CONFESSIONS OF AN ARMY DAD

Round this time five years ago, the world went into a tailspin. The COVID-19 pandemic kept most of us indoors — no vaccines yet, just anxiety, uncertainty, and an excessive number of banana bread recipes to keep us occupied.

- RICARDO T. PAMINTUAN

Round this time five years ago, the world went into a tailspin. The COVID-19 pandemic kept most of us indoors — no vaccines yet, just anxiety, uncertainty, and an excessive number of banana bread recipes to keep us occupied. Terms like "Zoom meeting," "work from home," "remote learning," "asymptomatic," "PPE," and "plantitas" became as common as our reflexive reaction to a sneeze or cough.

But then, like a ray of sunlight after a typhoon, or a neon-drenched beacon of hope, Korean super-band BTS dropped a literal bomb: Dynamite. A song so bright and infectious, it lifted spirits across the globe. One of those spirits? My daughter's. And, indirectly, mine.

She fell hard — plunging headfirst into the BTS fandom, memorizing lyrics (in Korean, no less!), dancing as if she had every Permission to Dance until she collapsed from exhaustion (after the third song), debating theories about music videos, and turning her room into a shrine dedicated to seven impossibly talented and well-coiffed young men.

At first, my wife and I were hapless bystanders, caught in the whirlwind of music and videos playing on a seemingly endless loop. Each song was Darth Vader telling Luke, "It is useless to resist." But, I have to admit, it wasn't just relentless exposure that won me over. BTS's music has great beats, tight harmonies, and — this is the kicker — genuinely uplifting messages. I let myself be pulled in, one Spring Day at a time.

What can I say? I've been a fan of Brand Korea for some time now. People who have been following me sometimes ask why I write about Korea so much.

The answer is simple: great food, beautifully crafted stories, amazing filmmaking, kind and friendly people — and the music (OMG!). Don't even get me started on Korea itself as a nation of envy. It's my deep appreciation for a culture that consistently delivers quality, whether in entertainment, cuisine, or the way it approaches life with passion and discipline.