"I prefer to smile"- BTS' j-hope shares how his outlook on life has changed in his 30s with Choo Sung-hoon

In a video uploaded on May 6, 2025, BTS' j-hope shared his changed outlook and perspective on life during his 30s with media personality Choo Sung-hoon, as the idol went on a mukbang date with the latter in Tokyo. The video, titled My Donsaeng and I Ate Everything from Convenience Store Desserts to Omakase All Day Long, was shared on the YouTube channel 'Choo Sung-hoon.'

During an honest conversation, the More singer confessed that he was presently in a space and time where he could not cry much. He also seemed ecstatic about his positive emotions and said he preferred to smile. j-hope stated:

"Right now, I'm in a time where I don't cry much. I actually want to express more happy emotions. I think I prefer to smile more."

BTS' j-hope confessed that he used to cry a lot when he was young

Following BTS' j-hope and Choo Sung-hoon's convenience store date, the latter took him to his acquaintance's restaurant. He further showed his affection by providing the Chicken Noodle Soup singer a hat as a gift. Subsequently, the BTS member was questioned about his drinking capacity, and he responded:

"I turn completely red after drinking just one glass. In terms of drinking capacity, I can drink about half a bottle of soju."

Later during their conversation, when Choo Sung-hoon said he might be crying, j-hope asked if he cried often. In response, the former said he had changed a lot since having a child and now gets very emotional. Sung-hoon further mentioned that his father passed away three years ago, and since then, he has undergone a complete transformation. Subsequently, the BTS member praised him and added:

"I think you're so honest and cool. I cried a lot when I was young, but strangely, I have lost some of that since I'm in my thirties. But I think that's going to change. I thought about it while listening to my brother's story, but I think my emotional changes change as I live."

In other recent news, the idol dropped two singles; Sweet Dreams (featuring Miguel) and Mona Lisa on March 7 and March 21, 2025, respectively. Both songs were released through j-hope's label, BigHit Music. He also participated in a charity event titled Le Gala des Pieces Jaunes, which was hosted by the First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, in January 2025.

Further, in February this year, BTS' j-hope kick-started his first solo tour, Hope on the Stage, in Seoul, South Korea. He will also headline the 2025 Lollapalooza Berlin music festival, which will take place on July 12 and 13 this year at the Olympic Park and Olympic Stadium in Berlin, respectively.

Meanwhile, BTS' j-hope is set to release his third single. However, no release date has been announced yet.

About the author

Kirti holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism & Mass Communication and has been a Kpop writer at SK POP since 2022. She has been following Kpop and Kdramas since the last 6 years and but has worked in the genre only in the last 3-4 years donning several several caps - social media intern, copywriter, article writer and academic writer.

Kirti likes to pen down insightful features based on Korean dramas, especially the 'Ending Explained' categories. It gives her the satisfaction of creating the most authentic content rather than simply replicating what media outlets generally do.

Her process of creating content is time-consuming, yet methodical; she prefers to use original sources of information, which in her case are Korean outlets. She watches entire episodes, writes them down, cross-checks/fact-checks the details/event timelines off the web and eventually creates her copy.

Kirti likes Lee Je-hoon, IU, and Kim Seon-ho since she feels that their dramas are inspiring and have good plotlines. When she is not writing about K-dramas, she can be found watching them.

Know More

Edited by Janhavi Chauhan