PUBLISHED ONMay 18, 2023 5:14 AMByDrima ChakrabortyRemember rumours from last year that Blackpink's Jennie and BTS' V were dating?
After months of speculation, leaking of personal photos and even filing of criminal complaints, our attention moved on to the next big thing and it died down — at least for a while.
Yesterday (May 17), French journalist Amar Taoualit shared a video on TikTok purported to be of the pair on a date in Paris. In it, a man and woman can be seen walking hand-in-hand while three others follow closely behind them.
At the end of the video, the pair appear to get into a black van.
Taoualit has claimed that the couple are Jennie and V, both 27. Fans who chimed in online stated that the entourage included Jennie and V's managers.
@taoualitamar #kimtaehyung and #jennie in #paris #blackpink #bts #taehyung #V #kpop ♬ Perfect - Ed Sheeran
Screengrabs taken by a fan show these alleged comments from Taoualit: "I was walking around Paris and I saw two persons walking around with bodyguards … I saw it was Jennie and Taehyung (V's real name) and the security asked me to take the images from afar and not near."
In an alleged Instagram audio message, he also told the fan that the video was "improvised" as he did not have his camera with him, leading to the poor video quality on his iPhone.
"[They were] very secretive on the street, and I captured that it was Jennie and Taehyung. I saw them, yeah, I can confirm," he added.
The photographer confirmed it's Jennie and Taehyung pic.twitter.com/ZBtusFooUS
— ⁷ ⟭⟬ ᴘʀᴏᴏꜰ | ʸᵉᵗ ᵗᵒ ᶜᵒᵐᵉ (@7wondersofarmys) May 17, 2023
An Instagram Story by French photographer Ali Letaissa also showed a close-up of V from the same night, apparently wearing the same outfit as in the video.
"Taehyung walking the streets of Paris with Jennie, then parting ways once they see the paparazzi," the caption read.
A photo allegedly uploaded by a member of Jennie's management team also showed her in the same outfit at a Maison Margiela store.
Jennie is said to be in Paris to promote her TV show, The Idol, which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. South Korean media outlet Dispatch also reported that V departed for Paris on May 15 to attend an event for fashion brand Celine.
Some fans are convinced the videos show their favourite idols.
"Taehyung and Jennie in Paris, walking hand-in-hand in the city of love! This is definitely them, they're so much in love!" a fan tweeted.
Others were sceptical, with a fan responding with a zoomed-in screengrab of the video. In it, the man purported to be V appeared to have a moustache and looked nothing like the BTS idol.
"Parisian air changed his whole face," they joked.
From when did tae look like this🤦🏻♀️i think parisian air changed his whole face 😖🤧 https://t.co/HK6W8flW8e pic.twitter.com/AF5BQ1OSDN
— *ೄ🆃🅷🆅⁷🌸🫧.⋆.⋆ 🇧🇩 (@tae7boo) May 17, 2023
drimac@asiaone.com
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