Broadcast date: Mar. 10-11
Starring: BTS, Tomorrow X Together, Monsta X

(Naver's V Live)

RM of BTS took to V Live and talked to fans about the band’s latest album, “Map of the Soul: 7,” for almost two hours.

“I haven’t had time to eat so please let me,” he said. Then, munching on a Shake Shack burger, he confided that he was a little stunned to be discussing music for the first time in about a year.

He’d barely slept as he’d had to wake up at 4 in the morning to shoot something, said the leader of the band, explaining why he sounded slightly hoarse.

“Review will be too grand a word,” said the artist. “I will just talk about what I felt as well as some behind-the-scenes facts from making the album.”

Before turning on V Live, he said, he’d gone through all the tracks again and got a lump in his throat listening to “Shadow.” The song was originally supposed to be released as a single but for a number of reasons was included in the album.

RM is happy with “7” as the subtitle, as this year marks the band’s seventh anniversary and seven is a symbolic number for the septet in many ways.

“This album has all the answers,” he said, “to questions you or anybody can have for us.”

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/179339.

BTS looks back at childhood pastimes

(Naver's V Live)

The bandmates of BTS played games from the good old days in the 95th episode of “Run BTS!”

As Suga hoped, the pregame was making “dalgona,” a Korean traditional sweet, out of brown sugar and baking soda. The septet eagerly jumped at the mission and an overexcited J-Hope spilled some sugar on the heater. V carefully followed the instructions of Suga and the staffers and was the first to complete one. No one succeeded in achieving the desired shape, but everyone enjoyed their sweets.

The first game they played was “gonggi,” in which players pick up small plastic “stones” according to the rules. J-Hope barely had a chance, and Jungkook was denied a second chance when he did a trick. Everyone predicted Jimin would win, but he lost his focus because of the too-loud cheers before recovering and claiming the top spot.

“At least I should have been funny if I can’t play it well,” lamented Suga.

Happily sharing the snacks Jimin and RM won, the bandmates moved on to the second game, which was inspired by hopscotch.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/178097.

Tomorrow X Together chats over sushi

(Naver's V Live)

Taehyun and Hueningkai of TXT talked with fans over a dinner of sushi.

When fans asked about their favorite sushi, Hueningkai said he liked marinated shrimp best.

“The first reason is because it’s expensive,” he said. “And I also think it tastes better than (plain) shrimp.”

Meanwhile, Taehyun picked up an egg roll sushi and said it should not be included in the sushi set along with fried tofu rice balls.

“I don’t mind since I love eggs,” said Hueningkai.

Taehyun then tried the younger bandmate’s favorite and made a satisfied sound.

“There is a reason when it’s expensive,” he mused.

Hueningkai was mortified when Taehyun read aloud a fan’s request to do the impromptu rap again, having seen the band’s reality program that was aired the previous day. He covered his face for a second but indulged the request with the help of Taehyun.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/179432.

Monsta X introduces new bears

(Naver's V Live)

The bandmates of Monsta X livestreamed for the second time at their merchandise shop to introduce new versions of the teddy bears they inspired.

Jooheon was absent for health reasons, but the other artists each held two bears, one big and one small, named after them.

The bigger bear is actually a body pillow and is unbelievably fluffy, said Minhyuk. Replying to Hyungwon’s question, he said the bear would become available the next day.

Shawn started off by sharing details about his bear, showing off the pink belly and paws like those of a kitten.

“Mine always has a flower on his head,” said Minhyuk, adding that he loves the color combination of pink and ivory.

“Are you going to dye your hair those colors for our next album?” teased Kihyun. When Minhyuk seemed to hesitate, the bandmates encouraged him, saying the colors would suit him.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/179436.

Naver’s real-time broadcasting app V allows fans to interact with their favorite K-pop stars through live broadcasts. The app is available for Android and iOS. For more information, visit http://www.vlive.tv.

By The Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

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