WEEK 48 | I Want to Dream More.
December 2-8, 2024
Chance.
The word ‘fate’ carries a heavy weight. To claim that something was fated to happen is saying that, no matter what, the outcome received was the one always meant to be. When we take into account things like timing, individual reactions and behavior, and a myriad of outside factors that could occur, claiming anything that happens to be fated seems a bit… naive, perhaps?
.
2COOL 4SKOOL Promotional Photoshoot
Kim Seokjin was the last person who ever thought he’d end up a K-Pop Idol. Born on December 4, 1992 in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, he grew up with his parents and one older brother. While he never shied away from hard work, he never went out of his way to seek it out either—he prioritized simplicity and happiness over everything else. (Something that remains true to this day.) As a young man, he briefly considered both a career in journalism, and, because he admired him so much, following in his dad’s footsteps and becoming a businessman.
He ended up doing neither. While watching K-Dramas, and more specifically the performance of Kim Nam-gil in Queen Seondeok, Seokjin decided he wanted to pursue a career in acting. He was handsome, charming, and funny, so it seemed like a natural fit for him. When it was time for him to enroll at university, he chose the Film Studies program at Konkuk University, which set off a series of random events that led him to eventually becoming a member of BTS—now one of the biggest musical groups in the entire world.
When he was younger, Jin had been approached by a recruiting agent from SM Entertainment and been asked to audition for them. He’d taken the agent’s card, but never followed up because he thought it was a prank. He thought: “Why would they want me, just because I’m handsome? I don’t have any musical talent.” But a few years later, while getting off the bus, on the way to his classes at Konkuk, he was approached and handed a card by another agent… this time from Big Hit Entertainment. It was obvious that they were interested in him because of his looks, but this time, since he was now studying acting, Jin was intrigued. This time, he called the number on the card.
He would audition and join Big Hit in 2010, still living off site while the company began to discern where he would fit in best with them. He did some modeling that year, and appeared as an extra in some music videos for other artists, but nothing extraordinary. After a while he was encouraged to step out of his comfort zone and try learning some new skills to broaden his repertoire. Prior to becoming a trainee, Jin had never tried to sing or dance in his entire life. But once he began learning, it certainly seemed that fate was at play.
In the following year, Jin would move into the dorm with the rest of the trainees and be introduced to Rap Monster, SUGA, and j-hope, who were already working on forming a hip-hop group, and he would begin working with them and other vocal trainees… now with the goal of debuting with them as a vocalist? Turns out… he could sing. And he could sing WELL.
Acting suddenly forgotten, Jin found a new passion. He threw everything he had into learning how to be a K-Pop Idol. And as we spend the next few weeks looking at the road he walked to become the artist he is now, it’s hard to think anything other than destiny was at work the day he was spotted by Big Hit just getting off the bus, on his way to school.
Playlists & Lyrics
JIN: SINGLES AND COLLABORATIONS TRANSLATION COMPILATION (pdf)
ARMY PROJECT 529 WEEK 48 VIDEO PLAYLIST (all YouTube links)
DAY ONE:
“Boy In Luv” Jin
As I mentioned in the intro, when he was early in his time as a trainee with Big Hit, Jin made a number of extra/cameo appearances in music videos for other artists who were already debuted, like 2AM and Teen Top. They were mostly a “blink and you missed him” situation, but still gave him some experience in front of cameras. He was trying anything and everything that came his way in order to find his footing in the company and the eventual direction they’d want to steer him in. Whatever that direction that would be, Big Hit knew Jin’s handsome face would help him get there.
Once he began learning how to sing and dance, the direction quickly became clear. Jin showed a natural vocal tone that would appeal to a wide audience. And while dancing did not come easily to him, he was willing to put in the work to learn. It made sense for him to become an Idol… but where to put him in order to accomplish that?
When RM and SUGA joined Big Hit, the higher ups knew they wanted them to create a hip-hop/rap group comprised of rappers/writers/producers. The addition of j-hope, who had not previously rapped or been a songwriter, caused them to begin to reconsider their plans, but it was actually the discovery of Jin’s singing talent, and his chemistry with the other three members that really changed the trajectory of the group that would eventually become BTS.
Over the next couple of years, as more trainees joined the group, Bangtan Sonyeondan evolved into a hip-hop Idol group that contained vocalists as well as rappers, with all of them being expected to dance. Jin moved into the dorms and the boys who would be BTS began to bond—creating not only music, but friendships as well.
"NO MORE PERFUME ON YOU" TEEN TOP (2011) | OFFICIAL M/V (3:32)
"YOU WOULDN'T ANSWER MY CALLS" (JAPANESE VER.) 2AM (2012) | OFFICIAL M/V (5:17)
DIDN'T SEE JIN? PRE-DEBUT JIN CAMEO COMPILATION (2:30 - as shown above)
"A TYPICAL TRAINEE'S CHRISTMAS" (2012) | COLOR CODED LYRICS (4:07)
BANGTAN SELFIE DEBUT (2012) ALA JIN: ‘THE LOWER LIP IS ATTRACTIVE.’
"TROUBLE" (2012 COVER BY JIN AND RM) | COLOR CODED LYRICS (2:22)
130112 JIN’S 1ST LOG (2:32)
130115 JIN'S LOG (1:29)
SCHOOL OF TEARS BY BTS (RM. JIN, SUGA) | COLOR CODED LYRICS (3:18)
130124 JIN’S LOG (1:07 - as shown below)
BONUS: BANGTAN BOMB: SPECIAL BANGTAN BOMB - JIN'S PRACTICE BEFORE THE SHOOTING (0:54)
Fun Fact:
A duet with V.
In 2016, V was cast in the drama “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth”, and began filming for it in between his schedule with BTS.
When the producers were putting together songs and artists for the show’s OST (Original Soundtrack), naturally they turned to V to sing on one of the tracks. But the song was a duet, and he needed a partner.
Who better to turn to than one of his fellow BTS members? We weren’t able to dig up any concrete information on whether Jin was requested specifically, or if V just kept asking until someone said yes (this is not outside the realm of possibility for him). But we do know that Jin agreed to do the song with him, and thus we got “It’s Definitely You”, which featured an “upbeat groove” and lyrics full of “confident and youthful love confessions”.
Jin and V’s voices go so well together, and they are both performers that like to play off of others and have a good time. It’s always been a joy to hear and see them sing this song together.
DAY TWO:
After the final lineup of BTS was decided on, they trained endlessly as they moved toward a goal of eventually debuting. In order to save money, any trainees who weren’t in the group, or already moving into another position in the company (like Supreme Boi, who gave up a spot in BTS in order to become a producer), were released from their contracts and sent back home.
As 2012 came to a close, Big Hit encouraged the members to make themselves known on social media. The group’s Twitter (X) account was created, along with their Fan Cafe, Facebook, and a YouTube channel—BangtanTV. They began uploading to their channel in December of 2012 and very quickly became early K-Pop content creators, with videos for music they were working on, as well as VLOGs of the members talking to the camera about what they were up to and how close they were to debuting.
Jin’s VLOGs were often little updates on his progress with practicing as well as genuine check ins with how he was feeling about his life at the time. From his very first video, it was apparent that he was warm, genuine, and had a quirky sense of humor. When he made videos with other members, he took his status as the eldest hyung of the group seriously, always offering support to the younger ones—he talked about cooking for them, or paying for meals; he even drove Jung Kook to school sometimes.
Jin’s first solo VLOG!
However, when it came time for the group to debut in June of 2013, the company had been coaching Jin on a particular persona they wanted him to adopt in front of the cameras—something they thought was befitting his handsome looks. They wanted him to act cool and aloof. To stare down the camera intimidatingly, like an Ice Prince, or a CEO who was “above it all”.
He tried at first. When we look back to the music videos and performances from BTS’ first few albums, we can see Jin scowling and glaring into the camera, delivering the aggressive parts he was given as convincingly as possible. In early interviews he’s often quiet, or just mentioning that he’s the eldest, dedicated to working hard for their fans. His VLOGs told a different story. Fans responded to his real personality more, and eventually Jin began to find a balance between his real self and the acting he wanted to portray in their music.
130628 JIN'S LOG (1:47)
130713 JIN'S LOG (1:14)
130904 JIN'S LOG (1:35)
JIN KARAOKE (FEAT JK MAKING HIM LAUGH) | CLIP - ROOKIE KING (1:15)
END PLATE KING - JIN (THE MOMENTS HE LOST THE CARD GAME) | CLIP - ROOKIE KING (11:19)
131103 JIN & JUNGKOOK’S LOG (2:16)
131122 JIN & V'S LOG (3:03 - as shown above)
131204 JIN'S LOG (2:40)
"A TYPICAL IDOL'S CHRISTMAS" (2013) | COLOR CODED LYRICS (3:14)
140104 JIN'S LOG (2:43)
BANGTAN BOMB: LALALALALALALALA OK! PERFORM BY JIN & MON (1:39)
140403 SUKIRA CUT - RYEOWOOK, OKDAL & BTS JIN - JHOPE PHOTO TAKING (1:06)
140404 JIN & J-HOPE'S LOG (3:19)
140403 KISS THE RADIO - JIN & J-HOPE | ABS (PART ONE) (37:50)
140404 KISS THE RADIO - JIN & J-HOPE | ABS (PART TWO) (37:41)
Bangtan Bubble: What do you think Jin would have done if he wasn’t in BTS?
Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!
DAY THREE:
Jin has said many times that he felt far behind the other members in terms of abilities and experience, especially with dancing. He and RM often joked that they were the “Left Wing” and the “Right Wing” of BTS because they were the two most often in the back and to the sides during choreography, as they were the least natural dancers. But even though he joked about it, Jin took practicing very seriously—he often came early or stayed late to get extra help with choreography, either from their instructor, or from j-hope.
Jin’s very serious posing in “No More Dream” Official M/V
Though he may have started more at the bottom in terms of experience than some of the other members, he was dedicated not only to practicing, but also learning and developing new skills. He took vocal lessons and worked on finding his sound while releasing covers of songs for fans to enjoy, like “Mom” (orig. by Ra.D) and Mate’s song “I Love You”. He also began learning piano and guitar, and after much encouragement from his fellow members, started dipping his toe into songwriting too.
As BTS began maturing over the first few year of their career, Jin continued to show fans more and more of himself. Through VLOGS, then VLIVEs, and behind the scenes content we got to see his goofiness and determination to always have a good time, no matter what. He can often be seen making his other members laugh or getting into trouble with them (especially the maknaes… Jung Kook in particular has long been his go-to partner-in-crime).
Eventually the “Ice Prince” persona was gone altogether and we began to see Jin lean more into his humor in front of the cameras. Even though he was shy, when he was joking around and being ridiculous, it helped to put himself and others around him at ease. Jin also, of course, garnered a lot of attention because of how handsome he was. He was often referred to in early years as BTS’ “visual”, and has gone viral on the internet several times simply for existing while being hot. As more and more amusing instances began popping up online of him being called “Car Door Guy” or “Third Guy From the Left”, Jin developed the amusingly braggadocious on-camera personality he still gives us today… “World Wide Handsome”.
150223 JIN'S LOG (3:11)
"MOM" - JIN | FMV (5:28 - as shown above)
"BTS AWAKENS THE FROZEN CITY - BTS JIN UNRELEASED VIDEO | PUMA" (0:16)
BANGTAN BOMB: KNOW-HOW FOR MAKING A HANDSOME LOOK (BONUS. MR.LIP BALM-JK) (2:08)
BANGTAN BOMB: SLEEPING BABY BOTHERED WITH JIN (0:43 - as shown below)
"I LOVE YOU" (2015) | LYRICS (2:51)
"I LOVE YOU" (2015) | FMV (2:48)
Fun Fact
Jin is the Variety Show King.
We know by now that no one slays a variety show appearance quite like Kim Seokjin does, but one of his earliest solo variety appearances was in 2018 with the show “Law of the Jungle”.
It was a reality-documentary program that ran from 2011 to 2021 and featured people traveling to slightly remote locations (like Siberia, Madagascar, etc) and having to complete challenges while there.
Jin’s appearance is legendary for many reasons, the least of which NOT being his somewhat “scaredy cat” nature. At one point he panicks about a fire potentially getting out of hand and attempts to put it out with squid ink. He also packed an alarming number of ARMY bombs to take with him, and told endless dad jokes to anyone who would listen.
Enjoy.
DAY FOUR:
Jin in WINGS promotional photo
2015 and 2016 were a time of incredible growth and change for BTS. The HYYH (The Most Beautiful Moment in Life) series, followed by the WINGS album, solidified their mark upon K-Pop and finally began to bring Big Hit out of the red and into profits. The group’s evolution in sound and concepts were a direct result of the individual members evolving themselves.
WINGS marked the first time each member would have a solo song on an album, and they were all encouraged to take part in the creation process whether they ever had before or not. Jin’s track, “Awake” had the distinction of being the last of the solo songs on the album, and the one to tie all of the rest of them together. It made sense, since by this time, his role as the central figure in the Bangtan Universe storyline was well-established. Check out our in-depth discussion of the song and its deeper meanings in Week 16 of the blog during our coverage of WINGS.
Maybe I, I can never fly
Like those flower petals over there,
as if I have wings, I can’t do so
Maybe I, I can’t touch the sky
But I still want to reach my hand
I want to try running, just a little more
While I talked about these lyrics before in relation to the themes of WINGS and the BU storyline, I wanted to mention their importance here in regards to Jin’s personal journey of growth. Not only was “Awake” his first significant and official writing credit on a solo song within BTS, but it also represented an important message to himself. Though he often felt like he was lacking, and far behind the others, he never stopped trying to improve. He was (and still is) well aware he could fail, but he always wants to keep trying, no matter what.
The other members of BTS have often cited Jin’s determination, as well as his bright outlook on life in general, as what they admire the most about him, and what they try to learn from.
160210 JIN'S LOG (2:15)
BANGTAN BOMB: BTS INGIGAYO 1ST "FIRE" WIN AND JIN & RM SPECIAL MC (5:21)
I AM JIN FROM BTS, LET ME FIRST GIVE YOU MY KISS~♥ | IDOL KING OF COOKING EP 2 (1:46)
"AWAKE" | STAGE MIX (5:52 - as shown above)
BANGTAN BOMB: 'WINGS' SHORT FILM SPECIAL - AWAKE (JIN LIP-SYNC) (1:43)
"AWAKE" | LYRICS (3:51)
161020 MCOUNTDOWN - SPECIAL MC JIN, JIMIN, AND KEY (SHINEE) (5:39)
BANGTAN BOMB: SWEET JIN & JUNG KOOK 'S CHATTER (1:43 - as shown below)
BONUS: BANGTAN BOMB: JIN'S PERSONAL PRACTICE 'FIRE' | SBS MUSIC AWARDS FESTIVAL 2016 (2:37)
BONUS: BANGTAN BOMB: BTS STAGE GREETING THE NEW YEAR | MBC MUSIC AWARDS FESTIVAL 2016 (7:52)
BONUS: BANGTAN BOMB: JIN, RM AND J-HOPE MONITORING TIME (4:52)
Fun Fact:
Jin’s VLIVEs 2015-2017
If we tune into an RM live for music education and sage words of advice, we tune into Jin’s for… vastly different reasons. Want almost guaranteed chaos and/or general fuckery in a LIVE?
Kim Seokjin is your man.
Often hilariously unpredictable, and full of dry wit, terrible puns, and loud laughter at himself, Jin’s VLIVEs always provide quality entertainment. You never know what you’re going to get with him… a mukbang? Bothering the other members and making them the butt of his jokes for awhile? Or playing games with ARMY and shaming them for “talking nonsense”?
Whatever happens, it’s always a good time…
DAY FIVE:
Listen, give Jin even just the tiniest hint of a “bit” and an audience, and he will latch on like a terrier and not let go until he has destroyed the joke and made the audience either laugh (or groan) so much their stomachs begin to hurt. BTS discovered fairly early on that he would shine on variety and challenge shows because he always throws himself into whatever he needs to do one hundred and ten percent. Especially when he has one or more of the other members to play off of… that’s a recipe for comedy gold.
Jin & Jimin in “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator!”
Take his appearance on “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator!” with Jimin. First of all, what a name for a show. And what a premise! It ran from 2014 to 2019, and each week, two guests would be invited, along with their refrigerator, to the studio. Then the guests would go through the contents of the refrigerator with the hosts, and a panel of chefs and judges. They would comment on the contents, and occasionally throw out “expired” foods. Then the eight chefs were split into two teams, one team for each guest. Using ingredients from the refrigerator the chef teams then would have to prepare a meal for the judges to taste and rate.
When Jin and Jimin appeared on the show, they really did bring in the refrigerator from their dorm! (In fact, Jung Kook called Jin, panicking, asking where it had gone.) During the episode he charmed everyone, told a plethora of dad jokes, as well as increasingly bold and outrageous “fibs” which Jimin would laugh at and then correct. He also got to talk about how much he loves to cook, especially for his loved ones.
Jin & Jung Kook in “Let’s Eat Dinner Together!”
He continued that conversation on “Let’s Eat Dinner Together!”, another variety reality show he appeared on, this time with Jung Kook in tow. As the two of them walk around various neighborhoods in Seoul (mostly Gangnam) with the hosts, Jin and JK do their best Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum impressions, laughing at and assaulting each other, while they’re ringing random stranger’s doorbells and asking “Do you know BTS?” (It wasn’t as foolproof in 2017 as it is today.) The point? To try and find a family willing to invite them in for dinner—to prepare and eat it together.
While both shows may seem very odd to some of us, they definitely played to Jin’s strengths. Those, and other variety shows over the years have been a big part of helping him develop his confidence and carve out part of his niche within BTS.
"SO FAR AWAY" - SUGA, JIN, JUNG KOOK | COLOR CODED LYRICS (5:25)
"SO FAR AWAY" - SUGA, JIN, JIMIN, V, JUNG KOOK LIVE | WINGS TOUR FANCAM (2:26 - as shown)
BANGTAN BOMB: JIN'S CHATTER TIME | M COUNTDOWN BACKSTAGE (1:10)
BANGTAN BOMB: JIN'S Q&A TIME | M COUNTDOWN (1:01 - as shown)
BANGTAN BOMB: BTS WITH SPECIAL MC JIN | 2017 KBS SONG FESTIVAL (10:42)
COMPILATION OF JIN BEING EXTRA AS A SPECIAL MC | 2017 KBS SONG FESTIVAL (1:48 - as shown)
WHAT'S IN BTS'S FRIDGE? EXPLAINED BY JIN & JIMIN | CLIP - PLEASE TAKE CARE OF MY REFRIGERATOR (11:23)
LET'S EAT DINNER TOGETHER, EP 50 (JIN, JUNG KOOK) | OFFICIAL TRAILER (2:07 - as shown)
A MAN WHO COOKS A LITTLE, CASTS AN ADVANCED SKILL ON A GIN♡ EGG ROLL~B | CLIP - LEDT, EP 50 (2:55)
DELICIOUS RICE AND EATING A LOT OF GIN, STEALING THE EYES OF GIRL FANS! | CLIP - LEDT, EP 50 (2:54)
BONUS: LET'S EAT DINNER TOGETHER, EP 50 (JIN, JUNG KOOK) (1:31:27)
BONUS: PLEASE TAKE CARE OF MY REFRIGERATOR, EP 153 (JIN, JIMIN) | FULL EPISODE (1:07:28)
BONUS: HELLO COUNSELOR, EP 316 (JIN, JIMIN) | FULL EPISODE (1:17:23)
BONUS: BAEK JONG WON'S TOP 3 CHEF KING EP 67 (WITH JIN AND J-HOPE) | FULL EPISODE (1:40:14)
Bangtan Bubble: What’s your favorite variety show appearance Jin has done?
Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
BTS’ early years may not have been full of as much solo music for Jin as they were for some other members, but they are absolutely vital in his journey of self-discovery for the kind of artist/Idol he wanted to be. With constant encouragement from the rest of the group, he grew more confident as time went by, and willing to give more of his real self to ARMY.
Next week we’ll catch up with Jin from 2018 all the way through to his military enlistment in 2022. We’ll see more musical growth, and learn even more about what makes our Astronaut tick…
Side Quest
More than a Mukbang… let’s talk “Eat Jin”.
In 2015, Jin decided he wanted to create his own live broadcast series. Fans already knew that he liked to cook and eat, so it wasn’t all that surprising when he announced it was going to be a mukbang show called “Eat Jin”.
Jin’s reasons for choosing to land on the concept he did went beyond his simple love of food however. Over the years, he’s been very vocal about not liking it when staff members would comment on his weight (or on the weight of any of the other members), and/or tell them they needed to diet more. In his very first solo VLOG on their YT channel he calls out someone for saying he’d gained weight. “I don’t think I look any different.”
While Jin spoke up honestly, he still took it all in stride and didn’t let the comments bother him too much. However, he knew other Idols (including some of his own bandmates) weren’t able to shake off the criticism as easily. We know that Jimin, in particular, struggled with the body image the company wanted him to maintain in the early years, and it affected his eating habits. Part of the reason why Jin created “Eat Jin” was because he wanted people to see an Idol eating normally and enjoying themselves. And to show that it was okay for anyone to eat like that as well. In fact, he sometimes invited Jimin to come and eat with him during “Eat Jin” segments, and they would often end up dissolving into giggles the whole time.
Typical Jin… helping others see the fun and beauty in something that might have been difficult for them to handle before.
150604 JIN WHO'S EATING WITH JIMIN | EAT JIN, SEASON 1 (1:41)
150813 KIM SEOKJIN EATING | EAT JIN, SEASON 1 (0:52 - as shown)
151015 BTS EAT JIN LIVE: AREN'T YOU HUNGRY? WITH JIMIN AND V | EAT JIN, SEASON 1 (18:36)
151217 EAT JIN LIVE : AREN'T YOU HUNGRY? [1] | EAT JIN, SEASON 1 (19:14)
151218 EAT JIN LIVE : AREN'T YOU HUNGRY? [2] | EAT JIN, SEASON 1 (5:40)
160226 EAT JIN LIVE: AREN'T YOU HUNGRY? WITH SUGA | EAT JIN, SEASON 1 (26:26)
CREDITS:
YouTube/Web
BANGTANTV, HYBE LABELS, AFTAEHYUNG, Alexis Joyce Guanio, ALL BTS COMPILATIONS, Allen SoYoung, ARMY BASE SUBS, ASYA MUSIC, BANGTAN BLOG, BANGTAN SUBS, BTS CONTENT INDEX, BTS LIVE ARCHIVE, BTS_twt, BTSGOT7 EXOs, Enjoy BTS more, ETUDE, Góc nhỏ của Tường An, JAEGUCHI, JTBC ENTERTAINMENT, JUNG HYUN RAN, K-contents Voyage, KBS WORLD TV, KOKOWA TV, KPOP CRUSH, LEMORING, Lucky Butterfly, LYNEA LERON, Lynn Eksonyeondan, MACHI, MAS GANTENG, Mimi im, MURMAST, MYRKIVEE, PUMA, RONJA, SBS Catch, Seokjinnie Zone, SQUIBBY BLUE, TEEN TOP Official, THE K-POP, verli senpai, 소니뮤직코리아 Sony Music Korea, 지후jihoo, 티비텐, 水Paris; Web:
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), Namz (TikTok: Namz07)
Join us on TikTok every Sunday evening at 8pm ET for #the529live, a wrap up of each week's “Monday Muster”, thoughtful discussions, and tons of laughter! It’s hosted by AP529 Founder, Stefne, on her channel (@StefARMYProject529). Catch us every Wednesday night at 9pm ET on our project channel (@ARMYProject529) for #the529tea, when we dish about all the news going on with Bangtan.
If you can't watch in real time and want to catch up later, Lives are recorded and posted to our YouTube (@ARMY Project 529).