HOW DID I FIRST NOTICE "JIKOOK"?

HOW DID I FIRST NOTICE "JIKOOK"?🤔

Jimin & Jung Kook

On my Tumblr profile, I have stated that I am an OT7-loving, Jimin-biased, JiKook-observing fan. People familiar with KPop know that many fans commonly use a standard naming convention, where they combine parts of 2 or more names in order to identify the people being discussed. The term JiKook stands for Jimin (JM) and Jung Kook's (JK) pairing. I had not planned to post on this topic, but the surprise filming of, and the coming release of, the "Are You Sure?" travel series, starring Jimin & Jung Kook, inspired my decision.

Regardless of the unusual fandom arguments about Jimin and Jung Kook's interactions, there are a few descriptions about them that cannot be denied. For example, they are both from Busan. They both debuted in the same KPop band (BTS). They are the only 2 members who are in both the vocal and dance lines. They are friends, and they are close. I will not give attention to any denial of those descriptors whatsoever. I am convinced that the amount of footage & information provided by the members and the company settles any disagreements about items like those, without question. Any other label, name, or category you put on their relationship is up to personal interpretation until or unless they ever decide to directly define it for themselves. I have my own interpretation based on what I have gathered, but it is up to each person to determine their own view in light of the lack of confirmation.  And we all don't have to agree - or argue about it.

Are there other close relationships within BTS? Of course.  But something drew my attention toward this pair specifically. In spite of the introduction above, the purpose of this post came about when one day I realized I had never identified for myself what initially caused me to see, then become intrigued by, JiKook’s bond in particular. So I thought back and tried to remember the moment that captured my attention enough to watch them more closely. After thinking for a bit, I realized it happened during one of the first nonperformance events I ever saw. 

I have explained in My BTS Experience posts that my sister introduced me to BTS but through performances mostly.  We watched many performances for a good length of time whenever we were together, but I didn’t venture out to view them on my own at that time.   At this point of observation, Jimin was already the member I leaned toward and tended to observe more often than the others. However, I really liked all of them and felt the group was interesting and exceptionally talented.

One day my sister unusually pulled up a BTS nonperformance event that had just occurred. It was the Festa 2022 dinner or what I like to call the Shock & Awe Dinner. I had never seen a Festa, so my sister explained that it was an annual event that occurred every June at the time of their anniversary in order to celebrate & reflect on the past, present, and future. By this point, I knew each of the guys' names and ages as well as a little of their stories and roles within the group. My sister had only told me they were a very close group, and they were all good friends. From what I had seen up to that point in performances, that bore out to be true.  

On this day the guys were eating while in conversation.  True to form, they reminisced about the past, considered the present, but most significantly revealed the future. As it turned out, they were headed into a hiatus due to having to (choosing to?) enlist in the military for their mandatory service - except the audience didn’t know that reason yet and were stunned by the revelation of a hiatus.

The “Shock & Awe” came from the surprise announcement as well as the emotional tone of the event. While they ate, they explained that they would be taking a break to explore solo projects and life itself but also promised to come back together with gained experience and knowledge [See my BTS Solo Chapter series posts]. In addition to the shared information, there was an undercurrent of emotions, as if there were many unspoken sentiments. The members cried and made somewhat cryptic comments. It was very emotional and genuine. It drew me in, and I was now rather curious about the group - beyond their performances - and about what was going on.

So when did I notice JiKook? Well, during the dinner (Link set to 5:00 mark), as the group was still eating and talking about their current activities that had yet to be announced or released, Suga brought up Jimin working on his solo album. Suga said he had heard one of JMs songs. JHope (real name Hoseok) mentioned he also had heard his song. [Strangely, neither of them said it was good or they liked it. Note: JMs album ended up being a huge success. Re: Jimin bias 😉]  While JM quickly clarified it was not the same song, JK - the youngest of the group - abruptly asked JM why he hadn’t played the songs for him yet. JM responded in playful defense that he could play his songs for everyone. JK stated, “I’m so upset!” in sort of a loud sing-song tone. RM added fuel to the fire and declared that JHope was always number 1 to JM. You could tell RM was trying to get JKs goat [tease him]. But why? JM put his hand to his head and leaned back briefly as if in a moment of anguish with a smile and a shake of his head “no”. JHope even shook his head no and waved off RMs comment to assure that statement was untrue. It is well known that JHope and Jimin, the long-term roommates, are very close. Their unproblematic rooming situation was even mentioned during that meal. RM continued, “We’re all 2nd to JHope.” JK again shouted, “I’m so upset!”  JM explained aloud that JHope happened to be at the office and that was why he had heard the song. JK exclaimed, “So upset!” {By now my brow was wrinkled in amusement.} Strangely, JK was smiling a little and even gave a little chuckle. JM explained he had invited everyone to come see him work. Jk again, “So upset!” 🤭 He still wore a small smile. Suga offered an explanation that JM gets embarrassed when showing his work. JK then stated that JM should apologize “Go on! Say you’re sorry.” which JM immediately did with a chuckle but somewhat serious! Overall, I was like, “What?” 😳 And this was within the first 10 minutes of the meal!  

Pictures from moments in Festa 2022 dinner (Click & expand to read dialogue.)

That seemed like an odd exchange based on how those few members had interacted. I wondered why the youngest was so “upset” about not hearing the songs when others had not mentioned they had or had not heard them either. I also wondered why the youngest felt he was obliged to have heard JMs songs and why he was demanding an apology from his elder and moreover why this elder accepted the demand and actually immediately apologized to the younger. What obligation did these 2 have toward each other? There also seemed to be an unexplained, playful reason for the exchange.  Was it scolding or teasing or both? But also from a younger member toward an older person in hierarchical (age conscious) South Korea? This definitely rang a bell for me. 🤔

Another less conspicuous, JiKook-specific event happened soon after (set to 16:50 mark).  I only noticed it after rewatching the dinner a few times. (Yes, I was so fascinated that I watched the entire dinner multiple times back to back. Little did I know that this was foretelling for my future as an eventual, devoted BTS fan.) The delay in recognizing this JiKook situation was because the subtle exchange did not occur in the same frame. It occurred while the group was discussing their new separate residences after having lived together for so long.  When JKs new home came up, JM and JK conspicuously made eye contact for what seemed to be about the topic of conversation. JK seemed amused, but I couldn’t quite read JMs expression. I only remember him later wondering aloud about how much of this footage would be able to be aired. (Click & expand to read dialogue.)

The photos above are from a slide in my personal slideshow that I created to understand all the JiKook information I eventually viewed out of order. The two pictures at the bottom were enlarged and put side by side, but they are not manipulated to show something that didn’t happen. They are showing what actually was happening at the same time but in separate frames. Watch the actual, official footage and see (Link is set to the 16:50 mark). The pictures were included in this way to reveal their actions in one space, so you can see they were looking at each other while the other members spoke about JKs house and his multiple mattresses.😆 JM even did a slight twitch of his eyebrow with the eye contact.  The pictures right above that happened in reverse order, but I switched them so you could see the body language occurring simultaneously as this conversation played out. This is why it took me a while to notice the exchange. This too made me think, “What is happening with these two?”

And that’s how I first noticed JiKook.  Then down the JiKook rabbit hole I went…🙂

Feel free to share your JiKook moment too, and watch "Are You Sure?" travel series on Disney+, starting August 8th.

Fewer balls were dropped this time. Jimin actually got a promotion that looked like better effort was put toward it. Team Jimin has done well - with more work to do ... for Jimin. He's made us proud. Let's continue to make him proud. As Jimin would say, "You're good. Keep going!" 💜

Catching up: a breath, and Jimin content you may have missed

Release week often feels like a never-ending stream of content that’s impossible to keep up with. Here are some things you may have missed!

1. Bighit dropped a behind-the-scenes look at the album jacket shoot.

2) Jimin polled us on his ideal hair color 👀

3) Bighit sent a press release to K-media about the sound of each remix

4) The DJ talked about Jimin’s historic UK Number One as he announced ‘Who’ on the radio

5) Over 500k people have used the official ‘Who’ audio on TikTok!

6) Bighit shared a series of k-media videos about Jimin’s Smeraldo Garden pop-up on Instagram stories!

https://www.instagram.com/stories/bts.bighitofficial/3417574191590347469?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=bWRuY3UxeDExY3Vi

Only 3 days left in tracking week one!

😅

MUSE, Jimin’s 2nd solo album: My thoughts 🪻

If you have been reading my posts, you would know that I have said several times previously that Jimin has a skilled and talented way of writing lyrics (or creating a story) so it could have several different meanings to different audiences. [See my Jimin’s Production Diary post & My Thoughts On Jimin’s Letter post.]  MUSE has 7 songs: 1 intro, 1 interlude, 1 main track, and 4 other songs.  All the songs have lyrics that appear to be about romantic love. There are no hidden songs, meaning all songs are exposed and can be streamed by the public.

Having 2 stories for the album does not mean the 2 purposes are mutually exclusive, especially when there are 2 actual versions of the album, with the same songs but with different photographic themes representing each story. This means both explanations could be true simultaneously. One story doesn’t affect the meaning of the other, and both explanations were intended either literally or metaphorically.

TWO VERSIONS:

(Turquoise) MusE - ME - Jimin named this version the “Blooming” story. Its photocards show Jimin as soft, sweet-looking, and casually dressed (more feminine?). Although he is in a band, the photos show him standing, sitting, & walking alone and is either with or surrounded by smeraldo flowers. The BTS-created, imaginary flower represents an untold truth. For Jimin the untold truth in this story could be his lack of excitement and inspiration professionally that he mentioned to RM during the Mini & Moni Music (MMM) discussion for his album. This career-deflating truth was not told to the public or possibly his company or bandmates for fear of how it would impact whatever was to come. The group was so burnt out before the pandemic. Their huge plans had been disrupted, then canceled, due to the worldwide quarantine. Jimin told about the tremendous distress and disappointment he experienced from that situation as well as the impending military duty that would further disrupt his career.  As BTS’s future plans as a group were shaky, and he was rather quickly thrust into solo work, Jimin may have been looking for new inspiration by working on his voice or learning more about writing & creating his own music without BTS members’ support or assistance. His first solo album involved help from other members. This album did not. Jimin realized that he first had to FACE all the pent up feelings and wounds before he could feel free enough to even have a chance at finding or rediscovering his inspiration. (Theme: His career) 

(Golden yellow) mUSe - US - Jimin named this version the “Serenade” story.  Its photocards show Jimin dressed more formally as a marching band member and in a suit (more masculine?). The marching band uniform emphasizes that he is not alone, even during his solo work. He is still in a band, and he would be serenading a loved one(s). A serenade by definition is a song(s) “played in the open air [publicly], typically by a man, at night under the window of his lover.” (credit: Oxford Dictionary) The public display intends for others to see or hear the expressions of love.  In the pre-released song Smeraldo Garden Marching Band, which was almost the name of the album, Jimin declares, ”I couldn't say it face-to-face, but just for you, I’ve made a band.” The band was created so he could sing out loud (serenade) the lyrics publicly, “I love you, Babe. I want you, Babe. I want [to be able] to hold your hand [in public without a problem]. I want you, Babe.” For this story, this relationship is the untold truth that hasn’t been exposed, but the lyrics state that it may be time to be more honest and tell the untold truth. (Theme: His relationship)

It’s worth noting that Jimin is not smiling in any of the pictures, which we know is intentional because in the behind the scenes content of the photoshoot, he was playful and light during the session. His lack of smiling for story A could be due to his dissatisfaction with his professional life feeling flat, as he told RM, in the MMM album discussion. He is searching for the inspiration that would lead him to being excited about something professionally again. For story B, Jimin also might not be smiling for the photos because, for a variety of reasons, as an idol, he has to keep any romantic relationship he has, or will have, hidden. In both stories he has felt that he cannot or will not reveal the untold truth of his circumstances. Exposing the truth could affect his career and life by disappointing many people or inviting problems and/or danger for himself and those around him. No matter what type of romantic relationship you believe him to have, this explanation could be true.

The fact that all of the songs appear to be romantic in nature, which is more directly linked to story B rather than story A, is because romance and love are universal topics that can easily explain the search for inspiration to most people. So again, this means the songs could be viewed as literal (Story B) or metaphorical (Story A). 

Like with Jimin’s album FACE, I feel the songs on MUSE are written in a particular order to tell a particular story that progressed over time. 

First song - (REBIRTH: intro) -  This song seems to pick up from the triumphant song Set Me Free, pt.2 at the end of FACE. He is reborn from the ashes of some difficult circumstances and is now more peaceful and determined to live more fully, which includes for story A, tackling any skills or knowledge he feels need strengthening or improving and engaging in professional activities that challenge but excite him. For story B it includes embracing the love he shares with another and is even ready to be open about it and perhaps even share the untold truth.  I feel the reason this lengthy, extensive song is called an ‘intro’ is because it is introducing the overall theme of the remaining songs that are going to tell the progression of each story from start to present.  A choir is used perhaps because both his career and his relationship are spiritually important to him and to who he is.  He respects and values each at a personally significant level.

2nd & 3rd songs - (INTERLUDE: SHOWTIME & SMERALDO GARDEN MARCHING BAND) - The stories begin.  Professionally (Story A), it starts with the members as trainees at BigHit Music then as members of BTS. Children open the video because BTS were practically kids when they started. The kids played rock, paper, scissors, as BTS often did, and they sang and danced together, as BTS did with each other and with their fans.  The video shows that as time passed, they continued singing, rapping, and dancing as ARMY bombs (the fireflies) ultimately waved during the show. Personally, for his relationship (Story B), the feelings of attraction were discovered.  The time was colorful, happy, fun, and playful.  The situation was exciting and progressed to Jimin realizing he was in love, but it couldn’t be exposed. It seems like he wants to shout it to the world but really can’t. So music was used as a way to say the feelings publicly that could not otherwise be said out loud.  The band represents the music and performances that were used to tell & show the affection he hadn’t been able to say or show publicly. The lyrics suggested that there could come a time to expose the untold truth some day.

4th song - (SLOW DANCE) - STORY A: The early stages of building a fandom involved wooing fans with whatever methods strengthen the bond and attract more admirers.  With the early limited resources, BTS did fan meets (where they would actually hold some fans’ hands), fan signing, personalized vlogs, and small performances to interact with and engage supporters. Story B: At this stage of dating and getting closer to the person of your affection, romancing is happening. Lyrics: “Slow dance. You can take my hand.”  He is able to hold his love’s hand in private, so he can woo and romance or be wooed and romanced. There’s a lot of touching, flirting, and attention being paid to each other in an enticing way.

5th song - (BE MINE) - STORY A: BTS’s fanbase was growing quickly.  BTS was going to great lengths to show their appreciation to their fans. They thanked them at award shows, discussed them in interviews, and provided gifts. By now, the group and fans had been through so much together that demonstrated the commitment on both sides toward each other. The relationship between artists and fans was now intimate and passionate. Actions were being done on both sides to ensure the commitment going forward.  Story B: The same could be said about the personal romantic relationship as well. The interaction had now progressed to expressing feelings of love and passion to each other. He is asking for - or they both are agreeing to - an official, serious, committed relationship. Lyrics: "I want you to be mine." There is passion and a sense of urgency to establish this commitment because the intimacy and love is now very intense after all they have been through together.

6th song - (WHO) - STORY A & B merge  As an idol and celebrity, there can be a contrast between the public & professional expectation for who his heart should be waiting for (if anyone) and who his heart is actually waiting for or - for my constant slip of the tongue when singing WHO - “who his heart is BEATING for”. The video shows that after reasonable consideration, he appears certain that he ultimately knows who his heart is both waiting and beating for, but there may be problems in exposing it to the public due to the expectations created about idols not dating at all and/or dating only who is socially acceptable.

7th song - (CLOSER THAN THIS) - STORY A & Story B connected: At this point, his career and committed relationship are solidly in place, each having become deeper and more confirmed over time, collecting many memories along the way. Through lyrics and visual imagery, the song & video reflect on his history and express his commitment to his love & his fans that he’ll always be there and never let them go. He seems more comfortable with his career now but seems ready to not allow it to prevent him from committing to his personal relationship, in possibly even a public way. 

FACE ends publicly with Set me Free, part2 - a declaration of his freedom from restrictions going forward - and privately with the hidden song Letter - a letter to his loved one(s) telling them how much he appreciates them being there and supporting him and propping him up when he had difficulties. He expressed wanting to be together forever (“We’re always together.”), so he has time to repay all the promises he has made throughout their time. It points toward a future together. MUSE ends publicly with an unhidden song Closer Than This, where he is telling his loved one(s) that he still remembers all the memories and promises, and he’ll be there when needed and will never let them go.  It points toward a future together.

Jimin said that FACE and MUSE were not connected, and I can understand what he meant by that. FACE was mostly about him and his anguish both from the pandemic and related situations as well as some accumulated feelings and emotions collected over the years.  It has references to relationships with others - some good and some bad. MUSE dealt more with rebuilding and solidifying his decisions and commitments for both his career and his relationship(s).    However, I don’t think they are as disconnected as he would like fans and the public to believe. There are too many connections and “Easter eggs” that correlate to information previously known about Jimin’s life and career. As with most writers, Jimin must have dug into his own experiences to contribute to the realism and believability of the stories being told.  In addition, Jimin is someone who likes to communicate his feelings and affection. He is not someone who would allow his feelings to remain hidden so that the person(s) he loves and appreciates does not know about or feel warmed and strengthened by the outpouring of emotions. So while I believe his words and explanation, I often feel Jimin and the other members at times tell, not lies, but incomplete truths.  

The solo period of BTS has been astonishingly rich and complex. Hybe does not appear to have been well prepared for the extent of the solo creations, achievements, or fan engagement.  I complained along with many fans about the poor and inconsistent support each member received during this period, especially for promotions.

Jimin especially was dealt a blow that affected how successful his first album could have been. In spite of FACE’s huge success, it is certain it could have done far better had the company handled the promotions in the professional and effective way that is expected from a multibillion dollar conglomerate.  Simple actions, that had been done for others, were missed or seemingly intentionally omitted.  I won’t go back into the details of the problems here [See my BTS Solo Chapter series for more information.], but I will say that MUSE got a far better chance at success. The promotions were far better.

While there were still a few unnecessary balls dropped, the difference between the 2 promotions was almost shocking. Still, the fans had to kick in to do extensive pre-promotion build up and to attempt to get preparations up to par as far as streaming and purchasing opportunities. Jimin isn’t even here to be able to promote his own material, so the company and the fans had to bridge the gap for him. While the fans did outstanding work for Jimin, the company simply did better than the first time. There is still room for improvement, but it’s at least headed in the correct direction.

The results of having fan and company involvement to help showcase Jimin’s stellar work was tremendous. Like FACE, MUSE is extremely successful, but more so. The outstanding success is not just because Jimin demonstrated his growth in music, production, and vocals, but also because of the improved promotions, so new fans could find his work too.  In my Jimin & Bangtan - 2024 post,  I had stated a concern for fan engagement for his 2nd project. The success of Closer Than This eased my mind, but I was hoping that excitement would carry over to his full 2nd album as well, and boy, did it! I am so proud of Jimin and his fanbase. The fans really did show their love and enthusiasm for Jimin’s 2nd project in an organized and persistent way. I’m sure Jimin is so touched and appreciative, and I hope it warms his heart and gives him great strength as he is completing his military duties. I also hope Jimin’s fans continue their efforts for his work and achievements.

Finally, I want to express how wonderful it is to watch Jimin be so positive, relaxed, and happy in presenting both FACE and MUSE. His smile and laughter really do delight me. While denied additional videos for his vision for FACE, Jimin said that the videos for MUSE turned out exactly as he had wanted, and you could see he was pleased. For this album, time may have been the only limiting factor for how many videos he was able to complete.  We saw that he was very involved in writing and composing almost every song on both albums. He was involved in design ideas as well as in creating the choreography for the videos. He has seemed to figure out how to be dynamic when dancing yet spare exhaustion while still being able to sing well in action.  

Speaking of singing, Jimin finally began the vocal training he was entitled to at the start of his career but never got - initially due to company negligence and later due to time.  He realized he could not sustain the technique he was forced to figure out on his own and still maintain a healthy voice. He also realized that he could potentially cause damage to his vocal cords in continuing in the way he had been singing. So with time limited, military duty looming, and sheer determination, Jimin finally received short but concentrated, formal voice lessons, beginning from the basics, in order to build up his voice and technique in a healthy way.  This new vocal expression could clearly be heard on the MUSE tracks.  His voice sounded strong, more confident, and more stable while singing in the recorded live performances.  

Let me be clear. Jimin had and has a beautiful voice. His problem had been consistent stability and lack of vocal fatigue.  Because he was using improper technique with his higher pitch and light voice (possibly due to lack of air flow training), his vocal cords would get sore and tired more quickly than most. This led to a few live performance mishaps, and it also could risk injury. Regardless, he never gave up. Hopefully, not even mild damage was done after singing that way for 10+ years, since we know how busy BTS always was AND how extensively they used all levels of Jimin’s voice without proper training. Yes, I’m still salty about it, but I’m going to take a page from Jimin’s playbook, and let it go in order to focus on the present and future.  I will let it go, but I won’t forget and won’t let others forget because it denies Jimin the recognition for how far he’s come and how much he’s accomplished in those circumstances.  I’m so proud of Jimin, as always.

MUSE is a wonderful album, showcasing Jimin’s already extensive, but still growing, talent. MUSE is breaking his own records, new records, BTS’s records, and historically established records.  The success it is achieving is well deserved and continues to establish Jimin as a skilled, hardworking, creative powerhouse in KPop and in the global music industry at large.  

Congratulations, Jimin! We’re so proud of you. 

A great complementary read for this post by @stormblessed95

Our "Why"

If you want to manifest something, you've got to feel the feelings of it already being a reality, until it is made real.

I know why I stream and buy and share tutorials and vote like an unhinged obsessed person, even though I have crazy work and school deadlines.

It's because this very kind-hearted, highly intelligent, extremely talented, breathtakingly humble young man needs to know.

He needs to KNOW his Hot100 wasn't a fluke. It wasn't bots. It wasn't stream farms. It wasn't random luck.

He needs to know that no matter how many haters (online or in the industry) try and mess with him, we have his back. We will show up.

Next week, during that short window of time when soldiers get to look at their cell phones, he should lie down on his bed, open up that screen, check to see how things went, perhaps a little nauseated with nerves...

And see nothing but pure love and triumph! High charting. Sales that make him untouchable. Reviews that rave about his vision and his skill.

He should know in the marrow of his bones.

The thousands of hours of practice, of going back to the basics, of having a hand in every element of design, the physical and mental strain, the raw, aching fatigue--it was all worth it. He's seen. He's appreciated. He's understood.

I do all this because I want a good person to KNOW they are loved for being good. That despite all the corruption and heartache in this world, good things still happen to good people.

I don't want to brag to antis or other kpop stans. I don't want to crow about Jimin's accolades because I feel superior or more powerful. I don't want to feel like *I* accomplished something, here.

I want to be able to sleep peaceful when this done, sure that we all did our best, gave every inch, crossed every barrier, stayed the course and kept going...

All to get Jimin safely landed so securely in success that no one questions his value or his artistic choices ever again -- least of all him.

Do you know your Why?

Manifest it.

He even (rests) sleeps gracefully.

JiminxJungKook Are You Sure?! Jeju Disney+ Season2 Episode 3

Inicio viaje el 26 Sept 2023

Jimin antes ahora recostando su cabeza en sus manos

MUSE by JIMIN (2024) insp / cr namuspromised