The most beautiful moment in life truly is forever
Let me start this off with a thank you — thank you, BTS, for creating an album that saved me. It’s difficult to say this without tearing up, but on that summer day in 2016 as I waited on a subway platform, clicking the link to your newly released album was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. At the moment where I felt like my youth shifting into something more permanent, when I was leaping into the unknown of adulthood and my uncertain future, you sent me, and ARMY as a whole, a gift in the form of an album: The Most Beautiful Moment in Life (화양연화): Young Forever. Who would’ve known that it was that hot May afternoon that would become the catalyst driving and forging my new identity as an ARMY. Who would’ve thought that two years later, I’d be tattooing the words “dream, hope, forward, forward” on my arm. Who would’ve guessed that an album with a hot air balloon would come to change my life. But you know how the saying goes: BTS comes to you when you need them the most.
Released May 2nd, 2016, TMBMIL: Young Forever ends off the trilogy that is the TMBMIL series, a saga that brought to light love, youth, acceptance, understanding, and, above all else, moving forward. The official BigHit website describes it as “a special album that marks the conclusion of the epic journey of the series, containing the last stories told by young people who, despite an uncertain and insecure reality… continue to surge forward.” If TMBMIL part 1 and 2 were the growing pains that come with young adulthood, Young Forever was the graduation into maturity. The TMBMIL era was one of realization and exploration, and it seems almost perfect that the finale of it was not really a finale at all — as the music video for Epilogue: Young Forever showcased, the most beautiful moment in life truly is forever. TMBMIL: Young Forever takes us through that journey, holding all the significance of pt. 1 and 2 by featuring the songs that built our youth, and then adding the element of release through tracks such as Fire, Save Me, and Epilogue: Young Forever. This set the stage for what was to come from Bangtan, as the idea of dreams, the future, and life itself has permeated the lyrics of every album since.
TMBMIL: Young Forever, then, is a symbolic marker of youthful vitality. It’s a tribute to our youth, a vibrant display of overcoming the worries and struggles that plagued TMBMIL pt. 1 and 2 eras by letting go. At the TMBMIL On Stage: Epilogue final concert in Seoul, Namjoon echoes these sentiments in reference to the album, claiming “In TMBMIL we sang about youth and about unstable reality, and how being young means running forward nonetheless. Now we decided to let those things go…so this album is for everyone out there who is having a hard time, including us. It’s “cheongchunchanga” — a tribute for youth” (TMBMIL On Stage: Epilogue). Specifically speaking, this idea of a tribute for our youth is no better explained than through the twelfth track on the album, “Epilogue: Young Forever”.
Following the same title as the album itself, Epilogue: Young Forever is one of the songs that has changed my life. Many claim this track, specifically, speaks to the boys’ fear of losing fans, losing this most beautiful moment together, and the worry of what lies ahead. While this is true, the song goes beyond that, speaking to this fear that we all face. Loss, grief, and uncertainty are all linked to growing out of phases of our life, not knowing where to turn to next. This is echoed in the chorus of the song, claiming “in the fluttering flower petal rain, I wander and run in this maze”. In this line, we can see our own fears reflected back, revealing the uncertainty of knowing where to go, hitting end after end. But, even in periods of concern, we can see that there is a level of respite. The maze is not foreboding, but is instead a place of discovery. Rather than trapped, you are overcoming obstacles in pursuit of what you love. Those flower petals are still there, signaling back to imagery of the flower road, something Bangtan has commonly spoken of in reference to our journey together, ARMY and BTS. Hardship and failure are part of the process of growing up and growing out. But isn’t that youth? Realizing certain ideas, dreams, experiences don’t serve us anymore, and letting go.
To be young, in the TMBMIL sense, is the ability to continue running forwards, even if it’s not towards a dream. In previous albums, this idea was brought into discussion in songs like Intro: Most Beautiful Moment in Life, where Yoongi struggled between youthful passion and the harsh reality of the “adult” world. In response, Epilogue: Young Forever is claiming that in spite of it all, you can still get back up and follow your heart. Loss of passion is not the end. This is a common motif throughout all of their music; what does it mean to dream? What does it mean to live? How can we truly be young forever and feel every moment is the most beautiful moment of our lives? The answer lies in the lyrics, at the end of the chorus where Seokjin sings “even when I fall and hurt myself, I keep running toward my dream”. Resilience is the true symbol of youth. It doesn’t matter what that dream is, as all moments of happiness, in themselves, can be seen as something to dream of. This song is less of a declaration of wanting to truly be young forever, and instead a manifesto of how our youth truly never ends.
That’s why this song is so important — because it will never not be relevant. The feeling of loss, the feeling of wanting to be better, do better — these ideas will always be applicable. This song is a direct connection for ARMY and for BTS — it’s a song that unites us. Together we can hold on and move forward. “Dream, hope, forward, forward”; whether the words are printed on a hat, tattooed on an arm, or shown through the static of four TV screens, they hold the same meaning. This song is as much a reminder to Bangtan as it is to us as fans. Nothing lasts forever, but eventually we will find our way through the maze. All we can do is run towards what we love and pursue it wholeheartedly. Hoseok relays this through the lyrics “even if there is no everlasting audience, I will sing”; even if all else fails, we can always keep trying to catch that passion. Following something you love is not madness, but bravery. Holding onto those feelings of happiness, like Yoongi felt on the court in Intro: Most Beautiful Moment in Life, is what Epilogue: Young Forever is shouting out to the world. It’s OK to fail. It’s OK to long for something. This is a part of life and that itself is still beautiful.
The acapella ending of the song, as it comes to its final notes, finishes with a raw reminder that we are not alone in this moment in our lives — we will all be running through this flower maze together. Whether it’s hearing this song for the first time, or listening to it again, in the quiet of your own room years later, you are not alone. And that’s beautiful. So thank you, BTS, for making an album and a song for our eternal youth. Thank you for reminding us that it’s OK to fall, to let go, and to wish for something new.
