The Moment Park Seo-jun Greeted BTS V at a Grocery Store

During a surprise trip to Namwon in South Jeolla Province, actor Park Seo-jun delivered one of the most charming moments of the week when he spotted BTS V's face at a local supermarket — and did exactly what any loyal best friend would do. Standing in front of a cola brand advertisement featuring Kim Taehyung, widely known as V, Park Seo-jun casually called out a warm greeting to the image, melting the hearts of viewers and fans everywhere.

The scene aired on the May 17 broadcast of tvN's Flower of Youth: Limited Edition (꽃보다 청춘: 리미티드 에디션), the third episode of the reality variety program featuring actors Jung Yoo-mi, Park Seo-jun, and Choi Woo-shik. With no smartphones, no itinerary, and just a limited cash budget to carry them through each day, the show has quickly established itself as one of Korea's most endearing variety programs of 2026 — and episode three gave audiences a moment they'll be talking about for a while.

When a Cola Ad Becomes the Best Reunion

Park Seo-jun's playful supermarket greeting was no performance for the cameras — it reflected a genuine and well-documented bond between him and BTS member V. The two are central figures in the "Uga Family" (우가패밀리), a tight-knit celebrity friend group that also includes Choi Woo-shik — who was standing right there in the aisle — as well as rapper PickBoy and actor Park Hyung-sik.

The friendship between Park Seo-jun and V runs especially deep. In various interviews over the years, Park Seo-jun has shared that the two once lived together temporarily, an unusually close arrangement that speaks to the genuine trust and comfort between them. V, too, has spoken warmly about Park Seo-jun in public settings, and their friendship has long been a source of delight for fans who follow both.

When Park Seo-jun spotted the cola advertisement featuring V's face prominently displayed in the mart, his response was instinctive. He called out a warm greeting — using the affectionate Korean address 태형아 (Taehyung-ah) that carries the intimacy of a close companion — and waved at the image as though greeting his friend in person. The moment was warm, unhurried, and entirely unscripted. It was the kind of natural response that can't be staged.

Jung Yoo-mi, watching from nearby, responded in kind. Without hesitation, she reached for the cola bottle and said, "Should we get this one?" — placing it directly into the cart. The gesture was small but telling: in a group already built on warmth and genuine affection, supporting a friend's brand is just what you do. Fans watching at home responded with immediate delight.

Budget Constraints and a Supermarket Win

Beyond the viral greeting moment, episode 3 gave viewers a longer look at the show's core charm: the genuine challenge of navigating real-world constraints. The trio arrived in Namwon with only 140,000 KRW set aside for food and groceries — a figure modest enough to require actual planning and meaningful trade-offs at every turn.

Their supermarket session was a lesson in practical decision-making. Standing in the instant noodle aisle, the cast considered two nearly identical products and chose the one that cost approximately 200 won less. The logic was simple: when you're budgeting across multiple days of travel, every won counts. The deliberateness of it — from people accustomed to far more comfortable circumstances — struck viewers as both funny and relatable.

Choi Woo-shik captured the group's breakfast philosophy with a single line: "Ham, rice, and eggs is enough." His matter-of-fact frugality was met with easy agreement, and the trio worked through the rest of their shopping with the same pragmatic efficiency. No luxury impulse buys. No nostalgia for hotel buffets. Just three people figuring out how to eat well on what they had.

By the time they reached the checkout counter, their combined grocery bill came in at just 90,000 KRW — a full 50,000 won under their total budget. The relief that followed was immediate and completely genuine. "We're going to have money left over today," Jung Yoo-mi said, beaming. Park Seo-jun summed it up: "We saved a lot, didn't we?" It was a small victory — but on a show built around small victories, it landed perfectly.

Why the Format Works — and Why This Cast Makes It Special

Flower of Youth: Limited Edition is tvN's latest iteration of the beloved Flower of Youth franchise, a format that has earned a devoted following by placing celebrities in situations stripped of their usual comforts. No advance itineraries, no reservation apps, no personal assistants — just the challenge of navigating an unfamiliar place with limited resources and a great deal of goodwill.

The 2026 cast is particularly well-matched to the format's demands. Jung Yoo-mi is one of Korea's most respected dramatic actors, recognized for nuanced performances across both independent cinema and prestige television. Park Seo-jun has built a genuinely global following through a string of successful projects that earned him fans across Asia and beyond. Choi Woo-shik is internationally recognized from award-winning works that demonstrated his considerable range as a performer.

Watching this trio debate instant noodle prices, count change at a checkout counter, and celebrate a 90,000 won grocery bill like a major achievement creates a dissonance that is immediately charming. It humanizes them in ways that scripted productions rarely manage. The show's "no phones" premise amplifies everything — forced to rely on memory, conversation, and the help of locals, the cast reveals sides of themselves that a more comfortable setting would never surface.

In an earlier episode, Park Seo-jun's connection to BTS V was already woven into the show's texture: he reportedly asked a local shop employee whether they knew of any restaurants that V had visited, using his famous friend's reputation as an unconventional travel guide. It was resourceful, endearing, and entirely on-brand for a cast whose authentic friendship is one of the show's strongest assets.

Fan Reaction: A Moment That Travels

The clip of Park Seo-jun greeting BTS V's cola advertisement spread rapidly through Korean social media within hours of the episode's broadcast. For BTS fans, the moment carried particular warmth. With BTS members in various stages of completing their mandatory military service and gradually returning to public life, any glimpse of the group's personal friendships and off-stage lives carries added emotional resonance.

Park Seo-jun's greeting — spontaneous, tender, and directed at an advertisement rather than a person — captured something true about enduring friendships. It was a moment that could only happen on camera because it would have happened whether cameras were present or not. That quality is what makes it resonate: it isn't engineered for an audience; it's simply real.

As Flower of Youth: Limited Edition continues through its run on tvN, audiences can expect more unscripted moments from Jung Yoo-mi, Park Seo-jun, and Choi Woo-shik as they make their way through Korea's regional landscapes with limited budgets and genuine camaraderie. Episode three has set a high bar — but given what the show has already delivered, the bar looks very much worth clearing.