BTS - Spring Day
Until this cold winter ends,
And the spring comes again.
I was completely beguiled by, not only their flawless performance, but the story, messages behind the music video that give me goosebumps and fits of reflection.
To wholly understand what the music video is trying to convey, we must first look into the allusion that hints a heartbroken calamity - Sinking of MV Sewol.
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (1973)
Remember that scene when Rap Mon is heading right to a place called Omelas? Omelas is actually a fictional realm from Le Guin's established work, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas".
In this short philosophical allegory, Omelas is on the surface a utopia where days and nights are abundantly buzzing with bliss and joy. Under the pen of the writer, Omelas is filled with "a cheerful faint sweetness of the air that from time to time trembled and gathered together and broke out in the great joyous clanging of the bells."
It is idyllaic, isn't it? Yet Le Guin decides to unveil its atrocity - a child who has become imbecile through fear, malnutrition, and neglect is locked in a dusky room. His sacrifice opens the door to peace and happiness of the vast majority. Once citizens are old enough to know the hidden truth, most of them acquiesce to it for the sake of their happiness. However, a few citizens, young and old, "leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back."
So how is it relevant?
Omelas - Ship Sinking?
Every frame is a masterpiece; I must admit that it's a bit complicated- I'll try to explain the relevance of the piece and ship sinking tragedy in tandem, hoping it won't twist your mind.
Spring Day begins with V kneeling down at the rail. Two crucial hints: He is neither with anyone nor is he on the train. The endless pathway represents his determination and solitude, as stated in Omelas, "each alone, they go west or north, towards the mountains", he is leaving.
It moves swiftly to a close-up shot of Jungkook on the train, looking outside the window with dullness and absent-mindedness in his eyes.
The next shot is an interesting one: Jimin and the sea. Sea, with its daunting width and depth, simply stands for uncertainty, danger or death. And most importantly, it implies the ship sinking incident. Jimin looks pale as snow, lifeless in expression, then the music comes in, "I miss you". All of these can be linked, Jimin comes by the sea, hopelessly and melancholically, seeking to commemorate someone who's sent to heaven. But who is this "someone"?
Rap Mon starts his lines in an eccentric setting - hazy view, a rail carriage with baggage only - it resembles the moments of sinking, all students were gone. Rap Mon continues his way to Omelas and there bumps into Jhope and Suga. With no sheer hesitation, he opens the door to leave Omelas and walks along another train aisle. This time, he passes through Jungkok. Oddly, they do not recognise each other.
Rap Mon walks ahead into the last door - he escaped. He is the first one who escaped Omelas and so is he crowned and hailed. From his bewildering expression tells of an orgy of sadness. Isn't it happy to forsake?
Now, what we've learnt so far from the video is, Rap Mon is one of the students and survivors on Sewol; he is also one of the few citizens who decides to leave Omelas. Meanwhile, Jungkook, as eloquently believed, plays the role as the miserable child (minority or unimportant people in society) in Omelas. Rap Mon acknowledges Jungkook's existence, yet knowing he is impotent in changing anything, he turns up "fall[ing] silent, and then leav[ing] home". In parallel to the tragedy, Rap Mon has too little to "save" Jungkopk, who is still being "captured" on the train (ship).
Another scene that needs pensive attention. From left to right, we see Rap Mon, Jungkook, Jimin, Jhope, Jin and Suga, where is V? Why are they throwing cakes towards Rap Mon? First, V is not here in this scene, meaning that V is not on the ship (this hint is important!). Second, Rap Mon is the first one to leave, the rest feels happy for him. At the same time, the shot taken here is slightly waving up and down - the ship is about to sink.
At the maze-like stairs, we see Jin at the bottom. This kind of staircase first appeared in the movie, Vértigo (1958) which was used to represent the fear of heights, vertigo (dizziness) and danger. Whilst all other members are dashing around the spirals, which could mean that they are disoriented by the further capsize of the ship, Jin is looking up and and showing hand gestures resembling photographers who frame before taking a picture, and guess what, Jungkook enters in the next frame. Jin, staying in the original place, is looking for Jungkook.
V and Jimin are leaving with "I miss you (I miss you); I miss you (I miss you)" as the backing. They go alone and leave Omelas. More specifically, Jimin is turning into left. Interestingly, Spring Day was the first single from the repackaged album, Wing, and I will adopt this Left Wing VS Right Wing Theory when analyzing the song in later scenes.
The tints in the next shot featuring all of the members are dreamy and fanciful. V is holding a camera gesture, then Jungkook appears with a suffocating look - he is stuck in the train (ship) and loses consciousness.
The song continues when V is sleeping with other members (except Jungkook):
How much more do I have to wait?
How many more days do I have to stay up all nights?
Until I can see you? (until I can see you?)
Until I can meet you? (until I can meet you?)
Whether it is in his dream or reality, he is still waiting for Jungkook, his lost friend and the locked child.
Jimin picks up a pair of shoes washed up on the shore. Without doubt, these shoes belong to the victims of the tragedy.
The transition is genius - all members are shown in a dark room, with Jungkook in front of a firecracker. This scene is like a flashback to the days when all the members were young companions and knew nothing about the dark side of this country. With Jungkook looking at the firecracker actually reminds me of a short story written by Shirley Jackson, "The Lottery" (1948), where lives of the citizens are embroidered upon a description of an annual ritual - someone who wins the lottery will be stoned to death.
To their dismay, Jungkook is selected to be the one who is going to sacrifice himself in the exchange of the utilitarian happiness. The rest of the members are shocked and emotionless. The more time passes, the darker and gloomier feeling they get - "we are losing hope and Jungkook".
Members waiting inside a laundry is one of the most striking shots. First, the clock frozen at 9:35 am is the time when the first guard boats arrived to rescue the trapped victims. (Left to right) Jimin, Jungkook, Suga, Jhope and Jin are waiting for the rescue. On the other hand, V and Rapmon are outside because V is not on the ship and Rap Mon has already left and is found.
The endless spinning of washing machine symbolizes the overturning of ship. Its round shape resembles the porthole used in the hull of ships to admit light and air. Peering through the porthole, we get this demanding look from Jin; he is looking for something again.
Suga lying motionlessly on a pile of clothes, is in a state of despair. Meanwhile, a dim light shines in - the rescue divers find him.
Now that Jhope is roof riding on a the top of the train moving towards the left. He is flying a paper aeroplane, meaning that he is set free and saved.
There isn't any specific shot indicating that Jimin is saved, but I assume that by walking towards the left, Jimin "seem[s] to know where [he is] going".
Jin sees no one above the staircase and he is the only one left in the scene. Most associate this with the death of Jin. But look carefully at the lyrics:
I say that I’m gonna erase you
But I can’t really let you go yet
With the camera-holding gesture, Jin's staircase scene (alongside the previous shot) is in fact a recall of memory. He's rescued, but somehow at a time is still haunted by this tragedy. He tries to let go, to move on, but he really can't. All others are saved but someone is still missing - Where is Jungkook?
Left and Right - Liberal and Confined;
Rescued and Deceased.
This is heartrending - Jungkook is standing cheerlessly in front of a dilapidated ride written “YOU NEVER WALK ALONE” while all his hyungs keep on roaming past him. They are finding Jungkook, yet they can't see Jungkook because he has been shut up in a sepulchre, by the indifferent sea. This lingering spirit, looking around, turns into his left. From the beginning till the end of the videos, everyone except Jungkook are looking at or walking to left - V looking to the left at the abandoned station (0:09); Jimin looking to the left by the sea (0:49); Rap Mon leaning on V (2:28) Jin turning to the left in the laundry scene (2:30); Jhope is taking a ride in left direction; Suga lying on the clothes finally leans towards his left when he is found (2:51).
In politics, left wing (remember the album's name? Wings.) refers to a liberal and forward-moving doctrine while right-wing is more conservative, traditional. What about Jungkook? He never looks to left when he is on the train just until he was found dead, his spirit, his soul walks to the left as Jungkook was eventually and spiritually FREE.
In Jungkook's dream, he opens the train door to Omelas. The neon light "NO VACANCY" hits to the reality where nobody is permitted to leave this place brimmed with false consciousness. But Jungkook still manages to escape because this is his dream. He keeps going and leaves the laundry. The lyrics here are sung by Jungkook and they serve as Jungkook's monologue:
How much more do I have to wait?
How many more days do I have to stay up all nights to see you and meet you?
Jungkook misses his friends (hyungs) and hopes that one day, they can reunite. Walking out of the laundry, he is joined by hyungs. We finally see that genuine smile on Jungkook's face.
Never had I been this heart-wrenching and mourning over a video, Jungkook (in the dream) witnesses himself being on the train moving to the left. The train makes its way rapidly through the dingy, dark tunnel, foreshadowing that the ship is sinking deeper and deeper. Tormented, V bewails:
You know it all
You’re my best friend
The sun will rise again
No darkness, no season
Can last forever
Closing his eyes, Jungkook is struck in a state of dream. This scene is an allusion to "The Little Match Girl", which is a sad story about a miserable, impoverish young girl who lights matches to enjoy an ephemeral delightedness. Jungkook lights a match on his own, immediately the little flame went out, the stove vanished, and he rubs another one. In the glow all members sit near Jungkook.
The dream goes into different versions. As the glow becomes brighter - Jungkook, in his dream, wakes up and feels shocked to see his friends surrounding him. The mountainous garments are no longer placed in the deep and damp darkness, all members are piled high in the apricot blue sky, just like how Marius dreams of triumphing over the French Revolution and reuniting his lost friend, Enjolras in "Les Misérables" (2012). The climax continues.
The dawn is breaking, Jungkook (now in heaven) wakes up and sees his hyung, the sorrow is over:
Seems like cherry blossoms are blooming,
The winter is gone.
Jungkook, you are no longer alone, you are no longer in pain. He is led to salvation by his beloved hyungs who show him the way.
The swings beside Jungkook are finally warm under the sun. This locked, frightened child (Jungkook) who "can remember sunlight and his mother’s voice" is free now.
Getting off the train, they reach a place where the snow has steadily melted and they are embracing spring, a season that carries themes of rebirth and renewal. Passing by the edge of desolated winter, Jungkook, representing the locked child and deceased, are walking with his hyungs. Cherry blossom tree holds the absolute truth that love is eternal.
The shoes Jimin is holding in his hand are Jungkook's shoes (although he is wearing red shoes in the music video), the reason of using white shoes carries a metaphorical meaning - students' shoes.
I am trembled; in the ending, there are only SIX people. Jungkook is not with them.
Jungkook's shoes are tied together and hung on the tree. This practice of shoe tossing is an old ritual to commemorate someone who has died. The reason they are hanging, legend has it, is that when the dead person's spirit returns, it will walk that high above the ground, that much closer to heaven. This is their way to walk with Jungkook, on a brand-new spring day.
You Never Walk Alone.
"Sometimes also a man or woman, much older, falls silent for a day or two, and then leaves home. These people go out into the street, and walk down the street alone. They keep walking, and walk straight out of the city of Omelas, through the beautiful gates. They keep walking across the farmlands of Omelas. Each one goes alone, youth or girl, man or woman."
I appreciate Bighit's effort in comparing literary piece with the devastating tragedy, which sputters a host of reflection. In a dauntless way of thinking, the tragedy can be more or less related to a sacrificial ritual, the victims represent the locked child in Omelas. Drawing upon the moral accountability of a society where the happiness of the majority rests on the misery of a powerless minority, Spring Day delivers the view against victimization and criticizes the Korean for covering up the calamity and shifting the blame when they are the one to be guilty of.
Recognizing the darkest side of their country, those who cannot bear the truth choose to leave their place forever. Contrary to the end of the story, all members leave the place to which they once belong, this is not a solitary journey, they are all together. Hence why, You Never Walk Alone.
To the deceased, we are with you, you will not face this on your own anymore. You shall be remembered.
To the minority, follow your wills and embark upon your journey. You may be lonely apart, but you are never alone in heart. It will be alright - When this cold winter ends, and the spring comes again.