in my understanding, the act of smothering black paint wasn’t done in vain; it’s actually quite symbolic. jungkook paints his lips black - this shows how he feels suffocated when expressing himself, the fear of saying the wrong thing sparks fear/anxiety.

parallel to this, taehyung vigorously paints his eye black - this represents the anxiety he feels regarding how he is perceived by the world, how he should be seen & how he actually is.

the black contrasts with the white - not everything is pure and innocent, even with them.

they are human & have dark sides to them; insecurities/pain/regret/sorrow but since we are social creatures, we crave social approval (hence the all white bg). though can it always remain spotless? no, the darkness will eventually spill out. how long will you paint the pain away?

this essentially makes the dripping black paint even more significant. as you can see, they couldn’t stop it from overflowing, so they embraced it. they publicly expressed the inner turmoil by rubbing it across their faces. perhaps this shows acknowledgement of the insecurities.

maybe they’re not afraid to show the imperfections anymore, the troubles, the pain - it’s what makes them human. the whole theory may be farfetched but i really wanted to share how i viewed it. idk i just feel like with bts, every small detail has depth and meaning.