What do you write to your idol about an ordinary day?
The hardest fan letter to write is the one with nothing to announce: no birthday, no comeback, no concert. The easiest fix is to write about your day, because that is the one thing only you can tell them.
Everyday lines are also the easiest ones to copy by hand. In the 28 languages we translate into Korean, a sentence about your own day loses its subject, because Korean drops the word for I, and ends in the same polite 요 every time. 'I listened to your songs on the way to work' comes out as 출근길에 노래 들었어요, and its last block, 요, is the same one that closes 사랑해요. Every line in this post ends the same way.
- Your songs kept me going on my way to work — 출근길에 노래 들으면서 힘을 냈어요 Make this into a card
- The first song I played after my exam was yours — 시험 끝나고 제일 먼저 들은 노래가 여러분 노래였어요 Make this into a card
- I always listen to one song before I fall asleep — 잠들기 전에 꼭 한 곡 듣고 자요 Make this into a card
- I sing along while I do the housework — 집안일 할 때 노래 따라 불러요 Make this into a card
How do you say hello from far away?
Distance is not a weakness in a fan letter. It is the detail that makes the letter yours. Time zones, the season outside your window and your own neighborhood all tell your idol where the card came from. Swap 아침 (morning) for 저녁 (evening) and 추워졌어요 (it got cold) for 더워졌어요 (it got hot) to match your side of the world.
- It's morning here, so it must be night where you are — 여기는 아침인데 거기는 밤이겠네요 Make this into a card
- I'm cheering for you from far away — 저는 멀리 떨어진 곳에서 응원하고 있어요 Make this into a card
- It's already gotten cold here. Dress warmly — 여기는 벌써 추워졌어요. 따뜻하게 입고 다니세요 Make this into a card
- I hear your songs in my neighborhood too — 우리 동네에서도 노래가 들려요 Make this into a card
What do you promise to do next?
End with something you will do, not something you ask for. 갈게요, 쓸게요 and 들을게요 all end in ㄹ게요, the ending Korean uses for a promise made to the person in front of you. For a school commute, swap 출근길 (way to work) for 등굣길 (way to school) in the first section. For a solo artist, 여러분 becomes their name.
- I'll come and see the next concert in person — 다음 콘서트는 꼭 직접 보러 갈게요 Make this into a card
- I'll study Korean harder so the next letter is longer — 한국어 더 열심히 공부해서 다음 편지는 더 길게 쓸게요 Make this into a card
- When the new album comes out, I'll listen all day — 새 앨범 나오면 하루 종일 들을게요 Make this into a card
- I've started writing a little diary in Korean every day — 매일 조금씩 한국어로 일기 쓰기 시작했어요 Make this into a card