Evenstar

41. Bulletproof and ARMY

Ten months after their much-awaited muster at the Seoul Olympic Stadium, Bangtan once again hit the road - this time to meet ARMY worldwide. They wanted to share with their fandom the reason for their long absence and their plans for the future. They also wanted to hear from their ARMY and respond to their questions face-to-face, knowing that they disappointed many of their fans when they dropped from the scene more than ten years ago. They wanted this chance to relive their younger years with ARMY and hopefully to invite them to continue walking with BULLETPROOF. Under their new band name they brought new music from their first album, Unfiltered.

Because stadiums could only accommodate so many seats, all their concerts were also streamed online, with simultaneous theater viewing available in some countries. They followed a rigid schedule, with breaks dedicated to attending talk shows and promotions, or shooting videos. Footage was taken of them nearly all the time, even when they were resting. This was the agreement with HYBE and BigHit Music, who would be handling all their video content while they had not fully launched themselves solely as Bulletproof under their new company, JKL.

Although they had been afraid that they wouldn't be able to muster the same energy commanded by their 20-year-old selves, they were surprised at how ARMY's cheers fuelled their adrenalin levels and they were able to deliver the kind of performance that only BTS was known for. And they had fun, too. They realized again how much they enjoyed being with ARMY in a concert and, despite mistakes here and there, they just let themselves go and gave ARMY the best time in a long time, just like they used to before their accident in 2022.

Backstage though was a different matter. The struggle was real. Although they presented near-perfect performances to ARMY, they were falling apart behind the scene. Yoongi was the first to suffer an injury when he strained his shoulder during the Run BTS performance in Saitama. A discreet trip to the hospital in May revealed a tear in the muscle, but nothing could be done to fix it while they were on tour. He was fitted with compression bandages and regularly underwent therapy from their staff while they toured. He just guarded his movements onstage so as not to worsen the damage.

Jin followed suit when Jungkook accidentally stepped on his hand with his heavy boots and he broke a finger, requiring a cast. He had to sit it out of their Brisbane and Buenos Aires concerts but bravely performed bandaged when they reached the US.

When they began having 4-day concerts in L.A. Jimin, who had been able to physically cope with the pressure so far, began showing signs of exhaustion. As they exited the stage and went down the steps backstage after Mic Drop, Jimin's legs gave out and he fell. And history repeated itself. Taehyung saw him and tried to catch his fall, and both of them tumbled to the ground below, sending all of the staff nearby in a state of panic. Thankfully, they only suffered minor bruises.

The injuries his members sustained began giving Jungkook a lot of stress. He wanted to take care of his hyungs, but how to do it in these circumstances was a challenge. Beyond having a medical doctor and physical therapists on hand, he realized he should have an ambulance on standby in case something went seriously wrong. In 2022, they lost an ARMY and Taehyung's life was put in danger because it took a long time for the ambulance to arrive, the area of the concert being heavily congested with foot and vehicular traffic.

But beyond the hardships they endured, they were all happy to be performing again. BTS and ARMY had a special bond of love. They could honestly say that they loved ARMY so much that they would squeeze all their energy to make their fans happy at this moment. The concert lasted a little over two and a half hours but stayed with each one of them long after that. It was a time to remember, a time to draw inspiration and strength from each other. And this experience, the members knew, helped their fans overcome the challenges they faced in their daily lives. The members felt that the exhaustion and injuries they suffered were just a small price to pay to give their ARMY that strength.

"It doesn't hurt that much anymore," Yoongi announced as they all sat at the members' waiting area a few hours before the Las Vegas concert started.

"Have you stopped taking medicine for the pain?" Namjoon asked him.

"Yes, since the L.A. concert. I think it's all those marriage proposals that did it." It was a long-standing source of laughter among them how he received the most marriage proposals in a concert, a live, a video, or on any medium that they used.

"ARMY is something else," Hobi affirmed. The sight of them with their army bombs lighted and the deafening sound of their cheers and voices as they sang with BTS never failed to give him goosebumps. "Even if I'm out of breath and I don't know where to get the energy from anymore, I just draw the strength I need to finish from them."

"They stayed with us," Jin said. "That's unbelievable to me. If it were me I would have left already."

Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook were monitoring ARMYs comments on their phones. "We're trending at No. 1 in 48 countries," Taehyung informed them. His leg was raised on the table to lessen the pressure on his bruised shin from when Jimin fell on him.

"We're back!" Jungkook shouted, elated that ARMY was responding so well and hadn't taken the lost years against them.

"Jimin-ah, why are you so quiet?" Yoongi asked.

"I just wish I could make it until the end." Jimin blamed himself for Taehyung getting injured again, and he wished no one else would suffer because of him. He was still afraid that he would lose his strength and he hoped for a longer break after every concert.

(Credits to Luvin 7 Shinin for the video edit above)

"You will, Jimin-ah." Taehyung held his friend's hand. He knew how tough it was for Jimin, and he was constantly on the phone with Jimin's dad, assuring him that Jimin was okay and that they would take care of him.

"Unfiltered is selling very well, all our tour merchandise too." Jungkook informed them. "And we're moving steadily to the top of the charts."

"We can do this, guys! Just 20 more concerts to go!" Jin raised his bandaged hand and cheered his dongsaengs on. He felt they were doing very well and just needed to keep their spirits up and not be discouraged.