D O N G H A E

Being a star isn’t easy.

See, wherever you go, someone would always recognize you – point at you, shout your name, scream like crazy – and pretty soon, a whole mob (of girls, usually) would start to surround you and reduce your personal space into mere inches.

I can’t lie and say I don’t enjoy the attention and all, but I firmly believe that we all have our limits. Sometimes, things can get a little too overboard. For example, there was this one instance in China three years back when it got a little too crowded and my head got a little too hot and I blurted out something obscene. Do it once, people might forget. Do it twice, it leaves an impact.

So when I cursed at another fan the other day, my manager told me that my image might be forever scarred. See, it happened just after a photo-shoot for a perfume. I just came from an interview regarding Extravagant Challenge (an awesome drama by the way – I hope you’ll watch it) and I didn’t get much sleep the other night because I had to co-write a song with Ryeowook for our fifth album.  So when that fan decided to trip me with an umbrella just to get my attention, I instantly forgot that I’m Lee Donghae the K-pop Idol who must maintain a good image. I became Lee Donghae the tired twenty something man who needs some sleep.

Another curse word left my mouth. And everyone heard it.

My manager confronted me privately later that afternoon. Of course, I tried to explain my side – that I didn’t get enough sleep, that there’s not one day in my calendar that I have for myself, that I don’t even have time to call my family anymore.

He just shook his head and sighed at me as if I was some juvenile delinquent.

I’m afraid it might happen a third time. So I posted another public apology on Super Junior’s official website.

And I ran away.

I know it’s childish, but “childish” is my middle name. Just ask Eunhyuk. He’ll justify it with a two hour long explanation.

I wrote a short note to my manager, telling him that I’m sorry and I’d be back in a week. Later that night, I locked myself in my room, hastily packed my luggage and slipped out of the dorm. Pretty soon, I was in the airport awaiting my flight to the island of Dokbayo.

Dokbayo.

It’s a small kingdom – a tiny piece of land floating on the ocean northeast of Taiwan and south of Okinawa. It’s so small that sometimes, they don’t even include it in the map.

So why did I chose Dokbayo? Why not another country like Japan? Vietnam? Indonesia? Malaysia? Thailand? Or even the Philippines? Or someplace exotic like Hawaii? Or Sri Lanka even?

Because one – those are the first places they’d go to look for me. And two – because people in Dokbayo don’t know me.

Someone told me once that the country of Dokbayo is like North Korea, only a little less strict. The government filters everything – from music to movies to news. I heard it’s one of the few countries where people don’t know that Super Junior exists. See, it’s the perfect place.

So after making sure that my trip is as private as possible (meaning they can’t track me that easily), I boarded the plane and readied myself for that peaceful, relaxing week I’ve been longing for.

If only I knew what was coming.

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Upon arriving at the country, there were a couple of officials who greeted me at the arrival section of the airport. Thankfully, one of them spoke Korean and translated the more difficult sentences so I could understand everything they told me perfectly. They questioned me of course.

Was this my first time being here? (Yes).

Was I here for business or for pleasure? (I went here for vacation).

What is my occupation? (I lied and told them I was a back up dancer for an idol group).

Then after that, they informed me of the basic rules in the country. First and foremost, the country has its own network connection. It doesn’t connect to the world wide web. They told me that if I wanted to access the internet without restrictions, I have to pay a handsome fee. Second, the country does accept tourists but they do not want to accept tourists with ideas and ulterior motives. No missionaries. No education enthusiasts. No superstars trying to promote and album. (I cringed at that one).

After that grueling introductory session, they unpacked my bags. All of them.

That whole processes took more than an hour so by the time I arrived at the hotel, I was dead tired.

The grandest hotel they’ve got at Dokbayo was not even close to the simplest hotel we’ve got at Seoul. The room they gave me was barely furnished and the bathroom didn’t have a Jacuzzi. Despite its plainness, the place was clean and that was good enough for me. I dove into the bed and fell asleep in an instant.

The next day, after I unpacked, I decided to do the next best thing.

Rent a car.

The people at Dokbayo were very friendly and spoke conversational English better than me. The hotel doorman looked more than happy to point out where the bus stop is. Pretty soon, I found myself inside an air-conditioned bus with soft plush seats. To tell you the truth, riding a public transport without being overwhelmed with people ogling you, screaming, asking for your autograph and wanting to take pictures of you was refreshing. I hummed to myself enjoying this rare moment of being a nobody and took out my earphones. It’s been years since I was able to enjoy this much peace and quiet.

That was when an elderly lady got on board. She was stumbling a bit as she walked down the middle aisle, looking for a seat. I guess the seats were all filled up because the older lady stopped and a disappointed expression overcame her face.

I know for a fact that it was expected of men to give up their seats for women and for the elderly. So I hastily zipped my bag and prepared to offer the grandmother my seat when I saw her.

I watched as she tapped the older woman on the shoulder. I watched as she stood up and said something in Dokbayonese. The older woman smiled widely and took the girl’s seat. Even though I can’t understand their language, I was pretty sure that the grandmother was saying thank you over and over again. The girl just smiled and held onto the hanging belt, her back leaning casually on the edge of a nearby seat.

She had on a sweater that looked like it belonged to her brother and skinny jeans that needed ironing. A pony-tail stuck out from behind her army-style cap. She had sun-kissed skin and a slender figure that resembled much of a mannequin. The girl had a fierce aura about her. Maybe it was the way her bangs fell on her forehead or the way her eyes glared at the window or the way her head was tilted up like a gangster.

The first thing that came to my mind, of course, was “this is unbelievable”. Are all women in Dokbayo like this? This is an insult to mankind. She made it look as if guys were no longer capable of acting like true gentlemen. I shook my head and decided to offer my seat to this girl just to show her that chivalry still exists.

I was about to call to her when I realized that the bus had arrived at my destination. I stood up and made my way to the front of the bus when I realized that not far away the fierce girl was getting off too.

At that moment, I completely forgot about renting a car. There was just one question hovering over me, dominating my train of thought.

Should I follow her?