Hate

“Hate” is tattooed across Jungkook’s knuckles, and he identifies it as a nod to his father. The inscription sits among images he describes as a personal vocabulary: some give form to darkness and death, while others point toward strength, empathy, and calm. Its significance is explicit, but the scene leaves the nature of the feeling behind it unstated.

The Inscription and Its Meaning

When Shelby asks what his tattoos mean, Jungkook pauses; apart from Namjoon and Sunmi, no one has asked him about them. In explaining the designs on his right arm, he describes a demonic Japanese samurai as representing a part of himself that has been present since childhood, and an oni as personifying his own demons. He then explains that “Hate,” on his knuckles, is a nod to his father. The word is the clearest direct link in his account between an inscription on his body and a family relationship.

A Word Within a Larger Tattoo Vocabulary

The surrounding tattoos give the single-word inscription a sharper context without translating it into a fuller explanation. Jungkook’s right arm gathers darker images: a geisha wearing a Kitsune mask represents his mischievous side, while a chrysanthemum carries associations with death and funerals in Japan, the desire for a beautiful death, determination, and endurance. The oni on his hand is accompanied by a tantō between its teeth, smoke, and thorns. Against these images, “Hate” belongs to a set of designs through which Jungkook makes difficult parts of himself visible.

His description of the left arm turns toward a more hopeful register. A dragon signifies wisdom and strength, cherry blossoms empathy, and a tiger the freedom to live alongside his unpredictable side. He says the Buddha and a small red daruma reflect calm, connecting them to his mother’s faith; the two koi represent resistance in adversity, which he relates to his own fights at Ares Garden. This contrast does not cancel the knuckle tattoo’s stated connection to his father. Instead, it places that stark word within a bodily self-portrait that also includes endurance, affection, and the possibility of calm.

The Disclosure

Shelby is taken aback by the ease with which Jungkook explains the darker images. His apparent indifference troubles her, especially because he had seemed surprised by the question; she wonders whether that manner conceals sadness. The scene does not settle what he feels about his father or elaborate on the inscription beyond calling it a nod. Its restraint matters: “Hate” is given a specific personal association, while the emotional history behind that association remains unspoken.