THE DISCOVERY

THE INFINITY SERIES: PART I

I push the Cleaning Cart to the center of the Event Hall. I have switched on two bulbs, so it is not too brightly lit; just enough for me to do my work. Party streamers, balloons, juice punch, glasses, discarded food and sashes are strewn about the entire room. Prom Night is a messy affair, and with my parents down with heavy fever, I have to clean it alone. Fun. I wonder if this is the reward for skipping the event, despite it being my Senior Year.

There is a large projector, turned off, directed towards a screen. I am confused about its use during a dance party, but brush it away. I decide to put it to the side so that it does not get in my way. When I approach it, I realise it is not entirely switched off. I am not surprised. No one in this school ever quite understood what conservation meant. I look for the OFF button and thinking I have found it, press it. Suddenly, light shines through the device, and I jump back, startled. I stare at the projection. It is a video, five hours long. Curious, I press PLAY on the projector and a soft music starts to make its way to my ears, from the speakers. On the screen, the words, ‘WELCOME TO THE BANGTAN WORLD’ appear.

Bangtan? Huh? Worried that it is something I am not allowed to see, I try to turn it off, when on the screen, a logo appears – Big Hit, with two dots at the top. I have never heard of this label. I try to jog through my memory, wondering if it’ll come to me. Before I can come to any conclusion, a scene from a school bus appears, with some boys dressed in black clothes, chains around their neck sitting in it in the most unconventional manner. This does not feel like it is from a school trip. In fact, they are not from our school, at all. The music in the background has now changed. It is bolder and louder. Without any warning the bus crashes into the boxes and I almost scream, forgetting that it is just a video. The bus stops, and an unknown voice starts rapping in the background, with the boys now out of the bus and running about the area. I start to get more and more confused. What kind of stuff was being shown during Prom Night? I don’t stop it, though. The bizarreness makes me want to know more.

The introductions begin. A guy, with spiky hair, gets down the bus. He is called Rap Monster. The driver of the bus is known as Jin. I see a vicious looking boy, in a hat, called Jimin. Next, is someone called J-Hope. What kind of a name is that? A vandalising, angry man called V. Is it V because he enjoys vandalism? Back-to-back, the voice tells the viewers about SUGA and Jungkook. I am starting to think it is a cult, when the words ‘NO MORE DREAM’ appears on the screen. If anything, I am more flustered than before. But I wait. I don’t know why. The voice is gone, replaced by the seven boys in a formation. The spiky hair guy, Rap Monster, starts rapping. His name makes more sense to me. It hits me, finally, that it is a music group. They are rapping in a language I don’t understand, but there are subtitles below in English, which I can only assume is the translation.

I stare at them, as they dance fiercely, while spitting words so fast, I can’t believe it is real. For the next five minutes, I don’t move. The ‘la la la la la’ and their ‘See me, see me, yeah!’ is addictive and I find myself waiting for the chorus to come. The song ends and I am left trying to remember their names. There are so many. Rap Monster, V, Jin. I try to look for a rewind button to see their names again, when the Big Hit logo appears again. It must be their music video introduction. The boys, I assume it’s the same group, are sitting in a classroom with guards looking menacingly at them. They look more innocent, and calm than in No More Dream. The music is a little scary, as though something bad is going to happen. I recognise them, and the names come back to me. J-Dope? No, J-Hope, yes. SUGA. Jimin. Jungkook, the one who looks the youngest. A red pill is placed in front of them. I feel worried, on their behalf. Then I tell myself I don’t even know who these guys are. Right before the song begins, the subtitles say, ‘N.O by BTS.’ BTS? Is that the group name? The boys have made a formation again, wearing white. Rap Monster starts, this time around too. At the back of my mind, I am being told to stop watching and clean. I ignore the voice. The song brings back memories of the times I was forced to do things, because I am from a poor background. The time when I was told to stop dreaming, to stop wanting to be unique. By the time the chorus plays a second time, I want to say, ‘Everybody say NO!’ too. I am amazed at how well they dance. No artist in the States can dance even half as well as they do. The song ends and I want more.

It is the introduction again. I already know there will be a boink towards the end. I wait for it. I imitate it. I know the names. I can almost differentiate them all. The music is softer, the boys are sitting on chairs, looking in different directions. Rap Monster says, ‘Just One Day. One Night.’ I find myself smiling, they all look so cute. Different from the previous two songs, this one is more melody-oriented, and about love. I gasp, when I find myself singing along. But I do not know the language.