EXO, who are making History
Материалът на български виж ТУК.
Written by Ralie Blag
Translation: Neil Scarth
The material is part of the publication “Bright Sparks in the Aura of Bulgaria”
(Download pdf of the book for free /+ addition booklet HERE.)
Everyday existence is an evolutionary form of ascension!
– Vaklush Tolev –
EXO made their debut with cult-like status, with almost cinematic aplomb, in the momentous year of 2012 and, thanks to a particular constellation of circumstances, on the even more momentous date, conceptually, of the 8th of April, the real historical date of Christ’s Resurrection (and back in 2012 the date is the official Easter Day). They stood out straight away with their fantasy concept of coming to Earth from another planet and of possessing super-powers, the most real of which are actually their exceptional choreographic dancing and their vocal harmonies, with which they won me over instantaneously in the first video of theirs I came across.
The truth is that until quite recently I hadn’t heard of the K-pop (i.e. Korean Pop) phenomenon in world pop music. Bits of information began to steal their way towards my heart through the appearances of our Kristian Kostov at Eurovision 2017 while reading comments about how much he resembled a K-pop idol and while listening to his own admissions in sеveral interviews about how much he loves this genre. Well, there was no way I could not investigate what this thing was all about! 
I tried three times without success – I listened to various music videos and fan’s compilations but nothing made an impression on me. It struck me as too flamboyant in terms of outward appearances and more than anything too unappealing in terms of melody. Until, that is, the fourth time, when I came across the song Monster. Oh, now this was something wonderful, both musically and visually, to say nothing of the rhythm and the dances! Needless to say, I set about searching for other videos by this group called EXO. Once I’d watched Overdose and MAMA (I can just say, ‘Wow!’, at this point), I now had some new musical favourites! Ko Ko Bop, Universe, Call Me Baby, Growl, Electric Kiss… they inspired waves of awe in me on discovering them and they continue to have this effect on me now.
Apart from the overall pleasure from the musical production on offer, at first I found it a whole lot of fun the fact that the members of the group were so numerous and how I couldn’t tell the difference between them at first glance: most of them seemed almost the same to me, with their interesting hairstyles and futuristic styling. Nevertheless, I ended up liking three out of the multitude most of all – Luhan, Sehun and Baekhyun, in that order: these actually resemble each other quite a lot visually and they’re the ones with the most likable air about them. Once I’d got to know more details about the group from interviews, Baekhyun turned out to be the one that gained a lasting hold on my attention. Although he’s not the youngest in terms of years, he spontaneously and with ease conveys the impression of the restless child and the life and soul of the party – the natural jokester, babbler and pampered kid, whilst the two of them – he and Sehun, who is the youngest in reality, are like brothers, indulging each other’s whims (although Sehun is the height of seriousness and reserve in front of the public . Chanyol and Kai are next up when it comes to jokes and playing around. The other two, who are actually the most serious members of EXO, D.O., and Suho, are the ones who most often rein in Baekhyun with a cuff round the neck or a scolding when he gets too out of hand. As far as the grouching goes, which is Suho’s, the leader of EXO’s, trademark, there are some amusing videos on Youtube which I’ve laughed at with all my heart – for example: ‘EXO when Suho Omma is around’ or ‘EXO when Suho Omma is not around’ (‘omma’ means ‘mamma’ in Korean). The most important thing about Baekhyun, though, is that aside from his fooling around, he has a strong dramatic side and presence[1], which seem to me to be lacking in terms of character in the cutest of all visually, Luhan. (The truth is that it was Luhan I turned my attention to initially because he was the one with whom Kristian was often compared visually in the still shot from the video with lyrics for Beautiful Mess). And despite the fact that he (Baekhyun[2]) is not usually ranked on top when it comes to dancing skills, he shows this specific leisurely air, grace and artistry that are in actual fact simply charisma.
The group made its debut with 12 members – 6 were EXO-K and 6 were EXO-M, the idea being that each song would be presented and promoted simultaneously in Korean and Chinese (Mandarin), but this obviously didn’t turn out to be a good way of doing things because very soon after, three of the members of EXO-M (Kris, Luhan and Tao) left the group one after the other and the songs are now promoted together, without division into sub-groups. Unfortunately, for political reasons, Lay from EXO-M, who is the official ambassador for their city in China, didn’t manage to join his friends either for the recording and presentation of the last two albums, The War: Power of Music and Universe.
I personally am already greatly attached to the specific qualities and contributions of each and every one of the 9 remaining signed-up members and I’d really like them to have subsequent albums on which we can see them together again in this line-up. Lay and Kay, for example, are exceptional dancers, the very best (and so handsome as well, it’s a real pleasure to watch them The ones usually ranked next are: Sehun, Xiumin and Baekhyun. Chaneyol is an indisputable talent in rapping, along with Kai and Sehun, then comes Xiumin and even Beakhyun recently. (EXO’s rapping is actually singing, by the way, which I truly love!) Chen for his part has both the broadest and highest vocal range at the same time and has also made his mark recently as a lyricist, just like Chaneyol, Lay and Baekhyun. D.O. is the leading singer in the group, with a more even but well-targeted voice, followed by Baekhyun with the most divers voice, and Chen, Suho with the most lyrical, Xiumin, Lay… Here I must say that I like very much this modesty and silent vibe of D.O. – always so focused and silent! Also about Xiumin can be noted how good he is in applying his street fashion style and Suho is exceptionally good in fashion photosessions. To sum up, they all have a particular youthful energy, that of energetic, cheery, likable kids, something which even comes to the fore in the dialogues from Korean TV dramas. Even Kai, who is supposed to be the sexiest-looking one in EXO, is somehow innocent and pure in actual fact.[3]
And so will EXO, who in my view are making history in Korean pop, and for that matter perhaps in world pop music as a whole, come back this autumn with a new and (fingers crossed!) impressive album, as the signs seem to be? I firmly hope so and look forward to the further creative achievements anticipated for them: because of the concept itself, the messages and aura of this group, which bears a kind of elevation and a really beautiful purity in their whole air (as I’ve underscored several times) and of course because of the songs themselves, many of which I listen to with great attention despite not having the videos for them. I’m in love with ones like Diamond, Forever, Been Through, Sweet lies, Two moons, Let Out the Beast, First Love, What if, Fall… there are lots of them.
Others, like Lotto (Louder) and Love me Right, I prefer to watch as live performances rather than official videos and I put them on alongside other wonderful recordings from concerts of songs like El Dorado, Exodus, What is Love, Thunder, Hearth Attack, The Eve, Machine, Transformer, Drop That (Chen is a real singing slayer here, а veritable rock star – especially live!), Moonlight, Run, Playboy, Hurt… A special place in my ranking belongs to one of EXO’s main hits: Wolf, the video for which is utter class in terms of style and dancing, but musically has too much regular rap for me and for that reason I don’t like playing it that often. Lucky One is the other song with a video which I really like in places but in others find it too monotonous rhythmically and despite the concept, a favourite, of youths with superpowers coming from another planet being strongly accented in the video… it’s less often interesting for me to watch or listen to.
I’ve rediscovered Power (of Music) and Ka-Ching[4] though recently, because their visual image, a kind of cartoon animation, is not comparable to the great mastery of the other videos, but after I’d overcome my initial attitude, I found out what a great atmosphere they have and how they make me smile broadly every time, so that when I feel the need for that, I never fail to cue them up. And finally, I shouldn’t omit to mention the Samsung commercial entitled (United) Power, which is done so well that at first I thought it was their song – someone had had fun looping particular parts and it had become long enough, but somehow got annoying. Since I’ve found the real video, I often loop the whole thing the way it’s been made by myself because it really is like a mini version of their song, with each detail perfected from beginning to end!
So now is the moment to emphasise the exceptional conceptual creativity of the team behind EXO, who obviously select carefully and stimulate the creation of songs with a specific sound, often imbued with special messages. Maybe that’s the other thing that draws me like a magnet in their case, but more important is the high quality and the multi-layered and intuitive nature with which ideas are presented both visually and lyrically, and that includes the teasers. Apart from that, we can see a continual and interesting playful intertwining of the group’s name and logo in their songs in different forms (this is a familiar ploy in Korean pop, but it seems as though these kinds of highlighting are deliberately quite frequent and diverse with EXO). We see large-scale mazes, which are in fact the group’s symbol, in which the main action takes place, or then again tiny details like a ring with the word EXO written above; candy sweeties in the shape of their symbol in the middle or various medallions and brooches; a coffee or a tea cup encrusted or appliqued with their logo; also inscribed on shoes, clothes, vehicles… even on a kite, and other similar objects… In the lyrics too we often hear their name, which somehow makes you smile and grasps your attention. In addition we see an abundance of special captions and bits of information presented wherever you could possibly think of, with the ever-present solar or lunar eclipses and space-time loops.
Last but not least, we can register the link between the maze, which is their logo, and their name, which is embedded in the albums and tours of the group in different variations of English words with particular Latin roots bearing Biblical nuances. One of these words is EXOdus, the title of a song and of an album, and which means Exit, but precisely in the Biblical sense – that is EXO seek and offer a Way Out of the maze of the earthly, of the mortal, yeah! After that we’ll see albums or tours like EX’act (a pun with multiple meanings: something like EXO in action as well as the general meaning of accurate and precise, but with a touch of ‘former’); then we see the tour EXOluXion (i.e. EXO’s evolution in mastering the X-powers), and then EXOrDIUM (an introduction to the history of EXO and their descent to Earth), then ElyXiOn, which is to say the Promised Land of the planet EXO – a paradise where only the chosen ones (the fandom can enter… Even the name of their album, The War, is imbued with the meaning that the battle has begun for the return of that which has gradually faded and become lost with their descent to Earth in terms of powers and qualities. In the video for ‘Universe’ there are also clear symbols and signs of some kind of happy resolution or ‘new starting line’ (at the end we see exactly lines – as a painting on the wall or a stretched straight fibre on the table).
Something else which is interesting to notice is that foreign composers or musical studios often get involved in EXO’s songs, including transatlantic ones, but mainly those from the UK or Sweden. It strikes me as symptomatic that Sweden comes up in this list of information. This nation appears to remain the champion in creating contemporary pop hits and we can often discover threads which lead there even in the Mecca of pop culture, namely the American pop industry. Incidentally, it’s a curious fact that BTS (see P.S. below) too have intensified their foreign collaborations over the last few years – in their case mainly transatlantic ones: they’ve attracted people who’ve done songs for Beyonce, Rhianna, Sia etc.
In conclusion, I’d like to stress something specific and to an extent strange in the Asian music industry, namely that there we find a kind of established regular pattern of something called the Comeback Stage, which means that a new album has been released and it gets presented in the media and in concert tours, after which it reaps or doesn’t reap the important annual awards. At this point it’s as if the artist (or most often the group) ceases to exist if it doesn’t do this kind of ‘Comeback Stage’. The rules of the industry…?! Even stranger is the fact that every year a new group makes its debut and often picks up the annual music awards, after which it more or less fades away, but not EXO and, since 2015, not BTS, although they in reality made their debut in 2013, i.e. one year after EXO. BTS are their main rivals today for the hearts of the public and for the first place in all the rankings. Of course, EXO for now holds the majority of the records both for the most awards received, as well as for the most advance sales of their albums and the highest ranking as a whole in Korean and global music charts. In reality, in the main Korean awards in the last few years, if EXO is the winner in the Artist of the Year category, then BTS will take first place for Album of the Year and vice versa.
Another interesting thing to turn our attention to in Asian culture, one which is reflected in their pop music, is the peculiarly accentuated collective consciousness. With them, maintaining the team spirit is not just a norm, but a cult and in their entertainment industry we see a stupendous number of members in all kinds of groups. On the one hand, it’s clear that with them collaborative work is fostered in which no one person’s ego is given the fore unnecessarily. On the other hand, individual self-expression is after all suppressed, even if it is an expression of the spirit within, which wants to manifest itself in worldly existence and there is no way for the individual who gives it expression not to stand out. Here we can notice a great clash and drama in practice, accompanied by a strong striving for perfection – perfectionism down to the last detail.
It seems to me that we ought to seek the key to Asian culture in what occultism informs us as to characteristics: that these nations are the heirs of the 6th and 7th sub-races of the Atlantic civilisation. Then we can clearly see their special features: the Atlantics are still in the stage of involution (descent into the material, the earthly – just as EXO descend to Earth) and they still have the strong intuitive sense of unity before the veil of the individualising mind comes down. But apart from that, the Asians are the last sub-races where the mind is nevertheless a leading factor and from here we can trace the intense drama in them concerning the idea of death and the anguish of separation. This phenomenon is almost a byword in their culture and art, especially with the Japanese (distinguishing them to a certain extent from the Chinese): what is known as the ‘Japanese world-view’, i.e. the incipient feeling of separateness and loss of the direct connection to the invisible and the world beyond death. From this there is also the grieving for a lost beloved and the frequent emphasis on the sad self-sacrifice of good heroes. (With the current Fifth race the world beyond death literally goes away and the battle for a return in wisdom commences – with the coming of Christ involution into material has officially concluded and evolution in the opposite direction has begun.)
And if we turn once more to the team spirit, it seems to me that these races express in an embryonic form the accomplishments envisaged for the last Root Races, which remain before us – the Sixth and Seventh, when individualisation will have concluded and been overcome in the Spirit expressed with lightness and a feeling of unity with all. That is leadership and the making of a personal contribution will be achieved through empathy and co-creation in exactly the right place, and not as a form of self-assertion and domination at any cost. The latter is especially characteristic of today’s Fifth (white) root race, whose not particularly likable basis is competition, comparison to and then separation from others, while in its positive aspect it is actually an expression of the acquisition of the nature of leadership in the process of the formation of the personality.
It seems to me that here it’s quite apt to be able to note as something linked the idea behind Bulgaria’s project for the 2018 Eurovision with the song ‘Bones’ by the group Equinox, specially put together to sing it. (Incidentally, we’re eagerly awaiting the release of the promised EP as well as Kristian Kostov’s album, of course.) The song and the group itself are a wonderful expression of the Harmony which individual parts may achieve in the Whole as an ideal for the reality of future humanity.
And, having talked of Bulgaria, I’d like to mention finally, as a kind of lyrical digression, what interesting things and connections emerge when a person digs around in the details of something! In this case, as most of the members of EXO appear in TV productions too, I had a look at extracts from the Korean drama, Scarlet Heart Ryeo, with the involvement of Baekhyun in a supporting role as one of the princes in a remote historical epoch. I watched a few of his scenes, including his dramatic death (incidentally, Lay, Xiumin, D.O, Chanyol, Suho, Luhan and Tao also die tragically in some of their TV dramas – it seems only Kai and Sehun are saved for now from such a doom) and in the end I somehow came across a cut from an episode without his participation which greatly surprised me. The girl in this extract is obviously the main character in the drama and it turns out that she is dreaming everything from the distant past which happens in the film, but actually she doesn’t just dream it but remembers it after being in a coma… And it’s in just this episode’s cut, when she realises that her dreams are in fact reality, that they repeat the name of Bulgaria five times and Bulgarian folklore motifs are to be heard at one point!
The person who as tour guide is explaining to a group of people about Bulgaria and Bulgarian rose oil then stops by the girl and start talking to her. Looking at the badge on her lapel, he underscores the link between her surname and the historical epoch[5] which is represented by the brand of cosmetic products whose Sales Representative she actually is. ‘An amusing coincidence’ – the girl comments but he quite seriously replies that ‘There is no such thing as a chance coincidence’ and things simply fall right into place of their own accord. After that the topic of Bulgaria and Bulgarian rose oil is once again raised and Bulgarian folk motifs are to be heard and upon hearing them she turns once more to her memories of the distant past and begins to feel dizzy. Leaving the commercial exhibition, she comes across an exhibition of paintings from the historical period in question and she realises that her dreams are reality. Her beloved had been a wise ruler, under whom slaves had been freed (here, we can’t help but see a link with the rule of the Bulgarians under whom there was never any institution of slavery and in that remote historical epoch) and major social reforms are conducted, but as far as I could understand, many amongst the ‘good’ characters were killed in inter-tribal wars. The door stays open for the two of them to meet in the present…[6]
So why did I entitle the current material ‘EXO, who are making history’: this can be understood from their song ‘History’ with its exceptionally idea-rich lyrics, expressing just such an ideal of the return of humankind to Unity.
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HISTORY
Lyrics in English: Mix of both Korean and Mandarin versions
Editing: Ralie Blag
Listen, can you feel it?
My heart stopped racing
My heart be braking
Tears! into anger turned out
I’m yelling: Ha!
Going back in my thinking
My pain be creeping
Black and white
Still North and South
Scene of endless war
The despair of the sun in half been torn
I’ve been running in a vicious circle for so long
It’s me now standing at the new starting point
Woven by mistakes, as I learn I get stronger and grow
Big and great is the day we find out that the sun is one whole
A new step into the future all together we take
On this planet Earth, I need you and you want me
Every, every, every day we make our History
Break it! Old standing rules break apart
Move it! All those lies clear out
No more shaking like that
Magic! When time passes away
as on replay, the heartache is washed away
Traveling through time and space
we reach this dreamed bright place at the end
I’ve been running in a vicious circle for so long
It’s me now standing at the new starting point
One by one breaking through these gates
Giving up was never my option and my take
I need you and you want me on this planet Earth
We rise up again the day to our dream we turn to give birth
Turn it! Turn it! Turn it! Turn it on! Turn it! Turn it! Turn it!
When you want to fool yourself that you have all the time ahead
When you hesitate and say that you can do it some next day
You never know if tomorrow won’t be for you the end
So prevent the dust and ashes of regret and don’t be afraid
Please love, love, love
The more you love, the more harmonious becomes the vibe
Sorrow in the left hand and joy in the right
You and I share the same life
We are attached to the moment we were born as one,
than grow accustomed to a world where we’re alienated and alone
The distance between us only grows more, more, more
The two sides of the split sun do not need a dividing line
As time goes by, as time goes by, as time goes by
comes the moment when the world of my earnest dreams I meet
My heart starts faster and faster to beat
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom
How long will I hover to this new starting point?
Yaah, EXO-K, EXO-M
We are about to open the doors to our future History
Big and great is the day we find out that the sun is one whole
Splitting into two was the reason for our fall
On this planet Earth I need you and you want me
oh oh, oh oh
Every, every, every day we make our History
P.S.
What distinguishes from EXO the other sensation amongst the male groups in the Korean pop industry, the one known by the abbreviated name BTS, is probably that BTS have gone for more emphasis on rap in terms of concept, together with some quiet lyrical moments from time to time. For now I haven’t managed to fall so deeply in love with BTS’s songs the way it happened with EXO, nevertheless some of them – where the rap is not so overbearing – really do appeal a lot to me, like Fake Love, Fire, DNA and Blood Sweet & Tears, or Anpanman and Go Go. Though even in these tracks the musical dynamism and surprising variety of harmonic progressions present in most of EXO’s songs are lacking for me, as are the indisputably high-pitched, ringing voices of most of the singers in EXO.
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The material is part of the Afterword of the book
BRIGHt SPARKS in the AURA of BULGARIA
It is thought that the Bulgarians are one of the large groups which emerged from the womb of nations, Shambala. One of these branches, one of these large groups was called ‘Bulgari’. Of course, the pronunciation was different in different places – ‘Bolhi, Bulh, Bolgi, Belgi’ but it is known that this is an ethnic gene, the marked valency of this people. And so the Bulgarian race as a substratum in the ethnic totality, a person of the Fifth Root Race, had been in that womb, Shambala, and has left its imprint on history.
In the Armenian geography called Ashharatsuyts, the Bulgarians are called ‘Bhuh’ (or Bulh according to the reading of S. Eremyan) and they are mentioned as one of the developed tribes in terms of culture. In previous times it was pronounced that the Bulgarians had lived in the regions of Mount Imeon – a fact which is also written in the ancient geography of the Armenians. Then from Imeon through Pamir, China, Mongolia, Persia, Volga and Ongul as far as the present Bulgaria of Asparuh. Furthermore, when the golden treasure of Nagy Szent Miklos (then a Hungarian town but now within the borders of Romania) was discovered in 1799, after great disputes it was ultimately conceded that it is Bulgarian in its adopted Persian technology and Persian artistic nuances. Even our ethnographic researchers have often found Persian elements in our clothing and in the expression of our art. Because the Ancient Bulgarians, on their route back to Trakia[8] (The Valley of the Roses) passed through Persia and had their own abode there.
We did not come to the Balkan peninsula for the first time, as some think: the Bulgarians had already been in these lands before going towards Pamir, before going towards China… That which we will find as a matter for amazement in an account in the history of Marin Drinov, published in 1869, ‘A look at the origin of the Bulgarian nation and the beginning of Bulgarian history’, and something which is also hinted at in the Hexameron of John the Exarch (9th century) is that the Myrmidons of Thessaly of Achilles were Bulgarians. That is, before the Trojan War we, the Bulgarians, had a presence in Thessaly. From this point onwards, the period of roaming began, which created the culture of awokenness. People fear the wanderer, but there is a beautiful word: pilgrim. The one who is going towards a sacred place is called a pilgrim, he wanders in order to go to a focal point of the Spirit. And Imeon was a reservoir, a womb, for them to acquire bread and meaning from Indian culture, or from Egypt, where they also were guests. In the Mahabarata itself there is talk of ‘Bolhi’ or ‘Bolhiki’ and their king (Kardam) is mentioned seventy times.
Vaklush Tolev, Tangrism, Nur 1/2008-www.nur.bg
In Shambala the conducting of the development of the human being of the Fifth Race has been fixed while in the Revelation of John is given the mystery of existence within existences –Shambala is the Academy of Knowledge, which educates, trains and initiates the representatives of the fifth sub-race as parents of the Fifth Root Race, while Revelation speaks of the great mystery of the sixth sub-race and the Sixth Root Race. There a great mystery is uttered: not only that there will be no need of light but of why this is so. That light will shine from which the world is woven, that ‘Fiat Lux’, ‘Let there be light!’. When the spirit was clothed in the garments of the flesh, the Sun helped it, the Moon helped it, but when the spirit will shine they will no longer be present. And then the mystery of what the Sun is will be understood: the aggregation of past souls who have concluded one evolution. You yourselves will shine together with God: behold the great mystery! And this light is actually that which the ancients called the light of Kundalini-the Snake-Fire – and what Christianity calls the Holy Spirit. He who measures his time with sunsets and sunrises is still the human being of the Fifth Root Race. It is only when Adam comes (i.e. the Fourth Root Race of Atlantis) that the Sun and night are given to him so he may determine the yearly and daily times. Freedom from the day as time, freedom from existence as planetary being, because the human being of the Sixth Root Race is a guest not only of this planet, he is the future inhabitant of Jupiter and Jupiter is the Master. This is the principle of the princes, this is the need for a ruler who you must have within you, Divinity.
– Vaklush Tolev, Shambala: the Academy of Initiation and Knowledge
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[1] I subsequently saw that these two things really have been marked about him: ‘Baekhyun is a jokester. He’s the mood-maker of the group. He often gets yelled at by Suho for fooling around. But he also has a serious side to him. You often see him sit down and share deep-talks with others.’ – Manager Lee Seung Hwan, www.koreaboo.com
[2] As I found out his name in terms of its origin is a combination of two words, given in some interpretations as meaning ‘white’ and ‘wise’. And his X-power is Light, which the Darkness (i.e. the Red Force in their concept) could not comprehend! Another funny coincidence is his stage number, 4 (i.e. The Cross in Christianity), and his new brand word ‘Fearless’ which can be seen on his shirt at some concerts. I found recently in Youtube the Palm Reading for all EXO (BTS and more) members by Tony Leggett and what struck me was that he used firstly the same word ‘fearless’ to characterize Baekhyun, then came ‘generous’, ‘kind’ and ‘he is good in being who he is’ (the only recommended precaution was to avoid self-distraction because of numerous interests and to stay honest in every aspect of his being, otherwise he could get in trouble; about BTS’s V I found the recommended precaution about avoiding alcohol, drugs etc. quite serious). Not surprisingly the initial choice of his parents was to name him Baek-ho, “white tiger”, but since it’s too strong name to live with, at the end was decided his more gentle one. So it seems he is actually both strong and kind as character. In addition, his mother had a dream about white flower-snake and his father about white tiny piglet – both a sign in Korea for baby-girl on its way :), but are obviously just his characteristics: poetic brightness and childish silliness.
[3] And once again we see this impression confirmed: ‘Kai’s secret is that he has two contrasting sides to himself. When he’s performing on stage, Kai brings all the focus onto him making you feel breathless. But once he comes down from the stage, he returns to the youthful man in his 20’s. He’s a cute and innocent guy. He jokes around with the members often and clings onto the managers too. ’ – Manager Lee Seung Hwan, www.koreaboo.com
[4] Ka-Ching is actually a song of EXO-CBX – a spontaneously formed sub-unit with the line-up: Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin – on the suggestion of someone from the music company who’d seen the three of them constantly practicing something together.
[5] Goreyo era, and to be precise – the establishment of Goreyo kingdom, from which name originates the modern exonim Korea.
[6] After watching the serial from beginning to end, I may say that it is remarkably informative when it comes to universal human values, rights and ideas about the depth and elevation of mutual relations between people. Apart from that I noted an emphasis on vegetarianism-I don’t know whether this is related to the much-mentioned Buddhism or it’s due to the current tendency to give thought to this topic. And everything revolves around the solar eclipse, something which had already made a great impression on me in EXO’s videos, accompanied by the Bulgarian folk motifs, and the main female character felt as if she’s ‘fallen from the sky’ with regard to the customs and realities of the era.
[7] For example: No More Dream, Boy In Luv, Not Today, MIC Drop, Dope, War of Hormone
[8] Trakia, i.e. Rakhiva, of the Phoenicians means ‘Ethereal Realm’, ‘Celestial Firmament’, ‘Being’ (Genesis).
