"This is so cute": Fans gush as j-hope spots military junior in audience during HOTS' D-2 concert in Seoul

j-hope ’s second day of the HOPE ON THE STAGE tour in Seoul on March 1, 2025, was filled with unforgettable moments, but one interaction in particular stole the spotlight. Held at the KSPO Dome and streamed live on Weverse, the concert took an unexpected turn when the BTS member recognized a familiar face in the crowd.

Midway through his set, j-hope performed BTS’s Airplane Pt. 2 from the Love Yourself album. While doing so, he suddenly became visibly surprised and excited, repeatedly pointing at someone in the audience with a bright smile. After finishing the song, he addressed the crowd, revealing what surprised him.

"I was singing Airplane Pt. 2, but then I saw my military junior! My military junior is here. I saw! Right? You're really here? Wow! I was surprised that I couldn't concentrate in the middle of the performance. It was like seeing an invited guests kinda up close like this." he said, laughing. Looking toward his fellow soldier, he added, "You even got the ticket yourself, didn't you? You're the best! He's the best junior."

Fans quickly took to social media, sharing clips of the heartfelt moment. Many found the interaction endearing, with one fan commenting,

"This is so cute but side note I always wonder when they’re performing, do they actually SEE people’s faces? And when they’re reminiscing about the audiences whose face do they see? Or is just a big blob of armybombs?"

"you know how good of a person someone is when a junior come see that person unannounced knowing they’ll be welcomed nonetheless THAT JUNIOR IS SO LUCKY😭💜 You can see how excited Hoba upon seeing him," wrote one fan.

"hoseok spotting his military friend in the crowd and being surprised because he didn’t ask him for tickets, he bought the ticket himself, so he was shocked to see him. hoseok you’re so loved wherever you go," read a comment on X.

"honestly it must be an INSANE experience to get to know hoseok as your fellow soldier, and then meet him again on the outside as j-hope when you see how star-like & explosive he is on stage… that man will never forget this night lmao," mentioned one netizen.

ARMYs also applauded j-hope ’s military junior for purchasing the ticket on his own instead of relying on his connection with the artist from their time in the military.

"That's a real one right there Getting Hobi's concert ticket is no joke, and he didn't even ask hobi. He did it on his own," posted a netizen.

"one thing i really appreciate about this is how these dudes could’ve probably easily asked for favors or shortcuts, knowing how intense ticketing is… but they didn’t take advantage of that connection & made the effort to go through the process like every other army. respect," posted this ARMY.

"that junior is a real one – going through the hell of ticketing to see hobi (we really be fighting the tannies' military friends for tickets huh)," added another ARMY.

---

j-hope kicks off HOPE ON THE STAGE tour with electrifying Seoul concerts

j-hope’s HOPE ON THE STAGE concert series in Seoul marks his highly anticipated return to the stage following his military discharge. The three-night event at KSPO Dome, which began on February 28, continues with performances on March 1 and March 2, drawing excitement from fans worldwide.

The second night featured a packed 2-hour-and-30-minute setlist of 26 songs, covering his solo discography from Hope World, Jack In The Box, and HOPE ON THE STREET VOL.1. He also treated fans to performances of BTS tracks, revisiting albums like Love Yourself: Answer, Love Yourself: Tear, Love Yourself: Her, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.2, BE, and MAP OF THE SOUL: 7.

The setlist also featured Sweet Dreams, j-hope’s unreleased collaboration with Grammy-winning artist Miguel. The complete setlist for HOPE ON THE STAGE – Day 2;

1. What if...
2. Pandora's Box
3. Arson
4. STOP
5. MORE
6. Hope On the Street (solo version)
7. Lock/unlock
8. I don't know
9. I wonder...
10. Trivia: Just Dance
11. Sweet Dreams (new song)
12. 1 Verse
13. Base Line
14. HANGSANG
15. Airplane
16. Airplane Pt. 2
17. MIC Drop
18. Silver Spoon
19. Dis-ease
20. Outro: Ego
21. Daydream
22. Chicken Noodle Soup
23. Hope World
24. Future
25. = (Equal Sign)
26. NEURON

With the Seoul leg setting the tone for his first solo world tour, j-hope is set to bring HOPE ON THE STAGE to audiences across North America and Asia. His US stops include Barclays Center in New York, Allstate Arena in Chicago, and BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

The tour will then move to Southeast Asia, with concerts in Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok, Singapore, Macau, and Taipei, before concluding in Osaka, Japan, on June 1.

---

In addition to his tour, j-hope is preparing to release his new solo album, Beginning of a New Dream, in March 2025. Ahead of the album drop, he will unveil Sweet Dreams on March 7 at 2 pm KST. To celebrate, BIGHIT MUSIC has announced Sweet Dreamland, a special fan event scheduled an hour before the song's release.