Until we say hello again...it's goodbye to BTS
I've been saving up my big thoughts on the full deactivation of BTS, thanks to their mandatory military service. Some thoughts on where things stand for fans, HYBE, and the Bangtan-verse.
Hey Armiiii (Jin voice). Been a minute since I have posted, on purpose, because I wanted to write this once, and get it all out. We’ve reached the real D-Day, the one where all the members are gone doing their things in the South Korean Army and Civil Service. For the first time in more than a decade, there is no BTS in any form roaming the free world. I decided to spend some of this weekend rewatching PTD in LV and LA, and the immaculate vibes made me smile.
I’ve seen the outpouring of grief with each member leaving, with the magnification of the JK, Joon, Tae, and Jimin going over the next 24 hours making everything quite raw right now. In a small way, I hope BTS sees the rational posts, the ones that wish them health, safety and the knowledge that Army will still be there when they get back.
There will be six months (maybe more) jam-packed of content to keep us occupied like toddlers until Jin is out. And Lord, will that first live with Jin be chaos. Get all the translators ready for us - now.
I’ve been gathering my thoughts on how things can be changed to make things better for Ch. 3 - the post-military, BTS-is-coming-to-burn-it-all-down-era. Some of my thoughts are serious, some are businessy, and others are, well, just me.
Outside stuff: I know the guys don’t need more work, but they found gold with Suchwita, Jin’s Alcohol Journey, Tae going on Jinny’s Kitchen and Running Man. I knew Jin would be fine no matter what he did on TV, but I really love his relationships with Chef Baek and the Yoda of traditional Korean alcohol. The show was smart, funny, and yeah, I learned something too. Yoongi has said himself that doing an interview show has opened him up to talking to people more, which is great - BECAUSE HE IS REALLY GOOD AT IT. Introverts for the win, Yoongi-yah. (Constructive media advice for Suchwita: you need more women on the show. It’s been a boy-fest so far.) Tae’s just at his best vibing off people. The dude just has it, and hanging with Wooga or the PD Na family of characters is magic. We all knew Tae is hella clever and charismatic, this just proves it so hard.
We have Hobi’s dance series, JK/Jimin’s travel show, whatever Joon was working on, monthly-ish Jin hello’s, and music/videos from Jimin, JK/Usher, Tae/IU, Joon/JK/Pharrell, and whatever #rpwrpw means, ahead. So there will be more things to consume. (And the Disney doc series, coming 12/20, but I don’t count that since that is OT7 and done with a different intent.)
Honorable mentions for stuff that needs to continue, Ch. 3: Joon’s art tours on Insta, Jimin’s dance videos, JK’s insanity of edits/dance bombs on TikTok.
Security/stalkers: I know BTS and their families have been dealing with this issue for a long time, and they have HYBE security. However, I think a serious sitdown needs to be had about the reality of BTS’ fame, the scary people coming for them, and the world we live in. You cannot tell me there is a single reason why a secure entrance/exit cannot be found in all airports to get them in and out without a swarming crowd of scary idiots coming for them. (Not posting airport videos, that crap need to go too.) I don’t care if Dior or Chanel or Calvin Klein needs their clothes to be seen as they walk to check-in or come home. I am sure that can be negotiated, because their safety matters more. The high brands paying the guys big cash to rep them will not want the publicity of them getting hurt while wearing their whatever collection. Safety first. Always.
BTS needs to travel private. Not commercial. Get the damned jet. You have the money, PD Bang. Just do it. Use it for TXT, New Jeans, and everybody else too. Or, if you need to support Korean Air, then work a deal with them to fly one of their joints private. Sports teams do it all the time. Not a big deal. It ever be comforting for BTS and other bigger groups not to worry about the drama.
Lastly, the most uncomfortable one: personal security. One of the hardest things for famous people to accept is the loss of their own freedom. Because of my job as a sports journalist, I’ve gotten to know a lot elite athletes. Ones you would know in one glance. They reached the top, won the trophies, made the money, but the price is - the world coming for them the moment they step out of their house. Stalkers, selfie-seekers, groupies, mentally ill people, all of it. Their lives mean no quickie Target runs, because the store would be a death trap of swarming fans. No dashing for a pizza. Don’t go for a run alone. JK’s life has been particularly scary, with stalkers waiting outside of his gym and house. He’s called out the behavior, but JK, those jackasses are not going to listen to you. His last Live had him walking home from the gym, at night, going to his apartment and then chilling out for a while. He cursed out the saesangs for being at his door, calling them “bastards”. (I would have done more words, haha.) But my reaction was to think - why in the hell are you walking alone?! I know we all want to do what we want, when we want. But unfortunately, the fuckery of the world means there are people who would do harm to famous people - even out of “love”.
Scheduling, Weverse, and ticketing: I think this is the perfect time for HYBE to blow things up and get new systems in place for 2026 (the most reasonable time frame for a world tour/new album). Follow Taylor Swift and Coldplay, and announce plans a year in advance. Let people see and plan, and guess what - the tickets are all still sold out. Stopping the Hunger Games approach of a few weeks’ notice to buy tickets. Also: plan a massive tour. Hit more cities (selfishly, PLEASE COME TO DETROIT - FORD FIELD. It’s good enough for Beyonce and Taylor, good enough for you.). Go to Africa. Go to India.
Get some smart people and figure out how to kill Ticketmaster. It has to be possible. The absolute hell of Ticketmaster kills joy. So kill Ticketmaster. There has to be a way to have technology work more efficiently. Yeah, but as I write that, I am laughing in Weverse - that tragic swamp. Clear out the crap from Weverse. There has to be a way to clean up the chats on the Lives. I hate seeing them, as 70 percent of the comments these days are pure idiocy. I am over the Marry Me crap, say my name, (insert political issue here) stuff, making nasty remarks (like JK abandoning Bam). Get the moderators, get the translators. Invest in your product and make it world-class. No more spam, no more freaks of the week, get your notifications working on a consistent basis, have your store not be a giant 404 of errors. I won’t even get into the tragedy of buying stuff and the shipping costs. I can ship myself to Korea faster and cheaper than the fee for RM sweatpants. HYBE is a cash cow. Spend the money Bang, and you will get it back 10-fold.
Stop pretending BTS is for kids - or are kids. The guys have been doing great work on this front in Ch. 2, like shedding some clothes in a normal way - like yes, JK, you can workout without a shirt on. Jimin, go ahead with whatever you were doing. It’s not a scandal: drinking, shirts off for whatever reason, swearing, being human adults. They’re not perfect. They’re not here to follow the tenets of your religion or values. They’re not here get lectured about their sleep, eating habits, etc. They’re not here to be under your gatekeeping. If they can freaking serve in the military (with honor and kicking massive ass so far), make personal fortunes, handle their health, then treat them like the 30-year-olds many of them are. If you claim to be a fan, listen to their music, REALLY know the lyrics, they have been adulting for a while. And for the maknaes, adulting before they were adults. Give them the respect of being that. JK is not a baby. Yoongi is not a cat. (OK, maybe Meow Meow is real.)
This is all on the fandom: work on yourself, or follow people that are more in alignment with your need to chase youth. I truly worry for the freakout when they have open relationships, choose to have children, or don’t follow the path that makes them “yours”. I have the luxury of being a grown ass adult from day one in my interactions with BTS. I am the age of some of their parents (JK’s dad), so I see this in a different light. Are they good looking guys, yep. Do I want them to stay safe, yep. Do I need them to be Disney? (Docs yes, behavior no). I am not going out of my way to demand, boycott them into compliance with my will. Those people are not fans. They’re hostage-takers. My relationship with fame, and those who are famous, is cautious. I see the pain it causes. We clearly know - from BTS’ own words - that this ride has been hard. I want some people to think about how how they are adding to the burden. That’s all. Listen to Pied Piper. Touch some grass. Get on with your own life, and let’s see the magic that will happen when they’re all back.
Jin comes back in June. Future’s gonna be OK.