Joshua Hong dropped a new Instagram carousel, but SEVENTEEN fans seem to have run into a slight problem.
They can't get past slide five.
The SEVENTEEN star shared behind-the-scenes photos from his recent ELLE MEN China shoot with Jeonghan. In the backstage glimpse, the duo is busy serving everything from sharply tailored suits and leather jackets to dramatic red lighting that gives Mars a run for its reputation.
Then came the fifth slide. Instead of another polished editorial shot, Joshua slipped in three mirror selfies with Jeonghan. Matching red knits, faces side-by-side, and increasingly chaotic expressions included.
For fans, CARATs, this wasn't simply another cute photo dump. Rather, this meant that the 'evil twins' are back, and that spells both music and mischief in capital letters. Possibly italicised and bold if you account for the combined trouble and tracks these two are gearing up to unleash.
Slide 5 Just Became CARAT Property
Joshua and Jeonghan's friendship has long been a favourite among SEVENTEEN fans, with the same-age pair affectionately dubbed the group's 'evil twins' thanks to their angelic visuals occasionally disguising a shared talent for mischief.
Slide five brought that familiar 'JiHan' dynamic straight back to Instagram.
The first mirror selfie sees the pair posing shoulder-to-shoulder with Joshua holding the phone. By the second, they're both grinning like they pulled a prank you don't know about yet. And by the third, Jeonghan has leaned even closer while Joshua appears to be thoroughly accustomed to having approximately zero personal space. Classic Jeonghan and Joshua behaviour, truly.
The endearing photos prompted the fandom to express their fondness for the two while also digging through the archives to unleash a fleet of playful memes. Classic CARAT behaviour, truly.
For fans who have been missing content from the duo, however, the timing makes the mini reunion particularly precious. Jeonghan completed his alternative military service on 25 June after beginning his enlistment in September 2024, becoming SEVENTEEN's first member to finish his mandatory service.
CARATs waited. Slide five collected the interest.
Joshua and Jeonghan x ELLE MEN
The selfies may have stolen the carousel, but the other photos offered a glamorous look into the actual ELLE MEN China shoot.
Across the behind-the-scenes shots, Joshua and Jeonghan move between leather, sleek gentleman tailoring, and sharply structured outerwear under cinematic washes of red and blue.
One image features them seated beneath blazing red lights in contrasting statement coats. Another puts Joshua in black leather against a wall of old television screens, while later shots trade rebellious styling for sleek black suits beside a dark convertible.
The concept essentially asks what happens when SEVENTEEN's resident bringers of style and mischief are given moody lighting and excellent tailoring.
The answer is apparently handsome trouble in high definition.
JiHan Season Is Officially Upon Us
Better yet, this reunion isn't ending at a magazine shoot. It's only the beginning.
PLEDIS Entertainment confirmed that Jeonghan and Joshua are preparing to debut as SEVENTEEN's newest unit, with an album currently targeted for October. It will mark Joshua's first official unit debut and Jeonghan's second following his 2024 collaboration with Wonwoo.
During their ELLE MEN China interview, the pair also spoke about putting their thoughts and worries into the forthcoming music and their hopes of giving CARATs comfort through it.
In other words, slide five may look like three friends-only-coded mirror selfies casually smuggled into a fashion carousel, but it arrives right before Joshua and Jeonghan begin an entirely new chapter together.
'JiHan' is back, slide five has CARATs playing favourites, and their unit debut is only weeks away. If this is the soft launch, October may need a warning label.
