Studio Notes - Arirang (3/20)

Part 1 of their Weverse/YouTube Live

My commentary in green.

For all new readers, welcome! My style of translation is 'stream-of-consciousness' style almost like just direct transcription - catching all the oohs and ahs and ums for 2 reasons: 1-it is just easier for me to do it this way because I am literally transcribing what they're saying (don't worry I have code helping me and I also type very quickly) but 2-because if I were to clean it up and distill the main talking points, you'd definitely get a much cleaner read but lose a lot of the sweetness that makes them our faves and further endears them to our hearts. I do this as a bilingual Korean-American ARMY attempting to keep Korean woven into my life in a way that life in America does not require (so my Korean skills don't grow stale)!

I always welcome questions in comments when asked with a posture of curiosity! I'll do my best to answer and/or refer to helpful resources when I'm not sure. But any sense of entitlement/racism/bigotry/etc. towards myself or my other subscribers will be dealt with a swift block/ban. We have not the time to waste on even just one more internet troll.

I also want to note that transcribing JK's 6 hour gaming lives is WAY easier than transcribing 20 minutes with all 7 bingbongs in one situation because there are side conversations, quiet self-mumbling, comments made that go unanswered LOL, etc. so i'll try my best to sort through the shenanigans but if it gets a little confusing for you - loll that's just how it went down hahaha

Oh also - I just want to say, I wasn't able to capture all the "mmhmm's" and noises/grunts of affirmation or resonance - but it's worth looking out for those. It's always nice to have that kind of feedback from others as indicators that they're paying attention - and our group of 7 bingbongs are always affirming/acknowledging each others' points. 🥰

Also many of the "right?" comments you'll see in the translation are rhetorical

Thanks for reading!

I may have many baby ARMY joining me so these are the abbreviations I'll use to refer to each member:
RM = Kim Namjoon (aka bb koala/honey thighs 🐨);
Jin = Kim Seokjin (aka hamster princess 🐹);
sugi = Min Yoongi (aka SUGA/sugiball 🐈‍⬛);
hobi = Jung Hoseok (aka j-hope 🐿️);
Jm = Park Jimin (aka mochi/mochiball🐥);
V = Kim Taehyung (aka bb bear🧸);
JK = Jeon Jung Kook (aka kookoo/kookooball/bobaball 🐰⚫️)

---

BTS ::tiny clappies::

RM: hi everyone

JK: you can prob hear the mic right?

RM: Finally BTS has returned. 2! 3! Bang!
BTS: TAN! Hi! We are Bangtan Sonyeondan!

SUGA: aigo
RM: CONGRATULATIONS!!
BTS: Congratulationsss
hobi: truly congratulations everyone sincerelyy..
SUGA: *finally.. finally... finally
Jin: it took a whileee

*드디어 (deudiyuh) = finally

V: truly.. this ..today is the day we've been *waiting for so long
JK: seriously

*손꼽아 기다린 날(songgoba gidarin nal) = the day we've been waiting for so long; literally - the day we've been counting down to on our fingers
손 (son) = hand
손꼽아 (songgoba) = count on your fingers

JK: like for the 7 of us to be together and come back with an album is... like it's been a really been a long time, right?
hobi: it has been a really long time

Jm: and truthfully, it was not. easy. to prepare an entire album in 9 months.. was not an easy road to navigate.
V: but as such we have so many *episodes to share [from this experience]
BTS: true.. so many.. so manyy

Jin: so much happened..
JK: so much..

Jin: this studio is where we always filmed when we were preparing for our comebacks as individuals, right- many of us.. so it feels familiar but also
Jm: oh is this the place where you did that...?
Jin (finishing his thought): but also quite new
Jm: Jinsshi, is this where you did the thing?
Jin: oh that is correct (loll Jimin is being vague so Jin is just agreeing but likely doesn't know which of his MANY projects Jimin is referencing)
hobi: I mean it's probably all here right?
sugi: it's all done here..
hobi: with like the familiar director and..

Jm: like where you had the CG backgrounds changing and stuff?
JK: oh? wait that?? that's not.. that was.. oh?? (ajdkfl;gja;ldfjg;lakdfjgjalkdfg cutebabyboba knows all his mamabird's schedule and i die a thousand deths because of cute.)
hobi: no that's probably here too ..
Jin::thinking:: oh that was next door the one right next door to here.. right next door, next door
hobi: oh the studio next door..

hobi: for me.. i'm also feeling kinda... (looking at members) like it's *weird ..right?
RM: was it weird?

이상하다 (eesanghada) = it's weird
기분이 좀 이상하다 (gibeunee johm eesanghada) = feels a little weird

hobi: yea like a bit.. i mean welcomed/familiar but also a bit *overwhelming..
Jm: you're so right ahhhh

벅차다 (bukchada) = overwhelming but NOT in a bad way - as in, this isn't the word you'd use if you were overwhelmed by stress or anxiety - this is 'overwhelmed' with positive emotion, like being overwhelmed by love or happiness; though SOMETIMES, this can also be interpreted as 'bittersweet' in the true sense that sometimes when you're SO happy, many of us hold that happiness with a tentative grasp because we're worried about how delicate/fleeting it might be, right? so in that sense it can hold a sense of bittersweetness here too...

All to say, if a Korean was trying to communicate being overwhelmed by stress/burnout/exhaustion/etc. there are a lot of other words they could choose to express that but wouldn't use this one!

sugi: i mean for me - like we kept .. like we did the teaser a bit later and we just kept listening to the music right..
hobi: right
sugi: but actually [now] seeing it on the music sites and stuff - it feels weird!
RM: it IS [weird/surreal]
hobi: it feels *신기하다

신기하다 (shingihada) = like fascinating/amazing/intriguing/wonder-inducing
in this context, it means 'fascinating' not in the sense that they're truly unfamiliar (because obviously they've released new music TONS of times before) but just 'fresh' because it's been such a long time and that familiar-yet-brand-new-sensation is the 'weird' they're talking about

Jin: we listened to the songs SO many times
JK: we did listen to it a ton..
Jin: we listened for a longgg time..
Jm: I think we probably listened to it like 100,000 times or something like that....

V: I mean in any case, it's a relief that we, in good health, can finally share this album with you all

sugi: today should we like.. maybe
RM: i mean i think if we just spoke about it comfortably that might be best..?
hobi: yea that's what i'm thinking too..
sugi: i mean even the set is designed kinda like a rehearsal/jam/practice room vibe so.. we can
hobi: i mean i'm actually worried about the live today because i think it'll go super long..
sugi: ah.. i mean yea there's SO much to say..
hobi: like.. everything we wanna say.. is..
sugi: let's just chat comfortably..
hobi: yea like everything.. there's too much we wanna say
RM: and like anything we leave out we can always address in our personal lives too so..
hobi: right right right
Jin: that's right

sugi: so maybe one by one.. share thoughts?

*소감 (sogam) = impressions/thoughts/feelings
they also often use this word at the end or beginning of their concerts when asking someone/all members to share their final thoughts/thoughts up til now/initial thoughts/etc.

omgggg it's been like 20 minutes and I've only translated 3 minutes. TRES. THREEE. of this live because they're all talking over each other. PRAY FOR ME. ajkdl;fgjaldfjg;lakjdfg;afg

RM: should we start with you Taehyungsshi? start with Taehyungshi?
V: well first of all I mean.. same.. I also anticipated this moment so much and .. i mean it was a long time ..it took us a long time to prep and we started working on the album and then filming the music video and shooting for stuff and all that after we were all discharged ...and then even after that we had a long practice period so.. I think we really looked forward to/anticipated this moment for so long and now it *finally feels like it's here

hobi: finally (you'll hear "deudiyuh" / finally a lot)

Jin: the 'NEXT YEAR SPRING' that you spoke of, Taehyungsshi, is finally here

Jm/V: that's right

JK: was "next year spring" always this far away?? (joking)
Jm: I mean back then I couldn't even look at the camera cuz I couldn't lose weight quickly enough and on top of that my hair was so short too...
JK: oh when you were being all *shy?

look at our busan bb nuggets... ajkldf;gjalkdfg;alkfg
낮가려 (natgaryuh) = being shy; literally 'covering the face'

Jm (continuing): but now I can confidently..
hobi: are you confident now?
Jm: yes.. I can now make eye contact with ARMYs

JK: your hair grew so long Jiminshi
Jm: ah yea it's almost like someone sprayed 'hair growth tonic' on it or something.. it really grew out so fast ::hobi laughs::

*발모제 (balmoje) = hair growth tonic; literally 'hair growth agent' - and so it's being used literally to refer to Jimin's rapid hair growth but this phrasing could also be used to describe sorta anything that has had a surprising growth in a short amount of time (e.g., a kid that had a massive growth spurt or a social media account that exploded with followers or a business that went from sparsely attended to booming 'overnight')

I love that when any of the members crack these little silly comments, j-hope is almost always locked and loaded with a sincere sunshine laugh

sugi: for me, more than anything else - I mean.. time was REALLY at a standstill but then all of a sudden, when March came, it's like 'oh what? it's already today??' -that's how it feels for me

Jm: cuz actually 9 months is a long time but to be honest to prepare an entire album in 9 months, I think ...we had to work on a *pretty tight schedule
RM: yeah, it was pretty tight
Jm: so even to be able to finish the album, without incident, is something we're really grateful for

*촉박하게 (chokbokhagae) = very tight/pressed for time/cutting it close

Jin: for us, like we had so much to do that time felt like it was both really long and really short at the same time but for those that were waiting, without knowing all of that, it must've felt like such a long time ..could've been frustrating for them [those who were waiting]
Jm: that's right that's right

hobi: i mean starting last year, we really did the absolute best that we could to prepare and that album has now been released

I CRYYYYYYYY. Please behold puffy cheeks koala puffbbleader RM. My heart goes out, of course to all the members, but especially to this man that went through ALL the stages of grief during his enlistment and then all sorts of new chaos to mitigate upon discharge and then had to keep things moving at the helm of the global reputation of BTS all whilst processing his ongoing existential crises

Of course I could never know what it means to endure that kind of burden and champion a very precious team of seven brothers/co-artists or anything like that but I do deeply resonate with RM's intense struggle to make sense of self, purpose, love, and connection all while having other roles to fulfill. I'm sure so many of us do~ I'll always be rooting for this man 😭

timestamp softie RM stumbling for words and then breaking into a soft laugh
(as I cry into the void for the 17th day in a row)

RM: so like.. now.. honestly cuz. .right.. so like.. ::chuckles:: i don't know exactly what to say
Jin (quietly): it wasn't easy (he says this barely audibly but gently affirms RM, who is stumbling for words, because he knows it's been an overwhelming experience for all)
RM (continuing): cuz truthfully.. i mean we had PROOF but the last time we came out with entirely new songs ..it's been such a long time ..I'm not even sure how long it's been
sugi: 3 years and 9 months since our last full album (friends, rapperkitty has been COUNTING DOWN THE SECONDS... lmao)
RM: yea so it's been like 4 years but ...that we were able to come back with an album titled 'ARIRANG' is something to be really happy/joyful about - right?

Jm: I think we'll have so much to talk about
V: but don't you think - as much as they've waited/had to wait - don't you think [to the members] that this album's quality is truly on another level?
sugi: the album's so good

RM: we.. cuz our album is so good ..so today i think we'll have a lot of fun things to share
hobi: okay let's start talking about it all then

RM: well okay so before we start talking about the good stuff.. i have some *아쉬운 news to share first..
maybe like 10? 15minutes ago i think it was formally announced that ..
well honestly in order to show you all the best performance - cuz we've been preparing for the concert and the Gwanghwamun showcase all together right..
and i was working really hard..
and like - that day especially - i was working so hard and then my ankle got a little bit injured and because of the injury..
honestly, I was working really hard on dance practice this time..
BTS (all echoing): you did.. you worked really hard
RM (continuing): like came out on my own [to practice] ..stayed late to practice.. came out during my days off to practice
but to perform on my ankle would be a bit difficult so I won't be able to perform together with them but i will still be up on stage so .. i mean it's still a way to greet all of you so i'll still be up on stage for the vocal performance (singing/rapping) and hyping up the vibe so the concert could still be the best it can be [given this update] and the injury is not all that serious so please don't worry too much about it - i'll be very careful and others have been so considerate so i can recover quickly so.. I'd be very grateful if you still looked forward to this performance on which everyone has truly worked SO hard to prepare

hobi: yea and like Namjoon worked so hard on preparing and like.. ugh.. like.. life is so.. ugh.. like really life is so unpredictable like.. honestly you can't predict what might happen.. all of us were caught off guard too cuz we all really wanted to show off what we could do for the first time [in a while]
V: cuz the performance of one song..
SIMULTANEOUSLY RM: i'm so frustrated/upset; hobi: i mean probably more than any of us - Namjoonie is probably the most upset [by this]

V: i mean i agree cuz like for all the people that waited for this album, like ARMY.. us.. all the people who have liked us and ..
cuz like for the seven of us to put out new music and perform - they've probably looked forward to it for so long.. but still for me I'm thinking.. the most *아쉬운 person is probably still Namjoonie hyung.. i mean cuz he practiced SO MUCH too

아쉬운 (ahshioon) = this is another one of those words that doesn't have an exact english equivalent- Papago translates this as "it's too bad" but it could also be understood like 'it's a shame' or 'it's unfortunate' - but basically it's the feeling of missing/losing out on something like by a hair or when something doesn't quite hit/pan out as fully as it's supposed to~ or expected to~

Real time story, my cousins from Korea really wanted the Easter-themed mini totes from Trader Joes to bring back to Korea as souvenirs (there are no Trader Joes in Korea and this is a HUGE get) - so I took them to Trader Joes and the store clerk told us that the shipment of new bags was arriving at 8am the next morning*! Ahhh ahshipdah!! We missed it by a hair!

I've unpacked this word in other translations but it's also something that could be said when you order food from a restaurant, eat it all, and you're still left like a little bit hungry? Like you can't quite eat a whole other entree.. but the 'meal' you wanted didn't quite satiate you the way you needed it, even if it was tasty, you could say that you felt 'ashiwuh' about the amount of food you were given. Does that help??

So in this context, RM who had gone OUT OF his way to truly step up his dance game - even staying late, coming out alone for additional practice, even taking days off to go in and practice further - and then the time comes to grace the stage and he hurts his ankle DAYS before he has to perform. Like SO CLOSE yet so far kinda vibes~

The members are all acknowledging that as much as ARMY/the members may be disappointed at not being able to experience this moment all together- that likely no one is feeling that more than RM himself.

RM: i mean to my members too, i mean this just happened yesterday so .. I feel sorry to them too
JK/V at the same time: it was so sudden / I really thought you were joking at first

RM: right?? cuz i mean spraining your ankle is quite common right?
BTS: right!
RM: but then I twisted it a bit more seriously ...
sugi: but it's one of those things - if you hurt your ankle, you'll keep getting hurt ..cuz for me too
hobi (unintentionally cutting off sugiball LOLL): aghhh you all HAVE to see our namjoonie dancing thoughhh

RM: no cuz i..
hobi: cuz you got sooo much better.. like
RM: no cuz..
jm/JK: like soo much better
RM: no but like i think there might be a way that they can still witness that..
hobi: true true true true

????like 4 ppl talking at once and idk what they said; the subtitles are lagging so it's not gonna catch it..

Also one note on the live translations - I know a lot of fans were frustrated/disappointed but to be honest, I'm not sure how else they would have handled this other than scripting the live or running it on like a 5-min delay (so not truly live)- because it's one thing to translate for ONE person in real time via speech; it's a whole different thing to translate 7 different people, often speaking all at once - trying to capture the prevailing narrative thread and weeding out side conversations/comments/mumblings that don't contribute germane information to what they're trying to express overall - and then TYPING it all out in real time? Like even if they had multiple translators on it at once, unless they had a translator per member typing everything in a stream-of-consciousness style (the way I do) - and if they'd done that, it'd be impossibly fast to follow along if you're trying to read it at the rate it's being spoken.

So while I understand your frustrations, I mean I truly don't know how else they could've handled it and I have no stake in the game of their translation staff (lowkey hire me, HYBE) but in THIS instance, I don't know how it could've been done better loll

sugi: but rather than working it harder [his ankle] and potentially getting further injured or exacerbating your injury, i think this is what's best
hobi: recover quickly and we can do greater performances in the future
RM: I'll do my best to safely care for my injury (literally, manage the prognosis loll) in time for the Goyang concert

sugi: yea cuz like if you try to go hard because you feel 'ashiwuh' (see above) it's more likely that you'll accomplish the opposite and such.. (e.g., make it worse)
BTS:: - all echoing this is the right choice - for RM not to participate in the Gwanghwamun showcase by performing on-stage choreography -

V: aw but truly Namjoonie hyung has like so many cool parts though oof..
sugi: i mean no cuz.. cuz.. like..
JK: aigo 'ashipdah' (see above)

RM: '*just wait a little bit'

*this is referencing an earlier time when BTS was introducing their own performance of "On" coming up after the commercial break and the line was "기다려 조금만!" (gidaryuh jogeumman) = "wait a little bit!"
but V said it out of order, panicked, and just said "wait" twice "기다려, 기다려!" (wait wait) and then BTS chimed in, trying to correct it by saying "조금만" afterwards.. when the other host said "I don't want you to miss saying it together so.." and queues it up by FIRST saying "조금만..." and then has BTS finish it off by saying "기다려!" together. It's often quoted in their lives as an ongoing inside joke~ Here's a clip I found on IG - sorry I couldn't embed it so you'll have to click the link.

RM: okay so I wanted to get that out of the way but now let's move onto talking about the album starting out with the title, 'ARIRANG' right?
Already [starting with the title] there were so many predictions/speculations and people curious about it [the title] right?
Jm: right right

Jm: Even for us, hearing the title, we had a lot of back and forth about it - right?
hobi: i mean yea.. truthfully it's very..
Jm: like would that be okay
cuz like the folk song, Arirang, is something that Korean people have known since they were young and it's a very deeply meaningful word and folk song that has
RM: been passed down orally for generations
Jm: right.. so there was a lot of discussion about whether we could even use that word as our title or not

hobi: the first time we heard ..was when we were in America during a session..
V: i mean even that part comes up in the video later right? ::gigglyyteddybear:: like when we heard that and..

Please behold. MinYoongkitty and his favorite nuisance, Kim Taehyung - the cutest grandpa/grandson duo in the game. i will not be taking questions at this time.
Jm: ahhhhhhh

sugi: we had ...VERY many discussions
JK::babybunnygiggles::

RM: we pored over it a lot.. but to tie our present (as in present time) together at this point anyway.. we needed a common thread.. so we basically only had that 'we love each other' and that 'we are Korean'

I want to pause here for a second to let you soak that in.

After so many years churning out music/content, endlessly, even wearing themselves down to a paste - they worked hard to carry the BTS name and sense of excellence as far as it could go, even as they were wrestling with whether or not the music by which the world started to define them - was the kind of music they wanted to be putting out/known for.. then 2022 Festa happened and the enlistment hiatus started with Jin.

In the 2022 Festa, they admitted that they all felt like they were churning without a concrete sense of themselves as a group or as individual artists - with so much they wanted to try/explore being kept low priority for the sake of group success/activity - they all conceded that while that WAS absolutely the way to move forward (prioritizing the group over their personal pursuits) - it took a notable toll.

Then came their solos era wherein they had, for the FIRST TIME, the freedom and full creative/musical control of each piece of music they wanted to put forward individually. They got to experiment and test the limits of their own abilities - not only re: singing/rapping but with artistic direction, set design, album concepts, etc. - full reign. They developed their personal sense of artistry fully and came back together much more personally realized overall - as men, as artists, as people. And now what common ground do they share after all of those VERY different experiences had by VERY different men to begin with? 1-that they love each other. 2-that they are Korean.

As BTS' success/fame continue to increase in reach/strength, small people that could never be so vulnerable will have a lot of opinions about how this group should be - weightless words spoken far too simply and carelessly by individuals that don't know the weight of creating something from scratch for global judgment and personal expression. Pay them no mind. I hope you also adopt this mentality when it comes to your own pursuits. Often times, haters (critically NOT to be confused with wise/experienced mentors in the field with valid criticism/advice) only demolish because they don't have what it takes to build.

RM (continuing): so yea what could tie us 7 members together is that we.. are all from Korea and .. I'm very.. kinda.. still.. kinda.. a country bumpkin .. wait no not that exactly..but kinda ..very.. just like.. the.. very..(no i did not make up these filler words - he was struggling for a sec here friends LOL) okay very plainly like.. that's what i think

Basically, he doesn't quite mean country bumpkin because he recognizes their lives have changed so much it'd almost be 'insulting/too out of touch' to say "oh we're still just country bumpkins" but reiterating that they still ARE, at their core, the simply the same '7 normal guys from Korea' that just wanted to make music together

RM (continuing): so i think that was the keyword that we chose after a lot of careful thought and consideration and discussion and stuff like that..

Watching him stumble over his words here, in my opinion, pushes back into frame the pressure of writing lyrics for a truly global audience - never knowing exactly what to expect, what will push buttons, what is okay, how might this sound to Koreans/non-Koreans/country bumpkins/etc. - they are thoughtful artists that want to stay faithful to what they want to express and YES there's creative license for sure - but not at the expense of others' dignity. I'm sure they wrestled with a LOT as they came up with this album.

Jm: At our *place, when the workday was done, we'd gather - just us - and have a drink and talked about so many things right..
RM: many talks.. yup..
Jm: among them [the things they talked about], the thing we talked about the most was our **identity and what do we have in common
RM: what are we?
Jm: what does it mean for something to be BTS-esque? talking about like how nowadays there are so many groups of different nationalities - so as an all Korean group - could it be meaningful to include things that are specifically Korean into our music - i think this came up the most at that time

*숙소 (sooksoh) = place we're staying, often times translated as "dorm" - but for example, if you grabbed an airbnb to stay in at a place you were vacationing, that would be your 'sooksoh' for that vacation; it doesn't mean "dorm" like 'college dorm' the way we most likely hear it- it's 'dorm/dormitory' like 'residence providing rooms for individuals/groups// residential community inhabited chiefly by commuters'

**정체성 (jungchaesung) = identity

V: but like even as Korean as it is, the word 'Arirang' itself is so lovely and so deeply meaningful that I think there are so many things we can express beyond that
Jm: that's right
RM: cuz we thought it's a song that contains love
JK: right.. it can include so many different things
RM: which is how we came up with the 'What is your love song' campaign too..
Jm/V: that's right that's right, mmhmm
RM: like so much variety..

hobi: actually for me.. looking back, i think it was a very '*cool' decision we made.. something about using 'ARIRANG' as the concept and title that'd steer the direction of the album was..

*멋있엉 (muhsheessuh) = often just translated as "cool" - and certainly in some contexts "cool" does just fine as the translation but in so many other cases, i think it's better heard as 'has the qualities that makes you think that [thing/person] is awesome' - so you see how it's not not "cool" but sometimes they say this about each others' outfits or hair.. sometimes they say this about each others' performances.. or how they handled certain situations.. or if Jimin could trap a bug for you and save your life.. they're not just always calling each other 'cool' - they're saying that [whatever they're observing] as this word is noteworthy/badass

j-hope thinks that the decision they made together back in LA to lean into this key word was noteworthy/badass

sugi (adding to hobi's thought): all the musician hyungs around us were all talking about that too like 'you guys coming back with the title 'ARIRANG' is such a good move' they said that for us a lot
V: people around me also affirmed that it was a really good choice too
Jm: i mean it's such an honor that we were able to do it [make that decision]
hobi: it was a very bold decision but it felt very us

sugi: like 'BTS new album is called ARIRANG' would be surprising for anyone i think
BTS: right right right~ sameee
sugi: like 'what?'
V: yea cuz like a direct translation would be like.. ??

RM: but it has like longing baked into it and ..is a sort of love song
hobi: right..
RM: it's a sort of love song
Jin: it contains 'han'
RM: right so it can hold a lot of different meanings and interpretations as a key word
ARIRANG for some people might mean resistance or han
for others it might be a song about longing or sorrow
and because there's already so many different emotions baked into it - we thought it would be a good vessel in which to pour all of our varied emotions as well as all of us - being from Korea

Jm: and also because of course we have so many overseas ARMY - like 'oh what is ARIRANG' - i feel like they might be curious and look it up
RM: and like we performed it ~10 years ago in Paris
Jin: when we had that first meeting and first learned that it would be ARIRANG, I was thinking oh? finally our company is going to have us sing Arirang, and I was really surprised that they were asking us to do that and I thought our title track would be 🎶Arirang, Arirang🎶 and I was like 'oh THIS is gonna be it [our title track]??' and I was so surprised timestamp
sugi: oh right cuz you were on tour
RM to Jin: right cuz Arirang is featured in Body to Body
Jin: right right - it's so good
RM: cuz Arirang was included in Body to Body

Jm to SUGA: oh right cuz we'd been talking about it beforehand right..

RM (continuing): [we] thought it was good because now we have [another] new 2026 *cool (see above note on "cool") version of Arirang
Jm: ahh it's so good ...the song.. truly..

Jin to RM: even regarding that, we had a few meetings right..
RM/sugi/Jm/JK: a LOT of meetings
Jm::mochi giggles::finger guns to RM::

V: was it like 6 times??
Jin: like where and how would we insert [Arirang] it
JK: we went back and forth back and forth [on that point]
Jin (continuing): like how much of the song would go in..
V: i mean because of that we.. like so much.. ::trails off::

Jm: it's our #1 track right?
JK: it was so fun
Jin: it's so good

RM: it's kinda like Body to Body the way.. remember 'Hand in Hand' from the '88 Olympics?

(this content creator has a cute clip explaining this reference to the official theme song of the '88 olympicssorry this also was not able to be embedded)
(ty for sharing this clip w/ me @napmonster7)
I did catch this reference because I grew up with this song too (Hand in Hand) but why reinvent the wheel when another content creator has done such a cute job of talking about it!

sugi: i mean so we took a lot of inspiration from that song is what it is.. 'Hand in Hand'

V: the number 1 track, Body to Body, putting in Arirang towards the end of the song I think was such a good decision.. ::bbsmiles::

Jm: so I mean we're going to start discussing the songs now though right?

hobi: yea
Jm/hobi: i think it'd be good to talk about the songs one by one ~

hobi: i mean yea since the album is out, let's go into a time of sharing/discussing about all the different topics/things we can talk about as they relate back to the album
Jm: sounds good

hobi: truly - we've released a foundational/core/root-level album that contains all of our respective 'colors' and I'm so excited for/looking forward to it [the release]
JK: yup

I've spoken before about how Koreans use the word "color" (색, saek) a lot to mean 'unique touch/ signature style/ etc' - like imbuing something with "your color" or "our color" would mean that the final product evidently points back to you/us/etc. - you'll see not only BTS, but a lot of artists talking about projects use "color" like this if/when they're describing something they really worked hard to imbue with their 'creative fingerprints'

Jm: omg all of a sudden, the reality of the fact that it's out now just hit me..
hobi: right? cuz there are so many more activities/events coming up..

RM: I think that was the hardest thing.. while we were gone, the world changed so much
sugi: so much has changed

RM: like there are so many *cool artist friends that have come out.. like.. and our hoobaes (industry juniors) are also doing so well in a way/direction that's entirely different from ours.. like returning to the beginning.. cuz like you know when someone takes a long break or goes through some kind of crisis, they often go back to the beginning, right? so like .. thinking about our roots but at the same time it has to be fresh/new - i mean it is 2026 now and we worried about that a lot and this album reflects all the concerns and effort we poured into it thinking through all these elements
Jm: that's right that's right

V: for me, i think rather like.. cuz all the musicians ..or like you know there are so many different kinds of music videos out now too - while i was in the military, i studied their work a lot
BTS: mmm
V: cuz really the energy around that too.. like..
RM: cuz there was a LOT of time [while in the military]
V: yea..

Koreans often use this word "friends" (친구, chingoo) to describe a variety of 'groups' so you really have to pay attention to context to see how they're using it

Obviously, sometimes they're literally intending to call out their actual friends - but many times they're using it in general like "folks/people" but a degree warmer in tone/less 'generic' and far removed than just 'folks/people' - and sometimes they use this to refer to little kids, like 'all our little friends' at the MIND school that played their instruments so beautifully, etc.

In the same way they sometimes use "teacher" (선생님 sunsaengnim), not to refer to an educator, but just an acquaintance/stranger whose profession they don't know... etc. if you run into someone on the street and like.. need to ask a stranger for directions, a common form of address might be 'sunsaengnim' - not because you think they're a teacher, but it's just cuz you don't know who they are/what they do but it's a solid general way to show deference. - JK has also used this term to greet strange characters/other players he encounters playing video games

Jm: ah.. it's true you wind up watching a lot of music videos while you're in the military
JK: like so many..
V: like really...
RM: i mean we shared with each other a ton too right? (prob in their groupchat) like "oh this was so cool" or "i liked that one" or "they did really well with this"
V: yea we studied them so much
Jm: and kinda jealous/envious (of their freedom lol) cuz we were all itching to be back performing too - and so now that we're finally out with it all i'm soooo so happy ..truly..

hobi: right so like we got inspo from all those kinds of things ..and so we went to America
JK: that's right
::94s smiling knowingly::
RM (inaudibly): right that was a fun time..

(over each other)
sugi: in 2 ..2 months..
JK: should we talk about the process of making the album?
hobi to JK: yea why don't you share something about that time - like an 'episode' or something
RM to JK: Jung Kookshi - how was it for you?

*episode in Korean refers to like 'an inside-joke-worthy incident' or 'notable incident'
(i love it when the hyungs tee up kookooball to answer something)

JK: it was really really fun
hobi::sunshine laughs at bb bobaball::

(please note how lovingly all the hyungs look at their bb bobaball)

JK: no really .. just.. i mean i don't know about anything else -
sugi: i mean i guess it was kinda funny
JK: i mean it was challenging too but like that set up.. I just had .. so much.. like soooo much fun

and i cry for 43 years. of course they all loved being reunited. but bb bobaball LOVEDDDDDD being back with his hyungies and i cry. FOR FORTY THREE YEARS. goodbye.

RM: i mean my first thought.. (hobi was also about to talk) oh sry sry go ahead.. go ahead (to hobi)
hobi: oh no just that yea like 2 months is not a short amount of time - maybe about that part?
JK: i mean it was kinda like being back in the dorms after a longgg time too
RM: so Jung Kook.. well cuz Jung Kook came up so I wanna mention this story about him but.. but like Jung Kook for the first .. week? or so .. there were people who weren't there yet right?
JK: O_O wot?? ::commence boba tappies::
RM: like.. who.. Jin hyung wasn't there..
hobi: i wasn't there..
RM: anyway .. like hobi wasn't there.. hobi wasn't there..
V: I was probably in Paris??
RM: right so it was like me, Jimin, Jung Kook.. the 3 of us??
sugi: no i was there..
RM: oh right hyung you were there too - and Jung Kook like.. kinda .. he wouldn't go into the room and just stayed outside.. like just being shy and he wouldn't do anything.. like just.. so the two of us were like trying to shove him into the room.. (to JK) do you remember??

(please witness the face of someone who does not, in fact, remember)

RM: we were like 'Jung Kook, go in and like sing - if you. sing, they'd all like that.. '
Jm: ohhh you mean when we were working...
RM: yea at the beginning of the work..

the moment boba remembers
(i love that Jimin is always so tuned into to boba's affairs - must protect our bb boba)

JK: ohhh right right right right
hobi: ohh Jung Kook was being shy?

I had the CRAZY last minute opportunity to go to the Spotify X BTS's Swimside Event in NYC and see BTS up close and I'll get into that experience more later but one thing I noticed - was how shy Jung Kook actually was in real life. I wasn't exactly surprised by it you know? But it did hit me a bit differently to witness the vulnerability of the tiny boba just a few feet/meters in front of me... I left that experience wildly shaken for a number of reasons. But that story's for another time 🥰

RM: we were like "Jung Kook go like do somethingg" ::imitates shoving him into the room::
hobi: i mean even by the time I got there.. he was still kinda like that..
RM: but by then, he'd actually loosened up a lottt
hobi: oh yea?
RM: in the beginning he was just like ::sits looking down::

(please witness bb boba beaming from the face to see hyungie's re-enactment)
RM: just like.. ::looking down:: he'd come out and then eat something and then.. like ..
Jin (aka boba's mama aka boba's oldest protector and biggest fan): like the image of him when he was just 15
RM: yea
JK: cuz.. i was *민망하니까

*민망하다 (minmanghada) = it's awkward/slightly embarrassing/[subj is] a bit self-consious
Often times this is just translated as 'embarrassing' or 'shy' but it addresses more the self-conscious/discomfort of it all a bit more than just 'oh he's shy or embarassed' it's 'he feels vulnerable/awk'

Jm to RM: I mean cuz honestly.. hyung - even for you - speaking English as well as you can, it can be *minmanghae and challenging too right?
RM: right..
Jm: so even for me.. I was just like imma just close my eyes, go in [to the workroom/studio] and just do whatever/give it a go.. but THIS KID.. this kid who is so much better at it than I am.. just .. stayed in the back just watching from the sidelines.. like.. [i was like] 'what are you doingggg' 'get in thereee you punkkk' 'youuu gotta do this'

justice for Jimin lolll he tried
look at boba's smile - i am ded - can you tell how much i love boba? he is so tinycakes.

also, i think JK actually works the hardest on accurate pronunciations of words and even moreso, pays special attention to stressed syllables in the cadence of everyday speech. of COURSE RM has done so much for the group but because he's in like.. survival translation mode - he has to ride the cadence of the conversation and answer quickly~ but JK who has the luxury of sorta speaking (in English) when/as he wants, has had the margin to pay attention to that and though his vocabulary/comfort with speaking is likely WAY less than RM's ability, I think JK actually sounds the most fluent when, in fact, he does speak...

And let me tell you as a kid with immigrant parents, more than even just reading/writing - learning where to put stress in the singsongy cadence of a sentence is far harder to learn because that's the kinda thing that isn't taught - you absorb from practice and listening! super proud of all of them and of course of our shy bobaball & honey thighs

JK: i mean like.. my ears kept turning so red #shyboba #deadtk #sendhelp
sugi: i mean it's true .. never had sessions like this with so many different producers
JK: but then like after 2 weeks thoughh..
hobi: oh AFTER that point there was no turning back [for JK] and you were all like please listen to this sound hobi makes imitating JK
Jm: like in the end..
V: [JK was] like 'GIMME THE MIC'
Jm: like in the end..
RM: [imitating JK] oh you can't split the beat this way - you should do it that way
Jm: he [JK] played such a big role for us
RM: he did play such a big role for us

sugi: I mean yea this time around.. i know if you look at the credits there are all those named producers but like ..we did take the lead on everything ourselves and ALL went into it [the work] with the mindset/role of producers anyway so..

RM: and actually I think they [us/fans] might be curious about that aspect so maybe with each song, one at a time, we can kinda unpack.. and ask questions/discuss?
sugi: exactly.. if we wanted to share some 'behind the scenes' stories, i think going about it song by song would be best..

RM: i mean cuz even before going into the process of making songs.. just the sheer amount of time we spent together is.. I think that was more important..
well and actually, more important than that, Jin hyung was discharged first -

if you think it might be helpful, i might clip this part of the vid and speak on this a little bit more because that 'one' viral creator spreading unnecessary drama and hurting the feelings of the fans for NO CONCRETE REASON did lowkey piss me all the way off...

exact timestamp of the moment when RM pauses all other conversations to give Jin his due flowers, with ALL other brothers in agreement and chiming in here and there, and recognize the incredible role Jin had to play for the continued success of their group

RM (continuing): and he kept the flow of things in place.
JK: THAT'S RIGHT! (ZERO hesitation and ALL the passion to echo love for his mamabird and bestest mat hyung, Jin)
RM: hyung, you went around for your tour... filmed all the 'Run Seokjin' content.. hyung you also did Kian's Bizarre BNB..
hobi: like you were so busy
RM: hyung, like you really did everything that the general public would appreciate.. (this means literally what it says but is also implying that he kept/made BTS/Jin accessible through all this content that the 'general public' could appreciate) ...i mean I've never ever met anyone that doesn't like Jin hyung..
Jm: that's truee ::boba thumbs up::

Jin doesn't really know how to absorb all these compliments and probably does have a lot of complex feelings of his own about the whole process - PROBABLY (notice how I don't say CERTAINLY or ONLY) including acknowledgment of how difficult that process was for him to endure alone, perhaps how much fun it was to have FULL creative reign over his own show, grief/dissonance over how much he wanted to be with his brothers but needed to finish his tour, pride over how well his own tour went, quiet resolve recognizing the role he played not only for his solo career but for the health of BTS as a group and SOOOO MUCH MORE - but there is ZERO BAD WILL; ZERO BULLYING; ZERO HOLDING BACK OF SOME DRAMATIC WHATEVER going on here coming from Jin OR the other members- be SO forreal right now~

If I pause and show selective screenshots of any of the members grimacing or yawning or zoning out and then interpret it, as a bilingual person, asserting that this IS THE ONLY WAY to interpret this facial expression - that, in my opinion, is harmful - not helpful. I'm sure there are TONS more narratives I could stitch together to start ALL sorts of new viral drama if I wanted to isolate facial expressions and weave a story that'll rile up ARMY. There's no shortage of facial expressions to work with when it comes to BTS, right? But please - follow translators that prioritize accuracy/transparency over trending.

RM (continuing): of course hyung.. you're so goodlooking that.. i mean even in my opinion.. i think if you were like.. looking at me talking to me.. it'd be REALLY hard to dislike you..

(WITNESS ALL THE LOVE.)

Jin::shylaughs::
RM: you have the type of face that doesn't have strong *호/불호

호/불호 (ho/bulho) =strong like/dislike feelings e.g., with things like 'pineapple on pizza' or 'cilantro' or 'mint chocolate' - these subjects that have folks STRONGLY divided on whether or not they like that thing.. like people who like pineapple on pizza will die on that hill etc. - so when he says Jin's face is NOT like this, he's saying that most people can't help but to love him

JK or Jimin (I can't hear cuz it's said in very tinyyy): that's right. yes.

RM: hyung, your role - i mean when I went to your concert ..I was like actually so emotional
hobi: you know it's only right for goodlooking folks to KEEP showing their face, hyunggg
Jin: oof gamsahamnida
hobi: keep showing your face a lot in the future too please
RM: the world should be friendly.. (...i don't know why he said this LOL idk if this is a meme? as far as I know it's not like an idiom or anything.. maybe it's an inside joke of theirs?? but this doesn't super make sense here otherwise LOLL)
Jin: um.. this is so random I feel *minmanghae (see above) ::hamsterprincessgiggless:: ::doesn't know what to do with himself LOL::

Jm to Jin: I know it was not an easy schedule to keep up
RM to Jin: hyung, you really endured so much. thank you so much..

Jin: ai.. ai.. you know how I joined you all in America with just about a week before the end of that session?
RM: after the tour ended
Jin: yea because i was on tour - i was only able to join about a week before the end of the session but these guys (BTS members) were working SO hard on making the music.. like they'd wake up and then when we'd get home.. they'd look up to the sky and be like ::deep sigh::
::BTS bursts into laughter::
and seeing them like that.. i mean i thought i was having a hard time but then seeing them like that.. i realized like.. oh man these guys were having a rough time too..

sugi: my favorite thing was lying down in the veranda ..in the night time..

please see how cute sugi is and how smiley he is talking about resting on the veranda AGHHHDFJG:KLDJF:GLJ:DLFKJGSUGAAAAAA

RM to SUGA: hyung, you were like.. friggng Garfield .. always lying there..
sugi: holding my coffee

(no cuz i'm dead..look how happy he is reliving his coffee on the veranda life)
always give him coffee on sun-soaked verandas and never make him enter water. these are the rules.

Jin: our kids (the BTS members) KEPT taking these deeeeep sighs

this isn't as rigidly observed in Korean culture as it once was but in general, taking deeeeep sighs thoughtlessly while you have company is not very polite.. because it seems like your calling attention to your own distress (but everyone has it hard so.. who are you do call attention to it you know?) - SUCH THAT - if you do and you're not an impolite person it's regarded kinda like 'oh shoot that person must really be having a rough time' cuz it warranted letting out a deep sigh - and Jin's observing that once he reunited with the group, he'd see "his kids/the members" staring up at the sky and sighing in the morning AND after work.. so much - it must've worn on him

I'm also just gonna put this back. Jin MISSED being with them and was SO HAPPY to be reunited with them.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TK ◖|•ᴗ•|◗♪ (@tk.insights)

all to say, we use our deep sighs sparingly unless we're THAT exhausted/worn out and/or we're around our safe people - who'd know how to interpret it

In this case, Jin/BTS is both these things for each other - close enough to be honestly vulnerable/exhausted before one another AND sincerely exhausted overall

Jm: we did a lot of this kinda stuff where.. i mean cuz we didn't know how to choose the topic we kept throwing out more and more [topics] with Namjoonie hyung like 'hyung, what is *틈 in english?' and stuff like that.. how is 'teum' or 'binteum'

*틈 (teum) = gap, crack, space, etc.
If you say something like "oh I read that book teumteumee" - means I read that book, bit by bit, whenenver I had the chance - like in the "cracks/gaps/spaces" in my schedule;
*빈틈 (bin teum) = unfilled gap/crack/space/etc.

Jin: no cuz I arrived on scene and heard they'd already made like 100+ songs so i was like... i mean where do I start/what should I listen to??
sugi: i think we made ..what like 120 songs??
RM: probably like a hundred..sixt...twenty songs?

V: but Jin hyung too - when I was watching him work on the music, he was really really shy.. more than i thought he'd be
Jin: oh i'm SOOO shy..
RM to Jin: hyung, how could you be shy after finishing up a WORLD tour??
Jin: no.. I was shy throughout the world tour too
RM/hobi::laughs::
Jin: no cuz really like .. I can't really make direct eye contact and ..
sugi: oh i'm the sameee i'm the samee

V: no but okay he's [Jin] is the best at SAYING the cringiest/cheesiest/shy-inducing things to others~~~
JK: that's so truee..
V: like truly.. so..

Jin: no like i am shy but i am a celebrity so I say things like that HAVING to step into that kinda role you know?
V: [i'd be like] 'hyung, can you come and try this' or 'hyung, is this okay?' and then he'd be all like ::sits still/quietly:: and just his ears turn red..

RM: aren't the two that are strongest with that kinda thing Hobi and Taehyungie?
Jm: yea that's right, that's right

(never missing an opportunity to hype up his 95 twinnie)

Jm: Taehyungie too, this time, reallyyyy did a great job from the very beginning..
JK: right right it was so fun
Jin: right he did SO well..

hobi: for me I had the experience of having had one session before right? so..
RM: right right..
hobi: so I was pretty familiar with the vibe there already
JK: it was so funnn
hobi: and doing everything WITH the members was SO much moreee fun!

yall, do you think JK had fun or nah?

RM to hobi: was there a difference that you felt [as compared to when he had creative sessions for his solo projects]
hobi: i mean well for my own projects I just did what I wanted so...
sugi: exactly..
hobi: so i just expressed the style I wanted.. and then we worked from there but
JK: that's right that's right that's right
Jin: that's right

(granted RM is asking j-hope about his experiences specifically right now, with the nodding/agreeing of Jin and JK - I'm reminded of the fact that ALL SEVEN of them now have, under their belt, the experience of directing/influencing teams of creatives in their preferred direction for their solo projects - so they're ALL familiar with the differences in experiencing more full creative reign versus subordinating decisions to the entire group for the final call)

hobi (continuing): but as a team, i mean we clearly had music that we knew we had to create and [I realized] I couldn't help but think of how our different vocals would color the music respectively~
RM: oh yea inevitable~
hobi: yea thinking like 'oh if a certain member came in at this part it'd be nice' - and so thinking that far (by default, now that they were working/creating as a team), kinda a bit.. like there were more limitations/constraints
RM: even so.. hobi .. now... i mean.. in any case - as we moved into the latter half ..cuz at first we were just making anything/everything
as we approached the mid-to-late stages, we started looking for the kinds of songs we needed.. this and that..
and then hobi's role at that time - among all the other things - a critical contribution was that he was able to tell us that 'this song would be difficult to dance to' or 'oh i can see this song being really great/natural as a performance piece' - he was able to make these calls really quickly
hobi: i mean we were looking for solid performance pieces so .. like ones to do on stage or.. at least for dancing..cuz we have to perform so we worked on a lot of songs that would accommodate that towards the latter half of our time
Jm: team lead!
hobi: so while doing that we had a lot of discussions.. and talked a lot amongst the members too..

RM: i mean it was fascinating to me cuz.. [he'd be like] 'you can dance to this..' 'you can't really dance to this' and to me it all sounds the same..
Jin: me too
RM: like i mean i feel like if you just dance.. you could just dance to it.. .....anyway

LOLLL RM & Jin like.. wdym there are songs that you can't dance to?? JK lookin at RM like 'ehh it's good you have honey thighs' lolll

hobi: anyway.. like.. anyway..
RM: it was *cool (see above note on "cool")
hobi: i mean in a sec when we talk more about the album - we'll share more details on things like that...
JK: let's share it like at the same time
sugi: like per song there are so many 'behinds'

*비하인드 ("behind") - literally "behind" as in 'behind the scenes' bits

V: oh so then should we listen to each song and then share as we go? is that what we're doing?
Jm/JK: starting with the first track..?
JK: and let's go straight through?
RM: are we doing this as we listen??

(not one clue is had in this photo re: how to conduct this live. lolll)
Jm: like like.. maybe we can just hear the beginning parts a bit?
sugi: oh they'll turn it on as background music probably?

RM: oh but this album ..like we kept working on it additionally once we got back to Korea too right?
V: right
hobi: but like it wasn't finished when we were in America though..
sugi: oh we worked on it a lot in the later half ..
V: oh yea we basically just set the framework while there [in America]

sugi: i mean we wrote all the songs in America..
RM: but we kept editing/reworking it a lot..
sugi: and then those of us that were writing lyrics kept working on it in Korea too..
JK/RM: that's right that's right that's right

Jin: And for me - I heard more than half of the album after we got back to Korea
RM: hyung, you were only there for like a week
JK: but it's cuz you were busy though!
Jin: ..I did hear more than half the album in Korea ..

stands up for Jin and immediately turns into a bubble. bully where?

Okay that's it for the first part! I think I'll be breaking this into 3 total parts so I can handle the translation/commentary and you can handle the HUGE amount of reading in chunks.

As ever, thank you so much for reading! Please feel free to leave me comments/questions!! Trolls will be ignored 😘.