The first factor that attracted 15-year-old Fatma to the boys was their music. “They include other languages, such as having a full Japanese album and using some English words in their songs. This allows more people to understand their songs without having to translate, which I think is so cool,” says Fatma, who speaks to us through email. She lives in UAE, converses in English and is trying to learn Korean. It is unclear whether her grasp on the Asian languages is fluent enough to understand all their lyrics, but their music seems to transcend language barriers.

Fatma’s internet persona is under the alias styletaehyung on Instagram, which is devoted to reporting a corresponding BTS member’s wardrobe the moment a new image or video is released. From interviews, music videos, advertisements and even paparazzi shots, her goal is to hunt down the brands of the outfit to then post on Instagram for her 29k followers. The account is like a fashion directory for each BTS member, updated diligently by Fatma. “I check for details like a logo, a picture or words, which makes it easier to search for,” explains Fatma. “Then I describe how the item looks… or use retail websites that categorise and filter clothing to make it easier to find,” she says. It’s a game of observation and speed that kills the competition for her. The 10th grader squeezes all this research in between homework and exams.

“I usually post at a scheduled time if possible, and when I’m not working for school. I dedicate a lot of my time to my account,” says Fatma. No matter whether they can afford the brand names, the fans are curious to know every detail about the boy group as quickly as possible. “Because of the time zones, it can get difficult to keep up with the pace, so I find myself staying up at night almost every day. I’m trying my best to not only schedule a posting time, but also have time to focus more on school. But as of now, everything is all over the place,” she says.

Obsessed is one word to describe the millions of fans worldwide, who track their every move and remember the boys’ ever-changing appearances by dates. “2010/11 J-hope is my favourite,” reads one tweet, referring to one concert, using Korean dating format. Some fans take their passion for the group to extremes. UK-based Oli London is a reality TV personality who has undergone multiple plastic surgeries to look like Jimin. A controversial figure, who was trolled on the internet for his obsession, he was featured on US talk show Dr. Phil, Botched season 6, as well as British documentary series Hooked on the Look.

“It’s a work in progress. There are still so many things I need to do,” Oli tells me, over Zoom, about his first botched surgery and the procedures he plans to get done next. Oli’s obsession with Jimin started after he moved to South Korea in 2013 to teach English. Now back in London and releasing his own music, he has no regrets. “This happens to be my passion, but people seem to misinterpret it,” he says. Although Oli is reluctant to talk about his life before BTS, he reveals the hardships of being such a high-profile fan. At times the internet trolling has gotten to him. “When suddenly you’re on a TV show and there are millions of people saying something bad about you, it does affect you,” he admits. Has he ever questioned the choices he has made? “Yes, I did think about it at times,” he agrees, with a laugh, “I thought, ‘God, I was very brave to share my story with the world.’ But maybe I shouldn’t have.”

Like many others, Oli also found escapism in BTS’ music. “I used to get bullied a lot and I had no self-confidence, so when I look at BTS and their devotion to their music, it would inspire me,” he says. “I may be a bit of an extreme fan compared to other people, but I want to promote their message,” he says matter-of-factly. He also wants to share K-pop culture with the world by using his media presence and hopes to be noticed by the group. “I’m doing these shows and interviews so they must have seen me. Maybe I do it in an unusual way, but sometimes it’s the only way to get their attention,” he confesses.

There is a sense of responsibility that comes with being an Army, which is evident in the way the fans speak about their experience. “I became an Army in December 2019, although I’ve been listening to their songs since 2017,” says Fatma. According to her, to be considered a true fan, one must take part in fandom activities such as streaming and voting, as well as having “endless love” for the group.

Apps like VLive are used by groups and artists to interact with their audience by live streaming. Another common practice is to have episodic vlog-style content on their own channels. BigHit Entertainment, BTS’ managing company (which announced this month that it is rebranding itself as Hybe, an ‘entertainment lifestyle platform’), provides an app specifically created for the boys and other K-pop groups on its roster. By comparison with artists in the Western music industry, BTS release a surge of content at a much faster pace. It’s not just behind-the-scenes clips of music videos: there are multiple variety show style series with weekly episodes, and movies created using tour footage. “We get a lot of updates daily, which keeps us on our toes, but every second is worth it,” says Yamileth, the nineteen-year-old stan account holder.