#era: daechwita

[star-my]

born as a tiger

Pairing: Min Yoongi (Mad King) x OFC (Lee Hoyeon)

Rating: T | WC: 5.8k | Ao3 | My Fics Masterlist | Masterlist |

AU: Daechwita AU, Arranged Marriage AU, Historical AU, Royal AU

CW: implied unhealthy/abusive parental relationship, OFC has Trust Issues & implied C-PTSD, Yoongi & Yoonji star in this fic, Namjoon cameo, Jackson Wang shows up (does not throw a party but is cause for one), Jackson goes by Gayi, empty threats of violence but as a love language, sword fighting but friendly, I think that's it, lmk if I should update this

Summary:

Lee Hoyeon trembled at all the thoughts flashing through her head as her carriage pulled up in front of the infamous Changdeokgung palace. Peering out through the window, she was unsettled to see how clean the stone courtyard was, the cool taupe a far cry from the dripping red she’d half-expected after tormenting herself with thoughts of her fiance’s atrocities. All the gossip she’d heard from the maids and guards back home in Dongjak Kingdom was now front and centre in her mind.  The carriage slowed to a gentle stop and the door opened, courtesy of the footman. Hoyeon took his hand, hoping hers wasn’t trembling too noticeably, and took her first step on the grounds she would be empress of in three weeks.

A/N: - this idea lay dormant for a year and a half and suddenly resurrected in the middle of reading a webtoon at 10 pm so here I am answering the author’s call of nature 😭 (*spongebob voice* fOuR mOnThS lAtEr: bless the ATZ hyperfixation for me wanting to get something out of my brain to make more room for the ot8 brainrot and this WIP was the sacrifice it chose)

I did some research for this fic, such as the Changdeokgung palace truly existing (of which I used in my moodboard), the chrysanthemum tea vs plum tea debate, and Yoongi’s sword apparently being called a hwando, etc. Any inaccuracies are mine and I apologize. Please feel free to point them out :)

There was supposed to be some smut but the muses refused. I may add it in the future or post it in a second chapter.

Thanks to the lovely @lunarelles for betaing! Any remaining mistakes are my own <3 Enjoy! 

D-22

Emperor Min Yoongi of the Dalseogu Empire was a force to be reckoned with. His subjects trembled in fear when he was whispered about–even his fellow rulers kept a wide berth around him when they met at diplomatic events. He’s a monster, they said. His reign was written with the blood of his subjects. He was nicknamed the Mad King for a reason–not that anyone would say his unofficial title to his face.

The day after the seventh emperor of the Dalseogu empire was crowned, he killed half of his court. Only a select few officials remained unscathed from the Mad King’s bloodbath. Even the families of the officials he killed were not all exempt – wives, concubines, and children being wiped out by his sword. The Dowager Empress and the Second, Third, and Fourth Prince had all died that day, making it the second most bloody day the Empire had seen since its inception.

Lee Hoyeon trembled at all the thoughts flashing through her head as her carriage pulled up in front of the infamous Changdeokgung palace. Peering out through the window, she was unsettled to see how clean the stone courtyard was, the cool taupe a far cry from the dripping red she’d half-expected after tormenting herself with thoughts of her fiance’s atrocities.

All the gossip she’d heard from the maids and guards back home in Dongjak Kingdom was now front and centre in her mind. 

The carriage slowed to a gentle stop and the door opened, courtesy of the footman. Hoyeon took his hand, hoping hers wasn’t trembling too noticeably, and took her first step on the grounds she would be empress of in three weeks. 

A contingency of guards marched out from the front gates of Changdeokgung, a swish of brightly-coloured silk in their midst. Bowing to Hoyeon, they stepped aside, revealing the silk as the crown princess, the Mad King’s twin sister, Min Yoonji.

“I’m glad you made it here safely, Princess Hoyeon,” greeted Crown Princess Yoonji familiarly, as if this was their hundredth meeting and not their first. “The emperor was out often the past couple weeks ensuring the bandits would not attack the carriages. I imagine you’re rather thirsty and tired. Would you like some tea?”

“Tea would be lovely, thank you, Crown Princess.”

“Please, call me unnie, we are to be sisters in a few weeks.”

“As you wish, Crown Princess.” Hoyeon followed the princess to the quarters prepared for her stay before she wed the emperor. 

This whole situation was most bizarre. The crown princess had been rumoured to be a fierce warrior–much like her brother, the maids had gasped as Hoyeon eavesdropped. Yet here she was, dressed in silks like any other respectable lady of the court and pouring the fragrant tea with a natural elegance Hoyeon had practiced for days to attain.

“So, are you excited for the wedding?” asked Yoonji, refilling their cups with the most delicious blend of tea Hoyeon had ever drunk.

Hoyeon nibbled on her lip, debating how much would be prudent to tell the crown princess. She was lovely and welcoming, but she was also the emperor’s sister. How was she supposed to say she was scared out of her wits and had been for the past several days, since her father had announced her engagement to the Mad King at a state dinner with no warning whatsoever. That she’d tried to learn what she could about her new empire and husband-to-be, but all she had gleaned was that she would be lucky to survive six months as the empress? What could she say, I almost looked forward to this when my father first announced this, so that I had a chance to finally be free from his tyranny, but now I wish I was back with the devil I know?

Deciding the last train of thought had the most truth she could pluck from and spin into a plausible half-truth, she replied, “I was surprised when my father mentioned the alliance to me, but I am pleased to be able to support my kingdom in this way. I will do my best to be a good empress to Dalseogu. I noticed the absolutely beautiful scenery as I made my way here, and it is a lovely empire.” Just ruled by not-so-lovely people, she thought, then ignored the stab of guilt at the mental insult to Yoonji, who’d been rather good so far at calming her nerves.

Yoonji smiled at the compliment to her empire. “I’m so glad you think so! I know it can be a bit…sparse, to some, but I think there’s a wild beauty to the land.”

One of her maids stepped forward to whisper in her ear. Yoonji looked at Hoyeon apologetically. 

“Duty calls, I’m afraid. I’ll leave you to rest now. I know my brother was looking forward to greeting you, but something came up that he couldn’t ignore. He’d like you to join him for tea tomorrow afternoon.”

“Of course, I will be there. Thank you, Crown Princess…unnie.”

Yoonji’s glare softened at the casual honorific. “Lovely! Rest well, Princess Hoyeon.”

The crown princess and her entourage left, leaving only Hoyeon and her maid, Jina. 

“That seemed to go well, Miss,” offered Jina as she began to unpack and brush out Hoyeon’s nightclothes.

Hoyeon groaned, collapsing onto her bed with her hand flung over her eyes. “Appearances can be deceiving, Jina. I can’t afford to trust anyone here, no matter how nice they are–especially the emperor’s sister!”

“I hope she can be a true friend to you here, Miss.”

“Thank you, Jina.”

D-21

“It’s a pleasure to serve you, Princess Hoyeon,” bowed the maid provided by the palace, named Sora. 

“Thank you. I’m sure Jina will appreciate your help in navigating the palace until she becomes accustomed to our new accommodations.”

“I’ll do my best, Princess.”

Sora and Jina chattered away, becoming fast friends, as Hoyeon chewed anxiously on her thumbnail in the corner. 

She learned that Sora had a younger sister, Soha, whom she was very proud of for having recently become a full-fledged palace maid. The head maid was tough but caring once a maid proved herself, and Sora was sure Jina would win her over in no time. There were a couple guards who were insufferable flirts, but they were still respectful. Jina’s best course of action would be to ignore any flirtations and not respond to the provocations. 

Hoyeon finally jumped up from her seat, startling the maids from their conversation. “What time should I be prepared to go for tea with the emperor?”

“If we start now, you should arrive just after the emperor’s meeting finishes, Princess,” replied Sora. 

The maids did their best to dress Hoyeon up in her favourite hanbok, pinning her hair with a gold hairpin the emperor had gifted her via her father, and using cosmetics to accentuate her features.

“You’re a little pale,” commented Jina as she patted some pink onto Hoyeon’s cheeks. 

“Do you blame me?” she retorted. “Sora, is there anything I need to be aware of when I greet the emperor?”

Sora paused from folding a discarded robe. “I don’t think so. Emperor Min doesn’t insist on many formalities if it’s not a formal event. I believe Soha will be serving the tea, so if you need anything, you can ask her to find me, Princess.”

“Thank you, Sora.”

Jina and Sora fell in behind her, Sora quietly directing her through the maze of corridors to the room the emperor was waiting in for her.

She smiled at the guards outside the doors. “Is the emperor available?”

“Unnie!”

Hoyeon turned to see a girl bearing a tea tray. She bowed to her before turning to Sora.

“Unnie, the emperor is still occupied.”

“Do you think he will be long?”

“I don’t think you will wait long,” reported the girl, who Hoyeon assumed was Soha. “Princess,” she bowed again before entering the room.

A loud voice escaped the open door, followed by the distinctive sound of a slap.

A minute later she ran out, tears flowing down her face as she passed Hoyeon and her maids.

Hoyeon stared in trepidation at the girl. What had happened to make the emperor slap her? She’d barely had time to do anything. This didn’t bode well for her.

“Show Princess Lee in,” called a voice. The guards opened the door.

Hoyeon took a deep breath and stepped forward, keeping her eyes on the next step she was taking.

She paused when she reached a low tea table, droplets of tea scattered across its surface. She could see the emperor’s robes across from her and a tea set shattered on the floor to her right.

So that was why Soha had run out. Why was it broken?

“Your Majesty,” she bowed, hoping it was low enough.

“Your Highness,” he greeted in response. “You may stand.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Her eyes flicked up to his face quickly, then back down to hide her surprise.

He had a scar across his right eye, from his eyebrow to his cheek. She’d thought the rumours were just that–rumours. Who had ever heard of a king with a scar?

She supposed with a reputation like his, he didn’t have to worry about naysayers attempting to depose him.

She’d been so surprised at the scar and hadn’t wanted to be caught staring that she barely remembered his other features.

She chanced another glance and found him staring at her.

“You can look at me, Princess Hoyeon.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” She peeked up under her lashes.

Was it possible for a scar to heighten his appeal? He had shockingly blond hair pulled back into the typical sangtu, thick brows, a nose that she couldn’t believe the first adjective she thought of was ‘cute’, and pouty lips. Overall, he was rather attractive. 

The benefit to marrying a young emperor was that he was surprisingly handsome, but it also meant he was less likely to die soon. In all honesty, Hoyeon expected him to outlive her.  

She hadn’t met his eyes–his look had been far too calculating. If there was one thing she knew about court politics, it was to never show your fear when someone was around. 

“You arrived much quicker than I expected, Princess Hoyeon. I hope your travels were smooth.”

“Yes, thank you. We had no trouble at all. My father said it was better to arrive sooner lest we be waylaid and made late.” He was just thrilled he could finally get some use out of his useless only child.

“Crown Princess Yoonji said that you were an interesting companion at her tea yesterday.”

I knew she’d tell him about me.

“As was she, Your Majesty. I look forward to getting to know her–and you–better.”

“Good,” said the emperor, clearly pleased. “The crown princess is pleased to be able to help you become accustomed to the Dalseogu Empire. I will be busy with all the things that must be finished before the wedding, so I imagine you will be seeing her often.”

“I’m pleased to hear that, Your Majesty. May I ask you a question?” Better to find out now how lenient he will be towards my impertinence.

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you approach the Dongjak kingdom for an alliance?” Why me?

“It is advantageous for both our lands to have the trade deals this alliance will forge. Dongjak and Dalseogu have not always been at peace, so this was a good way to cement it.”

Slightly surprised that the emperor had actually given her an answer, she nodded. She hadn’t had the slightest shred of hope that he would give her some secretly romantic explanation, such as he’d seen her at some event and been so taken by her that he had to have her. All she was good for was strengthening her kingdom’s ties as one of its most important representatives. 

The guards opened the door and let in Sora, carrying the replacement tea set.

She poured the tea quietly and served their cups to them, then retreated to the side, assuming an at-ease position.

“Please sit,” directed the emperor, settling himself on his cushion. Hoyeon followed his example, making herself as comfortable as she could sitting opposite an unknown volatile man no one could rebuke.

The tea was delicious, stronger than what she was used to back in Dongjak, but she found its tart flavour pleasant. 

“This is exquisite tea, Your Majesty.”

He inclined his head. “It is plum tea. I believe Dongjak more commonly uses the chrysanthemum flowers for their tea.”

“You are correct, Your Majesty.”

Tea with the emperor went fairly well, although Hoyeon caught his considering gaze upon her several times. It unnerved her, wondering why he was taking so much interest in his political bride. 

She didn’t like it.

D-20

Hoyeon giggled, finally somewhat relaxed around the crown princess as the older girl spilled stories about her maids’ and guards’ dramatic dynamics and relationships. 

“Don’t tell the head maid I told you this,” Yoonji leaned forward, finger to her lips. 

Hoyeon’s eyes widened as she bit her lower lip, nodding quickly in agreement. She knew that the maids were one of the biggest and best ally teams she could have on her side in the palace, and she wouldn’t dare do anything to harm her chances of gaining connections.

“So, what do you think of my brother, after your tea with him yesterday?” Yoonji relaxed onto her cushion, pouring herself another cup of what Hoyeon wasn’t completely convinced was just plum tea. 

Her teeth dug further into her lip as she considered how to answer. The siblings appeared fairly close for being possible throne rivals–especially considering that Yoonji had survived the Mad King’s bloody beginning–and she couldn’t speak freely. The princess was a skilled politician, however, and would surely catch on if she lied and began praising the man.

“I find His Majesty…intimidating,” she said slowly, gauging how Yoonji took that ambivalent opening.

Yoonji nodded, motioning to continue with her finger. “He certainly knows how to make himself understood.”

Understatement of the dynasty, thought Hoyeon. 

“He’s…rather good looking. I was surprised,” she mused. Realising Yoonji had raised her eyebrow at her, she went on hastily. “Just that I hadn’t heard anyone speak about that when they discussed the emperor! I had very little information on His Majesty to go off of. I suppose the men that met the emperor were more focused on his character than his countenance,” she snorted, a little self-deprecatingly, glancing up to see if Yoonji would take the bait and either consider her a little simple and romantically-minded or expound upon her open-ended question to know more about her fiance’s personality. 

“Well, I suppose I agree that my brother is rather good-looking,” Yoonji mused, sipping her tea. “I’ve been told often that we appear quite similar.”

“Indeed, that was one of the first things I noticed. You’re both attractive and there’s certainly a family resemblance between you two. By the way, is there anyone you think is good-looking, unnie?” she asked curiously, hoping she wasn’t overstepping.

Yoonji shook her head. “There are several tolerably handsome ministers and princes around, but their personalit-”

A knock sounded at the door to the crown princess’s tea room. Yoonji nodded at Hoyeon in apology, excusing herself to speak quietly with the maid waiting at the door, bringing a message from the emperor. 

Yoonji’s brow furrowed slightly, then smoothed as she turned back to Hoyeon. “The emperor has requested an audience with me, and he wishes to see you after my visit. Would you like to come with me now?”

Hoyeon nodded, setting her tea down and getting to her feet. She still wasn’t entirely sure she had the palace layout memorised, and Jina was currently being interviewed by the head maid, leaving Hoyeon friendless and ally-less if Yoonji also left her behind. 

“I’d be honoured to join you, Your Highness.”

The two young women headed as briskly as nobles could to the emperor’s throne room, where he remained after a meeting with his ministers earlier. 

The guards saw the duo’s approach and opened the tall doors in anticipation of Yoonji’s entrance. Hoyeon chose to remain outside, though the doors remained open, giving the siblings privacy and taking advantage of the moment to prepare her nerves to see her fiance again. She’d relaxed in Yoonji’s quiet company, but reverted to her stiff princess behaviour on their walk here. 

Shaking her head at her rapid closeness with the princess, she straightened her skirts anxiously. For all she knew, the siblings were in there right now discussing her pathetic surface-level attraction to the Mad King and how quickly she’d come to confide in the princess.

Shifting on her feet, she cursed her father once again for removing anyone who’d appeared close to her, making her a prime target for spilling her innermost thoughts when she met someone who appeared to listen. Reminding herself it had only been two days and Yoonji had not yet proved if it was safe to trust her, Hoyeon twisted the jade ring on her finger as she waited.

A loud cry came from Yoonji, giving her deja vu. With an inner sigh, she inched forward, straining her ear to make out what the siblings were arguing about. 

Silently, she watched Yoonji, who appeared unafraid to talk back to the emperor. Was it because she was his sister? He wouldn’t retaliate? Something else? She needed to know everything she could.

“I’m getting married?!” cried Yoonji, clearly. “In two weeks?! Without you telling me first?!”

Hoyeon froze. Her newest ally and possible future friend would be leaving the palace? Was it because they were becoming close? Had Yoonji done something warranting being sent away? No, it was probably just another business transaction, like her marriage was to be. 

Calming her anxious thoughts, Hoyeon shuffled a little closer, wondering who the groom was.

“No, you are leaving Dalseogu in two weeks. You are getting married in a week to Emperor Wang Gayi.”

“You arranged a marriage for me? With the Wang Emperor?!”

“Yes, I did, and you will marry him. That’s an emperor’s order, Min Yoonji.”

“You gave me no choice? I’m so mad that you interfered with my relationships,” Yoonji said flatly, turning and exiting via the hall behind the throne area. 

“Your groom will be here by tomorrow morning,” the emperor informed her, barely raising his voice. Facing forward once again, he motioned Hoyeon to approach him. 

“Good afternoon, Princess.”

She bowed. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty.”

“Good afternoon, Your Highness. Would you like some tea?”

“No, thank you. I just came from having some with the crown princess. I suppose she will be busy now with her wedding preparations, so I am grateful that I could have these past few days to get to know my sister-in-law.”

“I apologize if you feel that my sister’s wedding takes precedence over ours,” the emperor said, surprising Hoyeon. “I wished her to wed soon and thought that now would be best since most of the preparations for ours are already complete and can transfer to theirs. Emperor Wang has to return to Kowloon soon and I wanted him to take Yoonji with him.”

“I am not slighted at all, Your Majesty. I wish the royal couple all happiness and longevity. May I ask why you requested to see me after the crown princess, Your Majesty?”

He stretched languidly, rising to his feet and sauntering down the steps to his throne. “Am I not allowed to wish to see my fiancee?” he asked, approaching Hoyeon. 

“Y-you are, Your Majesty.” Biting her lip, she forced herself to remain standing tall and not move back.

He paused two arm lengths away from her. “I would like to see you every day before our wedding, if you are available.”

“I believe I will be, if that is what you wish.”

He tilted his head, scanning her head to toe. She lowered her gaze to his feet, hoping she hadn’t mussed her clothing since Jina left her at Yoonji’s tea room. 

“You seem rather nervous.”

Who wouldn’t be, being the focus of one of the continent’s most dangerous men?! Hoyeon shrieked internally. Well, it appeared the emperor was more perceptive than her father, so lying was off the table. “I suppose I am. We have only met once, and I am unchaperoned. I do not wish to cause any damage to either of your kingdoms if there were negative repercussions from this event, Your Majesty.”

He hummed, taking a step back so that his black-clad feet were no longer in her vision. “The doors are open and there are plenty of guards and other staff around, Princess. But, if it would make you feel better–Chief Advisor Kim!”

Barely repressing the flinch at his sudden shout, Hoyeon turned to see who the emperor had just summoned. A tall, handsome man rushed in, arms full of scrolls and books, a pair of spectacles sliding down his nose. He pushed them up, a scroll fluttering from its precarious spot under his elbow. 

Hoyeon stooped without thinking, catching the runaway parchment and handing it back to the man, who flashed a thankful smile at her, dimples appearing in his cheeks. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Princess Hoyeon, this is my most trusted advisor, Kim Namjoon. He will be our chaperone,” the emperor said shortly. 

“I’m honoured to meet you, Princess. Congratulations on the wedding.”

“Thank you,” she nodded at him and turned back to her fiance, not wanting to spend his patience with her over another man. Still, his behaviour was unlike anything she was used to. The Mad King was her enigma, and she only hoped it wouldn’t take too long to figure him out. 

D-17

The sound of metal hitting metal drew Hoyeon’s attention from the flowery bushes she was admiring, turning towards the walled courtyard ahead of her.

Jina stopped by her side, both somewhat behind one of the pillars by the entrance, watching the two men in front of them slash at each other, silver swords glinting in the sunlight.

The emperor’s distinctive blond hair gave his identity away, and Hoyeon watched his graceful power with an open mouth, seeing first-hand her fiance’s prowess with a blade.

The other man was about the same height, with short brown hair and a slimmer sword than Yoongi’s. He held it with a careless ease that belied years of training, evenly matched with his opponent. 

Their blades clashed, sun rays reflecting off their entwined blades and blinding Hoyeon. She sneezed unexpectedly, interrupting the men’s moment. They bowed to each other, sheathing their blades and walking in different directions–Yoongi towards her and the other man towards Yoonji, whom Hoyeon just noticed was standing at the other side. 

Hoyeon bowed, greeting the emperor. He nodded back at her, taking the damp cloth his attendant held out to him and wiping his face and neck down. The neckline of his black robe gaped a little, affording Hoyeon a glimpse of smooth pale skin and subtly defined musculature. She blushed red, glancing away quickly to watch Yoonji, who had attained her own sword. 

The emperor followed her gaze, leaning his hand carelessly on his hwando pommel. “That’s Emperor Wang,” he confirmed her suspicion carelessly. “Would you like to make a bet with me?”

“A bet, Your Majesty?” Hoyeon flicked her gaze to him in confusion.

He nodded towards the couple. “On who will win their spar, Yoonji or Gayi.”

“They will spar?” Crown princess versus emperor, fiancee versus fiance?

The two moved towards the now-open sparring area in the middle of the yard, raising their blades to the opening position. 

“They have both trained for years. I’m curious myself about the outcome. So, what do you say, Princess?” The emperor leaned towards her, breath brushing her cheek. “Will you bet with me?”

“Very well, Your Majesty. What are your terms?”

He leaned back, studying her in mild surprise. “Hm…you must answer three questions I ask of you fully and truthfully, when I wish.”

That’s all? Like I could lie to you anyways. “Alright. I will hold the same terms, for the sake of fairness. I bet that the emperor will win.”

Hoyeon felt the weight of his gaze on her. “Not my sister?”

She shook her head. “I saw some of the emperor’s prowess when you two were fighting. I have not seen the princess fight, and the emperor surely has more experience, being on the battlefield.”

“But he will be tired since we were fighting before this,” Yoongi pointed out. “And I have fought with the princess. So, our bet. We each bet three complete, truthful answers about any topic we are asked about by the other if they win–you if Emperor Gayi wins, myself if Crown Princess Yoonji wins.”

“I agree to your terms.” Hoyeon shook the emperor’s hand, feeling his long fingers and calloused palms against her bare skin for the first time. He was warmer than she had expected; somehow she’d anticipated a cold-blooded, rigid man. 

He let go of her hand and she swiftly tucked her hands into her sleeves, feeling the ghost of his palm against hers. Focusing on the duo facing off in front of her, she did her best to ignore the warm presence brushing against her side. 

Yoonji was better than Hoyeon had expected, never having seen a female warrior before. Some of her moves looked similar to the emperor’s, but some were distinctively hers. She seemed to be having fun, however, a large gummy smile forming on her face as she parried the emperor’s strikes and danced into his space, making it more difficult for him to evade her attacks. 

Her opponent also seemed to be having fun, a smile growing on his face as they sparred. 

Hoyeon was glad the two were getting along, albeit in a more violent way than she was used to. Given what she knew of the crown princess’s personality, she was curious how the couple’s relationship would progress.

“The princess is quite good,” she said without thinking.

The emperor hummed in agreement. “I trained with her often. She is one of my best generals.”

Hoyeon whipped around in surprise. “The crown princess is your general?”

He nodded, dragging his eyes from the fight to her face. 

“Then why–” Hoyeon bit her lip, realizing her curiosity could be taken as insolence.

“Continue,” the emperor prompted her curiously. 

“Then why are you marrying your general off to the Kowloon Empire?” she asked quietly. He still appeared to have heard her, as he replied.

“The emperor and my sister have been in love for a while now. I will be saddened by my best general, advisor, and companion’s absence, but it is beyond time for her to have her happiness.”

Hoyeon blinked. Was the emperor…sentimental? And what was that about the marriage argument the other day?

“But…I understood the princess was against the marriage?”

“Not at all, she was being sarcastic. ‘How dare you marry me to the love of my life? Alas, I am ordered to spend time with the only man who makes me happy.’ Like that.”

“Oh.”

“Are you slandering me behind my back, Your Majesty?” Yoonji approached the two, her fiance behind her, carrying their swords.

“Is it slander if it’s true?” he retorted. “It seems my bride has not yet grown accustomed to your strange sense of humour. Now tell me, who won? I have a bet on the line, here.”

Realizing she’d been too distracted by the emperor to see who won, Hoyeon looked to Yoonji, who had what she now realised was a faux-betrayed look on her face. 

“You had better have bet on me, brother.”

“Of course I did,” he replied smugly. “So, I won the bet?”

Yoonji’s fiance spoke up. “No, your lovely fiancee did. Congratulations, Princess.”

“Damn, I should have bet on Gayi.”

Yoonji smacked her brother’s arm for his comment. “You are lucky I’m leaving the palace, Your Majesty.”

Hoyeon watched the siblings banter with wide eyes. The emperor was so relaxed and unlike his Mad King persona today. Which was the real one?

“It’s okay, Princess,” commiserated Emperor Gayi. “No one understands these two’s strange relationship, either.”

“I can behead you, you know,” threatened Yoongi. 

“You better give me his empire if you do,” Yoonji poked his stomach.

“Not if you keep touching me, I won’t!”

“OR,” interrupted Gayi, “you can not behead me and Yoonji can begin her reign over my empire peacefully as my empress!”

“But then I’d still have to hear you talk about my sister,” pointed out Yoongi. “It would be a lot quieter if your head was removed from your shoulders.”

“Say something!” Gayi looked at Yoonji, who sighed.

“Yoongi, don’t kill my fiance. It wouldn’t be a lot quieter because you’d then have to hear your sister talk about how much she missed her dead fiance instead…and your fiancee wouldn’t like you to kill her new ally, I guess.”

Yoongi looked at the bewildered Hoyeon. “Hm. It’s better to remove two nuisances at once, I suppose. I shall endure this next week for the princess’s sake, I suppose, since she won our bet.”

“How generous, Your Majesty,” Gayi and Yoonji bowed formally after the emperor, who left with an eye roll at their antics. 

Yoonji straightened once he was gone and turned to Hoyeon with a smile. “Do you want me to show you to the archery range?”

D-13

The wedding of the Emperor of Kowloon and the Crown Princess of Dalseogu went off without a hitch, which relieved some of Hoyeon’s worries. It was exactly the same as it would be for her and Yoongi, so she had a chance to mentally prepare. There wasn’t too much that could go wrong, thankfully, so as long as she didn’t faint next week, she should be in the clear.

Spending time with her fiance the past week and a half, as well as with his sister and her fiance, helped relax Hoyeon. He was courteous, surprisingly soft-spoken in private, and less menacing than she had been prepared for. Slowly, she began to wonder if the rumours had been exaggerated, as royal rumours tended to be, and if she might in fact be safe in the Dalseogu empire. 

Then came the day of her wedding, and all Hoyeon’s nerves returned full-force. Yoonji had left for Kowloon with Gayi, unable to stay for the wedding, and only Jina was there as someone she could rely on.

Her father had sent a witness to his only child’s wedding, too concerned over possible attacks to come himself. Hoyeon snorted as she read the letter his delegate had handed to her, dropping the paper to the table carelessly.

So he could send his daughter to live in the empire, but couldn’t come in person to celebrate her nuptials, the entire reason he would be safe visiting? Well, it wasn’t like she’d expected anything from him, but it still pinched in her heart. 

Jina brushed her robes out smoothly, stepping back and giving her a reassuring nod. “It’s time, Your Highness.”

D-Day

The entire ceremony was a blur, Hoyeon too focused on not making a mistake to take in anything else. She had the vague sense that the atmosphere was overcast, but nothing more than that.

The celebration feast was similarly unfocused, for slightly differing reasons. Yoongi, her new husband (what a strange thought), was right beside her at the head table, paying rather unnerving attention to her. 

Small bites were all she could choke down under his scrutiny, though he did his best to keep her dishes full. Hoyeon was a little confused when he kept adding delicious-smelling dishes to her immediate reach. Any other day, she’d be happy to try the new and intriguing dishes, but with the nerves in her stomach and the eyes on her chopsticks, she couldn’t choke down more than a few bites, something she bemoaned.

Toasts and cheers were continually offered by the celebrating ministers and nobles filling the hall, gallons of alcohol flowing freely. 

Hoyeon grabbed her goblet, draining the dregs in a couple gulps, coughing a little at the afterburn. Yoongi’s scrutiny became heavier, his warmth overwhelming her as he leaned even closer to whisper in her ear. “Are you alright, Your Majesty?”

Hoyeon hiccuped. “I’m perfectly fine, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Just thirsty.”

His expression told her he didn’t fully believe her, but he leaned back, letting her breathe easily again. She turned away, patting her burning cheeks with the back of her hand. 

It really should be illegal for someone to look that handsome up close. She considered her previous fears that he would behead her within six months and revised it to worry that she’d be overcome by his beauty within six months instead. 

A sudden weight on her hand made her look down from picking up individual grains of rice with her chopsticks.

Yoongi’s hand rested on hers, his thumb caressing her pulse point. Her heart skipped a beat at the simple touch. He didn’t look at her anymore, thankfully, but his hand stayed on hers the rest of the feast.

Her eyes darted between his profile and her chopsticks several times. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad being his empress. 

General taglist (open): @bangtanwritershq @kayleefriedchicken @otome-wandering + (@moni-logues you seemed intrigued when we sprinted so I hope this is okay :] )

Divider by @bunnysrph | Moodboard photos from Pinterest/Google, edit is mine :]

[dasisugarun]

"im a boss"🆘 330 days before yoongi is back

[yearofinstitutionalization]

Love that i'm cooler than you vibe

28/368 One Suga a day while he is away

[1eeminho]

FUJII KAZE ERA !!!!!!!!

im losing my mind to him fr this is just me now

[maximura]

MATZ Era Park Seonghwa (2024) | Sounds like: Matz | Veni Vidi Vici | Cypher Pt.3 | Daechwita | Beom | YGGR | One And Only | Maestro | Ddaeng | F | Crazy

[5and3nevermind]

🐱: Jimin, let’s get you shirtless and do a dance just like that.

🐥: I’m on it.

🎬: [cut]

⚠️ 🤡 Speculation ahead:

Ok, I included that moment at the top because I want to start with something positive before we get into this.

I don’t believe in the “2018/2019 break-up” theories. I just don’t see it. And trust me, I’ve looked for it because let’s be honest…you can’t have a break-up without a relationship to begin with, right? In other words, you could argue that it would actually help prove that yoonmin is “real.” Not to mention the fact that many yoonminers see a rift during that time. It’s human nature to want to see what everyone else is seeing. No one likes feeling like “I must be missing something.” But…I have looked and I don’t see it. During that time, we do see some restraint when it comes to their physical affection, but there are enough wonderful moments scattered throughout that time that I just don’t see a break-up. That’s my opinion, and I understand I’m kind of on my own on this. 😉

Now…where I do see some bumps in the road is late 2019 and early 2020. This includes Jimin’s visit to the Shadow set, which clearly didn’t go the way Jimin had hoped and which was still the subject of some debate a couple months later at the MOTS7 purple sweater day. (Sorry, I can never remember the official name of anything.)

The Black Swan contemporary dance reaction video, where that screenshot at the top came from, was released on 200119…in other words, right in the midst of this period.

I see good and bad here. Yoongi says Jimin should do a shirtless dance too. Jimin says that Yoongi’s video (I assume this was a reference to Interlude: Shadow) was amazing.

On the other hand, there were some little bickering moments in this video that don’t quite feel like the “for fun” Tom-and-Jerry bickering that we’re used to.

But enough about that! Rather than dwelling on the negative, what I find incredible is the way we are able to see them repair this problem (whatever it was). Because that’s what people who are extremely close do. With Yoongi and Jimin, we see them making extra efforts to fix things throughout mid 2020. They put in the effort and emotional energy to rectify things. And we see the result of this effort during surgery era when Jimin was so attentive and concerned about Yoongi, and Yoongi in turn was appreciative and outspoken about Jimin’s support.

- at the MOTS7 event, Yoongi mentions that Jimin showed up at the Shadow set and that he appreciated it even though he didn’t express that at the time. Remember, at this point we hadn’t seen the visit yet. So Yoongi isn’t saying this for our benefit. He’s saying it for Jimin.

- radio live in May 2020: Yoongi brings up the fact that Jimin did not show up to the Daechwita set and asks why. They discuss it pretty openly, the fact that Jimin had wanted him to ask. He wanted to be appreciated more fully/openly. 🐱: “Do I have to beg?” 🐥: “Of course!” Bravo to Jimin for being up-front about this and telling Yoongi what he wants. And bravo for Yoongi for listening and then demonstrating that he understood…

- also during that live: Yoongi lists the times in which he’s publicly stated that Jimin is special to him. He also mentions that he originally wrote People for Jimin.

- and let’s not forget Yoongi’s absolutely glowing intro for Jimin that day, and Jimin getting so giggly and telling Yoongi he loves his radio voice.

- during ITS, Yoongi invites Jimin into the trailer to listen to songs he is working on. We know one of those songs was Amygdala, which is very special and personal to Yoongi. We also know this song was for Yoongi’s solo album, not BE. So, Jimin’s role as Music PM was not the reason Yoongi invited him to hear the song.

- also during ITS, we see Yoongi make an effort to spend time with Jimin. They ride together in the car, do woodcarving together, play video games. Yoongi makes an effort to invite Jimin to participate, especially in the gaming.

- Yoongi was very vocal about wanting Jimin to be the music pm for BE, and he praised him more than once for his efforts during the BE promotional period.

- and then sprinkle in a dash of matching shirts during the yoonminjin dance live.

We are talking about real adults in a real relationship/friendship/partnership/whatever you want to call it. There will be challenging spots along the way. That’s an absolute guarantee. What tells me a lot about yoonmin and their bond is that we see a problem and then we get to see them implement a solution. To me, from my perspective as a yoonminer, I think all of this shows that they’re willing to put in the effort to overcome hurdles when they come across them. It also shows a lot of emotional maturity/emotional intelligence on both of their parts.

Sorry I didn’t link to receipts for all of this because I had a lot to say, but feel free to ask if you’d like a source for any of this.

[liveyun]

KING!YOONGI FIC POLL

choices to make, options to choose

edit : i accidentally posted the poll for a day instead of a week. i’m sorry if you couldn't vote then, but please feel free to drop your choice by the replies/ask box (; + anons!)

uh, hi. you may or may not know me. hello, i write for bts occasionally, and here's something i’d want you, yes you, to choose.

since...i think i’d need to articulate a bit more on the fact that we'd be getting little to no updates from yoongi himself till june 2025 which is explained further in this post .

i think to somehow help us releive the pain, i’d be posting my yoongi piled up wip’s soon which i’m working very hard on :(

but for now, i have two joseon!era i.e, king!yoongi wip’s inspired by OG daechwita. count me as the biggest king!yoongi simp, please. i’m not going to begin on the details of the fics, but i really need you to help me choose on which should i work as my priority.

they're both roughly written drafts which will be rewritten and edited. but a thing they have in common is both are somehow an assassin au too, and that's all i can tell you for now, because what's the fun in spoiling? ;)

so finally...

[glossdebut]

Just curious, what are your favorites of Yoongi's hairstyles?

i’ve been dreading this since the birth of this blog but eventually every yoongist has to answer this question. i’ve made a visual aid for your viewing pleasure but it's compressed as fuck on tumblr so click on it for better quality ig LOL:

debut black hair: ahhh… look at that shine. before all the bleach damage started 😭 this is my fav even though they always had that damn beanie on him. long black hair would’ve usurped anything else as the #1 spot but debut yoongi is my loyal long distance boyfriend who video chats me every night and nobody could ever take his place in my heart. SORRY

long black hair: this hair makes me feel insane and i am still in mourning from when he had to shave it all off. it is EXACTLY the hair he deserved for his transition into his thirties. it’s so adult and sexy and FUCK if HYBE ever takes a pair of scissors to his hair ever again i’m going to burn the building to the ground

black undercut: daechwita era black undercut yoongi is the mid-late twenties equivalent of long black hair yoongi in his 30s. i don’t know if that makes sense to anyone but me but

mint yoongi=blonde yoongi: i know a LOT of people are mint yoongi truthers and i UNDERSTAND. i do!!! it looked so good on him. but i feel like we’re past it and i don’t necessarily NEED it to come back, yk? high on my list because he did, in fact, look hot and also anything hyyh era-related transports me to a different time and sometimes i wanna go back. bleach blonde d-1 yoongi is equivalent in my brain though. i just think both of these hair colors suited his skin tone soooo well. not a lot of people can pull off the almost-white blonde yoongi was sporting during dope era but it looks so good on him imo

honorable mention: a lot of you are HATERS and don’t appreciate his cunty little danger-era haircut and color but I’M DIFFERENT. i’ve already said before it made him look like an extra on the L word and i meant that as a COMPLIMENT. it was by far his twinkiest look and i loved it for him

anyway i think the long black hair suits him the best but you will have to pry my debut yoongi delusions from my cold dead hands

[ugh-yoongi]

I'd love to hear your hot take on the rest of the members worst styles. Please do this I need it. - F T Anon.

okay i have given this lots of thought and am prepared to be roasted to high heavens for this list. i have done both the objectively worst and my personal worst rankings.

namjoon —

sadly our boy has no debate over his worst style.

objectively worst:

my personal post-runch worst: the hair was fine but why did they style it like this, fake love era had many of my boys in shambles.

my personal favorite: i know he said he hated this hair which just goes to show men don't know anything.

yoongi —

aside from the goofy early japan photoshoots and the braids hat (which i'm not counting bc they're Too Obvious), yoongi doesn't miss much? perhaps he is more principled than the rest of his bandmates.

objectively worst: the terf era aka backup friar tuck.

my personal worst: i'm so sorry but i hated this hair. this shit was burnt to a crisp and the tone washed him out and they did him so dirty.

personal favorite: he has a lot of excellent looks and it was hard to choose one. i'm picking the daechwita undercut but please know his current long hair and the half-crimp are VERY close seconds.

hoseok —

another one that doesn't miss often but it does happen.

objectively worst: hobi's cns era hair (the honey brown with the blond highlights) is one of my all-time favorites, and then they did this. just no.

personal worst: i had a hard time choosing, bc early bangtan seems like such a copout and 2014 was rough, but he honestly doesn't miss much so i gave in. give our boy a texturizing spray.

personal favorite: love everything about this. the perm, the texture, the cut, the color. one forehead smooch for this stylist.

jimin —

i floated these opinions on discord last night and got roasted again.

objectively worst: skipping over some of the early stuff bc it's a copout, another crispy, over-dyed mess. he earns points back for the ponytail, though, bc if there's anything i'm a sucker for it's long hair.

my personal worst: this is what got me roasted. i hate this hair with a passion. no, i can't explain it, i just hate it.

personal favorite: a sleeper pick. did you expect this one, bc it's had me in a feral rage since he posted this photo. jess said this choice "said a lot about me."

taehyung —

i think the stylists took out most of their frustrations on the hyung line, bc i don't think the maknaes have had many misses? but there are definitely some.

objectively worst: no question. she was bad.

personal worst: it's so bad i had to put it twice.

my personal favorite: the blond mullet was close but there can only be one. this is very close to my favorite bangtan hair ever, not just on tae.

jungkook —

yeah idk. another one that doesn't miss often.

objectively worst: i don't want to bully a child but his hair hasn't often been bad so he left me with no choice. he gets a pass bc we all probably had questionable hair as teenagers within such close proximity of our idol, runch randa.

personal worst: another apology, but i wasn't a fan of this one dlfgijld. the cut was top-tier but the purple was too purple and i think it washed him out.

personal favorite: i literally could not choose between these so you get both. i know the wp21 were clip-ins but they deserve to have their recognition for how immaculate they were.

ok the end. please feel free to roast me and/or drop your bias's dogshit looks in my inbox pls <3

[for-yoongi0309]

From Agust D with love | A look at SUGA’s musical journey by way of Agust D

Your troubles don’t disappear even when you become famous: “Sometimes it does hurt, sometimes I’m so upset I could cry.” But what’s changed is that SUGA now embraces that “there’s lots of different views” and that he’s “just another person” — He’s learned to call himself “just another person” as he sees the whole world that surrounds him but goes even further to contemplate how it is that people can keep on loving despite their inner pain. SUGA, the musician who pushed his way through all his pain and healed himself in Agust D

First, there’s SUGA, the BTS member. When SUGA produces music for an artist other than BTS or himself, the song’s title is followed by his producer credit: “Prod. SUGA.” And then there’s Agust D, his alter ego that’s made an appearance for his two mixtapes, Agust D and D-2, as well as his album D-DAY, due to be released on April 21. As Agust D, he creates a full record of his life as SUGA the BTS member, SUGA the producer and Min Yoongi, the everyday man. In 2016, just after BTS began their runaway success with the 2015 release The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, SUGA put out Agust D, where he examined his life from his “arrival in Seoul on November 7, 2010” (“724148”) until he found “success even my family couldn’t have foreseen” (“give it to me���). By the time he put out D-2 four years later he had become a global superstar and labelled himself as someone who could be “born in a ditch but rise up a dragon” (“Daechwita”). In the span of that time—back in the early hours of May 3, 2014, before The Most Beautiful Moment in Life had yet to come—SUGA, as Agust D, spoke to “pretending not to feel lonely, not to feel bothered, just fine, make it look like I’m extra tough, while there’s a wall in my way” (“140503 at dawn”). He had arrived at his D-2 era: a time when “change comes to all,” including himself, in “a void I felt because I fly so high” (“Moonlight”)—a level of popularity that had no end in sight. SUGA takes a good look at himself in all his albums as Agust D—albums that ultimately chart where he got his start and who he’s becoming.

“There are times you’re worn out and having a hard time,” SUGA says when talking about the track “People” off D-2 in the documentary SUGA: Road to D-DAY, coming to Disney+ and Weverse on April 21. “And that's when I listen to the song. And I cry a lot.” SUGA’s journey from Agust D to D-2, and especially “People” during it, stands as testament to the changes his life underwent during that time. He confesses in “The Last” off Agust D that he suffered from “self-hatred and depression that’s come back around” dealing with his “accident as a delivery boy” as he “debuted clutching my fucking shattered shoulder.” It’s just like when SUGA mentions in the documentary that he “expressed things I was really anxious about” in Agust D. Though his dreams of success seemed to be right within his reach, his shoulder continued to pain him, and all the hurt that he carried from the time of his debut until he found success may have contributed to, in his words, being “anxious.”

But by the time he writes “People,” he’s sounding much lighter: “Why so serious? … I’m so serious?” Your troubles don’t disappear even when you become famous: “Sometimes it does hurt, sometimes I’m so upset I could cry.” But what’s changed is that SUGA now embraces that “there’s lots of different views” and that he’s “just another person” even with his immense success. He has attained the fame he longed for but now grasps how “we’re all gonna fade” and “nothing in this world lasts forever.”

“People” marks an important turning point in the Agust D trilogy. Following “People” and two more songs including “Interlude: Set me free” is the final track off D-2, “Dear my friend,” a sad story that took place between him and a friend. Here he’s less focused on spilling his heart out about the past as he did on Agust D, instead rapping, “I still fucking hate you,” against a calm, contemplative keyboard. In D-2, SUGA literally draws on the word “People” and both understands and accepts them through his own particular perspective, and at the same time no longer looks back on the past in anger. He went a step further and realized that, despite his soaring popularity, it might not last forever, and that’s allowed him to take a more levelheaded look at himself. Road to D-DAY is both an exploration of the music SUGA worked on while making the album and a search for a greater truth. He worries about what he’ll talk about on the album that will go on to become D-DAY. But he continues to make music throughout and looks to meet the late Ryuichi Sakamoto to find his way as a musician. Why does he still seek to be an artist when he’s achieved virtually everything that could be considered success in the world? SUGA has gone from reckoning with his past in Agust D, to finding a new perspective on himself and the world in D-2, to questioning the very nature of music itself from an artist’s perspective in D-DAY. And it seems part of the answer is in “People Pt.2” featuring IU, the first track released ahead of the album, on April 7

“If you can’t hold back, it’s okay to cry.”

SUGA talked about the relationship between a person and other people and the world as a whole in “People” (“Everybody changes / Just like I changed”); part two takes the form of something like a conversation between himself and IU, who “dreamt of a future together” but “who tore down the sand castle.” The first “People” was actually singular, but “Pt.2” is indeed plural. Love becomes possible in a relationship of plurals, meaning “endless people” can make “love that has passed by,” with many questions arising as a result: “Is love wholly perfect on its own?

… Selflessness can actually be selfish too.” Still, “they say life’s a struggle between resistance and submission / I say it’s a struggle against loneliness,” and so people love others. What changed in the time “People” and “People Pt.2” is that the musician behind them has developed a greater interest in, and affection for, other people and the world they live in. He’s learned to call himself “just another person” as he sees the whole world that surrounds him but goes even further to contemplate how it is that people can keep on loving despite their inner pain. SUGA, the musician who pushed his way through all his pain and healed himself in Agust D and continued on with D-2 now comes to us with D-DAY as someone who is able to talk about loving others. On the long, difficult road called life, some people find love the way only a musician can.

© Kang Myungseok (Weverse journalist)

[taegularities]

Omg Jungkook posted! I missed him so much and also I can't believe Daechwita is already 3 years old! 😭

happy third birthday to one of the most iconic comebacks ever. yoongi really introduced a whole new era with d-2 </3

AND I KNOWWWW, i missed him so damn much and he finally dropped byyy !! 😭 can you believe how much baby bam has grown </3

[kithtaehyung]

Speaking of anniversaries, i just think it's funny that the reason I went back looking for your fic was exactly bc of the d-day tour. The first time I read your fic was around daechwita era. I have eras where i'm in the mood to read and times when I dont. It was so random honestly, i was just in the mood to look for some yoongi fics then remembered 3tan, which, is the sexiest brother's best friend au ever. Yoongi is the cherry on top. Just wanted to share lmao 🥲 oh yoongi the things you do to the insane side of this bora community.

oh my gosh hi🥹🍊 hope you enjoy the series just as much now!! it’s been quite awhile since it started.. tbh it’s so cool to look back and see how far we’ve come. idk if i deserve the sexiest bbf series AHHH but thank you for the praise holy shit😭😭 it’s part of my everyday life and irl yoongi isn’t gd helping rn lol

the tour is just fueling me to write even more and i’m touched that’s what made you look it up again like?? damn. thank you for telling me all this! you made me smile right before bed🫂

[seoul-italybts]

[✎ ITA 📻] Apple Music : SUGA | Agust D Radio Ep.3 - Agust D | 02.05.23⠸

🍎 Apple Music 🎵

SUGA | Agust D Radio

Episodio 3 : Agust D (con EL CAPITXN)

🔊 Audio  © verritaee | 🎶 Playlist

Ciao, Apple Music! Sono tornato per il 3° episodio di "SUGA | Agust D Radio", qui su Apple Music, sono il vostro DJ Suga dei BTS.

Ciao a tuttə, rieccomi per il terzo episodio. Ho come l'impressione di aver ripetuto piuttosto spesso "terzo", ultimamente, anche perché 'D-DAY' è il terzo capitolo nella trilogia di album di Agust D.

Immagino non ci sia ormai più nessuno che ancora non abbia ascoltato il mio album, 'D-DAY', vero? In caso, andate ad ascoltarlo e poi tornate qui. Abbiamo già trattato dei miei sogni d'infanzia e dei viaggi, quindi oggi parleremo di Agust D e del mio album. C'è molto che potete aspettarvi, oggi. Moltə di voi, probabilmente, si chiederanno perché ho deciso di creare una trilogia, e la risposta è che, ciò che volevo esprimere attraverso queste mixtape ed album [Agust D / D-2 / D-DAY]... In breve, mentre preparavo (la mixtape) 'Agust D', avevo tanta rabbia. Immagino, per alcunə, non sia stato facile ascoltare quelle canzoni, viste le emozioni che vi esprimevo. Con 'D-2', mi sono dato un po' una calmata e, in 'D-DAY', parlo dei miei traumi. Già quando lavoravo ad 'Agust D', in realtà, ero preoccupato perché non sapevo se sarei davvero riuscito a rilasciarlo, ma alla fine, fortunatamente, ho potuto completare l'intera trilogia. Questa è la fine della trilogia che avevo in mente, ma non è la fine di Agust D. Ad ogni modo, è così che è andata. Questa è la conclusione della serie delle "D".

Per spiegare brevemente anche il singolo, "Haegeum", subito dopo aver completato "Daechwita", ho iniziato a lavorare al beat per "Haegeum". Molto tempo dopo, quando dovevo rilasciare un nuovo singolo, l'ho riascoltata e ho pensato "Oh, questo non è male, andiamo con questo!" L'ho già detto in un paio di interviste, ma dato che siamo in un'epoca in cui la musica viene creata anche per essere vista, ovviamente non si può non includere un video musicale. Una volta conclusa "Daechwita", tre anni fa, abbiamo iniziato a creare la sceneggiatura e a definire i dettagli principali per il video. Ecco perché, alla fine, abbiamo scelto "Haegeum" come title track. Ad esser sincero, c'erano un paio di altre canzoni su quello stile, ma abbiamo deciso di proseguire con "Haegeum". Ora ascoltiamo il singolo principale di 'D-DAY', "Haegeum" e poi torniamo qui.

Andiamo!

♪ Haegeum – Agust D

Questa è "SUGA | Agust D Radio", su Apple Music, e quello era il nuovo singolo di Agust D, "Haegeum". Questo brano è stato l'inizio del 3° episodio [della mia trilogia di album] e, come preannunciato prima, il tema di oggi è Agust D. Parleremo insieme della musica che volevo creare e dei messaggi che speravo di trasmettere attraverso l'alter ego Agust D.

Oh, Agust D. In "Cypher Pt.3 : Killer", senza neanche pensarci troppo, avevo scritto "SUGA a.k.a. Agust D", ed è così che è nato il mio secondo nome. In realtà, la pronuncia esatta sarebbe "A-gust D", ma io lo dico sempre come "Au-gust D". Però, come per le differenze tra "Steph-en Curry" e "Ste-phen Curry", se la pronuncia più usata è "Steph-en Curry", allora dovrà essere detto così, no? "Steph-en Curry", "Au-gust D". È così che va pronunciato. Ricordate semplicemente che c'è una "u" invisibile.

Tratteremo ampiamente di musica in relazione ad Agust D, ma per approfondire un po' il discorso riguardo la trilogia, l'ho creata perché speravo di liberarmi di buona parte del veleno che avevo in corpo, attraverso questi album. Avevo anche deciso che se il primo episodio fosse andato bene, allora avrei continuato con un secondo album, e se il secondo avesse avuto successo, avrei lavorato anche ad un terzo capitolo. Un po' come la serie de "Il Cavaliere Oscuro" [*Batman]. La trilogia è carica di tutto quel veleno che avevo in me, ma ora che me ne sono liberato, dovrò creare musica più positiva. Ne sarò in grado? Lasciò questi pensieri al me stesso del futuro. Concentriamoci sul presente. Lasciamo perdere le preoccupazioni che non ci riguardano. Non appena attaccate "D-DAY", potete mettere da parte ciò che vi angoscia ed il pensiero dell'altra gente. Quando ascoltate "D-DAY", potete amare voi stessə.

Diamo inizio alla trilogia ascoltando "Daechwita"!

♪ Daechwita – Agust D

Questa era "Daechwita" e ora siamo tornatə a "SUGA | Agust D Radio", su Apple Music. Parliamo un po' dei video musicali. Vi sono piaciute le 3 nuove videoclip?

Visto che "People Pt.2" era una traccia pre-release, l'abbiamo asciugata un po' per darle un'atmosfera più rilassata. "Haegeum", sul serio.. Come vi ho detto prima, visto che l'avevo già scritta tre anni fa ed avevamo già iniziato a pianificarne lo scenario ecc., in pratica, l'intero processo di stesura più le riprese è durato 3 anni. I personaggi e l'ambientazione di "Daechwita" erano completamente diversi, quindi trovo i video musicali di "Haegeum", "Amygdala" e "Daechwita" siano stati un'ottima rappresentazione di ciò che volevo esprimere e delle figure che volevo presentare nella mia trilogia. Specialmente dopo "Daechwita", che ha fatto molto parlare di sé, ho pensato "Dovrei proprio farne una serie". In alcune scene, ho una cicatrice, in altre no. L'ideale sarebbe guardare i video prestando attenzione a questo e ad altri dettagli.

Con "Amygdala", volevo andare ancor più in profondità. Probabilmente qualcunə lo troverà piuttosto scioccante, ma sono tutte cose che ho ormai superato. In – e grazie a – 'D-DAY' sono un uomo nuovo. È un nuovo inizio, quindi anche io sono una persona nuova. Vi è venuta voglia di riguardare i video musicali, vero? Prego, sentitevi liberə di farlo. Se terrete a mente tutto ciò che vi ho detto, credo sarà un'esperienza ancor più piacevole ed interessante. La prossima canzone che ascolteremo è "Amygdala", di Agust D.

♪ Amygdala – Agust D

State ascoltando "SUGA | Agust D Radio", su Apple Music, con me. Vi sono piaciute queste prime tre canzoni? Bene! Sono belle.

Ma se parliamo di Agust D, c'è una persona che non possiamo dimenticare. Vorrei ora presentarvi questo ospite e parlare un po' più approfonditamente di musica insieme a lui, l'ho invitato apposta. Sto parlando del produttore che opera sotto il nome di EL CAPITXN, Jang Yi-jeong, benvenuto! Prego, presentati.

EL CAPITXN: Sì, buongiorno, sono il produttore EL CAPITXN, Jang Yi-jeong.

SUGA: Ah, Yi-jeong-shi, eri anche tu un cantante, non è vero? Quindi avrai già partecipato a tante trasmissioni radio. Com'è trovarti nuovamente alla radio?

EL CAPITXN: Mmh.. In realtà è passato talmente tanto, che non ricordo neppure più quando sia stata l'ultima volta [come ospite ad una trasmissione radiofonica]. E tornarci ora, non in qualità di Jang Yi-jeong, ma come il produttore EL CAPITXN, dopo tanto... Sì, ero piuttosto preoccupato. Inoltre è la prima volta che faccio questo tipo di programma con SUGA, quindi, sì, ieri ero decisamente teso.

SUGA: Perché sei così agitato? Non è sicuramente la prima volta che partecipi a questo tipo di trasmissione! Quando hai debuttato?

EL CAPITXN: Lo stesso anno dei BTS, nel 2013.

SUGA: Quand'è già la prima volta che io ho incontrato Jang Yi-jeong-shi? Era nel 2016? 2015?

EL CAPITXN: Sì, credo in quel periodo.

SUGA: Yi-jeong non era più un artista ed io l'ho conosciuto attraverso un amico comune. In quell'occasione, Yi-jeong mi ha passato alcune canzoni demo. Io le ho ascoltate ma, allora, ricordo d'aver pensato "Ah, non sono... niente di che" (*ridono*) Ma le ho comunque date all'agenzia, lasciando che decidessero loro. Qual è la prima impressione che ti sei fatto di me, di Min Yoongi?

EL CAPITXN: Se ben ricordo... Abbiamo mangiato insieme in un ristorante di naengmyeon di Pyongyang [*noodle di grano saraceno con carne e verdure in brodo freddo, n.d.t.].

SUGA: Ah, sì, è vero, in quel periodo ne andavo matto

EL CAPITXN: Era la prima volta che li provavo. Durante quella riunione, mi sono sentito un po' smarrito, mi sembrava tutto così nuovo. Ci eravamo già incrociati e salutati presso gli studi televisivi [*per le trasmissioni musicali], ma era la prima volta che ci incontravamo in privato. Ed è stato... Ad esser sincero, il nostro primo incontro non è stato un granché.

SUGA: Va sempre così. So ed ammetto che non faccio mai una buona prima impressione. Ma dopo avermi incontrato un po' di volte e conosciuto meglio, generalmente la gente dice che sono una persona autentica. Era il 2016, sicuramente lo saprete, ma i BTS uscivano da un periodo infernale. Le nostre personalità di allora e l'impressione che davamo di noi erano completamente diverse da quelle attuali. Ve l'ho detto, è solo con 'D-DAY' che mi sono liberato di tutto il veleno che avevo in me.

EL CAPITXN: Sì, vero.

SUGA: Ho chiesto ad Yi-jeong di provare a scrivere una delle nostre canzoni. Gli ho chiesto di buttare giù qualcosa che avesse questo beat specifico, dicendo che poi io avrei ri-arrangiato il tutto. Quel brano era "Ddaeng". "Ddaeng" era proprio un capolavoro. Ricordo d'aver pensato, "Oh, è davvero bravo!". Ho capito che con un po' di supporto da parte mia ed indicazioni su ciò che volevo, lui sarebbe stato pienamente in grado di fare un buon lavoro. Quella è l'impressione che mi ero fatta di lui. Ma chi e come è il musicista Min Yoongi per Jang Yi-jeong-shi?

EL CAPITXN: Min Yoongi... beh, per prima cosa, Min Yoongi è un amico. Per quanto riguarda SUGA, è uno stacanovista, e non smette mai di lavorare. Ti conosco ormai da anni, e spesso ti ho sentito lamentarti dicendo tipo "È troppo difficile, questa canzone non funziona, non riesco a scrivere niente", ma, alla fine, riesci sempre a portare ogni tua creazione a compimento.

SUGA: Dopo tutto il tempo che abbiamo lavorato insieme, posso dire che uno dei punti forte di Jang Yi-jeong sia il suo essere meticoloso ed attento, la sua concentrazione. Mi piace quel tipo di musicisti. Ad ogni modo, le persone come te e me sentono sempre il bisogno di produrre tanta musica. Se ci sono musicistə all'ascolto... beh, non so quantə musicistə possano esserci all'ascolto, ma magari qualche ARMY è musicista... dovete scrivere tanta musica. Vi tornerà utile e salverà in futuro. Prima che il me stesso del futuro si ritrovi a dover pensare "Ah, perché non hai scritto più canzoni?!", è decisamente meglio partire per tempo e creare tanta musica, ve lo consiglio caldamente. Ma proseguiamo.. Con tutte le canzoni che abbiamo scritto insieme, ora non saprei neppure quale consigliarvi. Yi-jeong, c'è forse un qualche brano di Agust D cui hai partecipato che vorresti suggerire? Magari una canzone che ti è particolarmente cara?

EL CAPITXN: Personalmente, direi "Daechwita".

SUGA: Ah, già, "Daechwita". Grazie a "Daechwita" sei diventato un produttore presente sulle classifiche Billboard. Un produttore che è entrato nella Hot 100.

EL CAPITXN: Lavorando a "Daechwita", mixare elementi appartenenti alla cultura e tradizione del nostro paese è stato davvero un'esperienza nuova. Non facevano parte di alcun genere in particolare, quindi è stato un po' stressante e complesso.

SUGA: Praticamente abbiamo vissuto insieme per una settimana, mentre ci lavoravamo, vero?

EL CAPITXN: Sì.

SUGA: Sì, è a casa mia che l'abbiamo creata. Io buttavo giù degli abbozzi e poi tu li sviluppavi. Una volta scritti il testo ed il ritornello, te li passavo dicendo "La voglio così e così.."

"Daechwita" è anche arrivata prima tra le parole/argomenti più cercate/i su Naver. Il video musicale è nato senza grandi pianificazioni, è stata più una cosa tipo "Non sarebbe divertente filmarlo così?" Puoi dirci qualcosa in più riguardo "Daechwita"?

EL CAPITXN: Chi? Io?

SUGA: Vedi qualcun altro in questa stanza? (*ridono*)

EL CAPITXN: Il fatto è che hai già praticamente detto tutto tu, all'inizio, ma se proprio devo aggiungere qualcosa... Praticamente, Suga è venuto da me con una prima versione di "Daechwita" e mi ha detto "Lavoriamoci su". Abbiamo riflettuto molto su come fare e, alla fine, ci siamo resi conto che era troppo impegnativo fare avanti e indietro e lavorarci separatamente, quindi abbiamo deciso di incontrarci. A casa di Suga c'è questa piccola stanza...

SUGA: No, è piuttosto grande!

EL CAPITXN: Ah, d'accordo, d'accordo, è grande! (*ridono*) In quella stanza ho allestito tutte le mie apparecchiature ed io lavoravo lì, mentre Yoongi era in un'altra stanza. Abbiamo lavorato alla canzone così, scambiandoci impressioni da una stanza all'altra.

SUGA: Un altro dettaglio riguardo la creazione di "Daechwita" è che abbiamo usato delle risorse audio molto specifiche, composte da tracce e mix in stile tradizionale. Eravamo tutti esaltati, del tipo "Dobbiamo aggiungere questo qui e anche quest'altro!" e ricordo di essermi divertito molto. Ed eravamo sempre così precisini, quando lavoravamo insieme a dei brani. Forse dovremmo tornare a quello stile... Forse è troppo che lavoriamo insieme (*ridono*)

♪ D-Day – Agust D

SUGA: State ascoltando "SUGA | Agust D Radio" e oggi sono in compagnia del produttore EL CAPITXN. Abbiamo il produttore Jang Yi-jeong qui con noi in studio, quindi parliamo un po' delle canzoni cui abbiamo lavorato insieme. Ti viene in mente qualche aneddoto riguardo la produzione di 'D-DAY'? Abbiamo lavorato insieme a 9 canzoni, per quest'album, giusto?

EL CAPITXN: Otto canzoni

SUGA: Otto? Perché otto? Ah, tu non hai partecipato a "D-Day" e "Haegeum", dico bene?

EL CAPITXN: Esatto.

SUGA: Com'è stato lavorare con Agust D a questi 8 brani?

EL CAPITXN: Agust D... Mmh... Lo si vede anche nel documentario, ma siamo andati insieme ad un ritiro musicale e, a parte quando dormivamo, non abbiamo fatto che lavorare sulla musica. Suga pensava sarebbe stato divertente, quindi ci siamo portati la nostra apparecchiatura e per due notti e tre giorni la nostra routine quotidiana è sempre e solo stata creare musica, più pasti, sonno e bevute varie. Ricordo tra me e me d'aver pensato "Anche fossi allo stesso livello di Suga, credo sarebbe difficile lavorare con altrettanta passione". In quell'occasione, il mio rispetto per lui è cresciuto ulteriormente.

SUGA: Yi-jeong ed io siamo amici, quindi abbiamo anche già videogiocato insieme e simili, ma siamo entrambi piuttosto scarsi a quel tipo di giochi. Mentre lavoravamo a "Daechwita", abbiamo provato a distrarci così, ma continuavamo a perdere. E poi per me non c'è niente di più divertente che scrivere musica. Per quanto riguarda il primo album, non ho potuto seguire e curare tutto personalmente, dall'inizio alla fine, quindi non appena avevo una bozza di canzone, la passavo a Yi-jeong ed era lui che la trasformava in un brano vero e proprio. Poi me la ripassava e io la revisionavo, testando e mixando varie risorse sonore. È così che siamo diventati una squadra. Lavorando con Yi-jeong, e vedendo quanta costanza e dedizione ha, mi sento a mio agio e sicuro dei buoni risultati. È rilassante. Senza contare che, praticamente, quando lui dorme, io lavoro e quando sono io a dormire, lui mi dà il cambio. È più o meno così che vanno le nostre vite, ed è così che abbiamo lavorato a tanta musica insieme.

Puoi presentarci un'altra canzone che abbiamo creato insieme? Un brano che vorresti consigliare, magari?

EL CAPITXN: Ognuno dei brani cui abbiamo lavorato insieme è prezioso, ma quando sento "Dear My Friend", ha tutto un altro impatto.

SUGA: Per parlare un po' dei retroscena di questo brano, sono andato da lui e gli faccio, "Lavoriamoci insieme". In quel periodo abbiamo prodotto insieme due tracce, una era "We don't talk together" di Heize e l'altra era "Dear my friend". È già passato un sacco di tempo. Era tipo sei o sette anni fa. Abbiamo curato entrambi parti diverse e poi ce le siamo scambiate. Durava qualcosa tipo cinque o sei minuti. "So far away", "Snooze" e "Dear my friend" sono tutte e tre più o meno sullo stesso stile. Siamo bravi con quel tipo di canzoni.

Ascoltiamo insieme "Dear my friend".

♪ Dear my friend – Agust D

SUGA: Bentornati a "SUGA | Agust D Radio"! Io sono Suga dei BTS e sono in compagnia di EL CAPITXN. Ah, "Dear my friend", sono con la persona che conosce meglio le "D" [*gioco di parole/rif. alla serie di album 'Agust D', 'D-2' e 'D-DAY', n.d.t.]. Ora abbiamo 'D-DAY', ma per dilungarci ancora un po' sugli altri due album, tu non hai lavorato al primo, vero?

EL CAPITXN: Esatto, al primo no.

SUGA: A quali canzoni del secondo hai contribuito, a parte "Daechwita"? Non ce n'erano parecchie?

EL CAPITXN: Sì, credo ci sia un po' di me in parecchie canzoni di quell'album.

SUGA: Ho lavorato con molti produttori ma, sul serio, credo Jang Yi-jeong sia quello con cui mi trovo più a mio agio. Ad esempio, gli dico "Fai così" e lui, "Non credo funzioni, così" ed io, "Non è difficile" e la risolviamo insieme. Mi piace quel nostro scambio di opinioni e compiti.

Ma parliamo ancora un po' di 'D-DAY'. Che tipo di album è?

EL CAPITXN: Che tipo di album è per te, Suga?

SUGA: Per me è un po' un sunto ed una conclusione. È stato un modo per mettere ordine. Il 'D-day' può essere un approdo ma anche un nuovo inizio. Lavorandoci, ho riflettuto molto e mi ha suscitato tanti pensieri, molti più rispetto a qualsiasi altro progetto cui io abbia mai lavorato. Lavorare agli altri due album mentre ero in piene promozioni con i BTS è stato difficile, mentre ciò che mi ha dato filo da torcere per quest'album è stato trovare quali messaggi e tematiche sviluppare. "Snooze" l'ho scritta mentre ero in ospedale. Ero molto stressato, ne risentivo anche fisicamente e la cosa andava peggiorando, quindi ho deciso di farmi ricoverare. Mentre guardavo il documentario del maestro Ryuichi Sakamoto, ho pensato "Dovrei scrivere anche io un brano così". Non avevo uno spunto preciso per questa traccia, ma a Yi-jeong ho detto "Che sia qualcosa con questo ritmo, con quest'atmosfera e beat. Lavoraci su e poi mandamela, che vedo come editarla". In quel periodo avevo tre canzoni in lista d'attesa. Quando ho ricevuto il beat, l'ho subito scritta tutta ad eccezione della melodia. È stato un progetto improvviso. Lavoriamo meglio quando il processo creativo è così spontaneo. A molte delle canzoni di 'D-DAY' avevamo già lavorato parecchio tempo fa.

EL CAPITXN: Sì, esatto.

SUGA: "Snooze", invece, era nuova, mentre "Amygdala" risale a 3 anni fa, subito dopo 'D-2', per esempio. L'avevo praticamente già scritta tutta, ma mancava la seconda strofa. Gli ho detto, "Yi-jeong, che ne dici di un brano su questo stile?". Per voi è una canzone nuova, ma noi sono tre anni che la sentiamo, quindi mi sembra piuttosto vecchia. Stessa cosa per "People Pt.2", anche quella risale a 3 anni fa. Anche "SDL" è di tre anni fa. Per alcuni brani abbiamo addirittura cambiato le fonti audio. Idem per "Haegeum". Per quanto riguarda "Life Goes On", invece, mi piaceva un sacco la mia versione, quindi ho chiesto a Yi-jeong di darle una rinfrescata. È stato divertente lavorarci. Ma, diciamo la verità, è bello nel ricordo, ma mentre ci lavoravamo è stato un inferno.

EL CAPITXN: Sì, un po'.

SUGA: Non so se te ne ricordi, ma l'album sarebbe dovuto già uscire a novembre dell'anno scorso. Però, mi sono reso conto che non ce l'avrei fatta. Non è fattibile. Posticipiamolo. È così che è andata con 'D-DAY'. Puoi parlarci un po' dell'album?

EL CAPITXN: Quest'album, 'D-DAY', ha un po' l'atmosfera da "ultima parte" per Agust D. Mentre la mixtape 'Agust D' è carica di veleno, 'D-2' e 'D-DAY' sono già più rilassati e trattano di amore e persone. Come da desiderio di Suga, ho cercato di rispecchiare il più possibile i messaggi che voleva trasmettere e spero siano arrivati bene alle/i fan.

SUGA: È stata dura anche per te, lavorando insieme a me. Non posso più seguire l'intera produzione dei beat per motivi di tempo ed impegni. Non è che non ne sia in grado. Ma Yi-jeong si occupa dell'altra metà del lavoro, mi complementa ed insieme concludiamo il tutto. Credo non potrei desiderare di meglio. Uno dei punti forte di entrambi è che possiamo lavorare praticamente ad ogni genere musicale. Però... Nessuno di noi è un vero e proprio maestro (*ridono*). Per esserlo, dobbiamo unire le forze. Siamo entrambi consapevoli delle nostre lacune, e lavoriamo partendo da questi presupposti. Però non ci incontriamo più spesso per lavorare insieme.

EL CAPITXN: Già, a meno che non sia proprio un progetto speciale.

SUGA: Ci limitiamo a scriverci cose tipo "C'è qualcosa in particolare che vorresti fare?", "Buttiamo giù un paio di idee" ed è così che, solitamente, iniziamo a lavorare.

Tornando a 'D-DAY', le prime tre canzoni ci vanno giù piuttosto toste in quanto a rap, ma dopodiché è tutto piuttosto rilassato. Riascoltandolo ora, a progetto finito – in confronto anche agli altri due album – non ci sono brani con parti rap altrettanto veloci, quindi si distingue un po' rispetto ai precedenti. Invece, c'è molto canto.

EL CAPITXN: Canti bene! Com'è possibile che canti così bene?

SUGA: Perché non dovrei cantare bene?! (*ridono*) Ho seguito diverse lezioni, ma non credo prendere lezioni di canto faccia per me. Ho provato vari stili e, ovviamente, c'è differenza tra il mio rap ed il mio cantato. Nel rap, solitamente, sono veloce e piuttosto incisivo. Ma il canto ha più estensione ed io non ci sono molto abituato. Sono riuscito ad includere diverse cose del canto, ma altre non ho potuto. Molte persone sono rimaste sorprese delle mie abilità canore in "Life goes on". Però, ovviamente, ascoltarla live è tutta un'altra cosa. Ad eccezione della seconda strofa, questa canzone è stata registrata nel periodo della "Life goes on" inclusa in 'BE' dei BTS. Il cantato, quindi, non è del tutto lineare. Abbiamo discusso molto riguardo la necessità o meno di ri-registrarla, ma poi avevamo paura suonasse strana e tanto volevamo fosse chiaro risalisse a quel periodo e non fosse registrata in tempi più recenti.

Comunque, sì, anche in "People Pt.2" e "SDL" ci sono delle parti cantate e Jang Yi-jeong mi ha aiutato molto, in generale, in quel periodo.

Abbiamo menzionato tante canzoni, ma "Amygdala" è stata davvero il diavolo, per noi.

EL CAPITXN: A dire il vero, non ricordo molto bene perché è passato tanto tempo, ma di "Amygdala" ho decisamente un ricordo un po' angosciante (*ride*)

SUGA: In realtà, doveva essere una canzone di gruppo, quindi c'era sia la parte rap che una melodica, ma la tonalità era decisamente troppo alta.

EL CAPITXN: Già, perché era così alta?

SUGA: Perché doveva essere un brano dei BTS! E, praticamente, non c'è neanche un istante per prendere fiato. Abbassarla di mezzo tono è stato già un grandissimo aiuto.

EL CAPITXN: Credi continuerai a cantare?

SUGA: Ormai sono qualcosa come 17 o 18 anni che rappo, ma credo ci sia qualcosa di unico nel mio canto. Le mie diverse sfumature vocali sono interessanti, quindi, sì, credo continuerò a cantare anche in futuro. Quando sono insieme ai membri, probabilmente sarà meno fattibile perché ci sono già un sacco di cantanti fantastici, ma quando lavorerò di nuovo a miei progetti personali, credo mi lancerò senza esitazioni [nel canto]. Magari, prima o poi, rilascerò una traccia cantata dall'inizio alla fine, ma non so ancora quando... potrebbe anche essere tra dieci anni, quindi non createvi troppe aspettative per l'immediato futuro.

♪ Life Goes On – Agust D

SUGA: Rieccoci! State ascoltando "SUGA | Agust D Radio", qui su Apple Music.

Quando parliamo di quest'album, non possiamo non menzionare le collaborazioni. Le featuring che sono j-hope, IU, Ryuichi Sakamoto... Come ho menzionato prima, "So far away", "Snooze" e "Dear my friend"... in che genere potrei inserirle? "D Style". Mi piacciono molto le voci cariche più che quelle pulite. Solitamente, alle/i mie/i artistə partecipanti non chiedo altro se non occuparsi della loro parte, così che non consumino la propria voce. Quindi non come, ad esempio, Jungkook che, in passato, mi aiutava registrando il ritornello di ogni singola canzone. Allora non potevo fare diversamente perché non avevo nessun altro che andasse bene per quel ruolo. Ora, di tutto il resto si occupa Yi-jeong. Com'è stato creare quelle parti?

EL CAPITXN: Trovo che le canzoni in "Stile D", come le hai chiamate tu, siano davvero fantastiche.

SUGA: È un genere che ci ha sempre accompagnati nel corso della nostra infanzia e adolescenza. Ascoltiamo "Snooze".

♪ Snooze – Agust D (feat. Ryuichi Sakamoto & Woosung)

SUGA: Per quanto riguarda gli/le altrə artistə, IU è nostra amica, abbiamo tuttə e tre la stessa età, siamo natə nel 1993. Sia per "Eight" che per "People Pt.2" abbiamo lavorato insieme ad Yi-jeong. Com'è stato?

EL CAPITXN: People Pt.2?

SUGA: Sì.

EL CAPITXN: Onestamente, non credevo neppure IU avrebbe partecipato

SUGA: Neanche io, non me l'ero neppure sognato. Ma le ho chiesto questo favore, e lei, molto gentilmente, ha accettato, fortunatamente. Non ti ricordi molto del processo creativo che sta dietro "People Pt.2", vero? Perché tu hai creato il beat e fine (*ridono*). Scommetto che non ti ricordi neppure quando hai scritto il beat.

EL CAPITXN: Sul serio, ne creo talmente tanti, che non ho idea di quando io abbia scritto quello.

SUGA: Dunque avevamo il beat e, una volta che non avevo nulla da fare – per via del COVID – e stavo bevendo del vino con Jungkook, gli faccio, "Ah, Jungkook-ah, che possiamo fare? Vieni con me.." Siamo andati nel mio studio di registrazione, io ho composto la melodia e lui ha registrato la versione guida. Tutto questo dopo aver bevuto. Quando si fa musica è sempre meglio essere rilassati. Se fossi stato ancora lo stesso Agust D del primo album, difficilmente 'D-DAY' avrebbe visto la luce. Quindi, sì, ho chiesto a Jungkook di registrare una demo, e lui la trovava troppo alta, ma io continuavo a dirgli "Dai, puoi farcela! Vedi che ce la fai?". Poi, tutti e tre, ce ne siamo semplicemente scordati finché, lavorando a quest'album, l'ho ripresa ed è la prima traccia che ho completato. Ascoltiamo insieme "People Pt.2"

♪ People Pt.2 – Agust D (feat. IU)

♪ Polar Night – Agust D

SUGA: Ah, c'è una cosa di cui dobbiamo parlare. Come abbiamo creato “Polar Night”?

EL CAPITXN: Per quella canzone, Suga mi ha detto che il tema era avere 30 anni.

SUGA: Era il periodo in cui mi trovavo a Las Vegas e gli ho passato un sample.

EL CAPITXN: Non starai svelando un po' troppi retroscena e segreti?

SUGA: Beh, se sono in grado di cavarci qualcosa, che ci provino pure, ma non è così semplice. Sono tutti procedimenti molto specifici e ci vuole una certa dimestichezza.

EL CAPITXN: Sì, hai ragione

SUGA: È un po' come con le trasmissioni di cucina, in cui vengono spiegate le ricette e gli ingredienti, ma non è possibile replicare alla perfezione la pietanza presentata.

EL CAPITXN: Ah, sì, è vero.

SUGA: Vedetela così. Io sono piuttosto sicuro e tranquillo, in tal senso. I sample, l'editing, i tagli, copiare e spostare le tracce audio è ciò che so far meglio. Oserei dire che ormai sono talmente esperto nell'uso di campionature che è praticamente impossibile capire con precisione che sample ho usato. Anche per “Polar Night” abbiamo seguito quel procedimento e, una volta concluso il mixaggio, l'ho inviata a Yi-jeong che ci ha aggiunto alcuni dettagli. Mi ero messo in testa di doverla concludere ad ogni costo durante il ritiro musicale. In realtà, alla fine sono riuscito a portarla a compimento solo perché non vedevo l'ora di tornare a casa. Era già il secondo giorno e continuavo a pensare “No, così non va, ma devo riuscirci prima di poter rientrare”. Il primo giorno di ritiro è stato divertente, abbiamo fatto una grigliata e simili. Dopodiché, non abbiamo fatto altro che scrivere canzoni, ma quando sono tornato a Seoul e le abbiamo rimaneggiate e registrate, non ero soddisfatto. Per “Haegeum” ed “Amygdala” continuavo a ripetere “No, no, così non va!” ed ero lì lì per darmi per vinto. Due mesi più tardi, mentre lavoravo a “Snooze”, ho telefonato a Yi-jeong e gli ho detto “Oh, ho trovato una registrazione..” L'ho ascoltata, ed era meglio di quel che pensassi. Se dovessimo usare una metafora sportiva, è come quando un giocatore di basketball, un cestista, improvvisamente non riesce più a fare canestro. Cose simili succedono anche ai musicisti. Finisci una data canzone e tuttə quantə ti dicono, "Ah, che bella", ma tra te e te pensi, "No, non va bene!". Per esempio, di "Haegeum" c'erano diverse versioni e parte di una di queste è finita nel ritornello di "D-Day", ricordi?

EL CAPITXN: Ricordo che, in quell'occasione, abbiamo spulciato ed utilizzato tutti i dati e le fonti a nostra disposizione.

SUGA: E, alla fine, tutto quel lavoro è diventato il ritornello di "D-Day". Ad ogni modo, sì, questi sono tutti retroscena di come abbiamo creato 'D-DAY'. Spero lo ascolterete molto.

Per quanto riguarda la collaborazione con j-hope, "HUH?!", non ti ricordi com'è nata, vero?

EL CAPITXN: No, perché io ho scritto solo il beat.

SUGA: Esatto. L'ho registrata una prima volta e poi ti ho detto che volevo provare il genere drill, menzionandoti anche Pop Smoke. È filato tutto piuttosto liscio, mentre ci lavoravo – compreso il ritornello. Non ho avuto problemi con la mia strofa. Per "Strange", la mia precedente collaborazione con Namjoon, il beat era anche tuo, vero?

EL CAPITXN: Sì, esatto.

SUGA: Trovo allora ti venisse più naturale creare beat (*ridono*). Dai, Yi-jeong, non vuoi far soldi?

EL CAPITXN: Già, in passato mi venivano con più facilità, senza doverci pensare troppo su.

SUGA: Questa volta volevo fosse j-hope a partecipare. Ho anche valutato altri rapper, ma - non so cosa ne pensi la gente - per me la nostra rap line è davvero fantastica, ognuno nel proprio stile. Avevamo anche qualche rapper internazionale in mente, ma nessuno è al pari di j-hope. Siamo sempre stati tanto criticati, ma non si può dire che non sappiamo rappare. Ad ogni modo, sapevo che j-hope se la sarebbe cavata e gliel'ho assegnata, ma non è stato semplice per lui. Continuava a dirmi, "Perché è così difficile? È la prima volta che provo il drill, non credo di esserne in grado" e io gli ho detto che ne avevo bisogno a fine giornata per mixarla. Non appena ho sentito la sua prima registrazione, non ho potuto che applaudirlo e l'abbiamo conclusa al primo colpo. È stato davvero bravo. Non avevo idea avrebbe tirato fuori quel tipo di rap. Fino a quel momento, avevo sempre solo riascoltato le mie parti, ma quando ho sentito la sua, ho subito capito che andava bene così e che avevamo finito, quindi gli ho detto, "Sapevo che saresti stato fantastico".

♪ HUH?! – Agust D (feat. j-hope)

SUGA: State ascoltando "SUGA | Agust D Radio". Già che ci siamo, mi piacerebbe parlare di tutto l'album, quindi proseguiamo ancora un po'. Ti ricordi come abbiamo creato "SDL"?

EL CAPITXN: Solitamente, faccio musica senza pensarci troppo...

SUGA: Mi piace un sacco quando non hai da pensarci troppo, quindi è una cosa positiva, sei davvero figo.

EL CAPITXN: Oh, grazie (*ride*)

SUGA: Anche "SDL" risale a 3 anni fa. L'ho scritta e poi lasciata da parte. Dopodiché, quando stavamo cercando ispirazione, l'abbiamo ripresa in mano. Quando ho fatto ascoltare l'album ad alcune persone ed amici, in molti hanno detto che questo brano era bello. "People Pt.2" e "SDL" ricordano un po' le canzoni di una volta, ed era proprio l'atmosfera che volevamo creare. Ascoltiamo "SDL" e poi torniamo qui.

♪ SDL – Agust D

SUGA: Parliamo un po' di "Interlude : Dawn". Questo brano è molto nel mio stile, un po' come "Snooze". Anche questa traccia è stata tagliata e ricomposta prima di inviartela.

EL CAPITXN: Quando Yoongi me l'ha inviata, non avevo un'idea precisa su quale direzione musicale seguire, ma dopo averla revisionata, l'atmosfera generale è risultata essere quella da brano orchestrale.

SUGA: In confronto, "Snooze" è molto minimal, ma sapevo che "Interlude : Dawn" doveva essere più ricca. Abbiamo provato anche altre soluzioni e stili, per "Snooze" - tipo, aggiungere certi dettagli e rimuoverne altri, ma se volevo ottenere un vibe un po' più datato, simile ai brani del terzo o quarto album degli Epik High, non poteva che essere minimal.

"Interlude : Dawn" è nata come ponte ed introduzione a "Snooze" e mi piace molto come le due sono collegate. Dunque, ho finito l'interludio e poi sono scappato, dicendo "Yi-jeong, per favore, occupati del mixaggio".

EL CAPITXN: Se l'è letteralmente data a gambe.

SUGA: "Yi-jeong-ah, ho fatto tutto il possibile, per favore, pensa tu al mixaggio, io lo ricontrollerò a lavoro finito. Sai ciò che mi piace, quindi fai tu". Dopodiché abbiamo ascoltato la versione masterizzata ed andava bene, fine. A metà processo creativo, ci siamo incontrati ed abbiamo revisionato insieme ciò che avevamo. Yi-jeong è bravo con il mixaggio. Molti produttori internazionali mixano i brani in fase di creazione. Non mi ricordo più chi, ma in un'occasione ho pensato "Oh, perché questo/'artista lascia il mixaggio ad un tecnico? Siamo noi artisti a conoscere meglio di chiunque altro il sound dei nostri brani". È allora che ho detto a Yi-jeong di andare all'estero a studiare il mixaggio, ma lui mi ha detto che non sa l'inglese e non voleva andare (*ridono*). Ora sei bravo, ma a volte mi chiedo come sarebbe se l'avessi studiato più nel dettaglio. Allora ascoltiamo insieme "Interlude : Dawn" e poi ci ritroviamo qui.

♪ Interlude : Dawn – Agust D

SUGA: Grazie a tuttə per un'altra fantastica puntata di "SUGA | Agust D Radio". È già ora di concludere questo terzo episodio. Ciò che avete sentito è come chiacchieriamo tra noi normalmente. Scherziamo e ci punzecchiamo a vicenda. Solitamente, quello che ne fa maggiormente le spese è Yi-jeong.

EL CAPITXN: Sì, solitamente io sono quello che ascolta

SUGA: Fa parte della nostra routine: "Ya, Yi-jeong-ah, fa' così e così" [, gli dico].

EL CAPITXN: È un po' come un insegnante

SUGA: Lui è lì stravaccato e risponde "Ok, ci provo". Ma non fraintendete, siamo abituati a questo tipo di scambi (*ridono*). Com'è stato l'episodio di oggi?

EL CAPITXN: Tutte queste sono cose di cui parlo con Suga, ma spiegarle per altre persone è stata un'esperienza nuova e divertente.

SUGA: Prego, promuovi un po' i tuoi prossimi progetti. Stai lavorando anche ad altre cose, non con me, tipo per BE'O.

EL CAPITXN: Ah, sì. È un brano intitolato "Lights out", di SUNMI e BE'O

SUGA: Già, in quanto produttore stai lavorando anche per altrə artistə, ma scommetto che moltə fan aspettano l'artista Jang Yi-jeong. Che cosa puoi dire loro?

EL CAPITXN: In quanto produttore, lavoro sempre con piacere con Suga e la Hybe, sono pronto a fare del mio meglio. Se dovessero arrivare altre opportunità, come il progetto con SUNMI e BE'O, ben volentieri.

SUGA: Hai intenzione di rilasciare un album?

EL CAPITXN: Ci ho pensato, ma non ho ancora alcun progetto concreto.

SUGA: Costa un sacco, amico (*ridono*).

Ad ogni modo, ci sono tante persone che aspettano con entusiasmo tuoi nuovi progetti. Probabilmente, arriverà anche un giorno in cui non lavoreremo più insieme, è inevitabile, ma sicuramente non sarà perché non andiamo più d'accordo, quanto, piuttosto, perché abbiamo aspirazioni diverse. Gli dico sempre che sarà lui ad istruire la prossima generazione di produttori, così da poterli seguire e, magari, anche lavorare all'estero con artistə e produttori internazionali. Yi-jeong, ora, ha anche un suo team, vero?

EL CAPITXN: Sì, un team di produttori. Lavoriamo sodo e facciamo musica insieme.

SUGA: È stato molto divertente parlare dell'album con voi e con Yi-jeong. Ci sarebbe ancora molto da dire, ma richiederebbe troppo tempo, tra le due e le tre ore, e ci sono altri contesti in cui vorrei condividere queste informazioni più nel dettaglio. Spero abbiate scoperto tante cose interessanti riguardo a 'D-DAY' e Agust D, grazie a questo terzo episodio di "SUGA | Agust D Radio". Magari uscirà altro di Agust D, magari no. Quando ho iniziato, pensavo che separare l'alter ego Agust D dalle mie altre identità fosse fondamentale, ma ora tra Min Yoongi, Agust D e SUGA non c'è differenza. Sono sicuro coloro che apprezzano la mia musica continueranno ad apprezzarla [indipendentemente dal nome usato]. Ho ancora molto a cuore Agust D, quindi, sebbene questa trilogia sia ora conclusa, continuate a tenere gli occhi aperti per eventuali altri contenuti firmati Agust D. Avrei dovuto promuovere così anche come SUGA. E già che ci siete, ascoltate molto 'D-DAY', ripensando a tutto ciò che vi ho detto riguardo la trilogia. Grazie ad Yi-jeong per essere stato qui con noi, oggi.

Vi salutiamo con questa canzone, "Agust D" di Agust D

♪ Agust D – Agust D

⠸ eng: © MINSUGAHQ | ita : © Seoul_ItalyBTS⠸ Twitter

[7ndipity]

Hi there! I love your works and congrats on 2k ❤️❤️ You work so hard and you deserve all of it. Happy new year hun.

I wanna participate in the shipping game if it's okay. 👉👈 My zodiac is aquarius. I work as a researcher at an university (tryna keep shit vague 😅) i am married to the best guy in the world and I'm as old as Jungkook :D

My personal dressing style is whatever black tshirt and sweatpants is clean in my closet. I don’t like jewelleries and accessories for some reasons and i dread the fact i got stupid ear piercings as a stupid teen in my stupid high school ex's bedroom.

Astigmatism fucked my eyes so i got glasses that i can't function without. I want tattoos but I'm too pussy to get one. My hair is black and has never been dyed before because never had that kinda phase.

Won't call myself a hardcore metalhead but rock and metal have a special place in my heart...and in my playlist. Somehow Rammstein and Blackpink co-exist in my playlist and I'm lowkey proud of my diverse taste in music. Survived teenage with the help of Linkin Park and kpop helps with the adulthood stress.

I got into BTS because white hair RM in 2016 grabbed my attention, only to be permanently bias wrecked by Daechwita era Yoongi.

Anyways, I'm like obsessed with cats. I fucking love black cats but a calico kitty walked into my house and never left, not that I want her to lol. I got two rescue calico kits now and they will kill me in my sleep if I get another cat. *sigh* so no black cats for me. Okay I hope that's enough. Pretty excited to see who you ship me with. :D thanks sweet cheeks! ❤️

I actually think you and Yoongi would be a pretty good match, and to a lesser degree Jungkook!(I can also kinda see the Joon vibe too, but I'm not as sure on that one)

They both give off the same kinda chill vibe as you, and Yoongi would love your music diversity, but I think he'd also appreciate that you both have a more muted fashion/style. (lowkey, I think he'd find the glasses super cute) There's also the cat thing, lol(anytime someone mentions cats, my mind just immediately goes to him🤭)

On the flip side, I think Jk would kinda be into the contrast of all his tattoos and piercings to your lack thereof, but still having slightly similar styles.(Also from an astrological point, Aquarius match well with fire signs, and although his sun sign is Virgo, he has a lot a fire elements in his chart that I've noticed show trough a lot in his personality)

Idk, I hope this was okay!💜

[daechwitatamic]

Yes, he was WILD! Too many amazing moments to count. Seesaw acoustic version with the signed guitar killed me. There was a sweet moment where he noticed an army's birthday sign in the crowd and had us all sing for her (after saying huh? trying to hear her name about 5x) Wbu now that you've had time to process??

And then it was just so fun to be around everyone going bonkers! Someone gave me a little Agust D themed goodie bag, just cuz. There was a teenage girl with her mom next to me absolutely shrieking at the top of her lungs for two solid hours who apologized repeatedly for blowing out my ear drums. And I did not mind at all, because BTS creates such a special space for us and normal decorum does not apply! And then I've already seen so many people on Tumblr post about being there too and it makes my heart warm, I wish I could've met them all irl

Our seats were pretty good, we were in the upper bowl on the right side of the stage and he came over our way a lot! I hadn't been to the Kia Forum before that, but it's a pretty small venue (at least compared to enormous SoFi next door) so truly felt like there was not a bad seat in the house. I can't wait until 2025/2026 for another concert so here's keeping our fingers crossed we get a tour from someone else before they leave.

I will definitely keep you updated on my thoughts on the book, I have a bunch of travel coming up so will have lots of time for plane reading! I already have my Taetae bookmark tucked in it, ready to go.

🌴

My highlights were:

the ENERGY of the crowd when he started Daechwita. like. i had a moment where i was like fuck i love us :') getting to scream that along with the entire prudential center was incredible

the POUT on his lil FACE when his guitar string broke!!!

finding Jimin straight across the arena from me, and Yoongi telling us to pay attention to HIM :') trolls. i love them.

the crowd singing along to Amygdala went SO HARD and it was only a week after release and i just hope he felt our love and understanding echoing back at him aufshakuhfuiwahf BYE

getting to see nevermind performed bc i honestly thought i never would bc that era ended before i was army and it is THEEEEEEEEEEEEE jo song of all jo songs.

i got a ton of goodies when i was in line too! the best was the AMAZING keychain, i'll have to post a photo and see if i can get the artist's @ out of my bag.

i also met up with several moots that weekend and that was WONDERFUL and i loved it :')

i loooooooove that taetae is gonna keep you company through fifth season!!!!!!!!! when you finish i'll tell you about my crossover idea >:)

have a great weekend my friend <3

[5and3nevermind]

do you think it's possible yoonmin have only gotten to together in the last couple of years like around the pandemic era instead of the more popular theories that they got together in 2015 or 2016?

I have considered that! I’m trying to remember what made me wonder…I think it was the fact that a lot happened in 2023 that we hadn’t seen before and/or that we heard about in a different way (if that makes sense).

I think about ym moments like data points on a graph and whenever there are outliers or the trend changes, we have to wonder if there has been a change (good or bad) in the relationship (or friendship, if you see it that way).

So, 2023 had some changes, and I wondered if this had been the beginning. Or maybe 2022 or 2021 had been? That did cross my mind.

In the end though, I came back to the idea that something started earlier because there are earlier moments that are hard for me to see in any other light.

As I’ve said before, I try to look at the big picture. But for me, some of the individual moments that are hard to ignore would be: 1. Jimin going to Daegu (?) and seeing Yoongi with Holly when the other members had not, and Jimin still being familiar with the kind of toys Holly has even years later. 2. The tattoo. 3. “You know, I know” and their behavior throughout that entire live. 4. The Shadow incident: not only the incident itself but the way it was discussed during the MOTS 7 “purple sweater day” and the fact that Jimin did not show up for Daechwita and how all of that was discussed on the voice live in May 2020. 5. Jimin’s behavior during surgery era and how it stood out from the behavior of the other members and how Yoongi was so eager to point this out repeatedly, including mentioning Jimin seeing him doing his rehab.

I think a theory about a newer relationship is reasonable…but then I keep going back to those pre-2023 moments and it’s hard for me to think that those things in particular weren’t signs of a relationship.

Personally, I still see 2015 as a transitional time, and then the week of Yoongi’s birthday in 2016 (“you know, I know,” the sweater birthday gift, Yoongi hanging around Jimin’s photo shoot and jokingly calling him “oppa,” Yoongi saying he’d been up all night talking to Jimin and the look on his face when he said it*) as the time when something really changed in a positive direction.

*It’s kind of crazy to think that all of these things happened within 48 hours.