Moving Forward

31. Bulletproof: The Eternal

"It's not the end, ARMY. It's the beginning," RM explained as they went back to their endingment formation after their number. "We'd like to start the next chapter of our life as a group and we hope you will still join us."

"ARMY, we left so much BTS content that we'll always have something to show you for years to come," Suga assured them. It was true, they had lived their lives in front of the camera since their debut and there was so much footage that ARMY hadn't seen yet. There were also enough new songs they had recorded prior to the accident, enough for a final comeback.

"You'll keep seeing us as BTS through BigHit Music, ARMY. I think they're already restoring Weverse so we can be connected again." Jin had specifically requested this from HYBE, so that they could continue to engage ARMY.

"We will be under new management. You know already, right?" J-Hope asked them. They screamed Jungkook's name.

"ARMY, you've known me since I was young. You know this is a big challenge for me, and I need all your support so that I can take care of all the members well." It was the greatest challenge of his life, and Jungkook had gone into it without thinking things through. He was afraid that, if he really thought about all the details, he would say no - and he couldn't do that to his brothers. This way was better for everyone, it would be like they were managing themselves. They would just have to learn as they went along. He felt like a trainee again, but this time around he was more prepared. He had been managing himself since they finished their military training. Still, BTS was a monolith compared to his solo act. But he was determined to rise to the challenge. He would not let them down.

"I trust you, Jungkook." Taehyung looked at him from the other end of the line and smiled. He was confident in his maknae. He had seen Jungkook grow up, face every trial and exceed their expectations every time. Jungkook always skilfully handled every task he was given.

"Jungkook-ah, you the man!" Jimin stood beside him and patted his back.

"From here onwards, ARMY, we'll be known simply as Bulletproof," RM said as their new name flashed on the screen with its new logo, composed of the joined BTS and ARMY logo embraced by an infinity symbol.

"Bangtan!" ARMY chanted.

"Yes, ARMY! We're not boys anymore. We grew up well because of all of you." Jin tried to look at each one of them, so that they would feel how much all their support meant to BTS. ARMY had taken them to heights they would never have reached on their own.

"We won't be dancing as much, but we'll keep reaching out to you with our message through our songs." They had already begun writing and Taehyung found that he was getting the hang of writing lyrics now and could help much more than he did in the past.

"We'll be more ourselves, ARMY. I wonder if you'll be ready for that." Suga was already thinking of their debut album. He wanted to title it Unfiltered. It would contain all their unfiltered angst over the years they were in hiatus.

ARMY was already showing their excitement. Shouts of "We wouldn't have it any other way!" and "Bring it on!" were heard.

"We will share our advocacies with you, ARMY." They had already spoken clearly about social issues in the past but, given the chance, they wanted to lend a bigger voice to initiatives that were close to their heart as a group. J-Hope wanted to bring their sunshine into the darker areas of the world. "Can we start with Mary's?"

"As you may already know, ARMY, Mary suffered from a heart condition. She and her family supported the Children's Heart Foundation to help children who were also struggling as she was. As BTS we have also begun supporting this foundation in her place," Jimin shared to them. "Can we ask you to look at this foundation too and consider giving them your love?"

"ARMY, you can find their details on the screen." Jungkook had coordinated permission from CHF to share their contact information during the muster and it was granted. They were very thankful and informed him of the current status of their operations and how any amount would be of great help. "We will visit them soon so that we can encourage them in person."

"Since what happened, ARMY, I feel that we have a bigger role to think about." RM truly felt that he had changed much since 2022, that his carefree days were over and that he was now being pulled to a higher calling. It scared him, but he knew that with the members' support, and with ARMY to shine their light around them, they would not lose their way. "Are you with us, ARMY?"

"Yes!" they screamed. They were crying again. This muster had turned out to be more than they expected. Here before them was an open door with Bulletproof and a greater world on the other side.

A door had closed and another one had opened, and ARMY was still with Bangtan, holding their hands. All things were possible. As long as they were together, the seven of them would never be alone.

(From Map of The Soul ON:E, BTS online concert October 2020)