It has been a long time since I’ve been so touched by a short film. And almost two weeks had passed and I still constantly think of it.
I am only a casual BTS fan of about 2 months: I listen to their music almost every day when I am excising, know the member’s names and recognise their voices, had acquainted myself with their personalities through BTS Run and a few fan-made videos on youtube, know about the ships, and that is about it. In truth, I am already at an age where I am mature enough and too busy with life in general to be too much of a fan girl. I love their music, appreciate BTS’s talent and dedication to their work, wished them every success, but did not really interest myself in their personal lives or which ship is perhaps more real than another. After all, I am also from a confucian culture and the occasional intimate skinship does not shock me, and most of it in kpop is fan service anyway.
But this video did shock me. I remember watching it then replaying it over and over, more than a dozen times on the day it was released, just trying to convince myself that I am reading too much into it.
I failed. I recognised love the first time I played it, and after playing it over and over again, I still only see love.
Needless to say that it required great effort and the deepest feelings on Jungkook’s side for him to intentionally (or unintentionally) focus his camera primarily on Jimin throughout the day, and equal affection and even more trust on Jimin’s side to allow Jungkook to follow him the whole day with a camera—to be himself, be relaxed and let down his guard as a celebrity in front of a camera must be against all Jimin’s instincts.
And the film itself was so carefully edited and made, carefully set to a song that has a very telling background and lyrics. Each transition made sense. They themselves did not speak a word, JK allowed the song to speak for him, making it very clear with each cut of the film that the “you” mentioned by the song was Jimin.
What touched me the most was the ending: First, a scene when they were in the teacups, the whole world was spinning, but Jimin was the centre of it, the one thing that was stable and constant in a chaotic uncontrollable world, and Jungkook did not take his sight off of him for a second, holding the camera steady. The message was rather clear, Jimin was the centre of his world, and as long as Jimin was there the ever-changing scary world seemed stable, constant, true.
Second, when they slowly exited Disneyland. Again Jungkook was trailing behind Jimin, following him. It was in slow motion, and the lyrics “I am running running just to keep my hands on you” continuously playing in the background. Jimin was the one who constantly moves further away and Jungkook was the one who had to keep up, and the end shot, a wide frame shot of Jimin walking onwards not knowing that Jungkook had stopped, the distance between the two suddenly widening … I half expect JK to catch up, or JM to turned around and wait, but the film ended there, with the lyrics “but you’ve got to be there for me too” playing in the background … And I was in tears. My own reading is that Jungkook is for some reason, feeling that Jimin is constantly pushing him away, that he has to catch up, that he is afraid of losing Jimin …
I already mentioned that I wished I did not recognise so much love in this. Life as an idol is already complicated enough, hard enough, they already needed to sacrifice so many things in life. Living in a conservative Confucian society, the outside world already puts too much expectations on every single person, and an idol is even more scrutinised and judged, held to ridiculously high standards, criticised if they even step a single toe out of line. Life would have been much more simple for them if they loved the “right” people at a more ideal time.
But at the same time, I am so proud of them and of BTS in general, that they are not afraid to show the world how they feel, who they love, be willing to challenge social norms, open up their lives and feelings to public debate and risk potential backlash. They are really saying with their action that they love who they are and who they love, and it is more important to be true to themselves above all.
I feel like this is the important message hidden in G.C.F in Tokyo. As for ships or what kind of love it is between Jimin and Jungkook, must people try to label and define everything? Isn’t it suffice to recognise that it is love and very deep love at that?
I think it is not possible that Jungkook did not know that people would have different interpretations of this video, the fact that he posted it is to raise debate and challenge the established idea of why some love is more acceptable than others. They leave the audience guessing, but they allow the audience the freedom to interpret the film any way they like, and they get us to think, talk and debate on issues of love.
BTS again succeeded in getting across the message: Love Yourself, Love Myself. To do that, we must first think on what love means.
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