Chapter 43 - Cortis

Pretty boys. Declined a few calls from Balenciaga. Black and white photographs. Runaway fashion. Tweed. Distressed denim jeans. Leather boots. Sneakers with white laces. Thailand. Bleached buzzcut. Mixing tables. Teenage innocence. Youth. Cultural appropriation. Namjoon. Weverse livestreams. Generation Z. Layered clothes. Chocolate brownies and vanilla ice cream. Being mobbed at Incheon airport. Sasaengs. Fandom names. Core. Hybe. I don't get the hype. Lotita (the movie). Taemin-infication. Group leaders. Doe eyes. Round mouths. Their delinquent era. How much of this is the essence of teenage boys, and how much of this is marketing? Appropriation. Bleed me dry. Martin makes a beat on stage, and everyone sees the spirit of Namjoon emitting from his pores. No. Not pores. He's too young for that. This is envy. Disgust. An appeal. The prettiest boys, dull doe eyes. Scouted before Balenciaga phone calls, black and white photoshoots. Runaways. Thailand. The bleached buzz cut. Denying one's heritage. Creating culture through music means forgoing their history. Perhaps.