BTS isn't really breaking up -- here's everything we know

BTS Army members and die-hard stans of K-pop all around the world went into meltdown mode on June 14 when news broke that RM, Jin, Jimin, J-Hope, Jungkook, Suga and V – collectively known as BTS –  were going on hiatus. 

In a video posted to YouTube, where the sexy septuplet gathered round a dinner table to feast on their ninth anniversary as a band, the “Butter” crooners grew teary eyed as they said (via English translation subtitles) that they were going on “hiatus” to focus on their solo careers.

“We’re going into a hiatus now,” Suga said around the 21 minute mark. “We have to talk about the direction we’re taking.”

“We’ve talked among ourselves several times and we believe it’s good to take some time apart,” J-Hope added. “I hope that people don’t think negatively about this step and that they see this is a healthy, important part of our plan that will let BTS grow stronger.”

RM added, “We did ‘Dynamite,’ ‘Butter,’ ‘Permission to Dance,’ ‘Life Goes On,’ and I realized the group has definitely changed. We have to accept that we’ve changed. For me, it was like the group BTS was within my grasp until ‘On’ and ‘Dynamite,’ but after ‘Butter’ and ‘Permission to Dance,’ I didn’t know what kind of group we were anymore.”

“We’re each going to take some time to have fun and experience lots of things. We promise we will return someday even more mature than we are now,” Jungkook stated.

“The problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature,” added RM, noting that without the ability to figure out who they are individually, he has often felt “trapped inside myself.”

Cue the BTS Army going into meltdown. 

Not only were K-Pop fans around the world stunned by the news, but HYBE, which is the entertainment company behind the group, saw its stock value take a steep nosedive. And when we say steep, we mean to the tune of $1.7 billion in market value, per Billboard. 

So it only took HYBE five hours to release a statement to the media, clarifying that BTS are not actually breaking up.

"The group will remain active as a team while taking individual journey to further achieve personal growth," the company said in a release sent to People, adding that this time off, "will allow themselves to express their individuality through the release of solo albums and collaborations with other artists."

A PR rep for the K-Pop superstars told The New York Post, “To be clear, they are not on hiatus but will take time to explore some solo projects at this time and remain active in various different formats.”

Then they sent Jungkook in to do some damage control. Speaking on the live steaming app V-LIVE, he said, “We’re each going to take some time to have fun and experience lots of things. We promise we will return someday even more mature than we are now.”

Cue the BTS Army grabbing their defibrillators because they were *THIS CLOSE* to a heart attack.

Still, the back and forth has left some fans confused. Like, are they on hiatus or are they not? What does that even mean?

For now, we suppose only time will tell for the Grammy-nominated chart toppers.