By Xu Aiying
Photos & video = Netflix

"It's been a blessing to live as BTS for 12 years. But the incredible crown that comes with BTS is unbearably heavy -- and honestly a bit scary."

RM, the leader of K-pop juggernaut, says this in the Netflix documentary "BTS: The Return" scheduled for release on March 27. This program shows the process of the band producing its fifth and latest album "Arirang."

The documentary begins with the group's songwriting camp last year in Los Angeles, where all seven members reunited after completing their mandatory military service.

A behind-the-scenes story also shows how BTS chose "Arirang" as the theme for its album. The narrative was borrowed from the first recording of the folk song "Arirang" by seven Korean students in 1896 in Washington.

The video shows the members' debates over including "Arirang" in the group's first song of the album "Body to Body" and balancing the use of Korean and English lyrics.

The title track "Swim" provoked mixed reactions from the group, with some saying it felt like Pyeongyang naengmyeon (cold noodles). Opinions were divided after the members listened to the recorded version after finishing the song.

Views clashed over the song going in a direction contrary to what the public expected and trying something new. The final decision came after the group decided that if it wanted change, now was the time to do it.

The group spent many hours in the recording studio and workspace and shared drinks late at night.

Bao Nguyen, the documentary's Vietnamese American director, captured the boy band's journey from a warm perspective. Instead of artificial staging, he observed their daily routines with a camera installed on a tripod and added home videos shot by members long ago with an old camcorder.

"Being BTS is a heavy crown. They carry immense responsibility as Korean and global artists," he told a news conference on March 20 at Cinecube Gwanghwamun in Seoul's Jongno-gu District.

He added that the process of filming the documentary and seeing how the members took on such responsibility to create a beautiful work was a continuation of respect and admiration.

"It became not just about the creative process, but about brotherhood and family — how they navigate a difficult world as BTS, and how they do it together."

"There is a very long process involved in making an album less than an hour long, and there is a process of so many people participating in building teamwork," Big Hit Music Vice President Nicole Kim added. "It's very meaningful for us to show this intense journey along with the album."

xuaiy@korea.kr