aespa Winter And Red Velvet Irene’s Unexpected Interaction Becomes A Hot Topic
The unexpected but sweet friendship between Red Velvet’s Irene and aespa’s Winter is melting fans’ hearts. A recent clip from SMTOWN in Tokyo has brought attention to their interactions over time and close friendship despite age differences.
In the viral post on Pann, which has already surpassed 40,000 views, fans shared several interactions between the two idols.
The most recent happened this past weekend during SMTOWN Tokyo, where Irene and Winter were spotted hugging and cutely greeting the camera together. The wholesome exchange sparked renewed interest in their past moments.
I find it kind of fascinating that Irene and Winter are so close.
At first, I thought it would be hard for them to become friends since they’re both pretty introverted,
but now it seems like out of all the Red Velvet and aespa members, these two are the closestㅋㅋㅋ So cute.— Viral Pann post
During SMTOWN LA, Winter and Karina posed wearing Irene and Seulgi’s name tags — with Winter specifically wearing Irene’s.
aespa's Winter wearing Irene's name tag (with Karina wearing Seulgi's)! 😆😆#IRENE #아이린 #RedVelvet @RVsmtown pic.twitter.com/m8ftJTt4sq
— Irene 아이린 Global 🌷 (@irene_global) May 13, 2025
Another memorable moment was when Irene treated aespa to watermelon during practice. Winter later posted the gift on her Instagram story and affectionately referred to Irene as “my love.”
different ways winter calls irene
"eongnie" (unnie cutely)
"my love"
"joohyunie unnie"minjeong so babyyyy 🫠🫶 https://t.co/BHPuxjtGPt pic.twitter.com/vu47xBfTbi
— ty (@soshirevelae) June 26, 2024
The Pann post’s author mentioned being surprised by their bond at first, believing their introverted personalities might make it harder for them to get close.
KARINA, WINTER, IRENE AND SEULGI TOGETHER!! THE WHISKEY BAR GANG😭😭
— Karina♡ (@ujiminphoria) August 9, 2025
However, they now seem to be one of the closest pairs between Red Velvet and aespa members.
- “They’re 35 and 25, so there’s a 10-year age gap, but maybe that actually made them click better since they’re both introverted? Anyway, they’re such a pretty duo, I love it.”
- “They’re both from the Gyeongsang region, so I think they probably relate to each other more.”
- “Seulgi once said that Winter is her closest junior. Winter has the kind of personality older members love, and she really likes her older members, too.”
- “Winter f*cking took her shot. LOL. She seriously adores Irene!”
- “Introverts feel most comfortable when they’re with other introverts.”
