BUDDY! I am pretty new here, but I have something to share you about my project. So, I am recently interested in writing up a novel based on the established GFRIEND's storyline about the Tale of the Glass Bead, but I recently came to a stop because I found it complicated. GFRIEND fan theories, my interpretations, the MV storyline which may not match up with the progression I am searching for, etc., make things more complicated. Especially the place where the storyline takes place under certain realities between reality and dream - world, the reoccuring objects, where they connect or not becomes one of the obstacle I am facing against.

This then leads me to revisit all of the GFRIEND's music videos found on YouTube and made my own observations, theories and chronologies based on the existing fan theories, recurring visual details, what it symbolizes, and possible narrative connections between all these.

So I think, I do really need some of the other BUDDY's interpretation and discuss with other BUDDYs based on what I found and how I interpret things out of the storylines.

It is not official, of course, as I am only a fan of them who is currently writing a novel which may use some of the familiar interpretation of the well established theories found by fellow BUDDYs, neither do I establish things such as the chronology and my interpretation is as well, correct. I also genuinely welcome with other BUDDYs feedback and correction of my own interpretation and mistakes of making this out.

But before all that, my initial question was simple :

What if GFRIEND's storyline began much earlier than we initially realized, and the chronological order of events is different from the order in which the music videos were released?

So, I came up with these kind of interpretation, theories, and timelines :

1. The Beginning: Glass Bead (유리구슬)

This might be the most simple and the most straightforward interpretation that I may probably have since it is the earliest part of the narrative of the GFRIEND school days where they share an ordinary environment, interaction, exercising on a gymnasium and spending time together, sharing food, being scolded by the teacher, their happiest day ever on a school.

On the surface, this is a youthful school concept. However, knowing the later developments in A Tale of the Glass Bead, I believe these scenes can be interpreted as the foundation of something much larger.

The Glass Bead is particularly interesting.

Its symbolism is not necessarily limited to physical fragility. Despite its delicate appearance, it can also represent resilience, emotional connection, and something precious worth protecting.

My interpretation: The most important thing established at this stage is not their supernatural abilities or the complicated circumstances that eventually emerge. It is their togetherness.

Before we can understand what might be lost, we must understand what the girls have together.

The later official Previous Story and Märchen material introduce their shared childhood, extraordinary abilities, and the conflicts associated with those gifts. However, I would distinguish this retrospective lore from what the original Glass Bead MV explicitly shows.

However, things only get more interesting from here. More complicated than I originally thought it would be.

1. Me Gustas Tu: Could the Japanese MV Come Before the Korean MV?

Here's the thing. You remember that on the Korean MV takes on some time on summer vacation, right? So what if the Japanese MV is actually taking place BEFORE the Korean MV takes place on? I mean, like, they are clearly on their school days BEFORE the summer vacation takes place. So, my proposed chronology / sequence is that Glass Beads takes place before Japanese Version of Me Gustas Tu takes place, which also takes place before the Korean Version itself, or in other word, the chronology / sequence is :

Glass Beads -> Me Gustas Tu (JP Ver.) -> Me Gustas Tu (KR Ver.)

Why?

Here's my observation :

The Japanese MV greatly emphasizes on a school environment, dance activities, practice spaces, and school festival. It also features details relating to the use and clearing of their school space. On the other hand, the Korean MV instead putting a much greater emphasis on their adventure beyond the school environment, such as on a park, a minimarket, playful activities, etc.

One possible interpretation is that the Japanese MV captures a later phase of their shared school experience, followed by the summer adventures depicted in the Korean MV.

Alternatively, the Japanese MV could represent a different interpretation of the same period as the Glass Bead MV rather than a separate chronological event.

Nevertheless, treating the two videos as distinct narrative events creates an interesting possibility worth investigating.

1. Love Whisper: A Continuation, a Memory, or a Missing Piece?

Here, I am confused about where Love Whisper takes place. Recurring environments, recurring motifs, invites me into a comparison between this and their earlier music videos releases, such as those of the trees, the bridges, railway tracks, the water, photographs, and even memories.

One particular property that I think worth noting is that the recording equipment found at the end of the MV. This invites me to interpret this as a various possible theories as of what it could mean to depict.

It is however may be disputed, but one of my interpretation and theories says that it may be a memory recorded on the recording. They revisiting familiar places, preserving shared experience, or moving through other stage of friendship may be supporting that they somehow act as a reminder of what they truly are as a whole.

However, similar visual motifs do not automatically prove that two scenes occur at exactly the same physical location or point in time.

For now, I am tentatively placing Love Whisper before Rough in the proposed narrative chronology and remain open to the possibility that parts of Love Whisper represent recollections rather than a straightforward continuation.

My interpretation: The recurring locations and objects may serve as visual connections between different periods of the girls' lives.

Their significance may become clearer when compared with later music videos.

1. Rough: When Time Becomes Important

Rough marks an important tonal development.

The atmosphere is noticeably more melancholic, while its school setting, seasonal imagery, and references to time introduce a feeling of longing.

The desire to run through time raises an important question:

Why would someone wish to move through time unless there was something they wanted to reach, recover, or prevent themselves from losing?

I do not think this necessarily proves that the girls have already experienced a major separation. However, it may introduce the emotional circumstances that eventually make the desire to change time meaningful.

One particular detail that caught my attention was Eunha's paper plane.

At first, it might seem like an ordinary symbol of communication, longing, or a message intended for someone. But after comparing Rough with other music videos, particularly Love Whisper, I began wondering whether the paper plane could have a much greater significance.

What if Eunha's paper plane is connected to the blue butterfly?

My interpretation is that the blue butterfly is the letter or message itself, represented through a different narrative form.

I am not suggesting that the paper physically transforms into a butterfly. Rather, I believe the two could represent the same message, despite appearing differently throughout the storyline.

This made me question who the message was actually intended for.

Instead of being addressed to just one person, what if Eunha's message serves as something resembling a signal to all the girls who have become separated?

This possibility becomes particularly interesting when examining Love Whisper, especially the scenes involving Sowon's interrupted departure and the girls pursuing the butterfly.

Could the butterfly represent the same message Eunha was attempting to send? And if so, could it be guiding the girls toward one another, reminding them of the connection they once shared?

When I considered this alongside the background established in Märchen, particularly the girls' extraordinary circumstances and their desire to remain together, the connection became even more interesting.

Perhaps the message is not simply asking someone to return. Perhaps it is intended to help the girls recognize why they need to remain together in the first place.

This also changes how I interpret the recurring theme of time in Rough.

What if their desire to return to the past is not necessarily about restoring everything to how it used to be, but about finding a way to prevent the loss of their togetherness?

And if the butterfly eventually becomes involved in their attempts to revisit the past, something originally associated with communication and reunion might gradually become connected to the consequences of their choices.

Of course, this interpretation also raises questions about the chronology itself.

If Eunha's paper plane and the butterfly in Love Whisper are connected, would that mean Rough takes place before Love Whisper? Or could some of these events represent memories or sequences presented outside their chronological order?

I have not reached a definitive conclusion.

Nevertheless, I find the possibility that Eunha's paper plane and the blue butterfly represent the same message particularly interesting, especially when considered alongside the girls' longing and their increasingly complicated relationship with time.

Perhaps the most important question is not how far they are willing to travel through time, but what they are willing to do to remain together.

1. Navillera: A New Beginning?

Navillera presents another interesting transition.

The imagery of movement, youthful excitement, photographs, and butterfly-related symbolism opens several possible interpretations.

Could this represent another chapter of the girls' shared lives?

Could it involve a fresh beginning?

Or might certain visual differences suggest that the story is not progressing in a completely straightforward chronological sequence?

I do not have a definitive answer yet.

For now, I consider Navillera an important part of the early narrative, particularly because its visual and lyrical themes may connect with later developments involving butterflies, choices, and change.

However, I would avoid claiming that this MV confirms the existence of an alternate timeline.

That remains a hypothesis.

1. My Proposed Early Chronology

After comparing the music videos and considering their possible narrative connections, this is my current working arrangement:

Background: Märchen / A Tale of the Glass Bead: Previous Story — the childhood mythology and origins of their extraordinary circumstances.

Chapter 1: Glass Bead — school life and the foundation of their friendship.

Chapter 2: Me Gustas Tu (Japanese MV) — shared school experiences and the school festival.

Chapter 3: Me Gustas Tu (Korean MV) — summer adventures and friendship beyond school.

Chapter 4 (Provisional): Love Whisper — recurring locations, connections, and possible memories.

Chapter 5 (Provisional): Rough — longing, time, separation, and Eunha's possible message to the girls.

Chapter 6: Navillera — change, renewed connection, and possible narrative transitions.

However, I am still uncertain about the chronological relationship between Love Whisper and Rough.

Initially, I considered placing Love Whisper before Rough. But my interpretation of Eunha's paper plane and its possible connection to the blue butterfly has made me reconsider that arrangement.

If both represent the same message, could the events in Rough actually precede those in Love Whisper?

Alternatively, could some of the scenes represent memories or events presented outside their chronological order?

There is also the possibility that the two music videos are connected thematically rather than through a direct chronological sequence.

For now, I prefer to keep their placement provisional rather than force them into an arrangement that may contradict other details in the storyline.

This is precisely one of the reasons I temporarily halted my novel-writing process: I wanted to understand how these events might connect before deciding how to portray their progression.

I would be particularly interested in hearing how other BUDDYs interpret the relationship between these two music videos, especially concerning Eunha's paper plane and the blue butterfly.

1. What I Currently Believe — And What Remains Unanswered

There are several points I feel relatively confident about:

• The girls' relationship is central to understanding the story.
• The Glass Bead has significance beyond its literal appearance.
• Recurring visual motifs deserve comparison across different MVs.
• Release dates alone are insufficient to establish the fictional chronology.
• The Korean and Japanese releases should both be considered when investigating the complete storyline.

However, several questions remain unresolved.

Are the recurring locations literally connected, or primarily symbolic?

Are certain music videos portraying memories instead of present events?

At what point does the wish to change time become an actual intervention?

And perhaps most importantly, are the girls trying to restore their previous lives, or are they simply trying to preserve their connection regardless of how their circumstances change?

That final distinction is especially important to my interpretation.

Being together does not necessarily mean returning to exactly how things used to be.

1. A Larger Question for the Story

One philosophical possibility I want to explore in future analyses is the relationship between intention and consequence.

Suppose someone attempts to change the past because they believe doing so will protect the people they love.

What happens if that very attempt becomes part of the circumstances that cause their separation?

This is only a theoretical framework for examining later portions of GFRIEND's storyline, not something established by these early music videos.

Nevertheless, I think it provides an interesting direction for investigating the butterflies, wishes, memories, and possible causal loops that emerge later.

For now, I would rather leave that question open than force the storyline into one definitive explanation.

1. Closing Thoughts

I think one of the most fascinating things about GFRIEND's storytelling is that the earliest videos can appear relatively simple, but acquire new possible meanings when revisited after experiencing the later releases.

Perhaps not every visual similarity is intentional. Perhaps some apparent connections are coincidences.

But I believe the story is worth examining carefully, without immediately dismissing those possibilities or treating every interpretation as confirmed canon.

As for my novel, this research has become an unexpectedly important part of the writing process.

What began as an attempt to resolve a few chronological inconsistencies has gradually developed into a much larger exploration of GFRIEND's narrative and its possible underlying principles.

And although I still have plenty of unanswered questions, I believe the investigation itself has been worthwhile.

I would love to hear what other BUDDYs think!

Do you consider the Japanese Me Gustas Tu MV a possible chronological predecessor to the Korean MV?

Where would you place Love Whisper?

And what do you think is the strongest connection between the early GFRIEND music videos?

I am particularly interested in alternative interpretations supported by details from the MVs or official story materials. Your observations might even help me refine the chronology before I continue writing my novel!

To be continued — Part 2: The Butterfly Effect and the Question of Time.

Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan theory and part of my independent research for a fan-made novel. Interpretations are speculative and should not be confused with confirmed statements from GFRIEND or their production team.

Streaming Links

Apple

Spotify

Youtube Music