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*Note how each scene happens on generally the same platform - the circular epicenter, the rooms, ect. How the portals that enlightened all of them bred from one another and lead them to this epicenter which was once depicting struggle - but now depicts freedom. When you keep this in mind, it’s easy to see how this MV came full circle. Much like the first scene of the MV where the choreo has Jeonghan in the center, and his “blooming” motion sets off this reaction of others like a domino effect. This seems to be the concept.

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Joshua: Healing

Joshua is trapped inside a room, similar to Vernon’s in trauma. Both Vernon and Joshua have ties to American - Joshua living most of his life there, Vernon being constantly referenced as “American” due to his ethnicity. This is vague. But the similarity of the scene was so apparent, and this was the only connection I could draw.

Later on in the MV, which is also the thumbnail of the MV, you can clearly see a bundle of flowers held against his face using a bandage. There was this concept I recalled where artists would piece together a broken artifact using gold. This represented the idea of finding beauty in your broken pieces. That wounds, scars, flaws - are beautiful. It represents your fight, and your healing. He’s surrounded by broken objects that he could hurt himself with if he’s not careful. Hell he even has thorns on his hands. His scene represents how easy it is to get hurt. And how healing doesn’t have to be an ugly process. The hand covered in thorns may or may not belong to Joshua. But this image represents how easy it is to hurt someone with your actions, even yourself. It’s a fearful thought. One that may make you want to isolate yourself from others. But later on, we see this sole hand connect to another thorned hand - by the unthorned palms. If you are careful, you may not cause the hurt that you fear.

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Minghao: Empathy

Minghao showcased emotion so beautifully in this MV. I could feel this sense of tire, almost to say “I’m so exhausted, and I have to go on. I must go on,”. It felt like determination despite a lack of energy. It’s subtle. But while he and Hoshi dance in chains, he looks over to Hoshi. And the look felt like he could feel what Hoshi’s frantic fight for freedom. But the look was almost…like he is determined to save him. He could sense the under current of Hoshi’s emotions: frustration, tire, and desperation. And it pained him to feel this. We see Hoshi stare up at Minghao’s extended arms which seem to depict the image of a bird flying (the classic sign of freedom) - Hoshi seems to like he is in awe. Minghao is soothing Hoshi’s fire, feeding it in a way that is beneficial.

I assume that this dance with Hoshi represents this concept. Minghao is panting alongside Hoshi, they seem to be pulling against one another. This could relate to how Hoshi was able to free himself - with Minghao’s understanding. And/or this could relate to how this struggle of empathy effects him directly. He feels as though he’s fighting against something that wont let him go.

When your friend goes through rough times, it aches to not be able to help them. You can understand them, you can try to help them through their emotions - as Minghao does with this dance. But it can effect you. Suddenly, their chains becomes your own. Minghao is exhausting himself to keep Hoshi’s flames both contained and alive. If you’ve ever done this with fire, you know how exhausting it can be.

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Hoshi: The Fighter

Hoshi being chained, kicking out and lunging as the anchor of the chain shifts on the floor. He looks desperate. He’s so close to being free. But you can tell he’s tired. He’s fighting, and he’s too close to breaking these chains. He can be free, but how long does he have to fight?

Later on in the MV, we can see Hoshi looking through a hole / portal in the way - which I refer to as “the portal” in later in the post. He broke through not only his chains, but the walls around him. This causes a surge. Couple this with the alternate tempo of the song - the vibe begins to change in several scenes.

The portal appears in Vernon’s scene, then this shifts to Joshua who stares challengingly at the web that obscures his escape, which then leads into Jun waking from his trance to stare down at the ground beneath him, then to Wonwoo who stands to his feet and scrutinize his bound hands. The portal is scene linking all the members together, and towards the end of the MV - its this same portal that leads them all to the epicenter where they look at the flowers in gratitude.

Hoshi’s will to fight against his chains is represented in the portals. They appear to everyone, and will them to do the same. His fight reminded everyone of that if they can’t give in, they can be fight to their own freedom.

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Jeonghan: The Dangers of Comfort

Jeonghan is chained to this bed. At first glance - he looks comfortable. The bed has a fluffy duvet and blanket. He’s wearing a feathered shirt that looks so soft and dreamy. He even appears content in some scenes. Sleeping in this luxurious comfort. But as the scenes draw outward - you see how isolated he is. There is nothing but him and this bed that he cannot escape. Nothing but him and his comfort. He can only stare up at this hole in his ceiling, wistfully. There’s this saying, that people don’t change when they are comfortable. Knowing what we do from Jeonghan, not improving scares him. 

He stares tiredly at his chains. He looks as though he’s given up. It’s like he accepts it. There’s no one there to help him, and he feels weak on his own. He can’t do this alone. He’s trapped in his comfort, unable to take the chances that he longs for. Later on in the scenes, we see Jeonghan unchained - moving around in space. Almost like a bird who has been set free. The feathers begin to make sense. He is a caged bird, he needs help in order to be set free. This relates to Jeonghan’s own idea that on his own, he is “weak”. Which is why the members serve as his form of comfort, together they are “strong”

- - - - - - Mingyu: A Garden of Opportunity Mingyu is seen sitting horizontally among several flowers, atop a closed doorway. Doorways often times relate to opportunity, “opening new doors”. For Mingyu, he has been given the most opportunity of the group. He’s been an MV, an actor, a model, a variety show guest more often than the others. But juggling so many opportunities at once is hard. He is still Mingyu of Seventeen, while doing all of these things. Being that alone is tiring as is, and although he should and probably is grateful for these opportunities - they may drain him. The door remains shut as he seems to struggle with the idea of taking these opportunities. On one hand,he should be grateful to be considered. On the other he’s exhausted, and maybe even a little guilty on having to take on so much. Flowers are often offered in congratulations to someone’s achievements. There is a scene later where Mingyu stares up with this…expression. It’s so hard to describe. He looks like he’s about to cry out of happiness. Then flower petals fall onto him. He is receiving praise for his efforts. And it means so much to him.

- - - - - - Jun: Stagnation / Rejection of Reality Jun is suspend in air, close to the flowers we see in the final scene of the MV. This represents how close he is to freedom. But Jun is in this peaceful trance like state, dangling in the air with no sign of consciousness. This could relate to the idea of distancing himself from reality. When we distance ourselves from reality, it’s often times a coping mechanism. It may seem like we’re free because we are not at the mercy of the reality. But this doesn’t mean the trauma did not occur. Jun is caught in the middle of reality (the ground) and freedom (the flowers). But he is not moving forward, nor backward. He is not aware of where he is. In a sense, he is trapped between the two and has almost fully disconnected from the either of them. Later on, when Hoshi’s surge passes through the members - we see Jun looking down at the ground (reality). Perhaps he saw Wonwoo rise to his feet, and noticed the state Wonwoo was in. Jun is later seen staring down at Wonwoo, who stares up at Jun. They both have similar expressions that both seem to say, “I’m saved,” “Welcome back, my friend,”. This can relate to WonHui’s differences. While Wonwoo is tied to the ground by his emotional turmoil that he rarely expresses, Jun rejects his emotions and instead aims for freedom only to stop in his tracks. This might be why they’re in the same scene.

- - - - - - Wonwoo: Pulled In Opposite Directions Wonwoo is seen kneeling that the same epicenter that many others are seen in. Ropes are attached to either end of the circle’s center - connecting to Wonwoo by either hand. This could represent Wonwoo feeling as though he’s being pulled two different ways - that there is a part of him that is in 2 distinct halves which are not connecting correctly. There is a block in integration when this happens. He’s caught between what he feels, and what he must do. It’s rare that Wonwoo expresses his emotions, and says that he often times bottles things up. This can tear you up inside. He’s stuck between wanting to scream because he is so frustrated, and needing to maintain composure because it’s his duty. This suffocating feeling is further shown in how condensed Wonwoo’s atmophere is. The clouds are so close to the ground he’s kneeling on, but this only becomes apparent when he stands. Wonwoo has mentioned that the members ease this turmoil. But in this scene, Wonwoo is alone. When Jun appears, we get this feeling that Wonwoo is going to be okay because he is no longer alone with his disjointed halves. He’s reminded that is he is whole. - - - - - - Woozi: The Artist In a dark room we see a painting with a hole punched through it. Adjacent to this painting is an image of a person with their face blanked out by paint. We then see Woozi, a pristine man with paint covering his harms and arms. It’s clear that he is the artist who is depicting these frustrations. I feel that this goes without saying - Woozi (the artist) creates the songs (the art) and essentially holds Seventeen’s future in his hands. We know from 17Project alone what this pressure does to him. When you’re so busy being something for other people, you lose sight of yourself. Which is why the image of his face is blanked out by paint, why he retaliates against the picture he painted. In this scene, light streams into the dark room. Woozi approaches the light, and peers at it. I’m going to assume this is the portal from Vernon’s scene - which is depicted as a mirror, and Wonwoo’s lights flashing across this mirror into Woozi’s room. Woozi has mentioned how Vernon’s thoughts amuse him, and how he’s always amazed by what Vernon comes up with. Vernon is the change of pace Woozi needs in his routine.

- - - - - - Vernon: Stuck In His Own Head

Vernon’s scene is really interesting to me. He’s literally inside his own head, but at first glance we don’t notice it. He’s in this room with a projector, staring straight ahead at a wall and distorted images projecting onto that surface. Later on, we see Joshua and Jun appear there. He’s recollecting memories, or viewing what his friends are going through. From the lens of his own mind. The interesting part is that Vernon isn’t acting nor reacting. Even when Hoshi’s portal appears to him in the form of a mirror, Vernon does not react. This is where things become a bit clearer: we see Vernon in that portal. The person that Vernon is on the outside, is who he is on this inside. Vernon paints his world in his own colors. This is why I think Vernon’s portal reflects light onto Woozi - who is struggling with his identity. - - - - - - DK: The Sun

DK appears at the epicenter of rotating round objects. This seems to depict planets circling a source - namely the sun. For years we’ve known DK to be our sunlight. His shine chases away darkness, and warms our spirits. This is his role in SVT as well. But why is the area around him devoid of light? Why is he looking to these planets in slight exasperation? Because it’s impossible for someone to always be “light”. He is the moodmaker, but his mood may not always be bright. Perhaps he might feel the pressure to be well because of how heavily the atmosphere revolves around him. This can also relate to his role as a vocalist. His voice lifts the song up and almost carries it in the direction it needs to go. - - - - - - S. Coups: Solitude This one is simple. I almost overlooked it because it was that simple. S.Coups is in this void of some sort. All we can see are whirling drapes, and his own shadow with him. This can represent what it means to be leader. This self-isolating feeling of putting yourself underneath the responsibility of others. We’re aware of what’s been going with S.Coups mental health. Much like Woozi, you can lose yourself when you’re busy being something to someone. - - - - - -

Seungkwan: Connection

At first glance, Seungkwan’s scene didn’t seem to register any thought for me. When I thought about the blues in his scenes, and the flowers he was holding - it reminds me of the blue scene with scattered flowers projecting onto Vernon’s wall. The drapes in his scene reminded me of S.Coups void. And the camera he held directly correlated with Woozi’s scene, which then correlates to Vernon’s imagery of recorded media. Seungkwan is the connecting factor between these three. In general, Seungkwan is the character that connects Seventeen to the world. When people talk about Seventeen, they talk about how much they love Seungkwan. Seungkwan is usually the member that stands out in variety. He’s great at communicating and setting the tone for these types of things. That is his role, and at times, his burden. - - - - - - Dino: Undetermined Dino’s scene elicits virtually no thought from me. And maybe that’s the point. Dino is the youngest of the group - the member with so much potential and talent, but the most “green” member. In Dino’s scene, he almost seems lost. He’s literally just there, in darkness. Almost confused, but in a way…it’s like he knows something we don’t. He isn’t scared. Nor is he hurting. But he’s also not content. In this interpretation, it’s like Dino is wandering and searching for whatever it is that he’s searching for. It seems almost like a coming of age concept. He’s moving forward, with no direction. But full of intent. And I think that reflects a side of Dino that we rarely see - but can totally conceptualize.