WEEK 11 | Running in Place

Monday Muster
Written By Quince

March 11 - 15, 2024

Metamorphosis.

Remember that precipice? Remember looking out over the edge of it with BTS at the beginning of 2015—the feeling of uncertainty as to what awaited them below if they chose to jump? Five music show wins with “I NEED U” caused them to back up, dig their heels in, and prepare to find out.

BTS - Run M/V photoshoot

Seven months later, on November 30th, 2015, they ran off that ledge with the release of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 and its title track, “Run.” In the behind-the-scenes of making the M/V, Rap Monster tells us that the theme is still ‘youth’, even joking that he “still has candy in his mouth,” but that this time it’s more about the energy of youth rather than the fragility. He goes on to say, “Youth doesn’t only have its dark sides, does it? In HYYH2, we eventually show our bright sides.”


Everything certainly was getting brighter for BTS as 2015 moved into 2016. They swept up multiple categories during awards season, even more music show wins, and more opportunities to collaborate with their peers and seniors in the K-Pop industry. 


The members themselves were also brighter—flourishing in the midst of their new creativity and the recognition it was bringing them. This new album furthered their theme with the imagery of a butterfly, the members equating themselves with one, ever-evolving into something more beautiful. 

BTS album “HYYH” Preview Pt 2

Indeed, two and a half years into their career, it was clear that real changes were beginning to happen within the team. Jin and Jimin were shedding the deadweight of the personas they’d been coached to present since their debut. V and Jung Kook also both began to grow into themselves, their confidence increasing in front of the cameras. The Rap Line poured more introspection than ever before into their lyrics. The hardened hip-hop exterior was gone. A chrysalis was happening to Bangtan Sonyeondan. They truly were leaving adolescence behind and running toward a bigger world.

 
 
 

Skip to Content: Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day Five

 

DAY ONE:

When finding our way in the world, we often face setbacks. When life becomes difficult, sometimes giving up feels like the only option. The opening track to The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 is a solo track from SUGA. “Intro: Never Mind” is an honest and raw confession from him about how he sometimes holds himself back by hiding behind bravado when life feels too tough. 

BTS’s SUGA solo photoshop from HYYH Pt. 2

I don’t give a shit, I don’t give a fuck

Like I said hundreds times every day

‘Take your damn attention off me’

We can taste failure and hang our heads in frustration.


The comeback trailer features another basketball theme, almost exactly like the one for “Intro: Blooming Youth” on the previous album. SUGA once again uses the sport as a metaphor for pushing forward no matter what, no matter how many obstacles you face. 


His words resonate strongly. We all hold ourselves back sometimes—scared of what could happen if we try and fail. But it's liberating to hear SUGA tell us that if we think we’re going to crash, then we should just accelerate more. If BTS can do it, so can we.

BTS’s “Intro: Never mind” Comeback Trailer featuring SUGA

 

  1. “INTRO: NEVER MIND” COMEBACK TRAILER (02:26 - shown above)    

  2. HYYH PT. 2 JACKET SHOOT SKETCH (04:13)     

  3. “INTRO: NEVER MIND” LIVE PERFORMANCE (02:10) 

  4. FLASH FORWARD: “NEVER MIND” D-DAY CONCERT STAGE MIX (02:10)

  5. JIN AT HIS UNCLE’S STRAWBERRY FARM: VLOG 02/10/16 (02:15, Jin might have ended up a farmer?)  

  6. BANGTAN BOMB: JIMIN SELF-CAM BACKSTAGE (03:24, Jimin collecting blackmail material.)  

  7. INKIGAYO ENCORE STAGE PSY WINS FOR “DADDY” (01:01, feat. BTS and other K-Pop Idols dancing and having fun on stage together.)      

  8. BANGTAN BOMB: JIMIN MAKES SUGA A PIANO (01:29)     

  9. SHOW CHAMPION BTS INTERVIEW WITH SHAWS (02:42)    

  10. MBC END OF THE YEAR WRAP UP (featuring SUGA and j-hope, 05:25 - as shown below; not on YT playlist)

  11. DIARY OF AN IDOL: RAP MONSTER (10:25, we get to meet little RapMon; not on YT playlist)

  12. SIMPLY K-POP QUESTIONS ABOUT BTS (13:01)  

MBC End of Year Wrap Up

 

Fun Fact

Sometimes the facts we present are more of an ‘unfortunate’ than ‘fun’, but it’s important to tell you not just about all the ‘ups’, but the ‘downs’ as well, right? For a lot of the promotional activity period of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2, Rap Monster had to sit on the sidelines. 

He injured one of his hands while filming the M/V for “Run”, and can be seen in some of their appearances wearing a cast. Later, he reinjured the same hand during rehearsals for the 2015 KBS Song Festival, and ended up having to miss that performance, and several performances after that.

 
 

DAY TWO:

BTS - Jung Kook solo photoshoot “HYYH PT 2”

Jung Kook, when asked during a behind-the-scenes video how “Run” was different from “I NEED U”, says, “If ‘I NEED U’ is a song of happiness behind its sadness, then this song has sadness behind the happiness.”


The M/V for “I NEED U” had given us glimpses of the members as they laughed and had fun while all together in a group, but also how they struggled with individual tragedies when on their own. Their friendship is what keeps them going. It’s healing.

However, in “Run,” we begin to see cracks forming, even during their time together. The members are still running around (literally), having fun and partying, but there is a chaotic energy behind it, a manic sort of desperation we can feel, which gives it a different edge. They’re not just being kids laughing and eating junk food anymore. Now they’re fighting each other, vandalizing other people’s property, and getting arrested.

BTS - Rap Monster solo photoshoot “HYYH PT 2”

All of the running feels simultaneously aimless and purposeful. The transition to adulthood is often filled with many stumbles. Rap Monster gives us slightly more hopeful outlook than Jung Kook:


In ‘Run’ I eventually run towards gaining love. And in the process of running, I fall; I collapse, but it’s okay.

 
 

BTS in “RUN” Official M/V (07:30)

BTS “Run” Dance Practice (03:58)

MAMA 2015 BTS and GOT7 Performance (10:06)

BTS j-hope HYYH Pt. 2 Jacket Shoot

 
 

Bangtan Bubble: How do you help yourself get back up after “stumbling” in life?

 
 

Answer in the comments below or on social media (be sure to tag @ARMYProject529 and mention #BangtanBubble)!

 

DAY THREE:

Promotions for “Run” were happening right around the advent of award show season and BTS was constantly on the go. Before they knew it, they found themselves with five more music show wins under their belt. 

BTS happy after wining an award in November 2015

Clearly the new direction they were taking their message in was working. And while The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 was the next step in a series, it had a very different feel from the first album. BTS described it as:

Part one explained how youth is tiring and difficult, and it also touched on how we feel like we’re always on edge. Part two will have a more adventurous and daring feel to it. That’s why our title song is ‘Run’.

The members themselves took the theme of “adventurous and daring” to heart. Jung Kook, the maknae (youngest), was quickly approaching the age of majority, so BTS began easing ARMY into seeing them act more like adults. We started getting glimpses of them swearing occasionally, collaborating on more mature music with other artists, and sometimes presenting themselves (through dress and performance) in a sexier manner.

BTS “Adult Ceremony” Encore Stage Choreo (04:03)

 

  1. BANGTAN BOMB: “RUN” CHRISTMAS VERSION (4:00)    

  2. “RUN” HOTEL VERSION IN HONG KONG  (06:40, For MAMA 2015, feat. MPD )

  3. “RUN” ON MUSIC BANK (03:54, First Place winning performance)        

  4. BANGTAN BOMB: BTS DECIDING WHAT TO DO FOR THEIR ENCORE IF THEY WIN FIRST PLACE (10:47, Spoiler Alert: It’s “Adult Ceremony” choreo)      

  5. A BETTER VIEW OF THAT “ADULT CEREMONY” ENCORE STAGE CHOREO (04:03, Pay attention to JK. You’re welcome. - shown above)     

  6. BANGTAN BOMB: J-HOPE AND V PLAY A RHYTHM GAME (01:56)    

  7. LAST DAY OF “RUN” PROMOTION AND 5TH MUSIC SHOW WIN (06:28 - as shown below)     

  8. A BETTER VIEW OF THE ENCORE PERFORMANCE (02:35, featuring “Dance Monster”; not on YT playlist)  

  9. CLIP FROM A VLIVE THAT WAS NEVER REUPLOADED (00:26, featuring Jin swearing)

  10. BANGTAN BOMB: BEHIND RAP MONSTER’S “BUCKUBUCKU” LIVE PERFORMANCE WITH MFBTY (03:11)

  11. 25TH SMAs “BUCKUBUCKU” PERFORMANCE WITH RAP MONSTER (04:05, also feat. Chanyeol from EXO - shown below)

  12. MFBTY “BUCKUBUCKU” OFFICIAL M/V (04:19, feat. EE, RM of BTS, Dino-J)

  13. BANGTAN BOMB: “PERFECT MAN” COVER ON MBS ( 02:21, orig. by SHINWHA, feat. THAT Jimin)

  14. BANGTAN BOMB: “PERFECT MAN” BACKSTAGE (03:34)

  15. BONUS: AFTER SCHOOL CLUB EP. 191 (53:56, feat Eric Nam and Jamie Park - shown below) 

BTS Bangtan Bomb Last Day of “RUN” Promotion and 5th Music Show Win (6:28)

BTS 25th SMAs “BUCKUBUCKU” Performance with Rap Monster (04:05, also feat. Chanyeol from EXO)

BONUS: AFTER SCHOOL CLUB EP. 191 (53:56, feat Eric Nam and Jamie Park)

 

Fun Fact

Even though many K-Pop Idols come from different companies and don’t always get to interact with all of their peers, they do manage to make connections sometimes, usually at music or award shows.

Another way that K-Pop idols show their solidarity and support for each other is by performing various covers of other Idols or groups. These could be full covers or just dance covers to the original song. And some of these have been occurring for so long that they’ve become a tradition or a rite of passage for up-and-coming K-Pop Idols.

One of these traditions is performing a dance cover of “Sung In Shik (Coming of Age Ceremony)” by 1st Generation Idol, Park Ji Yoon. The song was released originally in 2000. 

The song’s lyrics are from the perspective of a girl transitioning from adolescence to adulthood and talking with her significant other about “coming of age." The Korean National Age of Majority was 20 years old at the time (in 2011, it was dropped to 19). Coupled with the suggestive choreography, the song delivers quite a sexy message.

After its release, Park Ji Yoon gained a lot of popularity and was dubbed a “sexy singer,” a moniker she didn’t welcome as she came from a very religious background, and it caused a rift between her family and her. While in the Korean Age System (see Week Two of our Monday Muster blog for an explanation on this), Park was 20 years-old when she recorded the song, in International Age, she was only 18. Eventually, she took a break from music to heal, and she has since reconciled herself with the song and her career.

Despite Park’s feelings, “Coming of Age Ceremony” became very popular (and remains so) within Korea and the K-Pop industry. It has become a rite-of-passage of sorts for Idols to perform a cover of the song when they turn 19. In the encore stage from “Run” we showed you today, you saw members of BTS playing around and doing some of the choreography. Keep that in mind… it will make sense in the coming weeks…

Below we’ve linked a performance from Park Ji Yoon for you, as well as a few covers by other K-Pop artists.

 
 

DAY FOUR:

BTS Jin in solo photoshoot for “Butterfly”

The BTS we know now is no stranger to producing lyrics containing profound emotional depth. At the time of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2, they were still getting their footing with regard to the new direction in which they were taking their music. They’d written meaningful songs before, but most had been accompanied by hard-hitting melodies and sharp choreographies.

“Butterfly” took them in a completely different direction. The song itself fluctuates between sounding delicate one moment, then grand and soaring the next. The lyrics use a butterfly to represent the ephemeral nature of youth and relationships.     

Will you stay by my side?

Will you promise me?

If I let go of your hand, you might fly away and break, 

I’m scared.

The M/V is also a departure from the norm for BTS. At over twelve minutes long, it’s more like a short film, especially considering it only features a small part of the song. The focus is on the story, which seems to pick up where we left off after the events in the M/V for “I NEED U.” We see V, clearly distraught over what he did, calling one of the other members (most likely Rap Monster) and asking to see him. (See Week Nine of our Monday Muster for links to understanding more about the Bangtan Universe storyline.) We again experience the members going through unspeakable hardships on their own but finding comfort and distraction in their friendships with each other.

BTS “Butterfly” On State- Prologue M/V (12:26)

The M/V is a powerful acting performance, but BTS made sure that when “Butterfly” is performed onstage, it’s equally as moving. The choreography leans far more into contemporary dance than anything they did before, and has a strong emphasis on representing the lyrical content of the song. Jimin, with his dance background, shines particularly bright during these performances, but all the members take to the different style beautifully.

 

BTS performing “Butterfly” Live Epilogue Concert in Japan (4:26)

 

Fun Fact:

The summer of 2016 saw BTS traveling more and creating another special “Summer Package” for ARMY. 

This time they filmed in Dubai, after performing as part of the sold out lineup for KCON in Abu Dhabi. Filming took place March 26-28. The members got to visit the desert and try to “sand board” (with varying degrees of success), V briefly considers becoming a belly dancer, they go shopping and buy presents for each other, and of course, they go swimming. 

Besides the VLog, the “Summer Package” included a photobook, as well as little extras like a mini poster, travel charm, and beach ball.   

 
 

DAY FIVE:

While we can experience feelings of loneliness and being misunderstood at any age, it can seem particularly harsh and extreme when we are young adults just beginning to find our way in the world. 

The song “Whalien 52” explores those feelings in a unique way—through the story of a particular type of whale. According to the lyric translation site Genius.com:

‘Whalien 52’ tells the story of loneliness and the inability to be understood by others. The subject of this song is depicted as the 52-Hertz Whale which, due to its higher frequency pitch, is unable to communicate with other whales. The character can also be related to an alien, which is often viewed as something strange and unearthly, and as a result, it is isolated; its opinions and feelings ignored. Hence the title, “Whalien 52,” is a portmanteau of 52-Hertz Whale and alien.

We might all feel like the lonely 52-Hertz whale at some point in our life, but BTS also says that we should keep singing our song and swimming toward the surface, because someday someone will pick up our frequency, and then we won’t feel lonely any more. Life is hard; it often feels harsh, but we should always keep going and looking for those who will hear us, for those who will understand… 

It’s well known to fans that we don’t find BTS. They find us—and it’s when we need them the most that they do. And when they find us, eventually, we find ARMY. ARMY is nothing else if not a collection of 52-Hertz whales who kept singing until we found each other. So, it’s no surprise that we as a fandom are now often represented by a purple whale.

 

  1. “WHALIEN 52” LIVE AT EPILOGUE 2016 (04:02 - as shown above)   

  2. FLASH FORWARD: “WHALIEN 52” AT PROM FESTA 2018 (04:28 - as shown)     

  3. BANGTAN BOMB: HIDE & SEEK WITH THE MAKNAE LINE (09:42, Spoiler Alert: They’re not good at it.)      

  4. JIMIN AT THE SEA IN BUSAN WITH HAPPY NEW YEAR GREETINGS: VLOG 01/07/16 (07:50)     

  5. BANGTAN BOMB: BTS’ NEW YEAR’S GREETINGS FOR ARMY (05:11)      

  6. BTS’ FILL IN THE BLANKS (02:22; not on YT playlist)

  7. BTS 1,000 DAYS WITH ARMY (10:43 - as shown)

  8. BONUS: TV ASAHI SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH BTS (17:05, Interview in which they reflect on their first Japanese tour in 2015; not on YT playlist)

 

BTS Flash Forward: “Whalien 52” at Prom Festa 2018 (4:28)

BTS 1,000 Days wih ARMY (10:43)

 

Bangtan Bubble: How did BTS find you? How did you find ARMY?

 

Answer in the comments below or on social media (be sure to tag @ARMYProject529 and mention #BangtanBubble)!

 
 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The chaos and energy of youth feels all-consuming. It’s important to look for touchstones when going through transitional times. As we get older, friendship evolves and can mean different things than it may have in youth, but ‘understanding’ remains a core value. We all want to be understood. We all want to feel safe with our friends, especially when the world doesn’t feel safe around us. 


Join us next week as we continue our journey through The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 and discover how youthful ideals can also help shape future generations…

BTS The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 2

 
 

Side Quest

2015 was a year of many firsts for BTS, including their very first deal as brand models! BTS signed an initial deal with PUMA that lasted through 2017, then in 2018 they were re-signed and named as Global Brand Ambassadors.

Here is a look at their campaigns with PUMA. As you watch, you’ll probably realize that some of these videos are the original source for many BTS .gifs, memes and ARMY inside jokes (ex. Rap Monster, the “God of Destruction”, with the bag of lemons.)

 

BTS PUMA promotion

 
 

BTS - PUMA Promotion

 
 
 

CREDITS:

YouTube/Web

HYBE LABELS, BANGTANTV, Bangtan Subs, Bangtan’s Corner, Dt sugA, KBS Kpop, officialpsy, syiqinrasidi xx, ARIRANG K-POP, Ynorios, Mavis Mah, kari, Enjoy BTS more, Diana TvSanders, Mnet K-POP, MBC every1, Mixing You (GOT7/BTS), Mochii 95, Arirang TV, KBS WORLD TV, bttrcvps, M2, All The Kpop, MBCkpop, Bangtanaegyo ChimchimcxxTaeKookxx, Mnet TV, TV-People, ARMY with Luv, Run BTS, born-subber, PUMA, Feel Ghood Music [필굿뮤직], dailymotion.com (MK Shows, KimmyYang), Genius.com, korea.com, soompi.com

ARMY Project 529 Volunteers

Research Team: Angel (TikTok: Lilangel2828), Leslie Day (TikTok: Leslie Day), Merry (TikTok: merryj67), Sam T (TikTok: samt_26), Shelley (TikTok: shels167), Trudy (TikTok: theeducationmommy), Viv (TikTok: VivEliz); Video Team: Leslie Day (TikTok: Leslie Day); Editing Team: Kendra (Discord: Mudskipper); Website Team: Colette (TikTok: voicesinmyhead2)

 

Join us on TikTok every Sunday evening at 8pm ET for #the529live, a wrap up of each week's The 529 Connection. It’s hosted by AP529 Founder, Stefne, on her channel (@StefARMYProject529). If you can't watch live and want to watch later, Lives will be recorded and posted to our YouTube (@ARMY Project 529).

Quince
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