TO YOUR SIDE AGAIN: a taegyu primer
Jan. 7th, 2021 03:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
permutative
βΆ WHO ARE THEY?
if you want to learn more about txt, i highly recommend checking outgirlrock’s txt primer. taehyun and beomgyu have a lot of different dynamics within txt. they’re both part of the maknae-line, and beomgyu is a year older than taehyun. despite this, beomgyu often says that taehyun behaves more like a hyung/responsible older brother. in addition to that, taehyun and beomgyu are/were classmates in high school due to beomgyu taking a gap year while training. while they’re both close to each other, they definitely both have other members they’re each closer to (taehyun with soobin and kai, beomgyu with soobin especially). that definitely fascinated me at first, because i felt like their closeness didn’t reflect their popularity—but now i see how that’s part of their appeal...
unit name: μ°λΏμ¦ (ubbujeu, basically radio line)
english ship name: taegyu
korean ship names: λ°€ν ¬/ν ¬λ°€
as of january 2021, they’re the #2 biggest ship on ao3 (700+ works) and cumulatively the #2 biggest ship on postype (λ°€ν ¬ #4 and ν ¬λ°€ #5 out of all 20 combinations).
π» CHOI BEOMGYU (μ΅λ²κ·)
“i think real love is loving someone for being themselves rather than having a set criteria that makes up an ‘ideal type’" (source)birthday: march 13, 2001 (pisces)
mbti: enfj
height: 180 cm (2nd shortest in txt)
beomgyu joined bighit in march 2017, and was basically added to the txt debut lineup right as the group was being formed. beomgyu is technically the “middle child" in txt age-wise although he’s usually grouped into txt’s maknae-line. he’s someone who i’d describe as having a 4-d personality, even though people don’t exactly use that term in kpop anymore—sometimes he says/does really random things, such as calling hand sanitizer by another name, claiming that he’d want to dye his hair clear, and also playing recorder in the middle of the street. he’s also from daegu; there are some hilarious moments where he tries to teach satoori to the other members. along with that, he’s definitely very extroverted, talkative, and playful but he’s also surprisingly introspective; he’s a perfectionist when it comes to his own performance as an idol. he’s also the only j-type in txt! i personally find him really funny; he’s quite impractical at times and was chosen as txt’s most romantic member (he’s definitely a yearner).
πΏ KANG TAEHYUN (κ°νν)
“the world's pace isn’t really important, it’s the direction that matters" (source)birthday: february 5, 2002 (aquarius)
mbti: estp
height: 177 cm (shortest in txt)
taehyun joined bighit in 2016 after getting scouted; he chose the agency because it was closest to his house. he is the second-youngest in txt. he’s definitely one of the most practical members and the only t type in the group. personality-wise, he’s quite dependable and straightforward—in particular, soobin has mentioned how much he relies on taehyun for emotional support. he’s also an extrovert, and while growing up he wanted to be a bunch of different things (including a magician!), each profession having the common thread of him wanting to talk to/connect with others. he also likes math, which is probably only relevant to me, and was a good student at school; he’s generally competent at most things, honestly. he’s well known for having a blunt personality, even towards his fans—for example, when a fan asked him what his ideal type was, he said “aren’t you [noona] just asking me to describe you?". along with that, he enjoys working out and can hold 60kg in one hand. he’s also very determined to show that hard work will triumph over talent.
βΆ SHORT TAEGYU TIMELINE
→ march 2016: taehyun joins bighit.
→ march 2017: beomgyu joins bighit following his middle school graduation. he decides to take a gap year to focus on training once he's added to the debut lineup. taehyun and beomgyu’s first impressions of each other are basically both of them finding the other person outrageously handsome.
→ trainee moments: taehyun has mentioned that while he was younger, beomgyu took care of him a lot. in particular, beomgyu used to walk taehyun to school in the mornings after taking lessons until dawn during his gap year. further, beomgyu gifted taehyun a watch which he wore to his middle school graduation but sadly doesn’t wear anymore because it stopped working. there’s also this really cute predebut selfie these two took together in 2017!
→ march 2018: beomgyu and taehyun start school at hanlim together.
→ march 2019: txt debuts!
→ may 2019: taehyun and beomgyu host their first smash the universe radio live, which is the ongoing segment they run on the txt vlive channel.
→ march 2017: beomgyu joins bighit following his middle school graduation. he decides to take a gap year to focus on training once he's added to the debut lineup. taehyun and beomgyu’s first impressions of each other are basically both of them finding the other person outrageously handsome.
→ trainee moments: taehyun has mentioned that while he was younger, beomgyu took care of him a lot. in particular, beomgyu used to walk taehyun to school in the mornings after taking lessons until dawn during his gap year. further, beomgyu gifted taehyun a watch which he wore to his middle school graduation but sadly doesn’t wear anymore because it stopped working. there’s also this really cute predebut selfie these two took together in 2017!
→ march 2018: beomgyu and taehyun start school at hanlim together.
→ march 2019: txt debuts!
→ may 2019: taehyun and beomgyu host their first smash the universe radio live, which is the ongoing segment they run on the txt vlive channel.
π»πΏ
βΆ THE DYNAMIX
now, i’m going to try and highlight some of my favorite aspects of taehyun and beomgyu’s dynamic.
>> BANTERING/BICKERING: one of the most important parts of taehyun and beomgyu’s relationship is how they banter and argue with each other. it’s so fun to watch because while beomgyu’s comments tend towards the illogical and romantic, taehyun the ever-logical estp is much more realistic and rational. a lot of times their interactions go like this: beomgyu says something; taehyun either corrects/refutes it or points out some logical flaw; beomgyu gets easily frustrated/riled up but also can’t say anything in response because he knows that taehyun is right. here are some of my favorite examples.
→ weverse beefing:
the way they tease each other on weverse is so amusing to me! for example, beomgyu never lets taehyun forget that he's, like, three centimeters taller than him >__< (see here, here). also, recently beomgyu made an extremely strange arithmetic error on weverse and was like "everyone's smart but me :(" and taehyun "smirked" in reply lol (see here, here).
→ angel vs. devil argument:
a pretty iconic taegyu moment, in which they argue over whether they're an angel or a devil. taehyun immediately says that beomgyu's a devil, claiming that he's "almost lucifer" whereas beomgyu argues that he's an angel because of his pretty face... but once they discuss it seriously, in the context of the song, they agree that beomgyu is an angel because he’d rather take things slowly romance-wise whereas taehyun’s more straightforward and impatient. much to think about dynamics wise!
→ 04.13.20 vlive:
i am not joking when i say this vlive single-handedly relieved my fears and doubts in taegyuism. the entire live is worth watching (in my opinion at least) and i’ve summarized a lot of it right here. when taegyu are asked which aspects of the members they'd each like to resemble, beomgyu responds with wanting taehyun's "smart brains and quick judgment." on the other hand, taehyun solicits suggestions from the fans and finally says that he'd want beomgyu's energy and good personality. in particular, he refuses to admit that beomgyu's handsome:
another moment is when beomgyu's trying to teach taehyun satoori. taehyun says that beomgyu's voice and tone are the type to tire out people's ears and initially beomgyu's all riled up and accuses taehyun of discriminating against people who use dialect... but then taehyun is just like "no, it's just your tone." it's so funny because taehyun manages to shut beomgyu down so easily and beomgyu meekly goes along with it? especially compared to their whole "argument" from before over taehyun not calling beomgyu handsome... it's such a contrast.
TH: right. beomgyu is energetic. i love his personality.
BG: ok, what else?
TH: he’s energetic.
BG: go on…
TH: he’s energetic.
BG: carry on…
TH: beomgyu-hyung is beautiful.
BG: and? read he's handsome. yah.
TH: “he has a great profile.”
BG: and? he’s handsome.
TH: i just saw “the confidence that makes him shameless.”
BG: and handsome.
TH: “he is bright.”
BG: and handsome.
TH: “bright and lively”
BG: and handsome.
TH: “his confidence”
BG: and handsome.
TH: “his eyelashes”
BG: and handsome.
TH: those were the comments.
BG: and handsome.
TH: am i done?
BG: and handsome.
TH: now, it’s time to deliver good messages.
BG: yah! there were so many comments about my handsomeness. :(
another moment is when beomgyu's trying to teach taehyun satoori. taehyun says that beomgyu's voice and tone are the type to tire out people's ears and initially beomgyu's all riled up and accuses taehyun of discriminating against people who use dialect... but then taehyun is just like "no, it's just your tone." it's so funny because taehyun manages to shut beomgyu down so easily and beomgyu meekly goes along with it? especially compared to their whole "argument" from before over taehyun not calling beomgyu handsome... it's such a contrast.
→ soobin’s usr story:
during the 09.08.19 vlive, one of the "anonymous" member stories is about one of the hyungs who was worried about a younger member using a lot of banmal (speaking informally) with them. it's pretty obvious that this is soobin's story and that he's talking about beomgyu here. it's really funny because taehyun is just outright like "this younger one... he's kind of messed up" and beomgyu gets offended at taehyun for saying that even though he had also been """disrespecting""" an older member >__< also i think this moment is interesting in general because it shows how taehyun values/respects his elders a bit more than beomgyu but at the same time it's still pretty easy for him to overpower beomgyu? another moment that sort of relates to this is when beomgyu had apparently told taehyun a story about how he got into a fight with his older brother as a sort of lesson on respecting elders... and soobin didn't know about it until taehyun asked beomgyu to retell the said story... there's just a lot going on here.
there are honestly countless taegyu moments that are like this, i could go on for a long time... some honorable mentions, off the top of my head: beomgyu wanting to see the cherry blossoms in daegu vs. taehyun saying that would be dangerous (here); beomgyu telling a story about how he procrastinated on an exam and barely managed to pass and taehyun replying "spoken like a true tomorrow x together member" (here); and beomgyu complaining anonymously about taehyun's old man taste in food vs. taehyun asking beomgyu to expand his taste spectrum (here).
>> TAEHYUN INDULGING IN BEOMGYU: despite how much they bicker with each other/how much taehyun is a pedant in contrast to beomgyu's more... effusive personality, it's actually really sweet to see how patient taehyun is and how he kind of just goes along with beomgyu's random conversational whims. i feel like youtube compilations will often paint taegyu's dynamic as more one-sided with beomgyu "chasing" after taehyun but honestly... it goes both ways <3
→ playing twenty questions:
during their chicken mukbang vlive, beomgyu suggests that the two of them play twenty questions (well, he actually calls it five questions at first, lol) except he doesn't even know the rules. taehyun begins, following the rules of the game that beomgyu literally asked him to play, but then beomgyu's like "that's not how the game works" even though taehyun's right... later on, beomgyu gets a little bit frustrated/pouty by the difficulty of guessing taehyun's word and then taehyun gives him hints to help him guess as well >_< it's just so cute because taehyun's just patient and teasing with beomgyu the entire time and beomgyu refuses to back down even though he knows he's wrong...
→ 11.16.2020 vlive:
this is the most recent smash the universe vlive that they've had, and beomgyu's a little bit more low-energy during this one (i think it's important to note that his excitement and enthusiasm during vlives definitely depends on his energy levels and how much he's slept—the 4/13 vlive is one of my favorites specifically because beomgyu's well-rested, lol). as a result it's really nice to see how taehyun covers for him in this situation? for example, when they're recommending songs, taehyun asks beomgyu about the meaning of the song he recommended (offonoff's "bath"). when beomgyu can't come up with an answer, he directs the question back at taehyun, who comes up with some random explanation pretty easily. there's also a random tangent that beomgyu goes on when he starts rambling about driving safely, and taehyun just goes along with it and they both give safe driving advice T___T idk it's a really understated vlive but i thought it was pretty interesting regardless... also the songs they recommended were pretty good!
>> BEOMGYU TAKING CARE OF TAEHYUN: there's actually a lot of instances, ever since predebut, of beomgyu caring for taehyun (or "acts of service," if we're talking about love languages). i think to some extent he does feel obligated as the "hyung" to care for taehyun, despite how their dynamic is often flipped on its head. i'll list some examples below:
- i mentioned earlier that beomgyu walked taehyun to school in the mornings after staying up till dawn for his training
- beomgyu also scolds taehyun/tries to make sure that taehyun doesn't scratch his neck to avoid exacerbating his eczema (here)
- taehyun gets frightened during horror movies and beomgyu doesn't, so taehyun held onto him while they were watching something scary >__< (here). actually, in general beomgyu's pretty fearless while taehyun's more of a "i might be scared but i'm not a WIMP" type of character, which i think just adds more to their dynamic lol
- beomgyu remembering taehyun's drink preferences (here)
- beomgyu saying that if taehyun followed one of his original dreams of becoming a professor, the students wouldn't be able to focus on the lesson because taehyun is so handsome (here)
- when asked if he had a favorite athlete, beomgyu said that his favorite athlete would be taehyun if he was a football player (here)
- if the members were hoobaes, taehyun would adore beomgyu the most because he's cute (here)
- taehyun's birthday message to beomgyu where he says a lot of nice things and also implies that he l*ves beomgyu but then refuses to say the actual word... ok taehyun (here)
>> MISCELLANEOUS MOMENTS: okay the stuff i've included here is definitely more random, but i wanted to have them in the post so i'm just putting them under this section. sometimes taegyu being cute together can just be taegyu being cute together without any hidden depths... please.
- 10.01.20 vlive: i'm pretty sure every taegyuist on the planet freaked out when this vlive came out TT like seriously these two are very physically affectionate during this live and it has spawned countless gifs/images/has fed the taegyuists for months. amazing
- 04.11.20 vlive: i wish i could explain what is going on here but unfortunately i have lost the words... there is something about clingy beomgyu that is very endearing to me and i refuse to explain further n__n i feel like this kind of speaks for itself!?
- blue hour performance: a special request by epistolarymoon to include this moment of taehyun and beomgyu serenading each other dramatically while yeonjun thirdwheels in between them... pretty iconic if i do say so myself
- blue hour fanservice in general: look, i am not immune to inexplicable photos of beomgyu lifting up taehyun's shirt and taehyun and beomgyu sitting together in a tree. the perks of being a maincp, i guess?
>> PHYSICAL AGGRESSION AGENDA: i don't know what to say here besides that outside of (or actually even included in...) their "fanservice" dynamics, their physical interactions seem to be pretty... aggressive. it's all really fun, fighting as flirting, etc etc. see the above gifs for visual proof, i guess? the moments i include below make it seem pretty one-sided, but they're actually more evenly matched than you'd think: here's proof of taegyu reaching a stalemate while arm wrestling and another gif of beomgyu carrying taehyun ^__^
→ taehyun carrying beomgyu
maybe it's just me but i feel like i've seen taehyun carry beomgyu so often... here are some examples for your viewing pleasure >__< when asked if carrying beomgyu was difficult, taehyun said that "beomgyu, by nature, is a hyung that is as light as a feather" and repeated a similar sentiment during their recent vlive when he dragged beomgyu's chair closer to him so that they could both fit in the camera frame.
→ h:our behind cuts
wow watching this always brings me so much joy... unfortunately i haven't been able to find any gifs of these moments but hopefully watching it in full brings the same serotonin. there's truly nothing better than clingy taehyun playfully tackling beomgyu onto the bed MULTIPLE TIMES... they're so cute and happy and asdf taehyun throwing beomgyu it's just CUTE okay. sorry for the incoherency i'm obsessed with this moment.
→ beomgyu jokingly being afraid of taehyun (?!)
it's always funny when beomgyu remembers how strong taehyun is because then he's just jokingly like "o__o guess i have to watch out for taehyun... uh oh." some examples include when beomgyu realized taehyun could hold 60kg in one hand and was like "he could crumple me, guess i have to be nice to taehyun from now on" and also during this vlive when taehyun said he was a boxing expert and beomgyu was basically like "ah i've got to be careful".
>> MORE HYPOTHETICALS: these are more hypothetical things that i like about their dynamic within the context of rpf/rps and veer towards tinhatting/are mostly just my opinion. i'm a pretty big fan of the taegyu dynamic not just because of their actual friendship (which i adore) but also because they have so many ~possibilities~ to me!
→ not the closest members/"unsoulmatery":
i've mentioned this earlier but among the friendships in txt, taegyu is probably middle of the pack—they're close, but it's really nothing to write home about, especially when compared to sookai's levels of predebut codependence. okay, i'm getting a bit off-topic, but my point is that there's something appealing in watching these very different people reach a point of mutual appreciation and understanding despite not being "naturally" close. i honestly appreciate how... practiced taehyun's treatment of beomgyu seems? quote myself from november: "SOMETIMES PUTTING EFFORT INTO THINGS IS OKAY." especially considering how taehyun really values the journey/process of going through things and working hard at the things he puts his mind to—it's really interesting to consider how that mindset can be applied to his relationship with beomgyu. sorry if this sounds a little crazy but i genuinely love it when people don't like each other that much, which is why i find them so appealing.
→ complementary personalities
i honestly think of taegyu as two very different people who, as a result of their differences, can stand to learn a lot from each other! obviously they have some similarities, from both being extroverted/talkative to more surface level things like hating on mint choco, but in general beomgyu's enfj personality is very much opposed to taehyun's estp-ness. as a result i feel like beomgyu can benefit from taehyun's practicality and more pragmatic/rational nature, but also that taehyun has a lot to learn from beomgyu's romanticism! what can i say, i'm a sucker for opposites-attract...
- an example of this in action would be this vlive where soobin and beomgyu basically affirm their status as txt’s yearners and say that they’d only confess their feelings to someone if they knew it was reciprocated. on the other hand, taehyun’s more direct and considers the possibility of the crush returning his feelings after he confesses… that’s just really cool to me n___n
π»πΏ
βΆ MEDIA CONSUMPTION
in terms of just consuming more taegyu media content, i'm including a list of taegyu solo vlives down below. most are the smash the universe radio lives, and i've also marked my favorites!- π» = smash the universe radio
- π = favorite
2019.05.17 | π» λ²κ·&νν : μ°μ£ΌλΏμ λΌλμ€!
2019.05.29 | π» π λ²κ·&νν : μ°μ£ΌλΏμ λΌλμ€!
2019.09.08 | π» λ²κ·&νν : λ€μ λ€μ λμ μ¨ μ°μ£ΌλΏμ λΌλμ€! (1/2) | (2/2)
2019.11.28 | π ννλ²κ·_μ§λ¬Έ_λ€_λ루μ_μ
2019.12.14 | π» π λ²κ·&νν : μ°μ£ΌλΏμ λΌλμ€
2020.01.08 | π μ°λΏμ¦μ 본격 μΉν¨λ¨Ήλ°©
2020.04.13 | π» π λ§μ΄ κΈ°λ€λ¦¬μ ¨μ£ ? μ°μ£ΌλΏμ λΌλμ€
2020.06.23 | π» μ°μ£ΌλΏμ λΌλμ€
2020.11.16 | π» μ°ν리
here are some jpgif and video accounts that i'll recommend as well~
| π» | πΏ | π»πΏ |
if you're interested in reading taegyu fanfic, i've compiled my favorites here and here. i've also written some myself.
+ some ending gifs !!
π»πΏ
anyways, thank you so much for reading! i hope this primer has convinced you of the merits of taegyuism T___T
this is a revamp of my november 2020 taegyu primer, originally posted here; i stole basically all of the formatting ideas from these two primers. special thanks to
girlrock, whose sookai primer inspired me to give this another shot. she also helped me find a lot of moments and has this nifty vlive time-stamping website. feel free to talk to me on twitter or cc about taegyu any time~
