K-Bops in K-Pop

I’ve learned in the last couple weeks more than I ever had before just how much time K-Pop requires. There are MV drops, birthdays, variety show episode releases, and debuts constantly. You are never caught up. In the past, when I was single and most of my friends lived far away from me, I had ample time for K-Pop. I was always on the cusp of the next thing because I was perpetually present in the scene. Now? Absolutely not. But does that mean I have to give it up?

How Much Time Does it Really Take?

K-Pop is absurdly time consuming if you let it be. I still recall getting into K-Pop in college. I never anticipated that I would be up at 3 AM trying to marathon all of GOT7’s dance practices. Then weeks later I was racing through BTS Run episodes and reading a textbook while watching Go Fighting! with Yixing. My intake was constant but I never noticed just how much of my life was directed by and revolving around K-Pop.

Which is why these last couple of weeks have been very strange. Don’t get me wrong–I love my girlfriend and I love my friends. But spending time with them and living my life with people whose lives do not revolve around K-Pop means that I cannot listen to K-Pop constantly. Rather, it takes a backseat. I’m backed up on BTS Run, I haven’t caught a comeback in weeks, and–I’m ashamed to say–I still haven’t watched J-Hope’s Airplane MV.

So What Do You (I) Do?

You figure it out. Honestly. That’s all there is to it. It may sound silly to someone who is not into K-Pop, but K-Pop matters to us. The way sports matters to other people. The way that fashion matters. So if you really care about it and it makes a real difference in your life, don’t let it slip away. Even if you have to take a break for a week or a month then come back after you’ve let the rest of your life settle, but at least promise yourself that you’ll have it in mind. If–after all of the madness–you still want it to be a part of you and a part of what you love, then you can make room in your schedule to catch up and enjoy yourself in the chaos of it again.

Final Thoughts

I’ll admit, this is more personal than for anyone else. My life has seen a lot of drastic changes in a short period of time and I’m ecstatic to see all that the rest of the year has to hold for me, but I don’t want K-Pop to disappear from my life. Despite all the madness, K-Pop still holds a special place in my heart and I can’t pretend that it doesn’t exist for me or that it doesn’t matter. I’m certain that in a month or two I’ll return to my usual schedule of bombarding you all with posts three times a week, but for now K-Pop is like that friend you run into in the hallway but never elsewhere–just a quick hello and then you’re gone.