WATCH: How Being A Longtime BTS Fan Inspired This Pinay To Write Fanfic
Meet Kaye, a best-selling author and a longtime fan of global superstars, BTS. At 26, her journey with them started back in 2014, "just when their second EP Skool Luv Affair came out," Kaye tells Cosmopolitan. "I remember my college BFF showing me their dance practice video for 'Boy In Luv', and I was just so amazed by their talent and the position of their choreography. It was insane." After a quick Google search, Kaye easily fell in love with the seven-piece boy group (not just because of their music and performances, Kaye stresses, but for "their authenticity and genuineness towards their fans"), went down the ARMY rabbit hole, and up until now, never left.
She's been to two BTS concerts: The first in 2014 and the second in 2017. Yup, way before they blew up into international stardom. "The first time I saw them in concert was 2014 during The Red Bullet Tour, which was also the first time they came to Manila," Kaye recounts. She wasn't only able to see them perform on stage but actually had the chance to see them up-close in a press con before their concert. Her first impressions of the boys? "They are really tall and good looking, nothing really prepares you for the real thing. If you thought they looked good on screen, they looked unreal in the flesh!"
Having always loved writing, Kaye expressed her love for BTS through her fanfic blogs on Tumblr, Asian Fanfics, and Wattpad since 2014. (Her username was exoticarmy127, fyi.). "When I started being a fan of BTS, I started writing fanfics about them just for fun," she says. "And when I started sharing them online, I didn't expect a lot of people to like them so much, and the reads and the follower count just kept rising through the years."
Her BTS fanfic was so successful that one of them actually got turned into a book! "My latest book, Laws Of Motion & Attraction, was published in 2020, but it was actually written in 2015 as a BTS fanfic. It was my most popular topic to date, and it was really a whirlwind writing that. I remember posting a chapter online every week or every other day, and I'd get hundreds of messages from my readers, asking for the next part."
Witnessing their rise to fame and growth as artists has been an emotional one for Kaye, who's been an ARMY for seven years now. "It's amazing being part of their journey," she says. "They've been through a lot. So if anyone deserved the world's love or recognition, it's definitely BTS."
Curious to know more about Kaye's longtime love and dedication for BTS? Check out Episode 17 of the Fangirl Diaries below:
Are you also an ARMY? Share your fave BTS memories in the comments below!
Catch a new episode of Cosmo Fangirl Diaries on Facebook and YouTube on Fridays!
VIDEO PRODUCED BY: Jacinda A. Lopez, Andie Estella, Lily Grace Tabanera , and Louise Ferrer
VIDEO EDITED BY: Trina Elefante
Follow Kaye on Instagram.
