✈️ To the Land of BTS and Belonging

BTS Leader RM and eldest member Jin as My Soul Seoul Ambassadors

This Is Why We Call It a Pilgrimage

There’s a reason we call it a pilgrimage.

And no—it’s not just because I still haven’t packed, my apartment’s a mess, and I may or may not be emotionally holding on by a thread.

It’s because something in my soul knows: this trip isn’t just about going.

It’s about returning.

Tomorrow night, I board a flight to South Korea. Again.

But this time it’s for BTS FESTA—the group’s 12th anniversary celebration. There’ll be an ARMY Zone. A J-Hope concert. And, if heaven smiles on us, a glimpse of the recently discharged members.

I still have to clean. I still have to pack. I still have to charge my car.

But none of that really matters right now.

Because my heart is already in the air.

✨ Why We Call It a Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a journey made in pursuit of something sacred.

And for many ARMYs like me, BTS isn’t just music—it’s meaning.

It’s memory. Healing. Belonging.

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” —Matthew 6:21

Over the past 12 years, BTS has sung to the broken, the tired, the overlooked—and reminded us we’re not alone.

So when we travel to see them, to breathe their same air, to walk where they once stood—it’s not fandom.

It’s reverence.

🌍 My Own Road to Seoul

I first went to Korea in 2016 because of K-dramas.

I stayed because BTS cracked something open in me.

After discovering No More Dream and falling down a YouTube spiral, I found myself watching not just performances, but people. Seven guys who were real, raw, and a little ragged around the edges—just like me.

Since then, I’ve returned multiple times.

In 2022, my coworker and I visited every BTS landmark we could find—cafés, murals, tucked-away spots from old run episodes.

Now, we’re headed back. Together. Again.

This time, for FESTA.

“Not all those who wander are lost.”

—J.R.R. Tolkien

📸 What We’re Really Looking For

Today at work, I mentioned the trip to my old boss. She laughed in that amused “you’re serious?” kind of way. And yeah—I get it. Flying across the world for a concert sounds absurd.

But what I’m looking for isn’t a front-row seat.

It’s a deeper connection.

I want to be there when the anniversary balloons go up.

When strangers in purple shirts become sisters for a day.

When J-Hope walks onstage and we all remember why we came.

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” —Frederick Buechner

This is that place. For me.

📖 A Small Book Born from a Big Love

Before I leave, I want to share something else that’s recently taken flight:

My debut poetry book, 17 Syllables of Me.

The very first chapter?

The Ones Who Sparked It All—a lyrical tribute to BTS, ARMY, and the journey that brought me back to myself.

Their vulnerability gave me the courage to pick up the pen again.

Their honesty reminded me that mess can still be meaningful.

Their music helped me remember my voice.

You can find 17 Syllables of Me on Amazon, or reach out if you’re curious.

I wrote it for anyone who’s ever been held by a lyric or found in a moment.

I wrote it for you.

💭 Soul Insights from the Road

The sacred can be secular

Sometimes, God shows up in neon lights and fan chants. Don’t box Him in.

Belonging doesn’t always need words

The feeling of standing among strangers who get it? That’s a kind of healing church.

You’re allowed to outgrow logic

You don’t have to justify what brings you joy. That joy is proof enough.

Proximity is optional—connection isn’t

You can feel close from a screen. But if the chance to go comes? Go.

Joy is a compass

If your soul lights up at the thought—follow it. That’s where aliveness lives.

🕊️ Final Thoughts Before Takeoff

I haven’t packed.

I haven’t finished cleaning.

And my coworker is literally crashing at my place tonight before we fly out together.

But somehow—I’m already there.

Not physically. But spiritually.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” —Jeremiah 29:13

I don’t know what this trip will hold.

I don’t know who I’ll see, or what memories I’ll make.

But I know I’m walking into something sacred.

Maybe we don’t go on pilgrimages to find something new.

Maybe we go to remember who we were before we forgot.

See you in Seoul. 💜

Soul Path Insights