BOYNEXTDOOR LORE AND THEORIES - LET'S GO!
knock, knock whoâs there? THE BOYNEXTDOOR
I'm going to try explain the BOYNEXTDOOR lore so far from the music videos - and some of my own theories, this is a long one so take your time!
Their debut single album introduces the exhilaration of first love. The tracksââBut I Like You,â âOne and Only,â and âSerenadeââcapture the nervous excitement and earnestness of young crushes, presented through conversational lyrics and catchy melodies.
Their debut album, it's about Taesan (our MC) falling in love with a girl, as seen all the members are chasing after this particular girl in the MVS. Taesan is the âBOYNEXTDOORâ and the other members are portrayed as his alter egos / emotions. This theory has been confirmed which means Taesanâs character has DID - Dissociative Identity Disorder.Â
At near the end of this music video Taesan knocks on the door to where the girl he has a crush on lives, her father answers the door. All the members are standing by Taesan at the porch when the father finally opens the door.
When the father opens the door he seems to not notice the other members, only Taesan. Because all the other members are Taesanâs alter egos.
Serving as a thematic continuation, this EP delves into the aftermath of a relationship. Songs such as "But Sometimes" and "Crying" reflect the pain and confusion following a breakup, portraying the emotional turbulence that ensues.
Taesan is the only one with a skin on the map view, simply because the others don't exist.
Concluding the trilogy, this EP examines the reasons behind the relationship's end. The lead single "Earth, Wind & Fire" uses elemental metaphors to depict the depth of emotions, while "Dear. My Darling" offers a heartfelt farewell, encapsulating the journey from love to loss.
EARTH, WIND & FIRE MV THEORIES
theories from - @bbmsdtilym on tiktok
This mini-album marks the group's transition into adulthood. The title signifies the cusp of turning 20, symbolizing a new chapter. Tracks like "Nice Guy" delve into themes of self-identity and the challenges of growing up, offering a candid look into their evolving perspectives.Â
I want to mention maybe they named the album 19.99 to hint to the K-drama called âSee You In My 19th Lifeâ this K-drama is all about DID.
â19.99â feels like being stuck between identities. Not 20. Not quite full. Almost there. Fragmented.
It mirrors the idea of being on the verge of a breakthrough or adulthoodâor integrationâbut still split.
It also sounds like an unfinished identity. Like version 19.99 of someone who never became whole.
theories from - @bbmsdtilym on tiktok
This is an upcoming album so I dont have much info yet so Iâll start with the only content we have covered from this album which is their single song.
IF I SAY I LOVE YOU SINGLE MV (This song has been confirmed in the track-list for NO GENRE)
First let me point out that the cover of the song has a boy representing all the members in the MV. Leehan with the balloons, Riwoo in the bathtub, Woonhak with the bubbles, Sungho with the guitar, Taesan sitting alone and Jaehyun laying on all the clothes. Theyâre drawn as the same boy because itâs supposed to portray Taesan as all of them.
Thereâs also a part in this MV where Taesan looks behind himself where his friends were with him but when he looked back this time they were gone.Â
At the start of the MV Taesan is seen trying to confess to the girl but seemingly fails. - Iâll get back to this when I talk about the end of the MV.
Throughout the MV are all pressuring him to confess to the girl (heâs pressuring himself or so his alters are, there are two times where the sentence âSAY ITâ is shown in this MV).
RIWOO IS THE REAL CORE / HOST OR FIRST ALTER? THEORY PT.1
I have a theory that Riwoo is the real core instead of Taesan, here we see Riwoo going into a photobooth taking some pictures by himself but ALSO with the other members. Now if he was taking pictures with the other members Taesan should be the only one seen on the pictures right? Well no that didn't happen cause in the pictures the only person we see is Riwoo which shouldn't be possible if heâs an alter, he may be the real core. Iâll get back to this theory cause there are more points to where heâs shown to maybe be the real core.
All the members are showing through the TV because theyâre all the same person.
I didnât mention this but thereâs a flower Taesan tries giving the girl this whole MV and at the end he finally succeeds in giving this flower to her.Â
BUT right after this, we see a close up of Taesanâs face until he suddenly turns into EVERY MEMBER, they are all the same person (obv)
At the end of If I Say I Love You Taesan gets closer to realizing his DID condition.
NO GENRE ALBUM TRAILER THEORIES
Iâm going to cover up what title each member got in this trailer and what it could mean in their upcoming album. (SO THESE ARE THEORIES!!)
First to start it off I think this album will have a BIG part of Taesan's DID andâmight be the main chapter of his condition exploring his alters and emotions.Â
(I fell in love with this trailer. Why is it HYYH coded?đ)
Exploring this trailer was just fun for me!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The âNo ____â labels aren't just traits, but coping mechanisms, emotional states, or alter egos Taesan has developed. The chaos and disjointedness of the trailer is intentionalâit mirrors the fragmentation inside Taesanâs mind. The surreal events, like frozen time and distortion, represent dissociation or switching alters.
âNo Genreâ is the perfect metaphor for not knowing who you are anymore, or not wanting to be boxed into one version of yourself. (Taesan probably doesnât know who he is any longer after his realization in If I Say I Love You MV)
The loud visuals, the freeze-frame surrealism, the breakdownsâit all shows a system trying to reorganize itself.
Represents uninhibited expression.
He does what he wants without fear of judgment. Possibly a defense against traumaâif shame was too overwhelming, this alter formed to counter it with shamelessness.He wakes up Riwoo in the trailer, waking up Riwoo could symbolize the beginning of a "switch"âactivating other parts of Taesan.
Taesan walks up, puts on gloves, and punches Jaehyun.
When he punches Jaehyun, time freezes and Jaehyun rapidly switches into multiple versions of himselfâdifferent clothes, glasses, lipstick, lightsâlike an identity glitch, a fractured identity or different personas.
After the punch, his wisdom tooth gets knocked out.
His wisdom tooth is knocked out = symbolic of growing up, losing innocence, or experiencing transformation.
âNo Painâ might not mean he doesnât feel pain, but rather that he suppresses or hides itâmaybe each of those brief versions of him is a mask he wears.
The punch embodies Taesanâs attempt to shut off emotional/physical pain.
All the members are frozen around a car.
All the members are holding bats, looking like something violent or chaotic is about to happen.
But Taesan isnât frozenâheâs still moving, blurring slightly like he's moving outside of time.
He notices a small snail.
He picks it up gently and places it on a leaf, safely out of harmâs way.
Then he grabs the bat again and shatters the car window.
Can seemingly move through frozen timeâsuggesting heâs aware of deeper truths or reality.Breaking the car window afterward is a contradiction = he can cause harm, but chooses not to (unless he must).
Helping the snail might symbolize Taesan protecting the core self, or a fragile part of his identity he doesnât want to destroy in all the chaos.
Snails move slowly, just like healing, or processing trauma.
His blurred movement could mean heâs not bound by normal timeâmaybe he sees multiple timelines or potential outcomes. Taesan seems to be able to freeze time and go back in time.
I think thereâs something very symbolic here:
Then, break what needs to be broken
I also want to mention it seems like Taesan is starting to take much more control, itâs probably because of his realization after If I Say I Love You MV, because now he knows of his alters he doesnât stand back and takes control.
We see 4 of the members eating dumplings which they share while reading manga.
Woonhak - Taesan - Jaehyun - Sungho
When there are only 3 dumplings left, 3 men come up and seem to start a fight over who gets the last dumplings. The rest of the members join in on this fight.
A man in a motorcycle helmet comes in frame holding a box he places it down hard enough to make lots of dumplings fall out of it, this probably ended the fight.
Woonhak is chill at first, but the dumpling fight hints at underlying tension.
The sudden abundance of dumplings implies drama is often unnecessary, or that conflict can be solved with perspective.
His label "No Drama" might mean he defuses conflict, or doesnât buy into unnecessary emotional spirals.
He's surrounded by chaos but stays centered = possibly the peacemaker of the alters.
His âNo Dramaâ stance might be how Taesan tries to normalize chaosâmake things seem okay when they arenât.
Possibly the most âsocially acceptableâ mask Taesan uses.
We see the members under a small staircase outside it begins to rain, Jaehyun walks into the rain and signals for the others to join him as he begins to dance / play around in the rain until the others join him, except Sungho who doesnât join and only watches them - with no emotions / feelings.
Leehan seems to notice Sungho standing there alone, but now with an umbrella over him.
(Note I feel like actually we see Sungho emotionless really often in recent MVS)
Sungho is physically present but emotionally absent. Dissociation isnât always dramaticâit can look like this: being surrounded by emotion, but feeling nothing. He doesnât share in the happiness or the sadness. Heâs just... there.
In DID, certain parts of the system might "hold" emotions while others suppress them to protect the person from being overwhelmed.
Sungho may be the alter that carries emotional numbness, created to shield Taesan from feelings that were too much to handle.
The rest of the membersâwho are also parts of Taesanâare releasing, expressing, feeling. Their movement into the rain might represent Taesan trying to heal, feel joy, or connect. But Sungho resists, because heâs the part that has locked those feelings away to protect the system.
He could even represent depression, suppression, or trauma-induced detachment.
The rain scene with Sungho becomes a powerful metaphor: parts of Taesan are healing, but some (like No Feelings) are still frozen in place. - Connection to the snail scene from Taesan.
Detachment = likely a protector alter or one created from emotional shutdown.
Doesnât engage with joy or sadness. He watches but doesnât participate.
Holding an umbrella = shielding the system from emotional overwhelm.
The scene where he stands alone while others dance is huge. It's a literal dissociation moment!
Leehan (No Shame) noticing him could represent a part of Taesan trying to reconnect with what was emotionally cut off. But most alters donât interact meaningfully unless the system is becoming self-aware which shows Taesan is slowly getting self-aware after If I Say I Love You.
I have a feeling that Sungho might represent a trauma-holding alter, or even the part that formed during something very painful.
SUNGHO IS âBREAKING DOWNâ EMOTIONALLY THEORY
After Taesan confesses (the first moment where all of the alters are shown flickering into one body from the "If I Say I
Love You" MV), Sunghoâs role as "No Feelings" starts to crack.
The almost-accident might represent that his job (protecting Taesan from emotion) is no longer sustainable.
Heâs literally almost hit by the force of Taesanâs emotional growth.
Thatâs why Sungho is almost hit by a car in "If I Say I Love you".Â
In some DID systems, when certain alters feel like their âjobâ is no longer needed, they may:
Or in symbolic storytelling, be âerasedâ
Sungho might be emotionally unstable in that momentâheâs the last one not healing, not playing, not connecting. Maybe this will happen in the new album?Â
(Sungho is a very confusing character in my opinionđ)
We see the members getting ready to take a photo, Riwoo enters the room last. He sits down, It looks like Jaehyun whispers something to him. They all pose and a picture is taken.
âNo Posingâ might reflect authenticity or the suppressed original Taesan trying to resurface.
He enters at the end, like a final piece clicking in.
Jaehyun whispering to him could be the internal system passing a message: âYouâre ready now.â
Or his entrance could symbolize Riwoo returning to the system or becoming active again after being dormant or hidden.
Riwoo joining the group photo = acceptance or integration.
The picture could also imply Taesan's system is stabilizing, or that heâs embracing his complexity instead of hiding from it.
RIWOO FIRST ALTER OR REAL CORE / HOST? THEORY PT.2
Unlike the others (who are overconfident, numb, goofy, violent, etc.), Riwoo seems the most ânormalâ or neutral.
âNo Posingâ could mean: Iâm just me. Iâm not performing for anyone.
In the trailer, the final scene is all the members posing together.
Riwoo enters last, like heâs finally ready to step into the pictureâto face all the other parts of himself.
This could symbolize the real Taesan finally acknowledging the existence of his alters and choosing to reclaim his full identity.
Riwoo could be the boy next door.
The boy Taesan used to be. The one under all the noise, pressure, love, fear, and brokenness.
The one who might finally be ready to come back.
THANK YOU SO MUCH IF YOU READED THIS LOL - this is my first post đđ
I'm so excited for no genre and will definetly try to cover up more of the lore and come up with some creative theories!