Recently, global ambαѕѕador for Louis Vuitton j-hope appeared on the cover of the May 2026 issue of Esquire кσяєα alongside the new Buttersoft Sneaker. The pictorial quickly went viral thanks to the warm and sweet aura that defines ARMY’s “hope.” He showcased a flawless look, perfectly harmonizing with LV’s signature brown-gold tones and the soft pink hue of the newly released sneakers.
Not stopping at the fashion spread, on the 19th, Esquire кσяєα also released a roughly 4-minute behind-the-scenes interview video—where he shared a short story about the creative process behind the Buttersoft shoes with Pharrell Williams, opened up about his recent thoughts, and expressed his affection for the members of BTS—whom he has been with for 13 years.
In particular, during the segment about BTS, j-hope delighted fans by taking on Esquire кσяєα’s challenge of giving “a keyword for each member.” His choices, both witty and heartwarming, quickly became a hot topic of discussion among fans worldwide.
First, j-hope described RM as his “personal laugh button.” He explained that in the past, as the leader, RM often had a serious and somewhat reserved image. “But after coming back from the military, he's gotten really funny. And honestly, it looks so good on him. He looks comfortable,” j-hope elaborated on the keyword.
For Jin, j-hope gave the nickname “my personal Digimon,” stemming from the fact that the two have recently been playing a Digimon-related game together. Meanwhile, SUGA was likened to “my personal kitty cat,” with the BTS rapper even adding a vivid “meow~.” This keyword is soмєтнing fans have often αѕѕociated with SUGA as well. Notably, both j-hope and SUGA are currently raising cats.
As for the maknae line, Jimin was given the keyword “my personal gacha,” with j-hope explaining: “You just keep wanting to pull, and it feels like soмєтнing new will keep coming out. I lose it every time I see him,” leaving fans swooning over their brotherly bond.
He continued this sweet tone when referring to Jungkook as “My personal Dubai chewy cookie,” emphasizing, “So precious, our Jungkook.” Comparing Jungkook to a famous cookie that is hard to find in кσяєα highlights his value and uniqueness, clearly reflecting how much j-hope cherishes the group’s youngest member.
However, the most surprising “keyword” for fans was undoubtedly the one for V. j-hope called him “my current drinking buddy.” While this may sound ordinary, fans found it υиєχρє¢тє∂, as drinking is not typically αѕѕociated with either j-hope or V—both are known for not having a strong tolerance for alcohol. In fact, V has mentioned that he does not particularly enjoy drinks with a spicy-bitter taste like alcohol or beer.
Therefore, fans were quite surprised when j-hope revealed that they had gone drinking together once and had become “drinking bud∂ιєs.” This υиєχρє¢тє∂ pairing struck fans as adorable. Some even speculated that their similar low alcohol tolerance might actually make them better companions for sharing drinks and conversations. One fan candidly commented: “I bet they talked more than they drank, and both ended up sleeping on the spot after just one drink.”
Meanwhile, these “keywords” clearly reflect j-hope’s deep affection for the members of BTS. Each nickname highlights a distinct personality trait or defining characteristic, showing just how well he understands them and how much love and connection he shares with them. Fans couldn’t help but be moved by this moment, commenting:
- When you think you love BTS more than anyone but HOBI shows up
- Hobi's huge smile thinking about his members. THAT'S MY FAMILY Y'ALL!
- Not him calling Tae his drinking buddy when they can barely drink. That’s actually the cutest thing ever
- His keyword for yoongi being my personal kitty cat and for Jungkook my Dubai chewy chocolate? Man just show us your stan account
- sorry i couldn't even finish the rest of the video bc i got so emotional about how warmly hoseok said namjoon being more comfortable and silly lately looks so good on him.. he loves him so much and cares so deeply about his wellbeing
- idk if it's physically possible for him to love them more and have come up with cuter titles for them
- everything starting with a "my personal..." I'm so gonna cry like ohmygosh they are fr family :((
- hobi gets absolutely adorable when it comes to questions like these i love him
- The way he notices each of their most distinctive traits and compares them to different things, recognizes how they’ve changed over time, and truly cherishes them—my heart just melts at Hobi’s love for BTS
- The way Hobi describes each member is so personal and thoughtful. You can really feel how much he loves them
- Every keyword is so accurate but also so HIM… he understands BTS on a whole different level
