Over the years, fans have often heard stories about the recruitment of Big Hit Entertainment staff. These were the very first beginnings for the seven-member BTS as we know them today, memories that the members themselves, the veteran staff at the time, and fans alike will never forget.
We already know about Jin being discovered by Big Hit Music staff while he was in his second year of university, and we’ve laughed at V’s earlier suspicion that Big Hit staff were scammers yet still went with his father to the city for the audition. But perhaps we’ve never heard the full story of the leader RM’s audition.
Most fans are aware that rapper Sleepy introduced RM to Big Hit Entertainment producer Pdogg after recognizing the incredible talent of the 15-year-old boy. Pdogg was also impressed after hearing the demo RM produced and brought to meet Bang Si Hyuk. Bang, likewise convinced, immediately decided to sign the young talent.
However, the story behind it goes even further. Recently, RM added more details about his joining process at Big Hit, astonishing fans by a fact that he had to lie to his parents to attend the audition.
He explained in detail: “When I first went in April 2010, I lied to my parents and went for that private audition or rather, an interview. Back then, Big Hit Entertainment was so small that it was hard to find. So, I went to the Family Mart that was there at the time and asked the clerk, ‘Where is Big Hit Entertainment?’ Of course, they didn’t know either who would, right? And then there was that building covered in graffiti that you all left behind hope the owner’s okay with that. Anyway, I wandered around for about an hour trying to find Big Hit Entertainment.”
ARMYs know that his mother had once opposed his pursuit of music in high school, but later both of his parents supported and even funded his dream of making music, so fans had αѕѕumed that his parents took him to the audition. But it turns out they did not! RM went there on his own without telling his parents and even got ℓσѕт.
Perhaps at that time, he was not confident about a positive outcome of the interview, so he did not inform his parents beforehand. Ultimately, “What’s yours is yours”! RM and BTS were destined to be inseparable.
Beyond sharing the story of his first day at Big Hit’s old headquarters, RM also expressed nostalgia for the early days: “So, thinking back on those times, I remember how we used to have so many cockroaches, and there was only one bathroom, so we always had to use the one in the basement. We’d all get soмєтнing to eat from the convenience store, or if we were short on money, we’d order one packed lunch and share it among us. Those were the days, and I went back after about three years, after that time on Run BTS.”
About two days ago, he revisited Nonhyeon-dong – home to the basement practice room, Big Hit’s old headquarters, and Yujeong Restaurant – which was regarded as BTS’s home during the early years of their career. Returning to this memory-filled place, he exclaimed: “It feels like we live off of nostalgia.”
This trip was not merely a physical movement but also an internal journey, a way to evoke the deep emotions within the heart of BTS’s leader. On the other hand, it also highlighted the long journey RM and BTS have traversed, from their tentative first steps to becoming one of the world’s top K-pop superstars.
