***

"We can't." Eunhyuk says a little too harshly as he shakes his hand loose from Joni's grasp.

Joni held back her gasp and replied, calmly "You're right. I'm sorry."

They were back in Korea. The land of dating scandals. She thought bitterly. She tried to hold back the tears, but found that she couldn't.

It had been a few months after their little not-so-secret-anymore vacation and the backlash had been severe. They were about to film their last episode on WGM since the PDs had not known how to resolve the constant deluge of demands from fans for an explanation behind the couple's relationship off camera. It did not help that SM refused to make any statements, as usual, leaving the fans even further angered at the lack of transparency from the agency. They had even brought out the issue of Sungmin again, threatening a mass boycott if Eunhyuk suddenly gets married without any prior notice.

Joni sighs as she quickly wipes the tears off her cheeks. They had just started discussing moving in together when the news broke out and now they weren't even