BTS is leaving the military. How are we all doing?
“BTS took so long that I…”
In recent weeks, my TikTok feed has been dominated with videos marking BTS’s return from the military.
Set to the sound of “I Need U”, people shared videos with the words: “BTS took so long that I_”.
Many went on to fill in the blanks by giving updates on their lives over the last two years.
Some had children, while others got married or ended up getting their first boyfriends. People graduated from school, bought their first home or got a divorce. In rarer instances, some fans even shared stories of beating cancer or escaping war.
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Like many of these BTS fans (or ARMY), I too started thinking about the changes I’ve experienced over the last two years.
A lot has happened, yet so much also has not changed. I’m still living in Toronto. My day job has relatively stayed the same, though I’ve picked up more responsibilities and produced projects I am proud of.
However, on the newsletter front, it’s taken off in ways I could have never imagined. Funnily enough, the first real post of this newsletter started with my reaction to the BTS members announcing they would all enlist in the military. It was during this point in my life where I started wondering how to tell Asian stories more seriously from a Canadian POV.
Over the last two years, I’ve reviewed shows, interviewed artists and scored dream bylines. But most importantly, K-pop has led me to connect to so many people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. This would not have been possible had I not watched BTS perform “Black Swan” on YouTube in January 2020.
Like many during the COVID-19 pandemic, BTS became a constant companion and a source of joy. Cooped up in our homes, we listened to the boys’ music, watched livestreamed concerts and consumed the band’s vlogs and variety shows.
That’s why when BTS announced they would focus on solo activities and enlist, many approached the news with dread and sadness. How could it not feel emotional, especially after the band played such an important role during a time of uncertainty?
But in the words of BTS, “Life Goes On.”
Just as the band entered a new chapter between 2022 and 2024, many of us did too.
Thankfully, BTS planned out their content meticulously, ensuring fans had solo releases and content banked for the next two years.
In 2023, Suga went on tour, ensuring ARMY could gather together once more. And on BTS’s 10th anniversary (June 13, 2023), the group even released a track called “Take Two” to honour the milestone.
The earlier staggered enlistments of Jin followed by j-hope also gave fans something to look forward to. Jin, who will go on his own solo tour later this summer, immediately held a fan meet a day after his military discharge and hugged 1,000 fans. J-hope, who left the military last October, embarked on his own solo tour this past March and finished his shows just in time for this year’s FESTA.
The timing of the latter was all too perfect and well-planned, as RM, V, Jimin and Jungkook had all finished their military service days earlier. Suga, who also attended the J-hope concert last week with his members, will be released from his social service duty at the end of the week.
Over the last few days, my group chats dinged with the latest updates from Jimin and Jungkook’s Weverse livestream, or wholesome moments of RM and V’s military discharge (saxophone in tow!)
In many ways, it brought back a lot of the nostalgia of the connections I forged early in the pandemic with people I now consider close friends. And I know it sounds dramatic, but the BTS members being back together felt like a part of my world was right again.
In the last two years, I’ve witnessed friends get married or engaged, move into a new home or find a new jobs. Life moves fast in your late 20s and early 30s. But we always found the time for each other and Bangtan when we could. This past week has been no exception.
In 2025, it can be easy to dwell on the ugliness of the world in these tumultuous and scary times, but I always choose to look for signs that can give us hope.
BTS have always been a sign of optimism for me during times of uncertainty. That’s why I’ll always choose to hold onto them and their music to give me comfort.
Hopefully the band can feel the same about their fans too.
See me elsewhere!
If you’ve been following the newsletter, you may have read my interview with JUST B’s Bain in May following his coming out announcement.
But here's a lesson that entertainment profiles and interviews are always evolving.
My journey to writing about JUST B started with a zoom call with just one of the members, Geonu. While I love group interviews, it at times can be a challenge to fit everyone's quotes in thoughtfully. The opportunity to sit with Geonu allowed for a deeper conversation around the band's hardships, his journey on survival reality shows and burnout.
Though weeks later, the story around JUST B changed again. Member Bain broke ground by coming out as gay on stage. I couldn't let the story go without hearing from Bain, and so I chased another interview with him as well.
Entertainment profiles can be tricky, especially when artists have rehearsed messages they have to relay to promote their performances and albums. It's the job of a journalist to ask good questions. But it's also on the artists and their teams to take things a step further to try and connect with an audience.
My conversations with Geonu and Bain were illuminating because they were willing to play ball with me while being open and honest about their journey as artists.
The way this piece ended up would not have been possible without that, and I am so grateful for their time.
Read more on RepresentASIAN Project.
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