The Most Beautiful Moment in Life (화양연화) is where the Bangtan Universe begins. Now, the universe has become so vast that there’s a webtoon, a novel, a new game that is yet to release and a new drama. Other than their music, one of the reasons BTS attracts audience because of their amazing story telling. The Bangtan Universe has a complicated story because there is a time travel involved and so there is an existence of a parallel universe.
The Plot: There are seven boys each of them carrying baggage of their own at very young age. It all begins when one day they are brought together due to a detention for untardiness. Thus, hereforward begins a beautiful friendship. In spite of their sufferings, the seven boys were happy because they were not alone anymore; they had each other. But, good things are often short-lived. The boys grew apart from each other; their distance growing with the passage of time. Things go really go awry for all the boys as they didn’t have each other to comfort while they’re suffering. All of these has been highlighted in I Need U, RUN and Euphoria MV and in The Most Beautiful Moment in Life:Prologue and BTS Love Yourself Highlight Reel.
The Most Beautiful Moment in Life (화양연화) has got an intriguing yet complex storylines. Among the boys, Jin has the power to travel back in time and he uses his power to change the cruel fate of his friends. Save Me webtoon shows Jin racing against time to save his friends. Can he save them?
The further details of the story is covered in the Notes. Unlike the webtoon Save Me which only shows Jin’s perspective, the Notes tells the story from the point of view of each of the boys.
This song is about Pluto, a massive body in our solar system which fell into hard times. Discovered in 1930, Pluto was initially classified as the 9th planet of our solar system but later on got reclassified as 134340, a dwarf planet. Pluto or 134340, here in this song is used as a metaphor for alienation of an individual from the community.
Listen to the song here
If only I could, I wanted to ask you Why did you do that back then? Why did you kick me out?
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) stripped Pluto of its planet status as it did not meet one of the criteria that were used to define a full-sized planet.
This can be interpreted as a situation where the speaker is asking their significant other on why they decided to break off things.
Without a name to myself, I still revolve around you Our goodbye is colorless, that unchanging color
Pluto did not have its name anymore and was labelled with a mere number. Even though Pluto does not have a name anymore, it is still revolving around the sun.
In this song, the speaker refers to themselves as the Pluto and the sun is their lover or someone who is very important to them but has left them. Even though their significant other had decided to end things, the speaker feels that their life still revolves around that person.
There’s no name allowed for me I, too, used to be your star You must feel nice to be the light All I did was to receive you
Pluto received light from the sun and hence the sun is very important to Pluto.
Star symbolizes something eternal which has always been constantly present. The speaker once used to be someone that was important to the person who had left them. Light can signify life, energy, warmth and comfort. The speaker had received all these from their loved one who is gone now.
What meaning is left of the fallen planet’s remaining life I’ll receive it til I die, your stifling stare I still orbit you, and nothing’s changed If love has no name, everything has changed
Pluto is embarrassed for its loss in status and dignity. Regardless of all the incidents that had occurred, Pluto would still continue to revolve around the sun.
Could it be really that you’ve found Eris Tell me, how am I not as good as that moon
Eris is dwarf planet discovered that was discovered in 2005 and its was upon its discovery that led to the demotion of Pluto. Eris was named after the Greek goddess, Eris who is a goddess of discord.
The speaker thinks that their significant other has found someone else and is questioning how are they not as good as that someone else.
Us is the plural form of U Maybe I wasn’t there from the start
The speaker had always selflessly put their lover above themselves. Even though they might not been there for them since the beginning, they have dedicated so much for them after they were together.
Someday, you’ll also understand my words My seasons were always you My cold heart is 248 degrees below zero It stopped the day you erased me Damn
Minus 248 degrees is the coldest temperature of Pluto. It refers to how extremely hurt the speaker was when they were abandoned.
The speaker feels that some day their loved one will understand how much they mean to them. They have dedicated everything to their lover and their feelings became numb the day their lover left them.
I’m just orbiting you (I missed you, I lost you) I’m just going in circles (You erased me, you forgot me)
However, in spite of all the heartbreak , the speaker still misses their lover and their world still revolves around them.
I once belonged in a world under the sun (The song paused, the song stopped) A smoky layer of mist in the heart of the stars (You erased me, you forgot me)
The speaker reminisces the time when them and their lover were together.
It’s not much different from yesterday ay Same old days, except you’re not here We were together just up until yesterday ay But it’s to the point where it’s scary, same days but no you
Everything is still the same but their lover is not with them. But it is so different because their lover is not with them.
I’ll be honest, even up until one year without you I was fine, I didn’t have any feelings left The last day I had forgotten I don’t even remember your scent
But wait, I’ve smelled this perfume somewhere, ay Just when my memory was about to come back I turned my head around and saw you You’re smiling brightly, but beside you there’s
Finally, as time passed, Pluto or the speaker thought that they were doing better and has forgotten about their sun. But, suddenly they come across their sun and all of their repressed feelings comes back flooding. Their lover however, has moved on to someone else.
Ah (Hello?) Hello How are you? I’m doing okay Unlike my heart, that feels like it’ll explode The temperature right now is -248 degrees
The speaker interacts with their lover, tell them they are doing fine. On the contrary, they are feeling deep inside and it hurts the same as the day when they were left behind.
I’m just going in circles (I’m just a hard number to remember And the Pluto of darkness But I’ll continue to orbit around you forever, damn)
Pluto is just a number now and not everyone even knows or remembers that number. Since, Pluto is very far from the sun, it is also very dark over there.
Similarly, the speaker feels that their lover has forgotten about them. Even though they are very distant from their love they would still hold on them.
Note: I have referred to Pluto as the main protagonist or the speaker and the sun as their lover but it does not necessarily has to be a lover. It can be someone or something that the protagonist holds very dear to them but has been abandoned by them.
Whalien 52 is a beautiful song that holds a deep meaning and can be relatable to anyone who has felt loneliness in their life. This song is inspired from the 52 Hertz whale which is said to be the loneliest whale in the world.
The 52 Hertz whale is an individual whale of an unidentified species who calls at a frequency of 52 Hertz which is higher pitched as compared to the call of the other whale species. Even the call patterns of the 52 Hertz is quite unusual as compared to that of the other whales. The calls of this whale has been multiple times in different locations in the 1980s.
Yeah, the most lonely creature in the world Eh, do you want to know my story? I’ve never told this to anybody Yeah, come on
I think this song is BTS’ heartfelt story about their struggles with isolation. Along with isolation, this song is also about the yearning to make your voice heard.
In the middle of the vast ocean
The vast ocean would be vast competition in the music industry world. There are so many hurdles a young individual has to go through with so much competition
One whale speaks softly and lonelily The fact that no matter how much they shout, it won’t reach Makes them so gravely lonely that they quietly shut their mouths
The above lines can be related to BTS’ rookie days. BTS came from a small agency which was not well-known back when they debuted. There has been many instances of them being cut off from broadcasts and less screen time in spite of the quality of their music and performance.
Of course I don’t care what‘s the matter or what I’ve now become When loneliness is the only thing that stays by my side I’ve become completely alone. It’s a lock that fills sadness Someone says, “bastard, you’ve become a celebrity” Oh fuck that! So what?! Nobody remains by my side and I’m fine on my own These words that are easily said towards me quickly becomes a wall Even loneliness turns into something you can see
When you are a trainee all you ever want is to debut but once you debut you realize that the path ahead is not made of flowers but of thorns. BTS was still felt lonely and isolated even though they had fulfilled their dream of debuting. Their voices were still unheard in the midst of the noise of the crowd. The words, “You’ve become a celebrity”, was what they needed to hear the least when they were struggling. Those words only made them sink further in loneliness. I think the people who were their acquaintances, instead of being understanding of the loneliness that the BTS members were feeling, cajoled them saying that it is not a big deal since they already debuted. That has only made them feel lonelier since even their friends could not understand them.
Even if my breaths are blocked Because I’m confined in that wall (I) head towards the surface of water above Hey oh, oh hey oh yeah
The above lines are about them not giving up; even though they are in prolonged isolation, they will raise their voices and break from their loneliness.
Lonely lonely lonely whale Sing alone like this! Will I ever shine so brightly like a remote island?
Lonely lonely lonely whale Like this, try calling once again Until this song that doesn’t have a response Reaches tomorrow
The 52 Hertz whale has been calling out to other whales for a very long time singing its unusual song. BTS too would keep calling out singing everyday with the hopes that it would reach the ears of someone.
No more, no more baby No more, no more An endless signal will reach someday Everywhere, even to the other side of the earth
No more, no more baby No more, no more Even the blind whales will be able to see me Today I sing again
Because, the frequency of a 52 Hertz whale is higher than that of the other whales, the calls it sends out are futile. Using this analogy, BTS is saying that they will keep singing until their song reaches all the deaf ears.
The world will never know How sad I am My hurt is water and oil that can’t mix So only above the surface of the water do I Breathe, and the interest (towards me) ends A child in the lonely ocean I want to make it known too My value, Everyday I become sick with worry, the sticker always beneath my ear Never end… Why is there no end and always hell? As time goes by, it’s a Neverland in a cold abyss! But I always think, now Even if I sleep a shrimp’s sleep, my dreams are like that of a whale’s The upcoming big praise will make me dance everyday Like me, Ye i’m swimmin’
The thing with loneliness is that not every one around will even be aware about the hurt you are feeling. Even if there were, there are always lingering thoughts that you are alone and that no one understands you. You feel worthless wondering when this horrible time will pass. All that you strive for in such situations is to have someone acknowledge.
I go towards my future That blue beach and Believe in my hertz Hey oh, oh hey oh yeah
BTS tells that they believe in themselves and they will keep moving forward. Earlier in their career BTS was criticized for almost everything be it their MV concept or be their music styles. I think the main idea behind BTS was to not be the conventional idol group with a perfect persona. BTS was about talking about the struggles that everyone especially the youth go through as humans and give them comfort through their music. BTS kept on moving forward believing that someday people would understand their intent.
Mom said the sea is blue She said to let out your voice as far as you can But what to I do? It’s so dark here and there are only different whales speaking entirely different words! I just can’t hold it, ma! I want to say I love you Alone, I look back at this music sheet that’s like a rotating song This ocean is too deep Still, I’m lucky (No one besides me knows of these tears.) I’m a whalien
As kids, we were all made to believe that anything and everything is possible. As we grow, we realized that life isn’t that easy. BTS is scared because the world of music industry is vast; they are afraid to be misunderstood by the people out there. They console themselves by saying that at least they won’t have to be worried about others’ knowing that they had cried because they are still unknown.
Whalien 52 has got wonderful lyrics with such beautiful meaning. The beauty of BTS as a group is that they create music with an underlying message which is so relatable. This song was released in 2015 and is a part of the album “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 2”.
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