Two local guys stood behind the counter, and since I was the only one in the store, both tried to help.

Sort of.

After checking the warehouse and computer for about 20 minutes, the first man told me they no longer had the item.

The second worker, however, was curious what a bulb of this size would be used for. When I told him it was for a TV station antenna, their eyes lit up.

When I told them it was for KBFD, both men began to tell me about their favorite drama, "Full House."

The first said he watches the Korean dramas with his whole family as if it were a weekly family event.

The second man quickly replied how his mother is "hooked on those Korean soaps" — and how she ignores him from 8 to 10:30 p.m. In less than five minutes, they found my light bulb in the warehouse.

I've also heard from Korean people who tell me K-dramas serve as "ice-breakers" when they are introduced to non-Koreans who claim they are hooked on the shows. It's another example of how K-dramas help others to understand South Korea traditions and issues.

Of course, some of the impact isn't quite so dramatic. Some local families have taken to naming their pets after characters in Korean dramas. It's a great gesture, but I know of at least one family who got the gender wrong. (I'm sure the cats don't mind.)

People have requested K-drama theme songs to be played at their weddings, birthday parties, and funerals. I have also heard of someone who has a garage full of tapes of the shows.

Some fans schedule vacations so they won't miss the last episode of their favorite show. Social events are planned early evening so fans can be home in time to watch at 8 p.m.

A true story: One fan — a mother — attending a wake disappeared at 7:50 p.m. Her children found her watching Korean dramas in her bedroom.

And finally, when parents are away on vacation, children have the job of recording their favorite dramas.

We get several calls at the station from people asking for copies because they missed or accidentally recorded the wrong show. Unfortunately, we do not rent or make copies of our programming.

You can, however, check on one of the active message boards to see if another fan will loan you a copy of the episode you missed. (Selling copies is illegal.) Another solution is to get TiVo or DVR so you don't run into this problem in the future.

Of course, if you really feel guilty about not recording your parents' favorite show, you could buy them the whole DVD set for their birthday, Father's Day or Christmas.

But that's another story.