BTS Universe 'Youth' Drama Trailer Revealed; Everything You Need To Know About The Series

A South Korean drama based on the BTS Universe's "Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa (HYYH)" era is heading to the small screen.

The trailer for the upcoming drama, along with its title, plot, and cast, was unexpectedly unveiled to the crowd who attended the 2023 Korea Expo held at the Porte de Versailles in Paris, France, over the weekend to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korea-European Union diplomatic relations.

Titled "Youth," the drama will center on the HYYH period that represented the "The Most Beautiful Moment In Life" trilogy album — released from 2015 to 2016 — and depicted the story of young boys transitioning into adulthood, especially during the characters' school days and how their meaningful friendship was born. The story was featured in BTS' music videos and short films, according to Pink Villa.

Multiple sources have claimed that the story would begin with the characters meeting at detention in school, leading them to form a "strong bond" as they share their daily life struggles.

"Youth" will be purely fictional, and no scenes will be based on the real-life experiences of all seven BTS members, including RM, Jimin, Jin, Suga, V, J-Hope, and Jungkook.

Though the drama will portray the group's characters from the HYYH era, it will introduce new names to avoid further confusion, per Pink Villa. The drama will also dive deep into rampant issues discussed during the era, such as early childhood trauma, relationships with parents, and other challenges.

The trailer release came four years since Big Hit Entertainment — now known as Big Hit Music — announced that a drama based on the BTS Universe was in the works alongside a famous South Korea-based production studio. It was originally slated to be released in 2020 but got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Youth" will be produced by Chorokbaem Media in collaboration with HYBE Corporation and will star up-and-coming actors that will portray the BTS members. Seo Ji Hoon will star as Jin, Ahn Ji Ho as J-Hope, Seo Young Joo as RM, Kim Yoon Woo as Jimin, Jung Woo Jin as V, and Jeon Jin Seo as Jungkook, according to Sportskeeda.

It is set to become the third-biggest production in K-drama history, having a budget of $35.4 million. Pink Villa noted that the high budget could be due to the inclusion of a BTS song in the drama's official soundtrack. It is unclear which song it will be. But the group's 2018 track "Euphoria" could be heard in the background of the trailer.

The official release date and streamer for the slice-of-life drama have yet to be announced. But it's most likely to be released by the second half of 2023 and will reportedly run for 24 episodes.