BTS universe drama Youth has completed a fresh and unconventional cast lineup.
Youth, scheduled to air in 2021, follows seven boys on their journey of growing up. The worldview that penetrates the drama is based on BTS’s “Hwayangyeonhwa” series, as the title “Youth” suggests. Through the series (2015-2016), BTS dreamed and sang the process of youth enduring the unstable and precarious reality and the most beautiful moments of their lives.
Your Neighbor’s Wife director Kim Jae Hong joined hands with writer Kim Soo Jin, who penned The Light in Your Eyes, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo and Old Miss Diary, to create a growth drama with a delicate and warm touch.
First, the role of Kim Seok Jin (Jin) went to Seo Ji Hoon. Kim Seok Jin, a boy trapped in his father’s shadow, gives off an aura of perfection yet struggles to express his emotions. He is a good son to his father, who is in the National Assembly, living a life based on his father’s plans, not his own. However, he has to face the emotions he buried and neglected after meeting six boys in a new school. Seo Ji Hoon showed solid performances in To All the Guys Who Loved Me, Meow, the Secret Boy and Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency.
Noh Jong Hyun turns into Min Yoon Gi (Suga), a boy surrounded by wild rumors. He can be cold on the outside, he has a heart of gold. But no matter what he does, people point fingers at him, saying that he killed his mother by setting the house on fire. He now finds comfort in the old piano after losing his mother, who meant the world to him. And through Jung Kook, who accepts him as he is, Yoon Gi recalls his troubled past and learns to move on from the pain.
Ahn Ji Ho, who caught the attention of the industry insiders with his outstanding performance in The House of Us, plays the role of Jung Ho Seok (J-Hope), a dance prodigy with a positive mind. He does have a painful memory of being abandoned in an amusement park as a child, but nevertheless, he has brighter energy than anyone else.
Seo Young Joo takes on the role of Kim Nam Joon (RM), a boy who wishes to have a normal life above all else. He became an adult too early in the harsh reality where dreaming is considered a luxury. He is a responsible person who does all kinds of part-time jobs but still maintains his top scores.
There are also two rookie actors. Kim Yoon Woo has been cast for Park Ji Min (Jimin), a boy who hides a secret behind his bright smile. His family’s overprotection and his childhood filled with lies have deeply traumatized him, making him uncertain about his real identity. Jung Woo Jin will be playing Kim Tae Hyung (V), a character with a story full of pain. After his mother ran away, his father became an alcoholic. But still, Tae Hyun dreams of the day when his father returns to how he was before, maybe even play catch ball once again.
Jeon Jin Seo, who made headlines for his role in The World of the Married, plays Jeon Jung Kook (Jungkook). Having grown up in an unstable home, Jung Kook is a character who has never experienced happiness. To him, life or death has no particular meaning.
After the cast lineup and production was confirmed, the majority of ARMY showed concerns over the BTS universe drama where no BTS members appear. They say that not only can the drama, in which real names of the members are used, undermine the value of the artist’s unique worldview but also further cause confusion in the artist’s image.
The production team commented, “BU (BTS Universe) is a worldview that is separate from the actual artists. This drama is an ‘inspired by BU story’ that has been adapted to the characteristics of the drama genre based on the basic settings of the BTS Universe. Within this worldview, we will draw a growth story of seven boys.”
[…] reads, “A drama that depicts BTS’s childhood,” surprising the ARMY. Since the characters’ descriptions that were released earlier included shocking sentences like “people think he killed his […]