ATEEZ State of the Ship 2026 (Mid-Year Review)
We're more than halfway through the year and the hierarchy of yaoi in the Ateez universe is changing. Let's see the current rankings!
San x Wooyoung ⬆️ (prev ↔️)
2026 is the year of WooSan. Their resurgence of eyebrow-raising interactions had many speculating the pair went into contract renegotiations with some kind of weapon in hand. Who could blame us? I mean, come on. Come on. Their year-old airport photos go viral every three months. They started their own youtube channel and their fujo producers repeatedly refer to them as a couple. They contemplated getting another couple friendship tattoo. Even San's denial of them dating sparked a fandom-wide "sure, Jan" reaction. WooSan tv has never been more riveting.
It's in the way they orbit around each other: always touching, always seeking comfort, always looking for a response, always chasing each other's laughter and attention; it's the way San looks at Wooyoung, unable to hide the love in his eyes; it's the way Wooyoung goads him, aiming to break that famous composure. They are each other's first pick. Not even a solo schedule can separate them - they always want to be together. It's the way they're attuned to each other's body language and mannerisms. It's the way they always bicker. It's the way Wooyoung hates sharing his clothes or perfumes but buys for himself whatever San wears. It's the way Wooyoung thinks San is the cutest thing in the world. It's the way they're always messing around in the background, seemingly forgetting about the thousands of eyes watching them. It's the way the whole world shrinks to just the two of them. It's them joking "just let us love each other!" It's the way they've described their relationship as having "a level of closeness" that surpasses what they have with other members. It's the way they know each other's whole heart.
Yunho x Mingi ↔️(prev ↔️)
What a great time to be yungi-pilled: the attention, the touching, the dancing, the joy!! They are always so happy to be in each other's company, doing what they both love. These days, Yunho seems more physically demonstrative and forthright about his desire to be close to Mingi - even sometimes getting a little possessive. Meanwhile, while Mingi may have developed a more independent mindset as his solo career blossomed, his relationship with Yunho remains a priority. Mingi is the first to cheer on Yunho's adventures, from modeling to acting; and he cannot help himself from simping over Yunho whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Hongjoong x Seonghwa ⬇️ (prev ⬆️)
Our favorite decade-long slow-burn romance between two people who are practically already married. After the highs of last year (Lake Como, "My Wife, Seonghwa"), I feared Hongjoong had spent the last of his diamonds and we'd see a regression. Thankfully, Matz Nation stands strong. If anything, Hongjoong has gotten bolder with Seonghwa in the past several months, perhaps alerted to the fact that his fumbling has become a fandom inside joke 😂 Meanwhile, Seonghwa remains as besotted as ever with this strange, charming "bad boy" who calls him a fool. They continually refer to themselves as the mother and father of ATEEZ, they are each other's biggest cheerleaders, and in moments of triumph they still look to each other before anyone else.
We may never get the full story of what happened in that LA villa, but some secrets are theirs to keep (and there's always fanfic).
Mingi x Yeosang ⬆️ (prev ⬇️)
*gasp* A non-government ship in the top 4?! That's the power of MinSang, babyy. These two have the most unusual and compelling chemistry. It's hard to describe, but it's something about how they feel safe enough around each other to let their masks drop a bit. With Mingi, Yeosang gets louder, bolder, a bit more assertive; with Yeosang, Mingi gets softer, sweeter, and sillier. I'll quote @syster19's theory that they're
"different kind of freaks in the same font" and you can see that in the way they don't care about (or don't register) breaking the "rules" of being an idol, such as spoiling things, spacing out on camera, pushing back on things they don't enjoy, teasing their fans, and sometimes having the wrong reaction/ saying the wrong thing. This was most apparent during their recent live, which was the funniest 38 minutes of audio I've ever heard.
I just think they enjoy each other. More importantly, they pay attention to each other. Mingi singled Yeosang out for having a "strong" on-stage persona but an "unexpectedly quirky side to him," when they're in private. At a recent fan-sign, Yeosang said: "our ways of thinking are similar. I'm so comfortable with Mingi."
That alone would be enough for any shipper, but they're also, like, really into each other...
Seonghwa x Mingi ⬆️ (prev ↔️)
I was already planning to move HwaGi up a few slots based on the way they've been so enamored with each other during the last several months (clearly something shifted after their Okinawa trip), or the way Seonghwa looked at Mingi during Wanteez BL, or even the way Mingi looked at Seonghwa during 1N2D.
But then their cover of Troublemaker hit the fandom like a steel chair. This is what we call a yaoi chart reversal.
I am thrilled to see SanGi ascending the rankings! Together, they are an unstoppable force of energy (and noise). They behave like gym bros with a crush; they nudge each other into being sillier and sillier; and they support each other with their trademark loyalty and quiet care.
Wooyoung x Yeosang ↔️ (prev ⬆️)
This pair is rock solid. Wooyoung continues cross every personal and professional boundary when it comes to Yeosang, and Yeosang continues to permit it with fond resignation. Wooyoung brings out a particularly delightful snarky side of Yeosang, and Yeosang makes Wooyoung a little bit feral.
Yunho x Seonghwa ⬆️ (prev ⬆️)
At first, I despaired that this pair would continue to backslide, given we had very few interactions in the first quarter of the year. But THANK GOD for Seonghwa's thirsty ass and Yunho's perpetual oh moments. More importantly, THANK GOD for Now This House Ain't a Home, which brought them together every performance for a loving, and sometimes tearful, embrace.
Our ever-reliable puppy/kitten pair! YunSan stocks were way up at the beginning of the year, from Yunho's impulsive on-stage kiss to San's promised return birthday kiss that never happened 😭 San remains weak to Yunho's good looks, and Yunho clearly adores playing with San whenever they're on camera.
And Yunho said: "that feeling of him fitting perfectly in my arms...I guess I liked the way he fit right in my arms..."
San x Yeosang ⬆️ (prev ⬆️ )
These two remain painfully cute together. Yeosang boasted that he got to wish San happy birthday before the other members; San came on live to gush about how much he loved Yeosang's blonde hair.
Of course, we gotta talk about San's campaign to win Yeosang's affections in Wanteez. In the end, he triumphed over the other suitors.
Yunho x Wooyoung ⬆️ (prev ↔️)
Once again, boykisser3000 and and his partner in crime (codename: puppyluvsfeet) are competitive in the rankings. They saw other pairs surging ahead and took it as a challenge to be gayer than ever.
They flirted their way through Wanteez BL, with Yunho asking Wooyoung if he'd like to hook up come over and eat ramyeon; then they conspired to make their respective partners jealous during the fanmeeting by doing a little troublemaking of their own; and just the other day Wooyoung tried to land a nice big smooch on the cheek. One of these days, Yunho won't pretend to be so surprised.
Jongho x Yeosang ⬇️ (prev ↔️)
I know my jongsang mutuals will hate me for this, but I'm sorry to say this ship has lost some steam. That doesn't mean we've run out of momentum: we had some excellent bear hugs this first half of the year and a particularly 👀 moment against a wall. I have faith in this pair (Jongho in particular) to get us back on track by the end of the year.
Hongjoong x Wooyoung ⬇️ (prev ⬆️)
Beloved Topaz, a ship propelled by rage-baiting, biting, and clingy affection.
Mingi x Hongjoong ⬇️ (prev ↔️)
I am personally saddened to see MinJoong slipping down in the rankings. Despite our delulu headcanon that Body was about their situationship gone sour, we haven't had too many compelling interactions lately. However, they are charmingly consistent: Mingi with his blunt sincerity ("I found myself thinking it would be an absolute honor just to be able to join [Hongjoong] on that journey") and Hongjoong with his inability to keep his hands off Mingi whenever they're within touching distance. Please give us a unit song this year!!
Yunho x Jongho ⬆️ (prev ↔️)
Can you believe they're so high on this list?? What a year it's been for 2Ho! When they first dropped some cute bts pics from Adrenaline promo, I cheered, thinking we'd finally have enough to last the desolate months ahead. But then, they kept getting paired up, revealing themselves to be a hilarious duo who absolutely commits to the bit.
Then, the yaoi gods delivered another bounty: an entire romance arc in Wanteez BL. We got to see suave, confident Jongho pursue shy, nerdy Yunho, and Yunho was - for once - caught on his back foot. Then, we were given another treat: a unit song during the fanmeeting, wherin Yunho and Jongho step into the roles of an established couple trying to work through their issues. We got to hear their beautiful voices together, which was a bonus.
I've been spoiled but I'm still greedy. More 2ho!!
San x Jongho ⬆️ (prev ↔️)
There is so much love between these two, and it's expressed so differently. San is demonstrative in his affections while Jongho is quieter, yet no less supportive of his hyung. When he needs it, Jongho becomes San's place to rest. They are my ultimate comfort pair.
Wooyoung x Mingi ↔️ (prev ↔️)
I always perk up when I see WooGi interactions. They are so much fun! There's a bit of unpredictability in their encounters: sometimes Wooyoung wants to play, and Mingi is happy to oblige; other times, Mingi initiates but gets the cold shoulder. That doesn't mean Mingi gives up, sometimes poking his black cat just to get a reaction. When both are feeling frisky, it's fireworks.
Jongho x Mingi ↔️ (prev ↔️)
We had fewer interactions this first half of the year, but what we had was great. These two with their delicious subversion of the hyung-dongsaeng relationship. There is so much teasing affection between them, but with a foundation of true care.
"Come to think of it...why did he call today? After I end this live, I'll call him and find out why he called. But knowing Mingi-hying, he might've just wanted to hear my voice."
Hongjoong x Yunho ↔️ (prev ⬇️)
HoHong celebrated their 10 year anniversary this year, which reminded us of how much we adore our Captain and his First Mate. We did not have many shipper-friendly interactions this year (so far), but there was something so precious about Hongjoong staying up past midnight in Korea so he could like all of Yunho's fashion week posts. I adore their important, unspoken bond.
Wooyoung x Seonghwa ↔️ (prev ↔️)
I'm always so happy to see these two messing around. Wooyoung loves to tease his hyung and rattle his polished serenity. Mostly, he gets the biggest case of cuteness aggression around Seonghwa, and who could blame him? Seonghwa feels the same way about Wooyoung, his baby black kitten.
San x Seonghwa ⬇️ (prev ↔️)
SanHwa have a pretty disarming quality as a pair: they'll be acting all cute and funny with each other and then BOOM, the two hottest guys in the world are getting real chummy on the dancefloor.
Jongho x Wooyoung ⬇️ (prev ↔️)
The cutoff for this post was technically at the end of July, but these two just had to test me by getting all touchy at the Japan fanmeeting AND THEN Wooyoung wrestled Jongho into submission to the tune of Troublemaker. This is typical of ragebaiter x ragebaiter dynamic. I only wish we had more from them!
Hongjoong x Yeosang ↔️ (prev ↔️)
There's something so precious about this pair. It's the way Hongjoong wanted to do the Pretty Girl stage with Yeosang because "pretty" is what comes to mind when Hongjoong sees him. It's also the way Hongjoong makes sure to include Yeosang in every English-language interview; the way he's so quietly protective of his sweet boy. And it's the way Yeosang puts so much trust in their leader to make sure he never loses his way.
Seonghwa x Yeosang ⬆️ (prev ↔️)
So soft...so sweet!! Remember when Seonghwa was overcome with cuteness aggression during their joint live? Remember when Yeosang wished Seonghwa happy birthday and offered to switch spots with him for makeup? What else can I say but I LOVE SEONGSANG!!
Seonghwa x Jongho ⬇️ (prev ↔️)
I'll cherish the moments we shared this year, from Seonghwa dancing along to Jongho's guitar, to this cute little embrace, and - most importantly - Seonghwa's words of encouragement for Jongho at his first fashion week.
...please, do a lego live for the love of fujoshis everywhre!!
Hongjoong x San ⬇️ (prev ↔️)
The yaoi gods are being so stingy with these two, which is a shame since their visuals are so delicious. Mostly, I love how San (like Mingi) gets really still whenever Hongjoong touches him and just lets himself be played with, like a human dealing with a prickly cat. Unlike Mingi, San will sometimes get pretty playful himself and forget that Hongjoong is only three apples tall.
Yunho x Yeosang ⬇️ (prev ⬇️)
A fan-fave pair, but one that continues to serve only crumbs. We had a delightful and memorable live a few months ago, which reminded us of just how cute they are together. Other than that, we know they fit into a tiny little bath at the hot springs. We'll have to use our imagination to fill in the rest.
Hongjoong x Jongho ⬇️ (prev ⬇️)
I despaired when I searched by HongHo tags and found only a handful of interactions. How do we get another Moving Voices in the works?? I'm holding onto this short clip of Jongho manhandling Hongjoong with everything I have...
That's it for the State of the Ship!
Thanks for stopping by, and let me know what you think. Do you agree or disagree with my rankings? What are your predictions for the year-end roundup?
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