After Busan, I returned to Seoul for the rest of my 11-day first trip to South Korea. One of the first places I went was BTS’s first dorm (9-8, Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul). You can’t go inside since it’s still a working building, but the outside walls are covered with writings, drawings, and messages from ARMY all over the world. Seeing them made me feel connected to fans everywhere, it’s like the building itself holds all these stories and memories.

From Busan, I met some ARMY from Malaysia, and we ended up seeing them here again. One of them, Aimi, quickly became one of my closest ARMY friends and my concert confidante. She even fact-checks BTS news for me now!

Standing outside the dorm, I could feel the weight of where it all began. This was the place that started it all, the heart of BTS’s journey. Reading the messages from fans around the world, seeing all the love poured onto those walls, it was surreal and unforgettable, a moment that made me feel part of something much bigger than myself.