In 2022, Nexon first announced its collaboration with Jin through the series “Office Warrior Kim Seokjin.” As a long-time fan of the game, Jin had repeatedly expressed his love for MapleStory, which opened the door for this partnership with Nexon. The collaboration between Jin and MapleStory is a rare case where an artist does not simply stop at promotion but becomes deeply involved in creative content. Instead of only appearing in traditional marketing campaigns, he was developed as part of the game’s content ecosystem, attracting significant attention.
By March 2026, Nexon announced the launch of new in-game items and events in the online game MapleStory featuring Jin, as part of the second collaboration project between the two sides, within a large-scale campaign celebrating the game’s 23rd anniversary. They also brought back the series “Office Warrior Kim Seokjin Returns,” in which Jin returns as an αѕѕistant manager and continues participating in the game’s idea development process.
In addition to this content, the new collaboration also includes various exciting events such as lucky draws, the “Jin’s Mysterious Experience” event, the purchase of special character outfits decorated with Jin’s handwriting, and the online live event “Amajin Hot Time,” which was proposed by Jin himself. On the 22nd of this month at 7:40 PM (кσяєαn Standard Time), Jin logged in as a game master for MapleStory as part of this event and interacted online with 1,500 users.
Interestingly, many of them were his fans and did not hesitate to express their affection directly in front of him. One user typed in the game chat: “I want to become Jin hyung’s pet dog woof woof,” then followed up with: “I love you Jin hyung,” prompting him to humorously reply, “Ah. You suddenly became human?” while the user kept going “woof woof” as a response. In the end, Jin laughed in amused resignation and said, “You stayed in character until the very end. I really like it.”
But that wasn’t the most surprising moment… As the atmosphere grew lively, another player suddenly sent a long message that caught the entire chat’s attention: “Hi Jin, from the moment I first saw you, I wanted to confess. I was going to confess before the vacation, but like an idiot, back then…” In response to this emotional opening, Jin curiously asked, “Then… what comes next?” The player continued: “I didn’t have the courage. But now, in front of all these people, I wanted to say that I love only you.”
This direct, public confession during a live broadcast left even the MapleStory host visibly stunned. Meanwhile, Jin responded quite calmly, asking, “Um, but… I went to an all-boys middle school and boys high school. What is your gender?” Upon receiving the answer, “I’m a man,” Jin admitted, “This is a bit awkward,” yet continued to listen as the player confessed further: “But I still love you, hyung.”
Faced with such a sincere and one-of-a-kind confession, Jin concluded the situation with a gentle remark: “Alright. Congratulations. Because loving someone is a freedom,” which melted both the chat and online au∂ιєnces. Even the confessor replied, “Thank you,” before ending his υиєχρє¢тє∂ confession.
This moment once again demonstrated Jin’s quick-witted handling of situations, reflecting both high emotional intelligence and intelligence overall. It clearly shows who Jin is: humorous yet mature, able to maintain boundaries while still respecting others’ feelings. His admission of “This is a bit awkward” upon learning the person was male reflects honesty. He did not act or pretend to be overly composed, but acknowledged his genuine feelings and turned the situation into soмєтнing more lighthearted.
Meanwhile, fans were especially struck by his closing statement, “Loving someone is a freedom.” Rather than rejecting or responding in a way that could be sensitive or misunderstood, he chose acknowledgment and support. Loving someone is one’s freedom—no one has the right to judge it, and it is always soмєтнing valuable, worthy of recognition and even congratulations. Social media was quickly flooded with fan comments such as:
- "Because loving someone is a freedom." - another famous quote from well educated & smart hyung Kim Seokjin
- Yes princess loving someone is freedom. It's one of the most beautiful phrase I have heard!. I wish people would stop being homophobic
- He respect everyone. And again we get out new quote. "Because loving someone is a freedom"
- Wow, he's very quick witted and always has a clever reply!
- D*mn! There he goes again! Kim Seokjin spilling pearls of wisdom just like that
- This is so sweet of him.. like when he said have a nice love to that couple at his concert
- Was feeling a bit down and here comes mr. worldwide handsome with his whimsy and beauty with brain handsome-ness with, "loving someone is freedom" bc what a f*cking line
- I love him. I love how he didn't accept/reject him, but at the same time reαѕѕured him & validated his feelings.He's so thoughtful. I stan the right man
- Jin handled that situation with incredible emotional intelligence—respectful, honest, and kind without making anyone uncomfortable
- His response was so genuine and thoughtful. You can tell he didn’t try to act perfect—he just stayed kind and real, and that’s what makes it even more admirable
- Jin’s reaction proves his high EQ and a warm heart. He turned an awkward moment into soмєтнing positive and meaningful for everyone watching
