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I Took the Long Way

I Took the Long Way

Written by: Me
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I Took the Long Way is a storytelling podcast for first-generation Korean Americans, GenX latchkey kids, late bloomers, and anyone who felt like they were always one step behind. Hosted by a Korean American from LA who took every detour possible — including too much partying, a surprise military enlistment, and a faith journey he didn't see coming — this show is for the people who found their way the hard way. Real stories. No filter. You're doing better than you think. x.com: https://x.com/itookthelongway Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Ep 2: Of Course It Is — Anger, Marriage, and Breaking the Cycle

    Ep 2: Of Course It Is — Anger, Marriage, and Breaking the Cycle
    Mar 2 2026
    What happens when a full day of small frustrations — bad traffic, a stolen phone moment at the Korean market, a valet, and a gummy bear bag — leads to a blowup you didn't see coming? This week I'm talking about anger. My anger. Where it really comes from, what it did to my marriage last weekend, and what I'm trying to do about it. In this episode of I Took the Long Way, I walk through a Saturday that started at 3:30pm in LA traffic and ended with me raising my voice at my wife over a gummy bear bag at 10 o'clock at night. And the next morning, I sat alone in a pew and asked God for wisdom — right before my pastor preached an entire sermon on anger. Of course he did. We talk about: Why small criticisms stack up and how they lead to blowups bigger than the moment warrants Growing up in a home where anger was explosive and scary — and how that wiring follows you into your marriage and your parenting What a real apology actually looks like versus "sorry you felt that way" The pastor's point that stayed with me: the person who caused the wound is the one who has to move first What it means to break a generational pattern — and whether deciding to be different is actually enough This one got personal. If you grew up around anger that was never modeled in a healthy way, or if you've ever reacted bigger than the situation warranted and wondered where that came from — this episode is for you. I Took the Long Way is a podcast about life, detours, bad decisions, and somehow still being here to talk about it.
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    13 mins
  • Ep. 3: Latchkey - What the Dukes of Hazzard Taught Me About Myself

    Ep. 3: Latchkey - What the Dukes of Hazzard Taught Me About Myself
    Mar 10 2026
    When I was a kid, I'd come home to an empty house in the suburbs of San Francisco, grab my snacks, and flip on the TV. What I found was Bo and Luke Duke tearing through Hazzard County in a bright orange Dodge Charger. What I didn't realize until decades later was why it never left me. This episode is about family loyalty, cultural identity, and what it looks like to inherit something from your parents — even when they're half a world away. It's about four people building something from scratch in a country that wasn't theirs yet. And it's about what a latchkey kid was really learning in that empty house after school. Turns out I wasn't just killing time. I was learning how to hold the house when they were gone. I Took the Long Way is a personal storytelling podcast about faith, family, identity, and the detours that shape us.
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    13 mins
  • Ep 4: Five Jumps — What Airborne School Taught Me About Fear

    Ep 4: Five Jumps — What Airborne School Taught Me About Fear
    Mar 19 2026
    I was nineteen years old, fresh out of basic training, and I had just volunteered for Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia — because I thought it would be cool. That was the whole reason. No deeper thesis. Just a kid who wanted wings on his chest. What followed was three weeks of Georgia summer heat, mosquitoes that had no fear of me, sand pits, combat boots, and a Sergeant Airborne who made sure you never walked anywhere. And then Jump Week — five jumps, real stakes, and a Major who froze at the door and got kicked out by a Sergeant Airborne before I ever had a chance to think too hard about what I was about to do. I'm still afraid of heights. I was afraid then. I jumped anyway. Five times. I hit the ground wrong once and fell over like a tree. I got back up and got back in line. At the end of it, they pressed Airborne wings directly into my chest — no backing, just pin through fabric and skin. Blood wings. And then I got my orders. Non-airborne post. Those five jumps were the first and last jumps of my military career. In airborne culture, they have a name for that: five jump chump. Which is accurate. But the jumps still happened. The fear was real. Nobody can take that back. Not even the Army. This episode is about what courage actually looks like when the ending isn't perfect and the fear never leaves.
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    18 mins
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