This is the first in a series dubbed ‘The Chronicles of Noonadom’ featuring two of the One Shots’ older members Nana and DeAnna. Here’s an intro into how they became noona fans.
Noona. A term that took me and fellow One Shots writer DeAnna a while to get used to. Not that we don’t appreciate our current lifestyle, but it is kind of hard to make people understand how we, two grown ass women in our late 20s and early 30s, with a college education and full time jobs could get sucked into a world dominated by beautiful girls and sometimes even more beautiful boys, singing bubblegum pop, and making hearts with their arms.
Yes, DeAnna and I, or as we have dubbed ourselves, DeNaNa, got a crash course in the world of being adult women obsessed with K-pop via the same demons: Twitter, Google, and YouTube. Yes, in our less “mature” years, we turned to (ok, and STILL turn to) the likes of these social platforms for our news. Not that there is anything wrong with this – all are a vital means of getting important information spread globally in a matter of mere seconds. But what happened when we spotted trending tags on Twitter that we were unfamiliar with? Ones that made no sense, and for some reason, beckoned us to click them and find out more? It turns out those tags would lead us down a glowstick illuminated, rainbow colored road into a K-ingdom full of slick dance moves, aesthetically pleasing (although sometimes ALTERED) faces, and beats we couldn’t get out of our heads, all backed up with Korean words we didn’t know. We, my dears, were on the first part of our journey to becoming noonas! For all the mature fanboys out there, your equivalent would be an “uncle” fan.
Labels aside, we took the next step in the noona making journey. After curiosity got the best of us, we ended up Googling the tags that caught our attention. DeAnna was enticed by “SHINee,” 
and I was sucked in by “Super Junior.” 
This is where we probably should have stopped. Where we fell into the “Alice in Wonderland like rabbit hole,” as DeAnna put it. We should have shut down the computer and walked away. But no, we didn’t. And here we are now, being fangirly with all our beloved readers.
I was curious as to what a “Super Junior” was and why I should care about why it was trending, I clicked the first link that popped up. It just happened to be a link to a really pretty boy band and their new video, “Bonamana.”
Again, this is where I should have stopped, but no, I kept going, once more. DeAnna was caught in a similar web, she found herself locked on SHINee’s fantastic, elastic, “Ring Ding Dong.”
DAMN YOU, TWITTER. You’re a pusher.
Both of us found ourselves confused and intrigued. We were listening to music in a language we had no knowledge of, but we couldn’t stop watching and listening. We had similar quandaries; “Who is this guy with the long hair?” “Is that other guy a girl?” “What are they saying?” “Wait, HOW OLD ARE THEY?” DeAnna went on to Google everything she could find on K-pop, Korean culture, terminology, etc., I did the exact same thing. I couldn’t get enough of the music and the television shows I found. This was the first real sign of addiction. Personally, I went so far as to turn to my tech savvy YOUNGER sister to ask her to make me a mix of any and all Super Junior songs she could find. To my surprise, she said she already liked them and already had a lot of their stuff. #LifeFail. My sister is not only cooler than me, but more so now because she found such a unique trend before me.
Once we Googled and YouTubed our way through Korea (DAMN YOU, GOOGLE and DAMN YOU, YOUTUBE. You’re enablers.), this is where it got complicated. Remember, we are grown, educated women who have developed a life altering taste for music created by groups that are sometimes, no, MOST OF THE TIME, half our age, or at least many, many years younger. I wondered what people would think if they knew I was listening to this music, watching these videos, and learning a new language, all to get a closer relationship with a culture I was quick to fall for. How do you explain that you spent a majority of your most recent paycheck to pick up a new CD and picture book, the newest merch, or on a VIP concert ticket to a show all the way across the country, all in the name of these super young groups?
How do you justify to friends that you don’t want to go out to the bar because you’d rather save your money for the day you can finally snatch up a ticket to Seoul? How do you say you’d rather not hang because you’re busy teaching yourself the Korean language? In DeAnna’s case, how you do tell people you are starting Korean classes to earn a second Bachelor’s degree, on the off chance you might use the skills to somehow intertwine yourself in the K-pop world? Yeah, this is where as a noona in training, you are quick to learn that you just can’t care what other people think. Next and final step, acceptance and disregard for haters.
Yes, as a noona, you have to grow a tough skin. Sure, there are going to be people who make their comments about you being an adult and still liking “boy (and girl) bands,” but you can’t let those people bring you down! Is it a crime to enjoy good music and visually pleasing music videos, regardless of the language? No! Is it wrong to laugh at the ridiculous shenanigans that are Korean variety shows? No! Is it wrong to download a torrent of “Rough Play,” for the purpose of basking in Lee Joon’s crazy sexiness in your own home? N…ok, wait, that might be illegal, but at least your heart is in the right place! As noonas, we will fawn over the beautiful faces and talents of our beloved idol dongsaengs (and hopefully, occasionally, oppas), regardless of age, and be unapologetic about it. Hey, it’s not like we’re attempting to break into their homes for the purpose of creepily watching them sleep! If you are, and that is your goal, might I suggest channeling that energy into writing steamy fanfics, or therapy, there’s that as well.
If you’re not on the sasaeng train, our wonderful fellow noonas, wave that K-pop cheer towel high and try to sing along at the top of your lungs! DeNaNa is here for you! Won’t you join us on our adventures? We’re here to spazz with you and share our own noona based experiences. Hopefully you can relate, or at least have a good laugh at what we have been through, being the elder stateswomen monitoring and living the K-pop life.
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