Okay, we know the boys always kill their choreo, but this is clearly a back-up dancers appreciation video and I'm here for it. We definitely don't see their full impact in the MV, but they're front and centre in the live performances and they are such an essential part of bringing the 'hooligan' concept to life.
Went to watch the BTS World Tour: ARIRANG Live Viewing in Goyang this afternoon at the movie theatre with Iris (frankly, the only time I step foot into movie theatres is for BTS — I haven't heard of 90% of the movies playing right now), and was spectacularly impressed with quite literally everything: the 360° stage; their outfits (I know they always look amazing, but they do half of the concert in the same leather-clad gothic anime pirate villain outfits as in the "Hooligan" MV, and it is OUTRAGEOUSLY SEXY); the perfect live vocals and harmonies; the charisma, stage presence, and general swagginess.
The setlist does seem shorter this tour, but they performed nearly every single song from ARIRANG (with the exception of "One More Night," for some reason, and "No. 29," obviously — but they even debuted their vinyl-exclusive track, "Come Over," which I'm hoping will be released on streaming platforms soon because it is too gorgeous to require a record player to listen to), which they haven't done with any of their previous albums — they usually integrate a lot more of their discography into any given tour setlist. I was a little bummed that they didn't include more older songs — they did perform "Fake Love," "Not Today," "MIC Drop," "IDOL," "Butter", and "Dynamite" (basically, the stadium bangers) — but they have introduced a new segment we've never seen before called BTS Karaoke, during which two songs from their discography are randomly chosen for them to perform, and it is wildly amusing to see them try to remember their old lyrics and/or choreography. Looks like they'll be doing two different tracks every night on this tour (today's concert included "Take Two" and "DNA," though Thursday's concert had "Mikrokosmos" and "I Need U," so it does seem truly random). I'm not sure if the core setlist will change over the course of this tour, but I can't wait to see what songs they'll pick for the Toronto dates.
Jjamppong
Jajangmyeon
Now, normally, we would go get Korean fried chicken after a BTS live viewing and/or documentary, but in an effort to be marginally healthier (like, really marginally), we decided to get some Korean Chinese food at Jeon Ju Hyang instead. They don't offer tangsuyuk, but we did get jjamppong (my personal fave) and jajangmyeon to share. And I gotta say, after many tries, I still can't get into jajangmyeon. I know it's beloved by Koreans, but it's just too... one-note? I mean, I've never been a huge fan of lo mein or "stirred" noodles to begin with, but I think jajangmyeon is just a bit too slimy? Anyway, it worked out in the end — Iris can't eat that much spice (we actually ordered mild, but even black pepper gets too spicy for her), so she wanted more of the jajangmyeon, anyway. Jjamppong will always be the winner for me.
Another reunion dinner! Well, I use the term "reunion" lightly here because it's really only been, like, a month and a half, but my friends Minji and Daniel have finally returned from their Seoul trip and this is the longest we've gone without seeing each other in two years. So in honour of this, we decided to check out a Japanese eatery that everyone's been talking about on TikTok (according to Minji, because I refuse to use TikTok) called Cafe Kenkaku:
Corny Croquette: A handmade golden croquette filled with a creamy blend of sweet corn and imitation crab meat, lightly breaded and fried
We decided to share everything so we could try more menu items — the key to dining out at a new restaurant — and all of our dishes were incredible. Started off with the corny croquette. I was definitely expecting more corn (because it's a CORNY croquette, not a cream sauce croquette, thus corn is expected to be the main feature), though the texture and flavour were perfect — honestly just like the croquettes I've had in Japan. Could easily eat, like, three of these just for a snack.
Creamy Kurobuta Miso Udon: Udon noodles in a rich miso butter sauce with Berkshire pork, mushrooms, and an onsen egg, topped with basil, green onions, and grated parmesan
Premium Steak Donburi: A rice bowl topped with 6oz. of AAA steak cooked sous vide, drizzled with house-made teriyaki sauce, topped with crispy garlic slices and a raw egg
The udon was creamy and savoury and intensely flavourful, though I do think it could've had more pork rather than mushrooms. (I mean, I know we're in a tough economy here, but I think each of us had like, three tiny pieces of pork each?) The steak donburi was actually perfectly cooked to a seared rare and was super soft and tender — I didn't read the description because it was Minji's choice, but it makes sense now that it was cooked sous vide. I don't think it would've come out nearly as perfect when sliced that thinly.
Katsu Sando: Premium milk bread toast with deep-fried pork cutlet, tomato cabbage slaw, lettuce, and tonkatsu sauce, served with spring mix salad and French fries
I think the standout for me was surprisingly the katsu sando, maybe because I didn't have particularly high expectations for it. The pork with juicy with an excellent crispy shell and the milk bread was amazing — the bread was soft and fluffy but the exterior was just perfectly toasted and if I was the type of person to bring a mic with me in public, I could've done some impressive toast eating ASMR.
I haven't been eating out for the last month or so for both health and financial reasons (I was hospitalized for a few days in March, but that's a story for another time), but when my friend Vivian suggested meeting up with me and our friend Amanda for a reunion dinner after two years (!!!) — the longest we haven't seen each other in 12 years — I couldn't say no. We all agreed on Mexican food so we decided to go to 3 Mariachis:
Famous nachos
Shredded beef enchiladas
We shared the nachos, of course (still my favourite iteration of nachos that I've ever had, even without meat, sour cream, or guac), and all three of us ended up getting the beef enchiladas. They were delicious and flavourful, meat-packed and cheesy AF, but I personally prefer the variety that their tacos offer. The enchiladas come with beans, rice, and a cabbage salad with picked onions on the side, but none of them are seasoned or dressed, so it relies heavily on the enchiladas for flavour. (I was expecting the salad to at least have some sort of dressing or vinegar or something, but it was just... plain cabbage. I guess the pickled onions do add some flavour...) Not sure if I was eating them properly — I had them on their own as sides but really wanted to stuff them into the enchiladas because they tasted so plain. Still, those who love enchiladas won't be disappointed with the ones here — but I would definitely recommend the extra condiments on the side (it must be noted, however, that sour cream, guacamole, and habanera salsa cost extra).
Anyway, hopefully we won't have to wait another two years for another reunion...
Jin: "It's my first time hearing that question, so it's a little intense right now…"
V: "These questions! They're amazing!"
RM: "Crazy questions. So good."
Love that everyone is sweating and crying and quite literally screaming, and then we have Jimin and Jungkook just having a casual meal, calmly discussing the spice levels, taking more bites even after getting through to the last wing, and commenting on how delicious the vanilla ice cream is as if it's just dessert and not an aid to calm their burning mouths and esophaguses. I have been waiting for BTS to show up on Hot Ones for YEARS and this was everything I expected and more. Sean Evans proves once again what a phenomenal interviewer he is and how much research and thought goes into his questions. So, so, so happy we finally got this.
Okay, I was not expecting another music video so soon after "2.0" was released — but I'm not complaining because after a nearly four-year starvation, WE ARE FEASTING. I didn't think we'd get "Hooligan" as their next single, though — I was fully convinced it was going to be "Body to Body" for some reason — and while I still find the repetitive laughter in this song somewhat jarring after many listens (I'm pretty sure it's meant to mimic shooting bullets?), there is still something very addictive about this song. It's certainly the most viral of all the songs off Arirang.
Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan
We pop out, actin' a fool again
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan
Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan
Why this bassline slappin' so rude?
Drop it lower than chopped and screwed
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan
Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan
Man, I'm 'bout to blow a fuse
Can't be tamed, my head be bangin'
Jumpin' wild like a madman
Me everywhere, 얼쑤
Somebody move, somebody move
Everyone gather here, one by one
I can never ever choose
Every one o' you a muse
Crowd lookin' like a campus
Beat drop, we still dancin'
Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan
We pop out, actin' a fool again
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan
Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan
Why this bassline slappin' so rude?
Drop it lower than chopped and screwed
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan
Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan
I go cuckoo, crazy, loco, save me
Like El Cucuy, I don't need to explain, you already know
Hooligan, like hooligan
Smash it up like hooligan
It's time now, get out of my way
All clear, no issues here
Take you out
Take you out
What's the future?
Where's the now?
This is international
Make it unforgettable
Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan
We pop out, actin' a fool again
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan
Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan
Yeah, we the mess, gonna get a bigger mop here
This that K, gotta get a better pop here
you gon' hear this one playin' round the clock, yeah
Round the clock, clock, clock, clock
Why this bassline slappin' so rude?
Drop it lower than chopped and screwed
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan
Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan
Why this bassline slappin' so rude?
Drop it lower than chopped and screwed
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan
Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan
This is giving "Not Today" vibes, but like, gothic. I didn't know I needed BTS as leather-clad anime ninja villains (hooligans?), but here we are, because I find them ATROCIOUSLY ATTRACTIVE.
I AM OBSESSED. It's sharp, precise, sexy, badass — pure swag and charisma. It's the type of choreo that needs to be watched at least seven times to focus on each member and also revel in the glory that is their synchronized footsteps. I need more live performances of this ASAP. (But the idea to film this masterpiece with a fisheye lens was terrible. Sorry, but it makes it so much harder for me to focus on the actual choreography because it's so warped.)
The most chaotic of shenanigans. I feel like there would've been about 20 takes for every scene. I don't even know how the MV got finished, to be honest.
I've been watching all of the BTS promo interviews on various YouTube shows, but this one is just too cute and wholesome not to re-post. A BTS ear cleaning with a 50-year-old Japanese MMA fighter was not on my bingo card this year but it's, like, outrageously adorable?
As I said, this one of my Top 5 tracks from ARIRANG. As understated and lo-fi as "SWIM" is, "2.0" is bad-ass and anthemic, a melodramatic play on rhythm and repetition — it's this album's true comeback song in every sense of the word. A middle finger to the haters, the doubters, all those little fuckers that thought BTS wouldn't survive a hiatus and spouted so much shit about them in the last four years, saying their faves have surpassed them, that BTS will never rise again — when they should've shut up and acknowledged that their faves are just riding on BTS' coattails. BTS and ARMY know their power. For context, BTS wrote this song last summer after a four-year hiatus, but they were all over the news just yesterday, making headlines for being the best-selling group in the last DECADE, of having a 7th #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Basically: Bangtan's back, and don't you fucking forget it.
"Yeah, just like BTS," sure sounds easy
We're like a vault, who's gonna jump over us
It's kinda funny, but not really
10 years, man, not even close
Stop, ride
Yuh, yuh, yuh, yuh, yeah
Pull up at your block
We gonna knock, knock, knock, knock, yeah
Had your little fun, fella?
Pop, pop, pop, pop, yeah
Came back for what's mine, we don't
Stop, ride
You know how I do, do, do, do, do, do
You know how I do, do, do, do, do
Set a fire, brand new
On fire, brand new
Yeah, we on that brand new
You know how we do
Ay, ay, ay
Yeah, the feeling's kinda brand new
Spectacular step, no runnin' step two
2, 2.0, when the update's through
Stirrin' things up here and there again
10 out of 10, 10
Now throw out that useless old junk
Go pick it up
Get nice and easy again and kick it up
Stop, ride
Yuh, yuh, yuh, yuh, yeah
Pull up at your block
We gonna knock, knock, knock, knock, yeah
Had your little fun, fella?
Pop, pop, pop, pop, yeah
Came back for what's mine, we don't
Stop, ride
You know how I do, do, do, do, do, do
You know how I do, do, do, do, do
Set a fire, brand new
On fire, brand new
Yeah, we on that brand new
You know how we do
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop
Baby gettin' too lit, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah
Hit 'em up like pop
Hit 'em with the truth like rah
Time to pay your debt
Fear me or fear me not
Let it be
Let it bleed
Hit a lick
In a split
Stop, ride
Yuh, yuh, yuh, yuh, yeah
Pull up at your block
We gonna knock, knock, knock, knock, yeah
Had your little fun, fella?
Pop, pop, pop, pop, yeah
Came back for what's mine, we don't
Stop, ride
You know how I do, do, do, do, do, do
You know how I do, do, do, do, do
Set a fire, brand new
On fire, brand new
Yeah, we on that brand new
You know how we do
You know how I do, do, do, do, do, do
You know how I do, do, do, do, do
Set a fire, brand new
On fire, brand new
Yeah, we on that brand new
You know how we do
Definitely the most random and unhinged MV they've ever released and I'm obsessed with it. Only BTS could make an ode to Oldboy with synchronized choreography. And include an elevator wardrobe change intermission in an official MV. I'm not sure what the hell I just watched, actually.This video explains the parallels of Oldboy to BTS, and it's actually quite genius. I'm impressed. And mildly turned on. And holy shit, this choreography is wild. Like, almost "Run BTS" level wild. I can see why a whole load of gangsters would be intimidated by it. God, I hope they release the dance practice.
As per usual, only BTS breaks their own records. ARMY said we'd wait for them and we never renege on our promises. They gave the rest of the music industry a nearly four-year reprieve and now they're back with a vengeance. Congratulations, BTS!
I had been watching Run BTS! since 2017 (RIP Naver V Live) and for many years, it had been the one thing I looked forward to every single week. When they finally enlisted, I had mourned the end of it in 2023. We didn't know if and when it would ever come back. BUT IT HAS FINALLY BEEN RESURRECTED!!!
Denise, '86 liner. Chinese-Canadian, born, raised, and still living in the Greater Toronto Area. Professional make-up artist turned office manager. Introvert with brilliant extrovert skills. BTS ARMY since 2016, OT7, Jungkook and Jimin biased. BTS and BT21 merch collector, amateur foodie, skincare fiend, mascara connoisseur, shopaholic, teetotaler, Scorpio, avid The Sims 4 player, K-drama addict, and Potterhead since 1997. Penchant for live concerts, collecting figures, dining out, building LEGO, and food photography.
About the Site
Circuits of Fever is a personal blog and a hobby only. It mainly features my interests in BTS, food, beauty, music, photography, travel, lifestyle, and culture. The name "Circuits of Fever" is a song by Thursday from their 2009 album, Common Existence. The title of this blog has no relevance to the actual purpose of or topics discussed within the blog.
All photos since November 2023 have been taken with an Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. All photos are taken by me, unless otherwise noted. Please do not use my photos or blog content without permission. Photos are edited by me using Adobe Photoshop 2024. This blog is written and edited by me using Blogger through Google Chrome, on an Apple MacBook Pro.
Note: None of these posts are sponsored. All products reviewed or shown on this blog are purchased by me for personal use only.
Playlist (March 2026)
BTS - 2.0
BTS - Aliens
BTS - Body to Body
BTS - FYA
BTS - Hooligan
BTS - Into the Sun
BTS - Like Animals
BTS - Merry Go Round
BTS - NORMAL
BTS - One More Night
BTS - Please
BTS - SWIM
BTS - They Don't Know 'Bout Us
