Once dreamers themselves, a rapper who aspired to perform on the stage of Hongdae, a college student majoring in acting, a producer selling songs since his teens, a street dancer engaged in beatboxing, an arts high school student learning contemporary dance, a boy dreaming of becoming a celebrity and playing the saxophone, and a middle school student who received debut offers from seven agencies, together these seven boys from diverse backgrounds have woven a miraculous narrative.

The '21st Century Pop Icons', BTS, have had their decade-long journey illuminated in a newly released book. Big Hit Music unveiled on July 9, the 10th anniversary of BTS's debut, the official book, 'BEYOND THE STORY: 10-YEAR RECORD OF BTS'. Meticulously planned and prepared over several years, 'BEYOND THE STORY' unfolds the vivid and heartfelt journey of BTS from pre-debut to the present.

Based on over three years of reporting and over two years of interviews, 'BEYOND THE STORY' was completed. With a total of seven chapters, including 'Seoul', 'Reason for Existence', 'Love, Hate, ARMY', 'Inside Out', 'Flight Without Landing', 'World of BTS', and 'We', the narrative unfolds chronologically.

Author and editor of Weverse Magazine, Kang Myung-seok, has infused his insightful views on both domestic and foreign music industries and popular music, objectively shining a light on BTS's musical journey, and has incorporated more than two years of interviews with the members into the book.

The book starts with the scene of Jung Ho-seok (J-Hope) arriving at his accommodations, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the glittering landscape of Gangnam, after coming to Seoul from Gwangju on December 24, 2010, and meeting Min Yoon-gi (Suga) who was at the accommodations. It meticulously records the details of each member joining in turn, the release of the first album '2 COOL 4 SKOOL', and the subsequent albums 'The Most Beautiful Moment in Life', 'LOVE YOURSELF' series, 'MAP OF THE SOUL', 'Dynamite', 'BE', 'Butter', 'Proof', and their activities.

This book, as RM stated, vividly conveys their journey, which is "somewhat different from before, when we were outsiders and somewhat outliers". It candidly covers their experiences with major domestic and international stages, award ceremonies, world tours, pandemic, UN speech, and behind-the-scene stories, filling in the curiosity gaps for fans.

'BEYOND THE STORY' will be published in 23 languages, including the original Korean edition. Over ten translated versions will be released on ARMY Day, July 9, the day when BTS's fandom ARMY was born. The simultaneous release of a book in over ten languages on its publication day is unprecedented, and so is the Sunday release. Renowned translators participated, including Anton Hur, who was a finalist in the international division of the Booker Prize, one of the world's three major literary awards.

'BEYOND THE STORY' allows readers to overview the flow of BTS's musical activities and the current music market, making it a unique chronicle of BTS. More than 330 QR codes are included for the convenience of the readers to immediately access the videos or audio mentioned in the text.

As a group that has communicated with the world through the internet and social media, the value of this book as a comprehensive archive of BTS is quite significant.

Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of BTS's debut, 'BEYOND THE STORY' not only retraces their past journey but also anticipates the future they will shape. Big Hit Music expressed their hopes for this official book to become a "sincerely shared" record between BTS and ARMY.

The book concludes with the members, who have walked together for ten years, looking towards the future. In the last chapter 'We', J-Hope expressed his wishes, "Meeting these people was such a big blessing. I always want to say thank you to the members, and we continue to run thinking 'if ARMY can smile and be happy, then that's our happiness'."

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