WEEK 61 | I’ll Give You My Everything.

Monday Muster

Feb 28

Written By Quince

March 3-9, 2025

Resolve.

On February 23, 2017, BTS made an appearance on the “Yang and Nam” variety show while promoting their compilation album You Never Walk Alone. During the show, they played games, were asked questions, and showed various clips of the members before they debuted. A clip of Jimin from his days at Busan High School of Arts was played, along with a message from his former dance teacher, Kim Do Kyung.

During class, Jimin would always ask about proper movements and how he should gesture. Whenever I told him what the muscle shape should be during a movement, or how it works, he’d come back the next day and say, “Teacher, I practiced the moves so many times and my muscles have shaped very well.”

“Practiced the moves so many times…” Even as Jimin flushed with embarrassment, the other members nodded as they heard this, the words obviously not unexpected. And indeed, nor was ARMY surprised either. By this time in their career Jimin’s work ethic was well-known to BTS fans. But it was interesting to hear that this wasn’t behavior he’d adopted as a Idol trainee, but rather something he’d had inside of him all along.

Park Jimin was born on October 13, 1995, in the Geumjeong District of Busan in South Korea and grew up there, with his parents and younger brother until mid-way through high school. It was when he was in middle school he became interested in dance and started attending Just Dance Academy, where he learned popping and locking. He decided to audition for an entertainment company a few years later at the suggestion of a teacher at his high school.

This led him to try out for Big Hit Entertainment. He passed his auditions and joined the company in 2012. Jimin jumped into his training head first, waking up earlier and going to bed later than everyone else. He watched everyone, soaking up everything he could learn like a sponge. It was this work ethic, which his dance teachers had noticed in him years before, that would earn him the final spot in the lineup of the group that would become Bangtan Sonyeondan. Jimin had the shortest training period—just six months—which filled him equally with fear, and a fierce desire to prove that everyone’s belief in him wasn’t unjustified.

Over the years after BTS’ debut this drive would lead Jimin down a path of intense self-criticism, soul-searching, and self-realization. While he would begin his career desperate to live up to the image everyone else had of him, eventually he’d come to realize that the best person he could give to BTS and his fans was just himself…

Playlists & Lyrics

JIMIN: SINGLES AND COLLABORATIONS LYRIC TRANSLATION (pdf)
ARMY PROJECT 529 WEEK 61 VIDEO PLAYLIST (all YouTube links)

Skip to Content: Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day Five

DAY ONE:

Pre-debut Jimin dancing with Just Dance Academy

From the moment he started dancing, Jimin showed talent and promise. He learned quickly, and had a perfectionist streak that wouldn’t let him settle for anything less than one hundred percent. However, Jimin’s one hundred percent was the equivalent of most other people’s one hundred and fifty.

He joined the Just Dance Academy in middle school, just to try it with a friend as an after-school activity. And within one month of classes, he started taking part in dance battles and competitions—already showing a great aptitude for popping, locking, and even breakdancing. When he entered Busan High School of Arts he decided to broaden his horizons and began learning contemporary dance. And again, in just a short period of time, he became the top student, earning prominent spots in class showcases.

After a few minutes of watching any of Jimin’s early dance footage, it’s easy to see that he was born to dance. His body flows effortlessly, it doesn't matter if it’s over a gentle melody or a hip-hop beat. He learned that dancing brought him a sense of freedom, and a release from stress. It became his happy place.

On top of his abundance of natural talent, Jimin also poured on hours of hard work. And this is what ultimately led him to Big Hit and BTS. As mentioned in the intro, once he became a trainee, he had the shortest time to prepare before debut. In six months he had to not only continue working on his dancing—switching his focus back to hip-hop, but he also had to discover where he would fit in with the group vocally.

At the time, Jimin had an incredibly fit dancer’s physique, and a bright, friendly personality. Big Hit, used to the methodology of the “K-Pop Idol Machine” encouraged the future members of BTS to adopt personas, and the one they had in mind for Jimin was a sort of sexy and mischievous heartthrob. So at first, they tried to turn him into a rapper.

Jimin dancing at Busan High School of Arts

It didn’t go well. But as they were working with him, on his own time, he was sitting in on vocal lessons with some of the other members, like V and Jung Kook. He practiced their lessons and exercises on his own, determined to soak up as much as he could, even if he never ended up debuting. As the other trainees began to pay attention to his progress, they knew he wasn’t meant to be a rapper. Eventually, SUGA took matters into his own hands and spoke with the higher ups, asking them, “Why are you trying to make him rap? He needs to be singing.”

Fortunately, his straightforward advice was well-received. Still, there were some members of the company who weren’t sure Jimin was going to be a right fit for BTS, including the CEO, Bang Shi-hyuk (Bang PD). Luckily several other employees championed the young dancer, and eventually Bang PD relented and took a chance.

Jimin himself didn’t feel ready either. But, he was willing to take the risk…

Pre-debut Jimin Dance Battle

BTS JIMIN PREDEBUT CONTEMPORARY DANCE

Fun Fact:

Jimin on Variety Shows Pt. 1

In the early days of BTS, Jimin’s “stage personality” was that of a charming, sexy jokester. He was often called upon to be loud and showy, and this also often left him as the butt of whatever joke was happening around him.

It’s not always comfortable to watch some of his appearances on early variety shows, now that we know how much he was trying to fit into a mold the company had made for him.

But what is interesting is watching his evolution over the years on these shows. Once he started stepping away from Jimin the character, and closer to Jimin the real person, he truly began to light up and enjoy himself when BTS made appearances anywhere.

Jump to Comments

DAY TWO:

When BTS debuted, Park Jimin felt uncertain about a lot of things—his right to even be in the group at the top of the list. After just six months of training with the other members, his uncertainty about his perceived shortcomings hung over his head like a dark cloud. Determined to feel worthy of performing along with the other six members, his already intense work ethic became even more stringent.

Over the years, when asked to talk about Jimin, the other members have often spoken about his perfectionism and dedication to honing his craft. We have heard several times that Jimin was always first to get to the practice rooms and the last person to leave them. In an interview he had in 2021, he mentioned that in the early days he often wouldn’t crawl into bed until around 4AM, and then his alarm would go off just two hours later.

Sleep deprivation was Jimin’s constant companion.

And not only did he devote himself completely to an intense practice regiment, he also threw himself whole-heartedly into adopting the persona Big Hit had put together for him, even though it was the opposite of his own personality in many ways. The Jimin we see in the first two years after BTS’ debut was loud, an attention seeker, and over-the-top flirtatious. He was always dressed like a “hip-hop bad boy”, with backwards hats, chains, and sleeveless and/or see-through tops. He was frequently encouraged to show off his body to the camera by flexing or lifting up his shirt.

Of course fans screamed in excitement whenever he did this, which encouraged him to continue. As we move through those first two years, there is never a time in which Jimin is looking at the camera and not flirting with it. Sometimes it seems to come naturally, and other times it feels very forced and cringey. As time passed and we saw more behind-the-scenes footage from the group, we began to get more glimpses into the Jimin that wasn’t playing for the camera all the time. He was sweet and loved to take care of his fellow members.

As BTS’ sound began to evolve, so too did their visuals and concepts evolve as well. When they made the decision to start branching off from pure hip-hop into other genres of music with a more story-based approach, the members had to adjust the way they performed as well. The realism in their storylines caused them to interject more of their real selves into the group and their content. And Jimin was no exception to this…

BANGTAN BOMB: TODAY'S LETTER DELIVERER JIMIN!

Bangtan Bubble: Do you think Jimin’s perfectionism is more helpful or hurtful for him?

Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!

Jump to Comments

DAY THREE:

Songs like 2014’s “95 Graduation” which featured Jimin and V singing about how they simultaneously couldn’t wait to graduate and become adults, but also didn’t understand the weight of responsibilities that came along with adulthood seemed to mark a transition in the way BTS was approaching their outlook on both life and music-making.

The beginning of the HYYH series (“The Most Beautiful Moment in Life”) was a turning point in BTS’ career. Not only was the music they were creating a broad departure from the rap-heavy hip-hop they’d favored up to that point, but thematically it was quite different as well. They were talking less about being “bulletproof” and “hip-hop”, and more about how vulnerable they felt as they were growing up.

A major storyline (eventually known as the Bangtan Universe, or the BU) was introduced with the HYYH series, which included acting and emotions from the members they had not previously had to deliver in their performances.

The accompanying choreography they began to incorporate fell more into modern and contemporary than hip-hop, and Jimin was elated to finally have something that he felt he excelled in to contribute to the comeback.

With songs like “Butterfly”, Jimin could lose himself in the story of the choreography and feel free in his dancing again. He also played heavily into the visuals, exuding a sense of sexy vulnerability—still flirting with the audience (and honestly—everything that moves) but also trying to reveal the more real side of himself.

The self he’d kept hidden away up to that point.

"PERFECT MAN" (SHINHWA COVER) - JIMIN FOCUS STAGE MIX | 2015 MBC MUSIC FESTIVAL

161107 JIMIN'S MODERN DANCE ("BUTTERFLY") | STARSHOW360 CUT

Fun Fact

Coming of Age…

In South Korea, turning 19 is an important milestone—it signifies becoming an adult in Korean society.

There is a tradition associated with it that dates back to the early 10th century—the coming-of-age ceremony. It involves wearing traditional Korean hanboks, showing respect and bowing to one’s parents, and taking part in a tea ceremony. The third Monday in May is marked as “coming-of-age day”, and it’s when all people turning 19 that year celebrate.

For the better part of the last two decades, K-Pop Idols have had their own tradition as well. In Week 11 of the blog, I discussed a 1st Generation Idol by the name of Park Ji-Yoon and a song she released in 2000 called “Sung In Shik (Coming of Age Ceremony)”. The song is about becoming an adult and features very sexy choreography.

After the song’s release, it became infamous within the Idol community and many of them began covering it when they themselves came of age. In 2016, Jung Kook celebrated turning 19, and enlisted Jimin to cover the dance with him which they then performed for ARMY at the live “Happy BTS Day” 3rd Birthday Party Show.

It’s… illuminating. Enjoy Jimin and JK, plus a few other Idols’ performances as well.

Jump to Comments

DAY FOUR:

"LIE" | 2016 SBS GAYO DAEJUN

The more that BTS kept changing in the wake of their HYYH era, the more Jimin was able to get away from the heavily-eyelinered, sleeveless jersey-wearing persona Big Hit had crafted for him pre-debut. Though he was still hard on himself, his confidence began to grow with each shift in image and sound the group began exploring.

Making a return to his contemporary dance training and helping to incorporate it into BTS choreography bolstered his confidence as well. As the group was working on their second studio album, WINGS, they decided to include solo tracks from each member for the first time. All of them, Jimin as well, contributed to the creation, if not the writing, of some of these songs.

“Blood Sweat and Tears” music show performance

Jimin sat down and reflected on his past three or four years in BTS, his role in the group, and how he often felt like an imposter who didn’t belong—not talented enough to stand alongside his other six members.

As he collected these thoughts together, he began to recognize that the voice inside his heading telling him all these things was lying to him. That while it was healthy to want to learn, grow, and improve, constantly thinking he didn’t deserve the seat at the table he’d worked so hard for wasn’t healthy.

And this is how, along with the team at Big Hit, he wrote “Lie”.

Caught in a lie
Please find me who was innocent
I can’t free myself from these lies
Please bring back my smile

Caught in a lie
Please take me out of this hell
I can’t free myself from this pain
Please save me who’s being punished

It’s important to note that while he was beginning to understand the lies he told himself, Jimin’s fears didn’t just magically disappear once “Lie” was completed and released. In his constant quest for perfection, he still struggled—most notably with his body image. In the early years, Jimin had been encouraged to keep himself looking a certain way—light, and extremely well-muscled. Since Jimin was still young, he hadn’t completely grown out of his “baby fat”, and was teased for how chubby his face looked on camera sometimes. He began following very strictly regimented diet plans in order to better fit the image he was trying to portray.

Inevitably, his relationship with food and eating became somewhat damaged. While the transition in image and sound BTS made during HYYH and the WINGS era helped bolster his confidence to be more himself, he still felt the pressure (as almost all Idols do) to look a certain way. His muscles were no longer the focal point, so his workouts became less strenuous, but the dieting did not. Now that he was being put front and center in BTS’ new more modern and contemporary choreography, the pressure to present an ideal dancer’s body began to weigh heavily on him. Jimin has since admitted that at certain times during WINGS he would only eat one full meal every seven to ten days, and it caused him to pass out sometimes during rehearsals after he pushed himself too hard.

Thankfully, this extreme behavior didn’t go unnoticed for long, nor was it ignored. Those in Jimin’s close circle encouraged him that it was healthier to eat properly and regularly. In fact, Jin would often invite Jimin to do “Eat Jin” with him so that it would become more of a habit for him to feel comfortable with food and eating well. Eventually, though Jimin is still very self-critical, he would begin to find a healthier balance between diet and exercise, and how far he should push his body to maintain an image. Today he seems much more comfortable in his body and eats what and when he wants to, which ARMY loves to see.

(Disclaimer: Neither Jimin, nor Big Hit has ever claimed Jimin has/had an eating disorder. Nor is that what is being claimed here. I am only presenting information based on things Jimin has said, or other members of BTS have said about him.)

OPENING SHOW (BALLET + MODERN DANCE + STREET DANCE) | 2016 SBS GAYO DAEJUN

BONUS: TAEMIN (SHINEE) & JIMIN (BTS) - SHOWDOWN | 2016 SBS GAYO DAEJUN

Fun Fact:

Jimin’s VLIVEs 2015-2017…

I think it’s well known, and I’ve perhaps mentioned it once or twice, that Park Jimin is a FLIRT. The man is incapable of breathing without flirting with whoever (or whatever) is closest to his orbit at the time.

Which is HILARIOUS considering that he’s also quite shy and introverted. Though Jimin loves to laugh and joke around with those he’s comfortable with, he is often shy when he’s in certain situations on his own.

Being LIVE on VLIVE or Weverse is one of those situations. Jimin loves ARMY deeply, we know that, but we also know that he has a hard time going LIVE by himself without getting shy and self-conscious. He often entices other members to join him by being cute and clingy (sometimes going so far as to steal their food so they’re forced to come find it). And honestly, it’s still a win for ARMY when this happens, right?

Enjoy all of Jimin’s “cutie sexy lovely” VLIVES from 2015 to 2017 as we’ve linked them below for you.

Jump to Comments

DAY FIVE:

The word ‘serendipity’ is defined as “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way”. A “happy accident” if you will. As 2018 rolled around, I don’t know that anything in Park Jimin’s life could have been described at the time as a “happy accident”, as BTS was enduring extreme hardship and burnout—almost deciding to disband at the beginning of that year.

But disband they did not. They collectively did some soul-searching, and realized that they did not want BTS to be over—neither for their fans or themselves.

Jimin, the consummate peace-keeper and caregiver of the group, was often seen during this time comforting his fellow members with hugs, or taking over speeches when emotions ran too high for some. His words were always ones of profound gratitude for their families, their team, and their fans.

In the aftermath of those trying times, BTS began releasing their “Love Yourself” series, with LOVE YOURSELF 承 Her. And for the first time, Jimin was given the task of performing the intro song for an album.

The lyrics talk about a love that seems to be destined—something always meant to happen. Jimin sings about wanting to be all those little happy moments for someone. He says, “Just let me love you…”

Now, please be by my side
Please be us
I don’t wanna let go no
We can just leave it to fate
We can feel it even if we don’t talk

On the surface we can interpret this being about romantic love. Though he didn’t write the song himself, those who did (RM included) wrote it with him very much in mind. I think it’s safe to say that we can interpret this song to also be about Jimin’s determination to love himself, and also BTS’ realization that they, as a group, were meant to be—and always meant to have ARMY by their side.

Perhaps Jimin and the other members of BTS finding each other was that moment of ‘serendipity’. They often write about “what ifs” (see “Heartbeat” from BTS World for example) in their music, and seemingly recognize that their journey feels at least somewhat guided by fate. It certainly seems destined for Park Jimin to have been the last link to bring them all together—the final puzzle piece that made BTS complete.

BANGTAN BOMB: JIMIN’S SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY

LYS: "SERENDIPITY" COMEBACK TRAILER

“Serendipity” Stage Mix

Bangtan Bubble: Have you ever had a moment of serendipity in your own life?

Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!

Jump to Comments

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I know we covered a lot of ground this week, and it included A LOT of changes. But that’s fitting given that our topic of conversation for the next month is Park Jimin. His transformation over the years since BTS debuted—from the loud young man who acted like a “sexy heartthrob”, always making jokes and showing off his muscles, to the poised and confident adult who preferred to seduce with subtlety and grace—is nothing short of astonishing to behold. Jimin is determined to always learn, and become a better version of himself—both for his fans, and his fellow members.

When we return for Week Two of “Jimarch”, we’ll be talking about Jimin’s continued journey with BTS from 2018 all the way up until he enlisted in 2023…

Side Quest

Jimin’s VLOGs 2013-2016…

Jimin has always been cute, playful, and very flirtatious, but there’s a marked difference in the way he presented these aspects of himself when BTS first debuted versus a few years later.

Here we’ve collected all of Jimin’s VLOGs he recorded for YouTube (solo and with other members) from 2013 to 2016. Seeing him transition from the loud, brash, “muscle hunk” the company wanted him to be in the beginning to being more comfortable with being himself—softer, sillier, and teasingly sexy—is a wonder to behold.

130620 JIMIN & JUNGKOOK'S LOG

150403 Jimin’s Log

160424 Jimin’s Log

130125 JIMIN'S LOG (1:22)
130208 JIMIN'S LOG (1:45)
130212 JUNGKOOK & JIMIN'S LOG (2:50)
130212 JUNGKOOK & JIMIN'S LOG (2:09)
130224 JIMIN & JUNGKOOK'S LOG (2:07)
130225 JIMIN'S LOG (2:18)
130319 JIMIN & JUNGKOOK’S LOG (5:11)
130325 JIMIN'S LOG (3:23)
130406 JIMIN'S LOG (2:13)
130426 JIMIN’S LOG (2:54)
130514 SUGA & JIMIN'S LOG (2:19)
130619 JIMIN & V'S LOG (3:19)
130620 JIMIN & JUNGKOOK'S LOG (4:01 - as shown)
130723 JIMIN'S LOG (3:57)
130726 JIN & JIM'S LOG (3:23)
130823 JIMIN'S LOG (2:34)
130909 JIMIN'S LOG (2:43)
131013 J-HOPE & JIMIN'S LOG (1:58)
131101 JIMIN’S LOG (3:09)
131119 SUGA & JIMIN'S LOG (2:07)
140103 JIMIN'S LOG (4:09)
140224 JIMIN & JUNGKOOK'S LOG (4:34)
140406 JIMIN'S LOG (4:20)
140421 J-HOPE & JIMIN'S LOG (2:06)
140515 JIMIN & JUNGKOOK'S LOG (4:30)
140602 SUGA, JIMIN & JUNGKOOK'S LOG (1:41)
140714 JIMIN'S LOG (2:01)
140910 JIMIN & JUNGKOOK'S LOG (4:39)
141020 JIMIN'S LOG (4:46)
141218 JIMIN'S LOG (4:21)
150107 JIMIN'S LOG (5:11)
150403 JIMIN'S LOG (4:52 - as shown)
150405 JIMIN'S LOG (1:52)
150513 JIMIN & JUNGKOOK'S LOG (5:24)
151013 JIMIN'S LOG (5:04)
160107 JIMIN'S LOG (7:51)
160424 JIMIN'S LOG (11:49 - as shown)
161113 JIMIN'S LOG (2:08)
161120 JIMIN'S LOG (10:09)
170902 JIMIN'S LOG (10:22)

CREDITS:

YouTube/Web

BANGTANTV, HYBE LABELS, 1theK, A-Void noise, aftaehyung, Alicia Chin, Arirang TV, Bangtan D., BANGTAN SUBS, BangtanBakery, BIGBANG CONCERT, Brilliant, BTS 07, BTS LIVE ARCHIVE, BTSclove, BTSWorld_channel, Caliguia Alexandra Denisse M., Deceryl Kim, doremi faso, Dynal, ENJOY BTS MORE, Eternal Light, Galaxy Unnie, HCZA89x, i like chimchim nuggets, iHateSnakeuProductions, JAEGUCHI, Janiring, jhj mj, jimin's high note., JUNG HYUN RAN, JUST DANCE 댄스학원, KBS WORLD TV, Kookies And Cream, KOREA NOW, Lajibolala -REST-, Lợi Nguyễn Thị Đức, louca por BTS ARMY FOREVER, M2, Machi, MeliKookie G, Mihai, Mire TK, MsBelleFlanders, Nana Kun, noona, poco a poco. a Jimin, PUMA, Purple Heart Official, Sandii, SBS Entertainment, Syima Syimot, TODAY'S PARKJIMIN오늘의박지민, wokobee, yoonmin land, • m i n a m o c h i •, Азия-мир дорам и к-рор, 가을나그네, 일도아니지, 貝貝베베; Web: ok.ru

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), Namz (TikTok: Namz07)

Join us LIVE every Sunday evening at 8pm ET for #the529live, a wrap up of each week's “Monday Muster”, thoughtful discussions, and tons of laughter! And catch us every Wednesday night at 9pm ET for #the529tea, when we dish about all the news going on with Bangtan.

Both live streams are hosted on ARMY Project 529’s YouTube channel: (@ARMYProject529)

MondayMusterBangtanBubbleSideQuestJiminPark Jimin

Quince

WEEK 61 | I’ll Give You My Everything.

Resolve.

Playlists & Lyrics

DAY ONE:

Fun Fact:

DAY TWO:

DAY THREE:

Fun Fact

DAY FOUR:

Fun Fact:

DAY FIVE:

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Side Quest

CREDITS:

j-hope HOPE ON THE STAGE Tour Free Printables

WEEK 60 | As Always, For Us

Follow Us On Social Media