The gift shop at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is expecting a huge rush over the next few months.

“This is hands down the most inventory that we’ve ever front-loaded for an exhibition,” said the museum’s director of retail, Shane Salvata.

The reason for the merch overdrive is K-pop band BTS — or, more specifically, its leader, RM. The popstar is showing art from his personal collection for the first time at a museum, and SFMOMA is packed with fans clamoring to see the works and buy souvenirs.

Among those there for RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me on the sold-out first day of previews are Bay Area twenty-somethings Joi Karra and Bre Walker.

The pair met each other a few months ago at one of the BTS-themed events Walker organizes locally. Karra similarly takes BTS fandom seriously. The college student has a side hustle making BTS-inspired pins and other accessories.

“I love art and museums,” said Karra. “I’ve been to SFMOMA many times before.”

“I am not an artsy person,” Walker said. “This is my first time actually coming to an art museum. And it’s all because of Nam-joon.”

She’s talking about Kim Nam-joon — RM’s real name. (RM was once known as “Rap Monster,” but has gone by the shorter version for almost a decade.)

BTS’s global fanbase — collectively known as ARMY, an acronym for “Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth” — came up with a verb to describe the lifestyle associated with the K-pop star’s interests: “Namjooning.”

“Just doing all the things that Nam-joon loves doing as well,” Karra said by way of definition.

Namjooning

Visiting museums and collecting art are key to Namjooning. RM began doing these things nearly a decade ago.

His passion for painting and sculpture inspired some of his songs, such as “Yun” (about the 20th century Korean abstract artist Yun Hyong-keun) and “Still Life” (inspired by seeing still life paintings by 19th century European masters in museums). His art collection focuses heavily on works by Korean artists, from ancient times to the present, including Yun, Kim Whanki and Chang Ucchin.