Seven boys. Best friends. Their fates intertwined through the good times together, but also the tough times, as they have gone their separate ways and suffered greatly as a result. When all is almost lost for these boys, one is given a special chance to go back in time and help his friends fix the mistakes that led them down this path. He’ll do anything to save them, but can he? Or is he too late?
This was the introduction awaiting readers when the South Korean webtoon “Save Me” was officially launched January 16, 2019. “Save Me” was based on the Bangtan Universe, or the BU, an alternate universe where time traveler Kim Seok-Jin navigates multiple timelines as he attempts to save his friends. Consisting of 15 episodes and a prologue, the webtoon successfully ran its course, amassing 50 million views along the way. The seven fictional characters were all named after their BTS counterparts, and each came with their own backstory, familiar to ARMYs who previously followed BTS’ 화양연화 - “The Most Beautiful Moment In Life” trilogy series.
No further webtoons eventuated after “Save Me,” however, the BU remained visible in other forms. That was until HYBE held their annual community briefing on November 4, 2021, during which General Manager Shawn Hwangbo announced HYBE’s “Original Story” business concept. As such, HYBE would release four original stories early 2022 as webtoons and web novels. Featuring HYBE artists TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ENHYPEN, BTS, and an unnamed girl group who is still to debut, each of the stories will see the groups’ members actively participate, albeit as digital characters.
Fans are nervously excited for the release of BTS’ original story, “7Fates: CHAKHO". Since December 2021, social media platforms have been hyping up the story which is due to go live in just a couple of days, with an assortment of teaser trailers, video clips, and concept photos featuring the members. Not surprisingly, alongside the promise of an official soundtrack produced by SUGA with vocals by Jung Kook, fans’ curiosity and expectancy levels have skyrocketed. In fact, ARMYs who watched the “In the SOOP 2” series are convinced that this OST is the project that SUGA and Jung Kook were working on together in episode 4.
From highlights shared by the official Twitter and Instagram sites, 7FATES: CHAKHO by HYBE, we now know that the seven characters have their own names, as opposed to “Save Me” whose characters carried the BTS members’ names. The webtoon itself will be available for viewing on both Naver Webtoon and Wattpad as a web novel. As a treat, WEBTOON also released official twitter emojis to celebrate the upcoming storyline. Fans are still coming to terms with the characters’ new looks and names, many commenting that V’s character has the best resemblance.
So what is 7FATES: CHAKHO about?
HYBE describes this as an urban fantasy genre story that takes place in the fictional city of “Sin-si,” sometime in the not-so-distant future. According to an article by “The Korean Herald,” the webtoon was inspired by the Chakhogapsa or the tiger hunters (Beom), dating back to Korea’s Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). To bring this original storyline to life, traditional Korean tales were reinterpreted “with HYBE’s own imagination.” In this version, monsters called Beom are hunting humans. In order to save the city, seven hunters are recruited to hunt down the Beom, and that band of hunters is known as the CHAKHO, which of course, is made up of the seven BTS members. ‘범/Beom’ is the native Korean word for tiger, eventually though this word was replaced by the sino-Korean word ‘호랑이/horangi.’ Awaiting the CHAKHO are a series of trials and tribulations that have to be navigated, highlighting the power of seven. As the story progresses, it will be interesting to see what developments take place and how much of their journeys are subject to the predetermined principle of fate. What we do know, as shared by each of the members, is that the CHAKHO themselves have various talents and/or supernatural powers, and have been recruited to save humans from the Beom. Danger is always nearby, yet with their strengths combined, they face their challenges head on.
What is FATE to BTS?
RM: Fate is what’s closest to you, yet only visible when you seek it
Jin: Fate is the path that you discover among countless forks in the road
SUGA: Fate is a test of shaping the right answer
J-hope: Fate is what you turn to at each turning point in life. You know, like a sign.
Jimin: Perhaps fate is what you must uncover alone.
V: I think fate doesn’t show itself easily, like playing a game of hide-and-seek
Jung Kook: I think fate is the one thing you can’t change
Will you be tuning in to 7FATES: CHAKHO?
Are you curious to know what fates lie ahead for each of the seven characters?
What does fate mean to you?
DISCLAIMER: We do not own any audio & visual content in this video except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written By: Shelley
Edit By: Aury
Checked By: Esma
Comments