The timing of the ARIRANG singers in Body to Body is so special
The timing of the singers in Arirang is so significant when paired with an understanding of the meaning underpinning Arirang.
As Jimin sings 'somebody like you' (1.52), we immediately start hearing the vocals of the Arirang singers start coming in, followed by Jungkook repeating 'somebody like you' consecutively alternating between Jimin, Jungkook, V and Jin (sorry can't pinpoint who by this point), the Arirang singers are pushing their voices forward consistently, until we get to (2.24) where the full sound of the Arirang chorus is here for us to listen to.
What's so special to me about this is that paired with the meaning of Arirang, which captures themes of longing, resilience, identity and remembering in difficulties (e.g. Korean identity and its resilience in the face of struggle), 'dear who abandoned me / Shall not walk even ten li [about 2.5 miles] before their feet hurt' is literally fighting to come through the voice of Jimin, Jin, V and Jungkook until their voices fade and the singers of Arirang can be fully heard.
This is so significant in the context of how their individual voices are telling one story which is of 'Body to Body', but Arirang is that ringing in the back that builds up incrementally, until it is too loud to ignore and is such a poignant way to end the song. To those who abandon me (identity), you shall struggle to carry on the smallest distance before your feet start to ache. A reminder that their identity and roots are always going to ring at the back, and as the song ends with the bridge we are reminded that their identity will never be forgotten as it is the key to their success.
'This isn't Korean enough'. (Common critique of this album)
Yeah, it's not if you've never had the experience coming from a culture of resistance (many in the non western world) where remembrance is a force of resistance and anchorage to your cultural roots. Body to Body so beautifully positions this deep respect to culture in the actual song in a way that rivals a great literary poem.
Right- it's been over 3 years since I forgot how to access this account and now I have.
The last post I made, I think it was about me going on a date with a boy?
Well, looks like someones getting married soon! I haven no idea who is still on this platform, but I'm now 27 years old, navigating my late 20s and oh so happy with everything. I started this blog when I was at university, and made so many great memories along the way. If you know who I am- please do say hi!
Hello! I rediscovered your fuckboi series! I don't think I've finished it then and I'm glad to see the complete chapters. I love it, it's a great series. Thank you đ
Ahhh thank you so much! This was written a few years ago now so itâs great to see some re reading :)
Reading fanfics I wrote from 2012 on fanfic.net is weird because the OC is literally a projection of who I wanted to become and be and ten years later...I am her.
Just to complete something my 14 year old self would have wanted, Iâm going to write a little snippet from a scene in Eclipse (Twilight) that I still canât get over. Being my OC- centred 14 year old self, I wanted to desperately be the one Jacob would hug hahaha.Â
Hereâs a pick up from my fanfic.net story on âJessica, a wizard whose just moved to Forks with her family and goes to La Push High school. Sheâs also friends with the Cullens, Edward practically raised her.âÂ
âIâm going.â You said.Â
âNo. You could be killed by one of them.â Jacob gritted through his teeth, firmly making it clear that he didnât want you anywhere near the fight that was about to brew between the Cullenâs and newborns.Â
âWith all due respect Jacob, the Cullenâs are like family to me, and I know Iâll present an unanticipated distraction in battleâ. You said, stopping in your tracks to face Jacob.Â
You were smart, so of course you could articulate this in a way that made sense. It was a win win situation. Jacob was smart too, but smart and hot tempered.Â
âYouâve never seen them in their natural state, youâre going to be scared!â Jacob said back, and you felt he really wouldnât budge in his belief that you were some frail, sweet girl who couldnât do anything without a man.Â
âWell youâre wrong, I can take care of myselfâ. You understood by now how the imprint worked, but an imprint didnât mean Jacob had to have ideas laced in 19th century damsel in distress misogyny. You both stared intently at each other for what seemed like hours, and you could tell Jacob was getting heated up thinking about your decision. Your heart sped up as you could hear the hammering in your chest vibrate in your ears.Â
âDonât do this, Jessâ. He said, a pleading look in his eyes as he took a step towards you, resting his hot hand on the small of your waist and pushing you gently towards him. Even angered, you felt safe in his embrace.
âIâll promise to be safe.â You said, removing your hands from his shoulders, instantly missing the contact.Â
The drive home was quiet, you kept your body positioned away from Jacob and scrolled through your phone without paying attention to what you were seeing as much. You both avoided the topic, but you had a feeling Jacob was avoiding it more. You knew he would try to go to the Cullens and talk to them. It would be fruitless, the Cullenâs knew how effective you could be protecting Bella in the mountains.Â
âIâll see you later.â Jacob said nochantly as he tried his very best to resist himself from touching you as you parted. You could tell it was painful.Â
You wanted to desperately touch him, embrace him, but your ego butted in and wanted to make him suffer without touching you. You were close to coming back and pulling him to you from his car, but you pushed your feet away to your house.Â
You could hear his engine roar, and then zooming off.Â
âHow did he take the news?â Your mom asked as he saw tears roll down your cheek.
âBadly, heâs trying to protect me, but he doesnât understand I donât need it.âÂ
Your mom came towards you, hugging you in an embrace as she told you how Jacob wasnât familiar on how powerful your family were. You hoped that was it, and that he wasnât growing a burning hatred towards his imprint.Â
The cold was scratching your skin, digging into your cells as your mind failed to shut down to sleep. You were pretty clearly on the verge of hallucinating, and in usual situations a spell would allow you to warm up the tent, but you were saving all your power reserve for tomorrow and you couldnât afford to draw energy from fire which was so valuable.Â
Edward and Bella were in the tent next to you, and you were pretty sure Bella was freezing too, but Edward would probably think of something to help. Your teeth chattering was worse.Â
Jacob was outside, and you were fed up of his attitude. Yet, you still wanted him to be safe and near you.Â
âJ-jacob.â You called out. He heard, and you could hear your tent unzipping.Â
âI canât sleep out here with all this teeth chattering.â He said, but as soon as his eyes met yours, an overwhelming feeling to make you feel warm and safe took over his body and mind.Â
âWhy didnât you tell me to come in earlier, baby?â Jacobâs term of endearment felt like it was enough to melt your icy skin.Â
âC-cold.â You stuttered.Â
âShh, I got you baby.â He said, wrapping you up warmly.Â
âYouâre so warm, my personal sunâ. You said, drowsy.Â
âI missed this.â He admitted, being able to touch you was like a boost to his soul. He felt your body mould against his like a perfect puzzle, and the warmth that radiated from his body felt like the caress of a warm fire.Â
âMe tooâ, you said, grinning as you started shuffling closer to him.
Jacob smirked âmove anymore and I think we wonât be getting any sleep soonâ He whispered in your ear, embarrassing you. You knew Edward could hear.Â
You hid yourself under Jacobâs chin, and used the proximity to layer kisses on his throat.Â
âI love you so much Jake.â You said, looking into his eyes.
Jacob felt he could combust into a thousand pieces, and that would be a fine way to die. You said this once before, and Jacob had whiplash from hearing his imprint say she was in love with him.Â
âWhen this is over, we have an entire summer to spend together.â Jacob said, his thoughts away with thoughts on how he would memorise every part of your body this summer, and make every part of you his.Â
âMmmhm, we can have lots of sleep overs.â You said, as drowsiness took over.Â
Reading fanfics I wrote from 2012 on fanfic.net is weird because the OC is literally a projection of who I wanted to become and be and ten years later...I am her.
So, I went on a date that was just supposed to be for coffee with this guy and then it turned into coffee, then he asked for dinner and then we even got chai so the date went on longer than expected.
then, when he dropped me at the station he said âthis was niceâ and to let me know about a thing I told him about- teacher related, weâre both teachers- AND then I texted him saying I had a good time, and about a couple of hours later he replied saying âme too, it was a nice bit of time offâ- SOOOO what does that mean? Is he still interested? I keep thinking ok maybe because he made the date go on longer, but that text is so dry??Â
So, I went on a date that was just supposed to be for coffee with this guy and then it turned into coffee, then he asked for dinner and then we even got chai so the date went on longer than expected.
then, when he dropped me at the station he said âthis was niceâ and to let me know about a thing I told him about- teacher related, weâre both teachers- AND then I texted him saying I had a good time, and about a couple of hours later he replied saying âme too, it was a nice bit of time offâ- SOOOO what does that mean? Is he still interested? I keep thinking ok maybe because he made the date go on longer, but that text is so dry??Â
Everyone and their neighbour knows that your crush on Taehyung has been the source of several cringe- worthy moments.Â
Too bad itâs unrequited, right?Â
AN: Originally, this was planned as a super long one shot, but it will now be two super long two-shots! This is not too heavy, itâs really relationship, personal fear based and will generally be just a cute fan-idol two part fic. Guilty pleasure stuff for the world of fanfics.Â
You were 16 when you first met Kim Taehyung.Â
He was 18, in a band, and you didnât know much other than that. You mostly knew of him, from his grandmother who your mother had made friends with ever since you both moved into the new neighbourhood a year ago. Â
As soon as your mother learned that the grandmother was a fan of your mothers cooking, she had made it a weekly thing to send some stew or whatever delicacy she was cooking that week. She would also send you to check on her every week when delivering the food, not that you minded. You liked hearing her new stories about her grandson, they seemed much more interesting than life in this village.  She also sent you home with a basket full of sweet, ripe strawberries that would power you through homework. For a 16 year old, you actually liked having chats with a grandmother. Â
This time, when you knocked to deliver some stew, the door had opened almost immediently. Thrown off, you wondered if everything was okay because it usually took the grandma a good couple of minutes to get to the door. Poor hearing had made her naturally less quick to respond to you.Â
âHello, who are you?â The boys deep voice pleasantly caressed your ears, and you looked up to find a really, really, strikingly beautiful face.Â
You hoped he wouldnât hear your heart. It was thumping more than it had ever in your life. Well, you swore it hadnât thumped like that.Â
Your mouth felt sweaty.Â
He was tall, tanned and armed with a kind smile.Â
âIâŚis grandmother here?â You asked, thrown off by his simple question. You felt some red stir inside your face.Â
âYeah, sheâll be back in a few minutes. Sheâs just gone to her friends house. Why donât you come in? Are you the girl sheâs been talking about, the one who brings delicious stew every week?â He asked, chatting away. Instantly, you felt yourself relax. He didnât pick up on how nervous you were, or he wanted to put you at ease.Â
âIâm her grandson by the way, her favourite one! My names Kim Taehyung.â He said, introducing himself. Ah, so this was the grandson the grandmother was always telling you about. The one that had recently joined a boy group all the way in Seoul.Â
âDo you know Exo?â You blurted, without thinking. What did you do? You put your hands up to cover your mouth in embarrassment.Â
To your relief, he laughed. He laughed in the most melodic, jazzy voice you could hear.Â
âNot too wellâŚdo you know Bangtan Sanyoedan?â He asked, hopeful. You figured going inside for a few minutes wouldnât hurt too much. You could get to know who this boy was, and he looked like someone that wouldnât usually be in a place like this. He looked so cool, and you just wanted to know everything about him. A fan had already been born.Â
âWill you give me concert tickets?â You asked, hopeful. You were both sitting with his grandmother as she was picking strawberries to send you back home with.Â
âOf course he will! My Taehyung will even show you the concert venue!â His grandmother said, excited. Taehyung smiled shyly.
âI will, as long as you remember all the lyrics to our songs!â He joked, and you eagerly accepted.Â
That was the first day you met Kim Taehyung, and you thought it would be the last considering he was in an actual kpop group. Stuff like that just didnât come into your world. That was why you let yourself fantasise about meeting him again, because you knew it would never happen. He was really funny, and he kindly told you to keep up the good job caring for his grandmother. You, being the 16 year old that you were felt infatuated with everything that he was doing. He would no trouble getting fans, you thought. He had just found one in you.Â
You saw his band debut, and started rooting for him alongside his grandmother whose home had slowly become a house of Kim Taehyungâs achievements. You started to fall in love with someone that probably forgot you existed, as a fan. You learnt more about Taehyung from behind a screen, and slyly managed to get information from his grandmother about what his likes and dislikes were. You felt like you knew more about him than other people, secretly. Of course, you kept your information a secret. The last thing you wanted to do was expose yourself as the girl who lived next door to Kim Taehyungâs grandmother, and spill out personal information about him.Â
Kim Taehyung had created a place for you inside your heart, and it would never quite go away.Â
