It is 2015 and Kim Taehyung had just experienced the pressures of being a K-pop idol. His group, BTS, broke through the Korean mainstream media and was enjoying commercial prosperity. But with that success came with a price. To escape the overwhelmi...
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Taehyung's fourth day in Toronto was mostly spent at the Royal Ontario Museum or ROM for short. It is the largest museum in Canada, showcasing over six million items amidst over forty galleries depicting various world cultures and natural history.
The dinosaur gallery, housing an impressive ninety-foot long skeleton of an ancient Barosaurus, was the first on Taehyung's agenda. He shivered at the enormity of the rare Southern White Rhinoceros, grateful that he didn't have to encounter such a beast in his lifetime.
After looking at the various fossils in the collection, he ventured to other noteworthy displays, including the Nisga'a and Haida totem poles; the world's largest faceted cerussite, the Tagish Lake Meteorite; the bust of Cleopatra VII of Egypt; the fresco of The Striding Lion, commissioned by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon; all breath-taking relics on their own right.
Not to be missed was the Asian exhibit featuring the well-preserved Chinese Temple Art mural, The Paradise of Maitre; the tomb of General Zu Dashou, the defender of the Ming Dynasty and other objects spanning seven-thousand years of Chinese history.
Of course, Taehyung cannot forget to visit the only permanent gallery of Korean art in Canada, which housed Korean artifacts ranging from the 1st to the 20th centuries AD.
He spent the last hour at the museum exploring Canadian culture in the form of symbols and paintings, including that of the Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West. It was an oil-on-canvas depiction of the Battle of Quebec, an event that solidified the British occupation of Quebec City. The Battle was part of the Seven Year's War or also sometimes called the French and Indian War to reflect the North American coalition.
There were so many exhibits, the Romans, the Greeks, the Africans, the Europeans, that it'll take him pretty much all week to see them. Taehyung didn't have time for that so he left through the "Crystal." He had enough history for today.
It was dark when he exited the building. He looked up the Toronto sky and counted only two more days before he returned to reality. He wanted to seize the opportunity while he was in a city that offered him a fresh view of the world.
After a quick bite, Taehyung hopped on a limousine taxi and told the driver to take him to a place where he can forget his old memories (even though momentarily) and create new ones.
Somewhere along the city, another passenger expressed the same desires as he sat looking outside his car window. Tonight, tonight will be different.
