On the afternoon of September 3, 2026, SEVENTEEN’s Mingyu appeared at an event in Seoul, South кσяєα, and immediately became the center of attention. Not only because of his familiar handsome looks, the idol also sent social media into a frenzy with a completely new appearance: his hair was shaved close to his head in preparation for his military enlistment.

According to his schedule, Mingyu will officially be away from fans for about two years starting September 10 to fulfill his mandatory military service through alternative service. Ahead of his departure, the idol decided to shave his head. This is also the first time in his career that Mingyu has appeared with his hair cut this short.

With his signature “quail egg” hairstyle, Mingyu practically showed off his sharp facial features in full. The closely shaved hair further accentuated the SEVENTEEN star’s masculine and healthy look. Netizens could not stop talking about his new appearance: “His head shape is pretty,” “Wow he's too handsome. His head shape is so pretty,” “Oh he suits it. It's not easy to pull off,” “He looks even better with a shaved head,” and more.

Meanwhile, there was another “big fan” who seemed just as obsessed with Mingyu’s υиєχρє¢тє∂ transformation — his 97-line best friend, Jungkook!

Right after Mingyu appeared at the Simmons Pop-up event, Jungkook seemed unable to stop paying attention to his best friend’s new look. The idol repeatedly reposted several reels featuring Mingyu’s moments at the event, turning his personal Instagram into a mini “Mingyu fanpage.”

What made ARMYs laugh even more were the captions Jungkook used for each post. Instead of simply complimenting his friend on how handsome he looked, Jungkook kept calling Mingyu “bal∂ιє” in increasingly hilarious ways: “zoom in bal∂ιєee,” “simmons bal∂ιєeeee,” “handsome bal∂ιєee,” “chestnut kim mingyu,” “mingyu baldddddddddd,” “mingyu baaald,” “minggyu baaaaald,” or even simply “mingyu bald.”

Apparently, Jungkook still wasn’t satisfied, as he continued pointing out every little detail in Mingyu’s videos with comments like “bal∂ιє with pretty eyes,” “a proper bal∂ιє,” “bal∂ιє with a ѕєχy gaze,” “bal∂ιє, bal∂ιє who's quick to greet,” and “bal∂ιє who waves his hand and puts his sunglαѕѕes down”... At one point, however, he seemed to realize that he was spamming and reminded himself, “I should stop now.”

The “spamming” quickly delighted fans, especially since Jungkook is not usually known for publicly interacting with his friends on social media. Among his friends, Mingyu is one of the few close friends Jungkook interacts with most frequently. Last month, when Mingyu posted a video doing the “Singasong” challenge, Jungkook playfully commented, "What's this what's this," to which Mingyu jokingly replied, "What do you mean what's this~."

Beyond their social media interactions, the two have also shown their support for each other on numerous occasions. When Mingyu had schedules in the U.S. at the same time Jungkook was there, he openly expressed his disappointment that they could not meet. When Mingyu held a concert, Jungkook also attended to show his support. Likewise, when BTS held a concert in South кσяєα, Mingyu flew back after finishing his overseas concert just to attend.

Their friendship has become so well-known that even Calvin Klein invited both of them to take part in its campaigns, sending fans into a frenzy whenever they appear together at an event or in the same frame.

Meanwhile, some fans believe that Jungkook’s “spamming” of Mingyu this time may not simply come from his excitement over his friend’s new look, but could also be his special way of showing support for his best friend ahead of his enlistment. Behind all those adorable jokes about Mingyu’s “bal∂ιє” look, there may also be a sense of attachment and longing that Jungkook cannot put into words. Fans left numerous comments discussing the interaction:

- Imagining his voice, his laugh while he's typing comments. Jungkook's really a supportive friend

- Jungkook would love the bald Auronplay meme. I love Gukmin Gyu way too much, I'm melting

- The friend making fun of the other for being bald LMAOOO. Love their cute friendship so much

- Imagine how loud Jungkook’s laugh was while he was typing 26 comments. He's just so unserious I love him

- He really is that annoying best friend you can't live without

- Jungkook doesn't have a single serious bone in his body. Bruhh is just so obsessed with ma man

- Their friendship is honestly one of the sweetest things in K-pop. The way Jungkook keeps posting Mingyu is so cute

- Jungkook really turned his Instagram into a Mingyu fan account overnight. Need a friendship like theirs

- 97-line friendship will always have my heart. It’s also really heartwarming seeing how much he cares about his best friend

- Jungkook teasing Mingyu nonstop before his enlistment somehow feels both hilarious and bittersweet. I’m sure he’s going to miss his bestie so much