On August 27 and 28, BTS held concerts as part of their “ARIRANG” World Tour at Sol∂ιєr Field in Chicago. It could be said that Chicago was one of the stops that BTS particularly favored on this tour, especially with the group performing “Hip Hop Phile” and “13430” for the first time in nearly 10 years.
In particular, some lucky fans received custom-made Chicago Bears footballs personalized for each member, featuring their names along with the words “BTS WORLD TOUR (ARIRANG) / August 27 & 28, 2026.” Among them was the young fan who went viral on Instagram thanks to his shirt bearing the words “My name is Jimin too” — a video that Jimin himself had liked and commented on. Jimin must have recognized the boy during the second night’s soundcheck and decided to give the young fan this special gift. Fans were also delighted for him, saying that he absolutely deserved it.
However, not every gift seemed to end up in the right hands like in the case above. Recently, the ARMY community was left stunned by an υиєχρє¢тє∂ discovery: one of the recipients was allegedly someone who had previously made harshly critical and even defamatory remarks about the members during the controversy involving Chris Brown.
Specifically, fans discovered that the Reddit account allegedly belonging to the fan who received RM’s football had previously posted numerous negative comments targeting the BTS leader when the controversy erupted. Yet at the Chicago concert, after receiving the gift from RM, she openly took photos with it while wearing an “I love Namjoon” shirt, a Koya choker, and holding a banner dedicated to him, proudly sharing the photos on social media as if nothing had ever happened.
The stark contrast immediately left many ARMYs stunned. Publicly criticizing RM online and then showing up at his concert and openly expressing affection for him is a contradiction that is difficult to overlook.
Notably, after this fan’s Reddit activity history was dug up by ARMYs, she was seen attempting to delete some of her old posts and even remove her old account. However, ARMYs had already saved the evidence in time and exposed the alleged history.
One ARMY then wrote a lengthy analysis, arguing that the issue was not simply her being “inconsistent,” but also raised questions about her ethics and the motives behind what appeared to be performative behavior. She seemed to be performing for two different au∂ιєnces. On Reddit, harsh criticism could earn this female fan validation and attention from the online community. At the concert, being close to the stage, wearing merchandise, holding a banner, and seeking attention from the very idol she had criticized offered an entirely different kind of reward.
The fan also pointed out that this was not an isolated case, but soмєтнing that happens with many others within the fandom as well. The writer concluded: “You don’t have to understand every motive to see the contradiction. People who do this aren’t making a coherent argument. They’re collecting reactions in one place and chasing proximity in another. That’s why it keeps happening, and why it still looks like the same cheap performance every time.”
Meanwhile, other fans expressed similar views, saying they were extremely uncomfortable with the behavior of someone who appeared to take advantage of BTS’s sincerity:
- Tell me why this girl ran to Reddit for videos but forgot she had the most vile history? She quickly deleted her account but this is the type of hypocrisy that is actually so gross. Sнιтting on Joon for having a girl in a I love RM shirt in his photo dump and then wearing this?
- Sold their morals to the highest bidder but she’ll do the same for a little Jumbotron time thirsting after him??
- The concept of dragging him on snark pages and being mad at him for posting i love rm pictures only to wear the same shirt and then milking the interaction with him.. activism
- That’s why I’m not taking this whole thing serious K-pop Stan’s are just performative and honestly just want views and likes they are just attention seekers and let’s be honest here bts know this as well
- I'm absolutely ѕнσ¢кed at what she pulled here. Went private on all her accounts. No fvcking kidding?!?!?! The duplicity the hypocrisy and the audacity... all for clout chase. 2.7 k Karma on reddit...well you're abt to face a diff Karma here
- These people are emotional abusers. They degrade you and then pretend it didn’t happen and shower you with affection. Rinse repeat
- She’s a very hypocritical person. She should be ashamed of herself for even having the nerve to hold a sign and catch the ball from RM. Y’all spread so much misinformation and hate on the Boys only to be at concerts claiming to love them. A very shameful human being .
- I told you..... there're people that it's not very well and they use BTS to spread their anger
- Wow thats a shame!!!! She is not deserved to have the football from RM, better it give to another true Army
