BTS can't breathe without dating rumours and K-Drama level fan-fiction: Why are they always a punching bag?

Oh my! BTS’s Kim Taehyung (V) caught near the Seine with Blackpink’s Jennie.

 How do you know?

 Look, it’s the same jacket he’s wearing. And remember that t-shirt Jennie wore from three days ago that we all saw from a blurry distance? That belongs to V!

 Oh shoot! No way! And you’re saying she is wearing V’s cap?

 Indeed. But why isn’t he admitting it?

 *Cue philosophical discussion and interpretations about two people who are literally just trying to make sure they have a sleep schedule*

That’s just template for the “OMG BTS IS DATING” rage. All seven haven’t escaped some sort of dating rumour or the other, the most recent being hapless Jimin, who was just stepping out of an elevator when actress Song Da-eun caught him by surprise, took a video and uploaded it on TikTok The three-year-old rumours were ignited and by the end of the day, K-Pop fans adamantly had threaded together a story: She loved Jimin, wanted to settle down, but he didn’t want to do that; no proof of any of this by the way. And suddenly, Jimin became the menacing villain; the man who allowed his girlfriend to be insulted by the world. And there was the other half, who set about dispelling all rumours, saying that Jimin has never even dated her.

 And then there were those weary ones who said, even if he did, why is the world pressing on him ‘to speak up’ about something that really won’t change their life? You go through Twitter; you see scores of angry, raging tweets about how ‘Jimin’s silence is deafening’.

 But again: Why must he come out and talk about someone? Who does he owe this deep confession to?

Unfortunately, this has been the pattern for all BTS members. By this time, they have practically dated the entire K-Pop industry, if rumours are to be believed. It’s a pattern; it’s drama, there seems to be a strong need to spin the juiciest story about them, so everyone can have that ‘gotcha’ moment’. “AHA, you think your idol is so perfect? Look, they are dating and didn’t tell you.”

Okay, so?

And then there’s V — the ultimate rumour magnet. It’s like an entire K-Drama has been written around his love life. He’s been linked with Jisoo, Lisa, Rosé, and most famously Jennie, with fans convinced he and Jennie secretly dated and later broke up because of his military service. The truth is that we actually know nothing. Yet in the digital age, people zoom in on grainy, half-lit Twitter photos to decide if it’s him or not.

Sometimes it’s not even real — like that time a picture of V with Choi Woo-shik was photoshopped to include Jennie, forcing ARMY to swoop in as detectives and shut the rumour down. But wait — while half the K-pop fandom is busy zooming in on Jennie and V’s alleged matching keychains, another corner swears he’s secretly linked to IU. Yes, really. Some even accused him of wrecking her relationship with Lee Jong-suk… which, by the way, is still very much intact.

If they date, how dare they. If they don’t, how dare they.

So, BTS inevitably becomes the punching bag. If they’re dating and don’t tell you—how dare they? If they’re just friends with other stars—how dare they? If they’re not dating at all, simply trying to write a song, and rumors still swirl—how dare they not step in to shut it down? How dare they stay silent?

Here’s the truth, folks: you can adore your celebrities, and even with BTS—who’ve always been unusually open, letting you into their lives with casual livestreams, late-night dinners, even laundry runs—they still don’t owe you full access. They don’t need to confirm who they’re dating. They don’t need to “break their silence.” At the end of the day, it’s none of our business.

 So, the next time you zoom in on a blurry elbow in a café photo, maybe ask yourself…who am I, really, to them?