In July 2022, just one month after BTS announced their plans to focus on solo work and their impending military enlistment, HYBE revealed a new partnership with Disney. This partnership guaranteed five projects to be made available for streaming on Disney+. On March 31, HYBE and Disney announced their newest addition to the platform: a documentary featuring SUGA of BTS. SUGA: Road to D-DAY was released on the same day as his latest Agust D solo album. According to a press release from the company, the documentary is said to “showcase Suga and his impressive skillset, giving viewers an intimate look into the life of one of the world’s biggest stars'' as he searches for “inspiration in the form of new sounds and experiences.”

The documentary opens with a dark cloud of self-doubt looming over SUGA as he questions whether or not he has anything left to say through music. “I had so many stories I wanted to say all this time, but I lost it because I achieved so much.” SUGA compares this internal struggle to dreams, a recurring theme in his discography, sharing that the more he achieves, the easier it is to forget. The opening notes to Agust D’s “so far away” begin as he flies high over the clouds, and the long journey to D-DAY unfolds before him.

LAS VEGAS: December 9, 2021

SUGA’s journey with music doesn’t seem to have a clear beginning or end, but Road to D-DAY starts off during winter in Sin City. SUGA has always been interested in sampling songs and various sounds in his music to create something new, and here we see him working on a track that samples “About Thirty” written by Kang Seungwon and performed by Kim Kwangseok. At the time, he was only 28 years old internationally, but in the Korean age system, he was about to enter his thirties. It’s at this age that BTS announce their intention to focus on releasing solo music. As we watch SUGA work, he explains in a voiceover how the public’s negative reaction to this announcement influenced the lyrics for “Polar Night.” The song is included as his first live performance in the documentary, a powerful statement to make in the wake of disbandment rumors.

During his stay in Vegas, SUGA makes sure to pay a visit to Steve Aoki’s mansion in the desert. Upon entering, he’s immediately met by paintings of BTS displayed on numerous shelves and walls. He seems surprised at first, but it’s just a small token of the support Aoki has shown for the K-Pop group over the years. So far, the DJ has collaborated with BTS on three tracks, starting with his remix of “MIC Drop” in 2017. Since then, he has made sure to offer his help with whatever the group may need. Their relationship might seem surface-level to the untrained eye, but Aoki offers something the members severely lacked during their debut days: a senior artist to turn to for advice when times get tough.

MALIBU: December 15, 2021

Just a few days after his trip to Vegas, SUGA drives up the California coast. He finds himself in Malibu a few weeks before Christmas to visit an old friend. Halsey and BTS first met in 2019 when working on the title track for the group’s sixth EP, Map of the Soul: Persona. The two grew closer when SUGA featured on the pop star’s third studio album, Manic, in 2020. To some, it’s difficult to understand how genuine friendship forms between two people who don’t speak the same language, but to SUGA it’s simple. “They treat us like humans,” he explains. “We may not speak the same language, but we get each other.”

After a warm dinner with Halsey’s family, he visits yet another award-winning western artist. Anderson .Paak invites SUGA for a tour of his home studio in California, an offer the younger rapper gladly accepts. Between shots of American-made soju, the seasoned producers take turns sharing songs from their respective albums and discussing future collaborations. SUGA jokes that he came to the U.S. for work, but all he’s done so far is drink. The bright smile on his face, however, shows that he doesn’t seem to mind.

CHUNCHEON: May 25, 2020

SUGA brings us back in time to Chuncheon, South Korea. It’s only four months after the country’s first recorded case of COVID-19. BTS is currently filming season one of the reality series In The Soop after being forced to postpone the start of their world tour. Agust D’s second mixtape, D-2, has also just been released, but SUGA shows no signs of slowing down. We get glimpses of him working on music in the camper van at the show’s filming site. SUGA is putting the finishing touches on “AMYGDALA” when Jimin enters, and he offers a first listen to his friend of eight years. Amygdala is the term for an almond-shaped “region of the brain primarily associated with emotional processes.” It shapes our body’s instinctive reactions to things we’ve experienced before. In the present day, SUGA details his vision for the song’s music video during a meeting for his "official" debut as Agust D. He delivers an emotionally-charged live performance of the track in Road to D-DAY where Agust D begs his amygdala to save him from painful memories of the past.

PYEONGCHANG: January 23, 2022

The documentary flashes forward to the beginning of 2022. SUGA is seen revisiting the filming site of In The Soop for season two, a secluded house located in the mountains of Pyeongchang. This time, his company includes a number of producers, writers, and staff members. They work tirelessly to finish his album, despite not having a release date. At one point, the topic of SUGA’s hardworking nature is brought up. He admits his tendency to take on too many projects at once, and even questions himself for it, sharing that, “recently it’s been so, so agonizing to make music.” Yet in the end, it comes down to a singular driving force: the fans. “If this doesn’t go out, then the people who like us, who like me, won’t they be bored?” The sentiment is followed up with a performance of “People” from D-2. Upon its release in 2020, the track quickly became a fan-favorite and deep source of comfort for many. Two years later, SUGA can finally see it from a similar perspective. He now listens to “People” during difficult times, and drew inspiration from it to create D-DAY’s pre-release track, “People Pt.2”

SAN FRANCISCO: December 7, 2021

San Francisco is actually the start of SUGA’s road-trip around the world, taking place just before Las Vegas. In true SUGA fashion, he sets off on a fishing trip in the Pacific Ocean, bringing along equipment for his traveling recording studio. His short trip is followed up with a performance of “People Pt.2” featuring IU. There’s a bit of awkward tension in the room. It’s the duo’s first live performance together, and SUGA is known for his ability to avoid eye contact at all costs when on stage. However, for experienced songwriters of the same age, collaboration comes naturally. Their vocals blend together seamlessly, like gentle ocean waves. 

TOKYO: September 30, 2022

Just seven months before the release of D-DAY, SUGA boards a flight to Tokyo to visit the late Ryuichi Sakamoto. The artists greet each other in a mix of languages before sitting down for a candid discussion about life and music. Despite the age gap and language barrier between them, the exchange is nothing short of beautiful. SUGA explains how he discovered the composer’s work at a young age during a trip to the theater to see The Last Emperor. At just 12 years old, he began sampling and rearranging scores from Sakamoto to create new music. Nearly 20 years later, SUGA draws inspiration from Ryuichi Sakamoto’s early work to create a song dedicated to those who follow in his footsteps. He takes a moment to play “Snooze” for the man who influenced its composition before the two move to the piano together. Their meeting wraps up with the men taking turns to play “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.” 

Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away on March 28, 2023 at 71 years old. Upon the announcement of his passing, his management team shared one of his favorite quotes: “Ars longa, vita brevis,” which translates to, “Art is long, life is short.” Sakamoto’s art lives on in the hearts of the people he inspired. He’s credited as a feature on “Snooze” alongside Kim Woosung of The Rose. If you listen closely, you can hear his piano layered under Agust D’s refrain from “so far away” which he revisits in “Snooze” to encourage the next generation of dreamers.

SEOUL: February 6, 2023

Road to D-DAY wraps up in Seoul two and a half months before its scheduled release. SUGA enjoys a light meal accompanied by a glass of red wine while sharing some final thoughts on his upcoming album and the journey that led him to this moment. For a long time, SUGA has suffered from overwhelming anxiety, yet another recurring theme in his music. The difference is that instead of running from his anxious thoughts, SUGA now strives to embrace them. “Anxiety is our friend,” he calmly states. Oftentimes, it stems from situations we can’t control. Whether it be regrets of the past, worries for the future, or criticism from others. It’s an endless cycle of stress that is difficult to escape. According to SUGA, that’s what D-DAY is all about. We can’t change the past any more than we can predict the future. The way people perceive us is also out of our control. The only choices we have exist in the present. It’s a lesson that took SUGA years to learn, but he finally feels liberated from those negative thoughts. “That’s what D-DAY actually means: the day we free ourselves from information.”

He ends with a performance of “Haegeum,” the album's title track. As a K-Pop idol, SUGA has faced countless criticism and imposed bans regarding the way he lives his life. “Haegeum” works to take back control and unlock what was once forbidden. The road to liberation is never easy, but in the last installment of Agust D’s trilogy, Min Yoongi finally gets a taste of freedom. The dark clouds dissipate, and the sun shines through on a hopeful future filled with new stories just waiting to be told. This is his D-DAY: “A new kind of Haegeum.”

Edited by Deshalia Murray