#jinkook traces

[ezamevolni]

Traces: Law and order

Back for more Jinkook shenanigans. I will always be back. 😇

And it somehow panned out because now's the perfect timing to talk about that side of Jungkook. Haha 🙂 I started this when Seven's teaser came out and now it's a whole two months later. Hello 3D.

Did a long (and rambling) post that spans across events in 2 and a half years. Like a highlight reel of some content that sit on the same arc. Like any other unconfirmed phenomena in the world, we can only look at what's presented and draw our own inferences.

Side note: The title of this post progressed from 'Who Confessed First' to 'Hyung Wait For Me' to the dried-up 🦑 I have now because recently I had felt like there's a need to highlight this aspect of Jinkook. The need had always been there actually.. but simply giving lectures and pep talks on why people should stop seeing Jinkook in that particular light only ends up with me becoming an internet rando screeching into the void. I'd rather Jinkook screech at everyone instead (if only they would). So I spend a good chunk of time trying to finding the lens that just showed what I saw, and that's as far as I'm going to go lol But along the lines of my original heading pertaining to the confessor.. Sure, there could've been no confession, no relationship, no underlying feelings whatsoever... but there could be ;)))

Please note that I will be using their Korean ages here as that's what they went by back then. Koreans are counted as a year old from the moment they are born, and everybody gets this additional year added to their ages at the beginning of the year, no matter when they're born during. SK had only recently (?) abolished this system.

⚠️ Smexy allusions ahead. (Appropriately, of course)

Every country has its own determined legal age and for South Korea, that's 20 years old. (I resist the strong urge here to insert my manifesto here that physical age ≠ mental age and that the lack of standardization where this line should be drawn is precisely why it is an unrelia- look at that just dug myself a shallow grave 🙂)

Fans all knew when Jeon Jungkook turned 20 because a whole shindig was thrown (by the members) about it - started in late 2015 and lasted all the way to the end of 2016.

So he was excited, the members were excited, and the fans were excited. And it's funny how the reason behind everyone's excitement was similar but not the same. Not the same.

These are events that transpired within the period between Danger (2014) and Fire (2016).

For in the years that BTS glowed up, there was an invisible line some were eagerly waiting to leap over, while others were blissfully or perhaps warily unaware(?) of those intentions. Before yall jump my throat and accuse me of shielding my bias, please calmly read on. (I think he bite off more than he could chew.)

For after the clock struck midnight on Dec 31 2015, the light turned green. And it'll become very clear very fast who was watching that second hand like a hawk, and who still perfunctorily giving head pats.

Anyway, hopefully from this account some can stop with the unnecessary berating of Jinkook's age difference as a ship because there was a very strong one-sided motivation to move things along.

In 2014 (not yet, smexy thoughts go to 🚓)

140612 Kkul FM

Jin: "Wait, how is everyone in our group an adult except Jungkook, that doesn't make sense"

Jk: "I-I-I will quickly become an adult too"

Jungkook was only 18 years old here. Still growing in height, had bunny teeth, full of energy and overall, still a kid.

And the point is that he was about 1.5 years away from becoming an 'adult' in SK.

The only real difference that bit of time made was that legally, Jk would be able to do some 'adult' things. For example, drinking, driving, clubbing, signing a legal document without a guardian signature.

But in terms of actual physical and mental growth, a period of 1.5 years does not guarantee nor indicate a measurable amount of change. (BTW Vmin at this time were still 18 years old internationally but already considered legal in SK. I know, it's trippy.)

Now when Jin made that comment "that doesn't make sense", it really stood out fer tow reasons.. 1. Per my logic it's as if to Jin, Jk already seemed like an adult in his eyes or maybe in comparison to the rest, he should be qualified to count as one. (I kinda agree, childish loud and extra, all of them)

2. Also, everyone was yelling commentary on Jk's growth - he's in high school, going through puberty, taller in height... but nobody else was fazed about Jk not being an adult. Members almost seemed to have the exact opposite POVs of Jin's. Ew bro is growing up vs Compared to you people he's not grown yet??

Right because somehow, there had always been a disconnect between how Jin viewed Jk and how other members viewed Jk.

Few other examples include~

Jin pointed to JK first then Jk followed suit. His face looked like a whole question: "Me?"

Btw, we have an excerpt of Jimin supporting Jin's choice but it's clear Rap Monster was still number one in 🐥's heart👆🏼:

But Jin was alone on this take here:

obsessive, timid, and the worst dresser..glad bts got theses roasts out of their system back then if not you'll be seeing trucks outside hybe if it happened now

And 'obsessive' seemed like a great descriptor for Jk because Jin seemed to have been on the receiving end of a lot of 'obsession'..:

140414 Sukira Kiss the Radio

Jin was the number one victim of Jk's sad boi serenades

"He keeps practicing but he keeps singing in someone's ear..." Suga said, concealing the identity of the affected.

"..my ears will just burst," Jin then bragged complained.

Overall, Jin was perceiving a whole other Jungkook from the rest of the members.

And 2015 rolled around. ( No 🔞 still 🚓)

For the below video.. I had a terrible time looking for it because logically, my brain said it should have happened some time near the end of 2015 and was probably released in early 2016. Because the video is of Jk, in the middle of a hectic warm-up session, asking the members to say a few words to him who is spending the last days of his teens. Ah youth, it flies away so fast-

Nope. When I finally found it I was both surprised and surprised. Filmed ? and released in April. It was barely second quarter... last days? You've got eight months left... JK??

150430 Jungkook who's in his 10s ask his hyungs (0:27 for Jin)

What Jin said to him: "Well, for 10s... firstly you can't drive. After you reach the 20s you can drive. Hyung can drive now, envious right? (JK: yes, I'm envious 😂) You've worked hard."

Now there's nothing very special about this.. Jin's answer was short and sweet, about driving.... and he really just "said a few words" to Jk like he was asked. Very casual. Quite cavalier. Regardlessly, his cool attitude and dry 'blessing' still elicited giggles from Jk.

So returning to my issue with the date of filming, Jk made a selfcam in the MIDDLE OF 2015 asking everyone to say a few words to him who was leaving his teen years. The timing was so incredibly random. Later on I figured.. that it's possibly the staff's idea for the selfcam. 'Last days of his 10s' would be on theme for their HYYH series and there was also the giant album logo on the bottom...

Either way, it doesn't matter who came up with the idea for this content. Because it served as our official entrance into the saga and promptly highlighted Jk's coming of age. A reallllllly long one that should've only been a day's celebration and a couple of after mentions (like for Vmin), but wasn't.

150611 Kkul FM

In June, BTS had moved into a new dorm, released HYYH Pt.1 and were finally tasting a bit of success. No longer squished into a single bedroom, they now had roommates 🦑🎊

So it appeared that most were happy with the new arrangements and Jin was definitely one of them😚as he voluntarily started sharing what activities he did with Suga:

Jin started off talking about the logistics of the activity regarding the beds

To which Jk's question leaped out by reflex:

"You sleep (together)?" Not a second of thought.

And his tone, teehee wow... and too, watch his hands even after Jin reassured him that sleeping was not involved.

Also, the group of satisfied roomies didn't seem to include Jk because:

Jk and Tae were the only two who innocently raised their hands. (btw I have reason to suspect Tae wanted to share a room with Sin too.)

I love how Officer Min was interrogating the suspect, "What is it he(you) likes so much then?"

It's pretty clear there's a specific room Jk was gunning for and how all his teasing hyungs knew which one and why.

Game consoles was a big clue, and the eldest hyung in the corner thinking, nodding and going "Ah" softly when he heard Jk say "It's game consoles"... I could write a short fic on how 2015 Jin had rising suspicions but didn't dare to go there, and was momentarily relieved when he heard the maknae give a convincing answer for his frequent visits to his bedroom. But I won't.

150702 Sukira Kiss the Radio

Jk's coming of age was also brought up on a radio show in July. The host Ryeowookie had asked,

"Getting my license" JK answered. Something Jin did mention before in that practice room interview, but it's such a normal answer we can't say he was influenced by Jin.

Then Ryeowook went on to ask Jk if he wanted to become an adult or stay in his 10s...

When Ryeowook asked if he still wanted to enjoy his teens Jk went oh no immediately, he wanted to become adult

..but (oh?).. he watched a movie recently (ok..) and there were a lot of driving scenes. (????)

? OK.

I can relate to Jk's terrible use of conjunctions when attempting to lie on the spot.

Jk used to be a greenhorn at lying (he's all grown now) and couldn't commit fully to the lie, so he'd take really long to answer and what came out would sound like nonsense.

In this situation, it actually seemed like an alright answer because Ryeowook had no idea just how eager Jk was. Sure, a movie with a lot of driving scenes could in theory make a person eager to be legal and start tokyo drifting. However, it won't be long before Jk reveals his true intentions to the world. 👇

Also truly, I don't think Mad Max would have inspired someone to want to start driving. If you check dates, this banger came out at just about this time.

151224 Simply K-Pop - Some Questions About BTS

It's really, really close to the end of 2015 now.. and the start of 2016 when Jk could be officially counted as an adult on Jan 1.

And I was a bit taken aback at that time when I first saw the video because there were no warning signs for what he did when he did.

Jimin was the one who read the fan question, "Isn't Jungkook turning 20 years old soon? Please express your feelings with your entire body."

Jungkook: it's my f*cking time to shine 😃😏🥴🚓🈲🔞

That expression!! arm movements,!? and swagger?!! Goodness gracious👵🏻 He nailed the -thuggy old perv entering a strip joint ready to tear it up-

Just to make it clear why he was excited about becoming an adult:

Innocent little ol' me was going "is that allowed on TV??"

And amidst all the laughing men, one stiff alpaca seemed a little uncomfortable with Jk's boldness:

(small smile, fidgeting, shaking pupils)

I mean. Who was that sleazeball that took over Jk's body?? This act was just a tad too transparent...

It's a howling declaration of what he thought of when he thinks 'adult'.

151223 KBS Gayo Daechuje X BTS Vlive

The year was really drawing to a close and on a live broadcast for KBS' year-end show, again, Jk decided to remind us of his questionable intentions after becoming legal.

The hot topic of the year was again cued:

He mentioned his desire for driving and also...

Jungkook: "I believe everybody already knows what"

No, we don't know SAY IT

If Jin had seemed cavalier in April, he definitely was paying attention to Jk's coming of age on the last day of 2015.

To think that this friend will soon become an adultㅠㅠ Our makdoongie will become an adult soon too. Please stay as a makdoongie to hyung for a long long time, you muscle man (cr. Sihyun @ bts_trans)

A side note: Jin posted this message 16 minutes after midnight on Dec 31.

Oh the times back then. I wasn't a Jinkooker but I was always weirdly extra fond of their posts together. And was always somehow expecting them to do these posts showing how close they were, because I knew they were, yet astonished when they did. Shipper me today is like, yeah, dumbass. You a shipper you just didn't know it yet.

151231 MBS Gayo Daechukje

Finally, they crossed over to 2016 on stage at the end of the year and the MC had cued Jungkook to say a few words after becoming an adult. I would think there's at least one or two other idols on stage who were turning twenty in 2016 but he was the only one asked. Like I said, the shindig had been thrown all year long and everyone knew.

And it's funny that it's Jin's zodiac year too, along with Ken and Sandeul's.

After getting off stage, Jk tweeted too about becoming legal

I’m twenty To think that I’m twenty To be honest, it doesn’t feel like it but.. I feel good anyways ARMYs wouldn’t like it right heheheuhahahe e hahe ARMY, I love you and I hope you treat us well this year as well (cr. Sihyun @ bts_trans)

"Armys wouldn't like it right"...... As a fan on the outside, no bb.. most were 😒creepily looking forward to it. But yeah, a few people might have preferred you stay small for longer.. one of them voiced that very sentiment the day before.

And then it finally arrived for real.

🌟2016🌟 (Actually nothing here really prompts smexy thoughts. I lied.)

Dumdum dunnnnnn.

If you thought they were lowkey and subtle this year, you're wrong. And I'm only referencing bits that are relevant to this arc. A Lot Was Going On All Year Round. anyways.

~January~

Hanako vol. 1101 Jin and Jungkook's interviews (cr. kimmyyang)

Q: Use a simple sentence to describe the member is a _______ man.

Jin about Jk: An old-looking maknae

Jk about Jin: A big brother from the church

Alright, I don't know about you but those statements just sounded mysterious and wrong (?).

Jungkook looking old? Jin from church? People are still calling Jk baby star candy today, Jk from 2016 DID NOT look old. Objectively speaking.

Jin, from the church? He's elegant and well-mannered sure but when you say someone looks like they're from church, it usually points to their conservatism.

And as far as my BTS lore goes, Jin's family is buddhist. (fact check me :))

So Jk could have let us in a little bit on their um.. progress. And the interview was likely done during end of 2015. I'll boldly presume someone drew a clear line that even if it be days remaining, it's still a matter of law and order. Wait it out buddy.

160124 2nd Muster

If you still recall that there's a plot, it looked like one person was facing difficulty in making progress even after the clock struck midnight.

Thanks to Jin secretly showing off publicly complaining, we learned about a tenacious youth's struggle:

to take over Jin hyung's bed.

Allow me to swoon for a moment 🤗 I'm deeply consoled by Jk's heart on his sleeves nature. Look at him, going from just learning about Sin's nighttime movie dates to proactively taking Jin's bed before he arrives home.

From Jin's complaint, It was clear that Jungkook was taking the initiative and Jin was more passive in seeking the other out after hours.

When questioned from all sides, Jk created a smoke screen:

The carpet...hm mentioning the carpet. And how many of you were like me, immediately giving him the benefit of the doubt that he only slept on the carpet, not the bed? :/

Note how he brought up the carpet but couldn't go through with the whole lie and never once said he 'slept' on the carpet. The carpet was, just there in the room. It's really not relevant at all.

And Jin's response cleverly made it seem like the carpet was indeed a real factor in Jk's nightly visits. I'm intrigued because he knew (everyone knew) Jk was lying, but he feigned ignorance and played along with Jk's terrible excuse...which leads one to think Jin isn't as passive as he tried to appear.

160612 Kkul FM

The topic of Jk being an adult came up again during this festa, reasonably so because it is the year that it finally happened. This time around, the topic was also part of the script.

There's nothing substantial from this conversation that contributes to the arc, but their responses were so candid and hilarious:

SG: "Jungkook was 15 years old when we met but now he's a full grown man."

RM: "That's gross"

JK: "My chin split"

RM: "Your chin split?"

JK: "It's split here."

J: "Euhheuheuhahaheuhaheuhaha"

Idk about chins splitting once the state recognizes you as an adult, but brownie points to Jk for thinking that's correlated.

Sometimes I think his dude logic is part of his cutie star charm 🧚🏼‍♂️

Bon Voyage season 1 ep. 1

Can't miss this episode where their first dinner in Bergen was all about Jungkook's adult ceremony party:

All the hyungs had it in mind and were going to throw a surprise party for Jk after cooking dinner. Everyone was pretty excited:

RM led the song, Jimin gave JK birthday slaps and Jhope was the one who reminded Namjin about getting supplies.

Traditionally, the person gets three gifts for their ceremony: flowers, perfume and a kiss. As a group of dudes on an impromptu trip/variety show in a foreign country, they couldn't afford the first two.. and Jk resisted getting the third. (Honestly I could cry a little about how cute they were about preparing the candles, food and cake for Jk. It was different vibes back then)

Isn't it cute how Jin suggested cheesecake because of Jk's love for cheese 🥰

p.s. I'm spreading rumors that Jin was recreating the adult ceremony cake for Jk's birthday last year:

160517 BTS Live

This live was a bit like a debriefing and commentary on the coming of age party they celebrated the day before.

Weverse - Official for All Fans

Enjoy every moment with artists on global fandom life platform Weverse.

All hyungs were teasing Jk about it, saying he's paying for the whole trip, the trip was to celebrate him, he's gonna shell the airplane tix..

And then Jin cut in while Jhope was very kindly telling Jk who bought the cake

The translators didn't sub it but Jin suggested a game to pick a member to kiss Jk

You can't take Jin seriously here 🤣 from head to toe, you could tell he was just teasing the maknae.

However. This question. Made Jk fall into a momentary daze.

He froze for about 3 seconds. Just based off this reaction I'd say they haven't kissed yet

And then gave his big 'I'm not gay hmph' lil protest ("A kiss from a guy...I would like a kiss from our fans") but that pregnant pause haha 😊 It's laden with panic. A big, straight boy would go directly into a 'no thanks bro' without a second thought.

2016 5.31-6.2 (?) BTS 3rd Birthday Party practice

Official party was over but the saga was not. It's probably because the members had started prepping for their Festa stages in late May pouring into early June, and the theme of Jk's adulthood hadn't exactly dissipated yet.

From the song choice to the style of execution, adult Jk spoke volumes:

Everyone who'd seen this practice video would agree upon noting the difference between Jk and Jm when they were dropping like it's hot.

Because Jimin exhibited what is called modesty and Jk showed lack thereof.

Both were smiling but one was embarrassed and the other was reveling in it.

That haughty side look and the casual walk off

We already know Jk was the one who picked the song and that the original was banned on music shows for its explicitness.

In the lyrics, the speaker was bluntly and figuratively saying to a person older than them - it was finally legal for them to 🌹🔞, the wait was over.

So there's debate over Jimin's participation in this dance number that Jk had chosen it with Jimin in mind, but think about it from this angle, 'target' audience has to be in the audience. Whoever he's thinking of, if he's thinking of someone at all, they've got to be watching from the seats.

Anyways, later on during the rehearsal, members all got to take turns watching each other perform.

And notably, Jin's comment asking "Was this originally supposed to be such a powerful performance" really revealed which member he was focused on during the show.

Additionally, the only time Jk showed a hint of modesty was when he was air thrusting and couldn't help breaking into a smile in the middle of the performance.

Kookie, you clearly thought of something while doing that motion.

Hip thrusting wasn't merely a dance move to him. And it's not a reach because he's precisely shown how aware he was of this aspect of life from [see above]

Osaka

After their festa, the celebration tapered off and there weren't any more direct mentions of how adult Jk was.

But of course, soon the banger Blood, Sweat and Tears dropped, boosted our numbers and drove everyone feral.

The creative team had seized the opportunity to switch up BTS' image from innocent, angsty youth in HYYH to the sensual, matured one in Wings. The team was able to move onto new pastures since Jungkook turned legal. This sudden change in concept and leap in their growth was very obvious in real-time.

And if the story seems rather skewed because Jin wasn't an active participant... it's cause Jk was the only one constantly reminding everyone he's almost legal, half a year more to go, few more days, LEGAL WOOOOOO, so legal, legal af, going to burn this fact into your mind.

As a Jin stan, I have to say his side of the story is a little bit more flat. There wasn't much progression in how he viewed Jk because as it appeared, Jk was already a manly man in his eyes since early 2014. Not in the adult sense, just personality-wise. Like mentioned before in some other post, Jin's a lot more consistent in the way he shows affection for Jk. If he was teasing and doting before 2016, he still was after.

For clues on how Jin's perception of Jk shifted, it may be better to look at how differently he began treating other members compared to Jk, pre and post-2016. Yes, our don't-touch-me Jinnie is only a saint that appeared after 2016.

And on a final note, I know I went on several mini rampages there on the isolated events so the saga may only seem remotely related based on Jk's coming of age....but you'll notice, it's the little things, their reactions, the slow progression and the hint of awareness... everything just tells us there's more happening beneath it all.

[ezamevolni]

Traces: 2jin detour

So this post is strongly speculative and theory-based. Meaning that I'm reaching for the connections. But after spotting some interesting correlations between the events when placed on the same timeline, I'm putting this out there so maybe the you who's reading could take a look and tell whether there's truly a thread here.

One of my favorite YT Jinkookers moonbathingrite had made a great video that opened my eyes to the possibility of 2jin being a thing before Jin and Jungkook. (Note: she never said that they were, but did present interesting parallels between 2jin and Jinkook who came later)

2jin is the ship name for Kim Seokjin and Jin Hyosang.

Jin Hyosang, also known as Kidoh (ex-member of Toppdogg), used to be a BigHit trainee and was in the same underground rap group (DamNamhyup) as RM. He was actually in one of the final lineups for Bangtan (based off a poster) but joined Stardom Ent. some time in late 2012. The likeliest reason for switching agencies probably had to do with creative issues since BTS did go through a major revamp before debut - the original lineup of 'rappers only' eventually turned into a choreography heavy, idol group.

Kidoh was able to start releasing mixtapes with his new members in March and April of 2013, and later debuted officially in October. If you look at Toppdogg's debut album, Kidoh had writing credits on almost every single one of them. He even had a solo track, which was a major indicator of how much the agency was planning on pushing him.

Kidoh's connection to Jin is one of the rarer K-Pop phenomenons I've seen - fans shipping two male idols from different rookie groups right out the gate. This was mainly bolstered by Kidoh's fans all being acutely aware of how extremely infatuated he was with Jin, and Kidoh's encouraging responses. There was even something of a love triangle being touted back in 2013 between Kidoh, Jin and Rap Monster 😐 Ancient times were different 😺

So fan spectacle aside, how credible was 2jin being an actual item?

Truthfully, not very much. Because the affection was simply too lopsided to call it a relationship. Kidoh seemed enamored by Jin but Jin was generally aloof and cavalier in return. Of course, you could argue that Jin had always been a master of disguising his emotions but taking into account their careers at the time, it would have been impossible to date anyway (even if they wanted to).

For a more comprehensive history on 2jin's social media interactions, you could check out this 2jin blog - here (look at the number of notes under each post...considering the small fanbases att and this being the international side, it's impressive)

And if interested, here's an overview of predebut BTS - reddit

And if you're wondering why I'm bringing an ex-idol/trainee/friend into the picture, stay with me :)

Jin moved into Bighit's dorm on July 29, 2012 and the very next day, Kidoh tweeted about Jin:

When Jin...or maybe not Jin, tweeted using the group account at the end of 2012:

Kidoh possibly already left BigHit by then

Commenting on a post by BTS_twt with a candid snap of Jin:

Kidoh's tweets about Jin were always harmless but had just that unnecessary hint of... attentiveness?

So with these social media traces, his affection for Jin was known since their trainee days. He had left enough crumbs online for the shippers to gather rapidly in their debut year.

On a related note, it's amusing how there's essentially no traces of Kidoh and Namjoon's friendship despite these two being in the same underground rap group far longer than either ever knew Seokjin. Joon was there the whole time and yet, there's no signs of the rappers knowing each other. In fact, they barely interacted during their special collab stage for Show Champion in 2014.

And it might have been fine to label his affection for Jin as overly-affectionate-best-friend feels, but Kidoh definitely toed the line at times:

One more picture! Gay goosebumps..

And maybe Seokjin was also aware of the possibility of Hyosang being romantically interested in him because

Fan: Seokjinnie oppa! Who is Jin Hyosang to oppa?

Jin: not gay haha

TBH I had doubted the credibility of the post it at first because I found it on a 2015 tweet:

But I did spot this translation from way back in 2013:

Jin's response is incredibly telling of the whole situation because first of all, he had to be aware of what the fans were thinking when they asked him the question. Secondly, he skipped over several thoughts to arrive at 'I'm not gay' because the question wasn't asking if he was??

(and the response is so deeply closeted iykwim)

Meanwhile Kidoh was on another wavelength:

Q: What is Seokjin-shii for Hyosang? K: Destiny

Personally... I've heard best friends refer to each other as 'soulmates' before, but never 'destiny'. His answer seemed to imply another layer to their friendship.

Another interesting aspect of 2jin was the way Jin used to tweet about Kidoh, where his habits later carried over when he was tweeting about Jungkook.

For example, Jin would add his name to the end of a sentence:

I am too, fascinated-jin #kimseokjinhyosang

@/BTS_twt My friend is debuting, its fascinating-jin..

Jin's tweet for Jk's birthday in 2013:

Jungkook-ah  Hyung will always be on your side  I love you-jin  Happy Birthday!

It's like his little watermark to say he was the one who tweeted.

And that hashtag #kimseokjinhyosang conjoining the two of their names <3

That's a thing Jin once did during mid-2016 on the day of Jinkook's waterpark date.

Seokkookie

And of course it's cuter when Jin did it for Jk and himself, because it was half and half of their names. He will cram them together even if none of the alphabets are the same ❤️

These little things that Jin would do for his closest person/friend remained constant but of course, the two relationships were probably not of the same nature.

The difference mainly being Jin - his attitude towards Hyosang and Jungkook was like if you compared night and day. Indifference vs great affection.

Here's another set of 2jin post its famous for the contrast:

Q: What do you like about BTS' Seokjinie oppa?? K: Lips .. (Shy)

The similarity of his answers to our younger protagonist is surreal.

...And here's Jin's answer to the same question posed of Kidoh:

Q: Hyosang said he likes your lips the most. What do you like the most about Hyosang? J: Money

He's consistent. Still focused on moneys when it comes to other people 🤣😋

Other than these traces of the 2jin friendship, you can explore their lore further on the blog linked above. You'd understand what I meant by how Kidoh 'encouraged' the shippers. Jin lived rent free on his mind.. he got mentioned even when Kidoh was interacting with fans on entirely unrelated topics. It didn't seem like fan service because the moments were so random and neither of them seemed to actually care about the reaction.

There's also some Yt compilations comparing how similar 2jin's personalities were, both a little eccentric, loud and confident about their looks. It is easy to tell why they clicked.

So it's interesting how Kidoh appeared rather infatuated with Jin.. which Jungkook's attitude resembled at times. Everything else aside, his focus on Jin lasted throughout their trainee period together up to the last second of their fallout.

Considering how forward Kidoh was and how they'd still meet each other backstage at music shows, it's certainly possible that members of both teams had observed 2jin's interactions and knew about their close friendship. And for someone who was in close proximity to Jin and paid him a lot of attention, he might know they're close and perhaps had wondered about the nature of the two 92-liners' relationship.

The fallout seemed to happen out of the blue.

On November 8, 2014 Jin and Kidoh still seemed fine and had taken a selfie together

And on Jin's birthday, Kidoh tweeted a polaroid of themselves and a short message:

Isn't it funny how they looked like twins

Then before the year could come to an end, BTS_twt was discovered to have unfollowed Kidoh.

Shippers who were watching 2jin's moves saw that Kidoh also deleted many of his posts related to Jin. Following this, on Christmas Eve he tweeted:

Lamenting how he was single and surrounded by couples.

Whether it's actually related to Jin or not, I can't say. But the timing of the tweet did coincide with his abrupt disconnection from Jin. And sadly these two had never interacted, or at least publicly, ever again after December 2014.

And on a very loosely related note, Jungkook had posted his cover of Crush's Sofa on Dec 16 that year

Which was a melancholic breakup song speaking from the perspective of someone who's clearly been dumped.

As armys we know more than to dismiss the lyrics of Jk's cover songs right... so the timing of this cover seemed pretty interesting in the scheme of things.

So that's something to think about there.

My own loose theory is that there was something more than friends there going on but not enough to call it an official relationship. And for the sudden 'breakup', it could be anything. Maybe it was business - had to do with Kidoh's lawsuit that surfaced half a year later, or personal - a failed confession... the possibilities are whichever you believe in. (My dream is for Seokjin to publish an autobiography at the age of 40 and spill all the tea) As for how Jk fits in... I have no idea how much he knew (did he ever ask or did Jin ever tell), but that lil cover showed he was probably aware of events in this arena.

LOL Didn't I say that I was reaching 😋

And unfortunately, the story for Hyosang kind of kept going downhill for a while. The following year, he filed a lawsuit against his agency for mismanagement of his career, and then in 2016, was convicted for drug use along with ex-Bighit trainee Iron.

After the ordeal, he returned to the industry as a producer for AOMG and almost exclusively produced for Woo (Woo Wonjae). He's under the new monicker Khyo now. That lasted for about 2 years and more recently, he doing DJ gigs at festivals.

So he's up and still doing music 🙌

This ended in a sort of somber note with the lost connection between 2jin....

But the silver lining to it is that both of them are living well, and I'm not a 2jin shipper 👻✨

[ezamevolni]

Traces: Cute bows

Jk has the politest and most adorable habits whenever he panics. One of them is bowing.

When it comes to Jin, he sometimes will bow suddenly and instinctively.

Busan expo (15 Oct 2022)

Jk was happily watching Jin's freestyle dance on the side and was laughing. Then suddenly, he seemed to catch himself, put a hand to his heart, then quickly changed course and bowed to the audience.

Why Kookie...? It looked like you were thanking the audience for coming to watch your Jin.

Jin's enlistment BB (13 Dec 2022)

During their goodbye at the enlistment center, many noted how distant Jk seemed when posing together with Jin for their two shot.

The kid first bowed to the cameraman then did a 'Fighting' pose beside Jin, his body language clear that he was ready to bolt at any second. Many jnkkrs, OT7s, solos, other shippers voiced amusement or confusion at Jk's stranger act.

just a few scenes ago, he was massaging Jin's head and Jin was cupping Jk's face. From that to this awkward pose...

Try noticing other times Kookie bows like this, a little panicked and somewhat unnecessary. These are different from the mannered ones he does at the airport to the fans and reporters.

Personally, feel like Jk's state swings like a pendulum from 'completely oblivious and inappropriate' to 'aware and way too proper' with no middle 🤷🏽‍♀️

[ezamevolni]

Traces: Too loud

When they literally exposed themselves and everyone panicked.

BTS Preview Comeback Show in LA (2018)

Jk: "I'm going to finish the dance with a special one" (42:37)

Jin: if I stay quiet, nobody will know it's me. ...until we perform on BBMAs later and the countless stages after

Summer Package in Korea (2019)

I'm surprised not more people are hyping this one up.

"...Even if you and I break up, you will still be left inside of me."

??????

Still - Jeon Jungkook

You are the hottest among the four seasons. I see you once a year. But you are so strong that you stay in my memory the longest All the moments I spent with you still come to be vividly And even if you and I break up, you are still left inside me. And it is still hot.

Bro, this is a whole love letter. And just me or are we seeing parallels between Still and Stay?

Also Jin, who we can hear going 'Oh...oh...ah...' while Jk was reciting. Supportive yeobo, we love.

Btw don't let the editors mislead you with the subtitles. Jk was stuttering while explaining the drawing so he didn't finish his sentence nor did he say he drew himself. Look at the hairstyle. He obviously drew rap Jin.

The members made no comments on the actual content of Jk's poem and focused only on his drawing.

And back to "...It's still hot" he says.

Good for them.

Bon Voyage 4 in New Zealand (2019)

Maybe everyone already knows this one, but it will always be mildly shocking to me that the editors included the part where Jk specified that the flying kiss was for Jin.

We have Min Suga's lovely GoPro capturing the moment in the background.

I have suspicions that the main cameras weren't filming Jinkook at this moment which was why their guards were down and had this candid convo.

We love you, ARMY vlive (2020)

Another day, another live broadcast jam-packed with Jinkook love. But this moment lives rent free in my brain:

Then Jimin's reaction to Jin saying "I love you" 3 times to Jk:

In Korean, he didn't actually specify "I" while speaking so he meant it more along the lines of "Is it because (they) haven't slept and are drinking?". Also, he tilted his head at Jinkook when asking the question.

To which RM awkwardly replied "Getting tipsy(maybe)?" and Jhope hastily moved it along by clapping and shouting "Congratulations!".

At this point, what do we do with the people who are still giving excuses or blatantly ignoring them? Yeah I already know that shipping is a delulu pill but like, at least look at them and what they're literally telling us.

Use a different angle to look at them and everything will immediately match up.

(The year of the Black Rabbit is coming~ Wooohooo)

[ezamevolni]

Traces: Other people

The same line in different contexts can have a world of difference in meaning.

BE album review pt. 2 (2020)

Mission: pick a favorite photo of yourself and one of the other members.

Skip ahead to Jk who just finished choosing his favorite shot of himself, and Jin was prompting Jk to choose his second photo:

Then in the second 3x3 unit, Bangtan showed their chemistry by repeating the same lines.

RM was instating the prompt to pick their favorite photos:

⭐️ Both RM and Jin said the same phrase although the words used in the English subtitles were different. The translation for Jin's part - "other people" is more accurate.

This is why the phrase caught the attention of Jhope/V and they questioned - "other" people? It somewhat implies referring to someone as others/not part of the inner circle.

Funnily enough, both Jin and RM answered Jh/V with the exact same line "you're not me" (for RM, it's the second time he said it/last screenshot).

But when you take into account the context of when Jin and RM said the line, it's a whole world of difference.

[ezamevolni]

Traces: Jk is mine (Jin ver.)

Jk ver. - here

Jin is only here to save Jungkook:

Disclaimer: the following may contain distressing images where it may seem like a lot was happening but don't worry, they are fine.

Running Man ep. 300 (2016)

Jin trying to rescue Jk from Kim Jongkook's clutches during Running Man.

Suga, Jungkook and Jimin were all trapped.

When Jin arrived on the scene, he only saw one person in need.

In terms of efficiency, Jin would help the team more if he tried prying at KJK's other hand because KJK had two members instead of one in that hand.

Run BTS ep. 84 (2019)

When Jk fell into the water and was struggling to get back onto the float platform.

Jin screaming "JUNGKOOK-AH" n times while bravely going to Jk's rescue.

Jungkook-ah, why did you fall down there? Jungkook-ah, where are you? Jungkook-ah. Jungkook-ah. AAahH. Ya, I'll help you, Jungkook-ah. Jungkook-ah, Jungkook-ah, JungkooK-AH. Jungkook-ah.

They even got an aerial view of Jin saving Jk.

Run BTS ep. 100 (2020)

While playing foot volleyball, Jk caught the ball face on.

I'm so sorry Jk... couldn't stop laughing while making this. I'm glad you're ok.

Jin ran towards Jk to kick away the already bouncing off ball (and almost stepped on Jk).

Jin may have been laughing when asking Jk if he was ok but most importantly, he moved the fastest, and was the only one running to get tissues for Jk's tears.

Sowoozoo D1 (2021)

Jin was about to attack Jk with water but V did it first and Jin started running after V with the water bottle instead.

On another level, Jin may have been protecting V too (didn't work) from Jk's wrath.

V got splashed once each by the happy couple.

Who enjoys watching paper doll Jin yelling and flapping to rescue his cutie muscly boo? 🙋🏻‍♀️

[ezamevolni]

Traces: ideal type

One of my favorite tidbits

Jun 14 BTS were on True Colors Radio and were asked their ideal types. Jk said he liked someone tall with white skin.

Jun 28 - Jul 17 BTS filmed American Hustle Life in Los Angeles, California, US in peak summer.

Jul 22 Jin tweeted: Selfie in Korea!

And Jk replied: Hyung, why are you so tanned....... -JK-

Dec 3 BTS ☆ Style Vol. 18 at Oricon Style interview (cr. btsdiary/yumemirko)

Q: Where do you focus first when looking at girls?

[JUNG KOOK]: I like the people who has an atmosphere that they work out daily. And also who has beautifully suntanned skin.

Puaha 🤣 JJK your puppy crush is showing~

[ezamevolni]

Traces: Yours is mine (Jk ver.)

But in a caring way.

Jk holding onto/taking care of Jin's things:

Bon Voyage in Europe (2016)

Jin's jacket appeared on Jk's lap halfway through the ride.

BTS Gayo ep. 10 (2016)

For unknown reasons, only Jin didn't get a duster and he shared one with Jk.

Someone was holding a heat pack, not a duster.

Jin using the duster first and handing it back to Jk.

Bon Voyage in Hawaii (2017)

Jk wearing Jin's hat while waiting for their food.

Run BTS ep. 92 (2019)

Jk naturally taking Jin's jacket.

I found it amazing that Jin didn't have to look behind to know Jk would take it.

Game Caterers X Run BTS 4-1 (2021)

Tennis game segment. When changing players, Jijinjung were too excited about Jimin's win and Jimin didn't catch the ball. So then Jk picked up and handed it to Jin who was next.

I find these so cute because the way Jk takes care of Jin seem so natural, from a mutual bond built over time.