KATSEYE Fans Raise Eyebrows After Photo of Sophia Spotted on Filipina Actress' Brother's TV Stand — Rumours Intensify

KATSEYE fans—or should we say detective KATSEYE fans—have raised their eyebrows after spotting what appears to be a photo of the girl group's leader, Sophia Laforteza, on the TV stand of Filipino social media personality and Filipina actress' brother, Leon Barreto, during his Instagram Story and house tour vlog. Rumours of the pair dating have now intensified.

KATSEYE Sophia and Leon Barreto Dating Rumours

Fans of HYBE's global girl group KATSEYE turned detectives after spotting the silhouette in a photo of the group's leader, Sophia, together with Leon—a social media personality and brother of Filipina actress Julia Barreto—on the TV stand in his Instagram Story.

This discovery fueled rumours of the pair dating, but it didn't stop there. Fans also noticed that the same photo was blurred during Leon's house tour on his vlog—and it was the only photo in the entire house that was blurred.

It was posted on reddit user by Temporary-Ad-3137. They captioned the post with: 'Is that Katseye Sophia and Leon?'

They added on their native language: 'There have been rumours of them dating even before. The photograph is very blurry, but the silhouette kind of looks like them. Also, in Leon's condo tour, the picture was blurred out, and if I recall correctly, it was the only photo in his condo that was blurred.'

Comments on the post commend the original poster (OP) for spotting such a tiny detail. One said, 'Not a fan of either of them, but upvoted because it's gossip-worthy 😂 It reminds me of those K-pop dating rumours that started just from a reflection in a spoon 😆.'

Another user responded to the post, saying, 'Check out the KATSEYE vlog when they were at Market! They were there too. I have a feeling they're dating, but just not announcing it.'

'It looks like the girl is kissing him on the cheek (?) at the bottom right. Whoever is with Leon in that photo is definitely an important person in his life, haha,' pertaining to the picture.

Another one commented a screenshot of a Facebook post way back in March 2020 of Sophia's mum. The post read: 'Sooooo... this happened today! Oh dear, Leon, you'd better take good care of my princess! #Promposal.' The picture shows Sophia and Leon hugging.

Past Dating Rumours

They have also been spotted together several times and have even made TikTok videos together.

However, on 1 September 2025, an image of Sophia and Leon went viral on X, showing the two close to each other in what appeared to be different casual settings, which what originally ignited previous dating rumours.

At the time, the post received mixed reactions. Some praised Sophia for breaking the usual 'no-dating' rule often imposed on girl group idols.

Others, however, suggested that the two may simply be maintaining their friendship and reminded netizens not to jump to conclusions without confirmation.

Some Fans Clarified the Rumours

But some fans were quick to clarify the rumours, pointing out that the two have known each other for a long time and have been friends since high school.

One fan wrote, 'I think they were schoolmates in high school at Multiple Intelligence.'

Another added, 'Yes, I think there's a video of Sophia visiting Leon, and they went out with Sophia's bodyguard. They also mentioned that they've been friends for a long time and go way back.'

Meanwhile, some fans said it would be fine if they were more than friends:

'If they are more than friends, it wouldn't be that surprising hehe. I remember their photos going a bit viral on Twitter when they went to EK, and Filipino fans were so persistent replying to international accounts that they were just BFFs hehe.'

'I think it's not a bad thing. They've been friends for so long, and they really suit each other.'

The two have neither confirmed nor denied the rumours that they are dating.