#if there are typos plz ask for clarification lol

[chevelleneech]

Since you're kinda aware of a little more idols than me you must have seen a lot of skinship and things related to "Shipping and fanservice" in k-pop groups so what makes jikook different from others? You like Felix-bangchan too right? Do they have a similar kinda bond (not dynamics but u know if they are attached to each other off cam as well, their emotional bond etc) as jikook? Are they like clingy? I think just as "Skinship" wise BTS ships in general are nowhere like other ships from other groups, i don't know many names from k-pop but random videos from idols used to come on my insta and ppl do much more skinship than what BTS do. I remember the chaneol (or smtg like) or baekyun one of them from exo used to bite his members' ass as fun lol. I have seen some old group boys be wilding on stage, then there's this tvxn or something old grp from SM which had one of the biggest ships they also used to do a lot of skinship. So skinship wise ig BTS's ships are pretty low, idk how these groups' personal rs used to be or is. So if you know other ships from k-pop would you mind telling what's different in jikook?

I probably don’t know as many idols and group dynamics as it seems, I just tend to to talk a lot when people cross my timelines or I venture into different groups to give their music a chance. Nothing ever really sticks though.

I am a big fan of Stray Kids, however, and do think Chan and Felix have, above all else, acknowledged feelings. I don’t know if I truly think they’re a couple, because their dynamic actually isn’t all that similar to Jimin and Jungkook’s. I think in the past I’ve tried to find similarities or at least spoke on some, but for the most part, explaining them to someone who isn’t aware of their bond, it’s not as similar.

In my opinion, Chan was pretty transparent for quite a while that Felix meant a lot to him. He used to do these livestreams called Channie’s Room, where every week (or whenever he was free) he’d spend about an hour talking to fans and playing music. He did it for maybe three years or something if I can recall, and would also talk about his mental health and all sorts of things. It was shut down a year, as far as I know, because he said something JYPE wasn’t happy with.

Point is, Chan used to get online and discuss a lot of things, and at least a handful of times those things consisted of him gushing about Felix. He spoke about viewing him as a soulmate, saying he was his “other me”, tripping over his tongue to say how beautiful he thought Felix’s freckles were, and blushing as he said he’d use a pickup line on him. On top of those things, they’ve both done interviews where they spoke on how much they value their bond, being they’re both from Australia and sort of found a home away from home in each other, and at one point they said they’d like to live together and so on.

The reason their relationship is difficult for me to make a decision on, in terms of where I think they currently stand with one another, is because they’re also pretty private. They used to hug and touch more back in their earlier years, but that shifted before I became a fan of theirs so I don’t have too much of an opinion on what happened in real time. I will say though, that Chan will initiate skinship with Felix more than I’ve seen Felix do with Chan, and I’ve seen Chan seemingly much more wanting of Felix’s attention. However, in saying that, Felix not being big on publicly reciprocating skinship with Chan really only works as “proof” it’s all for show, if we are to ignore how whenever either of them breakdown on stage full of emotion, they seek each other out and/or talk about how much of a rock the other is to them.

So I do think they are really close off stage and behind the camera. A lot of their behind footage tends to have them tucked off in the corner or about to touch but it’s cut out. As well, the members said a little while back that they share a different together than either of them do with the rest of the group. So yeah, my current stance is Chan and Felix have probably discussed having feelings for each other. I think it’d be hard not to, when again, Chan will wax poetic about Felix any chance he gets. He’s even seemingly been teased about their dynamic by his sister, on live.

That said, I do also think it’s possible their dynamic could be result of Chan being the leader of their group, as well as being three years older than Felix. Coupled with how Chan used to view himself and his worth, there’s a handful of reasons why I think their dynamic swings so vastly between “Yeah, they’re in love and love being together.” and “Chan’s in love for sure, but that’s all there is.”

In comparison to Jimin and Jungkook, you’re right in saying BTS doesn’t do skinship the way I’ve seen other groups do it. In their earlier years, but even SKZ are extremely more tactile. Woosan from ATEEZ as well. Another pairing that could be considered real, but I don’t know enough about them. I do think their friendship is very real and very solid from what I’ve seen, and I wouldn’t be shocked if they ever revealed they had something going on, but that’s because they kiss and seemingly get easily jealous, but that’s as far as my opinion goes. I don’t watch their group content to know if that’s a group thing.

But to get back to Jikook, I think what makes them different is how domestic they seem. Chan and Felix don’t give off domestic partners to me, because again, they keep a lot of their dynamic off stage and off camera to themselves. They don’t seem estranged on stage and clearly get along, but a lot of their moments feel very heavy. As if Felix is hyper aware of Chan whenever he touches him, and Chan is almost embarrassed to be caught wanting the type of affection he seeks from Felix. (Just my opinion, I’m not saying that’s exactly what it is.)

Jimin and Jungkook don’t have that kind of vibe on camera. Sometimes they can seem irritated, but overall they’ve always come across as wanting to be near and open to being touched by each other. Their beginning is also a bit different from Chanlix. Neither of them are responsible for the group itself, and although Jimin is older, he and JK were both minors when they met, whereas Chan was 20 and Felix 17. So just on a foundational level, the two friendships started in different places.

Now, if Chan and Felix choose to film an AYS type series once the other members start to enlist, I would be interested in seeing how things play out. Because again, I do think they are very close and what they feel for each other has been discussed. I can’t imagine Chan has told the whole world about Felix’s beauty and him being his soulmate, yet never mentioned it to Felix.

Which is another different between them and Jikook. Jimin and Jungkook talk all the time about how much their admire one another and are proud of each other, but I don’t think they’ve ever sat on camera and inadvertently told fans about how down bad they are for the other. AYS is probably the most confirming of sorts that we’ve gotten, of them saying they’re essentially the same person, aka soulmates. I do also think though, JM and JK show their affection more than talk about it. They seem to have a tendency to travel to show their care: GCFT, Jimin flying to SK for Jungkook’s birthday, and now AYS. Which could be because they come from a different era of Kpop than SKZ, and thus grew up a little differently, idk.

This is getting long as well, but I also wanted to mention on more pairing in SKZ you didn’t. Jisung and Minho. They aren’t as confusing as Chanlix, nor as under the radar (sort of) and Jikook, and I find it so fascinating that more people don’t view them as an undeniable couple. I know lots of people think it’s crazy to assume more than one couple could exist in the same group, but I don’t know why. Kpop groups tend to be large, and I find it harder to believe only one or two members are queer.

Point is, Jisung and Minho (Minsung, if you want to look them up) seem like the most lived-in, comfortable couple I’ve seen in this industry. Which, my view is limited, but still. They refer to each other as husbands/boyfriends/wives, the other members of the group acknowledge they’re a package deal, and they stick up under each other like white on rice. Both on stage and camera and off. They go on dates, they flirt, they’re sentimental. Just all sorts of things, but I don’t recall them having crazy skinship. They do it, as do pretty much all SKZ, but theirs is never over the top, imo. For instance, Changbin loves talking about how thirsty he is for Hyunjin, and asks him out (or at least used to, I haven’t watched their content in a while), but I don’t think there’s anything actually going on between them.

Anyway, yeah. All these pairings have different dynamics, which I think is normal. They grew up in different times, under different companies, and with different families. Jimin and Jungkook seem real to me, because of how important their proximity to each other is. They seem to be aware of the fact that they don’t like being separated, and made moves to fix the things that kept them apart last year, and are now serving in the military side by side. Is that undeniable proof of romance? No, but it shows an importance in their bond that I think is now clear they don’t have with the other members.

Chan and Felix having feelings for each other seems possible to me, because Chan has never not dished on how in love with Felix he is. It would be flat out homophobic imo, to take him saying such beautiful things, and claim he meant them all platonically, when if he’s said them about a woman, people would assume he was shooting his shot or was 100% in love with her. And from Felix’s side, I think he holds his cards closer to chest, but has spoken on how much Chan means to him. So at the very least, I think their feelings are mutual.

And Jisung and Minho seem real to me, because they’ve basically said it, lol. I don’t watch their stuff too often either, but there’s only so many times I can take two people being domestic and cute, and pretty much saying, “My husband…” as a joke. It’s been years, they’re still attached at the hip, and they don’t seem to care.

Could all three be fan service? Yes, but I genuinely don’t think they are. They may not be romantically involved, but I do think all three have some level of real to them.