I'm spending my days recovering from pneumonia, because as you can see, dear readers, I have a talent for things like this — yes, I managed to catch pneumonia while working from home as a graphic designer/programmer. So I spend most of the day scrolling through reels and YouTube Shorts, which, I'll note, is not healthy for my eyes, my time, or my opinion of people. I've picked up the unpleasant habit of scrolling to the very bottom of comment sections to watch the shitshows unfold. But I read fast, so I catch the shorter ones too.
And I am absolutely sick of the disgusting, bordering-on-some-kind-of-fetish infantilization of the boys that oozes out of those comments.
I'm also sick of taekookers who drop into jikook comment sections just to post some fantasy of theirs, present it as gospel truth, and disappear — or alternatively, insult Jimin in 20 different ways and also disappear.
But you know what? I'm a masochist. Genuinely, I am, and so I went into the taekook comment sections too, because apparently I have a lot of free time and absolutely zero respect for my own brain cells.
And what did I take away from this unconventional pneumonia therapy, besides the impression that every other ARMY treats the boys like their precious little babies, sweethearts, cutest little boo-boos — while in the same breath rambling about their muscles, their outstanding character, and what husband material they are (I have the feeling that this sounds suspiciously like... No, okay. I'll restrain myself.)
First of all, the trend of talking badly about Jimin has shifted. I remember the days when I was a baby ARMY, when Jimin was "the ugly one" and "the fat one". Which was, of course, nonsense, but I think we all saw that. Then Jimin stepped on stage and presented us with a super slender Jimin and his eternal beauty image. Of course the narrative was slow to catch up, but eventually even those who wanted it most couldn't pretend it was still relevant. They found something else. I'm not sure about the order here, but it seems to me that the nonsense about Jimin not being able to sing live started coming to the forefront around that time.
But you see, Jimin decided to change that too, and showed us it was bullshit. He may have a slightly less stable voice than the other members, but for the love of god, his solo performances most often feature the most advanced choreography. So that myth, finding no fertile ground, also fell and died.
They had to find something else. And do you know what's trending now? Jimin's alleged alcohol problems. Which only proves that the boys, though excellently trained in PR and probably careful about every word they say, still can't quite bite their tongues and give us less. Jimin, probably without realizing it, fueled these rumors himself by revealing during his solo era — and a few more times — that he did indeed have a period of heavy partying, and so the myth of Jimin the alcoholic grew.
Oh, how the haters love this trend! You can't even imagine how many ways they find to push this narrative. From feigning concern that maybe he should drink less and eat more, to painting him as an attention-seeking asshole who's simply hungover — not exhausted from running from one end of the stage to the other, constantly jumping, clowning, dancing, screaming, singing, and goofing off with the other members. The basic narrative is that "he should rest," but behind that mask lies a lot of mockery, if you read what comes after.
I even came across a comment that literally says he should rest because his career is clearly weighing on him, and "can't anyone really replace him during the tour?" Notably, a very well-liked comment. But a) dear anonymous commenter, have you heard attempts to replace Jimin's voice in covers? It never works. And b) you won't change my mind that BTS's success is (unfortunately!) the work of all 7 members, whatever they may be like, and there's no way they could have achieved this offering even the slightest bit less. BTS set a new gold standard for the qualities that group members must have for something like this to work. Remove even one from the pool and you'll lose those who stayed with BTS precisely because of that one.
So yes. The Jimin narrative evolved from "the ugly one" to "the perpetually drunk one", and (mainly taekookers) tend to spin fairy tales about Jimin being drunk at concerts, interviews, photoshoots, everywhere, always, at any hour of the day or night. Not at all like we've seen him drink alcohol exactly as many times as most of them, and the only thing that sets him apart from the other members is one honest conversation about the pandemic. Not at all like another BTS member drank himself unconscious on a live and then fell asleep. Not at all like Jimin has never had any legal or media trouble because of alcohol, while another BTS member has. Not at all.
Do you feel the hypocrisy? I'm not speaking badly of anyone here. They're adults. They have every right to drink as much and as often as they want, as long as they're not endangering others. But for some reason it's Jimin who's the drunk and the alcoholic.
The second thing that stands out when you go into BTS comment sections is exactly what I mentioned — the infantilization. I understand being charmed by their sweetness, because each of them is sweet, adorable, and loveable in their own way, even when they're grumpy and avoidant. But for the love of god, it would drive me absolutely crazy if I were even half as "boo-boo, goo-goo, sweetie, teddy bear, little baby, omg look at his face" as JK, and... you know what? I'm his age.
Declarations of love keep cycling through — eternal, life-changing love — and that I understand. In some way I'm able to understand that BTS genuinely changed someone's life, saved it, gave it meaning (however sad I don't find that), or that someone felt such a bond that they mistake it for romantic love. What I don't understand is turning them into small children who a) don't understand what's happening around them, b) have no control over their lives or health, c) are nothing but victims of the world. Because they're not. BTS holds not only shares in the company — they hold their own media power, the influence they have over people, the respect of the music industry at home and abroad. THEY ARE NOT CHILDREN. Not anymore. Not for a very, very long time. They may be constrained by PR, but that's a constraint, not a cage — however brutal that sounds. They make compromises to get what they want.
The particular victims of this phenomenon seem to be Jimin and JK. Jimin because he naturally has a more delicate and adorable appearance, and JK because despite being nearly 30 and built like a kangaroo, he still has something very boyish about him.
When you go into the comments, you get the impression of dealing with a strange dualism. On one hand, people accuse (mainly Jimin) of being a spoiled brat and an alcoholic, and on the other hand — zero control over anything and they're still children. They're not. They're not children. They're young, but they're not children.
I also noticed that people aren't particularly keen on accepting the fact that they no longer live together. That it's no longer a family in the sense of siblings living with the same parents under the same roof, but adults who live on their own. There's no need to repeat that they're close. They are. They grew up together, they know each other inside out — not necessarily the way you or I know our best friends, but more the way you or I know our siblings. They know when each other snores, what disgusting things they do, who they are, how they react in given situations — but they're no longer together 24 hours a day. And they don't have to be. A week has 7 days, a month has about 30, a year has 365. You can genuinely fit in time for everyone, even if they already have lives with someone else, different friend groups, or different priorities.
The fact that you know how your bandmate sleeps isn't proof of closeness or a relationship. It's only proof that you've seen that person sleeping often enough to notice a pattern. But knowing his shower habits is already a bit sus. A bit — because for the love of god, my friend (absolutely platonic friend) sits on the toilet while I shower and nobody finds that weird. And she also knows I brush my teeth like Jimin does in the shower. What's more suspicious is someone saying this out loud, as if they want to show off this knowledge.
So no, telling me that Tae knows how JK sleeps tells me nothing more than that he knows how JK sleeps. Same with Jimin. Same goes for Suga and Jimin going to the sauna together — it tells me nothing. Even Suga's sour face when RM mentions going with Jimin tells me nothing. Because I'd also feel a sting of jealousy if my bestie did something with someone else that I considered just ours.
Do you know what does tell me something? Moments of hesitation between members. A glance from one member toward JK when Jimin is goofing around with someone else. The WORDS they say to us. Because as the stories about shower habits and sleeping patterns prove — and as the fact that Jimin openly talked about his heavy partying period proves — the boys aren't built for lying to us. Besides, why would they? To please a company that exists because they exist? Or maybe to please an ARMY that, as the statistics show, generally doesn't like it when jikook takes center stage? They openly talk about their flaws, their problems, moments of doubt and weakness. Why would they lie to please anyone, if they're not particularly pleasing anyone anyway?
You see, what they have — what we call charisma — doesn't come from saying what you, dear listener, want to hear. It comes from being able to convincingly tell the truth and sell it on their own terms.
And again. In those moments when they reveal themselves, it's not even about making it seem romantic or suspicious.
So taekookers who've recently been up in arms about JK sharing jikook fan art are basically right about one thing. In and of itself, that event only tells us that JK was scrolling Instagram and certain art styles caught his eye. The fact that it was jikook... well, it's a bit sus, but we know JK has a pretty good radar for Jimin's pretty face, so it's not that surprising.
But just as we all get happy when RM or Suga call Jimin their comfort zone (because that's essentially what their words from recent promotions amount to), we all get happy that JK has a radar for Jimin's pretty face. And that's not PROOF. It's simply stating a fact. JK liked jikook content. Nothing beyond that.
The fact that JK and Tae stayed in Japan longer doesn't erase the fact that Japan means something different to JK and Jimin. It only tells us that JK and Tae stayed in Japan longer. Spinning that into a story about them sightseeing together, going on dates, breathing the same air, is writing fan fiction.
As long as they don't come out and tell us they were together, spent that time together, or did something that can objectively be read as romantic — it's just Tae and JK staying in Japan after the concert.
Interpreting content also remains in the realm of speculation. And yes, as a jikooker, I notice differences in photos and fancams of taekook versus jikook. I see closeness in both pairs. Genuinely. But I also see that JK stands next to Tae, while he orbits around Jimin. I see a touch that in the case of taekook seems friendly to me — the kind I'd exchange with a friend, sometimes a bit brotherly (though I'd never touch my brother that way, ew!) — while the handhold with Jimin lingers, and his gaze softens. And I'm not saying JK doesn't soften around others. I'm saying that with Jimin, I see it more clearly.
What I'm getting at is that what irritates me enormously in the comments is the attempt to prove your point by negating the other side's observations. No, the fact that JK has photos of Jimin on his phone doesn't mean he doesn't have photos of other members, his dog, his hypothetical girlfriend, his grandmother, his brother, and his great-aunt. The fact that JK was having fun with Jin at the concert doesn't mean he wasn't having fun with anyone else, or that he's CHEATING on anyone. Because he's not. He was just having fun with Jin at the concert. He just hugged Tae at the concert. He just liked photos of Jimin and jikook fan art.
Objectively sweet. Objectively proving that they're close as a whole group, even if Tae hangs out with Wooga Squad after hours, JK with the 97 line, Jimin with whoever he goes out with, and RM and Suga stay in touch with mentors from the early years of their career.
Adding ideology on top of that is just adding ideology. It's like the story about the Tokyo trip. I genuinely looked for evidence that JK wanted to take Tae and the company made him take Jimin instead. I only found comments where taekookers repeat this story among themselves. Meanwhile, when it comes to AYS, when Tae joined, we had a full narrative explaining why he was there. And again, when that wasn't enough to debunk jikook, we got a new story about how the COMPANY decided AYS was boring so they invited Tae. Or my personal favorite, because it's absurd as hell: Jimin drank too much and JK refused to continue traveling with him, so they brought Tae in. The catch is that if that were the case, Tae would have kept traveling with them and AYS2 would already be about vminkook, not jikook. But logic isn't necessary when all you need is a bold claim that will stick in the heads of people who won't bother to fact-check. Oh, and recently I read about some magical focus group that was asked to watch pre-release edited episodes (an American group, naturally) and the research showed they needed to bring Tae in. Somehow by the middle episodes, and somehow months before the premiere. But what do I know about logic.
So there you have it. Three things that have annoyed me most about ARMY lately. Hypocrisy, excessive fantasy, and infantilization. I'm glad I could get that off my chest.
