I Didn't Become a K-pop Fan Because of Music

If someone had told me years ago that I would eventually become a K-pop fan, I would have laughed.
At that time, I was a huge Eminem fan. My playlist was filled with Western music, and K-pop wasn't something I ever thought I'd enjoy.

Then one day, while scrolling through Twitter, I came across a post that caught my attention.
It wasn't praising an artist or promoting a new song.
Instead, it said something like:
"Everyone who called G-Dragon unprofessional owes him an apology."

Before all of this happened, I already knew who G-Dragon was, but only because I used to watch Running Man, one of South Korea's most popular variety shows.

Back then, I was a huge Running Man fan. I loved the show so much that I even mentioned the cast members in the acknowledgements section of my undergraduate thesis. Looking back now, it still makes me smile.

In fact, I discovered many K-pop idols through Running Man rather than through their music.

So when I came across a tweet asking people to apologize for calling G-Dragon unprofessional, I immediately recognized his name. That familiarity made me curious, and I wanted to find out what had really happened. Curious, I opened the post.

People were talking about how he had been heavily criticized during one of BIGBANG's concerts. Many had accused him of being drunk, using drugs, or simply not caring about his performance. Then someone shared the real story.

Wanting to understand what had actually happened, I watched the documentary BIGBANG MADE. What I learned completely changed my perspective.

During the performance of BAE BAE, G-Dragon wasn't being careless or unprofessional. He was suffering from heatstroke. Despite being in an extremely dangerous physical condition, he kept performing because he didn't want to disappoint thousands of fans who had waited to see BIGBANG.

That moment stayed with me. I couldn't stop thinking about how easily people judged him without knowing what he was actually going through.

Instead of seeing an irresponsible celebrity, I saw someone pushing himself beyond his limits for the people who supported him.

That was the moment I became curious about G-Dragon.
Curiosity led me to BIGBANG.
BIGBANG led me to K-pop.
Not with a song.
Not with a music video.
Not even with a recommendation from a friend.

It all started with a single tweet... and my curiosity to find out the truth before believing what everyone else was saying.

As I started exploring their music, I realized something unexpected. I genuinely loved their songs. Without even noticing it, my playlist gradually became filled with BIGBANG tracks.

What began as simple curiosity slowly turned into genuine admiration, not only for their music but also for the people behind it.

The more interviews and videos I watched, the more I admired their personalities. One thing that stood out to me was how respectful they were. They always showed sincere respect to their seniors while treating their juniors with kindness and encouragement. That humility made me admire them even more.
At that point, I realized I wasn't just interested in G-Dragon anymore.

Looking back, I never expected this journey to lead me here. Today, I am proud to call myself a VIP (BIGBANG Fandom Name), and I always will be. 💛