WEEK 10 | Show & Tell
March 4 - 8, 2024
Fruition.
BTS - “I NEED U” photoshoot
Throughout the remainder of 2015, after releasing The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1, BTS never seemed to stop moving. On the heels of their five music show wins with “I NEED U,” it seemed that all of their hard work was gaining them more recognition and opportunities than ever before. They were so busy that the members joked about being able to fall asleep anywhere and in any position whenever they had a small break.
BTS fan clubs were popping up in more countries all over the globe, and the group held an extension of the “Red Bullet” concert series, which brought them on tour to the United States for the first time ever! Interview and variety show offers were coming in for the members more frequently now, but they started to become a little more discerning in accepting those offers. At the same time, BigHit was pushing the group’s own variety show, Run BTS!, hard.
BTS ISAC Award Winners
Suddenly, everything seemed to be happening all at once for Bangtan Sonyeondan. On top of starting their own variety show, racking up music show wins, and going on tour again, they also competed in the ISAC (Idol Star Athletic Championships) for the second year, held the first interview for their Arab fans, and moved together to a brand-new dormitory.
The forward momentum must have been scary at times, but as always, the members relied on each other through it all. The theme of blooming youth, the transition from adolescence to adulthood that runs through the HYYH (Hwa Yong Yeon Hwa) era, is one that can be both sad and exciting, but BTS knew they could face whatever happened…as long as they were together.
Playlists & Lyrics
BTS HYYH PT. 1 ALBUM SPOTIFY PLAYLIST (also embedded at bottom of post)
ARMY PROJECT 529 WEEK 10 VIDEO PLAYLIST (all YouTube links)
DAY ONE:
BTS celebrating after an awards show performance
With the release of every new album and every appearance the members of BTS made on different interview and variety shows, they got the opportunity to show more of themselves to ARMY and to the rest of the world. More than two years past their Debut, they were now at the point where they were remembered on programs and weren’t necessarily asked for a detailed introduction of themselves every single time. As a result, it’s clear that they began to loosen up a bit more and felt comfortable enough to have moments of being themselves as individuals, not just the entity of Bangtan Sonyeondan.
The next track on The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1, the SUGA-produced “Boyz With Fun,” is a celebration of the individuality of each of the members. Jin sings about being the eldest and being able to roll with the punches even though his younger members play with him endlessly. j-hope intimates that being with him is so fun and distracting that you won’t even notice the passage of time. Rap Monster calls himself “weird,” and V takes the opportunity to poke a little fun at their CEO, Bang PD (Hitman Bang). The song is also all about letting go of inhibitions and having fun no matter what anyone else thinks or does. Given the heaviness of the earlier part of the album, this is a welcome break from the angst over transitioning from youth to adulthood.
KBS “BOYZ WITH FUN” LIVE PERFORMANCE (04:08 - shown above)
JIMIN & JUNG KOOK IN KOTA KINABALU: VLOG 05/13/15 (05:23, “DING DONG!”)
BANGTAN QUIZ SHOW (06:52, Rap Monster shows off his ‘sexy brain’ - shown below)
“1 MINUTE ENGLISH” WITH RAP MON & JUNG KOOK (01:41, We dare you to resist Namjoon’s “Hi, Baby”.)
BANGTAN BOMB: RAP MON & JIMIN DANCING (02:07, Jimin: Yes, I do got Jams.)
BANGTAN BOMB: JUNG KOOK PD’S DIRECTING (01:48, an up close and personal tour of V’s face - shown below)
BTS GREET FANS & JIN TELLS THE YOUNG ONES TO GO HOME (03:11, after a music show performance)
Fun Fact
We’ve mentioned before that Son Sung-deuk is BTS’ long-time main choreography director. But did you know that the group has another, much more secret, but equally dynamic, choreographer? His name is Kim Taehyung…otherwise known as V!
Today we discovered the amazing track “Boyz With Fun” from The Most Beautiful Moment in LIfe, Pt. 1, and if you’ve been an ARMY for a while and taken a deep dive down their rabbit hole, you might already know something really fun about what happens whenever BTS performs this in concert.
The dance for “Boyz With Fun” is fun and cute as is, but something special happens when they get to the final chorus in their live performances. Suddenly, V takes center stage and makes up brand-new choreography on the spot. And the best part is that the members then all have to copy him! It always results in at least one of them breaking out into laughter.
Though we researched thoroughly (AP529 lives for research!), we were unable to find anything that told us if there is a particular reason why they started doing this or if it just happened randomly one time and then became a tradition. If any of you in the 529line knows more about this, please fill us in! But whatever the reason, it is always a treat to see what V comes up with in each performance. Enjoy this compilation we found of his “choreographer” moments (with a few bonus times when Jung Kook had the honors instead):
THE BEST CHOREOGRAPHER: V! (11:00)
DAY TWO:
We continue on with yesterday’s themes of “fun” and “individuality.” Each time BTS performed, their experience grew exponentially. As the variety of onstage opportunities for them increased, they began to explore performing solo and in sub-units sometimes, playing to their individual strengths when needed.
They attended the annual “Dream Concert,” one of the largest joint K-Pop concerts in South Korea for the first and last time in 2015. Rap Monster and SUGA teamed up with some of their sunbaenims from other groups for a rap performance, and j-hope went up against a member of GOT7 in a one-on-one dance battle.
On Run BTS! we were getting to know not only each member’s personality but also their strategy styles and critical thinking skills. It was apparent from the very first moment that they were all willing to betray each other in a game for even the tiniest of prizes, but no one ever quite matched the competitive spirit of Jeon Jung Kook. Whether it’s paintball, bungee jumping, or hiding in plain sight, the maknae was a force to be reckoned with from the beginning. Each episode revealed more about all of them and continued to show everyone that BTS was more than just the sum of their parts.
BTS DREAM CONCERT LIVE: “I NEED U” & “BOYZ WITH FUN” (08:38 - shown above)
BANGTAN BOMB: BEFORE J-HOPE’S DANCE BATTLE AT DREAM CONCERT (01:13)
J-HOPE’S DANCE BATTLE AT DREAM CONCERT (02:37, with Yugyeom from GOT7 - as shown)
BANGTAN BOMB: RAP MONSTER & SUGA’S SPECIAL STAGE AT DREAM CONCERT (01:35)
BANGTAN BOMB: J-HOPE WAKING HIS MEMBERS UP BACKSTAGE (01:23, SUGA is not happy about it.)
BANGTAN BOMB: JUNG KOOK HAVING FUN IN UNIFORM (00:24, the source of the police uniform dancing meme)
#HASHTAG INTERVIEW WITH BTS (08:35, V also has a sexy brain. - as shown)
RUN BTS! EP. 6 (PT. 1) (08:01 Jimin’s Confessional Pt. 1)
RUN BTS! EP. 6 (PT 2) (08:27, SUGA’s Confessional Pt. 2)
RUN BTS! EP. 7 (12:24, Legendary paintball episode)
Bangtan Bubble: What would your strategy be if you were on Run BTS!?
Answer in the comments below or on social media (be sure to tag @ARMYProject529 and mention #BangtanBubble)!
DAY THREE:
We’ve talked before (several times) about the constant evolution of BTS—both in image and in their music. The theme of representing and speaking for the youth of their generation is one that they’ve had since the beginning, but they’ve also made sure their messages always change alongside them as they grow and age.
On the surface, the song “Converse High” might seem shallow—just a fun song about the kind of shoes that the members like to see girls wearing and why they find them attractive. And it is about that… but it’s also about not judging a book by its cover and looking for more underneath the surface. SUGA’s lyric: “But perhaps I’ve already been colored by you…” seems to say that, ultimately, the shoe someone is wearing doesn’t dictate if you will fall for them or not.
BTS is also not to be judged by their cover. They are good-looking and fashionable, of course, but they have so much more to offer and they never fail to show us that in creative and unique ways.
“CONVERSE HIGH” LIVE PERFORMANCE STAGE MIX (03:56 - shown above)
BANGTAN BOMB: “WHAT? THIS IS A NORMAL SLEEPING POSE.” (01:42)
BANGTAN BOMB: VOCAL WARM UPS WITH SUGA & J-HOPE (00:38, Feat. Jimin’s quiet pity.)
SHOW CHAMPION - BANGTAN WITH ‘X’ (03:09, their manager “secretly” interviews them off camera)
FIRST RELEASE! M!COUNTDOWN PERFORMANCE OF “LOVER’S HIGH” (03:29, “Converse High” with a name change for brand trademark reasons. - shown below)
BANGTAN BOMB: BIKE RIDERS (00:44)
BTS MCD MINI INTERVIEW BEFORE PERFORMANCE (03:13, Feat. Key from SHINee, whom they absolutely crack up.)
GLANCE TV “STAR ATTACK” WITH BTS (08:44, They all tell V “You’re doing really well, Sweetie.”)
RUN BTS! EP. 8 (14:29, Capture the Flag on ATVs - shown below)
Fun Fact
Imagine being able to celebrate a major holiday with BTS. In October of 2015, Naver, the company that owned the VLIVE app, held a special contest on their website which gave fans all over the world a chance to win a trip to Korea to attend a Halloween-themed fan meeting that was sponsored by them as well.
The event was broadcast live on the V app and featured the members in costume playing games together, answering questions from ARMY, and giving a mini-performance. The fan meet itself lasted a little over an hour, but it was interrupted for a bit in the middle because of a sudden storm that caused a blackout at the venue. Since the live broadcast was disrupted, the members later recorded the entire event again—in true BTS fashion—and posted it online so their fans who weren’t there in person still got to see it.
DAY FOUR:
Moving on is an inevitable part of growing up—you can’t flourish otherwise. Even house plants have to be moved to a new pot when they outgrow their current one. This is, of course, true for people as well. The song “Moving On” is a love letter from the members of BTS to each other as they moved out of the dorm they shared as trainees and into a newer and bigger house.
Their original dorm held many memories for them. In the song, they talk about the feelings they had before and during their Debut and about how sharing one bedroom amongst all seven brought them closer while also driving them crazy. It was where both their band and their brotherhood was formed. Leaving was necessary but also difficult.
This place smells like us
Let’s not forget this scent, wherever we are
We cried a lot, we laughed a lot, but it was all pretty beautiful
“Moving On” says that it’s okay to mourn when a particular time in your life is coming to a close. Change is hard, even when it’s for the better. Growing up isn’t easy, nor is forging the longevity of a successful music career. BTS was committed to doing both in their own way and, as always, together.
“MOVING ON” COLOR-CODED LYRIC VIDEO (04:53 - shown above)
FLASH FORWARD! “MOVING ON” LIVE PERFORMANCE (05:02, Sowoozoo 2021)
MPD MISSION - “BEWARE OF THE DOG” (06:59 - as shown below)
BANGTAN BOMB: ISAC 2015 - THE INFAMOUS 400M RELAY RACE (01:37, in which Jung Kook obliterates his competition)
BANGTAN BOMB: ISAC 2015 - SUGA (SHOOTING GUARD) AT BASKETBALL FINALS (02:53)
RUN BTS EPISODE 9 (15:57, Bungee jumping: V has an internal crisis, but j-hope surprises everyone.)
Fun Fact:
Inkigayo is a weekly music program in South Korea broadcast by SBS. It airs live on Sundays, and it features performances and interviews from some of the latest and most popular artists.
During episodes, some of these artists also take part in special campaign songs that raise awareness on certain topics or interests.
BTS has performed a few of these over the years…some on traffic safety and (believe it or not) drinking milk. They are very cute and showcase the members' personalities in unique ways. There are no subtitles available, but they are enjoyable anyway.
BTS Traffic Safety Song Compilation (02:04, Who let Namjoon drive?!)
TRANSIT - “BOMBARDIER BOYS” BTS (01:11)
BTS - “MILK SONG” (01:04)
DAY FIVE:
BTS’s Jung Kook performing on stage
Having watched all of his hyungs contribute to the writing and production process of making BTS’ music before him, Jung Kook decided that it was finally time to try his hand at it during the creation of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1. Jung Kook is credited as both a songwriter and a producer on the album’s final track: “Outro: Love is Not Over.”
The final song features only the four members of the Vocal Line (Jin, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook). The lyrics speak of the pain after the end of a relationship and of the hope that lies ahead. They remind us that while we might feel bleak in this one moment of something ending, love is never truly over. There is always hope on the horizon for what’s next.
It’s a perfect capstone to an album that chronicles the myriad of emotions those—’most beautiful moments in life’—we can feel as we transition from one stage of life to another, from youth to adulthood. It’s also perfect that it is the Golden Maknae’s first official foray into music production. Jung Kook was hovering on that cusp between child and adult, learning everything from his older members. In leading each other, they were also providing a leading example for us, their ARMY.
“OUTRO: LOVE IS NOT OVER” LIVE PERFORMANCE (03:48 - as shown)
RUN BTS! EP. 10 (10:04, But wait! There was a spy the whole time!)
SUGA REVIEWS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENT IN LIFE PT. 1 (25:07, The HANDS return. - as shown)
BONUS: MY PET CLINIC FT. J-HOPE, JIMIN & V (1:00:56, They play with puppies and it’s ADORABLE. - shown below)
Bangtan Bubble: What is your “most beautiful moment in life” so far?
Answer in the comments below or on social media (be sure to tag @ARMYProject529 and mention #BangtanBubble)!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
If there’s anything we can take away from our exploration of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1, it’s that the only thing we can count on is life changing whether we want it to or not. It will force us to move forward, no matter if we fight that momentum or let it happen. But that’s okay. It’s okay to hurt. It’s okay to mourn and be afraid of what’s to come.
It’s also okay to be excited, to hope, to look for the good in the future. It’s okay just to let ourselves evolve.
How did this album make you feel? Next week, we’ll build upon these themes as we begin the next part of the HYYH series: The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2.
BTS The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.2
Side Quest
As if Run BTS! weren’t enough, there was another variety series in which BTS took part in 2015. That was BTS GAYO.
It was broadcast weekly for free on the VLIVE app (unless an episode of Run BTS! was scheduled) and featured the members individually, or in teams, playing games and doing activities related to K-Pop.
The episodes include things like guessing the names of songs of other groups to performing their choreographies. It’s a lot of fun and definitely worth checking out.
BTS on Gayo! screenshot from Ep.1
BTS GAYO! EP. 1 (07:21)
BTS GAYO! EP. 2 (10:07)
BTS GAYO! EP. 3 (11:06)
BTS GAYO! EP. 4 (13:27)
BTS GAYO! EP. 5 (11:13)
BTS GAYO! EP. 6 (12:57)
BTS GAYO! EP. 7 (12:05)
BTS GAYO! EP. 8 (12:42)
BTS GAYO! EP. 9 (10:11)
CREDITS:
YouTube/Web
HYBE LABELS, BANGTANTV, Bangtan Subs, 1theK (원더케이), KIM TAEHYUNG, KBS Kpop, K Pop Memories, MTVK, Skpb K-Music Live [Banned], Madam ARMY, BTS ARMY Tunisia, Hangul Pop, Enjoy BTS More, Diana TvSanders, BangPoAPo, Vaniezzlng, BTS MUSICLIVE, 스브스케이팝 X INKIGAYO, BTS Live Archive, princessbrainy, BORAHAE MY BANGTAN, M2, BTS Army, KOCOWA TV, MIN MONARCH, twitter.com (@bts_twt) bts.fandom.com, wikipedia.org, soompi.com
ARMY Project 529 Volunteers
Research Team: Angel (TikTok: Lilangel2828), Leslie Day (TikTok: Leslie Day), Merry (TikTok: merryj67), Sam T (TikTok: samt_26), Shelley (TikTok: shels167), Trudy (TikTok: theeducationmommy), Viv (TikTok: VivEliz); Video Team: Leslie Day (TikTok: Leslie Day); Website Team: Colette (TikTok: voicesinmyhead2); Editing Team: Kendra (Discord: Mudskipper)
Join us on TikTok every Sunday evening at 8pm ET for #the529live, a wrap up of each week's The 529 Connection. It’s hosted by AP529 Founder, Stefne, on her channel (@StefARMYProject529). If you can't watch live and want to watch later, Lives will be recorded and posted to our YouTube (@ARMY Project 529).