BTS' J-Hope begins 30-day countdown to military discharge; treats fans to mirror selfie: 'Proud of myself, I made it'

BTS member J-Hope will soon complete his mandatory service and return to civilian life. He shared a new selfie alongside a letter for his fans on Tuesday.

J-Hope is set to become the next BTS member to be discharged from the South Korean military, and his fans, aka the BTS ARMY, cannot wait. J-Hope recently took to Weverse to mark the 30-day countdown to his military discharge, which is scheduled for October 17, 2024. Shortly after his post, excited fans said they were glad he will soon complete his mandatory service and return to civilian life.

BTS member J-Hope spoke about his military service.

What did J-Hope say

The BTS member began by writing in Korean, as translated by a fan page on X, "One month, exactly 30 days left to go! All that time flew by, but I'm already reminiscing about it, I guess I grew pretty fond of everything here. I've been packing, giving away some of the gear I came to cherish, and my locker's starting to look a bit empty."

He further wrote, alongside his mirror selfie, "And that's when the feeling really starts to sink in. I look back, and it all comes flooding back, those early days when I was nervous and tense and didn't know what I know now... that everything would be just fine (even the sound of the locker screeching open was triggering)."

J-Hope then said, "These days, I look at the new recruits who are just starting out, and I can read their minds. It reminds me a bit of myself, so I find it kind of cute... sigh... I can't stop my emotions from taking over these strong Emotions with a capital E... well, I'm proud of myself! I made it! I say all this, and I'm writing this from my bed, haha. I really am one of those* 'so-close-to-being-discharged-sergeants'. Having the holiday (chuseok) off is pretty nice!! A full day to properly rest!"

He concluded with, “Alright that was a lot but I wanted to come on here and say I hope you had a joyful chuseok... isn't it crazy it happens to be the day i start the 30-day countdown?? While everyone's peacefully winding down with family, the butterfly in my heart is fluttering around to no end.”

Reactions on X

An X user tweeted in response to J-Hope's letter that was translated by a fan page, "CAN'T WAIT FOR HIM TO BE BACK ALREADY..." Another said, "His letter is so lovely... but his pic..." 

Someone also said, "It was a wonderful letter..." Another fan tweeted, “Thank you for your wonderful translations. His heartfelt expressions and gutfelt emotions come across so clearly. Appreciate the time you spend… it means so much...”

While Jin, the oldest member of BTS, enlisted in December 2022, and was discharged from his mandatory military duty in June 2024, J-Hope joined in April 2023. Suga, the third BTS member to join the military, started his service in September, 2023. The rest of the members – RM, Jimin, Kim Taehyung (aka V), and Jungkook – are also serving in the South Korean military.