Good trouble is on the way: the foreshadowing of BTS 3.0 is here.
One retired Special Warrior Sgt. Jung Hoseok and I have a date next week. And I am ready for anything at this point.
Oh boy. We can’t say we haven’t seem this coming. I mean, dating back to the baby Bangtan days of tuff boi Jimin and his abs, we knew BTS had the capability to turn up the heat. If you are ARMY, you know the moments of car sex BTS, Namjoon at award shows, sexy choreo = serious societal messaging, the JK move of a lifting his shirt for a sec in a concert. - thank you button for your service), and so on.
BTS has always walked the line of playful, fun, and sexy, but never over into PG-13 ways. If you knew what was up, you knew. But if you let the passion in their eyes(liner) and the crazy hair colors get in the way, you missed the lyrics, intentionality, and yes, their straight up search for confidence and their place in this world. Their 20s was something.
We’re slowly seeing them creep over the age 30 line, all but JK will be there by the end of the year - international age, not old style Korean age. (Small editorial note: if we truly follow BTS math, espoused by their own theorems, the members are all between 35-55 years old. Don’t question, just nod. Suga and Jin are now older than me in their minds. Which would require them being born in the 70s. DON’T ASK!)
The military service thing and super stardom have been the swords hanging over their heads for the past five years. Based on what I am seeing, their finish line in sight for the Army, and their increasing peace with who they are means one thing: look out world.
Let’s check the evidence: this new solo BTS, especially for the guys released from the Army now running wild in the free world, whoo chile. Sexy Nukim, anyone? Jimin-shi going sexy, cutie, lovely in da club?? JK doing things in 3D, Seven days per week, in details that we had not imagined yet? With him looking hot as shit in the videos? Or in Calvin Klein ads? Tae being the beautiful man he is, taking our breath away at the beach in Spain, sparkling in a cave, and hanging with the late Yeontan.
Our Victorian hyung maidens, Yoongi and Jin, have stayed covered up, but still melted us. I am still thinking about long-haired Yoongi from the concerts, and I was blessed to see him at Rosemont in the epic D-Day tour. Jin, my bias, has had modeling shoots that melted the lens. Between the photos from the military - yes, I am talking to you buff Namjoon and jacked Tae - and the promise of what an assured adult, unencumbered, give no fucks BTS could be, let’s go. Now.
Hobi kicked everything off with his Jack in the Box and burning Lollapallooza Chicago down - but that was just a pre-military appetizer.
The real exhibit A is…Hobi’s Mona Lisa drop…yes, please sir. I am seated. And watching, semi-respectfully. For those of you who haven’t been hooked by this earworm-bop, you’re welcome. He dropped it night 1, as in last night, of his stay in Brooklyn. And lordy may, it was an event. It has real New Jack Swing, 90’s vibes, Johnny Gill meets Bruno Mars, and yes, the lyrics are as adult as your ears will hold. Choreo, yep, grind away Hobi, grind away in your sparkly pants. Taking bets on when he will finally shed the hoodie and go straight up Jay in the likely $10,000 designer tank top.
Watching this new Jung Hoseok, the one going on reality shows, mock-u-docs, having us hang with him live on the dumb-comment-hellscape that is Weverse for 12 hours - including sleeping, is bringing me joy. Nearly 27 million people were online watching his Sweet Dreams day. We are not prepared to discuss Hobi taking us to the shower and bathroom in Hybe. Those are had-to-be-there moments. This Hoseok is the one who was waiting to emerge, like a butterfly (fine, sing along to that), into his post-Army, focused ambition self.
I smile for Hobi the same way seeing Jin doing Run Jin, his various TV projects, and the adverts from $4 million diamond necklaces (NOT THE SAME ONES HOBI IS DISCUSSING IN SWEET DREAMS - get your mind out of the gutter) to ramen, and his business ventures - makes me so happy for him. Jin is being himself, and shining with confidence.
Free Bangtan is the best Bangtan.
That being said…pray for me going to see Hobi next week in Chicago. He’s bringing it, and I think we’re going meet him more than in the middle.
This ain’t a boy band (has not been so for a while). But the rest of the class is now catching up to guys bringing it in their own ways.
What are you seeing in BTS right now?
Mona Lisa..... I'm incapable of stringing words together when I think of him dancing on that stage to this. I don't get to see him until next month in Singapore but I cannot wait and can't wait to read what you have to say after you watch him next week! As for the boys, I've always felt that it would be all gloves off post-military. Their way and their way only. Seeing what I've seen of Hobi, what he's putting out, and how he's behaving, I believe that even more.
I’ll be there Monday!