Updated: Feb 27
It seems that BigHit has been trolling us since way before what we thought was the beginning of theories!
After an in depth analysis and theory of the Blood, Sweat and Tears MV and a theory on Chatroom I'm back with more!
This time my theory concerns three early hints that BigHit gave us about the 화양연화 (HYYH) and Wings era.
It'll be in three parts, one for each hint. Here's the first!
HINT 1: BTS BEGINS
Let's start at the beginning, exactly one month before the release of 화양연화 pt. 1, BigHit released the promotional photos for BTS Live Trilogy Episode 1: BTS Begins!
For the concept of BTS's second solo concert in Korea (BTS Begins) BigHit released a series of images of the members seemingly having fun.
Painting, playing, gaming, reading, etc. All happy things and good hobbies.
Except look at Jin... why does he seem so sad?
And what is that he's holding in his hands...?
Pills...? He is eating pills?
Wait... that feels strangely familiar...
Flash forward to a month later, to the release of I Need U, and here we have J-Hope gulping down pills, just like Jin was doing in his concept photo for BTS Begins.
And the earpiece comes back into play a year later too, in Jin's Awake short film, the ear piece is back in Jin's ear, a direct reference back to their promotions and videos for the Begins concert.
Now this begs the question:
Why would BigHit make all the members pose happily for their concert photos, except for Jin?
Not only did they make him pose like that, they also drew more attention to him too in the tweet where they revealed the images.
The text roughly translates to:
"#BTS individual photos for the concert! All of them are laughing brightly, only Jin looks serious, doesn't he? We want to know the hidden reason for this!"
BigHit's hints to the Wings and HYYH storylines started way earlier than any of us could have imagined; before the HYYH MVs even came out.
The fact that it is Jin who takes pills and seems to be unhappy appears to hint at the similarities between Jin and J-Hope's character in the I Need U MV.
Is this a hint to the theory that the members all live inside Jin, are all facets of him, like Demian and Eva are both characters that live inside the main character, Sinclair, in Hermann Hesse's 'Demian'?
What about the name of their concert? Is that another hint?
Is this actually where their HYYH storylines begins?
What is certain is that already back then, Jin was already singled out.
There are more comparisons to draw between the videos revealed at their concert and their later development of the storylines in their official videos.
Jin comes in wearing a T-shirt that says Reborn, almost as if to underline that this is their new beginning.
Next we have a happy V with a puppy, much like how a similar puppy appears in his short story and reminds him of good time (Same jacket and a similar dog!).
Then we have Jungkook who goes around on a merry-go-round at the playground. You know the kind that makes you feel like you're flying...
(and we all know that Jungkook loves flying, I mean his stage name was almost Seagull...)
And then J-Hope is walking and takes out a chocolate bar to eat!
Yes, you read that correctly! A chocolate bar!
More than a year later, in J-Hope's short film for the Wings era, he whips out a snicker bar as he comes out of the container room.
He smiles as he eats it, as if he remembers good times before everything began - as if he remembers how he was walking to school in the Begins videos.
The boys arrive late to class and their teacher is furious with them (Not that Suga cares), and creepily, right here, as they're being scolded by their teacher, we see a camera observing them.
Almost like how Jimin is being observed in his short film.
Well - not almost - exactly like that.
The pile of references continue to mount!
They enter a room together. I presume this is a place they have to clean as punishment for being late, but maybe it's just where they hang out.
In this room there is a wall entirely covered in writing. Jin notices it straight away and approaches it, much as he notices and approaches the painting in the museum in the Blood, Sweat & Tears music video.
Chief among the writings on the wall are the phrases:
"Ignorance is Strength"
"war is peace"
"freedom is slavery"
These are the slogans of The Party from George Orwell's '1984', about an totalitarian government that heavily surveils its citizens. Not only do cameras surveil the citizens, the citizens also surveil and report each other.
Anyone who strays from the norm is immediately eliminated.
The '1984' quote on ignorance also ties in nicely with the Wings concept where the boys begin to realise that there is both a good realm and an evil realm with temptation. Being ignorant to that fact might have been easier for them, but they can no longer turn back to their ignorance and previous innocence. In that way - in their world - ignorance certainly is strength, for only that way can they continue to live only in the good realm.
V also notices the wall, and in typical V style (which began here, it seems) he takes out a spray can and makes graffiti on the wall
Mostly he makes his ever famous red cross-outs, and paints over the writing on the wall.
Meanwhile Suga has discovered a piano in the corner and begins to play. The others gather around him and smile and laugh and dance. His music makes them gather.
Perhaps he plays again during First Love and Blood, Sweat & Tears hoping that they will gather around as they used to.
Even here Jin stands apart from them.
He opens his fist and in his palm lies a red pill. He seems confused by this, tilts his head and touches his ear piece.
Now things get really creepy!
We cut to a scene with an old man who sits at his desk in front of his computer, watching the boys with his cameras and talking into a microphone (presumably to Jin).
If we're to go back to '1984' then he is likely the Big Brother who watches his citizens every move and keeps them under his control.
He has a black list with their names. Except...
Jin's name isn't on the list!
Is it a hit list? A death list? Then that would tie in with the popular theory of everyone being dead apart from Jin.
Or are they names of the people that the Big Brother (the old man who watches them) is ordering Jin to dispose off?
Is Jin a hitman, caught in a difficult dilemma between following orders and having to dispose of his friends..?
There is a flash of light and a loud noise and then this sealed cupboard appears.
It reminded me both of Rap Monsters phone booth in his short film, but also, and perhaps more so, the sealed cupboard in Jin's room in the Awake short film.
Rap Monster breaks it open by throwing a chair (yea don't ask me how throwing a chair magically breaks a metal chain) and inside they find seven bullet proof vests!
They put these small pill sized blinking light (trackers?) into the pockets of their vests and then the concert really kicks off!
I feel like there are a little too many coincidences for it just to be a coincidence. It all ties in so neatly and adds an additional air, so I have a strong feeling that BTS Begins is where the 화양연화 era truly begins.
Read More:
This theory continues. We examine more clues Bighit left for us in old promotions
Theory : BigHint 3 : Psique and Cupid
The theory continues. We look at some instagram hashtags Bighit used for HYYH to fuel theories.