Kuwentong Bangtan: Happy Birthday Joon!

Dear Joon,

When I posted a video of Butter on my FB page, the one where you guys were dressed casually in hues of blue, cream, white and yellow, a friend asked who my bias is. My reply was, “the one who reads.” And she said, “of course!”

Your love for books and literature was my gateway to know you and Bangtan during the lockdown years – a frightening and beautiful time to be alive. What made it an amazing experience was when my daughter, who is ARMY since she was 15 years old, became my mentor in understanding the ecosystem of the fandom, its culture with the unspoken and spoken rules that exist between and among ARMYs from all over the world, as well as the mysterious but accessible appeal, charisma and authentic stories you and the members share with  each other and with ARMY. Needless to say, my daughter and I were able to see aspects of our conflicted relationship through BTS' art, music and genuine friendship.

When I was ready to go beyond Dynamite, she asked me “What do you want to know about BTS, because there are many ways of doing so. Like, their songs and discography; performance videos; their personalities since each one has his own admirable and funny characteristics.” 

I said, “For starters, what is one song you recommend I listen to?”   

I still remember the mischievous glint in her eyes when she replied, “Spring Day. Watch the music video!”

I did as was told. In no time, I found myself entering the purple rabbit hole in awe and with reckless joy at a traumatic time in human history.

Joon, your art and music allowed me to enter many doors while peering out and through so many windows since then. And always, I come out of these journeys inspired and rejuvenated despite the fact that I shed tears and dealt with my own regrets and heart aches. Joon, the manner in which you and the members tell your stories is unlike any Kpop group or boy band I knew from my teenage years and in recent years. 

Maybe, at this age, I am more cognizant of the layers of messages and the intertextuality that are crafted into your music. Who in his right mind would put Ursula Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas alongside visual metaphors taken from the Snow Piercer and begin a song with bogoshipda. You have created a queen that cannot be dethroned. 

You guys did not end there. You continued baring your souls that grappled with the lights and shadows of the Self. You gave us Map of the Soul 7, Persona and MOTS The Journey. Indeed, we walk in this journey of being and becoming together. ApoBangPo!

As you and the members navigate Chapter 2, you all endure by singing about paradoxes and opposites existing side by side in equal measure. Only this time, there is the resolve to finally embrace the darks and the lights. I came to realize that these contradictions must be accepted. A duality that has been around since the beginning of time. A universal truth that must be sought, unpacked and reflected upon constantly.

Thank you Joon. Thank you BTS. I can now comfortably stay in the gray areas and look at the non-binaries of this age and time with more kindness; keeping judgement at bay. Believing that love, when it is true will always find a way.

Should I fail in being a good human, I promise to always enter the Magic Shop to bask in the beauty of galaxies big and small reminding myself that we are all stars. I will do my best to come out from it an ARMY you will be proud of. Happy birthday Joon! Borahae!

😊 Tita Zee 😊 091123