4 K-pop BFFs to know: BTS’ Jimin, Exo’s Kai and Shinee’s Taemin are all part of ‘the Padding Squad’ while Blackpink’s Jennie is friends with Red Velvet’s Irene, and Lisa is tight with Bambam

Mar 8 , 2021

Super Junior’s Heechul and Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon, former Got7 member Bambam and Blackpink’s Lisa, and Jennie and Red Velvet’s Irene. Photos: @SMTown_SNSD; @soompi; @Baejoohyunews/Twitter

· — Super Junior’s Heechul and Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon, former Got7 member Bambam and Blackpink’s Lisa, and Jennie and Red Velvet’s Irene. Photos: @SMTown_SNSD; @soompi; @Baejoohyunews/Twitter ·

K-pop fans love seeing close connections between their favourites, even creating relationship names like ‘Taeny’ for Girl’s Generation’s Taeyeon and Tiffany

Super Junior’s Heechul and Taeyeon had a heart to heart on the variety show Fun Game, even discussing Heechul’s relationship with Twice’s Momo

A K-pop fan’s favourite thing – besides cheering for their groups of choice, of course – might be watching idols develop strong connections with each other. Some fans even create the kind of “relationship names” usually reserved for A-list couples – typically portmanteaus of their two favourite idols’ names, such as “Chaelisa” for Blackpink’s Rosé and Lisa, or “Taeny” for Girl’s Generation’s Taeyeon and Tiffany.

Friendships between members of different groups might be a rarer occurrence, but they still happen, and here are four you might not know about.

Blackpink’s Jennie and Red Velvet’s Irene

According to Irene on an episode of JTBC’s Idol Room, her friendship with Jennie began in an unlikely place: a hair salon. Jennie was the first to start up a conversation by approaching Irene and calling her unnie (Korean for “big sister”), and their friendship has grown ever since.

Aside from chatting at awards shows and tagging each other on social media, the pair frequently eat out together, and were even spotted by fans at an LA restaurant where they were photographed reaching for the bill at the same time, presumably both insisting it was their turn to pay.

Bambam and Blackpink’s Lisa

Jennie isn’t the only Blackpink member with close ties outside her group – Lisa has known former Got7 member Bambam since childhood, and the two have always been close. They now work together as ambassadors for Thai telecommunications brand AIS.

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