist as well as someone who writes so beautifully, paints with so much grace and is a gifted crafter. While I enjoyed her fan-tweeting, I was also amazed by how witty her writings were, how soothing her flower-arranging videos were and the most important one is how resourceful her tweets are when she talks about “the branding perspective” of BTS. I talked to her privately through our direct message on twitter, I told her how I admire her online persona, we shared stories, and she even encouraged me to do things I am passionate about. This all started because we both shared the same respect for, and interest in, BTS.

I don’t want to jinx it, but I feel my life has changed more than I have expected. I feel more confident to share my piece of works about my fan life. I feel more hopeful about things I thought wouldn’t have worked out before. I got to work with my fellow ARMYs who are also a graphic designers, social media strategists, K.O.L managers and data analysts to do some projects related to the Korean entertainment industry. We even collaborated to do one podcast project that covers K-Pop from our spectacles. We had to stop producing it after only releasing two episodes. The first failure, however, didn’t stop me from being an ARMY. The support and love given by this community is also so genuine and beautiful, I sometimes question myself “why are the boys and the fans being hated for something this good?”

After experiencing the first failure, I got a chance to give a lecturer about BTS and their relation to “trans-media storytelling”. At first, I didn’t have much courage to do it, for I was embarrassed to be known as a K-Pop fan. But an ARMY who is also one of my friend encouraged me.

“You gave me the best of me
So you’ll give you the best of you
넌 찾아낼 거야 네 안에 있는 galaxy

So show me (I’ll show you)”

This line was what her reminder to me. The boys not only want us, the ARMY, to be inspired by them, but they want us to be the inspiration to ourselves. And yes, finally I did the lecturer and that was one of my most beautiful moments in life.

Not only that, I also got more access to see and scrutinize the said industry in a more complete and comprehensive perspective. Before, I was only enjoying K-Pop for its aesthetically pleasing visuals, catchy music and sharp dance moves. I came to a moment where I can give credit not only to the idols, but also to the creative teams who spend as much effort as the idols to make the art come to life. How they break down all the ideas, compile it all again into one work of art that matches the brand and the group’s value, how they schedule and execute things so professionally. After discovering BTS and their teams as well as ARMYs who are all support and inspired me in so many ways, I realize that a creative process is indeed a long and complex journey which definitely worth the wait.

One of the boys’ core message to us, the ARMY is not to lose our dreams. And here I am, I know the path will still be long, but I am ready to enjoy and embrace all the things coming.

“You gave me the best of me
So you’ll give you the best of you.”

This part resonates with me the most; to never lose hope, to always give our own selves enough credit, to always dream big. That becoming an ARMY is one pride I will forever cherish and having to know BTS and their music is something I will forever treasure.