“Alright, everyone! Let’s gather around! It should start soon.” Jin called for everyone’s attention and encouraged them to gather in front of the television.
It was 9pm on June 13, 2036, twenty-three years since he and the other BTS members had debuted. In the past, they would come out with something special for their fandom called ARMY.
Tonight, about ten years after their disbandment, they were gathered in their shared apartment in Hannam. It was the same apartment that their company used to rent out for them as a dorm; however, after their contract ended, Yoongi suggested that they split the cost seven ways and place the deed under all their names. It could be a place where they would gather again in peace.
Years later, they still continued to use the apartment for their gatherings such as this one. They were all there with their wives and children, who were randomly arranged around the grand television. The younger ones were asleep in the rooms while the older children, basically the Jeon children who were ten and sixteen, were there in the thick of it.
Jin and Yoongi started to pass around the snacks which the wives had prepared earlier that day.
On TV, a mix of some of BTS’ English songs started to play against a purple and white sign that read “BTS: Ten Years Later”.
It faded away and the BTS shield flashed on screen. That too faded away and the screen revealed Shin Dong-Yup standing in the middle of a stage.
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The living room fell silent.
“Annyeonghaseyo, Je ireumeun Shin Dong-Yup imnida. (Hello! My name is Shin Dong-Yup). Tonight, we have with us global K-pop third generation superstars, Bangtan Sonyeondan.” He paused for a few seconds.
“On June 13, 2013, they debuted to an audience of three hundred. Like other K-pop groups, they faced adversities and pushed themselves to the limit. Although they thought about disbanding a few years after their debut, they persevered and their hard work paid off. They broke out both in South Korea and internationally with catchy tunes, intense choreography and loveable personalities. They’ve never looked back since then. Their star shined as bright as the sun. Case in point, ten years ago, their farewell concert tour lasted for six months and reached billions of concert-goers in so many cities across several continents. For tonight, the members requested this interview to be done in English. International ARMY, you need not wait for subtitles!” He paused again and gave a heart-warming smile.
“Beloved viewers, ARMY, in a rare opportunity together on screen, we present to you Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook!”
The camera panned to the right where the seven were ready to perform ‘ON’. They were joined onstage by a few of Hobi and Jimin’s best students at their dance studio.
A number of them were trainees at Bangtan's former company and were being personally supervised by both dancers. Who better to train these youngsters than the two best dancers from arguably the biggest boyband to ever grace K-pop?
The music started and Jimin began his first line: 'I can’t understand what people are saying.' The former BTS members performed with so much intensity that it belied their age. They were all in their forties now. But none of that seemed to matter as each one of them showcased the agility and the stage presence that they perfected throughout their illustrious career. They stayed in their ending position for a few seconds before Shin Dong-Yup invited them to take their seats.
“Well, after that performance no one can accuse any of you of slacking and forgetting your skills. That was fire, guys!” Kim Areum commented from her spot in the living room, squeezing her husband’s thigh.
“You're just saying that because your husband is one of the younger ones. His bones are still semi-flexible.” Jin countered.
Kim HaEun slapped her husband’s arm. “Oh hush, darling. You and Taehyung are only three years apart.”
“I do agree with Areum.” Dai Yu spoke up. “That really was fire, guys!”
“She’s a dancer married to our dance machine. She knows what she’s talking about.” Kim Kooyoung, Namjoon’s wife, pointed out.
“Yes, Jin-hyung! It was an amazing performance. No need to be modest or self-conscious. It was undeniably gold.” Namjoon told the eldest.
Jake approached Jin and hugged him. “Take the compliment, hyung. You were actually quite awesome.”
Jin rolled his eyes amidst the laughter of them all gathered there that night. “Alright, alright. Let’s watch the rest of the special.”
On TV, the seven former boy band members were now seated in an arc against the backdrop of a white and purple stage.
Hobi was at the furthest to the left, followed by Taehyung and Jimin. Namjoon was in the middle and Jake, Yoongi and Jin were on the other side of Namjoon.
Across from them was the host who was in a beige suit with a slim purple tie.
“Hello, BTS!” He greeted then laughed, covering his mouth. “Oh, is it appropriate to say that?”
Namjoon, in a black three-piece suit just like the others, smiled his koala smile. “We still feel very much like BTS, Dong-Yup-ssi! No worries at all for calling us that.”
The others nodded and greeted the host.
“Ah, thank you for being understanding. It’s almost a force of habit to call you BTS when the seven of you are gathered. But before we begin, please allow me to thank you for tapping me to host this special! It is such an honor to be given this rare opportunity to interview you once again. The last time we got together like this was for Let’s BTS over a decade ago.”
“We always feel very comfortable with you Dong-Yup-ssi.” Yoongi complimented the man. “Thank you for coming out of retirement just this once. We are the ones who are humbled and honored to have you!”
“Aish, Suga-ssi, you are making me blush like a teenager.” The host commented, which sent the rest of the group into a tizzy of laughter.
“He does have that effect on people.” Jin teased.
“So how is everyone? How are you individually? We know that even after the disbandment you have remained very busy.” Shin Dong-Yup said.
Jin spoke up first. “We are doing very well, thank you. After our contracts ended, we mostly rested and slept and traveled. After about three months or so, we started to work on our individual projects.”
“Out of curiosity, if it’s okay to ask. How far back did you plan on your post-contract activities? Did you have everything ready and arranged early on? Did you know what you wanted to do?”
Namjoon sat up straight. “For most of our career, it was very hard for each of us to think of a life without the other six. Even when the others performed their military service, it was a challenge. But perhaps in the last two years of the contract, we slowly thought about what we wanted to do once it ended. And no, actually, some of us really did not know what we wanted. For a while, we were on the fence because we thought that we could still continue to be BTS. At the same time, we felt that another seven years was just not for us anymore. Perhaps if the contract was shorter, let’s say maybe three to four more years, we could have renewed it.”
The host nodded. “Speaking of military service, please allow me to thank those of you who enlisted despite being exempted. Our country is very blessed to have such great examples of patriotism.”
Jin, Namjoon, Hobi and Taehyung bowed their heads in acknowledgment.
“We actually had a meeting, specifically for this.” Yoongi shared.
“Suga-ssi, do you mean to say that it was the group who decided on whom to send for the enlistment?”
“De (Yes).” Yoongi acknowledged. “Hyung was always adamant that he wanted to serve and so it was decided that he would enlist. We couldn’t give up Jungkookie because his vocals are integral to the BTS sound so when the voluntary enlistment was presented to us, we requested him to stay on.”
“Between the producers and rappers, Namjoon and Yoongi-hyung, Yoongi had an operation on his shoulder so Namjoon was the logical choice.” Hobi added. “For the dancers, I volunteered to go, firstly because it truly is a great honor to be able to serve my country this way but also, Taehyung wanted to enlist. We could not find a workaround to not having him and Jiminie at the same time. ”
“We were quite lucky, though. The shorter enlistment term helped us because by the time we were complete again, it seemed like nothing had changed. Because of our fans and because of our hardworking company and the whole team behind us, we were able to complete our contracts the way we did.” Namjoon expressed.
“You mean, on top of the charts.” Shin Dong-Yup teased. “And that is quite a feat, I have to say. There is really something magic and golden about the seven of you together.”
The seven members smiled and blushed, unsure how to respond to the praise.
“And breaking up that winning combination must have been daunting. But you all transitioned into it beautifully! Take for example, Jin-ssi. You are currently one of the country's finest and most sought-after actors just like Taehyung-ssi. Your dramas are some of the most critically acclaimed and most syndicated. Congratulations! Not to mention your hosting gigs on almost every award show in Seoul.”
Jin did a little bow and thanked the host.
“How was the shift from being an idol to being an actor? Was it a huge adjustment?”
