“He did not deserve any of this”- Fans react as BTS’ RM reveals difficult military experience that lead to insomnia & mental health issues 

On Tuesday, June 10, BTS' RM and his fellow member, Taehyung, were discharged from the military, following the successful completion of their mandatory enlistment. Following the same, and later that day, RM kickstarted a Weverse livestream to spend some time with ARMYs post his discharge.

During the livestream, the idol talked about several things related to his military service. He also opened up about the many struggles he faced during the enlistment. This idol expressed that he suffered from insomnia and eventually had to take sleeping pills since he would go days without proper sleep.

Here's what he stated during the livestream:

"To be honest, the military life was overwhelming for me. Of course, spending 1 and a half years in the military was also a burden for everyone. One of the biggest difficulties is sleep. This was the first time I struggled so much with sleep. I had insomnia, but twenty soldiers sleep together, with snoring and kicking and all that. One time, I didn't sleep for two nights straight, for 72 or 78 hours. So I thought I would die."

Additionally, he also revealed other experiences he faced in the military, such as the difficult living conditions where the idol had to sleep and live in a container-like space due to all the soldiers living right next to each other. Following this confession, many fans and netizens were saddened by the adjustments the idol had to make.

Here are a few fan reactions to BTS' RM's confession about his military life:

"He did not deserve any of this, no one in BTS."

Fan reaction (Image via X/@galaxyjoonie)

"it's all fun and giggles untill you know how hard these 18 months were for him to act like that :(" said a fan on X.

"i keep saying this but im so glad he’s out of there," added another fan.

"oh my poor joonie its must've been so hard for him. being in an environment where you dont feel comfortable and eventually losing yourself gotta be the most frustrating and suffering thing ever. he even endured for such a long time! im glad hes back to where he belongs," commented a netizen.

More fans and netizens talked about how they were saddened by what the idol had to endure and were glad to see it finally come to an end.

"oh my dear joonie we can never ever feel the slice of hardship you faced. I hope you get all better from here on and you recover quickly. my dear love," stated a fan.

"i'm so glad he's finally out but still can't help to be sad because two years is such a long time, and to be feeling like that all throughout, it must've been hell. i love him he's so strong," added an X user.

"This is so depressing he really was having such a difficult time my moni omg," said a netizen.

"we all know he went through a lot but didn't expect to be this hard for him I'm sooooo glad this military era comes to an end for us," commented another X user.

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BTS' RM shares stories from the military, confesses about struggles with sleep, poor living conditions, and more

At a point in BTS' RM's Weverse livestream, the idol began to talk about how when he and Taehyung kickstarted their military service, he would get advice from many of his leaders that he should take care of his fellow member since RM is older.

However, the idol soon saw that Taehyung was doing well despite the hardships he faced while serving in a more difficult unit. Here's what he said:

"At the training center, the leaders told me to take care of Taehyung, he's unique and lovable. I have keen senses and am sharp, and I'm also older. Although we were both trainees, the leaders told me to take care of Taehyung, since I'm also older. After we were dispatched to our units and became privates, I think Taehyung adjusted better. Taehyung adjusted much better than I did, even though he was in a more difficult unit."

RM continued to add that he was struggling a lot that he had expected as he started the military service. Some of the struggles were the lack of sleep, bodily exhaustion, and the absence of his personal space. After he confessed about his insomnia and the pills he had to prescribe to in order to fall asleep again, the idol elaborated that he's still been taking the medicines as it has helped him a lot.

"I would lie there. I'm sleepy but can't fall asleep. I would be overthinking. I was tired but couldn't sleep. Hours would pass, 3 AM, 4 AM, 5 AM, 6 AM, time to wake up. It repeated a few times, and I couldn't survive. So I started to receive help from medicine. I found the medicine that fits me well. I have to confess, I'm still on it. It's been a year and two months. I think my condition is improving a lot."

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Therefore, many fans and netizens have been empathizing with BTS' RM and felt apologetic towards the idol for the hardship he had to go through.