When a caterpillar is finished growing, and has shed its last skin, it forms a chrysalis—a hard, protective outer layer—around itself in preparation for its transformation into a butterfly. In a metaphorical, or psychological sense, the “chrysalis stage” is when we realize our life is shifting… we’re growing, and maybe the old way of doing things isn’t working for us anymore. When BTS debuted, Jung Kook was 15. As the first few years of their career passed, he shed his skin over and over again, just like a caterpillar. And though Jung Kook had come of age at 19, when he hit his 20th birthday in 2017, he finally became a fully-fledged adult in South Korea. Over the next few years, Jung Kook would emerge more and more from his very own chrysalis. There were obvious physical changes—JK seemed intent upon experimenting and expressing himself through his appearance, in an almost devil-may-care manner. It felt like rebellion, but the most polite kind possible. Aside from his appearance, Jung Kook was growing inside as well. Though he claims to not be very introspective, JK can be very sentimental. When his pen hit paper, it was most often the fans he wrote about, like 2020’s “Still With You”, but sometimes he would reflect on his journey, who he was becoming, and who he had left behind. The baby of BTS wasn’t a baby any longer…

Jeon Jung Kook was born September 1, 1997 in Busan, South Korea where he lived with his parents and elder brother. During elementary and early middle school, Jung Kook began discovering he had natural talent in… well, pretty much anything he tried doing. He wasn’t particularly interested in music as a kid, but realized that he could, without any formal training, actually sing and dance fairly well. So in 2011, when he learned they would be holding auditions in Daegu, Jung Kook decided to try out for the talent show Superstar K. Though he wasn’t selected to be on the show, he did immediately receive casting offers from seven (how auspicious) different companies, including one of the “Big Three”—JYP Entertainment. However, Jung Kook saw RM (Rap Monster at the time) perform and that was it for him. He thought the older rapper was “so cool” and immediately decided he needed to join Big Hit so he could train with him. And so, BTS got their maknae (youngest) and their main vocalist all in one fell swoop. Years later, Jung Kook would admit that the responsibility placed on him at that age terrified him. He threw himself into training even more. Eventually, his hero RM gave him the nickname “Golden Maknae" because he was so good at everything. They didn’t know it at the time but this affectionate nickname would not only stick around for years, but also eventually define the standard Jung Kook would set for his entire career.

After the infamous FESTA Dinner of 2022, during which BTS announced an upcoming break from group activities, their “Chapter Two” (although we weren’t calling it that back then) began almost immediately. Taehyung had been teasing ARMY with little snippets of songs here and there throughout the year. Was he working on an album too? He seemed to have been busy—we saw he was traveling to a lot of different locations, but not all of it appeared to be BTS-related. (France, Mexico, etc.) So what was he up to? In reality, we had no clue the massive amount of content Taehyung and the other members prepared ahead of their enlistment to give to us while they were gone. Aside from exploring what V was up to in the year before he left this week, we’ll also discuss everything he’s released even while away. Those of us who thought he might be quiet until he returned were sorely mistaken. Not only did he give us several new songs, but he also released two photography collections and had a touring exhibition for one of them. Every moment Taehyung could fill with reminders of his love for ARMY, he did. And over the last almost year and a half we’ve seen him accomplish all of the goals he set for himself—from joining the elite Special Forces Military Police and earning several promotions, to bulking up and changing into a completely different-looking Tae. We’ve been both endeared and destroyed by him on several occasions over the past several months—which is pretty par for the course for Taehyung. So, in some ways, it’s like he never even left…

As BTS’ got a few years past their debut, members of the Rap Line (RM, SUGA, and j-hope) began writing more music for themselves, and they started releasing solo mixtapes. Fans loved them, and naturally, began wondering if the other four members, the Vocal Line, planned to do the same. Taehyung has said he’s always working on songs here and there, and he loves to share, but he’s also quick to scrap them and move on. BTS began their “Chapter 2” in mid 2022 with the release of j-hope’s first studio solo album, JACK IN THE BOX. One by one, the members began releasing their solo music. V knew his turn was coming. But instead of agonizing over writing and/or completing songs for it, he decided to thoroughly develop a concept for an album and select songs from other songwriters that fit the vibe he was going for. What was that vibe? Him. He wanted something that represented and expressed Kim Taehyung completely. And that’s how we got LAYO(V)ER. When asked about the reasoning behind the name, V said that the album is meant to be a stop-over between our starting point and our final destination. Just a moment in time when we can rest, reflect, and exist with our emotions. Which is how I think Taehyung wakes up and takes on every day. This moment in time—this LAYO(V)ER—is a look into a person’s emotions surrounding a complicated relationship. There is hope, pleading, despair, lovesickness, acceptance, etc. The album (really it’s an EP) isn’t long—only 17 minutes and 37 seconds—but it’s a complete journey. Taehyung considered the full spectrum of emotions one could go through during a stop-over in heartbreak, and delivered performances that would draw them out of us. And, to top it all off, he made his dog the star of his solo debut. I can’t think of anything else that could say “V” better, can you?

Kim Taehyung has… a lot of quirks. In the early days of BTS he was loud, full of energy, and never missed a chance to put on a show for the camera. As he began to grow up, some of his energy mellowed—he became a bit quieter, and often thought more before saying whatever was on his mind. Now, I often hear V described as “mysterious” and “hard to get to know”. Taehyung was 17 when he debuted. As he’s aged, V has become more than just his stage name. V has become a different persona. V is the mask he puts on when performing. But if you dig a little deeper and look behind the mask… if you pay attention carefully to the lesser-known aspects of his personality, the quieter and quirkier parts, you’ll find the mystery will fall away to reveal sweet warmth, a depth of character and intelligence, and a clever sense of humor. While over the years the distinction between Kim Taehyung and V has become more stark, both pieces are still part of the whole. He is both Taehyung AND V. This week we’ll explore the years during which BTS hit new heights of creativity and fame, and reached new lows of exhaustion and pain. We’ll see Taehyung explore the mask of V, and how he learned to use it to both his advantage and detriment.

”It’s all a scam. They’re trying to trick you.” These were the words Kim Taehyung heard from his grandmother, after Big Hit Entertainment called to invite him to a second audition to become an Idol trainee at their company. Taehyung was confused. It was true he hadn’t intended to audition for the company, he’d only gone along because his friend was trying out. But he’d seen how professional they were, and when they’d asked him if he also wanted to try, he’d been so happy. He didn’t know what to think now. Was it really all a trick? Did they not actually want him? Luckily staff members at Big Hit also reached out to Taehyung’s father to assure him that they were legit, and that they wanted his son to audition again, this time privately, not at an open casting call. This time, the family believed what they were hearing, and they got Taehyung to that second audition. Which he passed easily. Big Hit knew that Taehyung had talent, but they weren’t sure what to do with him at first.

When the final four members of BTS announced their enlistment for December of 2023, the Admin Team kicked the plans for ARMY Project 529 into full swing, planning a launch for January 1st, 2024, with our blog (writing about BTS’ discography chronologically) set to last the 529 days between then and FESTA 2025. We had no clue as we began the AP529 journey that while we fulfilled our original plan, we’d ALSO be covering a slew of NEW content and releases that the members had all prepared prior to enlisting. Some of that new content included solo songs and albums. Early 2024 brought us releases from V, j-hope, and RM. Naturally we began to speculate about the others, Jimin included, as well. He’d released FACE before the military, and then the single “Closer Than This” shortly after enlistment, but… did he have more coming out before his return?

On March 24, 2023, Park Jimin released his debut solo album, FACE. The pre-release track, “Set Me Free Pt 2” had dropped a week previously, showing all of us a VERY different Jimin from the one we were used to. This Jimin was dark—determined, and maybe a little angry? The world was really just completely shaking off the weight of the Pandemic at this point, still not quite used to living life at a normal pace again. Unable to fully move past what had happened to us all. When he began doing promotions for FACE, Jimin said several times that the album was a reflection of himself, and his personal struggles and emotions, mostly stemming from the Pandemic. It made sense—as you listen to the album, Jimin’s words seemed to echo what many of us were feeling at the time. FACE is full of contradictory emotions—frustration, anger, and intense loneliness one moment, and then liberation and a profound sense of gratitude in the next. Writing the album was how Jimin processed and overcame his struggles. Thinking back to what RM told him when he was trying to write “Promise”, he let music be his solution. This week we’ll examine what that process looked like for Jimin, and how his search for freedom led him to peer at the feelings deep within himself. His first album let him “face up” to the shit going on in his life and broke Billboard Music records at the same time.

In 2018, BTS was riding a huge wave of success, but they were also struggling to regroup after nearly disbanding at the beginning of that year. Outside, it was business as usual. There were comebacks to produce and promote and a tour to rehearse and prepare for. Inside, the members worked on reconnecting with not only each other, but their passion for being in BTS. Jimin—throughout WINGS two years prior and then in the beginning of the “Love Yourself” era—struggled extensively with imposter syndrome. Logically, he knew he had talent but he still didn’t think it was enough. That he was enough. Determined to find more he could contribute, he turned his hand to songwriting. He knew he wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure how to do it. So he went to RM for advice, who told him, “Music is the solution.” In other words, trust the process and just be honest. So Jimin got back to writing, defaulting quite simply to what he does best—encouraging others. When he feels lost and depressed, he reaches out to make others happy, whether it’s ARMY or his other members. Over the next few years, we’d see this play out time and time again, including throughout the Pandemic. While he often can’t see the forest through the trees, what Jimin really is to BTS (and to his fans)—more than his astronomical talent—is love. And that love is more than enough.