This is the english translation of the speech BTS recorded for Youtube’s “Dear Class of 2020”
-Hey, guys.
-Hi, guys.
-Hello, we are…
-[all] BTS.
And this is RM.
Dear Class of 2020, it’s been a strange year so far, but you made it.
Today, we might not have flowers, and we might not have graduation caps.
What we do have is possibly the most special graduation ceremony in history.
Never before have so many gathered to celebrate a graduating class for their achievements and their dreams.
You could be watching us from your bed or from your living room, alone or with somebody.
Wherever you are, you will all soon be breaking out of one world to soar into another.
Ten years ago, it snowed really hard on the day of my middle school graduation.
I remember that day clearly because I took a picture with my friends, and kept it
as my messenger profile for the rest of my school years.
On that day, I was just a boy who had closed just one chapter ready to pen another.
And I remember that feeling, it’s really thrilling and breathtaking.
It was a moment I felt most like me, myself.
A feeling I wanted to hold onto forever.
So, as a fellow individual in his 20s, all the way from Seoul, Korea, I want to say, congratulations.
We’re very excited for what lies ahead of you.
Regardless of where or how far you are, we hope our stories today can give you some sort of comfort, hope and maybe even a bit of inspiration.
–
Hello, this is Jung Kook of BTS.
Unlike RM, my graduation is recorded online via Youtube on BANGTAN BOMB.
My fellow BTS members were there throughout all my high school years.
I remember them saying, “When did you grow old enough to graduate?”.
And once the ceremony was over, we went and had Jajangmyeon together.
I recently watched that video again, and it made me wonder.
Did that child really grow to become me?
Rm mentioned that he still sees himself in the boy in the graduation picture, but I feel like I’ve come a very long way.
All I’ve done is continue on. But even today, I continue to learn new things.
So here I stand today with my members, with faith in myself, my members, and the world. And I hope you also will do the same for yourself and move forward.
–
It’s Jin of BTS.
My memory of graduation is different.
It was before my debut of BTS.
I was around 20, just a high school graduate going into university.
Back then, the notion of becoming an adult was quite scary.
Anxious about making my way into an unfamiliar world.
I was cautious of everything I did or said.
Something I’d feel restless, watching my friends go on ahead of me.
And attempting to keep up with their speed would only leave me breathless.
I soon realized that their pace was not my own.
What held me together during those times was a promise I made with myself, “to take it slow.”
I’d go at my own pace, steadily.
From there on, it became a habit of mine to take extra time for myself.
For instance, when learning a choreography, I begin practice days earlier than the others do.
If any of you feel lost in the face of uncertainty, or the pressure of starting anew, don’t rush.
Take a deep breath.
You may find that any moment can be turned into an opportunity.
Allow yourself to take it easy.
Take it one step at a time.
You might discover the important things you were missing.
And they’ll reach out to you.
–
Hello, this is Suga.
These days, I feel as I though I’ve fallen to the ground during a race.
I dust me knees and get up again, only to find that there is nobody around me.
It’s as though I’m deserted on my island.
This might not be the brand finale that you had imagined and a fresh start might seem far away.
But I wish to tell you: Please, don’t be afraid, don’t worry yourself.
The end and beginning, beginning and end are connected.
There are some things you can only do in isolation, such as focusing only on myself and breaking my own barriers.
One small person can dream the biggest dream, paint the largest picture, and make endless possibilities come true.
When we meet again, I look forward to seeing your dream, your picture, and your endless possibilities out in this world.
Take your hands off of what you cant control and get your hands on what you can change.
As you and I continue on in life, we will find ourselves in so many situations out of our grasp.
The only thing we can control is ourselves.
Get your hands on the changes you can make because your possibilities are limitless.
After all, I also had no idea I would become BTS either.
Thank you
–
Hi everyone, I’m Jimin.
First, congratulations on your graduation.
But at the same time, I am worried for everyone.
I think about your health & whether you’re okay.
Whether you are holding on tight during a time when nothing seems to go as planned.
Whether your body & mind are all safe and sound.
I hope you are all doing well, but if things are not okay even in the slightest, we send you our most sincere consolation with all our hearts.
SUGA Hyung likened the state of today to being deserted on an island, but I hope you will never give up.
Remember there is a person here in Korea, in the city of Seoul, who understands you.
We are all in different parts of the world, environments and circumstances.
But let’s give each other a warm pat on the back and say “It’s okay”
–
Hi, it’s your hope, j-hope.
I’m not much different from all of you.
At times I feel as though I’ve reached a dead end as I perform and make music.
Sometimes, my mind is bleached white and I can hardly take another step forward.
It’s a regular occurrence as I work.
At times like this, I think “just this once” “Just this once” and I pick myself back up.
I decide to trust myself.
The next attempt may not be perfect but the second attempt is better than the first, and the third is even better than the second.
And that is the moment I decide: I’m glad I chose not to give up.
Whether you are doing well or walking in the path of failure, remember, you’re the leader of your own life.
Chant it over and over again:
I can do it.
You got it.
I can do it well.
I can do it better than anybody.
Like this.
–
Hello, this is V.
I’d like to congratulate all of you who are graduating on this very special day.
When you look back to today years from now, how will you remember it?
Many of us are at war with reality right now, but I hope we can take bits of this moment with us, in a photograph or a memo, to look back to and remember June of 2020, and how it compares with the new today you will be embracing.
In all honestly, I wasn’t born with the talents of singing and dancing, and wasn’t much the preserving type either.
I began later than my friends and was lacking in some aspects, but I soon developed a joy and passion for singing and dancing.
This joy motivated my persistent efforts, and has led me to where I stand today.
If there is anyone out there who cannot see where they should go from here forth, I urge you to listen to your heart.
Things may feel a little difficult right now, but somewhere out there luck and opportunity is waiting or you.
I believe that.
On that note, I will remember this day.
Today may not be my own graduation, but I will try to look back upon this day, years from now and remember it as a memory to treasure.
And I look forward to the day you will stand and tell us your own story .
–
Dear Class of 2020,
I hope our stories reached you all today.
To be really, really frank, we still feel very unsure and unsettled as we speak, just like the day we left the school gates for the last time on graduation day.
Some say we have achieved so many things, but we stand no different from any other youth in their 20s, our graduation caps still pressed to our heads, and awkwardly peering into the face of reality.
The recent unforeseen events completely changed our plans, and the sense of loss
and anxiety we felt then, are still with us today.
The fear of an obscure future as our daily lives turn upside down, is a moment of realization of the self, the realization of what makes me a true me, myself.
Us, as musicians, we are pulling ourselves together by making music.
We write songs, we produce, and we practice as we think about the people we love.
And it connects to the world during such difficult times.
And with music, we hope we can bring you smiles and courage again.
And V just mentioned memos and the photographs.
For us, our way of remembering and communicating is to make music.
For you, it could be anything.
And our music and in our hearts, and in the time that we break out of ourselves, we’re alone, but also together.
We may be seeing each other through just a camera and this small screen, but I know your future will bloom to something much bigger and magnificent.
Graduates, friends, family, faculty, today, you stand with us, the largest graduating
class in history.
We sincerely congratulate you on your graduation.
Congratulations, Class of 2020!
Official translation.