'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
An HYBE staff member's Instagram post on December 19, 2023, reminded the BTS ARMY of Kim Namjoon's specific habit. Within his fan base, the BTS leader is well-known for being the only one to write down his training regimens on a whiteboard, decorate it with adorable emoticons, and frequently share his workouts on Instagram. However, the pictures ceased to show up on Instagram after Namjoon enlisted in the military on December 11, 2023.
The HYBE staff member's Instagram post has exacerbated the pain fans have been experiencing from RM and his other six band members' military enlistment. The exact whiteboard Namjoon used to write on was captured in an Instagram story posted by @donghaknim.
This time, though, the HYBE employee wrote "EMPTY" and positioned seven BT21 magnets in the upper-right corner of the board. Fans broke down and expressed their distress on social media. One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote:
"This is my last straw": Fans have a mental breakdown as they are reminded of the void that BTS Namjoon left behind
BTS member and team leader Kim Namjoon, aka RM, often shared images of a whiteboard with his workout routine of the day written in his handwriting. Even during the septet's variety show In The Soop season 2 (2020), the rapper and songwriter requested a Yoga mat from the production crew to work out every day.
The songwriter and musician behind the highly acclaimed masterpiece Indigo is known across his fandom for being diligent in everything he does.
The fandom is left heartbroken and unsupervised, with all the BTS members gone till 2025. The ARMYs miss the members so much that they charted the band's 10-year-old song No More Dream at #1 on the US iTunes chart on December 15, 2023.
Not just that, they also skyrocketed BTS' Spring Day from 2017 and Outro: Tear from 2018 to No.1 on the iTunes Chart right after Jimin and Jungkook enlisted on December 12. These were a few ways through which the fandom was trying to find solace in BTS members' absence. Hence, the Instagram post of the HYBE staff member on the morning of December 19 proved to be the fandom's last straw.
Fans went down another emotional carnage as they were reminded they would not get everyday workout updates from BTS' Namjoon for another 18 months.
Meanwhile, fans praised BTS' RM on December 19 after HYBE released the much-anticipated Training and Development (T&D) | Part 4 We Believe in Music episode on their YouTube page. In the video, the company's trainees appreciated RM's playlist for facilitating their exposure to various musical styles.
Fans were overjoyed to see the viral video. They praised the Indigo rapper-songwriter for his great understanding and said he ran the agency effectively. In addition, the five-episode series showed the BTS leader recounting how retaining his teammate Jimin during their pre-debut days was crucial, and it saved BTS and their future.
In other developments, BTS' official translator, Anton Hur, refused to decipher RM's farewell letter in English, saying he was ashamed and angry. The interpreter claimed that the romanticization of military service has obscured the reality of how hazardous those 18 to 21 months are for individuals who enroll.
