BTS K-Drama “BEGINS ≠ YOUTH” Disappoints Army With “Homophobic” Scene

On By Vaseline

Many felt it was completely off-brand.

Serah S. Cherrie

The long-awaited K-Drama, inspired by the alternate universe of BTS‘S HYJH era, STARTS ≠ YOUTHrecently premiered, sparking interest among ARMYs.

| HYBE
| HYBE

Fans were so captivated by the cast and script that they wished the drama had been made available on more accessible streaming platforms. But one particular scene tempered some of that praise.

The scene shows the two main characters, Kim Hwan (Seo Ji Hoon) and Min Cein (Noh Jong Hyun), which are based on the fictional versions of BTS members Jin And Sugarespectively. The scene shows Cein skeptically asking Hwan, “Hyung, do you like me?‘, followed by Cein’s hesitant gestures to even be approached by Hwan. He then tells Hwan to talk to him from a distance.

The scene, clearly intended to be comedic, has upset many fans as they feel it has homophobic undertones. Many Army felt that it betrayed the original BU (BTS Universe) concept, which has often been studied for its possible strange subtext. The BTS members themselves are also very openly accepting of the queer community, expressions and art forms. So fans felt that these types of stories were not authentic to their brand.

While some tried to theorize that it could be a representation of internalized homophobia or a reference to a skit BTS did for “Blood, Sweat, and Tears,” some also stated that the removal of any possible queer subtext from the drama is to be expected was from HYBE.

BTS