“Why did this end in a cliffhanger?” — Fans react as BTS’ Jin's “kidnapping” plot turns out to be j-hope’s ride request

On October 23, 2024, BIGHIT MUSIC dropped the behind-the-scenes video of BTS' Kim Seok-jin aka Jin going to receive j-hope after the latter's discharge from the military. The video, titled, "j-hope Reunites with Jin at the Discharge Ceremony!" was released on BTS' official YouTube channel, BANGTANTV.

BTS' Jin surprised fans with a humorous confession during a Weverse livestream on September 21, 2024, revealing his playful plans to "kidnap" fellow BTS member j-hope on the day of his military discharge. He shared how much he missed his younger bandmate and said:

"My plan is to kidnap hobi as soon as he is discharged. I will kidnap him right away and take him straight to the Run Jin filming spot"

The lighthearted remark immediately sent ARMY (BTS’ fanbase) into a frenzy, with fans flooding social media platforms with laughter and joy at Jin’s playful antics. On October 17, 2024, when j-hope was discharged from the military after fulfilling his mandatory service, fans joked that the Moon singer-songwriter would kidnap j-hope and take him to the filming set as planned.

However, j-hope was seen getting into a separate car after he addressed the reporters waiting outside the military base. Fans assumed that Jin's kidnapping failed somehow. Later, the BANGTANTV YouTube video—released on October 23—showed that j-hope wanted to travel with Moon singer-songwriter in the same car but later changed his mind.

The scene from the video went viral online as fans shared their hilarious reactions on X (formerly Twitter). One fan wrote:

"Why did this end in a cliffhanger? The last thing here is 2seok wanting to ride together and managers agreeing so why did they end up getting into different vans? What did Hobi see???"

The BTS ARMY mentioned how they assumed that the Astronaut singer-songwriter's plan to kidnap j-hope must have failed when the latter originally wanted to ride in the same car with Jin.

"We thought jin was tryna kidnap hobi here but the whole time it was just 2seok wanting to ride together THEYRE SO CUTE," a fan wrote.

"That moment when Jin tried to convince JHope to go in the car with him so he can kidnap him - oh well nice try," another fan said.

"Love the way Hobi asks, can I go in Jin's car? Like, you're a globally treasured world superstar mate, do whatever tf you want," one other fan added.

Others highlighted how happy they were to see Jin travel for 3 hours to the military base to receive j-hope.

"Jin going to get his Hobi is the most precious thing you will ever see!!" a fan wrote.

"I hate that we couldn't get this for Jin's since they couldn't film any of the other members, but I'm so so so glad we only have return Bangtan bomb's with more and more members in them to look forward to now," another fan remarked.

"The fact that they could film this one cause no enlisted member was there what a bittersweet thing," another fan added.

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Jin arrived to pick j-hope from the military camp as other BTS members couldn't attend due to their ongoing enlistment

Jin arrived at the Wonju military center to receive j-hope and sent fans into a hilarious meltdown online as Jin kneeled holding microphones for j-hope. BTS' j-hope addressed the waiting reporters outside the camp and bowed to them as a sign of respect.

Billboard reported that j-hope expressed his gratitude to his fans for supporting him while he served 18 months in the South Korean military.

“Thanks to the fans, I was able to finish it [military service] safely, with good health. What I’ve felt for the past year-and-a-half is that a lot of soldiers are working hard, dedicating themselves, and doing so much to protect the country,” j-hope said.

He continued:

“During my 18 months of military service, I performed duties as an instructor and marched a lot, so I saw many Wonju citizens. I want to thank the citizens who greeted and cheered for the soldiers. It was very touching,”

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In other news, BTS' Jin is set to drop his debut solo album, Happy, on November 15, 2024.