Epik High’s Tablo just shared the untold story of his very first meeting with BTS―12 years later.
On March 26, in a video featuring RM and SUGA on Epik High’s official YouTube channel, Tablo said, “In 2014, when our album ‘Shoebox’ came out and we were doing M Countdown, that was the first day we met,” as he pulled up a group photo.
In the photo, Epik High and a baby-faced BTS are smiling together for a backstage snapshot.
About that day, Tablo said, “It was our first time meeting as full groups. You came by our waiting room, we said hello, and took a photo. But I had a kidney stone that day. You wouldn’t have known, but I collapsed in the bathroom that morning. I heard it’s one of the worst pains a person can feel.”
“I was rushed to the hospital, got painkillers, and went straight on stage because it was a live show,” he continued. “The stone hadn’t even passed yet. I was in the waiting room thinking, ‘I can’t be the reason we mess this up―let’s get through this fast,’ and then you walked in. You came in all bright, like, ‘Bang! Tan! Hello, we’re BTS!’ and in my head I was like, ‘The stone is about to come out right now…’”
The members reacted, “So that’s why you didn’t seem well that day,” while RM added, “I’ve heard kidney stones are extremely painful.”
RM and SUGA were said to have leaned on Epik High even before debut. Remembering BTS’s 2017 American Music Awards stage, Tablo said, “I was watching the broadcast and got a text from SUGA saying, ‘I’m so nervous.’” SUGA recalled, “I usually don’t get nervous on stage, but that day my hands were shaking.”
Tablo added, “After the performance, I texted, ‘You did so well.’ Only then did I feel a bit relieved,” highlighting the tight bond between him and the BTS members.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)