Hey, Jikookers! Let's talk about "let's go, baby", and why it is hands down, one of THE most underrated Jikook moments.

"But Jenni, this is a moment from almost three years ago! Why talk about it now?" Simple answer! Cause I feel like it!

가자! +

Disclaimer: I am not a native Korean speaker, nor do I live in Korea, nor do I claim to have a deep understanding of Korean culture. What I DO have is over a decade of love and interest in both the language and the culture, and access to the internet for research purposes. +

Now, it's time for some context!

The clip in the OP is from BV2. In said clip, Jimin was busy taking pictures. To get his little butt moving, JK said, without skipping a beat, "가자 애기야, 가자" (Gaja, aegiya, gaja), which means "Let's go, baby, let's go." +

"Aegi" literally means "baby" in the same way "baby" refers to an actual infant in English. However, just like in english, "aegi" can be used as a term of endearment, as well as can be used to address someone younger than you. We have two GREAT examples of this. +

First, was during one of Jimin's latest vlive, in which he lovingly referred to the boys of TXT as "aegi". They are all years younger than him. Yeonjun adorably commented on this in his own vlive later, expressing how it made him happy. +

Another example is in BV4, when Tae was talking to the kid in McDonalds. He got his attention by saying "Hey, baby". Were he speaking in Korean, he would have used the word "aegi" here. In his mind, knowing that "aegi" +

translates literally to "baby", he likely assumed that the phrase would work the same in english--which it CAN, just not generally with children you aren't closely familiar with.

We have also heard the other hyungs refer to the maknae line as "aegi" on a few occasions. +

Hobi and Joon seem to do it the most.

The takeaway from all this?

It's perfectly normal and acceptable for an older person to refer to a younger person as "aegi". It doesn't necessarily have to have any romantic implications.

But it CAN. +

Enter "aegiya". Attaching "ya" to the end of a word makes it cuter, more informal, and is REGULARLY used as a sweet term of endearment between lovers, in exactly the same way "babe" or "baby" is used in english. +

An example of this can be seen in the movie "Lovers in Paris", where the exact phrase "애기야, 가자" ("Baby, let's go") is used.

The fact that the phrase JK used is almost identical has led many people to suggest he was just quoting the movie. +

But he wasn't. JK has quoted famous movie and drama lines MANY times in the past, however it's always under the guise of being intentionally cheesy and flirty. He always gets that teasing look on his face and often lays into the theatrics of his recreation. +

So if he was quoting the movie here, why did he say it so casually? Why didn't he, nor Jimin, nor Tae, so much as bat an eyelash at it?

Simple answer: Because it's VERY likely that was not the first time he'd called Jimin "애기야". +

That is significant for one huge reason: Jungkook is younger than Jimin. He's not only using a term reserved for younger people, he's using the INFORMAL version of it. This isn't something "bros" just do. Older to younger? Absolutely. Younger to older? No way. +

There is a strict social hierarchy in place in Korea. The dropping of honorifics in ANY context generally denotes one of two things: A complete disrespect for the person you're talking to/about, or a very close bond and familiarity where the honorifics are no longer necessary. +

What makes "애기야" even more interesting is how it's not the first (nor the last) instance of JK foregoing any attempt at honorifics with Jimin. Unless JK is speaking ABOUT Jimin to another person, we rarely hear him refer to Jimin as "hyung" these days. +

Whenever he is speaking directly TO Jimin, we generally hear him refer to him as "Jimin-ah", "Jimin-ssi", another nickname, or even more uncommon, just "Jimin".

The reason he still refers to Jimin as hyung when speaking ABOUT him is out of respect. He's showing that despite +

their bond, he still respects the age difference between them.

When he's speaking TO Jimin however, it's clear that Jimin has no expectation for JK to use honorifics. This may be because they've chosen to pretend there's no age gap between them. It could also be because +

their relationship has become familiar and intimate enough for them to forego honorifics altogether. We do see this occasionally with the other guys in the group--Jimin often drops honorifics with Hobi, for example. It's never to the same degree as JK's interactions with Jimin. +

There's also NEVER been another case, within BTS, of a younger member referring to an older member as "애기야"....

Except with JK to Jimin. No matter how you look at it, Jimin and Jungkook have to be VERY close to not only regularly drop honorifics, but to use a term that +

is almost EXCLUSIVELY used by an older person to a younger, or between lovers--and even then, it still usually follows the age hierarchy. +

JK using this phrase, even as a JOKE, is HUGE. There's a old but great little post about it from a native Korean speaker here, if anyone wants another perspective: https://bit.ly/3a74hdd 

Trying to dismiss JK's "가자, 애기야" is honestly right up there with GCFT and Rose Bowl. +

The cultural significance behind JK calling Jimin baby--even as a joke--is absolutely huge. I'd venture to say it's even bigger than the times he's called Jimin "당신" (dangshin). Ironically, Jikookers seem more willing to accept 당신 as significant than they are 애기야. +

So, the takeaway from all this? JK called Jimin baby, without any of them so much as batting an eyelash. Even if he did so as a joke, this implies he's done it enough to elicit no response from Jimin (or Tae), further proving the depth of their familiarity and relationship. +

You can continue to deny that Jimin and Jungkook are romantically involved, but you're an honest to god idiot if you try and claim that they aren't INCREDIBLY close and special to each other. +

Like I said at the start: I know this is old news, and bringing it up now might seem silly, but there are a LOT of new Jikookers that aren't even aware that this happened. I found out about it long after the fact myself, and it blew my mind even then, so I wanted to share.

Late addition: I meant to include this clip in the post saying "There's never been another case.... Except with JK to JM", but I initially couldn't find it and ultimately forgot.

Here we have another case of JK referring to Jimin as "애기야" (aegiya), proving that it wasn't +

just a one-time slip of the tongue, but something JK likely says often.