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Exploring BTS’ Bangtan Universe: Theories, characters, music videos and more featuring members RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V, Jungkook
Exploring BTS’ highly popular Bangtan Universe which features a K-drama, music videos, theories, and more with members RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V, Jungkook.
The BTS Universe, also known as the Bangtan Universe or BU, originally referred to as The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Series or Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa Series (HYYH Series), officially adopted its name and logo in 2017.
It is an original narrative centered around a series of music videos and short films, produced independently by HYBE and BIGHIT MUSIC, featuring characters portrayed by BTS members RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. The franchise has grown to encompass short stories, books, a webtoon, and a visual novel. Additionally, a drama titled Begins Youth has been released as part of this expansive universe.
Trigger Warning: The BU explores sensitive and potentially triggering themes such as abuse, suicide or suicidal thoughts, and homicide.
Bangtan universe plot
The Bangtan Universe (BU) is a fictional universe crafted by BIGHIT MUSIC as a platform for storytelling. It originated with BTS' music video I Need U, which was released on April 29, 2015. In these videos, BTS started portraying characters as part of their narrative.
The Bangtan Universe (BU) narrates the tale of seven friends bound by destiny, trapped in a recurring cycle of suffering. As they each pursue their individual paths and confront diverse challenges, one of them receives a chance to travel back in time, aiming to reunite them and rectify past wrongs.
It's important to note that while the characters in the BU resemble the BTS members, they are fictional entities, and the events depicted are not based on real-life occurrences.
Bangtan Universe characters
1. Jin
Jin, the central figure of this universe, has recently moved from an American school and has a passion for capturing moments through photography. One day, he encounters a woman who accidentally drops her diary. Intrigued, Jin flips through its pages and uncovers a captivating mystery about the elusive "Smeraldo flower."
Determined to learn more, Jin discovers wild Smeraldo flowers and plans a special date with the girl. Tragically, she is struck by a car while crossing the street. In the aftermath, Jin realizes he possesses the ability to turn back time.
As he attempts to use this power to protect her and others, he faces constant challenges and grapples with the consequences of altering fate. Each attempt to change the past leads to unexpected outcomes, forcing Jin to confront the delicate balance between destiny and free will.
SUGA
Yoongi cherished playing the piano with his mother until her tragic death in a fire, after which he moved in with his father. Struggling with grief and the oppressive silence of his new home, Yoongi finds some comfort in his friends, though his pain sometimes causes him to lash out, as seen in his clash with Jungkook in the Run music video.
In the webtoon storyline, Yoongi meets an untimely demise despite Jungkook's desperate attempt to rescue him from a fire, as depicted in the Euphoria music video. However, with the possibility of time travel introduced, there remains hope that Yoongi might return in the future.
RM
Namjoon works part-time at a gas station and tends to act rebelliously. He deeply cares for his friends, but when things get serious, he struggles to intervene directly, often watching from a distance.
This conflict within Namjoon stems from his desire to protect his friends conflicting with his need to safeguard himself. Unfortunately, when Taehyung finds himself in trouble, Namjoon is unable to help due to his previous incarceration.
J-Hope
Hoseok was left alone by his mother at an amusement park as a child, which led to a decade-long stay in an orphanage, deeply impacting his mental health. Eventually diagnosed with Munchausen Syndrome, he battles with portraying himself as ill despite being healthy, intensifying his emotional struggles.
Often carrying medication, Hoseok wrestles with the decision of whether to take it or not. Despite his challenges, he shares a close bond with Jimin, always protective and vigilant over his friend's well-being.
Jimin
Jimin suffers from a debilitating illness that causes frequent seizures, often leading to extended hospital stays. His condition forces him to switch schools regularly due to these prolonged absences. Despite finding happiness upon meeting his friends, each return to the hospital plunges him back into depression, repeating a painful cycle in his life.
V
Taehyung's mother passed away when he was younger, leaving him and his sister under the care of their increasingly abusive father. To cope with this, Taehyung finds peace in his friendship with Namjoon, and together they engage in activities like vandalism as a way to distract themselves.
One day, Taehyung discovers his sister being mistreated by their father, and in an attempt to protect her, a tragic incident unfolds where he kills his father as he tries to stop during the events depicted in the music video for I NEED U.
Jungkook
Jungkook, the youngest member of the group, holds a deep desire for his older brothers (hyungs) to find happiness. He shares a particularly strong bond with Yoongi, who struggles with the loss of his mother.
In the Euphoria music video, he tragically commits suicide, possibly influenced by his inability to save Yoongi from a fire depicted earlier in the video. Jungkook's inability to maintain everyone's happiness weighs heavily on him, impacting him deeply.
Bangtan Universe content
HYYH notes
HYYH stands for "hwayangyeonhwa" (화양연화), the trilogy of albums released before WINGS. It loosely translates to "the most beautiful moment in life" and serves as the starting point for the BU. The HYYH Notes, originally shared as tweets and small booklets with Love Yourself: HER, offer plot glimpses. Alongside the LOVE YOURSELF and MAP OF THE SOUL trilogies, The Notes booklets were included in the albums, presenting the BU story in first-person journal entries with dates and character perspectives noted.
In addition to these booklets, BIGHIT released full books titled The Notes 1 & 2 in 2019 and 2020 respectively. The Notes 1 expands on the content introduced with the LOVE YOURSELF albums, while The Notes 2 does the same for MAP OF THE SOUL. While there is some overlap in content between the album booklets and the books, each version’s booklet offers slightly different perspectives and details.
Save Me webtoon and Begins Youth
In April 2019, BIGHIT released Save Me, a 15-episode webtoon. While The Notes include events both before and after Save Me, the webtoon primarily focuses on Seokjin's actions and perspective as the central protagonist. Its storyline mirrors themes depicted in BTS music videos and related content like the book HYYH: The Notes 1. The webtoon's title pays homage to BTS' 2016 single Save Me from The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever.
Each of the seven central characters in the BU universe is named after each band member's real name, with exclusive backstories crafted specifically for this universe to avoid confusion with their real-life identities.
Recently released Begins ≠ Youth expands upon the storyline depicted in BTS' music videos and the Save Me webtoon. The narrative starts with Kim Hwan meeting the other six boys, each struggling with their own challenges.
Together, they navigate and conquer their personal difficulties. Filming was paused in late October 2020 due to concerns from fans regarding the characters sharing the same names as the group members. On April 7, 2021, it was announced that the main characters' names would be changed, and certain scenes would be reshot to address these concerns.
What is Smeraldo Flower: Theories surrounding fictional flower
The smeraldo flower, a fictional bloom within the BU, carries symbolic meaning: "non potevo dire la verità" in Italian, translated as "the truth I couldn't speak" or "the truth untold." The Smeraldo blog mysteriously surfaced before the Love Yourself: HER comeback in 2017, offering lore and backstory about the fictional smeraldo flower featured in the BU.
Jin further sparked intrigue by tweeting a photo with this fictional flower a month before the album's release. This tweet eventually led fans to uncover the Smeraldo blog on Naver, established on July 4, 2017, which already housed multiple posts by the time it was discovered.
Testesso's Naver Blog featured stories about the Smeraldo Flower and his shop, detailing various accounts of the flower's origin and his personal experiences. These narratives were initially deleted, and on July 4, 2018, the blog was rebranded with the BU logo. Shortly after, it began reposting the previous year's stories, with a notable change in the eighth tale: Seokjin didn't pre-order the Smeraldo Flowers for the girl because he reversed time.
As of July 6, 2020, all the content on Testesso's blog was deleted for the second time, with posts gradually being reuploaded on the same dates. However, in the updated version from 2020, the third story was posted on July 15 instead of July 17 as in previous versions.
In this iteration, Testesso recounts seeing a man with an umbrella stop in front of his shop during a typhoon, diverging from previous versions where he discussed the flower's real-life discovery. Subsequent uploads followed the original schedule.
Music videos under Bangtan Universe
According to fans, videos associated with the fictional world of BU are typically marked with "BU content certified by Big Hit Entertainment" in the video descriptions. However, some videos without this marker may still be connected to the BU storyline.
1. I NEED U
2. I Need U (Original Ver.)
3. HYYH On Stage: Prologue
4. Run
5. I Need U (Japanese Ver.)
6. Run (Japanese Ver.)
7. Epilogue: Young Forever
8. Begin
9. Lie
10. Stigma
11. First Love
12. Reflection
13. Mama
14. Awake
15. Blood Sweat & Tears
16. Blood Sweat & Tears (Japanese Ver.)
17. Love Yourself Highlight Reel
18. Euphoria: Theme of Love Yourself Wonder
19. Fake Love
20. Fake Love (Extended Ver.)
21. Epiphany
22. Film Out
23. BTS Universe Story Teaser
Additionally, BTS Jimin's recent song Smeraldo Garden Marching Band also hints at the fictional flower and its significance within the BU universe.
Many fans have developed numerous theories surrounding the Bangtan Universe and its characters and storylines. It's a deeply engaging fictional world where fans collaborate to interpret songs and associated theories. BTS themselves acknowledged this dynamic in their song Pied Piper.
The expansion of content through additional short films, narrative texts, webtoon, and a K-drama exemplifies this interactive storytelling approach. Transmedia storytelling, which spans multiple types of media interconnected by a unified narrative, provides a compelling way to involve audiences, empowering fans to actively participate in shaping the story.
ALSO READ: BTS' iconic term I Purple You Explained
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