After the infamous FESTA Dinner of 2022, during which BTS announced an upcoming break from group activities, their “Chapter Two” (although we weren’t calling it that back then) began almost immediately. Taehyung had been teasing ARMY with little snippets of songs here and there throughout the year. Was he working on an album too? He seemed to have been busy—we saw he was traveling to a lot of different locations, but not all of it appeared to be BTS-related. (France, Mexico, etc.) So what was he up to? In reality, we had no clue the massive amount of content Taehyung and the other members prepared ahead of their enlistment to give to us while they were gone. Aside from exploring what V was up to in the year before he left this week, we’ll also discuss everything he’s released even while away. Those of us who thought he might be quiet until he returned were sorely mistaken. Not only did he give us several new songs, but he also released two photography collections and had a touring exhibition for one of them. Every moment Taehyung could fill with reminders of his love for ARMY, he did. And over the last almost year and a half we’ve seen him accomplish all of the goals he set for himself—from joining the elite Special Forces Military Police and earning several promotions, to bulking up and changing into a completely different-looking Tae. We’ve been both endeared and destroyed by him on several occasions over the past several months—which is pretty par for the course for Taehyung. So, in some ways, it’s like he never even left…

As BTS’ got a few years past their debut, members of the Rap Line (RM, SUGA, and j-hope) began writing more music for themselves, and they started releasing solo mixtapes. Fans loved them, and naturally, began wondering if the other four members, the Vocal Line, planned to do the same. Taehyung has said he’s always working on songs here and there, and he loves to share, but he’s also quick to scrap them and move on. BTS began their “Chapter 2” in mid 2022 with the release of j-hope’s first studio solo album, JACK IN THE BOX. One by one, the members began releasing their solo music. V knew his turn was coming. But instead of agonizing over writing and/or completing songs for it, he decided to thoroughly develop a concept for an album and select songs from other songwriters that fit the vibe he was going for. What was that vibe? Him. He wanted something that represented and expressed Kim Taehyung completely. And that’s how we got LAYO(V)ER. When asked about the reasoning behind the name, V said that the album is meant to be a stop-over between our starting point and our final destination. Just a moment in time when we can rest, reflect, and exist with our emotions. Which is how I think Taehyung wakes up and takes on every day. This moment in time—this LAYO(V)ER—is a look into a person’s emotions surrounding a complicated relationship. There is hope, pleading, despair, lovesickness, acceptance, etc. The album (really it’s an EP) isn’t long—only 17 minutes and 37 seconds—but it’s a complete journey. Taehyung considered the full spectrum of emotions one could go through during a stop-over in heartbreak, and delivered performances that would draw them out of us. And, to top it all off, he made his dog the star of his solo debut. I can’t think of anything else that could say “V” better, can you?