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Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - Part 11

Masterlist

Hala Hala (Z-World)

There are two ways to look at this performance video:

Ateez, now posing as their alternate selves, are on their first outing as the Black Pirates: "This emotion I'm feeling for the first time is creating a new side of me" as the lyrics say

Or: It's the newly freed Black Pirates choosing to perform one last time before they go into hiding and let Ateez take over the reigns - this would very much align with the color scheme of this music video so I prefer it

But regardless, this is their way of telling the people of Strictland they've escaped captivity - it's a "we're back and will pick up right where we left off"

Looking at the lyrics, we see them refer to themselves as a "real-life suicide squad", which refers to the risk they're taking by continuing down their set path, and we also get the line: "no one will refute us" which indicated they know they're on the right side of history

Regarding the meaning of the phrase "Hala Hala", you can find more in my post here

Bonus:

Graffiti, tagging, and street art have been used to express resistance against the government and police since the 70s, launching in New York and then spreading across cultures and continents.

Since the paint was cheap and easy to come by, it allowed especially the young and marginalized to leave a mark on the world which was actively trying to make them both invisible and voiceless.

It was a way of telling their oppressors: I am here, you cannot shut me up, and I also lay claim on this public space, whether you like it or not.

So the Black Pirates using it here while they're actively breaking laws, forming a rebellion, and trying to take down their dictator is just about as on point as it gets.

Illusion (Dreamscape)

Like in Eternal Sunshine, they seem to be trapped in a dream/illusion

We're on their ship, now a flying vessel, as everyone wakes up from a deep sleep; the colors are all pastel and everything is very cute and happy - a stark contrast to their current reality

Going by the lyrics, Jongho is first to notice they've lost track of time and don't know who or where they are

They sing about wanting to stay and party, call it a paradise, while also chanting about wanting to be set free and pointing out everything that's not quite right about all this

We also get this clip of a cartoonish crescent moon - the moon phase associated with the Cromer's ability to travel into dreams (see: Crazy Form)

Right before they reach the island to land, there's a quick flash of Seonghwa turning the Cromer, indicating they activated one of its powers to search for this Treasure they’ve been mentioning

The shot is followed by a glimpse of a black fedora in a box (reminding us the ship originally belonged to the Black Pirates) and the table filled with all the props they were playing around with earlier, i.e. a magnifying glasses, maps, an ink fountain

We reach the island and things start looking even more whack

The background is largely cardboard cutouts, everything is painted in pastels and giant stuff is floating around, including a massive Cromer

They move into another environment, potentially a cave, with tarp walls and sheets of translucent fabric hanging everywhere; they navigate their way through it as the light dims

Suddenly, a familiar figure appears at the end of the corridor, framed by a bright white light - one of the Black Pirates

They enter yet another place full of skinny bare trees, neon lights and flowers before they escape by using the exit the Black Pirate showed them

Makes you wonder if he was just checking in like a worried parent after Ateez went AWOL for a while, only to find them trapped on some funky dream island

This then raises the question of how the communication between Ateez and the Black Pirates works, given that we'll repeatedly see unusual things happen between them that aren't connected to the Cromer's powers, i.e. the transfer of the black outfits through the prison cell wall (see: the Fever Part 3 Diary Entries)

The only logical explanation I can come up with is that the world around them recognizes them as one and the same which allows them to do this type of stuff

Regardless, we now end the MV on the opening shot for Wave

Wave (Dreamscape)

Since everyone is once again asleep at the beginning of the video, we can already operate under the assumption that this is another shared dream they're having - "Illusion" was therefore a dream within a dream

Unlike the Black Pirates, they don't seem to be fully in control of this part of the Cromer's powers - during the crescent moon, they seem to automatically share a dream where they get to play around and have fun and, honestly, they deserve it

I'm just putting this screenshot here to point out that the uppermost tape is titled "Picnic Music" which I didn't know was a thing before (cute)

Going by the lyrics, they still have no clear plan where they're heading next but they're aware time keeps passing

Ultimately, they’re okay with their situation: they're together (again) and already overcame so much, therefore, they should be okay no matter what they'll have to face next - for now, they’re even free to just enjoy themselves

Plot-wise, there really isn't anything major to point out so I'll leave you with this pretty shot of them watching the sunset

#ateez #ateez lore #hongjoong #seonghwa #yunho #yeosang #san #mingi #wooyoung #jongho #hala hala #illusion mv #wave mv #treasure series