Honestly, I thought there was going to be more BTS content in this Tonight Show takeover but I will take whatever BTS material when I can! The global superstars took to the World Cup Bridge in Seoul- South Korea- to perform the song that has managed to stay at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for seven weeks. I also watched the full version of their interview about the rumours about them (I had only watched the YouTube video on it yesterday which was cut down) and thankfully RM and Jungkook did actually get a little question about themselves. I’m still kind of sad that they edited out their parts in the main video. It was literally an extra two minutes or so, why would you cut out any of these boys?? I’ll talk about them here to give them a moment to shine. Not that many people will read this article but at least it’s something! Let’s take a look.
Shout out and big thanks to the YouTube channel Pinkkookie 7 for posting the extended version of the boys reacting to popular rumours on YouTube. I am indebted to you. The first rumour that was cut from the main YouTube video was the band sharing one room when they first debuted. I have heard this one before and had seen that it was the truth but SUGA explains just how cramped the situation must have been, noting that there was one normal bed and three bunk beds with a tiny space in between them to walk through that could only fit one person. I am lucky that I have always had my own room and never had to share with my sibling growing up so- as entitled as this is- this is a nightmare living situation to me. Not so much the small space. I’m not fussed by the size of a room. It’s just the thought of being in such close proximity with other people. Not matter who you are to them- even if they are family- I just hate it. The fact that the seven of them lived amongst each other like this for so long proves their dedication to their dream of becoming artists. I’d like to think that despite my hang ups at the lack of personal space, I too would be willing to do that if it meant I could do what I loved. Maybe. It’s easy to say that isn’t it? If the situation actually arises, it’s never that simple. I feel for Jungkook here, who would only have been 15 or 16 when this was going on. He must have been so homesick at times. He was just a baby after all. I know I couldn’t have moved to another part of the country and shared a room with six other people at that age. It also makes me wonder what kind of arguments happened between the band in that time. There is no way that you can live so closely with people and not step on each other’s toes, both literally and metaphorically. BTS may now have fame and fortune and personal space for days if they so choose, but you have to appreciate how they have earned that and what conditions they lived in to achieve their goals. Their success wasn’t set in stone either, which probably made the living situation all the more difficult. It makes me wonder about all those other K-pop idol groups who didn’t succeed. What did they have to go through only to fail in their dreams? Jimmy asks the group what they learnt in that time and Jimin states that the guys are “so dirty and messy”. I can’t imagine the chaos of seven teenage boys living in close quarters. j-hope jokes that he “hates BTS” which is hilarious but I also have read that he was the one who usually did a lot of the cleaning when they were living together and so I am sure he probably did despise them quite frequently during that time. All I know is that I have massive respect to them for doing this in pursuit of their dreams.
RM gets a question about his clumsiness which was cut out of the YouTube video. Fans of the band will know that we have nicknamed him the “God of Destruction” thanks to this habit. I think that is enough to tell you how good he is at breaking things. He also says that he is the only one who doesn’t drive and he didn’t get his license for “world peace”. I can relate to this honestly. I am almost 29 and I don’t drive because I am terrified to do so but I’m also painfully clumsy and I just feel like I would be putting the entire world in danger if I was to be let loose on the roads. It’s for the best that we clumsy folks avoid driving, for all of your sakes.
Jungkook also got a question and I am surprised that this was cut from the YouTube video because Jungkook has a massive fan base all on his own. When I saw his answer, I can see why editors maybe thought it wasn’t interesting enough to put in the main video and then I felt kind of angry. Jungkook is adorable and very much a team player within BTS but he has the charisma that can only be found in a handful of natural born stars. This comment may seem controversial but I think as amazing as all of the BTS boys are, Jungkook is the only one to have this. David Bowie had it, Freddie Mercury had it, Michael Jackson had it and I think that Jungkook has it. But in the same way that a lot of highly talented artists are, he also seems to be mortifyingly shy at times. He is one of the introverted members of the group- along with Jin and SUGA- and as much as you wouldn’t think so when he is on the stage, you can definitely tell in interviews. He is quiet and fidgety- sometimes to the point of seeming restless- but pleasant and always smiling. He doesn’t go out of his way to talk if it isn’t necessary. Jimmy asks Jungkook about his role as the “golden maknae” of the group, a name that relates to his role as the youngest member of BTS as well as his multiple talents as there is a running joke that he is good at everything. I say it’s a joke but it’s not really because he always does seem to excel in everything he does (yes, one of those infuriating types of people). His answer is incredibly modest and humble, saying that this particular rumour is “not true” in English before going into his native Korean to say that he thinks there are a lot of things he isn’t good at. He says that his main problem is concentration as he is only able to properly concentrate on things that he likes and he struggles a lot to pay attention to things that he doesn’t. This is pretty apparent in a lot of the video content on BTS, with a “Jungshook” meme being born from various moments of him looking like a deer in the headlights when he zones out. Again, this is super relatable to me personally but also to a lot of other people who struggle to pay attention. A personal example I have of this is that it took tons of attempts for me to get a barely passable grade in my Maths GCSE (the UK secondary education certification) when at school because I struggled to understand it, therefore leading to me becoming painfully disinterested. I passed my English GCSE exam early -when I was 13, about to turn 14-because I love reading and writing. If I’m interested, I’m all in (can you tell that BTS are one of my current interests??) and if I’m not, sometimes I will just not even bother. However, sometimes I do genuinely try my best – especially if it is something important to someone I care about- but I struggle so hard to get my brain to focus. This can get so bad that I genuinely feel like a total moron at times as it feels like all of the information being given to me is swirling rapidly in my head and becoming one massive blur of confusion, turning my brain to mush in the process. Jungkook’s admission of his concentration difficulties is a really relatable fact that a lot of people could connect to so it sucks that it isn’t seen in the video that will be getting millions of views. It seems like a genuine answer that gives us some insight into Jungkook as a person rather than as a superstar and I’m bummed out that it was probably cut because the editors didn’t think it was interesting enough.
One last question that was cut was when Jimmy asks the group what they have learnt about each other during their time together. Whilst the answer about V sleeping with his eyes open was kept in, Jin’s response that RM works out too much and has turned himself into The Hulk was cut. This should be a crime in all honestly. We stan buff RM and the way that he is clearly embarrassed by this and tries to hide himself is adorable. Quick question to my fellow ARMY out there: does V seem a little uninterested in this whole thing? The other members are at least trying to laugh and have a good time but V just seems bored with the whole proceedings. Particularly in this moment when they are all giggling about RM- who pleads for us to stop the rumours (we will not. They are not rumours. You are a buff boy)-he seems unwilling to participate. V, you okay my guy? I feel like he needs a hug. Can we give him a hug, please?
The boys then performed their chart topping smash hit “Butter” and they did it in style, as expected. The group took over The World Cup bridge in Seoul for this performance, complete with spotlights and stylish monochromatic outfits that really should be illegal. A few little highlights for me personally: Jin’s wink at the beginning (why Jin? How could you break me like this), that ever impressive synchronisation in their dance moves, j-hope and Jungkook leading the dance break and smashing hearts everywhere and all seven of the group having such stable vocals for a song not in their native language. Not much else to say about it other than this performance killed me. That is all.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my coverage of BTS’s appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon! Make sure to check out part one here if you haven’t already.
