Nana (임진아, Lim Jin-ah), 35, a former member of the girl group After School, and T.O.P (최승현, Choi Seung-hyun), 38, formerly of BIGBANG, have confirmed their relationship after Korean media outlet Dispatch reported on their romance. Both their agencies swiftly acknowledged the relationship, confirming the two are currently dating and revealing that they developed from work partners into a couple around June of this year. Following the announcement, Nana's past dating rumors with model Chae Jong-seok (채종석), who is six years her junior, have once again been brought up by netizens.
Nana's agency, Sublime, officially responded to the dating news on the 2nd, confirming that she and T.O.P met while filming a music video and gradually grew closer, now officially dating as a couple.
As the relationship became public, Nana also addressed her fans for the first time via a fan communication platform, stating, “You must be surprised, and I’m a little shy myself. We will date well and healthily.” Her sweet reaction to personally sharing the good news allowed fans to officially receive confirmation of their relationship.
It is understood that the beginning of Nana and T.O.P's relationship was the music video for T.O.P's solo song “Turn It Up! (Studio54).” Nana was invited by T.O.P to star as the female lead in the music videos for both title tracks of his first solo album, *ANOTHER DIMENSION*. The two grew closer through their collaboration and eventually developed from work partners into a couple.
With Nana's official confirmation of her relationship with T.O.P, her past dating rumors with six-years-younger model Chae Jong-seok have once again become a topic of discussion.
In December 2024, Nana was rumored to be dating Chae Jong-seok after they collaborated on singer Baek Ji-young's music video for “That's Right.” In the MV, they portrayed a couple, sharing intimate kiss scenes and extensive physical interactions. Their strong chemistry and the sweetness of the scenes led many to wonder if their on-screen romance had become real.
Unexpectedly, netizens later discovered that the two allegedly traveled to Bali together, and photos with a couple-like atmosphere and interactions subsequently appeared on their social media platforms, fueling the dating rumors.
However, at the time, neither Nana nor Chae Jong-seok officially confirmed their relationship. When asked by the media, both sides merely responded that it was “private life, difficult to confirm.” Therefore, this relationship has remained an unconfirmed dating rumor from that period.
Notably, Nana appeared on the MBC variety show *Omniscient Interfering View* in March of this year. While on her way to the beauty salon to prepare for an event, she discussed dating and marriage with her manager.
Her manager told her, “Nana unnie is almost 40; now is the time to date seriously.” Nana calmly replied, “Dating is something you do in your spare time.” Her carefree view on dating brought laughter to the set. However, the manager then added, “You should meet a good person and get married soon.” At this, Nana surprisingly stated, “I've always been in a stable relationship.”
That single sentence instantly heated up the atmosphere and became a focal point of discussion after the show aired. Host Jun Hyun-moo couldn't help but jokingly remark, “It seems you're very good at using your spare time!” At the time, this conversation once again drew public attention to Nana's dating rumors with Chae Jong-seok, with netizens speculating about the identity of her “stable relationship” partner.
Now that Nana has officially announced her relationship with T.O.P, these nearly two-year-old rumors have resurfaced. However, since Nana and Chae Jong-seok's relationship was never officially confirmed by either party at the time, the relevant rumors should still be considered based on their public statements back then.
Looking back at Nana's statement on the show, “I've always been in a stable relationship,” it has once again become a hot topic among netizens following her official confirmation of dating T.O.P.
