Why do K pop idols refer to just hanging out as a date?

I was just pondering this after I saw Jisoo go on "dates" with Rosé and Jennie in Paris. Is it just shipper baiting fan service or is it a normal thing for people to refer to it as that in South Korea? It is something I see a lot.

Quote from 3-percenter

Apparently just spending time with members of their own groups is rare (once they live away from the dorm), and seeing friends from other groups is a special event because of schedules. If I had to plan my life as tightly as idols do, every occasion that wasn't dictated by my company or managers would be called a date.

Haha fair enough. It's just I see them referring to it as dates being called queerbaiting and stuff but I think it is just cultural differences. Though of course, anything idols post publicly is fan service of a sort.