#fm borahae

[borathae]

I'm back with another song that reminds me of taehyung.

Just Kim taehyung this time no fictional version of him because I miss him so much

I found it on TikTok and I think he'd love it if he could listen to it and not be in fucking Stoopid military service 😣😣😣😣

I miss him too istfg I have such huge beef with the military and how outdated all of it is BUT that's another talk for another day jfdsjafaj

I can definitely see him enjoying the song, gosh it's so soft and fits him so well 🥺😔💜

[jikooklesbian]

Hello! All of the GCFs are so beautiful. Do you have a particular favorite? What about it do like?

Expressions of sexual and gender identity emerge (or are constrained) differently depending on national, political, social, religious and/or historical context. Having said that, do you regard any of the GCFs as having intrinsically LGBTQ qualities?

Hope you have a lovely night! Borahae 💜

G.C.F in Tokyo is my personal favorite, for multiple reasons. It has a special place in my heart since it was the very first one, and the editing, song choice, setting, and general aesthetic are all so fascinating to me. But above all else, the message of G.C.F in Tokyo is my favorite. I will explain what I mean by that, but first, context is important.

In the "[FESTA 2017] BTS (방탄소년단) 꿀 FM 06.13 Happy BTS birthday!" broadcast, BTS talked a bit about giving birthday presents to one another. Apparently, gift-giving was not a regular thing they did for each other's birthdays, but several of the members were curious about why Jungkook chose to give a birthday present only to Jimin the prior year, in 2016. Supposedly, this was the first time he had given a birthday present to one of the members, and it was not done privately, but in front of some of the others. After Jimin's birthday in October 2016, Jin, Taehyung, Hobi, and Yoongi all had birthdays prior to the broadcast in June 2017, but they did not receive a birthday present from Jungkook. Jin said that he even requested something specifically but only got a "happy birthday" from Jungkook in 2016.

Now, they were all quick to reassure Jungkook that gifts aren't required or expected, gifts out of obligation are meaningless, and they only brought it up because they couldn't think of any other complaints. They went on to emphasize that Jungkook had become a very generous person as he had matured and didn't even press him to explain himself. In fact, there was no explanation given. They simply moved on. With this in mind, I also want to mention how Jimin had wanted to go on a trip with Jungkook since 2014, if not even earlier. He said so on the Idols' True Color Radio broadcast on June 14.

This brings us to the Tokyo trip itself. I do not know the exact dates, as it was a private trip, but it was sometime around Jimin's birthday, before G.C.F in Tokyo was posted on November 8. From what Jimin and Jungkook have shared in various interviews, fan meetings, and other anecdotes, what I understand is that Jungkook planned and paid for the majority of the trip, including his recording and editing equipment. This heavily implies that this trip was a gift for Jimin, in and of itself. And just by watching the video, it is clear that they had a great time traveling together, staying at the REMM Roppongi hotel, shopping, eating out, and going to Tokyo Disneyland.

Of course, they didn't just go on this trip and make good memories; it was also being recorded by Jungkook himself. So, what we see when we watch G.C.F in Tokyo is how Jungkook experienced this trip. More specifically, we see Jimin through Jungkook's point of view, with Tokyo as the setting. I am very curious about how Jungkook might have brought up wanting to record Jimin during their time there because it seems that Jimin was not fully aware that Jungkook would be editing and posting an official video, based on the tweet where he said he would have worn something nicer if he would have known.

At any rate, Jimin did not seem bothered by the camera's presence. He smiled and danced and made silly faces and turned around to check if he successfully made Jungkook laugh, all in a very natural way. In other words, the camera did not stop Jimin from enjoying the moment, like it might for some people, and this demonstrates a level of trust and comfortability between them.

As for the G.C.F in Tokyo video itself, I am not going to pretend that I'm a film critic. I cannot say much regarding the editing other than that I enjoyed the variety of transitions, the changes in speed, the coloring, and the timing with the music. However, there are some elements that I would like to discuss in more detail.

The song: "There For You." Jungkook is a big fan of Troye Sivan, who is an openly gay artist from Australia. Choosing a song by a gay artist, especially one that has explicit use of the word "boy" by a male singer, inherently gives G.C.F in Tokyo gay undertones, even if Jungkook did not mean to imply that he or Jimin is LGBT. (More crudely put, if you use a gay song, you have a gay video lol.) Also, Jungkook has said himself that he always checks the lyrics of the songs he covers or uses in his videos, so he knew the meaning of the lyrics when he edited the video.

And the lyrics are very telling.

So when your tears roll down your pillow like a river / I'll be there for you / I'll be there for you / When you're screaming, but they only hear you whisper / I'll be loud for you / But you gotta be there for me too

The chorus by itself is not necessarily referring to a romantic relationship but focuses more on the reciprocal nature of love and support in any close relationship, be it romantic, platonic, or familial. The chorus highlights both the strength needed to be someone's support and the vulnerability in asking someone to return the favor. Obviously, Jimin and Jungkook have been through a lot together as part of BTS, and all of the interpersonal relationships in BTS rely on that mutual respect and understanding. So, as the lyrics pertain to G.C.F in Tokyo specifically, Jungkook appears to be verbalizing his commitment to supporting Jimin in their shared dream of being part of BTS, while simultaneously asking to be supported by him, too.

I got you, I promise / But let me be honest / Love is a road that goes both ways

The same theme continues here, but what I find interesting at this point is what Jungkook showed during the part "love is a road that goes both ways." They are on the road, and there is a rainbow ferris wheel in the background. Hopefully, I don't need to explain why this raised a flag for me, a flag that looks a lot like this one: 🏳️‍🌈.

Boy, I'm holding on to something / Won't let go of you for nothing / I'm running, running just to keep my hands on you

This part is where the song takes a romantic turn, which I would say retroactively makes the entire song romantic in nature. From this point in the song on, we mostly see Jimin from behind, as if Jungkook is metaphorically running to keep his hands on Jimin. And in the brief scenes where Jimin is facing the camera after this point, it appears that he is turning around either to check Jungkook's reaction or to wait for him to catch up. I think the way Jungkook films Jimin from behind throughout the video shows his admiration and willingness to follow Jimin's lead.

Overall, I would call G.C.F in Tokyo a love letter, the message of which is: I'll be there for you, but you gotta be there for me too. How else can I interpret it? Jungkook, who was not in the habit of giving the other members birthday presents, knowing that Jimin has wanted to travel with him for years, planned and paid for an international trip for Jimin's birthday, documented their memories via film, spent painstaking amounts of time editing a video of their trip, included rainbow imagery, and chose a song by an openly gay artist that repeats over and over, "I'll be there for you, but you gotta be there for me too."