Thankful For My Special One, Korean Pop Music
Dear Mister,
Let’s grow old together.
In one of the worst breakups of my life, people introduced me to Taylor Swift and Adele. But they didn’t seem to understand just exactly what I was feeling. I couldn’t describe that pain or despair or even hatred sometimes, and I almost thought nobody could, until you spoke my mind with “Eyes, Nose, Lips.” Thank you, for ending my search of the best breakup song/poem, and for the best relationship I’ve ever had.
Tablo’s hip-hop group, Epik High, is my favorite Korean act. The trio is over 10 years old but I only started living with Korean music in 2013.
I was out of college, with a business degree and no job offer. Sending my friends off to McKinsey and J.P. Morgan, I went on exploring what I should do with my life, for which the undoubtable first step was to open YouTube and see what’s cool lately. I ran across this music video by EXO and was ready to give it 10 seconds of chance to show me what all the hype was about. Unfortunately, I was sold in fiveseconds and started my love story with K-pop.
What caught me was the choreography. I had been a casual dancer in high school and my first two years in college, before I entered business school and sat among obnoxious (white) guys who were ready to take over the C-suite and grow out their beer bellies. Stunned by how much Korean style has changed, I was also reminded of the fire in my heart when I let go of the world in studios and on stages.
Thank you, EXO, for bringing me back to a lifestyle of movement. I called up my dancer friends immediately and we learned the choreography of “Growl” together. When we were sitting exhaustedly on the dance floor in front of the mirror, one of my friends asked, “What happened? You’re gone for a while but I haven’t seen so much life in you, like, ever. You seem to be totally in love. Your dance is different. I’m not good at words but you just look like you mean it this time.” That passion came not just from missing the joy of dancing; I knew it was new inspiration.
Thanks to the cleverness of embedding dubstep into pop and creating “Wolf” on stage; thanks to the “Overdose” of synchronization between choreography with lyrics; thanks to the the level of engagement and dedication at work from these boys of my age; thanks to discovering this group of “idols from the galaxy” on YouTube (and totally falling like an idiot), I’m back in dance, only with more soul and determination.
When I finally found a decent internship and started working in Los Angeles, I filled my peaceful time of solitude after work at home with the best of your idol shows — “EXO’s Showtime,” of course, and more importantly, “WIN: Who Is Next.” I want to thank YG and Mnet, for producing the two reality shows, “WIN” and “Mix & Match,” that woke up the hard-working dreamer in me.
As a dancer for life, apparently the first thing that attracted me was the abundance of kickass choreographies in the weekly competitions. But I was especially thankful that, when American reality shows were busy running the ugly and greedy right in my face every day, these shows fed me with brotherhood, faith, passion and the pursuit of artistic perfection. I used to think the your world was just another big cold machine anyway: writers and producers assemble the songs, idols perform to sell records and merchandise, and the executives count the bills. Seeing the trainees write their own lyrics, mix their own tracks, choreograph and design their stage performances and grow together painfully made me think what had I done to deserve anything I demanded from life.
At the significant transition of my life, after college and still in the search for a life goal, I was lucky to have watched the two shows and been exposed to not only the next generation’s best singer-songwriters in Asia, but also the culture of my current dream company, YG Entertainment. Yes, my life goal found me, just that easily and unexpectedly. Almost done with my first semester of graduate school, I want to thank YG Family, for motivating me to write a feature on CL and have my essay read to the class for the first time in ten years; for an unprecedented North American Tour that I could analyze and impress my professor with a 20-page mid-tem paper; for just being that lighthouse when I was sailing mindlessly.
Did I scare you because it starts to sound as heavy as marriage now? To keep a relationship fresh and fun, we can’t just have the serious part — like commitment. There are fun moments and silly interactions that I cherish during my time with you, too. I had grown up wearing almost exclusively Nike and Adidas Originals, and wasn’t quite sure what I should do after I passed the age of 15. I was honestly a fashion disaster until 2NE1 came pick me up from the abyss.
I have met one of my best friends in grad school through the Big Bang concert at Staples Center. I started learning Korean and drawing, and now I can easily strike a conversation with a native speaker and send my cousin my fan-art of her favorite idol on her birthday. I discovered more fun playing the piano when I recorded my own version of “Miracle of December.” People say a good relationship doesn’t eat up your time and isolate you from the rest of the world; it should make you a better person. Sounds like the one I’m having with you, Mr. K-pop.
Hey, you! Thanks for these two years. Loving you was like being born all over again.
