Dara won't answer any of Donghae's calls and messages for the whole day the next day. It seemed that their argument would last longer than expected. 
Because of his frustration, he blocked Irene's number to avoid any more complications that could come their way. 

He didn't stop trying to make it up to Dara. He called her endless times to send his point across and let her understand his situation. Dara wasn't appeased at first but she thought there has to be a bigger person in the situation. She forgave him and just surrendered to the present. 
She thought it's not about what's known on the media but what's the real deal behind all the lies that were spread on the news. She was kind and considerate enough to their careers and the careers that could possibly be harmed so she stayed quiet, sat back and just watch things unfold.  
What matters most for her was that she knew Donghae was telling the truth. Crying over and over to what already happened won't be of any help so she chose to accept it and be content with the people she has in her life right now. Like how a grown woman handles things, she let it pass.   

But that didn't stop Donghae to think of ways he could do to make it fair in a not so bold yet subtle way to claim that they have something. 
Dara was known to post a lot on her SNS accounts so he commented on one of her recent posts on twitter with "Dara Dara bright Dara" which shocked netizens for it was a long time ago since the last time they saw them interact on social media. 

Dara playfully replied to his comment, "This child... ㅋㅋㅋ" 

She wasn't expecting him to do a fearless approach because they both know that it would cause an issue knowing that the dating scandal between Donghae and Irene was still very fresh.  
One thing led to another, within hours, as expected, it spiraled to hate comments towards Dara.  
It wasn't what Donghae planned to happen and he regretted for taking an incautious action which made the situation worse.  
Because of the possibility of damage that his action caused, he immediately posted a photo of a black screen with text written on it, saying "Please don't spread fake news!" on his Instagram. 

Fans came at him with mixed reactions. One fan commented, "Are you single then?" 
To which caught his attention and so he replied, "Please respect my privacy." 

He was immensely mad but appeared calm on social media. After it reached the articles on the internet, he sighed and said, "They really wouldn't let us be. It happened again."
When he and Dara posted a photo together years ago, netizens hacked his account and unfollowed Dara along with other female idols who are linked to him. He had already grown tired of people invading his private life and affecting the people who are dear to him.

Again, he apologized to Dara for how it turned out. He felt sorry for her because he knew she was targeted by her dating scandal with G-Dragon many months ago because of a photo and the same thing happened to her now. She didn’t deserve the hate, he thought. He didn’t want to see her having a hard time but it seemed that everything he does only reflects badly on her part.
He was agitated by their tough situation. He just wanted to claim Dara publicly in his own phase but it didn’t seem to be working. Thinking that doing it slowly to prepare his fans before the actual revelation already caused a bad condition for both of them, most especially on Dara’s part, he became more doubtful to do it.

He was uneasy the whole day until Dara’s message came and everything felt lighter.

“Ignore them. Let’s just be happy! ^o^”

It may look like he was the stronger one in their relationship, it was at this point when he thought it was the other way around. Her core was stronger. Realizing that he got a woman like her, who couldn’t be shaken by negative comments and any hurdles in life, who still emits positive energy despite the troubles happening around her, made his heart feel warm. Without him noticing, he was smiling. 
She calmed his thoughts. Her presence made him think that everything will turn out fine.

And so, they decided to ignore the public’s reaction and carry on with their relationship. 
To their surprise, their silence didn’t make the issue subside. Instead, people got even more mad that he denied the photo as concrete evidence that he and Irene were dating. 
They chose to believe the evidence more than the statement of the idol himself.
It was different these days, people were harsher. Gladly, Dara has a busy schedule so she doesn’t check her social media much to see the comments.

Oblivious about what’s happening on the internet, she kept on like any other day.
She was invited to a private birthday party of her close friend, Lee Heechul. Hyoni and Hwangbo will also be there. 
She promised to be there after she finished work. Although it would be a bit late, they said they’ll wait for her. 
The long wait would be a bore, she thought, so to liven up the mood when she arrives, a splendid idea sparked in her mind. She hadn't told them yet about her special someone, Donghae, so she planned to introduce him to them as a surprise. Donghae agreed to go and even though he was very nervous. He said he could come after he finished work too. They couldn’t go out together lately because of the heat of the scandal so they kept their communication solely through SMS and Facetime.
They felt so thrilled that they finally had a chance to meet again after the issues that were surfacing all around the internet. After they talked about it and knew each other’s schedule, Dara volunteered to wait for him since she would finish a little earlier than him.

She wanted to wait for him near SM Entertainment but Donghae disapproved. He didn’t want Dara to wait for him outside so he just told her to stay where she is and he’ll pick her up instead.
He told her he would drive her to the venue so Dara didn't bring her car and waited for him instead.

When he texted her that he was about to get off from work, her heart skipped a beat. If she would describe it, she felt like a highschool student introducing a boyfriend to her strict parents. It was both exciting and nerve-wracking. There was an intense excitement on her part since it was the first time she's introducing a guy to her friends. 

The feeling was too much for her to contain so she texted Heechul to give him a heads up as well, "I'll be coming with a friend." 

He replied, "Omo! Is it a guy? Was it a boyfriend or just a friend?" 

"It's a surprise!" 

"Kyak!! Okay! Hurry! Is this your birthday present to me? Because if it is, I'll be very happy and honored to meet him! Finally!"
  
"ㅋㅋㅋ Okay! I'll be there soon! ^^" 

She then tucked her phone inside her bag's pocket and immediately went for the streets, wearing a mask and a beanie as her disguise. She, and her thoughtful self, went out to find something to buy for Donghae to have something for him when they meet. She went inside a coffee shop nearby her pick-up point and brought donuts which she knew he liked. 

She was smiling widely underneath her mask when she went out of the coffee shop bringing donuts with her, looking left and right, checking if Donghae is anywhere near already, like a happy kid waiting for the school bus. 

She pulled out her phone from her bag and checked if he already sent her a message as an update to where he was. While checking her phone, as she was currently in a public place, a group of young female students wearing their uniforms, passed by and they were gossiping loudly. 

One girl said, "Have you seen Donghae oppa's comment on Sandara Park's twitter?" 

It grabbed her attention the moment she heard his and her name mentioned.

The other one replied, "Yes! I thought he was dating Irene?" 

"He mentioned on his Instagram that the news was fake." 

Another girl butted in, "Since when did idols admit their relationship? They probably just didn't want intruders to their private lives." 

"So that gives him the right to talk to other girls? Aish... That was trying hard to steal him away eh?"  

"She thought her old would appeal to Donghae oppa!" 

They all laughed without knowing that the person they were mocking was next to them. Dara didn’t know why but she was frozen in her position. She became more conscious of her outfit, whether she was well hidden or well disguised enough to not be seen. She thought she could handle the comments from the internet but never did she experience such terror of hearing it with her both ears. It was different. It was more heartbreaking hearing it from actual people’s mouths. She felt embarrassed and wanted to hide but she thought it would be obvious if she acted weird while they were around so she played along with the given scenario; her being a celebrity blending in as a normal person in a public place.

Her world stopped that moment and she was unmindful of what’s happening around the streets anymore. She was bowing her head and staring at the ground, trying to avoid people’s eyes while the girls continued to chatter.

"Because they were old friends, she thought she had an advantage! What a joke!"  

"Irene unnie is more talented and relevant even up to this day! Sandara Park was just someone who tries to be relevant despite her long lost singing career."  

"She should just continue being an MC for shows. Those are the only gigs she has." 

"Donghae oppa was just too kind to her because he probably pitied what happened to her career so he kept in touch." 

It was followed by another batch of laughter. She looked at her phone again as a distraction but was more devastated after looking at it. She received a message from Donghae. It says “I’m sorry~ I might not be able to make it tonight. Something came up at work. I could make up for it. Maybe we could Facetime while you’re at a party and I’ll meet them through the call? I’m really sorry. TT_TT”

Because she was hurt a lot by the young students’ words and knowing that Donghae wouldn’t be able to meet her, she actually felt tears forming in her eyes. She felt pity for herself. All her excitement and the purpose for her effort going out just to buy him something were gone. She looked at the bag of donuts with her and finally cried but wiped away her tears instantly after they fell.

To her astonishment, she felt headphones covering her ears from the top of her head. It was playing loud music. She instantly looked at the person doing it behind her and saw who it was. 

(Background Music: Where is My Mind Piano cover - Pixies || https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxthmuqWF1Q)

When everything changed around her and when in every corner of the street, to how far her sight could reach, where it all felt foreign mixed with an unpleasant feeling, she looked at someone who felt like a warm blanket of comfortability... someone who at the moment felt like home... Gray.    

She felt her world light up the moment she saw someone familiar with him outside. The students had their backs on them so they didn’t see Gray. He came out of nowhere and Dara badly wanted to talk to him but she suddenly couldn’t talk, afraid that the students would recognize her voice. 
She finally looked around and saw that the students already passed by and they were still talking but now she couldn’t hear what they’re saying. She eventually understood what the headphones with music was for.

"Aish... That old woman, can't she just be gone? I'm getting sick just by looking at her on TV." 

"Me too! Whenever I see her, I just want to punch her in the face!" 

"Don't she dare touch Donghae oppa or else..." 

"Ye... ye... Aish, aigoo. Do you guys want coffee? Let's have some warm coffee before we go home." 

"Right."  

Right after Dara saw them going back, she turned around to hide her face before they even turned around to go back to where she was. The students went back to the coffee shop and entered laughing, still clueless of her being there.

Dara had no idea that they were already gone so Gray took off the headphones and said, “They’re gone now. You’re safe.”

She then turned around and faced him. She couldn’t show it but she was extremely moved by the move he made. It was simple yet sweet. She just stared at him and couldn’t believe that he was talking to her because last time she saw him, he gave her a cold shoulder by ignoring her but now he was giving off a different vibe.

He was wearing a serious expression and looking far away. Now that they’re alone together, Dara took the chance to confront him about last time.

“Are you mad at me?”

Gray looked at her after she asked. He replied, “Me? Why?”

“You ignored me last time I saw you.”

“Did I?”

“We locked eyes and you ignored me.”