Aside from being stellar performers and musicians, BTS also has a reputation for their goofy boy-next-door energy.
Fans have seen the same septet that set the stage on fire with the explosive performances turn into the epitome of “unseriousness” when they come down, be it on their own variety show, in their dressing rooms, or in between filming.
211211 BANGTAN BOMB- How to Have Fun in the Green Room https://t.co/PELB9sFscQ
Save me 안무 연습 pic.twitter.com/U7YWnQwiDW
— FACT (@factkm10) December 11, 2021
jinkook hugging and jimin just pic.twitter.com/5sFm3FBTl0
— jinkook gallery (@jinkookgallery) February 21, 2023
According to the group’s maknae Jungkook, this dynamic of the group is owed to the oldest member, Jin.
On October 4, Jungkook hosted a pre-scheduled live broadcast on Weverse, right from his home. Though he started the stream talking about his upcoming album, Golden, the conversation eventually flowed to other topics as he started interacting with fans’ comments.
Jungkook then started playing the solo songs of his bandmates one by one, vibing along.
BTS pic.twitter.com/dTiQVtfs0p
— @winnttaebear (@hopearchive7) October 4, 2023
When it was Jin’s turn, fans requested him to play “Super Tuna,” which made Jungkook break into a laugh immediately. However, he complied with the request. As the song played, he kept chuckling at the playful lyrics and couldn’t help but wonder if Jin was in his right mind to make a song like this. The “3D” singer admitted that he could never pull something like “Super Tuna.”
jungkook’s smile when super tuna started playing pic.twitter.com/OgAiFAij7X
— ☆₇ (@archiveforJK) October 4, 2023
wow, jin hyung really *shakes head* he’s not normal aha i dont think i would have been able to do this. did he really do this just for army? armys, you know how jin hyung is, right? wow how did he think to release a song like this aha (t/n: ‘super tuna’)
— 미니융 (@miiniyoongs) October 4, 2023
Jungkook added that Jin’s silliness and light-hearted persona have influenced the group’s energy, saying that he is in charge of that responsibility in the group.
there’s a reason our team’s bright, jin hyung is like that and has a role like that in the team. ah i miss the members. ah i miss our members. bts!
— 미니융 (@miiniyoongs) October 4, 2023
Despite being the oldest member of the group, Jin has a very different image than the typical madhyung (oldest brother). Sometimes, Korean fans even refer to him as the madnae, a madhyung who acts like a maknae. The singer himself admitted that he steers clear of serious people naturally, and even while interacting with people outside of BTS, he loves to joke around.
One of our staff members is very serious, but when I talk to him, we usually just joke around. If someone is too serious and I feel we can’t get along, then I just start avoiding them as soon as possible.
— Jin, Vogue Singapore
Jin’s easygoing nature has often been considered one of the biggest strengths of BTS since he sets the tone for the rest of the group, the senior-most member. His ability to smooth over tricky situations with nonchalant humor and bridge the gap between the older and younger members is a big contributor to BTS’s friendship. Jungkook’s remarks about Jin during his livestream are, therefore, a formal acknowledgment of Jin’s importance in the group, despite his own reluctance to accept it.