a thread of my Daechwita mv analysis:

Okay so I think the MV is showing the progression of Yoongi’s life/career and his self-perception, which is the central theme of D-2. I’m seeing black-haired Yoongi as the actual Yoongi, and the platinum/king Yoongi as what he dreamt he’d become.

Maybe even more than that, King Yoongi represents how Yoongi dreamt he’d feel once he achieved his dream and became a famous musician. There’s a contrast between old and new throughout the MV, which demonstrates the juxtaposition between the old idea of who Yoongi thought he

would become and the new image of himself he’s learning to deal with.

Yoongi starts out as a peasant, in a literal meat market (indirectly harkening back to the motif of common, hard-working people being animals, as seen in songs like “Am I Wrong?”), with 6 other scrappy young guys (obvs Bangtanies).

They’re angry and cocky (see Yoongi strutting down the market street with swag). Yoongi starts an incidental fight between Jinkook (lol), but doesn’t even deem to turn back to look. This could show Bangtan (publicly) ignoring their antis in their early days.

Meanwhile, King Yoongi is throwing a party for one at his palace, with everybody bowing to him. I think this is what Yoongi imagined he would be like when he got to the top—carefree and happy, maybe even a little drunk on the power.

Then we see Yoongi moving on up, coming out of a jewelry store with some fresh (>$3) ice and a modern outfit.

The shop sign above Yoongi says 来寶金玉 (if I’m reading the second character right—it’s a bit blurry on my screen), which means “precious jewels are coming/have come.” [来=come, 寶=traditional Chinese character for “precious” or “treasure,” 金=gold, 玉=ball].

Here’s a couple fun facts lol: “金玉” on its own usually means testicles, but I think being used with the “gold and jewels/precious object” meaning here. (It could mean that Yoongi’s getting ballsier as he moves up, although I would argue that he had balls from the start haha.)

“金玉” is also used in the Korean phrase “불알 친구,” meaning (male) best friend. This adds another layer to the overall phrase “来寶金玉” because Yoongi simultaneously gained “wealth/jewels” and “precious best friends” in the Bangtanies during their post-debut years.

The woman in the shot with them has some sick stompers haha. I think she must be there to represent some sort of deal for publicity or fame or something because Yoongi takes the key from her. We don’t see him use it, but Yoongi gets a car, etc. after that.

King Yoongi is getting cockier as Yoongi is starting to get a taste of his dream. He sees himself being able to order the execution of those who oppose him when he gains power. (Maybe being able to shut down someone’s career with just a word—not too far from the truth rn.)

Yoongi’s also getting flashier, even daring to mock the CEO of his company (rip Bang PDnim lol), showing off his comfortable status at his company. There’s no danger of him getting fired because he's such a big star.

However, then King Yoongi sentences Yoongi to death with a thumb’s down. I think this shows Yoongi (the person outside the MV) comparing himself to his image of success. Even though he’s achieved so much, it’s not enough.

I think Yoongi was sentenced to die because he was still burdened by his insecurities and concerns. He didn’t become the happy, show-boaty king he thought he would become after getting rich.

The real-life young Yoongi was all about getting famous and wanting to wealth to show off, but now that he has it, he still feels the same way he did back then. He hasn’t transformed internally into this king.

We then see Yoongi surrounded by fire (danger), and he raps earnestly about feeling like he’s already achieved all his goals. Yoongi then gets even blunter, putting on a blindfold and talking about feeling lost because there aren’t any more goals for him to set.

He pauses the bragging about how much he’s achieved and reflects on the fact he still feels the same drive—always searching for another goal to work toward—but he’s reached the top and now there’s nowhere else to go.

I believe the blindfold shows Yoongi deliberately disregarding the dangers of truthfully saying how he feels. He might be playing with fire talking about this; people criticize celebrities for talking about their struggles because they seem to have it all.

Yoongi is then brought to the palace for execution. King Yoongi shows off his swordsmanship while Yoongi kneels on the ground, waiting (passive).

Then, Yoongi wakes up and takes off the blindfold (I think the blindfold is used more traditionally in this scene, symbolizing the wearer’s inability to see the truth), and his would-be executioner hands him a gun. Yoongi then takes the gun and shoots King Yoongi.

This is the culmination of Yoongi’s entire working life, both as an individual and as an artist. When Yoongi first started out, he thought he would feel like a king when he got to the top.

However, the insecurities that don’t fit with King Yoongi are utilized and weaponized by Yoongi (symbolized by the executioner kneeling and handing him the sword). Yoongi has learned to make them serve him.

Yoongi rejects his old idea of how he would feel by killing King Yoongi, effectively accepting that the worry-free life he dreamed he would have doesn’t exist.

It’s a bleak note to end on, but it’s essentially the thesis of D-2; Yoongi must come to terms with the fact that he’s essentially achieved all his goals, but he still feels incomplete or unhappy, and he doesn’t know what to do next.

However, I also think that the weapon choice is essential to consider. Despite King Yoongi’s sword brandishing, he still brought a knife to a gunfight against Yoongi. Perhaps this shows that Yoongi feels he’s more realistic and ruthless after going through what he’s experienced.

King Yoongi showed off a lot, but he would be ill-equipped to handle real-life situations. Yoongi had to learn to adapt to his situation (perhaps becoming a global star?) by using different tools and King Yoongi didn’t, which is why he wins in the end.

Also, notice that he shoots King Yoongi himself instead of ordering someone else to do it like King Yoongi’s done throughout the video. King Yoongi may have represented Yoongi’s past idea of power, but Yoongi now holds the power in his own hand.