Seoul, June 16 Bombarded with queries over super successful KPop band BTS’ fate following an impromptu frank conversation with fans and audiences during FESTA2022 dinner, group leader Kim Nam-joon has come out with a message.
The rapper, RM, said he has received the most contact/messages/queries since the broadcast went out and this is humongous even compared to all since the group debuted.
Looking at the captures sent by fans and media and the title of the article on social media and news outlets that BTS “was dismantled, suspended, declared…”, Namjoon felt betrayed, as he and his band members Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, particularly to avoid misinformation had themselves declared their immediate future plans.
The group members on Tuesday night had repeatedly explained that all they were doing was take a break and grow their skills, maturing, living the life that they had to set aside to go through the hard work to take BTS where they were in nine years.
Namjoon on his Weverse post on Wednesday appeared hurt.
He said: “After the video was aired yesterday, I received the most messages since the day of our debut. I noticed many of the articles, screenshots, and such were titled with charged keywords like “disbandment”, “stopping activities”, “announcement”.
“It’s not that I didn’t see this coming, nor can I say I wasn’t ready to see (the headlines), but I cannot deny it didn’t feel good.
“And it wasn’t exactly our intent for people to pick apart a video where we were spilling tears and pouring out our hearts out.”
The 29-year-old said: “The video was intended, as is in its name, as an informal “Bangtan Team Dinner” solely dedicated to our ARMY who were joining us in celebration of nine years of our debut.”
He said he could “understand there could be comments from outsiders like, ‘they’re being dramatic’, ‘oh they’re only saying that because they’re successful'” and added he and the boys were prepared: “what artists, what fans would have come this far, nearing 10 whole years, if they hadn’t weathered those comments”.
Addressing BTS’ worldwide fandom, RM said: “There has to be something special between us, Bangtan and ARMY, to have shared nearly 10 years together without pause. Faced with the question, we’ve expressed this exact sentiment in countless, hundreds of interviews. it’s not easy to describe in few words….”
Getting back to Tuesday night, Namjoon said: “In any case, (what we shared in the video) was a confession of sorts, a response to all of our fans who, through all this time, gave us their (everything) without asking for a single thing in return.”
The video was pre-recorded and was aired on official YouTube channel of the group along with subtitles as the members were in a casual set up conversing in Korean.
“As those of you who watched the video may know, the title “Yet To Come” precisely suggests that this… this moment is not the end. This, exactly as it is, was what we wanted say,” the BTS leader once more spelt it out.
The group also explained that this moment in their journey was suppose to have come after “ON” in Februaray 2020. But things went for a toss as Covid-19 spread. One thing led to another — it was like humanity pressed the pause button. And as BTS is they could not have just taken that break at that point.
For the person, who over the years have been the voice/translator for other members especially in their early days, Namjoon has always been way mature and ARMY has always hailed his leadership skill, it was pure anguish when he wrote in the letter: “Seeing the screenshots of me, crying my eyes out, being shared and shared again, it even made me think.. maybe I shared too much/I should have (stayed quiet).
“It appears that my attempt at sharing honesty became the root of too much misunderstanding & chaos.”
“The main point of what I would like to share is, we were not trying to make some claim that two halves make a whole. We opened our hearts, mustered the courage to tell you that one still equals one, then walked you through the honest feelings that we felt through the process. (RM was probably saying BTS is one and will remain one. Taking out their individual single albums was “best of their that was yet to come” as they will grow as artists and nurture their individual skills — even as they remain one BTS).
He reminded again: “I have complete confidence, no doubt, that our ARMIES who know us… will absolutely have the heart to understand exactly what we say, as we say it. Everything we said in the video was shared exactly as it was intended to be.
“As Jungkook and Taehyung both shared, as on VLive, we’ve always candidly discussed our long-term future as BTS. Of course we had our own disagreements, but we were kids in our teens and 20s, learning to mature and live among others for the first time.”
BTS launched in 2013, when Jin, the eldest, was just 20 and Jungkook the youngest was 15.
Even as he ended the letter, he did not rule out more misinformation could be spread. “I understand this letter may be perceived as making another fuss, and I fear I may be another person adding fuel to the fire and adding to the noise.
“I wanted to set the record straight, as the person who is responsible for sharing the most (Tuesday night).
“I want to thank every single one of you who watched the video and shared your positive support and love, whether near or from far away.
“Be it as a team, or as an individual, I will work hard to show you (real) growth. thank you.”
On Tuesday, after Namjoon took the lead in explaining the new chapter to fans, Jungkook had summed it up for all: “This day had to come and you were with us always right from the beginning. We are each going to take some time to have fun and experience lots of things. We promise we will return someday. Even more mature than we are now.
“So I just hope that you could give us your blessings. That’s what I hope for, I will do my best… We will be a better version of us. I firmly believe in that. So I hope you wouldn’t worry. Even better please look forward to that day.”
Jungkook on Wednesday, around the same time RM put out the letter, went on VLive for over an hour from his kitchen/dinning hall and sang several new and old songs, explained over and over again that BTS remains, just more paths to cover.
Jungkook had already given the message in Las Vigas during PTD concert: “This is not the end…this will never be the end”.