A Modest Proposal (Kim Namjoon/ BTS) (#SerendipityAwards)

Reflection: Love Yourself

“What was the inspiration for this concept?”

Seated in the air-conditioned auditorium, Kim Namjoon pondered over the reporter’s question. It was a wide octagonal space with rows and rows of chairs neatly lined together. More than half of the seats were occupied by reporters and news outlets, the remaining scored by a few lucky staff members who had been allowed to attend the press conference as the audience. Overhead lights twinkled and cast shadows across the tiled mausoleum floor, the chilly air combating the clammy autumn breeze effectively.

The members flanked Namjoon on the dais upon which a long table and comfortable chairs had been set up and he spotted Sejin’s silhouette down the aisle to his left. Microphones and bottled water littered the surface and the rapper grabbed a mic to answer the question.

It was the day of the album release and so far, it had been met with fervor and positivity with millions of fans taking to social media to express their love for it. DNA was already topping the charts, Jimin’s intro Serendipity not far behind. And now, in the midst of a press conference to address the concept and making, the leader of BTS marveled over how ARMY’s immense support never ceased to amaze him.

“Like we’ve always tried to convey, individuality is important. But it’s so easy to lose track of what really matters in this fast-paced world. Talking about the youth has always been our forte but this time, we wanted to show how loving oneself is just as crucial as loving someone else,” he finally answered, the members and reporters jotting away on their notepads fervently.

Yoongi reeled a microphone towards him, continuing from where Namjoon had left off. “And through these series of albums, we hope to show that there is nothing wrong with taking a leap of faith and chasing after what makes you happy, be it love or anything else.”

At the center of the room, perched behind Jae Chan’s shoulder while he focused the camera on the members stood Ji Ah, latching onto every word that was being said. They were eerily reminiscent of what had passed between her and Namjoon on that fateful day eight years ago but she knew that this was a true evolution of Bangtan; Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa had paved the way for their flight with Wings and now Love Yourself was the beginning of their journey towards attaining closure.

A shuffling sound followed and another reporter took up the mantle. “Has there been any specific thing that has been instrumental in the making of the album?”

For the slightest of seconds, Namjoon’s eyes flitted towards Ji Ah. But they glanced away just as fast before she could even register their pressing weight. “A great many things have served as our starting point: our lives, our journeys, our relationships with the people who have, in some way, influenced us,” he remarked thoughtfully and he could see Jungkook and Jimin nodding in his peripheral vision.

“And also our desire to express that there are many different kinds of love,” Seokjin added, his fingers stroking his chin. “And that they’re all just as important to growth and well-being.”

The reporters took note of the answers Bangtan provided, the focus of the questions finally moving towards the tracks on the album. Hoseok jumped up the minute the MC asked them to show the point choreography of DNA, dragging the maknae along to the centre of the narrow platform.

“What would you call it if you had to name this step?” the MC, a burlesque man in his mid-thirties with rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, was asking and Yoongi’s hand instantly shot up.

“The 'gum stuck to my sole' dance,” he declared, obviously proud of his witty retort. The room erupted in good-natured laughter and Ji Ah chuckled at the rapper’s amusing reply.