#onlyoneof beat

[andrhomeda]

Lyon Pride Flag! based on the colors of OnlyOneOf undergrOund idOl 'be' series

[listen here]

[peppertaemint]

Hi, Peppertaemint! I was wondering if you wanted to talk more in depth about OnlyOneOf's Begin and Be Free music videos. It would be interesting to read your perspective on how both music videos follow a storyline, the stylistic means through which they portray the beginning of a potential relationship, but most importantly, the impact they must have on current K-Pop and its audience.

Hi Anon. Sorry it's taken me so long to answer this one. I wanted to wait until I could do it justice.

OnlyOneOf has released five music videos in the "be" series: YooJung's Begin, KB's Be Free, JunJi's Be Mine, Rie's Because, and Mill's Beat. Nine, the sixth member of OOO, has dropped the teaser for the final video in the "be" series, Bey0nd.

These videos tell stories of LGBT+ romance. The first two, Begin and Be Free, follow a couple's hookup and more than allude to the physical side of that, while Be Mine and Because take things further with a couple's ups and downs, including attraction and desire. Beat focuses on school bullying, with a student crushing on a young man who then battles the bullies with him. The teaser for Bey0nd carries on from the last, showing the new couple playing music and celebrating together.

These works are undoubtedly LGBT+, not only in the narrative portrayal but in the messages posted with the videos themselves. Begin states this clearly with the beautiful passage posted under the MV on YouTube:

Among the countless lovers in the world, there are also lovers that couldn’t be blessed. For whatever reasons. Religious reasons, things like parents’ disapproval. I dedicate this song to all those lovers that couldn’t be blessed.

Each set of MVs focuses on a couple (the members "chop and change" to create different couples) and a stage in their relationship. Flirting, getting acquainted, intimacy, conflict, reunion, etc. Begin and Be Free focus on desire and a sense of the erotic in romance. I particularly like the fish tank scene that is reminiscent of the intoxicating party scene in Baz Lurhmann's Romeo+Juliet. Be Mine and Because are bolder, if less stylistically interesting, as they depict kisses and other physical encounters between their couple, including an underwater kiss. If we compare these to Holland's MVs, which were marked as "adult only" because of same-sex romantic content, OOO's videos are less raw and gritty and much more wholesome, constituting a kind of K-drama-esque homo-romance.

If I squint, I'm reminded of Jungkook and Jimin in the Dynamite Holiday Remix video, acting as the "Christmas couple" away from the other members. But there's one glaring difference here—homo-romance is not subtext for OnlyOneOf. It's the whole of the text and the message of the work.

When OOO released homoerotic/romantic work previously, many cried "queerbaiting" despite many of us pointing out how these videos weren't queerbaiting—they were LGBT+ stories being told with elements of eroticism and romance. What I notice now is how much warmer the response is. I think this has something to do with the theme being consistent so people understand it's not a stunt for views, but I also think it's because the erotic elements are lessened. Sadly, people still have strong, negative reactions to eroticism, especially if it's LGBT+. The history of fan service is partly a reason for this, though I still think fan service needs to be revisited and recontextualized (that's an opinion for a different day).

Nonetheless, I think these videos show how the young SK generation's attitude toward LGBT+ contrasts with older generations' attitudes. Polls show there is quite a difference in support for LGBT+ rights between generations, and I think the fact we're seeing more openly positive LGBT+ content coming out in SK is a product of this.

It will be interesting to watch their trajectory over the coming years. K-pop is less popular in SK right now than it used to be, judging by comments from the general public, and the music industry in general is seeing the "silo-ing" of artists, meaning it's much harder for artists to become known and followed by many because styles and genres have become niche by default. Audiences have almost infinite choices in terms of who they follow and listen to, so much like we see on social media, fandoms are becoming their own complete subcultures where values and ideas are reinforced instead of challenged. And I mention this to say that although I'm sure OOO are having a positive impact on LGBT+ youth and artists in SK, the East, and beyond, I'm not sure just how wide the impact is given that we can now easily ignore what is outside of our sphere, culturally speaking.

Countering this, I'm reminded how important music shows like Inkigayo and Mnet are because they put this content in the living rooms of a diverse set of people. And that is one way older generations can be reached.

[mahealinskis]

HAPPY BEAT 1ST ANNIVERSARY

We don’t easily notice our hearts beating. Once in a blue moon, we feel our hearts beating when we actually put our hands on our hearts. But it’s not like we listen to the sound of our hearts on a regular basis. The thing is though, I genuinely felt my heart beating the moment I saw you.

[winxys]

MILL Beat (Teaser)

[ennuijpg]

yongsoo and wookjin filming bump up business!!

[hongjoongpresent]

the entire essay I could write about the background vocals in terrible man. you don't understand

[taiyomoyo]

guys n dudes

[silentstreet]

Guess who's seeing OnlyOneOf again?!

And guess who's seeing them a week before their college graduation?!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[skinzchoerim]

[shadowetienne]

I've been mulling over some timeline thoughts and how "beat" does or doesn't fit in with be #1-4.

A lot of this hinges on: are Junji, Rie, and Yoojung fellow students (at all or at the same school)?

We see them in such a short glimpse it's hard for me to tell what they are wearing.

But Rie's outfit doesn't really look like the school uniform to me?

Junji's kind of does, but again, can't get a good look...

[EDIT: Having seen screencaps, it does look like they're all in school uniforms for the same school, Rie was just throwing me off by having a dark underlayer.]

First thought though, maybe the major change in color palette for "beat" teaser photos was an indication this is a different timeline entirely, so the relationships between members are not consistent.

If it is the same timeline, I would be kind of inclined to believe it is earlier in the timeline, especially if Junji, Rie, and Yoojung are supposed to be students. But that does leave a question about wait did Junji and Rie already know each other, and also was Yoojung a student where KB taught?

Some musings:

If say Mill and Nine are in their final year of high school and the other 3 aren't students anymore, they could be Nine's not too much older friends that he is skipping class to play basketball with or not staying later to study or something (why is Nine out there while Mill is still in the classroom?), and that could sort of work with the other members timelines though it would skew Yoojung younger than I thought his character was supposed to be

They are all still students and this is before the timeline of the others MVs: backstory possiblity for Junji and Rie - they were part of the same friend group in high school, fell out of touch but Junji had an enormous crush or they both had crushes, when they run into each other again at Yoojung's work several years down the line Junji chases Rie because this is his chance and he doesn't want to miss it (actually I could vibe with this one because Junji chasing down a cute complete stranger was a little baffling to me).

In that same concept, if KB is a new teacher when Nine transfers in, and Yoojung, Junji, and Rie are seniors to Nine and Mill at school, it's pretty feasible that KB never had Yoojung as a student. When they run into each other a few years later when Yoojung has the restaurant job, that makes it less weird, though possibly some of KB's uncertainty would be around knowing he's several years older if he recognizes Yoojung. [EDIT: leaning towards this if it's the same timeline.]

On the other hand, if it looking to me like Rie isn't wearing a school uniform is indication that the trio playing basketball with Nine aren't also students...

Nine has older queer friends? I'm already starting to form a pet theory that part of why Nine transferred is that his parents kicked him out, so maybe he's even staying with one of them, that could be a fun connection

This could work if the MV timelines happen in short succession. We could have young teacher KB (who has a nice apartment because he inherited it or something), out of high school but not for that long Rie, Yoojung, Junji and still in high school Mill and Nine.

All that I am hoping is that we are not setting up a universe where KB is concurrently a teacher with Yoojung being a high school students and Yoojung never having been KB's direct student (Rie, Yoojung, Junji don't seem to be in the same classroom as Mill and Nine, so this is very feasible at least).

I would love to hear your timeline and connections thoughts!

[EDIT: Leaving the rest in because framework and also some of it could work either way.]

[andrhomeda]

#undergrOund_idOl_5

[ihessiot]

I started listening to onlyoneof and boygroups in general... I love men

[nyaheum]

nah but they really went "alright we'll all be students...except kyubin. he's too old. nobody will believe that. teacher."

[cyanidecravings]

mill - “beat” (be #5)

[ennuijpg]

MILL — 'beat' (2022)

[id: 7 gifs from mill from kpop group onlyoneof’s ‘beat’ mv of mill and nine as students. 1. nine walks between mill and a bully, leading mill away by hand. 2. mill stands by a phone booth at night, breathing on his hands to warm them. 3. mill sits by an easel as he looks up in surprise. 4. a close-up of their hands as mill hands nine a lolipop. 5. mill by the easle as nine stands next to him, tapping his shoulder and pointing to the easel. 6. the two lean against a brick wall, smiling at each other. 7. a bloodied nine collapsing into mill's arms by the phone booth. the colored captions reads: mill — 'beat' 2022 /end id]

[save-the-data]

OnlyOneOf | Mill “Beat” (Be #5)