Intro for December 9, 2025

Dear Gossips,  

It has been a wild few days for BTS fans, aka ARMY. And I’m not even sure if talking about it is a violation of ARMY rules because I would like to believe that a healthy majority of the fandom thinks all of it is nonsense. But it’s also undeniable that the controversy, if we can even call it that, has been blowing up on social media. 

Over the last few weeks, there’s been mounting speculation that Jung Kook is dating Aespa’s Winter. Two idols in a relationship is not a stretch of the imagination – the problem is that some fans can never be normal about their faves in a romance with anyone outside of the group. See also the One Direction “Larry” truthers who are still convinced that Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson have been keeping their romance (maybe even marriage) secret for over a decade. 

The rumours exploded a few days ago when some fans, or trolls, it’s hard to tell, started pointing to similar pieces of clothing that both JK and Winter have worn. And allegedly a matching tattoo. And some travel dates that might have corresponded. Most of it seems circumstantial, at best. But, sure, like I just said, we gossip all the time about celebrities based on what we perceive to be clues – Easter egging is not just Taylor Swift’s domain. These are two famous and attractive people in their 20s working in the same industry who may or may not be into each other, probably the most normal thing to happen in their extraordinary circumstances, the basis of a totally believable rom-com. But it’s the reaction to it that’s the issue. 

Anti-fans have seized upon the speculation, leaving horrible and abusive comments on social media about both artists. Some have threatened to boycott both bands. Conspiracy and counter conspiracy theories have been floated. There’s the suggestion that this is a coordinated bot campaign with bigger nefarious motives related to their respective agencies. The whole thing is a f-cking mess. And, again, it’s ruining what could be great celebrity gossip. When celebrities date each other it’s good gossip, always has been! Relax, I’m not saying that Jung Kook and Winter are actually dating – what I’m saying is that IF they were, it shouldn’t be treated as the end of the world. But this is a reminder of the alarming downsides of parasocial relationships, even though, more and more, artists no matter if they’re in the east or the west, need to develop those relationships in order to find success in their chosen fields. It’s a precarious balance, trying to find that balance, between how much investment is encouraged by the artists and how much distance to maintain so that investment doesn’t become ownership. 

In happier news for Jung Kook and the majority of fans who are much more reasonable, he covers multiple editions of Rolling Stone around the world, including the Korea, Japan, and the UK, wearing all Calvin Klein as the brand’s ambassador. It’s a showcase of abs…

…and tats… 

…and leather. 

I imagine this will be JK’s last solo magazine cover for a while, considering that it’s been promised for months now, ever since all seven members of BTS completed their mandatory military service in the summer, that the comeback is imminent. Spring 2026 is just over three months away – the new album should be locked or close to locked, with visuals being shot soon or already. RM has been sharing photos on social media of what looks like rehearsal with all members present so, presumably, they’ve been working on new choreography for music videos and the upcoming tour. 

It's just a matter of when the announcements are coming. If BTS follows their usual gameplan, not unlike what they were doing at the end of 2019/2020, before the pandemic f-cked it all up, we could even get a single in January. After all, they dropped “Black Swan” on January 17, 2020 a month ahead of the release of the album, Map of the Soul: 7 which followed on February 21, 2020. If there’s a new album some time in March, and they stick to what’s worked for them before, we really are just weeks away from… something. 

As for the tour, if there is a tour – and all signs are definitely pointing to a massive tour – at this point venue dates should already be secured too. You can’t call up stadiums with a month notice. Tour dates are typically planned well in advance specifically because scheduling is so intricate. That work, then, has been underway for a while. Once that news comes out, I suspect all the noise about their personal lives will be overshadowed by the enthusiasm about the comeback. Enthusiasm is probably an understatement. Please be prepared for the takeover when BTS is ready to let us know. Because it won’t be just exclusively to the ARMY algorithm. All the algorithms will be dominated, I promise you. 

Yours in gossip, 

Lainey