First Encounters - Discovering the Soul of K-pop Through Ballads
The first time I truly listened to a K-pop ballad,
it felt like someone had written a letter to my heart.
Until then, K-pop to me was energy, color, and excitement.
But the ballads showed a different side—
one that was raw, vulnerable, and deeply human.
Living in Korea now, I realize:
the soul of K-pop lives in its ballads.
Why Ballads Hit Different - A Veteran’s Perspective
As a veteran, I was trained to be strong, to keep moving, to endure.
But ballads taught me that real strength often comes from sitting with your pain,
not running from it.
The slow melodies, aching lyrics, and restrained emotions mirrored the battles
many of us fight inside—quiet, unseen, but no less real.
K-pop ballads didn’t just entertain.
They understood.
BTS - "The Truth Untold" - Hiding Pain Behind Strength
BTS’s "The Truth Untold" captures the feeling of hiding your true self
out of fear of being hurt.
For years in the Army, vulnerability felt dangerous.
Showing weakness wasn’t an option.
But this song reminded me that strength isn’t about wearing armor every day.
Sometimes, it’s about admitting you need someone to see you as you are—scars and all.
Taeyeon - "Fine" - The Struggle to Move On
In Taeyeon’s "Fine," the cracks between words say more than the lyrics themselves.
It’s about pretending you’re okay, convincing the world you’ve moved on,
while silently breaking inside.
Listening to it, I thought about the many goodbyes—
to comrades, to chapters of my life—that I had never properly grieved.
"Fine" gave me permission to not be fine.
And that was powerful.
IU - "Through the Night" - Quiet Longing in Every Note
IU’s "Through the Night" is gentle, almost a whisper.
It captures the ache of missing someone so deeply
that even words seem too heavy.
As someone who spent nights in distant countries under foreign stars,
this song brought back memories of letters left unsent
and conversations I wished I could have had.
It taught me that longing, too, is a form of love.
How Ballads Helped Me Heal - Music as Silent Therapy
Therapy doesn’t always come in words.
Sometimes it’s in melodies that echo your silent battles.
Listening to K-pop ballads helped me process emotions
I didn’t know how to name: grief, guilt, hope, longing.
They became my silent counselors—
songs that didn’t try to fix me, but simply stayed with me through the pain.
Carrying the Emotions Forward - More Than Just Songs
Today, K-pop ballads are more than just music to me.
They are reminders that emotion is strength,
that vulnerability is courage,
and that healing is a journey, not a destination.
As a Korean-American veteran living in Korea,
these songs helped me reconnect not just with my roots,
but with the soft, unbreakable parts of myself I had long forgotten.
