Evidences

With only three minutes before they continue the interview, Ji and Dara seemed oblivious to everyone else as they exchanged whispers. Everyone on set had seen the glow in both of them when they arrived thirty minutes before the interview. They all saw how Ji always looked after Dara – he held her hand, assisted her up the stairs, opened the doors for her, he was the very epitome of a perfect gentleman. They also saw how Dara looked after him when Ji was looking for his phone coz he needed to call someone and Dara produced it from her hand bag saying he forgot it in the car and she brought it.

Everyone knew them as the perkiest and most adorable members of their group but now together, they both exuded a maturity that spoke of how much they really love one another.

Sun, after drinking water, asked how both of them were after their whispered conversation and Dara said they were doing pretty great so far and she’d been such a great host.

“DARAGON! DARAGON! DARAGON! DARAGON!” the crown began to chant and both artists looked towards their direction to recognize their fans with a smile.

“We’ll be back on air in thirty seconds” the Floor Director announced and the Stage Manager tried to settle down the fans again – a job getting harder as the giddiness of the crowd was rubbing in on the crew as well.

“Lapel ok?” the Audio man checked and after mic testing put up an ok sign.

“Going live in ten seconds!” the Stage Manager announced and the light on camera one again.

Sun inhaled and exhaled and then faced the camera as the SM counted down.

“And we’re back!” Sun announced into the camera “Welcome back everyone! You are once again here with me as we sit down and interview two of the hottest idols of this generation, Big Bang chic leader Kwon Ji Yong and 2NE1’s fresh faced goddess Park Sandara.”

The audience cheered enthusiastically as the camera panned towards Sun’s guests.

“In our first segment, we talked about parts of your past that led to who you both are now and for this part, we will be going into a segment called “Tell a story”. This is very basic, we show you pictures or videos of something or someone and you tell us a story about it.”

Both Ji and Dara exchanged a look that – as with all else – seemed to communicate things between only the two of them. Sun smiled at this interaction and looked again at the camera.

“Even before your admission, fans of your pairing have speculated a lot not only because of your chemistry but also because of the following things we will call evidences. Our first clip is…”

A video of the first public performances of Hello, the very first song that the two of them paired up with, showed in the large screens around the studio and both Ji and Dara’s reactions were cut side by side the video on TV. The VTR showed Ji during the times he hesitated to hug Dara or kiss her on the cheek as what they have rehearsed.

Ji could be seen smiling the way he did during those times as Dara looked at him with knowing mischief.

When the VTR ended, Sun faced the two of them again and said “So, tell us a story about this. You two have so much chemistry on stage with your performances and the crowd absolutely goes wild with all the skinship but you seem to have played around the song a lot.”

Ji covered his face momentarily with his right hand, blushing uncharacteristically then looked at Sun. It had been so long ago but he looked as though he was remembering those days as though they happened just recently. Sun knew from his look that he didn’t think that he’d say what he was about to say but he and Dara agreed to have this interview with her to share their happiness with their fans. Sun waited excitedly.

“The thing is we both tried to hold back a lot because at that time, being Idols with reputations to worry about, we have been told by the President that we need to be very wary of what we show to our fans and how they can take it in. I sometimes forget about that when we begin the performance” the audience exploded with giddy laughter as Ji looked at them sheepishly before continuing“and I just remember at the end that’s why I sometimes seem to be disoriented and then it’s already too late. So, for the first performances that we did this, I just decide at the end not to kiss her on the cheek.”

“But that changed right?”

Dara nodded and was blushing too at the audience’s teasing “President told us that we’re creating more speculation because of his refusal to kiss me during the ending so he said that during our first SBS Inkigayo performance of Hello, we should do as we rehearsed. Then when more people speculated about it, President said we should just change it into a hug.”

“But people still had a lot to say.”

Both guests nodded helplessly.

“Have you gone back and watched your performances together?”

“We did” Ji shyly admitted “and then afterwards we’d talk and say let’s act lovey-dovey but make them feel like it’s nothing to us but it’s really a different thing when you’re there already.”

The studio audience seemed to really really like the answers because they were getting rowdier at the minute with their overexcitement.

Sun faced the camera again and said “Thank you for answering very honestly Ji Yong-goon and Dara-shi. Now, our next clip is a compilation of…”

An AVP of the clothes, accessories, and hairstyles that both of them sported alike flashed on the screen – shirts, pants, jackets, earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces, shoes, the apple hair, the bun-like hair… it was an extensive look at their fashion sense and how alike they often were even upto now.

“So what’s the story behind this?” Sun asked them.

“Well, she likes to copy me” Ji answered playfully, earning a squeeze on the hand from Dara that made Ji flinch.

“That’s not true” Dara denied “He’s actually the one who copies me.”

Everybody in the studio laughed at this.

“Could it be that you copied one another?” Sun inquired.

“We actually have a lot in common in style. A lot of the things I like are things that she likes too so what we sometimes do is we wear one thing in different styles. It’s an unconscious thing.”

“I’m very in to clothes that are not too girly because I really like clothes that give off an edge” Dara added “At that time, I could still fit his clothes and not look like a stick but as time went on, we just settled into a “his shirt, her shirt phase” because some of his clothes that I really liked and would borrow have become too big for me.”

“Yes. Ji Yong-goon has suddenly grown muscles.”

Dara laughed “He used to be able to wear clothes that are designed for girls because of his frame. There was a time when we visited London and I saw a Givenchy top that made me think of him, I bought it immediately and when I finally gave it to him, I realized that he couldn’t wear it anymore because it wouldn’t fit him.”

“So what happened?”

“I kept the shirt” Ji answered “It’s still in my closet.”

“Awwwww” Sun exclaimed “That’s so sweet.”

Ji smiled “I bought her a shirt that was too big for her as well and she keeps that too.”

“Do you like buying things for one another?”

Dara nodded “He’s a very very generous guy and he really shares everything and he also really likes receiving gifts. His eyes always pop out whenever someone gives him something special.”

“You’re like that too” Ji said and then regaled “The Blackjacks are very very generous fans and whenever she and the girls receive gifts from them, she’s always the one whose eyes pop out like diamonds and says things like ‘Kya! I am dreaming’.”

“Well it seems that both of you are actually very generous and very loving of gifts. That is a wonderful thing for all V.I.P.s and Blackjacks out there to know… so, shall we proceed to the last video?”

“Ye” they both answered as another reel showed itself in the screens.

This time it was a compilation of videos of their very few but really meaningful interactions on live and pre-recorded TV. There were clips of theirs from 2NE1TV, in BIGBANGTV2.0, awards shows, fancams in concerts, behind-the-scenes videos, radio guestings, and a whole lot others that seemed to genuinely surprise the two of them.

“Could you tell us at least one story behind all those clips?” Sun asked as the reel wrapped up “because one of the reasons that fans speculated so much about the two of you is you’re rarely seen together yet everyone felt the chemistry when you’re around one another and when you’re caught on cam, people can’t help but catch undertones in your contact.”

Dara nodded with each word that Sun said and then answered “It’s difficult for us because a lot of our fans are not very open to us having a relationship… I mean not with one another but even if it’s with other idols… and because of this, we were restricted a lot.”

“We knew there were those who supported us but she and I were bound to a contract and at the time we believed that we still have so much to do and even if we’re not together, we’ve made it a point that we’re always there for one another despite all the distance.”

“Silently loving someone is really difficult… how did you both cope with it?”

“We’ve had lots of practice” Dara answered with a smile that showed that whatever it was that they both had to go through, she had already accepted all of it and felt no bitterness for their incapacity to be together publicly for a very long time.

“It did hurt a lot when we were always being told to pretend that we didn’t feel anything for one another and there were times when I thought I wanted to take her with me and escape but we’ve always talked things out.”

“You both were paired with a lot of people, didn’t jealousy become a problem for both of you?”

“Well… there are times when I would feel jealous but I wouldn’t tell her” Ji admitted.

“I always knew though” Dara said truthfully “because I was the same with him.”

“Do you fight?”

“I think it’s normal for a lot of people who have feelings for one another to fight sometimes but one of us always finds a way to make things alright” Ji responded.

“And most of the time it’s actually him who does that” Dara answered “He always beats me to it first.”

“But you’re finally together now” Sun said in conclusion “Inspite of everything you are now finally getting married soon.”

The audience screamed at this.

“I am just happy we’ve gotten this far” Ji said in raw earnestness, now facing Dara “It hasn’t always been very easy but what I’m thankful for is that she’s always been there and she’s agreed to continue to be.”

“What can you say to this Dara-shi?” Sun asked in a very low almost whispery voice, feeling ecstatic at witnessing up close such a precious moment but unwilling to break it off with a giddy squeal – a sentiment that the audience seemed to share with her as they had gone very quiet too.

Dara smiled that goddess smile of hers that launced a thousand CFs – actually, it was better than her goddess smile because it was the smile of a simple woman who so loved a man and who knew she was loved the same “It is true that it hasn’t really been very easy but what I’ve told him before and what I would always tell him is that there’s nowhere in the world I would rather be than where he is.”