Now, the members are all very different people. Granted no two people in this world are the same. But in this case it is actually fascinating how they've lasted this long without throwing each other out the window or grown so far apart that a teamwork no longer would make sense. We've all seen musical groups fall apart because of personal differences, this is not unusual. I would actually argue that the opposite is far more unusual, which is another reason why these guys are so incredible 11+ years on...
The usual team dynamic within a kpop idol group is that the oldest member or the most experienced one (within dancing/singing or music production) becomes the leader. Sometimes personal traits are significant attributes too, as far as I know Soobin (from TXT) became the leader because of his personality and not skill level ? In BTS Namjoon (RM) was the first member to join the label Big Hit and this was how he got the leader position. He did have experience with writing/producing music and rapping when he joined, so I would think that these skills contributed to that decision being made by the label. He has also had a significant role in shaping their musical trajectory from rookie days and till today. Though whether that happened because of his leader responsibilities or whether that was just Namjoon being Namjoon, I'm not sure. Point is that there are many reasons that would point towards making him the leader from the get-go.
Namjoon (RM) I did talk about a little bit in a previous post. He's this very fascinating human that has this incredibly high-functioning brain as well as a high-functioning emotional intelligence, but if you were to put him in a kitchen or behind a steering wheel or ask him to take good care of his stuff he would surprise you with a seemingly sudden lack of "normal skills". I suppose many people would say that is completely normal for someone who's highly intelligent, but Namjoon does not lack any sort of social skills. He's absolutely an extrovert, he loves talking and discussing heavy topics, he loves hanging out and socialising and he loves going out when he's not working (which many of his members doesn't). He's also a bookworm who loves digging into other worlds and perspectives in his own company - but he is not your typical introvert or nerd by any measure. On top of that his emotional intelligence and wisdom is far beyond his age. When he talks about life and existence in a more philosophical way (which he does A LOT), it's always very clear that 1) he's a thinker and 2) he sounds like an 80-year old stuck in a 30-year old's body. If you then put him together with Yoongi, you have these two old men discussing and exchanging life wisdom... They're literally the foundation of BTS, and what a foundation at that (!)
Beyond that Namjoon is an art collector, he's got an incredible collection of paintings and sculptors in his house (that never fails to make me extremely jealous), which he also loves to talk about when the opportunity arises. His song "Yun" is literally about a Korean painter. The very last thing I'll say about Namjoon is his kindness. This I am sure I mentioned before. He always without fail remembers to thank his members, when they do anything that benefits him (cooking, driving, performing, singing etc.) But it's not just the gesture of thanking them, it's the way he absolutely goes out of his way to make sure that they know that he appreciates their actions. And this happens on and off stage. As much as they appreciate his efforts as the leader (and the middle-man between label and members) and they REALLY really do, he appreciates their efforts JUST as much. That mutual respect and appreciation is everything to ARMY.
To me, Namjoon is this Life Advisor or Mentor... He's a musician first and foremost, an incredible writer and poet who stumbled upon rap and hip-hop and somehow ended up as an idol/popstar. But beyond that his perspectives and reflections on life and the world always helps me to see things more clearly. When I feel stuck and depressed or just a little lost, I always find solace in his words. He has this ability to see things from multiple angles, to zoom out from his own issues and view it from somewhere above with these very complicated binoculars. And I'm also a very analytical human, so I always need the different angles to be able to re-stabilise myself..
Jin is the comedian of the group - and very much the stabiliser according to the other members. He has an incredible mindset and life philosophy that I admire very much. He's essentially this shy introverted gamer dude who is also just ridiculously handsome, so much so that he was cast on the street for his good looks and thus ended up as an idol trainee for Big Hit. Like Namjoon his brain functions at high capacity, but unlike Namjoon Jin has little to no interest in discussing politics and existence. He tends to use his wit for comedic purposes which usually benefits the team spirit.
Both members are faster than the speed of light when it comes to word play and puns, and thus the duo is hilarious when put together. But whereas Namjoon's a thinker (and over-thinker), Jin is more spontaneous and straight-forward. He doesn't necessarily spend time reflecting and analysing his decisions and actions. But instead listens to his gut feeling and trusts his instincts, if things go south then he adjusts them accordingly. He really doesn't mind this trial and error-type of method, which I always imagine thinkers like Namjoon tend to avoid. Jin is a now-oriented person, he doesn't live in the past or the future, which is hugely beneficial to calculating brains like Namjoon's. He's a simple man with a simple mindset: "as long as I'm doing things that makes me happy, then nothing else matters." I really believe that this is how he is able to keep his position as a wildly successful (and famous) public figure. He keeps his life simple to the point of his main interests being performing, making music and gaming (though sometimes cooking too). He basically lives to serve now - though not so much in the military anymore, much more so his own ARMY.. We do not carry firearms, but we certainly see ourselves as an extended force for good :)
To me, Jin has this on/off switch which decides which version of Jin we get to see. I remember Namjoon and JK called it his "official mode" in a Live once, when he suddenly came into frame and spoke very loudly and almost presenter-like. This is usually how he is on stage or whenever they do promotions-like content, and then you see a quieter and calmer Jin as he steps off stage or whenever he talks casually with his members. He can also be calmer and more casual when addressing ARMY, but it's almost like he has the BTS JIN-persona when the camera's are on and then he switches it off and becomes quiet Jin afterwards. I always prefer the calmer Jin, he seems more comfortable and natural to me - but I imagine it must feel more vulnerable to him to be addressing ARMY in that state, and that's why he still tends to pull the other persona out of his pocket when needed be.
I will say though that we often see both of these versions of Jin on stage. He absolutely thrives when he performs (as do ALL the members) to an extent that I think he looses his presenter-persona without consciously being aware of it. It's like humble and happy jin comes through the cracks and THIS is when you see him the happiest on stage. This is when I can't imagine him being happier doing anything else, despite his many many talents off stage: cooking like a pro, doing his own stunt driving, strategising, negotiating etc. He could have become ANYTHING else, was literally in the midst of an acting degree when the BigHit scout met him. He would have been an excellent chef, a brilliant comedian, an iconic talk show host (or any type of MC), a skilled actor, a professional snowboarder, a game developer, a businessman ... He has so many talents, but he chose to be a singer and performer.
...to be continueeed 💜
