Netizens accused HYBE of using V and Jennie’s dating rumor to “save” LE SSERAFIM Kim Garam
HYBE is suspected to be using the photo of BTS V and BLACKPINK Jennie at Jeju Island for its own good.
BLACKPINK Jennie and BTS V is currently the hottest name on social media as a photo that is claimed to be of them traveling to Jeju Island together is spreading rapidly online. Netizens are debating heatedly whether this photo is reliable or not. Some are sure that it’s just a photoshopped version of a scene where V and j-hope appeared together in “In the SOOP”.
On the other hand, many are convinced that this photo is authentic because V’s outfit, hairstyle and sunglasses in the photo and in the scene with j-hope are different. Jennie also has the same sunglasses from Gentle Monsters, which is shown in the photo.
Before, V has accidentally followed Jennie on Instagram. Singer Grimes and model/actress Jung Ho Yeon, friends of Jennie, also follow V on Instagram. Their SNS layouts are quite similar as well with black-n-white profile pictures and a simple letter of V – J. The photo is currently a viral debate among Korean netizens. Both HYBE and YG Entertainment haven’t said anything about this.
Therefore, this is an extremely abnormal move on HYBE’s behalf. ARMYs, or fans of BTS, also had to clarify the situation themselves, saying that the photo was not of V and Jennie but rather was photoshopped from a previous photo of j-hope and V inside their car. According to these fans, it’s safe to assume that there’s no chance of V and Jennie being in the same car together.
However, a question remains: “Why is Big Hit Music, and by extension, HYBE Labels, so slow in responding to the dating rumor of their biggest artist, especially when they are usually so quick to refute any baseless claims?” Many netizens believed this to be a media move of HYBE in order to divert attention from LE SSERAFIM Kim Garam, who is also an HYBE artist and is currently embroiled in a school violence controversy.
Following this course of thinking, BLACKPINK and BTS fans are both extremely displeased, since if this is true, HYBE has gone too far. This not only affects V right ahead of BTS’s comeback but also drags in a completely innocent Jennie.
Of course, these are mere unconfirmed suspicions, and for now, there’s no official statement from HYBE.