On June 12th, BTS' Jin became the first member of the group to be discharged from mandatory military service, completing his duty as an active-duty soldier at the 5th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do. 

Jin's enlistment began in December 2022, and his return has been eagerly awaited by fans.

Photo via Koreaboo

The joyous occasion saw the remaining BTS members taking time off to celebrate Jin's return. They reunited with warm embraces and smiles, with leader RM even going viral for his impressive saxophone rendition of "Dynamite." However, one member was notably absent from the initial reunion: SUGA.

SUGA, currently serving as a social service worker, wasn't present with the other members during the initial welcome-back gathering. This absence did not go unnoticed by the ARMY, who fondly remembered SUGA's promise to see them again in 2025 after all the members had completed their military service. Since his enlistment, SUGA has kept a low profile, leading fans to jokingly speculate that they might not see him until his discharge.

In a playful twist, some ARMYs edited SUGA into photos with the other members or humorously suggested he was in one of the black vehicles present at the site. Despite these lighthearted jokes, SUGA's promise seemed to hold firm, with many believing they would indeed wait until 2025 for his return.

New Photo of Yoongi pic.twitter.com/zqgAm4FX3N

— BTS Charts Daily (@btschartsdailyc) June 12, 2024

LOOK BTS OT7 PIC🥺😭
(editing is my passion😭) pic.twitter.com/J8CTtGBkgF

— Carolyne🌱⁷⁼¹ (@mhereonlyforbts) June 12, 2024

Contrary to his promise, SUGA did make an appearance later at the HYBE building, reuniting with his fellow members. The group commemorated the reunion with a group photo, which they shared on their joint social media account, much to the delight of fans.

ARMYs were overjoyed to finally see an OT7 photo, eagerly counting all seven members. SUGA-biased fans were especially thrilled to see him again, many expressing their excitement!

there is no better feeling in this world than seeing a bts photo and counting seven heads.

— 🍯 ⁷ ᴰ² (@kosmicyoon) June 12, 2024

counting seven heads https://t.co/tJ7Z4CeDwr pic.twitter.com/9cPTd7BFgE

— army film club (@0613frames) June 12, 2024

In the end, no one minded that SUGA "broke" his promise. His early visit was a welcome surprise, bringing even more happiness to the devoted ARMY. 

Welcome back, Jin, and thank you, SUGA, for the delightful surprise! We look forward to all your future endeavours.