“Taehyung is the standard” — Fans react as popular BL web novelist Gamram highlights his artistic admiration for BTS’ V

Renowned illustrator Gamran recently discussed BTS' Taehyung in an interview featured in ELLE KOREA on August 6, 2024. During the conversation, Gamram praised Taehyung and shared that creating fan art of BTS, especially of V, was an enjoyable experience due to the rich details involved in capturing his likeness.

In the article titled "The Faces of Attractive Men in BL," Gamram was asked about the challenge of illustrating male and female protagonists in BL (boy love), which requires simultaneously presenting two contrasting types of masculinity.

He stated that to achieve satisfaction in his artwork, the characters go through a process of aligning with his artistic vision. Gamram also mentioned that drawing fan art of BTS, particularly of V, was satisfying due to the rich opportunities it offered for artistic depiction. He added:

"Very masculine, with long eyelashes, and a feminine beauty that exudes testosterone. Since I have to be satisfied to draw, the protagonists always go through my sifting of desire at least once. I've drawn fan art of BTS, and drawing V in particular was fun because there was a lot to depict as an artist." (as translated by Google)

When asked which aspect he prefers as a visual artist, Gamram explained that he seeks to capture a blend of strong masculinity with long eyelashes and a feminine beauty that still conveys testosterone.

Fans of the K-pop idol found it fascinating how V has inspired artists across different fields. One user on X, @HoneyBearTete, wrote:

"Taehyung is the standard."

Several others expressed similar sentiments on X:

"Another one??? Just a few days ago, wasn’t there an animation villain character inspired by Taehyung too? Now that’s how you define popularity and impact," a fan on X wrote.

"Taehyung getting praises on daily basis from all type of people and all type of field they belong to....Ohh Taehyung You'll always be popular,most influential and most precious and talented Artist SK will ever have," another user commented.

"True artist with his best personality will always inspire anyone," a fan remarked.

Fans noted that the idol's influence extends far beyond his role in BTS and the music industry. His popularity spans various domains, including fashion, film, and anime.

"Tae is so pretty anime boy coded that it's not surprising why he's very attractive to illustrators," a fan commented.

"This is why Taehyung’s popularity transcends music and being a member of bts. He is widely known in so many other fields. Be it fashion, film industry, anime, etc. He’s not a one trick pony exclusive to only the music industry," another user commented.

---

Times when BTS' Taehyung inspired various artists

Illustrator Gamram, known for works like Perennial Species, Soul Fire, and Doberman, has frequently drawn inspiration from Taehyung. Gamram has shared various artworks featuring the idol on his Instagram @gamram_gr and his X account @cooking_eggs.

Beyond Gamram, V has inspired many artists across different fields. For example, in June, a lyric from the artist's solo debut album Layover, specifically from the song Rainy Days, was used as a prologue in Spanish writer Mikey Fernández's debut book, Siempre nos quedará Seúl. Fernández mentioned on social media that the K-pop star's song was his companion during the final stages of writing the book.

Recently, the director of Jurassic Cops revealed that the idol served as the inspiration for the villain Desvarian. Lee Jae-min, the movie's director, stated that he modeled Desvarian's charm after the BTS member and invested considerable effort into the character's animation due to his admiration for the group.

---

V has been serving in the military since December 2023, alongside bandmate RM. The artist is scheduled to be discharged in June 2025 and is expected to return to the spotlight with the group.