BTS Theories and Explanations

BTS Trilogy: I Need U / Prologue / Run

With the release of the group's newest MV, "Run" and accompanying album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 2, fan theories have been circulating as to the hidden meaning behind the BTS "Trilogy," composed of "I Need U," the prologue from their solo concert, and "Run." The theories are lush and range from one member being dead, to all the members being dead, to hallucinations and the Butterfly Effect, to an Inception-type dreamscape, to an illustration of the stages of depression and mental illness, to suicide and simple bullying between friends.

My own theory around the BTS Trilogy is rather simple, but symbolically dense: this is a complicated metaphor for growing up.

When BTS released The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt 1, leader and rapper Kim Namjoon described it as an album about adolescence, which is the most joyful part of life, but also wrought with "anxiety and insecurity." Since the members of BTS range in age from approximately 18-23, they are in the stage between youth and adulthood where things get awkward and confusing. To me, the BTS Trilogy is about the death of helpless childhood innocence and the inevitable transition to adulthood.

In a lot of ways, the BTS Trilogy of videos reminds me of the 1986 film, Stand By Me, wherein a group of 4 childhood friends set out to discover the body of a dead boy from their town with the hopes of becoming local heroes. However, in the process, the boys confide in each other and shed their childhood and innocence. By the end of the film, the boys are separated and are no longer friends, but still hold onto their memories of that time.

All three videos are rich with symbolism, and although the lyrics of the music play an important part, they aren't absolutely essential to understanding the story. There is quite a lot of shifting timelines and perspectives between characters, which means that this story belongs to all the characters in their own ways. Unpacking this story is easier if we follow the same non-linear timeline.

"I Need U" represents a helpless descent as the chorus repeats "fall,fall." The characters are seemingly not in control of their own behaviors andfeelings, reacting to what happens around them in youthful innocence andignorance. In this MV, we see the characters reacting to their environments andsituations. The focus shifts from scenes of the group together, acting jovialand friendly, to scenes of each member alone, where they turn to despair andsadness in its many forms. When together, the seven characters are carefree andwild. For example, Hoseok, who is seen taking handfuls of medication, dumps theentire bottle into the fire when joined by his friends, preferring to feel emotionswith his friends, rather than the numbness of loneliness.