I had the pleasure of working with BTS since their debut - almost five years now. Wow has time passed! I was just 23 when I began my internship-turned-full-time-job with BigHit Entertainment. Living independently away from my family after graduation. I was only doing photography for fun back then, taking family portraits and headshots mainly without any pay. In retrospect, it was pretty stupid not to ask for at least a small amount of money, like 5000 won. Especially when I ended up doing at least four photoshoots a day every single day; that could've been around 140,000 won a week which would help financially alongside my soup kitchen job.
Anyway. As soon as I heard about BigHit's open call for photographers, I knew I had to submit! Luckily, my work was worthy enough for Director Bang to choose me as BTS' official photographer.
My job consists of working long hours somedays to capture the beauty of this talented group. From rehearsals, to interviews, to V Lives, to performances, to themed photoshoots I am there with my camera. I've had the pleasure of developing working relationships with all seven of the members, but there's one particular member over the last few years that I have a certain attachment to. Or, I should say has a certain attachment to me.
Min Yoongi, or Suga as he likes to be called. This seemingly tough bad boy was actually pretty shy when we first met. He was barely 21 and still getting used to the fame of being one of Korea's biggest boy bands. He hated cameras and would sometimes hide or give a timid smile while looking toward the ground if me or the film directors focused on him.
I always thought his little charade was cute, adorable even. But as he grew older, more mature, and more confident... this cuteness turned into handsome, and handsome into... sexy. I hate to say it, but over the past year, I think I've developed a crush on one of my clients.
[s/o to the fan who made this video btw]
~~~FLASHBACK~~~
2016
Suga recently released his mixtape 'AGUST D' and the whole music industry was talking about it! Everyone talked about it around the studio, of course. The boys were raving about their fellow member and how talented he was. His talent was no surprise - his rapping has always been amazing - but what really impressed me was his songwriting ability. His mixtape is very emotional and personal. I was surprised to hear about his struggle with depression and social anxiety. I was also surprised at how optimistic he is about life and the future, especially since he's struggled in the past.
It was like an all new Suga. This may sound weird, but his album made him more human somehow. Less celebrity and more relatable, you could say. This was the first phase that led to my crush on my client: Empathy.
A few days after the mixtape release, and after a long week of rehearsing for their upcoming music video for 'Blood, Sweat, and Tears', I decided to approach Suga and congratulate him personally. Most conversations I have with the boys are very light and small, but on this night I was able to connect with Suga like I've never done before. It was after the BigHit team all went out for dinner to celebrate Suga's accomplishment. Back in the dorms, the members and the crew all went to their respective rooms and that's when I began praising Suga for his mixtape.
Me: "It's truly amazing."
Suga: "You think so?"
