For my upcoming 50th birthday, I finally did something I’ve dreamed about for years — I got a tattoo. The artist was @polyc_sj, the same incredible artist who tattooed all the BTS members with the number 7. I walked in with nothing more than a sudden spark of inspiration, and he brought it to life with quiet brilliance: a crowned number 7, with “용기” (Yoongi) written in Hangul along the side.

In Korean, 용기 means “courage,” and it felt exactly right. After losing both my husband and my mom, courage has become more than just a word — it’s something I wake up needing every single day. The design came to me on the spot, almost as if it had been waiting for me all along. It felt spontaneous yet inevitable — like something my heart had carried quietly for years.

The number 7 has always held deep meaning for me. Raised Christian, I grew up knowing that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh — a symbol of perfection and completeness. There are seven heavens in Judaism and Islam, and seven churches in Revelation. Even the phrase “King of Kings,” a title for Jesus, has always reminded me of divine strength and love. Somehow, that sense of sacredness connects to BTS for me too. They’ve been a source of comfort, strength, and light through some of my darkest moments.

Each of the seven BTS members holds a special place in my heart, but Yoongi has always been my bias — my soul’s first choice. He’s more than an artist I admire; he represents something deeper, almost spiritual. My connection to him feels like a love story — not one of meeting or romance, but of understanding, faith, and resonance. It’s an unconditional kind of love — the kind where you may never meet the person, yet you carry them in your heart always.

This tattoo is also for my mom — a woman of immense faith who passed away in 2014. It’s for her belief in something greater, for the courage she taught me by example, and for the mix of grief, love, and hope that still shapes my days. When I look at my tattoo, I see her strength. I see my own healing. I see every part of my story — the loss, the love, and the light that never truly goes out.

This tattoo isn’t just ink on skin. It’s faith, courage, love, and memory — all in one small, sacred symbol. It’s my story, now etched forever. 7.