BTS's Taehyung talks about Homesickness for the Stage while serving in the Military

BTS band member Kim Taehyung, known by the pseudonym V (Vi), spoke about the most difficult ordeal during compulsory military service. According to Hauterrfly, the singer shared the details of his experience for the first time on the Fairy Jaehyung YouTube show, and his words instantly spread all over the Internet. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

"Real Torture" — longing for the stage

When Fairy Jaehyung, the host of the program, asked the guest if he perceived military life as a personal time for himself or as a source of anxiety, Taehyung answered frankly. He admitted that physical training and daily routine did not frighten him. He called the real torture something else — the insatiable desire to be on stage again. It was this craving for performances that the artist identified as the only thing that really put pressure on him during his service.

Taehyung explained that in his dreams he saw himself singing and dancing in front of thousands of people over and over again. But every time he woke up, he found himself in the barracks among his fellow soldiers — someone was already messing around, someone was calling his name. This sharp contrast—a vivid dream and a gray reality —was extremely difficult for him. However, the singer himself emphasized that the service gave him not only the pain of separation: he sincerely became attached to his unit and retained the warmest memories of it.

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Biography

Kim Taehyung was born on December 30, 1995 in Daegu, but spent his childhood in the small rural town of Kojan under the care of his grandmother. From an early age, he dreamed of the stage. According to his own memoirs, which he shared on the Fairy Jaehyung show and quoted by The Korea Times, on family holidays he was ready to dance for several minutes in a row for 5 thousand won — just for fun. At the same time, one poster of Korean actor Kang Dong Won almost killed his dream: his grandmother pointed at it and said that "such people become singers." The teenager temporarily abandoned his goal, although his love for music has not gone anywhere.

In the end, it was chance that decided his fate: in 2011, 15-year-old Taehyung came to support a friend at an audition for the Big Hit Entertainment label. One of the company's employees noticed him and offered to audition himself. The young man called his parents for permission — and passed, according to Kpopping. Thus began his path to world fame.

In 2013, he debuted as a member of BTS, remaining a "secret member" of the group until its release: the agency deliberately concealed his existence in order to avoid being hunted by competitors. Ironically, it was this member who became one of the most recognizable faces of K-pop.

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An elite soldier of the military police

In December 2023, Taehyung was one of the last BTS members to join the South Korean army. During basic training, he stood out among 800 recruits: only four of them were awarded the title of "model soldier," and Taehyung was among them — besides, he was appointed platoon commander. In June 2025, according to NPR, Sergeant Kim Taehyung was discharged with military honors.

The fans did not stay away. According to Allkpop, during his 18 months of service, the Goondori army app recorded more than 4.65 million words of support for him, an absolute record in the history of the platform among all celebrities who have ever served.

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