Dispatch, Closeting, Namsan Date and LY era... It’s all connected! -a timeline-based TK theory.
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DISCLAIMER:
1. This theory is presented as a context-focused timeline, with minimal commentary. Sources and dates included.
2. It’s NOT complete. It lacks a lot of details that I’m going to include eventually. This is more of a simplified model of the events.
Quick note: despite the term “separation” being the most popular among TK theorists, what happened would be more accurately described as “restriction”, or “muting”. TK wasn’t completely erased, but their relationship was significantly undermined by the decreased visibility of their interactions in the official content. That led to people believing they had “drifted apart”, despite the two remaining close off-camera (as suggested by candid footage from award shows, etc). The timeline is intricate; frankly, this post misses out on a lot of things. It will be expanded with time.
[160109] Taehyung backhugs Jeongguk in a Dispatch video report.
[160312] “One news media outlet has an exclusive report on evidence they've collected of a same sex couple within an idol group” - PANN rumor (original post got deleted).
PANN comments:
Is it related to Taekook?
There are a lot more closeted couples within the industry than you might expect, so we can’t actually determine for sure who this blind item was about. Does the description fit TH & JK?
1) Same sex couple, within an idol group (=the same group) - check
2) Trending idols:
2015 was their breakthrough. The outlet has been “waiting on the piece of news for months”. How popular were BTS that year?
They were the third on the GAON’s 2015 Album Sales Chart.
11 days after the rumor has surfaced...
[160323] Taehyung and Jeongguk are forced to stay away from each other - HYYH pt.2 On Stage Concert Making DVD.
Observations:
*[0:42 JK goes out of frame as soon as he notices Taehyung approaching, Taehyung follows him. | 0:52 Cut. JK has one of his hands tightly grasping the other, fidgeting fingers, clasping fist (=anxiety, insecurity), bites his lips and keeps swallowing (=dry mouth =anxiety). | 1:02 Tae starts talking, JK doesn’t look at him yet; Tae bumps into JK with his shoulder, JK gulps and stares for a couple of seconds, gaining a tense posture, then quickly turns away. | 1:13-1:28 Cut. Tae is hugging JK, JK keeps a straight face. | 1:36 Cut, Tae and JK are walking with the others, Tae has his arm around JK. | 2:05 They stopped, Tae started leaning on JK’s shoulders. | 2:07 They both turn to the camera operator at the same time. JK crosses his arms (=gets defensive), turns away from it, draws in cheeks and purses his lips (=disapproval). At about the same time Taehyung stops leaning on JK, licks his lips (=anxiety) and fixes the towel around his shoulders. JK turns away, stone-faced, waiting for the camera to get away from him. JM appears visibly upset as well.]
[170101] Dispatch doesn’t reveal a couple for 2017. The official statement for it implies that the idol dating news will distract people from the on-going political crisis - Dispatch on Facebook.
*koreeaboo.com translation
Unless the couple is something completely out of the ordinary, the reveal wouldn’t steal the spotlight and GP’s attention significantly.
[BurnTheStage: WINGS Tour and 170312 Chile Concert] The Separation gets severe.
Most of their interactions don’t make it into the final cut. The rare ones that do avoid showing Taehyung’s face whenever he gets close to Jeongguk. They are forced to stay apart even when JK overworks himself and falls sick because of it. Taehyung cannot even comment on the situation on-camera.
Here’s a video on that. It also includes some other clear separation moments outside of Burn The Stage.
[170526] Dispatch posts a photo with a “taekook” poster in it.
[170918] DNA MV is released.
The song and the album are described as being about “the love of boys who grow up” (vague enough) but also as “a message of love, unity, reconciliation and integration to the society” by Namjoon (DNA press conference | DNA special comeback live). Now, the title track doesn’t have an explicit societal message - from the first glance, it’s just a love song... UNLESS you pay attention to the JK & TH storyline running through it.
Here’s an analysis that points out the 3 key scenes that make it explicit that the MV is about Taehyung and Jeongguk. It’s an in-depth look into the storyline and the characters established by the MV through visual storytelling and lyrical nuance.
Here’s another analysis that mentions pride flags included in the MV & additional choreographical elements that the first analysis missed out on.
Suddenly, Namjoon’s words make a lot more sense.
As far as inteprepretations go, you can only be so sure about what you take out of the art. Please, take this with a grain of salt. ♥
[171007] Jeongguk showing off the matching bracelet he has with Taehyung for 4 minutes straight at a LY: Her fansign, wanting every JK fansite there to capture it.
Ah, so inconspicious.
Taehyung’s bracelet from the same fansign.
They also wore matching rings on their wedding fingers (gifted to them by horizon_9597).
Later during the fansign, Taehyung took his off... Just for JK to wear both at once. ♥
As it turned out, they wore them casually before that fansign! A week earlier...
[170930] Jeongguk wears his ring at Mukbang Live.
NOTE: It doesn’t mean the separation was completely lifted. At the same date as this liveshow, this little moment happened. They were on the boundary between getting openly close and trying to keep it moderate (included in BurnTheStage video).
From September 2017 onward, Dispatch’s BTS-related publications gain a consistent running theme: they keep mentioning Taehyung and Jeongguk together, often exclusively from the rest of the group.
[170918] Dispatch: “Handsome to the left and right... V•Jeongguk, flowerboy beauty” (only TK)
(NOTE: I’ll only translate what I’m able to, based on auto-translations and context.)
[170922] Dispatch: “It’s light, too”... V•Jeongguk, matching clothes (only TK)
[171225] Another needless separation moment - Namjoon forcing himself between Taehyung and Jeongguk and breaking their handholding during the bow (included in BurnTheStage video).
Angle 1 | Angle 2
[180125] Dispatch: “Black is the truth”... V•Jeongguk [...] (only TK)
[180126] Taehyung and Jeongguk have a buffet date at Namsan hotel. (fanacc + photos)
*from 171008 - same hoodie
NOTES:
1. Oddly enough, they are not wearing masks or glasses: their faces are visible to everyone. At this point in time they are already well-known among the general public. Simple carelessness or some kind of statement..?
2. This hotel is 10-minute drive away from their dormitory AND it takes a month in advance to reserve a spot there... This must be a really special occasion.
3. Two years ago, on the same date, “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” by Taehyung and a day after, “Nothing Like Us” by Jeongguk were posted, on Fancafe and Twitter respectively (to obscure the correlation for the mainstream ARMY?). This correlation extends to other occurences, such as Jeongguk asking people to pay attention to the lyrics of his song covers and serenading “Nothing Like Us” to Taehyung twice on separate occasions, or posting his cover of “Fools” (ft. Namjoon) 40 minutes before Taehyung’s birthday in 2015. You can acquaint yourself with the full timeline here. However, this date didn’t bring any special occasions in 2017.
4. Jeongguk brought a camera with him, but didn’t post anything from that date yet... I wonder if he keeps it to himself or wants to release it as a part of a... special GCF for the future? He records Taehyung a lot in general - some of these moments got into BTS Memories 2017 DVD, such as JK recording TH rehearse Stigma or just sit across the couch of JK, with his laptop, in his natural habitat.
5. Two months later,
[180321] Jimin's interview for ViVi magazine:
Okay, I’m done. Moving on...
[180204] Dispatch: V•Jeongguk improvise “Daily Song” (only TK)
From then on, it becomes apparent that Dispatch and BigHit have some sort of contract. BigHit starts having collaborations with Dispatch on private schedules, photoshoots and MV sets.
[180210] Starcast x Dispatch: "Black bean noodle for graduation”… JUNG KOOK’s treat with his own card
[180214] Dispatch: V, rising action drama…”꽃도령의 카.리.스.마” (only TK)
[180303] BTS_twt posts photos of Taehyung and Jeongguk watching the sunset together.
[180303] Dispatch reposts them on IG. (x; x; x only TK)
V, Jeongguk Behind Cut 💕💕
Heart-warming two-shot 👬🤳💕
D-icon after shooting 👏🏻 Heart-throbbing two-shot 💕💕
[180305] Dicon posts the behind cut pictures.
[180305] Dispatch posts LA photoset.
P.S. I like the sky! 🌫☁️🌈
CONTEXT: no other photo from that set has any emojis. (x | x | x | x | x | x)
[180316] Dicon: Taehyung and Jeongguk can be seen, taking the sunset pictures in the background.
[Di-Q] RM, Jin, J-Hope, Jimin are shooting a ‘unit’.
Meanwhile, what are V and Jungkook doing?
Everyone already knows the right answer.
[180515] Dispatch: [...] V•Jeongguk, visual bros. (only TK)
[180515] Dicon Twitter Post. (only TK)
Now the [D icon] LA behind the scenes has been released on Naver! Check out the HD photos with 2000 horizontal pixels!
[180506] Singularity MV is released
1. Taehyung states the lyrics were written specifically for him by Namjoon in their FAKE LOVE comeback preview in LA (14:01)
2. The MV imagery and the lyrical themes seem to reference a book “Confessions of the Mask” (that Namjoon recommended at some point) (SOURCE SEARCH IN PROGRESS).
This is also underlined by the use of newspapers and TVs as the background props (TVs later appear in the LY: Answer photoshoot), symbolic of the invasion of privacy, being cornered by the public opinion / rumors, etc.
NOTE: Again, that is an interpretation. Take it with a grain of salt.
[180525] Dispatch: [...] *it’s about Jeongguk writing subtitles for Taehyung’s words. (only TK)
[180528] Dispatch posts Fake Love MV set pictures.
“I can do a V-sign too” | “Bangtan Boys” Jeongguk
NOTE: it’s most likely a photo Jeongguk took in the Dispatch pictures.
CONTEXT: the other pictures from the same set (x | x | x). TK are obviously in the spotlight, with five pictures dedicated to them (counting Tae’s portrait).
This is the fifth one. For some reason, it’s not with the other pictures on the official Dispatch IG page... Was it [gasp] deleted?!
I guess Dispatch prefers fluffy over smutty when it comes to Taekook. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
[180617] Dispatch: Jeonggukie’s shooting spot!
NOTE: The boys are taking pictures of Jimin, yet out of 4 photos there is only one that actually includes him as one of the central characters of the scene. He’s not even present in the 2 of them (I’m pointing this out to highlight Dispatch’s priorities, vminkook trio is 100% out-of-this-world amazing concept).
[180621] BTS announce Dispatch official VLive channel.
They have a contract. Duh.
[180805] Dispatch posts a stop frame of JK flashing a V sign.
NOTE: They’ve already teased Jeongguk about it with the Fake Love shoot (”I can do a v-sigh too!”), so this is definitely related.
[180808] Dispatch: Another stop frame.
NOTE: the only two identifiable characters of the scene. Subtle, yet clear.
Dispatch IG profile picture
[180825] BTS 오늘 exhibition opens
There’s no picture that has Taehyung and Jeongguk together in it. Except...
this one. It’s like a reverse of what happened in Burn The Stage.
But maybe it’s just that they don’t take photos together?
Well...
BH had plenty to work with.
[180831] Dispatch IG story
*they capture this moment
[181024] “Heartwarming two-shot” Jeongguk•V, visual bros