BTS’ J-Hope, with his smiles, dimples and infectious laugh, is adored by his members and ARMY. As interviews, Weverse Lives and the numerous variety shows In The Soop, Run BTS and Bon Voyage show, the rapper and lead choreographer for the band is the comfortable and happy space for his band member. He has a different connections with each of them. For instance he is Suga’s ‘portable battery’, and Jimin’s ‘number one’ as RM once declared, and always finds a way to bring cheer to the group when they’re low on spirits. From giving them head massages, saving them from fireworks, or just being the hugger of band, J-Hope is everyone’s favourite.
J-Hope is the second leader to BTS as RM has often said. When it comes to choreographing dances, J-Hope’s sunny persona ebbs away, and the BTS members have often mentioned how particular the rapper is when it comes to getting steps perfect. During their Grammy Live in 2022, as J-Hope was down with COVID and could not rehearse with RM, V, Jimin and Suga, they mentioned that there was complete chaos in the studio without him to get them in line. In fact, during one of the Run BTS episodes, the members had to pretend to act as if they had been caught by J-Hope while performing the wrong step. This led to much laughter as all of them pretended to look terrified and acknowledged that this has happened too many times on stage.
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RM once said, “He always lights up the atmosphere. He leads in performance, and he shares half my leader role.” Jin agreed with this and said that J-Hope has ‘extraordinary’ leadership skills. “When we are performing, he knows what to do with the members. If there’s someone out of place, he knows how to gather them up.”
The SOPE duo
While all of BTS’s members have different ‘ships’, there is an entire fanbase dedicated to J-Hope’s friendship with Suga. While Suga is reserved and doesn’t always join in the Bangtan chaos, J-Hope is more vibrant and cheery. It’s a case of clear opposites, and Suga’s fondness for J-Hope showed in his statement when he called him his ‘portable battery’, who gives him energy. It’s fitting to say that only for J-Hope, would Suga perform an overtly catchy song like Otsukare (only true ARMYs know the gem of this song) and wear glitzy outfits, as fans noted. Moreover, Suga has often been seen looking for J-Hope in big crowds and giving a relieved smile when he finally sees him. The two have even done entertaining Lives, where they sat with face-masks and spoke to ARMY.
The ‘2-seok’ special
Jin and J-Hope, ‘2seok’ as they’re often called, share a close friendship, and Jin, has often plastered his Instagram with photos of him and J-Hope, and the latter has done the same. Apart from goofing around constantly, hugging every chance they get and running amok when they can, the two enjoy having their lunches and dinners together. Prior to his departure for military service, a visibly emotional J-Hope called Jin when he was at an award show, and got him to listen to the sound of cheering ARMYs. Moreover, Jin called J-Hope from military camp, just before the rapper’s performance in New York City. Being Jin, he also scolded J-Hope for not answering his phone.
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J-Hope and the Maknaes
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The maknaes (younger members) of BTS don’t let go of J-Hope and enjoy making him laugh and run to him for all the hugs, whenever things get tough. From V carrying J-Hope on piggyback in performances, to Jimin flying all the way to Chicago just to cheer him on for Lollapalooza, J-Hope cherishes Jungkook, Jimin and V. He has been through several chaotic Lives with them, one of the most memorable being the Grammys 2022, where they sat and had dinner while being in splits over Suga’s numerous marriage proposals.
However, the younger ones also look to him for praise, as once revealed by V. He said, “I think I’ve matured a little bit…I worked very hard to be praised by J-Hope. I always feel bad whenever I don’t get praise from him.” V once also said, “He gives us so much strength when we are frustrated and exhausted with work or our personal lives.”
In 2015, after Jimin fainted at a fan-meeting in Osaka, J-Hope comforted panicking ARMY by sharing a video of him sleeping and said, “He’s sleeping, I’m guarding and taking care of him.” J-Hope takes on the role of soothing ARMY’s worries when it comes to the member’s health and did it recently too, when Jimin underwent surgery. He shared a photo with Jimin, where they’re smiling at each other and said, “He’s healthy now.”
