i’m so glad this person posted. it soothes the worries some. still sad they have to live in a world like this.
AGoldenBell, on 08/31/15, 09:00 AM
Okay. Forgive me, this is going to be insanely long. Haha. If you don’t want to read a ton of rambling thoughts, I won’t be offended if anyone skims or skips my posts
I’m a little scared to post my thoughts on this subject because thinking that Donghae/Eunhyuk are actually in a romantic relationship seems to be a very unpopular opinion and people are quick to call names and hurl insults and dismiss the idea as just “delusional” thinking..
But I really do have a lot of thoughts about this subject, so here’s hoping this is a safe place to share, and hopefully I can communicate my opinions in a way that won’t get me brushed off as simply “delusional” :P (I’m also a little hesitant to post because the boys spent the whole summer desperately insisting they aren’t in a romantic relationship, [and I think that’s why we’ve seen so much distance between them] so part of me feels like I should just keep my thoughts to myself since they are enlisting soon, but then I remember that the last thing we heard on the subject was Donghae nervously saying “think whatever you like..” when Eunhyuk for the first time said out-right “we’re just friends” so.. this is me, thinking whatever I like ;))
Yes, I do think things have been weird with Donghae/Eunhyuk lately. But I also honestly believe that they are in an ongoing romantic relationship. I am still really new to kpop. I’ve only been a fan since February or so and, at first, I thought the “eunhae” thing was all just a big joke. I thought they were just really close friends who thought it was hilarious to pretend to be gay together. (And maybe it sort of started out that way? I have no idea.) But the more I watched them and their interactions over the years, the more confused I got, because, wow, those two REALLY seemed to enjoy going out of their way to pretend to be gay together :P (and somehow they managed to convince all of SuJu to pretend to be in on it, considering how often members would interfere or even prevent Eunhae moments on stage [like, if it was all fanservice, why wouldn’t they let it play out to please their pervy fangirls? Why stop it?] If Eunhae aren’t romantically involved, this has been the longest running, most elaborate, bizarre practical joke I’ve ever seen :P) But anyway! It wasn’t until this summer, when things got clearly awkward and they started adamantly denying their relationship, that I started to believe there was seriously something real (and by “real” I mean “romantic”) going on between them.
If you’ve been watching them for years, I can totally see why you would be sad and doubting them now, thinking their relationship is cold (or over) because they’re suddenly not flirting all over the place in front of everyone the way they used to. But most of what I see is them just trying to protect themselves and downplay their relationship as they’re about to enlist.
Some of this is just my own thoughts behind why I believe they are together, which I know isn’t really your question, (you believe they WERE involved but that things have gone bad between them..) but I hope that some of my observations can make you feel a little better.
So. Yes, Eunhae have seemed a little off lately. And, yes, lately they’ve repeatedly said “we’re not lovers! we’re friends!” and there has been a lot of distance between them. But as babyv004 pointed out, this really only seems to have started after that concert where Donghae’s fingers found themselves in rather intimate places of Eunhyuk’s body. They were excited, Donghae wasn’t thinking, and I imagine they were both a bit embarrassed as soon as they realized where Donghae’s fingers had ended up.. while they were on stage.. in front of thousands and thousands of people. I also do think it’s likely that they got in trouble for it and got told to tone it down because the very next concert, Donghae seemed really scared to interact with Eunhyuk, and has seemed hesitant to so much as look at him ever since.
And then came those really awkward interviews, flat-out asking Donghae and Eunhyuk if they’ve ever developed feelings for each other, if they ever get carried away and hug and kiss each other, if they have private nicknames for each other, etc. And Eunhae were CLEARLY uncomfortable and denied everything. (We’ve seen them hug a million times! [not a big deal between friends] and, unless Sungmin and Heechul and the little kids on Adonis Camp were all lying, we know that Donghae kissing Eunhyuk [in private, not on-stage] was a rather common occurrence, at least in the early years of SuJu. And we know that Eunhyuk calls Donghae "Donghaek” or “Haek” and, as far as I know, he’s only given us a very vague explanation for that nickname, not telling us the story behind it, thus making that a private nickname. So yeah. They very strongly denied things that we know to be true.)
Now, when these shows/interviews first started airing, I thought they were getting genuinely uncomfortable with people thinking they were romantically involved, and it made me sad (and confused!) because they’d never acted that way before, never said things like that before, (quite the opposite, actually..) and I hated thinking that they were feeling uncomfortable with each other because I adore their friendship and wouldn’t want anything to damage it.
…But then I saw the KKBOX interview. For the majority of that interview, they are laughing and smiling and honestly looking at each other with SO MUCH love in their eyes. (You can interpret that as either romantic or platonic, but the fondness and affection are quite apparent. There was no awkwardness or discomfort with each other whatsoever.)
Except for when Eunhyuk starts saying that he thinks he might be a father 10 years from now, and that they might be married with their own pretty families. Donghae gets visibly uncomfortable, to the point that, when Eunhyuk looks at him, prompting him to say something, Donghae opens his mouth, only to shut it again, unable to speak. (So, okay, Donghae is awkward in interviews, everyone knows that.. Which is why Eunhyuk’s reaction here is what makes this part of the conversation seem suspicious to me.) Because when Eunhyuk sees the expression on Donghae’s face, Eunhyuk starts fidgeting. He looks away, nervously swallows, and reaches up to brush the hair from his eyes. He then turns back to Donghae and repeatedly hits the couch with his fist while trying to think of something to say to end the awkward silence (finally succeeding with a comment about “Barcelona” which eventually gets Donghae to smile and start talking again.)
I know on its own, these little things don’t mean much. But.. there are just so many of these “little things.”
Like, why would two platonic friends look so bashful hearing the other describe how they would propose? (Watch that KKBOX interview. They both put their heads down, avoiding each other’s gaze [but smiling!] when listening to how the other wants to propose.) If one of my close friends was talking about proposing, my reaction wouldn’t be to shyly look away and giggle. And let’s talk about the 100% Entertainment interview, where they are strongly denying a romantic relationship, but they both describe each other when asked about their “ideal type.” Donghae says he needs someone who can take care of him and Eunhyuk says he likes someone who smiles/laughs easily because he likes to joke around and be funny. Is that not describing their relationship?
D&E 1st Japan Tour DVD telepathy quiz, Donghae writes “I’m happy we could meet, PLEASE TAKE CARE OF ME” when recalling his first meeting with Hyukjae.
Eunhyuk in 100% Entertainment: “I’m the sunbae.”
MC to Donghae: “Did Eunhyuk bully you?”
Donghae: “No, no, no.”
Eunhyuk: “I took care of him.”
Men’s Uno magazine, there’s a quote from the interviewer talking about Eunhyuk “taking care” of Donghae by leading him through the interview.
One Fine Day we have the two dorks bickering, with Donghae accusing Eunhyuk of not taking care of his dongsaeng (Ryeowook) to which Eunhyuk yells, “because I’m too busy taking care of you!”
And, well, Donghae is always doubling over in laughter at Eunhyuk’s silliness, isn’t he? And they’re not idiots. They KNOW they’ve just described each other. So.. why? If they’re so uncomfortable with the thought, (or if they’ve stopped loving each other as you fear), why would they say that? (I also don’t think it was fanservice, because they both seemed sincere and serious in their responses. It wasn’t like they were laughing and trying to make it obvious that they were referencing each other.)
Then you get the YinYuiTai STAR interview. Eunhyuk asks “if we moved out of the dorms, would you live near me?” and Donghae, who frequently has trouble speaking, his IMMEDIATE response is, “of course I’ll live near you.” But when Eunhyuk asks why, Donghae goes blank and silent for a looong time. Eunhyuk basically ends up having to tell Donghae how to answer. Why? Seems like it would be really easy to say, because you’re my close friend, if that’s all there was to it. So why was it so hard for Donghae to come up with an answer?
Then comes the question, “what is Donghae to Eunhyuk?” and you can see that Donghae gets nervous (giving quite an awkward, uncomfortable smile) and while Eunhyuk starts to say “that’s difficult to put into a sentence..” Donghae quickly jumps in with “you’re my friend!” But please notice the awkward smiles, the REALLY awkward laugh/noise Eunhyuk makes after saying that Donghae is his brother, and the frequent glances off-camera to their manager. We know roughly where the manager is sitting because Donghae addresses him earlier in the interview, telling him he needs his vitamins or something, so we know the manager is present and where he’s located, so now notice how often Donghae and Eunhyuk both glance at him while they answer the questions regarding the nature of their relationship, like checking to make sure their answers are acceptable. Again, why would they need to do that?
Now, let’s look at the Shanghai concert talk, where they again tell fans “we’re friends!” First, let me point out that they are smiling and laughing while discussing the notion of them being romantically involved. Once again, I don’t see anything to suggest that either of them feels uncomfortable with the idea. But what really gets interesting, is when Eunhyuk proceeds to say that Donghae isn’t even his type. I encourage you to go watch this part of the conversation.
https://www.youtube….fLy0U&index=291 (around 1:25 to 2:00)
Watch their faces. Donghae is laughing at first (and you can see Eunhyuk glancing over at him, and grinning when he sees that Donghae is laughing) but then Eunhyuk makes the remark, “honestly, I prefer a slimmer body.” And then watch how Donghae’s face changes. The boy’s smile VANISHES. He rolls his eyes, shakes his head, and looks away. Eunhyuk’s face changes then too, and I imagine he realizes he went too far and really shouldn’t have said that :P Eunhyuk quickly carries on talking, but Donghae proceeds to sit there looking quite annoyed (eyebrows raised, biting his lips, looking like he’s struggling to control his temper, really.) But why??? Why would it hurt so much to hear your platonic friend say he’s more physically attracted to a different body type? Unless Donghae is just REALLY sensitive about his muscles? I mean, we know Donghae is a sensitive guy but.. to that extent?
(Let’s also reflect on how fast Donghae slimmed down after Eunhyuk made that remark…) Interesting :P
Moving along to Donghae’s songs on the Devil album! I’m actually surprised there aren’t more people who believe there’s something real going on between eunhae after hearing/reading the lyrics for “Alright.” I mean.. HYUKJAE REFERENCES, EVERYWHERE. Everywhere. Personally, I think only a few lines of that song were meant for the fans, the rest of it is for Eunhyuk. (Eunhyuk’s rap is for the other members, of course, but I read that the producer said that part was a last-minute addition, which says to me that Donghae originally intended for this song to be all for Eunhyuk, and Eunhyuk at the last minute decided to add the rap written for the other members. I have not seen this quote myself, only saw it paraphrased on tumblr, so feel free to take it with a grain of salt.)
But seriously. Read those lyrics.
“You know me well/I know you too/When we talk with just our eyes”
This is practically word-for-word what Donghae and Eunhyuk both said about each other in an episode of SJM Guest House. Seriously, word for word. There’s another quote too from an interview with them talking about their chemistry on and off stage, and how they can communicate with just their eyes. And in that awkward “I love Idols” interview (the one where they got weird about not wanting to jump rope) again they reference this, saying that the first time they met as middle school students, they said to each other “with just a gaze” that they’d be doing music together 15 years later. They’ve mentioned their ability to talk with just their eyes repeatedly.
“For a long time, without change, we stayed the same/You and I, just like always, will you be by my side? Always be there”
Eunhyuk in Men’s Uno Magazine, talking about him and Donghae: “After so many years, we are still exactly the same as when we first met. Nothing has changed. It’s a wonderful feeling.”
“I don’t care where we go, as long as we’re together/Even on late rainy nights/You’re my sunlight, sometimes the moonlight/You always shine next to me”
Eunhae fans have thought the rainy day posts were Eunhae related for years now, right? I admit that I thought it was a ridiculous idea myself.. until I started noticing that, oh, wait, Donghae really DOES post rainy day photos every single time Eunhyuk is away! I don’t pretend to know what it’s code for, but it really does appear to be something related to them. I mean, I’m pretty sure it rains in South Korea at other times too, doesn’t it? haha. And yet, Donghae only ever makes these posts when Eunhyuk is away. (A notable exception being just a few weeks back, when things seemed REALLY off between Eunhae, when Donghae appeared to be ignoring Eunhyuk, when Heechul took quite an intense interest in Eunhyuk, hanging all over him, posting about how beautiful Eunhyuk is, how intimate they were, hanging all over him at DEVIL recordings, almost as if trying to make a certain someone else jealous? And if fanaccounts are to be trusted, Donghae was indeed staring as Heechul kept loving on Eunhyuk, and finally went and pushed Chul away from Hyuk!, and in the video of the performance, you can see Donghae smacking Eunhyuk’s hands away from Heechul’s stomach, like “okay, okay, stop touching him!” And then suddenly we get a rainy day post from Donghae full of smileys and exclamation points and a caption that read something like, “because of the drought, it has to rain a lot!!” Donghae and Eunhyuk seemed to be fighting (or SOMETHING seemed off, anyway) for a week or two, and then the day they seem to make up, with Donghae pushing Heechul away from Hyuk and then eunhae smiling and high-fiving each other, we get a rainy day post talking about ending a “drought.” ??) I just have a hard time believing all the “rainy day” stuff is coincidence. Especially when Hyuk brought up Donghae’s “rainy day” posts himself when he and Donghae did Sukira back in May, and they both smiled and giggled about it.
And then you get a reference to late rainy nights in “Alright.”
…The sunlight, moonlight stuff is pretty obvious. Haenim=Sun. Dalnim=Moon. Haru has sold multiple sun & moon themed necklaces. (And Donghae makes sure to model these himself on his instagram.) Donghae posted a photo a few months back of he and Eunhyuk (sitting in an airport I think), and he stuck a big smiley SUN sticker on himself, while Eunhyuk is sitting there next to him, holding his phone that just so happens to be in a phone case that says “MY MOON.” When Eunhyuk hosted Sukira by himself in May, he wore a sweater that had a sun and moon on it. So, yeah, “You’re my sunlight, sometimes the moonlight.”
“You always shine beside me.” There’s that photo from June or July that Donghae posted, tagging Eunhyuk (who was right beside him) and Donghae used hashtags something like #evenonthisrainynight #youwhoshinesatmyside. So, again, word-for-word, from Donghae’s own mouth (or fingers, I guess!) something he said about Eunhyuk, right there in the song.
I think the lyrics in all the other verses are about Eunhyuk too, but these I mentioned are the only lines I feel I can back up with evidence. Like, I’ll just have to take Donghae’s word for it when he says “I still remember, just thinking about it makes my heart flutter” and “I still get nervous when I see you” because I can’t really prove that, unfortunately :P
I would argue that Don’t Wake Me Up is for/about Eunhyuk too, mostly because of the continued use of the line “It’s alright” which is repeated multiple times throughout the Alright song, and the use of that line in DWMU kinda ties the two together, so, if we KNOW he’s referencing Hyukjae in Alright, it seems logical to me to assume Donghae is continuing to tell this same person “it’s alright”, albeit in a more romantic situation (Also, considering they’ve spent the past several months insisting they are not romantically involved, I’m surprised Donghae didn’t use any references to a female in this song. No “girl” or “lady” [when it would’ve been easy to change those baby’s to lady’s] but nope. No references to the female figure. Long hair. Soft curves. Nothing. The song is very gender-neutral.)Not that that necessarily means anything. Plenty of love songs are gender neutral. But, taking that into consideration with EVERYTHING ELSE, it’s worth thinking about (But, hey, that’s just my personal interpretation of it.)
Now, sofialorena! Your fear is that they don’t love each other anymore. I think this is just where we need to have a little faith I don’t think Donghae would take it so lightly, putting such a song like Alright on that album, (not to mention that hidden message!) only for the relationship to end a month later. He tells this person, “I don’t care where we go, as long as we’re together”, asks that person to always be by his side, and says “even if the WORLD changes, I hope we never change.” Those are some pretty serious claims, and considering that Eunhyuk said Donghae cried while writing these lyrics, I’m gonna assume that he meant every word. And those “I love you’s” in his message to Hyuk? It’s entirely possible he might feel a little embarrassment about it because, let’s be honest, those were some really intense-sounding I love you’s! But he knew everyone was going to hear it, and he recorded it anyway, even though they just spent the entire summer trying to convince everyone that they weren’t lovers. Which, in my opinion, shows just how important Donghae felt it was to tell Eunhyuk that he loves him, he loves him, he REALLY loves him. (Donghae’s words, not mine ;))
All relationships have hard times. When people are close, they inevitably fight. So, yeah, sometimes when things seem off between them, they might actually be unhappy with each other. But that’s just a real part of any close relationship And it makes sense that they would be arguing easily these days. I think it’s safe to assume the boys are really tired and really stressed and probably really sad right now. They’re about to be separated for two years, from each other, from SuJu, from their families, their friends, their homes, to undergo serious military training. It’s gotta be scary. It’s gotta be sad. They have to be feeling stressed. And, yes, I think it’s showing.
But I still think that they love each other. They are about to enlist and are clearly worried about protecting their careers and their images and they’ve been trying so hard (too hard!) to insist that they aren’t romantically involved, so it makes total sense to me that they would post photos with other friends, and show us much less of their relationship with each other, trying to make it look less important than it is. And while, yeah, I do think Donghae was being cold with Eunhyuk for a while there, I think he mostly just looks scared :P He avoids looking at Eunhyuk, he freezes up, eyes going wide if Eunhyuk initiates any sort of physical contact, and generally just looks terrified anytime they’re standing too close to each other. I don’t think that means he loves Hyuk any less. He’s just scared. (In my opinion.)
As a fan, I am sad that they aren’t constantly posting pictures together and showing us their cute/sweet/funny/dorky interactions the way they used to, but that’s really all it means: they just aren’t showing us. Like babyv004 said, it doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t still together, doing the things they’ve always done. They might just be keeping it between them for the time being
When I find myself wondering if they’re okay, if they’re upset with each other, etc., I remind myself that, even as those awkward interviews were happening, even as they both started saying “we’re just friends!”, Donghae was writing the song Alright (with lyrics saying, “no matter what anyone says, we’re alright” “I don’t care where we go, as long as we’re together” “if it’s with you, it’s alright” “you’re so beautiful always”), and he was recording that hidden message for Eunhyuk filled with some of the most romantic sounding I love you’s I’ve ever heard, and he was posting a photo to instagram and tagging Eunhyuk over his own heart, and getting jealous when Heechul was all over Eunhyuk. And at their final D&E concert? Both boys looked quite smiley and playful (I mean.. Donghae poking Hyuk’s neck and belly and crotch and smiling so brightly after like it was just the funniest game in the world!) and they just seemed really happy to be there together.
We should also remember that, during all of this, fanaccounts (and videos) have still been telling us that Donghae and Eunhyuk are often leaving from and arriving at places together, just the two of them, with eunhae often going in one van while other members take another van. That would be strange (and uncomfortable!) if things were really bad between them. I imagine they could easily ride separately if they wanted.
Did any of that make sense? haha. I’m sorry for being so random and long-winded. Obviously I can’t say for certain the exact nature and status of their relationship because I’m not them. And I do see them being stressed and sadder than usual and putting physical distance between them in public, so I understand your concerns. But there’s other stuff too to suggest that, over all, they’re still alright I mean, in these new airport photos and videos they are together and smiling just fine I really think they’re okay. I think they’ve just had a rough summer, trying awkwardly to downplay the significance of their relationship, and the impending enlistment stuff is weighing on them. They’re sad and stressed and worried (completely understandable) and we’re seeing some of that.
Like babyv004 said, if they’re still acting like this in two years when they come back from their military service, maybe you can worry then :P In the meantime, I think we have plenty of reasons to believe that they are okay. And considering how important they have been to each other over so many years, I think maybe we can trust that they’ll get through this little rough patch
Of course relationships can (and often do) end.. and, again, I am neither Donghae nor Eunhyuk so of course there’s a chance that I could be entirely wrong about everything! :P But I think we do have a lot of cumulative evidence to go off of.. so I hope considering some of this stuff can make you feel a little more hopeful.
(If anything I’ve said doesn’t make sense or doesn’t translate well, please feel free to ask [this goes for anyone reading!] and I will try to explain myself I think I can also provide links to any of the interviews/videos that I mentioned if anyone needs them.)
So. Are there any universities that offer degrees in K-Pop studies? ‘Cause I feel like I just wrote a thesis… :P
Oh! I also wanted to add, in support of my argument that Alright and Don’t Wake Me Up were written for Eunhyuk, I noticed in the MB Stardust interview, when Donghae is telling the camera something like, “I’m thankful that I was able to prepare two songs for this album” who does he sneak a quick little glance at? Eunhyuk.
https://www.youtube….h?v=mMhUZ-u2GUc
(conversation starts around 3:10)
And then it cuts over to show Eunhyuk, who is sitting there intently listening to/watching Donghae, and you can see Leeteuk turn to smile/laugh at Eunhyuk like, “you obvious idiots…”
Admittedly, it’s a very quick glance, and it could be nothing more than Donghae’s tendency to rely on Eunhyuk to help him through interviews. Or it could be a subconscious indication of just who those two songs were written for Just one more thing to think about!
sofialorena, on 31 Aug 2015 - 1:31 PM, said:
Maybe deep inside me am still little afraid that thing is ended between them and that maybe they both take decision to broke up now and in this two years in army they can forget each other and then when they return each one will begin his own life and start a family and get married as donghae said that he want to get married on age 33 , what you think about this ???
I have definitely thought about this, since Donghae has repeatedly said he loves kids and wants lots of them. So I don’t really know. (In certain parts of the world, two men can certainly get married and adopt, but I don’t believe that would be the case in South Korea. Please, someone correct me if I’m wrong.) So, yeah, this is definitely one of the main things that confuses me and makes me wonder.
But I will say, Donghae’s answers about getting married keep getting more vague, and he keeps pushing back the age at which he wants to get married. In Adonis Camp, he said he loves kids and wants to get married young so he can start a family. And then I remember reading somewhere that he said he wanted to get married at age 30. And then that got pushed back to 33. And then in One Fine Day, they got on the subject of children and Donghae again mentioned how he wanted a lot of them, and he was like, “in the next 7 years, by the time I’m 37.. won’t I have done it?” (talking about getting married.) And then in that KKBOX interview, he can’t even answer the question. He just half-heartedly nods along while Eunhyuk talks about getting married, but is then unable to answer the question himself.
Also in that KKBOX interview, when Eunhyuk first mentions that he thinks he’ll be a dad 10 years from now, Donghae is quick to say “I don’t think you’ll be able to get married.” (To which Eunhyuk covers his mouth and laughs and says something like, “what are you saying?”) And then later, when talking about how they want to propose and Donghae IS SO ADORABLE AND CHEESY AND RIDICULOUS and talks about covering the field at Barcelona Stadium with flowers and being lowered down on a wire, Eunhyuk then says to the interviewer something like.. “He won’t be able to get married. Really, he won’t.”
So that is also interesting to note. That in such a recent interview, you have Donghae and Eunhyuk both saying the other won’t be able to marry.
But yeah.. I don’t know for sure, and I’m interested in hearing other people’s thoughts on this too. I guess the only thing we can do is wait and see what the future brings
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