The long-awaited K-drama is inspired by the BTS Universe Begins ≠ Adolescence premiered April 30, 2024, on Exclusive. Episode 1 of the series, entitled “Am I wrong..?,” introduced the audience to the seven main characters of the K-drama. This includes Kim Hwan (Seo Ji Hoon), Kim Do-Geon (Seo Young-Joo), Kim Joo-An (Jung Woo Jin), Jeon Je-Ha (Jeon Jin-Seo), Min Ce-In (Noh Jong-Hyun), Jeong Ho-Su (Ahn Ji Ho) and Park Ha-Ru (Kim Yoon Woo).
The first episode of Begins ≠ Adolescence sees Kim Hwan as a new student who meets six other boys at his new high school. Kim Hwan is the son of an Assembly member and thus gets special treatment from the school authorities. In the episode, he ends up experiencing misunderstandings and conflicts with the other six boys because of his prejudices.
K-Drama BTS Universe Begins ≠ Youth episode 1: Kim Hwan has a conflict with six other men
Beginning of episode 1 of Begins ≠ Adolescence shows a flashback scene. A fire occurs in an environment. People were frantically watching the fire while a boy stood among the crowd with an indifferent expression and a lighter in his hand. The boy is Min Ce-In (Noh Jong-Hyun).
The episode returns to the present, where viewers see another boy, Kim Hwan (Seo Ji-Hoon), the son of a powerful member of the Assembly. He had transferred to a new school there. On the first day of school, he couldn’t wear a school uniform. However, due to his father’s position of power and his ties to the school authorities, he was not punished for it. Kim Hwan even received special treatment from the principal.
Starting ≠ Youth episode 1 also introduces two other boys from the same school, Kim Do-Geon (Seo Young-Joo) and Kim Joo-An (Jung Woo-Jin). They both come from low-income families and work part-time to support their families and themselves. When they returned home from work, they visited Kim Hwan’s house to see its luxury. While there, they are caught by Kim Hwan, who calls the police. Because the authorities knew them, they let them go with a warning.
However, they returned to that place again after Kim Do-Geon lost his salary package when he entered the house. They asked Kim Hwan to look for him, but he refused. Therefore, they tried to go inside secretly. Seeing them, Kim Hwan called the police again. In the midst of the commotion, someone stole Kim Hwan’s bicycle.
The next day at school, Kim Do-Geon brings a bicycle that looks exactly like Kim Hwan’s. After seeing it, he accused her of stealing it. No matter how hard Kim Do-Geon and Kim Joo-An tried to convince him that they didn’t steal it, he refused to believe it. Therefore, this created a huge misunderstanding between them, which led to a physical fight. Another boy, Jeong Ho-Su (Ahn Ji-Ho), also ends up in a fight, and they all receive punishment except Kim Hwan.
The teacher gives them detention, where they have to clean a room in the school. There, they saw Min Ce-In who was already in detention. Then, the episode introduces two more boys, Jeon Je-Ha (Jeon Jin-Seo) and Park Ha-Ru (Kim Yoon-Woo). The six of them have a strong bond.
Towards the end of the episode Begins ≠ Youth, viewers saw the misunderstanding regarding bicycles between Kim Hwan and the other boys disappear. It happened after Min Ce-In found Kim Hwan’s stolen bicycle and returned it to him.
The next day, Kim Hwan returns Kim Do-Geon’s bicycle to him, which he took as revenge. He also gave him the salary money he lost at home. Kim Hwan then apologized to them. At the end of episode 1, the six boys stand in a line in front of the school as punishment. After arriving at school, Kim Hwan also queued with them.
Viewers can watch Begins ≠ Youth episode 1 on Exclusive.