Winter of Aespa and Jungkook of BTS. Yonhap News

Jungkook of BTS resumed activity on social media for the first time since dating rumors with Winter of Aespa, drawing the attention of fans.

On the 14th, Jungkook posted a selfie to his official social media account. In the released photo, Jungkook wears a mask and looks into the camera, with only his eyes visible, as if conveying a quiet moment from everyday life. Although it was just a single selfie uploaded without any explanation, the fact that it was the first update since the dating rumors drew even more attention.

Jungkook social media screenshot

Recently, online communities and social media have been sharing various photos and screenshots along with claims that Jungkook and Winter are in a relationship. What first drew attention was the tattoos on their arms. Winter has a tattoo on the back of her arm, above the elbow, featuring three dog faces in a row, and Jungkook was also spotted with a similar dog tattoo in a comparable spot, prompting suspicions of ‘couple tattoos’.

Fans then focused on several items the two appeared to wear around similar times in the past. In addition to claims that their bracelets, shorts, and in-ear monitors overlapped in style, there were also assertions that the two were seen with nail art of similar colors on the same finger (the ring finger) just one day apart, which some interpreted as signs of ‘couple nails’.

The fact that Jungkook took leave during military service to attend an Aespa performance is also being revisited. Online, people say, “Jungkook had never gone to performances by girl groups affiliated with HYBE until now,” and speculate that his attendance at the Aespa concert indicates a special connection with Winter.

With such pieces of circumstantial evidence being tied together, the dating rumors about the two continue to become real-time hot topics online day after day. However, everything raised so far is merely speculation that has not been verified by the individuals involved. As of the 5th, BigHit Music, the agency for Jungkook, and SM Entertainment, the agency for Winter, have not responded to related inquiries.