BOYNEXTDOOR Unveils 'HOME: DELUXE' Special Report

'The Animals' Opens as a Research Record

BOYNEXTDOOR's “Special Report: The Animals,” a video connected to “HOME: DELUXE,” unfolds as a mock documentary centered on animal identities. It begins in the style of a formal research record, using documentary conventions to establish its fictional premise and introduce the phenomenon at the heart of the story.

On-screen captions identify the setting as the “Research Center for Modern Human Zoology,” located in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The report then turns its attention to a growing number of people who believe that they are animals other than humans, creating the controlled and serious atmosphere of an institutional study.

According to the explanation presented within the video, these individuals identify themselves with different animals. They are introduced as people who say that the category of “human” alone cannot fully explain who they are or how they understand themselves.

The report builds a fictional history around the phenomenon, saying that cases were once rare but later increased until they began to resemble a broader social trend. Graphics attributed to an overseas survey and the research center state that people in their teens and twenties account for 70 percent of the cases. The figure, however, is presented as a narrative device inside the video's fictional framework rather than as an outside factual claim.

The story then follows Dr. Yoon Kyung-ho as he attempts to uncover the true nature of the phenomenon. To investigate it, he selects nine participants and begins an experiment designed to observe their identities and responses.

The Animal Identities of the Nine Participants

Kim Woon-hak appears as the first person interviewed and introduces himself as a pigeon. The video spends considerable time assembling details about his family before linking that account to its portrayal of pigeons as highly reproductive animals. The connection becomes the basis of the scene's humor.

Lee Ri-woo is labeled as an owl. He is portrayed as someone who remains awake at night and experiences problems with sleep, allowing the owl identity to shape the way his behavior is presented during the interview.

Kim Lee-han appears as a sloth, taking on an image defined by slow reactions and rest. The captions add that a sloth's low metabolic rate makes rest a survival strategy, extending the report-like treatment of his assigned animal identity.

Myung Jae-hyun is introduced as an ant. He talks about getting a job, following a senior colleague around while working, and then discussing savings and stocks after receiving his first paycheck. These details form the character portrait attached to his ant identity.

Kang Min-kyung is labeled as a goldfish and appears as a quiet participant. After the quiet participant leaves, Jang Yo-hoon enters as a parrot. His repeated speech and loud voice unsettle the atmosphere of the interview and make the session increasingly difficult to keep orderly.

Han Soo-woo is identified as a frog. Alongside his appearance, the video explains that animal cries often function as sounds for survival and communication rather than as direct expressions of emotion, maintaining the documentary's analytical tone.

A Commotion Leading Into the Music Experiment

Dr. Yoon Kyung-ho next attempts a music experiment. He plays music for the participants and asks them to express whatever they feel, shifting the study from individual interviews to a test of how the group responds to sound.

In this sequence, Park Sung-ho appears as a penguin and is depicted as intensely curious. He fires off questions involving Antarctica, the Arctic, the desert, krill and stones, among other subjects, adding to the growing commotion around the experiment.

As the participants consider what music should be played, Jang Yo-hoon responds that he wants rock music. The noise surrounding the discussion continues to build, making it difficult for the laboratory to maintain control of the experiment.

Han Tae-san is the first person shown leaving his seat. The captions label him as a llama and explain that llamas have a habit of checking things with their mouths and spit as a way of maintaining relationships within a group. Those explanations are used to frame his behavior within the video's animal-based premise.

Near the end, the report states that it is difficult to conclude that animals accurately enjoy and appreciate music. It then proposes another possibility: if the participants are sincerely enjoying the music, they may be more complex beings than the experiment initially assumed.

Rather than drawing a firm line between humans and nonhumans, “Special Report: The Animals” closes as a record of understanding and empathy. Its final perspective leaves the participants' identities open to consideration instead of reducing them to a simple conclusion.