Super Junior had just recently finished their Asian concert tour. The members of the group were given a one week time off from their busy schedules so they could rest, unwind and regain their energy for their upcoming album launch. Fresh from their successful tour, Donghae crammed to get his things in their dorm room and headed straight to the airport. Thirty minutes past boarding time he arrived carrying his black Rimowa Titanium luggage and a Mulholland’s Deerskin Rucksack Backpack and checked in right away.

When he boarded the plane, he went straight to his assigned seat. His accommodation was for a business class airfare and he chose this for extra comfort and space. And if you are a celebrity, you would only want comfort and privacy especially when you are travelling alone and without guards or assistant who would protect you from throngs of people trying to get a glimpse of you or ask for your precious autograph. He knew that his designated seat was the one near the window and he was excited to see the view. But when he went there someone was already occupying his seat. It was a petite woman wearing a beanie. She was slouched on the seat and appeared to be sleeping since she was still wearing her Chrome Hearts Kuffanaw shades on and did not even react when he arrived. He found her pretty. No. It was more like he found her beautiful rather pretty or cute. Donghae thought she might be a goddess on earth and he smiled at that thought. He scanned for people around them and when he was sure that no one was looking at him, he stole a kiss and gently planted it on her forehead. But she did not react and he thought she might really be in a deep sleep, probably dreaming.

Donghae just settled on the available seat next to her. He grabbed his mobile phone and snapped a picture of him. He was about to edit and crop a portion of the image when he dropped his phone. He quickly picked it up and sighed to see it not broken after all. He clicked and hover at the image and glanced at it for a moment. He logged on to his twitter account and tweeted about his picture with the single-word caption “Finally…….”

Yes, finally he could have some vacation and a break from his busy schedule.  It was seconds after he posted it when suddenly the flight attendant announced to turn off their phones and gadgets because the plane is about to take off. He immediately turned it off and placed his phone in his pocket. He was tired so he decided to take a sleep and he dozed off right away.

After five hours of flight, they arrived in Macau, more than eight thousand miles away from Korea. When Donghae got out from the airplane he immediately put on his cap and sunglasses. He was met right away by an employee of the hotel he booked and directed him to the car waiting for him. He went inside the car immediately and head off to Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16.

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Meanwhile, Dara was excited to have arrived in Macau. So when the passengers went out from the aircraft, she decided to stay put and chose to wait for a few minutes. She kindly asked the stewardess if she could take the picture while Dara posed for the camera. She really wanted a certification shot and the stewardess was kind enough to oblige. She knew and recognized Dara as a member of the famous 2ne1 group from Korea. Dara gamely posed for the camera with her megawatt smile and v-sign. The stewardess thought that maybe Dara opted to stay behind so that no one would notice her. Dara thanked the stewardess for taking her picture.

Dara admired how her picture was taken. She posted her certification shot in Twitter and Instagram with the caption “Yay. Excited!” She went out and took her things from the baggage area wearing her beanie cap and sunglasses. She immediately got inside the car waiting for her and soon after she was in her hotel. She admired the sceneries she passed by and was already excited for the sightseeing and tour.

Her four-day vacation consisted mainly of visiting the Macau Tower Observation lounge, The Fisherman’s Wharf, Nam Van Lake Cybernetic Fountain and Ruins of St. Paul’s. She also did a few daredevil stunts like Tower Sky Jumping and Skywalking.

She never let a moment pass without having to take the pictures of places she went to. She wanted to update her followers about what she was doing and how she was enjoying this time off.

She was really having the time of her life as she hop in from one tourist spot to another. She felt happy being with nature, enjoying her freedom, and enjoying hassle-free days. It was time to relax after their grueling schedules and she deserved this vacation and time.

On the other hand, Donghae’s vacation was filled with activities such as go-karting at the Macau Motorsports Club, watching the International Dragon Boat race and shopping at Taipa Flee market. And he never forgot to spend some time at the spa for some relaxation and health and beauty treatment.

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Three days after arriving in Macau, Donghae has to go back to Korea. He had left some paper works that needed his signature immediately.  He left Macau early in the morning and arrived at his home country before noon. He was suddenly met by their assistant and the group’s manager whom Donghae did not expect to see. There was also the crowd control team from the airport and those hired by his management company to help them disperse the crowd. It was then when he realized that there were media people waiting for him. He was used to seeing them every now and then. To be photographed and interviewed was not new to him. But when he saw the large number of crowd, the media men specifically, he was caught off guard. And when they saw him, cameras began to flash and he was blinded by the lights. Before the media and cameramen swarmed around him, his manager managed to whisper and ordered him “Keep your head bowed down. Do not say anything. Not even a word.” And he was then escorted by him.

It seemed as if there were chaos in the airport considering the throngs of people all around. The reporters and the rest of the media bombarded him with questions after questions.

“Are you and Dara a couple?” one reporter asked him. “Are you two married?”

“Are these pictures real?” another one questioned him.

And another “Were you together in Macau? Why is she not with you today?”

“What can you say about this article, Donghae?” the third reporter asked holding a newspaper clip and he was almost shoving it to Donghae‘s face so that he could take a look at it. The article was titled “They got married.” It was accompanied with two separate pictures of him and Dara. The first picture was the same picture he took before the plane for Macau took off and the same one he twitted. The only difference was that the photo on the newspaper seemed to be larger and a circle was drawn so as to emphasize a suspicious outline beside Donghae’s figure. The inset picture was the larger and zoomed version of the said outline. It looked like an arm most likely covered with what appeared to be a black jacket. It seemed that the said outline was cropped intentionally, but was done in a bad taste because the hand part was seen on the background. If one look at it closely, one could infer that the hand in question had a silver ring, which now leads to the second picture on the newspaper.

It was Dara’s picture taken from her Twitter account showing his certification shot when she arrived in Macau.  It showed her wearing a black leather jacket and posing with a V-sign. The inset photo of the second picture showed the zoomed version of her V-sign pose and a silver ring could clearly be seen from one of her fingers. It was the similar ring and jacket that can be found from the first photo.

Just by basing at the picture, one could conclude that they were indeed seating next to each other on the same flight. And based from their social network accounts, both of them were in Macau at the same time. And because their tweets were somewhat related, Donghae on his “ Finally…………..” and Dara’s “Excited…….” , the media assumed and claimed three things: one, that they were already a couple; two, that they vacationed in Macau together; and lastly, that they were secretly married there. The third claim seemed to be absurd at first, but when Donghae emerged on the airport fresh from his vacation, he was caught wearing a ring. Many noticed it when he held the baseball cap he was wearing as it was about to fall from his head.

“Donghae, the ring that you are wearing today, is it your wedding ring or just a simple couple ring you and Dara have?” another reporter asked him. But Donghae managed to keep silent and never said any statement whatsoever. The cameras continued flashing as the microphones were being propelled towards him to get his reaction or any statement he might have.

He was successfully escorted to his car without being hurt. Donghae could not believe what he was seeing. There was a crowd gathering outside the airport and around his car. The guards managed to keep them at a distance. There were shoutin and cheering going on. The crowd was made up mostly by girls and women who were obviously fans of Donghae and Super Junior. Some of them were carrying cards, boards and larged-size paper with writings on it. Some of those writings implied support, like those banners that said “Donghae, Fighting”, “We still support you, Donghae!”, “We love you, Donghae”. Then there were some who were not so happy with the controvers, those writings were like “Please leave Dara alone” or “You deserved someone better than her”. Then there were the usual proposal like the one that said “ Marry me Donghae, instead of her”. And then there were some who pledged support for the two of them creating another group of followers: “Darahae, Fighting!”, “Darahae is real!” or something that says “Darahae is love!” From the crowd, one could conclude that there were mixed reactions from their respective supporters and followers. But in general, the feedbacks were mostly positive. This could be a good thing or perhaps the opposite.

Donghae arrived at the business unit building of SME. He was ushered to the office of their CEO. His manager told him that the CEO wanted to speak with him. When he entered the room, CEO was already waiting patiently for him. “Sit down Donghae” he ordered him. “I think by now, you already know the reason why I called you into my office”

“Yes, I think I do, Sir. In fact first of all I want to say sorry for whatever damaged I may have caused due to the controversies that I’m in now. It was not my intention to drag the group or the company’s name in this“ Donghae  apologetically said.

There was a brief silence in the room.

“Donghae, I want you to answer me truthfully. I want you to be honest with me. Can I expect that from you?”

“Yes, Sir” he said firmly.

“I don’t want your answer to be based on whatever you think my reactions would be, or take into consideration how this might affect you and the group’s career. But instead, think of it as if you are having a heart to heart conversation with your father. I want you to trust me. Can I expect that?”

“Yes, Sir”

“Is it true that you and Dara are married?” the CEO asked sternly.

“No, Sir.” He said it as he looked straight into the CEO’s eyes. He was starting to feel nervous.

“Are you and Dara a couple?”

“No, Sir” he answered as he shook his head then bowed down afterwards.

The room was suddenly filled with silence.

Then unexpectedly, the CEO chuckled and his laughter echoed in the room. Donghae could not believe what he just heard. He seemed lost at the moment and felt really nervous. He was starting to feel cold and shaky.

Then out of the blue, the CEO said “I got you there Donghae” . He said it as if he caught him red handedly. “Relax, I know the truth so don’t be nervous. I believe you, I know you are telling the truth. Your eyes don’t lie. You seem uneasy yet I know that what you said was the truth.”

Donghae appeared to feel relieved. He took a deep breath and sighed “Thank you for believing in me, Sir. But how did you know? I mean I was expecting that you would not believe me, sir because the evidence seem to be pointing to the two of us being married and all”

The CEO chuckled. “I don’t want to brag, but I’m not just a CEO for nothing. I have eyes and ears all around this business. If you have been really married, I would have already known that. And if you and Dara are already a couple, you think I would not know about it? Heck, I would even know it days or weeks before the media does. You see, in this business it is important that we gather intelligence rather than the run on the mill gossip”

“In fact, you have me worried for quite a while there. I was a bit suspicious when your manager reported to me that right after your tour you did not attend the concluding press conference. I knew about your scheduled vacation to Macau but I did not expect that you will miss the press con. So I had you followed just to make sure and true enough they said that you went and arrived at the airport all by yourself. And just to be very sure, I called a few people in Macau, pulled some string here and there. They said you arrived alone and spent your time doing some activities. You might think that this is just business. But I care for all the artists under my company and it is my responsibility to protect you especially from the media, who at some point will twist and turn every story they gather”

Then pause. He continued saying  ”But I don’t know if this issue is good or bad”

“What do you mean, Sir?”  He was now curious.

“You see, this issue has been blown out of proportion. The impact of this could affect you and Dara and maybe even your respective groups and management.

“I’m sorry, Sir but I don’t quite understand what your point is?”

The CEO stood up from his seat and told Donghae to follow him outside. The assistant outside the office ushered them to one of their larger board room. There were six people who were waiting for them and when the CEO entered, they