The First K-pop Song That Made Me Cry
The Song That Surprised Me I was sitting at my computer one afternoon in the early spring of 2021, listening to BTS while scrolling through lyric translations on Doolset’s blog. Outside, the world was still quiet — not quite in lockdown anymore, but not back to normal either. My job had been shut down for months due to COVID-19, and even though I knew I’d be returning soon, I wasn’t looking forward to it. The burnout had settled deep. Then the song changed. “00:00 (Zero O’Clock)” started playing. I was half-reading, half-listening — not expecting anything more than the usual comfort their music gave me. But as I read through the lyrics, something cracked open. I burst into tears. It was the first time a BTS song made me cry — and the first time I realized how much their music had become a source of emotional comfort. It wasn’t even a dramatic moment. Just this soft, quiet unraveling. A line about waiting for the clock to reset, about the promise that tomorrow might feel dif...