Tom Cruise, BTS' Jin fanboy over each other in YouTube show Run Jin

"Do you know BTS?" Jin of K-pop boy band BTS asks, grinning at American actor Tom Cruise across the studio set of the South Korean singer's YouTube variety show, Run Jin.

- 

SEOUL -

The question has become something of a cultural in-joke in South Korea - the gold standard for determining whether a foreigner has done his or her homework. Cruise, ever the prepared performer, does not miss a beat: "Yes! I know BTS. We all know BTS."

This playful exchange kicked off the much-anticipated 35th episode of Run Jin, featuring the unlikely pairing of one of K-pop's most beloved figures and the legendary Hollywood action star. The episode was uploaded to BTS' official YouTube channel on May 20.

Filmed during Cruise's promotional visit to South Korea for the spy action movie Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning about two weeks prior, the meeting came at Cruise's initiative. Jin mentioned in a recent radio interview that Cruise's team had requested to appear on his show.

For Jin, 32, the encounter was significant.