Kuwentong Bangtan: We Are Bulletproof 2022 (2 of 2)

 Tell me your every story

At the onset of their career, Bangtan is singing their life story in WAB Pts 1 and 2. Big Hit Entertainment allowed them to do that. Bang Si Hyuk is a big believer in storytelling that comes from the heart since it is one way to touch another’s. In WAB The Eternal (June 11, 2020), the storytelling goes on. The song is a sentimental celebration of Bangtan’s triumphs over adversity in a period of seven years. This time, the members are inviting ARMYs to tell their stories too.

Oh oh

다신 멈추지 않을래

I will never stop again

여기 우리가 함께이기에

because we’re together here

Tell me your every story

Tell me why you don’t stop this

Tell me why you still walkin’

Walkin’ with us

The song ends with Jeon Jungkook sweetly crooning, “We are not seven with you” to remind us that the fame, popularity and successes they have reaped is due in part of ARMYs’ love and adoration. We know what this is all about. It gives us the courage and the confidence to weave our narratives too in a manner and in a fashion unique to our nature.

Different and diverse the fandom may be, we share our stories in the fan base we belong to, on a platform we feel safe, and in a manner that is most comfortable. It sounds trivial or mundane, but I tell you, sharing one’s story is empowering. Having someone eager to listen to our stories is a validation of a life well lived. When we are involved in a communion of stories and storytelling, we are seen and valued. Bangtan has mastered this level of communication and engagement with ARMYs. In the process, we discover our long-buried potentials and the capabilities we didn’t know we had. This is one of the many reasons why we love BTS.

WAB 2022: The New Era

Now that the Tannies are moving forward to their ninth year, a comeback album is a fitting celebration and present to ARMYs. There is much speculation, alright, including military enlistment. The PTD concert in LV is strangely emotional. While majority in the fandom brushes this aside, I am filing this specific memory and feeling in a drawer. For when BH/Hybe issue an official press release, I shall connect the dots. For now, I will focus on the forthcoming album. It looks like a discography mixed with new materials that the Tannies have been working on for years. This is going to be epic!

We are Bulletproof Pt. 2 Official MV -> https://youtu.be/lE9lkSdtZeQ

Source for lyrics:

WAB Pt. 1-> https://tinyurl.com/ybaxfz9e

WAB Pt. 2 -> https://bts.fandom.com/wiki/We_Are_Bulletproof_Pt.2

WAB The Eternal -> https://tinyurl.com/52yk2zv9

Kuwentong Bangtan: We Are Bulletproof 2022 (1 of 2)

 We Are Bulletproof 2022

The announcement of a comeback album on Day 4 of PTD On Stage LV had us all reeling. BH/Hybe has not released any official album title except a teaser title of one of BTS’ anthem songs, We Are Bulletproof. ARMY theorists are on hyper mode on the bird app. Discussions on the album’s tracks, concepts and cover design abound. Beautiful fan art, memes and video edits have started to litter socmed. Streaming goals and guides have been set up by different ARMY fanbases from all over. ARMYs are gearing up for this much awaited comeback on June 10, 2022.

So, for Tuesday Tunesday, I am sharing some thoughts about We Are Bulletproof Pts. 1, 2 and WAB The Eternal. These three songs make up the beautiful journey of BTS. A journey that speaks of resilience and inner strength built over time by being persistent and committed to stay true to one’s goal and vision. The WAB Trilogy is an inspiring saga set in song and music videos that many ARMYs consider as anthems of their life journeys as well.

The WAB Trilogy

WAB Pt. 1 is a pre-debut song written by RM in 2010. You can listen on SoundCloud via this link: https://tinyurl.com/3hry2476 . The lyrics of the song is already angst ridden. Each member sings a line or two professing an oath to prove one’s worth among naysayers, haters and exclusive groups in the existing hegemony of the Kpop industry. We know this from Bangtan’s history, but these repetitive lines in the song are catchy, “We are bulletproof”; “Coming soon”; “History in the making”. It sounds like a mantra at close scrutiny. And it is a powerful one at that because it speaks of three things: identity; readiness and the courage to fulfill a dream.

On June 12, 2013, WAB Pt. 2 was released as a second track of Bangtan’s debut single album, 2 Cool for Skool. No More Dream is the lead track and both songs have a special spot in many an ARMY’s heart especially those who were with them from the very beginning. In WAB Pt. 2 their narrative as outcasts and underdogs continues. RM raps:

“I put a twist to being an idol

Haha, hyungs who only had hip-hop pride told me it’d be impossible but

Look carefully, I place a period after impossible

I’m possible, now are we all set, boy?”

Four days after the official release, the music video went live online. It is a showcase of their immense talent and creative depth. The choreography is insane as it featured Park Jimin, lithe and sexy, somersaulting over Jhope who lies on the floor on bent knees. He throws his cap on Jeon Jungkook who is flawless in his break-dancing. Like a magician, he makes use of the two caps effortlessly charming his way into the hearts of adoring fans. Two years after their debut, the dance line earned a nickname lovingly referred to by ARMYs as the “3 Js”.