Shotaro addressed recent dating rumors with aespa’s Giselle during a Weverse live broadcast.
In a livestream with fans on January 28, the RIIZE member directly denied the escalating rumors. The live stream, titled “Briefly before I sleep…,” saw fans repeatedly asking him about his relationship with Giselle. After ignoring these comments for a while, he finally responded.
Shotaro addresses “same strange comments” about dating Giselle, saying, “We don’t have that kind of relationship at all.”
The 25-year-old K-pop star described the labelmate as a “senior at the same company and a close friend.” He concluded by saying, “It’s really not that kind of relationship at all, so please don’t misunderstand.”
The rumors had begun circulating online shortly before Shotaro’s broadcast. Fans claimed they had seen him on a video call with a woman who resembled Giselle. They noticed that the curtains in the background were said to match those seen in Shotaro’s home in the past content. Plus, the woman’s appearance and nail art appeared similar to Giselle’s style. Unlike past rumors, which linked Giselle to another RIIZE member, Wonbin, these claims involved Shotaro.
Previous gossip surrounding Giselle and Wonbin even drew her attention, as fans noted she shared a now-deleted Instagram story featuring Casper the Ghost reading a book with the caption, “Go study or smth.” Many interpreted it as her clapping back at those rumors.
On the work front, RIIZE appeared as Samsung’s global ambassadors at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, attending the “First Look” event and testing the new Galaxy Z TriFold phone. Additionally, they will continue their concert tour, RIIZING Loud, in Macau on February 7.
Meanwhile, aespa will also resume their world tour, SYNK: aeXIS LINE -, in Hong Kong on February 7-8.
