#I want Jimin to actually use that guitar for Smeraldo and for it to not be just a photoshoot prop

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Jimin - MUSE Concept Photos - Blooming ver.

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BTS Fake Love Theory/Analysis

[A/N: This is a complete very lengthy and heavy detailed theory, analysis and explanation (Kookie wants it tho :) This includes symbolism and it’s correlation to Highlight Reel series].

According to BTS, LOVE YOURSELF 轉 Tear concept is about the dark side of love and it’s complexity. It focuses merely about the sadness in love. It also adresses the idea of love isn’t only from person to another person but could also be between you and yourself. This is a differentiation between the serendipitously fortunate accident of falling in love in their previous concept LOVE YOURSELF 承 Her.

Let's start with the comeback teasers.

This quotable scene were seen from the start of Fake Love’s teaser. And it says:

“Magic Shop is a psychodramatic technique that exchanges fear for a positive attitude.”

In reference to a book entitled ‘Into the Magic Shop’ by James R. Doty, where Jim (protagonist) wandered into a magic shop looking for a plastic thumb but instead he met Ruth, a woman who taught him to keep his heart open to ease his own suffering and to manifest his greatest desires.

This is the basis of why all boys (except JK) were seen walking towards a misterious shop which is the Magic Shop, where they brought an item which symbolizes their fear and trade it with another item which will give them happiness/ positivity in exchange. 

Just want to remind you that this is all connected to LOVE YOURSELF Highlight Reel.

J-HOPE: CHOCOLATE BAR & CAKE

J-hope brought a chocolate bar into the Magic Shop, in exchange he received a cake. In Love Yourself Highlight Reel, if you didn’t notice there’s a chocolate bar next to a crying kid (we assumed this is little J-hope). The chocolate bar reminds J-hope of his fear when his mother left him alone. So the item that symbolizes J-hope’s fear is the chocolate bar.

Also in LOVE YOURSELF Highlight Reel, there’s a scene where in J-hope’s birthday, he receives a cake from his girl partner. This cake brought him happiness in contrast with what chocolate bar kept reminding him of.

JIMIN: FLOWER ARBORETUM SCENERY & UMBRELLA

When Jimin went to the Magic Shop, he trade a scenery of ‘Flower Arboretum’ photo in exchange of an ‘umbrella’. This Flower Arboretum scenery symbolizes fear for Jimin and the umbrella represents as happiness in correlation to Jimin’s girl partner in Highlight Reel.

In Jimin’s WINGS solo Lie lyrics it says:

[You want me~] [’ve lost my way~]

[Caught in a lie~] [Pull me from this hell~] [I can’t be free from this pain~] [Save me, I am being punished~ ]

Based on the lyrics, Jimin seems lost on his way (presumbly in Flower Arboretum) which made him this place symbolizes as hell.

J-hope & Jimin: Flower Arboretum NOT a Paradise

In J-hope’s WINGS solo Mama, this is the scenery J-hope keeps staring at, the same scenery Jimin stares at in his WINGS solo Lie. So what’s the connection?

As I discuss above, Jhope’s mother (MAMA) left him behind in a theme park exactly in front of the carousel, indeed a happy place to be. However, that happy place for J-hope seems familiar to a hell. Like Flower Arboretum, it looks like a paradise as it seems. Same with what Jimin looks into it, a hell.

RM: BROKEN PIECE OF MIRROR & HAIR TIE

On the other hand, RM’s symbolism of fear is the broken piece of mirror that says: “Must Survive”, and he trade it with Hairtie. Back in HYYH series, this broken piece of mirror holds RM’s memories of their struggles to survive on their youthful days. In contrast with the hairtie he had, that reminds him of the girl from Highlight Reel, someone who brought him happiness. 

TAEHYUNG & SUGA: BAG & LOLLIPOP

They didn’t reveal what item Taehyung and Suga trade in into the Magic Shop for the item they need but taehyung received a bag with red scarf and a yellow lollipop for Suga. Again, this items was from LOVE YOURSELF Highlight Reel. Exactly from their corresponding girl partner (Love), someone who gave them happiness/ positivity.

Just want to add, red scarf omened the vicinity of the matter that you will manage with intelligence (presumbly the ‘Im Fine’ ‘Save Me’ concept) so that it causes the possible smallest nuisance.

JIN: INEAR & CONTROLLED

While Taehyung and Suga’s item they trade in were still unknown, for Jin the item he received is the unknown one. The item Jin trade in into the Magic Shop is an ‘inear’. In WINGS short film Awake, Jin were seen wearing an inear and he seemed getting controlled by someone and also in BST, Jin seemed as if he heard something, like a voice were calling him. This seemed someone is whispering Jin trying to persuade him or simply his getting controlled by that voice. This voice or the inear symbolizes Jin’s fear.

However, this happiness/ positivity and love that they all had in LOVE YOURSELF Highlight Reel were all just fabricated, a lie, and indeed FAKE. This was all made by the Magic Shop.

JUNGKOOK: KEY

Eventhough Jungkook didn’t exchange anything, the shop still gave him a key. This key let Jungkook knows the truth. Notices that before Jungkook received the key, he’s wearing a bright and colorful outfit and after that he’s now wearing a rag like outfit. This implies that the key, let jungkook knows the dark, dirty, and messy side lying within love. That love isn’t perfect as it seem. 

JIN: FLOWER SMERALDO

In here, Jin were trying to protect the flower in the lantern. To tell you, this flower is the only memory Jin had with the girl in Highlight Reel. For Jin, the love that he had in Highlight Reel were just a mere dream. This indicates that the flower represents as the girl or Jin’s dream. This flower is actually ‘Smeraldo’ means ‘sincerity that couldn’t delivered’. All along back in Highlight Reel, they’ve been spoiling us about their song “Undelivered Truth’ from their recent album LOVE YOURSELF Tear tracklist.

But the truth, this dream is just fake however he still wants to protect it. So In order to protect his beautiful dream he had once, Jin closes all curtain. It can be seen that Jin were closing the curtain for Jungkook. Closing curtain as a metaphor means having a opportunity/chance to do/get something, but something went wrong, so the curtain is closing on him (JK).

RM: TEAR (CRY)

There’s an interpretation that mirror reflected the way you see yourself; or the way you want others to see you. In here, we see RM looking himself in front of the mirror. In his reflection, it says his wearing a yellow which we know symbolizes happiness but actually his wearing a blue which symbolizes sadness in contrast with yellow. This explains that RM once became happy (in Highlight Reel) or pretended to be one (for love) but in reality his sad. The lyrics says it:

[For you, I could pretend like I was happy when I was sad~] [For you, I could pretend like I was strong when I was hurt~] 

In Highlight Reel, RM hides his true identity and feelings just for love. But in the process of love, he lost himself. Looking through mirror means finding your true self, looking for yourself of who you are. It seem RM were asking himself, is he happy or sad? The lyrics says it all.  

[I wanna be a good man, just for you] [I gave the world, just for you] [I changed everything, just for you] [But I don't know me, Who are you?]  

[I even became quite unsure of who I was~] [Try babbling into the mirror, who the heck are you?] 

RM mentioned that If you’re not being true to yourself, the love won’t last. 

RM said in his vlive that there are 3 phases in fake love: the Tear (cry), Tear (rip), and Fear. So this scene were RM passed through the wall to Suga was maybe a transition from tear (cry) to tear (rip).

 SUGA: TEAR (RIP)

In this scene, Suga destroys the guitar. Again try to look back in LOVE YOURSELF Highlight Reel, this is the guitar Suga’s girl partner plays. The item that Suga were destroying, represent a part of him or his past (girl/ love). Destroying the object helps Suga alleviate a negative feelings or memory from that object. In other words, Suga were trying to forget about his past by ripping his memory or the love he had because it was all fake. 

Fire often symbolizes as anger and destruction. A temper that is out of control. But there’s a scene where Suga purposely set up a fire and were actually not afraid of it and in his under control watching it comfortably on one area. This symbolizes his own internal fire and inner transformation. Setting a fire indicates that Suga were undergoing great distress. It was his act of letting go. A desperation to destroy something or some aspect of his life.

JHOPE: FEAR

In this scene, Jhope seemed trapped in a room filled with his childhood memories and he seem scared by trying to block the door. This indicates that his childhood memories keep haunting him and still trapped in his bad memory he had when his still a kid.

Earlier, I already discuss the meaning behind the chocolate bar for J-hope. Chocolate bar symbolizes fear. Seeing J-hope drown in chocolate bar indicates that he is drowning with his emotions which is his fear. This scene implies that his fear ate him alive. 

YELLOW PAINT SYMBOLISM

Notice that there are a lot of yellow paint in each and every scene. We know yellow symbolizes happiness, hope and sunshine because of it’s bright and luminous color. But too little yellow causes feelings of isolation (JM), fear (JH), insecurity, and low self-esteem (RM).

JUNGKOOK: RUN

This scene indicates Jungkook is obviously running away from something or someone which means he’s avoiding an issue. It could also mean that he’s not confronting a certain situations or simply avoiding his fears.

There’s this scene where Jungkook is above Taehyung and behind him is a Save Me graffiti. This indicates that Jungkook represented as taehyung’s subconscious and in Jungkook’s point of view he may interpreted this ‘Save Me’ as ‘I’m Fine’ from his direction or perspective. In the MV, notice how Taehyung feel at ease when Jungkook accomplished escaping from running. This act can be interpreted that it makes someone feel fine by running away from certain problems.

TAEHYUNG: ‘I’M FINE’ ‘SAVE ME’

This Taehyung scene, if you look back in Highlight Reel Concept Photos. This Save Me text is actually an Ambigram, a word, art form or other symbolic representation whose elements retain it’s meaning when you flipped it/ viewed or interpreted in multiple of direction or perspective. This is a campaign to save more lives before it’s too late. Bighit really went to adress this overaching issue about depression.

In LOVE YOURSELF Highlight Reel, if you notice taehyung keep been doing ‘I’m Fine’ graffiti. This indicates that he needs to show that his fine eventhough his not just to hide the truth that he needs help because he was too afraid to ask for it and at the same time it was his another way to cry for help.

In summary, this taehyung’s scene shows that out there, are a lot more people seeking for help just don’t be afraid to ask for it. Just remember that you are not alone but we are all alone in this battle TOGETHER. Seek and ask for help if you need to. 

JIMIN: SACRIFICE 

In this top shot, Jimin seems locked up in the room, alone. If you look closely through the wall, you can see a scenery. It was known as 'Flower Arboretum'. Above, I already explained the meaning behind Flower Arboretum. Again it symbolizes Jimin’s fear. This scene means that Jimin were trapped in his fear alone because he chooses to, the next scene explains it where Jimin turn off the faucet and a tunnel was opened for Jungkook. It’s a clear interpretation of Jimin’s sacrifice for Jungkook. Jimin give way for Jungkook, the same thing he does for J-hope in Highlight Reel (love triangle). Therefore, In consequences of Jimin's action, it can be seen that he let himself drowned and died.

SAND & DESERT SYMBOLISM

Sand or sand running through the fingers is the most direct symbol of time. This indicates that the time is running out for something to be done, for a choice to be made, or something to be completed. 

The desert is symbolic of all the obstacles and hardships that stand between people and their dreams. It is also psychological or emotional growth. Sand may represent the border between the conscious (land) and unconscious (water) minds. Remember when Jungkook passed through the tunnel with water? From water (unconscious) to land (conscious). Transition from unaware to aware of the idea of the dark sides of love.

WOODEN CLOAK STAND: SINGULARITY

Obviously, this wooden coat stand is for BTS cloak. I assumed that was the position of their cloak stand based on their respective chronological order. Originally, this is BTS usual position on their every official interviews and such. (TH, YG, SJ, JK, RM, JM, JH).

This scene is familiar in Taehyung’s 'Singularity'. The only difference is there were no clothes hang. This may means that all member already accepted and knows the truth. Later on Jungkook are about to undergo the state of being alone and to know the truth. 

CLOAK & MASK SYMBOLISM

This isn’t a typical mask and actually a Venetian masks. It is usually a device used for hiding the wearer's identity and social status. This would reminds you of Taehyung’s Singularity where he also wears a mask. Collectively, it can hide your true identity or hidden feelings behind wearing a mask because the mask would permit the wearer to act more freely in cases where he or she wanted to interact with other members of the society outside the bounds of identity.

Based on some research, Cloak symbolizes the spirit realm, a journey (spiritual) that represents the mind, body, and spirit. In general cloak is also a talisman or a protection from harm, keeping one safe and secure throughout transitions. This an interpretation of transition from LOVE YOURSELF Tear/ Fake Love’s dark sides of love and it’s complexity to a new upcoming next stage of growth or knowledge (presumbly LOVE YOURSELF Answer).

Cloak is also a representation that worries or fears are now diminishing. This clearly explains the last scene where a thick brick wall smashed the boys in cloak and mask. Destroying fear, fake identity and feelings.