BTS has been active for 13 years, and if you include their trainee period, the first time j-hope met the members dates back around 15–16 years ago. More than a decade has pαѕѕed, and although many moments from the past may have faded, the first impressions of meeting the members are soмєтнing he has never forgotten.
Among all the BTS members, the rap line were the first to live together in the dorm. The first person j-hope met when he arrived at Big Hit Music was none other than SUGA — at the time, they were only about 18 or 19 years old. Most notably, their first encounter could only be described as extremely awkward — and even “sensitive.”
In a rare moment, j-hope and SUGA once sat down together to recall that memorable day at the company dorm. SUGA had already been accepted as a trainee and had been living there for some time. “When I first met SUGA, he was just a guy in his und3rwear at home, but now he’s a totally αwєsome host. I’m so proud of him", j-hope said as he reminisced about the humorous memory.
While j-hope’s first impression of SUGA was a little embarrαѕѕing, SUGA admitted that he also “had a lot of thoughts” about the younger member when they first met. He recalled thinking, "Who is this dude in braces talking in a Jeolla-do dialect?’".
Then, defending his younger self, SUGA clarified the situation in which he appeared in front of j-hope wearing only uηdεrωεαr. It turned out that this wasn’t a unique case for j-hope — many new trainees at Big Hit Music experienced similar situations when they first arrived at the dorm. V and Jungkook were also among those who went through the same thing.
"I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ I was in my und3rwear because I had just gotten out of the bathroom… but the other guy also say that I was in my und3rwear the first time they saw me", he explained.
Even SUGA himself wasn’t sure why such awkward incidents kept happening. He expressed regret that he couldn’t make a better first impression on j-hope and the other members, saying, "But I’m a little bummed that I was in my und3rwear the first time we met!"
Although the initial impression may not have been perfect, j-hope admitted that over time, anyone could clearly feel SUGA’s kind nature. He didn’t hesitate to praise SUGA for looking cool and having the aura of a true senior. Because SUGA had more experience than the other trainees and was already familiar with dorm life, he often supported and helped the newcomers — both in daily life and during practice sessions.
In the end, more than just an awkward or regrettable moment, the image of the “cool guy in uηdεrωεαr” actually helped break the initial tension among the new dorm members like j-hope, Jungkook, and V. Perhaps he didn’t even realize that his approachable and humorous personality helped newcomers feel more comfortable and eased the cautious atmosphere.
It’s not just j-hope’s story that shows how kindly SUGA treated other trainees — Kim Jihoon, one of the former trainees from the original BTS project, has also shared many times about SUGA’s kindness. When Jihoon fell ill, BTS rapper personally took him to the hospital late at night, paid the medical fees, and stayed with him until morning.
Notably, at that time, SUGA himself was living a rather difficult life and didn’t have much money, yet he never lacked kindness. Even now, as a global K-pop superstar, this quality of his shines even more brightly.
He has encouraged and given advice to younger idols such as TXT and Kang Daniel in their early debut days, donated to charities supporting sick children, and contributed to programs nurturing young musical talent.
In short, there is truly nothing about SUGA that you could criticize — he is naturally perfect in his own unique way!
