A/N: I’m so sorry Namjoon??? This is late by two days, and it’s just so short? I tried to make it an original concept? Let me know if you’d like this to be continued!
Happy Birthday Namjoon! You’re my universe, My tear, my fear. Honestly, you’re my life. Borahae.
-✥-
It had been there since before you could remember, the beautiful statue. You grew up going down to the beach with your friends. While they splashed each other with water or made sandcastles, you sat next to the statue.
Something about being near it felt right. Other people found it creepy, or depressing. He sat cross legged on the rocks, at high tide the water would lap at his feet, daring to erode the stone that he was made of. But still, after years, he had not eroded. He still sat in the same position, his eyes still trained on the horizon.
The look on his face was quite possibly the only, and the most, disturbing thing about him. A small smile was painted on his face, while his eyes told of a more tragic story. They were fixed on the horizon, hope glinting in them. However, they seemed full of despair.
Frequently at high tide, water would splash up in droplets, rolling down his face. As if he were crying.
Townsfolk joked that he was your best friend, which was all but inaccurate. At first, other kids didn’t want to play with you because you were ‘the weirdo who loves the statue’. Over time, others came to regard it as just a sentimentally valued place for you.
The night when your father got diagnosed with cancer, you spent the next few hours sobbing next to the statue. It calmed you. Told you things would be alright, even if they weren’t.
When your brother died in a car crash, just weeks after your dad had been announced cancer free, you were next to the statue.
It gave you the feeling that someone was watching you. Not in a creepy way, but as if they were a guardian angel. A gift from above.
At the age of nineteen, you were finally getting ready to leave your beloved town. And the beloved statue. You were going to ask your boyfriend of a year to come with you, to make a new life in a new city.
He was waiting by the grassy hilltop, overlooking the town and the beach, the stone statue still in sight.
“Jungkook!”
He turned to you, smiling tiredly. His eyes were rimmed from lack of sleep. One glance told you he wasn’t okay.
“Jungkook… What's wrong?”
He heaved himself onto a wood stump, running his fingers through his long, unkempt hair.
“Y/n, I’m going to have to move.”
Your heart thumped.
Maybe this was finally the moment to tell him you were planning to move.
“Jungkook I-”
“Y/n, let's break up.” He interrupted.
Your mouth fell open. “J-Jungkook it’s a joke right?”
He shook his head, face showing slight sorrow, but guilt overwhelmed his toned features. “Y/n, I’m going to become an idol. I’m moving to the capital, I’ll be a famous singer one day.”
“I know you will be Jungkook.” You breathed. “Why do we have to break up?”
He threw his arms over the sweeping sand planes of the beach. “I have to leave this town behind me.”
“Why.” You said quietly, but you had already known the answer days ago.
His eyes raked your face, searching for an emotion he couldn’t find.
Were you even upset? Or had he shattered your heart so bad you couldn’t even display emotions?
“I need a new life. I need to only focus on my singing. I need to be the best Y/n. I can’t be the best with you…”
His voice trailed off, but now you wouldn’t let it go. “With me what?”
“With you slowing me down.”
You smiled sadly. “Jungkook, if that’s what you believe, then okay.”
His doe eyes shot up to you. Your face, painfully smiling. You wished you could stop smiling, but it was forced onto your face.
“Is it what you believe?”
Jungkook’s normally loud and bold voice was now quiet.
“No. I’m in love with you. I don’t want this to be goodbye.”
“It’s goodbye, Y/n.”
You nodded. There was nothing else you could do. “Goodbye, Jungkook.”
He began to walk away, his lanky figure walking away from you, and your life. Then he turned back. Hope lit up your eyes. “I’ll move my stuff from your apartment and I’ll be gone before you’re back.”
“What should I do in the meantime?”
It was a stupid question. But if it meant you could spend another second with a Jungkook, hear his voice again.
“Go sit with the statue.”
You weren’t surprised. You had spent a considerable amount of time talking to him about how being next to the statue made you feel better. It was probably a weird thing to talk about, for both you and the other person. But it was a topic that always set your heart at peace.
“I’ll miss you Jungkook.”
He didn’t say anything back. And as he walked down the hill, feet brushing lightly over the flat, green grass, you realised that you would never hear his voice again. You would never hear him sing again. Something you had thought of- still thought, was one of the highlights of your life.
Sweet honey, the music that played in your soul. It was now gone.
The world seemed a lot quieter.
-✥-
Waves lapped at your toes. Soon the tide would rise too high and you wouldn’t be able to sit there, with the statue.
You opened your phone up. Your lockscreen was still Jungkook. You opened it thoughtlessly, mechanically pressing the passcode, Jungkook and your anniversary date, and ignoring the background of the both of you together.
You had tickets booked already. You had decided on your dream country: Australia. You couldn’t wait to learn more about the unique culture of the Aboriginals, the prawns Australians insisted were to be cooked on the barbecue, and of course the adorable and deadly animals native to there.Two tickets. You had booked two tickets. One for you. One for Jungkook.
Now you didn’t need the second ticket.You rested your head in your hands, finally letting tears fall.Your life was in shambles. Jungkook… he was gone. Forever.Light flashed over the sky.
Your eyes shot up, watching the glittering star burn out as it reach the atmosphere. Tears rolled continuously from your eyes.Feeling water lap at your feet, you got up to leave, ready to part from the statue. It was finally time to say your goodbyes to the statue.
You leaned over, lips landing on the forehead of the statue. You blinked. It was surprisingly warm. Warmer than a statue should be.
Confused, you pressed your lips again his stone ones, eyes open in surprise. Slowly, you felt the statues lips warming, fleshing out.
Your eyes opened wider, mouth dropping open as you stumbled back, feet splashing in the water, eventually falling onto a flat rock, water washing over you.
The statue was melting into life right in front of your own eyes. The statue blinked, skin a tan colour, dark eyes shining with emotion. He looked down at you. “Where am I?” He asked, voice mellow.“I-I... you’re alive!”
You couldn’t hold back the surprise in your voice.
He raised an eyebrow. “Of course I am. What else would I be?”
“Y-y-you’re a statue.” A frown came over the man's lips. His eyes tilted down in confusion.
“I’m not a statue. I’m a human being.”
You shook your head, reluctant to dampen his mood, but you knew you would feel guilty if you ignored the words on the tip of your tongue. “You’ve been here— as a statue, since before I could remember.”
The man paled. “How old are you?”
“19.”
His head dropped into his hands. The sinking feeling in your stomach was too large to ignore now.
“How old are you?”
His voice came out hollow. “21. It’s..not 2014 anymore?”
You shook your head. “It’s 2034…”
He let out a large cry. “I’ve been asleep for 20 years? How didn’t anyone know? What happened to my mum? My dad? What about my girlfriend?”
“The townspeople say that you just showed up out of the blue. They think that someone made the statue— I mean you, and left it there.”
“But I’m a human.”
You nodded. “I understand that. How did this even happen? Do you remember anything?”
He looked across at the ocean, the sparkling water and glittering stars hovering above the water. “I remember crying. I felt so alone. The world had completely darkened around me and I hadn’t even noticed it happen. I wanted to stop and just… just stop.”
You held your hand up, signalling him to stop speaking. He looked quizzically at you. “I’ve been there. I’m there right now. My boyfriend just left me and I don’t even know what to do with my life anymore. But being near you makes me feel calmer.”
Your eyes met, your eyes reflected in his own dark, meaningful irises.He blinked. “Really? I don’t even know your name.. and you don’t know mine.”
You smiled, eyes furiously trying to forget the tears of just seconds ago. “We can take time to know each other. I just… I feel intrigued. When I was growing up, I would always come to you.”
“T-to me?” He repeated.
You nodded. “I would sit by you when you were a statue. I don’t know what it was about you, but something about you drew me to you. I.. I just want to get to know you. Even if it takes us weeks.”
“Namjoon.” He said, extending his hand to you.
You clasped it, surprised at the warmth from the person who had only minutes ago been made of stone. “Y/n.”
Namjoon smiled warmly at you, the warmth in his smile radiating at the same temperature as his hand. He had really cute dimples, you noticed.
“What are you going to do now?” You asked.
He grinned. “I don’t know. I can only remember people, not things. I remember having a girlfriend. I remember having a mum and a dad, maybe even a sister. But I can’t remember talking to them, can remember what they looked like. I don’t even know if my girlfriend was still dating me at the time of when… of when I fell asleep.”
“So you don’t remember why you were sad?”
He shook his head. “I just remember feeling sad. Feeling like maybe I’d never feel happy again.” You let out a sigh and stretched your feet out, ignoring the cool of your water soaked shoes.
“I feel like that too.”
“I thought you said you felt better with me?”
You gave a curt nod in response, but realising he expected more of an answer you took a breath. “I feel calm with you. But I just don’t know if I’ll be ever so happy again. I don’t know if the world was too much more different when you were growing up, but it just feels like everyone is judging me. Like society has placed a value on me as a human being before I could even prove that I was something more than just another face in the crowd. No one cares about what I like, what I go through and they don’t even care who I am.”
Namjoon paused. “I think I care.”
You raised an eyebrow. “You think?”
He nodded quickly, eyes full of earnest. “I don’t know you very well—in fact not at all. But I think I like you anyway. You… you seem like a nice person.”
A giggle escaped your lips before you could suppress it. “Thanks. You seem to be a nice person as well.”
“I think I was alone before I turned to stone. Well, maybe not physically, but in all honesty, I don’t think there was anyone I could say I would’ve turned to with problems.”
“You’re alone right now.” You pointed out. A smiled washed over his face and he gripped your hand strongly, not so it hurt, but as a sign of friendship.
“I’ve got you now.”
jjj
As the both of you walked back to your apartment, hand in hand, you turned to him once again.
“Namjoon?” He looked down to you, sweet smile never truely leaving his lips.
“Yeah Y/n?”
“Why do you think you were turned to stone?”
Eyes trailing to the star patterned sky, he reached out his free hand, holding it up like an artist would. “The shooting star I saw tonight, you saw one too right?”
“Namjoon, a shooting star can't cause someone to turn to stone.” You said it like it was a fact, but even you could hear the slight disbelief and eager in your tone.
“Shooting stars aren’t even shooting stars. They’re just space debris, maybe an asteroid, entering our tarnished planets ozone layer. The heat burns it and projects the light you see; a shooting star.”
You nodded deftly.
For a second, Namjoon’s dimples left his cheeks for the first time that night. “It’s kind of poetic, don't you think? The star was fine until it entered the space of our world. It’s our world that always destroys things. And even if we try our hardest, we’ll never be able to fix everything that we break.”
“We can still try, right?”
He leaned into you, your height difference meaning he leant on your head, but that was okay. You leant into his side and continued to listen.
“I don’t think we can fix everything. Even if we try our hardest. There will always be scars from the foresaken past.”
You were at your doorstep now, and Namjoon looked reluctant to enter your apartment. His chivalrous courtesy didn’t matter however, you weren’t going to leave him outside in the cold night air.
“Namjoon, you’re my only friend.” You stated. “And I trust you.”
You blinked slowly as his body crashed into yours, leaving you wordless for a moment. Namjoon’s muscular arms wrapped around your back, pulling you tight against him.
Tears streamed out your eyes.
He was there for you.
And you would be there for him.
That’s a promise.
“Thank you, Y/n.”
Words caught in your throat. How could you thank him? What would be enough?
What words could you use to thank him, even when he wasn’t trying, for being the best person and easily the brightest shining light in your life.
🌱💜 Happy birthday to this incredible man, a whole role model and an admirable person. I love u with my entire heart, and words aren't enough to express the happiness I am feeling. I hope you spend your time with the people you love the most, thanks for being an amazing leader. be happy forever. I love you so much 🌱💜
"MONO" DE RM: UN EQUILIBRIO INTROSPECTIVO DE IDEALISMO Y REALISMO
El líder de BTS, RM, avisó a sus fans dos días antes de liberar su segundo mixtape MONO, junto con tres videos musicales consecutivos. Refiriéndose íntimamente a ser más como una lista de reproducción, que un álbum, RM dejo muy claro que su intención es querer compartir esto con tantos oyentes como sea posible, ofreciendo su música de forma gratuita en múltiples plataformas.
MONO marca una distinción del mixtape anterior, no sólo a nivel musical, sino también establece la identidad de RM como individuo. En el que muestra la identidad del compositor, rapero y músico; separando al RM como miembro de BTS, del hombre de 24 años Kim Namjoon, que aún se encuentra en el proceso de autodescubrimiento.
El mixtape propone una versión más realista del mensaje que promociona BTS, lo que no es sorprendente teniendo en cuenta el hecho de que RM es uno de los principales impulsores del desarrollo de BTS a una idea más madura de “Amarte a Ti Mismo. Al igual que BTS, RM lucha por el “amor propio”, sin embargo, a través de MONO nos muestra la lucha menos idealista y las dificultades que surgen en el proceso.
El álbum transmite la dualidad del crecimiento; la belleza del crecimiento viene con sentimientos de tristeza y soledad. La edad adulta nos deja inexplicablemente vulnerables a los sentimientos de soledad a medida que aprendemos a vivir solos por nosotros mismos.
Esto puede apreciarse mejor en "Moonchild", la cual es una de las canciones que destaca más la voz de RM. Es una canción que reitera la idea de que está bien sentirse triste, nuestra infelicidad es válida, pero no es una razón para que alguno de nosotros se culpe de ello. No es nada raro encontrarnos solos, sin nadie que nos consuele, aumentando los sentimientos de soledad que sentimos, después de todo en el corazón, esto que sentimos es completamente humano y es importante separar estos sentimientos del valor que tiene nuestra autoestima.
Llamándose a sí mismo y quienes la escuchan “hijos de la luna”, que huyen de la luz del sol y el brillo, RM lucha por la completa aceptación de sí mismo:
Estoy familiarizado con los salvajes,
Pero no te lo digas a ti (mismo). Hijo de la luna, brillas.
Cuando la luna se eleva, es tu momento.
Estos sentimientos también se transmiten en "uhgood", el título, que es una romanización de la palabra "a", se traduce en "quedarse corto". Es relativamente más personal e íntima en comparación con las otras canciones y habla de la dicotomía entre la versión ideal de sí mismo, a quien se refiere como "tú" y el presente a quien se refiere como "yo".
Todo lo que necesito soy yo,
lo sé, lo sé, lo sé, lo sé, lo sé, lo sé.
Oh, ¿Por qué me siento tan solo?
Me siento tan solo cuando estoy conmigo.
[...] Quiero llegar a ti. Al verdadero yo, el verdadero yo.
Mas allá de brindarle consuelo a quienes la escuchan, RM les hace saber que no están solos y te enseña que cuando te encuentres en la lucha entre la persona que pretendes ser y la persona que eres, debes hacerle saber a los demás, él entiende completamente cómo los sentimientos de ineptitud pueden abrumar a alguien.
Además, menciona que las pistas están creadas con los sentimientos y pensamientos personales de RM, la diversificación que se puede encontrar en MONO es gracias a la inspiración de varios lugares y eventos a su alrededor.
"Tokyo", es una pista melancólica influenciada por los sonidos de las calles de Tokio, RM asocia la ciudad con una sensación de desesperanza y pérdida. El silbido solitario al final de la canción da las imágenes de estar solo y perdido en las calles de Tokio.
No está seguro de la persona que es y de la persona en la que se está convirtiendo, canta: "¿Me extraño a mí mismo? ¿Extraño tu cara? No lo sé”, los sentimientos de confusión se reiteran en "¿Por qué el 'amor' y el 'odio' me suenan iguales?". A veces, no es inusual sentir que tenemos sentimientos de amor y odio hacia un sujeto u objeto específico. En "Tokyo", los sentimientos encontrados de RM hacia la nostalgia y estar lejos de casa, fue lo que lo motivó a escribir la canción.
El sentimiento de amar y odiar algo al mismo tiempo se repite en "seoul", producido por Honne.
Si "amor" y "odio" son la misma palabra, te amo Seúl.
Si "amor" y "odio" son la misma palabra, te odio Seúl.
Cuestionando el alma de Seúl, RM lucha con su visión inmadura e idealista de Seúl a medida que crece para descubrir sus defectos. Sin embargo, conserva su afición por la ciudad: "Realmente no quiero reconocerlo, pero, incluso sus aires y su maldad, me encanta todo".
Personalmente, la forma en la que está escrita la letra fue la razón por la que "seoul" me atrajo, aparte de los sentimientos contradictorios que experimenta hacia su ciudad natal, la diferencia entre la letra y el tempo, es lo que hace que esta pista sea aún más cautivadora. Los ritmos de "seoul" desprenden un ambiente positivo, siendo más contradictorio que las otras pistas. La letra, por otro lado, transmite una serie de sentimientos desde la admiración y el amor hasta el agotamiento y el cansancio.
RM no sólo personifica la ciudad de Seúl; hace lo mismo con la lluvia. Refiriéndose a la lluvia como un amigo en "lluvia eterna", un amigo le ofrece un respiro de la multitud, las cámaras, las miradas y la curiosidad. Aunque se siente solo, encuentra consuelo en la lluvia, lo que irónicamente lo cobija y "golpea sus ventanas, preguntando si lo ha estado haciendo bien".
Las imágenes y la proyección de "lluvia eterna" es la descripción perfecta de MONO: un ambiente minimalista, un contraste entre ritmos simplistas, palabras complejas y tiempos lentos.
Sin embargo, las excepciones serían "badbye" y "everythingoes". En estas pistas, RM optó por producir por el contrario ritmos complejos y letras simplistas. Con eAeon, "badbye" se compone líricamente de cuatro frases. Aun así, las cualidades inquietantes y la composición cuidadosa del xilófono y el piano, es lo que brinda el encanto instrumental a sus oyentes.
Mientras las pistas mencionadas anteriormente te mantienen atraído con sus letras complejas y relacionables, "badbye" y "everythingoes" lo hacen con su habilidad para ser escuchadas fácilmente.
Aunque "everythingoes" no presenta letras tan simples como "badbye", presenta letras relativamente sencillas en comparación con el resto del álbum. Esto se debe a que el énfasis de la canción recae en la repetición de "everything, everything, everythinggoes", que es esencialmente el mensaje de la canción.
En lugar de palabras como "ánimo",
En lugar de mentiras como "todos son iguales",
Simplemente después de quedarse como todo este viento, pasa,
Pasa (todo, todo, pasa).
Tal vez el equilibrio que MONO presenta es la razón por la que el mixtape ha ido muy bien, rompiendo récords y entrando en el Billboard 200 en el No. 28 a pesar de ser completamente gratis. MONO no sólo presenta un equilibrio entre las emociones enrevesadas y desconcertantes que tienen los seres humanos, sino que también aporta un equilibrio musical entre las letras de la canción y sus instrumentos. RM fue cuidadoso y detallado en el tema que quería presentar y conscientemente eligió hacerlo a lo largo de cada pista. MONO también demuestra las habilidades de RM como rapero, incluso se le ve cantando con fluidez y sin problemas en cambiar entre coreano e inglés en la mayoría de las pistas.
MONO, que como prefijo significa “solitario”, podría interpretarse como "solo" o "individual"; también podría tratarse de la idea de un esquema de color monocromático, de cualquier manera, el concepto de MONO era representar la noción de simplicidad, aunque sus letras y composiciones son cualquier cosa menos que eso. RM tuvo cuidado de no exagerar con letras muy elaboradas proporcionando un equilibrio con un instrumental despejado.
En una época en la que se busca el escapismo y la relajación, el álbum minimalista de RM, con sus ritmos calmantes y rap suave te anima a reducir la velocidad. "rap lento, lluvia lenta, todo lento" es un gran resumen para MONO. "Espacial" es una de las palabras que se asoció con MONO, cuando los movimientos de la vida se vuelven abrumadores y dominantes, MONO te proporciona una ilusión de espacio, “la mejor forma de escapismo”, te ofrece un respiro a pesar de tu ajetreada vida, aunque podrías sentir que esa es la causa de tu cansancio. Este álbum te anima a mirar dentro de ti mismo y encontrar una salida dentro de ti mismo, después de todo, ¿Qué clase de escapismo es cuando sientes que estás atrapado dentro de ti mismo?
