It’s that time of year again when we all reflect on the past 12 months in our own way. For our part, Weverse Magazine will be taking a look back at how different artists and their tireless staff spent 2022 with fans. We’ll be publishing articles for three weeks as the members of the staffs behind BTS, SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ENHYPEN, fromis_9 and LE SSERAFIM select their favorite music, videos, performances and other MOMENTs from working with the artists they support. This week we take a look at some of the original content these six groups have released. First up is Park Jun Soo, senior professional with the Original Contents Production Department that creates Run BTS, to tell us all about the special episode “Telepathy.”

Why “Telepathy” is BTS’s best episode the year

Park Jun Soo (Original Contents Production Department senior professional): I think what makes this episode so special is that it’s the first one they did after taking 10 months off. Plans for this episode began with the idea to make sure fans could feel that BTS is one. And since they were coming back from a break, we aimed to try some daring new things and filmed in outdoor locations that were full of memories for the members and also shot footage of the members individually rather than all together at once. We actually originally envisioned “Telepathy” as a three-part episode, but it only ended up being two. My favorite part was how they were supposed to take a long time in the challenge to find each other using telepathy, but they all know each other so well that they found each other a lot faster than anticipated. (laughs)

How the BTS members’ ideas shape Run BTS

Park Jun Soo: The members always talk about Run BTS while filming or taking a rest and give us a lot of ideas. For example, it was the members who came up with the idea to try sports that led to the “Long-term project Tennis” episode and they were also the ones to choose which sports to play. The episode “War of Money Staycation” was also their idea. We also filmed something where SUGA had suddenly sent a screenshot of something, saying, “I want to try this.” The fans are also really interested in Run BTS and give us lots of ideas. When we held opinion polls on episodes like “Run BTS Gayo,” so many fans responded that it was hard to open the file. (laughs) I’m really grateful they’re so interested.

Mild and spicy: The two flavors of Run BTS

Park Jun Soo: The members have said before that “we need to try something a little bit spicier,” and we’re trying out some things that, in our view, are spicy to reflect that. (laughs) We’re working to switch things up by following trends and using a lot of memes in the editing room and in the captions. And I think one of the main reasons fans watch the shows is that they see the artists having fun making them and want to see what kind of fun things arise as a result. We refer to that as the “mild flavor” because we don’t try to entertain people by putting anyone in an uncomfortable position. All the fun comes from them really enjoying themselves for real. Even when someone doesn’t win, they still get to eat. (laughs) That way, the members enjoy their food and it makes them happy, and that’s what makes it mild. Run BTS is supposed to be a show that’s fun for both the people in it and the people watching it.

What goes into making Run BTS

Park Jun Soo: The BTS members live very busy lives, obviously. So even though Run BTS is part of their job, I want to make it so they can have fun while they’re there. And it’s honestly not easy for them to find the time to learn real-world skills like flower arrangement or cooking. So the show also tries to let them have those experiences while enjoying them in a natural and fun way. There’s also some things we want to do to engage with fans—things like Janghak Quiz, races, a pep rally or a cook-off. Our goal is to make something that will please fans who’ve been with the show for a long time and that they can relate to.

Hoping Run BTS will be memorable for BTS and ARMY

Park Jun Soo: My main hope is that Run BTS will stay true to the name. I hope it gives fans and the members good memories they can hold onto. I hope the fans remember it was a fun way to spend their Tuesday evenings, and that the members remember it as a part of their work that was nonetheless important to them and a ton of fun. I’m also really grateful that the members always put their faith in us and I hope Run BTS will go down as a legendary show that the seven of them can keep having fun doing for a long time. I hope Run BTS keeps staying true to the name.