[Note: This series originally started as a project on Reddit, and we are archiving the posts here on our site. You can find the original Bible Study posts here.]
Greetings, friends.
How are we all doing now that our eyes and ears, hearts and souls have been blessed by Outlaw? Wonderfully, one can only assume.
Welcome back to Bible study. Today we're exploring Yeosang's letter to his father and learning a bit more about his personal motivations. Let's begin, shall we?
(Also, a quick reminder that we held this bible study a few weeks ago, so when we talk about the comeback, we refer to it in the future even though it is currently in the present. Not confusing at all? Excellent.)
BobbyJ: Okay, I'm ready. By which I mean I'm reading Yeosang's entry
GD: Oh wow, we're starting a new entry
BobbyJ: We are, aren't we? Am I confused?
GD: That's right. I just... forgot. Was still with Hwa, I suppose
BobbyJ: There was a lot going on with Hwa
GD: Still thinking about the grill that he is apparently wearing with at least two outfits
BobbyJ: I'm just gonna. . . put that down
01: what are your thoughts on the page?
BobbyJ: This is a beefy entry.
GD: So beefy. I need to spend like a couple more seconds with this
[GD spends a couple more seconds]
Okay, well, what are your thoughts on the page?
BobbyJ: Immediately I'm wondering about the break in format
GD: I think my most glaring thought is finally, a boy who's not in a rush to get home--some acknowledgment of the unhappiness they experienced in A universe
It's very different, this format. And it's hard to understand why they decided to change it. What does writing a letter that can't be sent give us that a different format wouldn't have?
BobbyJ: Intention? He isn't just thinking these things, he's making a point to say them to someone
GD: It also gives us information about what was happening outside of the warehouse in fever part 1
BobbyJ: Right. Information that I'm not certain the other boys have. And if they do, they never acknowledge it
GD: It's weird because the way Yeosang writes it, it certainly implies that they should have the information.
BobbyJ: Right? To him it seems to be common knowledge. But the other boys never place the blame on him or his father. They explicitly state that it was they themselves who made the choice to leave
GD: I suppose I have a thought, which I think we've even circled around before if not explicitly stated. But let's say Yeo's dad drives them out of the warehouse. It makes it harder for them to continue to be together. But if it was important, they would've done it anyways. So even if Yeo blames himself and his father, perhaps the other boys know that Yeo's dad was just an excuse to give up
BobbyJ: Yes, we have talked about that before. Still though, Yeo feels responsible whether he really is or not. Maybe getting kicked out was the catalyst. If they didn't have that utopia to bind them together, it became too hard to keep performing with nowhere to practice. But it was still part of their downfall. I don't think I'm making my point but I feel my point in my heart
GD: Well cause and effect is funny
We talked about the Grimes girl in Woo's entry doing a small thing that may have led to a big change. And you can apply the same in reverse to Yeo's dad? It's not necessarily a small thing, but in the scheme of things, it shouldn't have broken them apart as it did. Except that it arguably did break them apart
I've lost the plot
BobbyJ: I feel like we have another situation where something really important has happened off screen. Because this Yeosang is VERY different from the Yeosang we last heard from. At the end of his first entry, he is planning to leave the group in order to save them. I think we can surmise that he knows his father's plan
GD: His "I will not return to the world you have created" is so interesting to me
BobbyJ: Yes, exactly. Paired with "I thought that maybe this place is not a new world, but that I'm just taking a microscopic look at the world I was living in." But now he's made his decision to stay with the group no matter what. So I wonder what prompts this change of heart
GD: I'm sort of reminded of Seonghwa's entry because I guess I'm always reminded of Seonghwa's first entry. But like, it feels as though Yeosang's world has broken along a snowy road. We just don't know how or why. Though I do have a guess
Do you remember Master's Sun? the kdrama?
The main girl has this line where she's talked about how she was always scared and just thought life had to be that way. And then she met the male lead, and she was like a mouse with a breathing hole? (I think that's the metaphor she used but it's been a bit.) I think it's one thing to be trapped in an unhappy life, and then it's another thing to experience some sort of freedom and attempt to go back to that unhappy life like nothing changed. It would be hard to not want more after experiencing more
BobbyJ: It's difficult to say when Yeo's first entry happens in relation to the break up, but it feels like it's near the end. So, at that point he still felt trapped. So it takes traveling to an entirely different dimension for him to feel free of his parents. Like, seeing the state of Strictland wakes him up to his own former reality
GD: This is only slightly related, but it's very related to the quote you gave a second ago: I think Yeo's entry is the best evidence of a oneTeez universe. He clearly draws a line for us from where they were to where they are and says, well, it's not that different I'm willing to concede that it isn't a oneTeez universe
But it's interesting to me that he's like, no, this is the path we're all hurtling towards in that other world too. And it does seem like he's the only one that's figured that out
BobbyJ: Well a OneTEEZ universe is entirely reliant on a time loop which we only sort of have evidence for.
I think we've talked about this before but the idea that all of the boys experience true freedom only after they've come to Strictland. I don't have anything new to say about it, but it continues to be true
GD: It makes sense in a lot of ways
BobbyJ: He says early on that in spite of how difficult it is, he's happy because he's "walking towards a place that I've decided on my own"
GD: In the past, not so much right now, but in the past, I have fantasized about leaving the markers of my life behind and just... not doing the things I'm supposed to do as a highly educated person from a fairly well-off family. Like, go somewhere, pretend I never went to college, live in some sort of dorm situation, work a minimum wage job. All those things made me feel trapped, and I was like well, it would be easier if I could just live my life without all the expectations.
That is of course not true at all. I would merely have different problems, and probably much more stressful and life threatening problems
But, past me, thought that would be some sort of freedom
BobbyJ: It reminds me of the chats we've had about free will and whether or not we truly have it. And arguably, in a lot of ways, we don't. There are so many things we don't get to choose
Tangent: We had a farewell breakfast for the 8th grade girls (so much crying, you wouldn't believe it--or maybe you would) a couple weeks ago and they asked all the teachers to say a few words. And I spoke--off the cuff because I hadn't planned to say anything, but then I thought I might regret not saying anything--about how we don't always get to choose what we're going to do but we can always choose who we're going to be. So, bible study has officially paid off irl.
GD: Oh! That's great. The good word has been spread to 8th graders--I love that for them
BobbyJ: But they've come to a world where expectations have entirely shifted and perhaps disappeared in a way
GD: There is a type of freedom in that. Hongjoong's former goals and motivations basically don't exist in this world, Yunho's ties to his brother and his brother's dream don't exist
BobbyJ: San's goal was friendship, so he's doing great
GD: He may not have noticed how great he's doing yet, but yes, doing great. The one whose motivations would seem to hold him back the most in this world (to me at least) would be Mingi
BobbyJ: Yes, he is not living his best life
GD: If he needs and wants to help his family, well, he can't do that here. And so that's freedom--but not what he wanted, really
BobbyJ: It is really unclear to me whether or not he still has family to help. But that is very off topic
GD: Mmm but interesting. Perhaps when we get to his page
BobbyJ: It's interesting that Yeo is the second person to say the world feels familiar. But he's speaking not of the geography but of the vibes. I've always pictured them being out in a forest somewhere, but have they made it into the city?
Oh--yes. He literally says it. Which brings me to my next question, where is he when he's writing this letter? Are they back in the cave? Is there a city hideout? Perhaps they were just scoping out the situation the next day and they return to the Grimes' cave for the night before they start their first mission
GD: I have a lot of questions about that too. Perhaps you're right–scope out the trash in the city, and then back to the cave where Yeosang writes this letter having experienced the unfree city that reminded him of his home
BobbyJ: Putting this letter right in the middle of this diary is so interesting to me. Because you could argue that it breaks up the pacing. We've just learned about Halateez and in the next entry, we're gearing up for some hijinks. But first, we stop for a very ZFP1-ish introspective letter
But to me, it feels like the calm before a storm. Like, we're getting a chance to see that the boys are starting to change. Slowly. One at a time
And this decision Yeo makes here in part 2 will inform his later actions
Why does he go off on his own in part 3? Because he can. Because he has the ability to make his own decisions and act on them. Because he feels guilty. Because he's desperate to contribute. Maybe all of the above. Or maybe he's just a little foolish and naive
Learning to make good decisions takes practice. And he hasn't had many opportunities But also we see his willingness to sacrifice himself in the very first entry. So maybe that's just his deal
GD: It reminds me of a lot of the conversations we've had about what makes these boys finally stay and help, and at least a bit of it is that one of them had already made a decision Yeosang's choice here to not return back to the world his father created will impact the other boys choices, especially as they slowly start to prioritize each other
BobbyJ: Yes. And also I think they all develop their own personal reasons. Wooyoung was the first to volunteer for the cause I think because helping people is his default. It would be out of character for him to not immediately want to help. Now we see Yeo choosing to stay for the sake of his personal freedom which may evolve into a desire for others to have freedom as well
San, like I said before, cherishes relationships and memories and becomes angry when he sees that taken away from people.
It's just so smart not to have them all just decide in an instant that they're going to help because they're a bunch of boy scouts but that each one has his own reasons and his own pacing
GD: The diaries are underrated masterpieces. You know I've always thought this
BobbyJ: People right now are so wowed by all the guerrilla marketing KQ is doing which is very fun (you know, if you're in Seoul), but they've always handled Ateez's lore with a lot of care
GD: Which I do think is why it Works in a way that so many other lores don't capture as much attention. It's one thing to have a few connected music videos or like a cohesive story told on an album, and it's another to tie your whole artistic product into an overarching story that you've been trying to tell for years. I think that's what makes it Interesting from an artistic perspective. All of the ways that they've been able to include and tell the same story. It's like what I said the other day--they make the whole world their playground and that's very fucking cool
BobbyJ: One of the several reasons that I still don't think the posters this round were KQ is that they don't really repeat ideas--not in TW era. They're constantly doing things that are new and slightly off the wall but very fun to witness. To me, KQ would absolutely take to heart this idea that you have to keep the enemy guessing so you can't keep using the same tricks
They did posters for Movement. The Guardians know about that trick now. So, they need to keep it fresh.
At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. But this is my personal truth.
GD: I'm inclined to agree with you (also because the posters were hung up a little sloppily and didn't reveal anything new, and KQ never does that). I won't believe it was KQ unless and until that QR code changes to something that hadn't been revealed
BobbyJ: Also, someone was passing around a PDF of that exact same poster on Twitter. Maybe they recreated it. Who can say
GD: I'm re-reading Yeosang's entry and I think Yeosang also would be inclined to give us a strong critique of capitalism. (Related: I also re-read our anti capitalism thoughts in Woo's post). And I'm just struck by some of Yeosang's phrasing
BobbyJ: It reminds me of the very first entry. The "procession of busy people"
GD: Yes, exactly. "People who were running without taking a single look" "people who took the escalators like products being placed on machines.” Like, Ateez forget what was important, but so did the rest of the world
BobbyJ: Seeing this place which seems to be where their original world was headed is very much a wake up call
GD: It's why a time traveling oneteez theory would be very good. Anyways, lol
BobbyJ: It would be if the Intern would get on board. Or have been on board this whole time
Where he says that "people are only looking at small machines, having forgotten how to see each other face to face"--obviously a cell phone reference. Idk if Strictland has cell phones, could be some other sort of device. But I'm reminded of how one of them--maybe Hongjoong?--said that they started having regular meetings face to face to talk about things
GD: Ah, you're so right and I didn't even get it. I was like yup just working on those small machines in their factories.
BobbyJ: And how important that irl connection is. Like, their group chat is great (probably so great can you even imagine) but it can't take the place of being physically in the same room, there specifically to talk and connect not to work
GD: They all alluded to having gone through a bit of a period of suffering, and I know that Atinys during this same period had lost their mind demanding that they give us more tiktoks and covers and also that they rest and also that Hongjoong produce more and so on forever, but I also think some of it may have been that they didn't live together anymore
Like, I'm positive they all love having their own space and want to keep the current dorm situation, but if none of them were prioritizing seeing each other (we know they're not even in the same buildings) outside of work, I can imagine it would be quite unmooring Is unmooring a word?
BobbyJ: It is indeed
Change is always difficult. Even when it's a change you want
GD: I know in my own life, the friendships that are easiest to maintain are the ones with the people who I see every day due to circumstance. Like even in college, I was very good friends with my college roommates, and then we basically stopped hanging out when we stopped being roommates because none of us really put in effort. Partially because we weren't used to having to put in effort
So yeah, a big change, combined with Atiny losing their mind. It makes sense to me that Hongjoong said they decided to start making an effort to meet regularly.
BobbyJ: That's the thing--you have to make the effort. Especially as adults, it becomes so difficult to maintain relationships. Several years ago now, my friend group kind of imploded, due to circumstances and drama. It was a mess but was also inevitable. And now everyone lives very far apart from each other. And out of all those people, there’s only one I really keep in contact with. And we're terrible--we'll text each other like once a month "are you still alive??" But also whenever we get together, it's like no time has passed. We just sort of pick up where we left off. Being adult friends is weird I'm not sure I had a point
GD: I think your point is that you're both secure enough that a constant effort isn't necessary, but there is still a level of prioritization of this person being in your life, and that it is easier to connect with them when you're together. If you never had an in person hang out, would you still be friends?
I think as we get older, security in our relationships and friendships, especially long established ones, is easier. I have at least 2 friends that I consider close friends that I only talk to about once or twice a month.
BobbyJ: Hard to say. She lives in North Carolina, so we only see each other maybe once or twice a year. But I could also imagine both of us just letting the friendship lapse if we got too busy or distracted
GD: That's what happened to my best friend from college. We were friends for like... 5-6 years post college too. Always made an effort to see each other. And then just... one year we didn't. And we haven't in 3-4 years now? And each year we don't, it becomes easier to just... not make that effort
BobbyJ: Speaking of my friends that didn't survive the implosion, I found that after some time of not connecting with them, I just didn't feel the need to try? We've talked before about how I'm picky about who I will spend my limited social battery on. They just didn't make the cut I suppose. The feeling was probably mutual.
GD: Having someone leave your life for a period often clarifies how important they were to your life. You either make the decision that you do want them in your life or that you are actually fine without them. Which actually is related to Ateez. I was worried we'd never bring it back around to the diary books
BobbyJ: We always do. We are pros at vaguely related tangents but we always bring it around
GD: As I told Tea (shout-out to Tea), it's literally all connected
BobbyJ: Tea, come to Bible Study one day
GD: An official invitation
Do you have any other thoughts on Yeosang's page? Or should we pick a patron saint for the coming week? I've given up on not dividing these bible study conversations in half for the time being
BobbyJ: Just that the found family theme is very strong in this one. Yeo makes a Choice and he chooses his friends over his family. He makes it really clear that he loves his parents but he knows they're not what's best for him. Which, from a more Korean standpoint would be a much bigger deal than from a western standpoint, you know?
GD: For sure. And I think it's interesting that the thing he chooses is not necessarily the singing and the dancing; it's his friends
BobbyJ: Right? Because at this point, he has no idea that he'll ever perform again.
GD: I'm sure they're all friends because of the shared love of music, but he's not saying "I'm going to sing and dance" as much as he's saying "I'm going to be with these people"
BobbyJ: Final tiny thought, one of my favorite details in the TWM trailers is that Yeo plays his violin to help free the Strictland people. I love that they don't make what he was forced to learn worthless
GD: The sort of symbol of his oppression (a strong word, but you get it) becomes a symbol of hope, which is the type of thing I'm a sucker for
BobbyJ: Yes, exactly
02: patron saints
BobbyJ: Patron saints then?
GD: Patron saints. I know mine.
Do you remember when I went to Disney World last summer? and it was Very Tiring? And I needed a vacation from my vacation? Well. I'm going on another amusement/theme park vacation starting in two days. I am very much Not Prepared. The house is a mess, clean laundry is a joke, I have orders to pack for the shop before we leave, and I just have very little time to get all of these things done. Plus I am not anticipating the amusement park will be Relaxing. I think it will be quite stressful. Especially since I'm In Charge.
So I think the boy I need this week is Seonghwa. I need his nurturing energy to keep me patient while my son has a nice vacation and to help me clean and sort my house/life before leaving.
BobbyJ: What is it--good enough is perfect?
GD: Yes
BobbyJ: Hwa is a good choice though. I enjoyed him last week.
Why did that sound weird. Note to self: edit that probably
[Editor’s note: Idk, it’s fine.]
GD: I knew what you meant at least. And I'm sure Tea did as well. Perhaps even Sassy did too
BobbyJ: So, I am two meetings and about 60-something graded finals away from True Summer Vacation. I am feeling zero stress because it's all going to be okay. All the hardest work is finished. My poor Oliver drama is concluded (except for a little bit of a semi-broken heart still, but that's just one of those things you learn to live with). I've been making lists of all my summer goals, and they're all fun things that I WANT to do. We have a comeback coming up that will change the world. And I just really want to relish this, the first week of vacation. So, obviously, the boy I need, once again, is Yunho
GD: I love that we've just switched boys. Yunho is the obvious choice for the first week of vacation. We all agree
And that's that for today. We'll be back next week with part 2. Do you have any additional thoughts? Anything that we missed? Have you chosen a patron saint for the week? (Speaking from experience, be careful about picking Hongjoong unless you really want to get things done.)
Have a lovely week, everyone.
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