On December 22, Jiyeon, a member of girl group T-ARA, uploaded several photos to her personal SNS showing herself with fellow T-ARA members at the airport, presumably ahead of an overseas schedule. The post featured a black heart emoji, with no additional caption.
While the images themselves highlighted Jiyeon’s continued close bond with her group members, the timing of the post quickly became a topic of discussion among netizens, as it came just days after Hwang Jae-gyun officially announced the end of his baseball career.
On December 19, Hwang Jae-gyun shared a handwritten letter on social media, announcing his retirement from professional baseball.
“Today, I am bringing my 30-year baseball life to a close,” he wrote. “Even as I write this, emotions I can’t fully express continue to overwhelm me.”
Hwang Jae-gyun debuted in 2006 with the Hyundai Unicorns and went on to play for the Heroes, Lotte Giants, MLB’s San Francisco Giants, and KT Wiz, where he remained from 2018 until his retirement. In his final season, he recorded a .275 batting average, 7 home runs, and 48 RBIs across 112 games, while also exercising his free agency (FA) rights.
Jiyeon and Hwang Jae-gyun married in 2022, but confirmed their divorce just two years later, drawing significant public attention due to their high-profile status. Since their separation, both have largely refrained from making public remarks about one another.
Although Jiyeon’s recent post made no direct reference to Hwang, online speculation arose due to the overlapping timing. Some netizens interpreted the heart emoji as symbolic, while others cautioned against overanalyzing a post that appeared focused on Jiyeon’s current activities and friendships.
Sources: StarNews