Luckily, fans of both idols laughed it off as an easy mistake and rumours were dismissed as quickly as V had retracted his follow.

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Those Jeju Island lookalikes

Later in May 2022, a photo of two people travelling in Jeju Island was uploaded on May 22. The caption on the image, translated by Koreaboo, read: “This is a photo that was sent in today. It might be that they’re lookalikes, but it is allegedly a photo of two top idols. The female idol, in particular, has been rumoured to have broken up with an OG idol member. So fans seem to be more receptive to this photo as true.”

According to Koreaboo, BTS and Blackpink fans dismissed the rumours, stating that Jennie’s hair was dyed orange at the time the image surfaced, unlike the woman in the photo. Others claimed the images were not real at all, just a good Photoshop job.

However, rumours of them dating continued to make rounds on social media platforms and news headlines. It didn’t help that neither of the artists’ representative labels made a strong statement to shut down the speculation.

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The calm before the storm

Things had been quiet for Jennie and V for a couple months until fans received a shock after new pictures were released back to back on August 23 and 24.

The photos showed the two idols posing in front of a mirror, which many BTS fans recognised as the entrance of V’s flat. Another image showed Jennie leaning against a wall, taking the picture while V’s stylist got him ready in the foreground.

As messy as the dating rumours were already getting, more images of the duo in Jeju were leaked on September 16. Their potential romance connection seems to be harder to deny with each picture.

These newer images clearly show Jennie’s face as she leans against V who places a light kiss on her forehead.

These pictures further cemented netizen’s beliefs that the two might be involved in a romantic relationship. “Taennie” – combining V’s real name Taehyung and Jennie – is already trending on Twitter with constant updates from fans who have dug up more information to supposedly either prove or deny the dating rumours.

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Meeting family and friends?

A major step in a relationship is meeting your partner’s family and friends. Based on leaked images, V may have already done both.

Previously, there were rumours surrounding a photo of V snuggling with a cat, which netizens have claimed actually belongs to Jennie’s mum. Allkpop also reported that netizens believe the picture was also taken on Jennie’s bed. Fans reached this conclusion by comparing a picture of Jennie’s bed to V’s photo, finding similarities in the headboard and bedsheets.

An video of the duo seemingly hugging and dancing can be found all over Twitter, too. It seems the BTS member attended an exclusive Blackpink party on September 14.

A comeback with a side of scandal

While the authenticity of the leaked images are still a hot topic among fans, both Jennie and V come from big agencies in the K-pop industry. In fact, the K-pop market is dominated by the “Big 4”, which includes both YG and Hybe, Jennie and V’s agencies, respectively.

Considering the high profile status of both idols and the scale at which the dating scandal has blown up, it is surprising that neither YG or Hybe have made a clear statement to dispel the rumours. In fact, the agencies have said nothing on the matter until recently. South Korean news portal Newsen reported that both companies said “it is difficult” to confirm or deny the rumours as it involves the idols’ personal matters.

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On top of that, according to Kpopping, some netizens seem to be questioning why Twitter user @gurumiharibo, whose account is now deleted, was leaking the images on the same day as Blackpink’s comeback. The timing has raised some suspicions regarding whether it might have been a calculated move to draw more attention to the two K-pop artists. However, other fans have raised points that neither Jennie nor V are exactly in need of any publicity stunts.

According to Asiaone, Jennie also removed all of her followers from her private Instagram account, raising concerns about whether someone close to her might have been the one to expose what might have been private pictures.