Over the years, while some members have been a lot more open about their relationships, Donghae went a more secretive route and has never been fully open about who he dates, even after the fact. The only instance where fans have seen him with women in a romantic sense has been in the dramas he starred in or, in this case, a reality television show, in which he was invited on to do a blind date with an actress. Are you curious as to whom Donghae has dated, even if only on a variety show? Well, wait no more as we dive into Donghae and his blind date with Son Eun-seo on “We Got Married.”
Blind Date with Super Junior Members
In 2012, Super Junior’s leader, Leeteuk, was cast as one of the regulars for the variety show ‘We Got Married,’ as part of a virtual couple with actress Kang So-ra. He was happily fake-married for a while and this inspired him to share the happiness he felt with his fellow members, thus was born the idea to get the members of Super Junior to go on blind dates with various actresses for an episode of “We Got Married.” The show’s producers hinted that fans could expect to see four members of Super Junior along with four actresses on an episode. Upon the conclusion of the January 14 broadcast, a teaser was finally unveiled and it seems that the four Super Junior members partaking in the blind date were Eunhyuk, Donghae, Sungmin, and Kyuhyun. The four Super Juniors members, along with the actresses they would be dating, were revealed to the public. The set up was to be a meeting in a restaurant, in which Leeteuk and Kang So-ra would host a speed-dating event, and at the end of the date, each actress would get to choose which member of Super Junior they liked the most by getting into their respective cars. The actresses present were Son Eun-seo, Shin So-yul, and Lee Sena. As it seems from the video above, Donghae and Son Eun-seo seemed to have hit it off, right off the bat, while the other members struggled in nervousness. The event ended with Son Eun-seo getting into Donghae’s car and a promise for another date.
First Date on ‘We Got Married’
One of the couples was Donghae and actress Son Eun-seo. The two were set to go on a date to an award show as their first date, with Donghae escorting Son Eun-seo, who was nominated for the evening.
The date started out with Donghae going to Leeteuk and Kang So-ra for help as he got prepared and dressed up to go pick up Son Eun-seo as her escort for the night. He picked her up with his own car at her apartment, where she awaited in a very pretty formal dress. The two then made their way to the event for the night. As the night progressed, the two hit it off more than expected as they chatted and danced, connecting like an actual couple would on their first date. This caused excitement among viewers and the show’s producers definitely took notice. The fans even went as far as to predict the two as the next permanent couple to be added to the show’s regular cast, as another couple was due to end their virtual marriage.
Double Date With ‘We Got Married’ Couple, SUPER JUNIOR Leeteuk and Kang So-ra
With the positive response from the first date they went on, producers of “We Got Married” scheduled another appearance for Donghae and Son Eun-seo, to take part on a double date with Leeteuk and Kang So-ra at an amusement park.
Photos of the two couples spread around the online forums far in advance of the show’s airing, creating speculation among fans and viewers about whether or not Donghae and Son Eun-seo are truly taking part in the show as a show regular from then on. Sadly, the two were only set to return in this particular episode and were not scheduled to be a permanent fixture on the show. The two couples enjoyed their date by buying souvenir character headbands for each other and riding the classics, such as roller-coasters.
Impression To Each Other
During their first meeting at Leeteuk and Kang So-ra’s blind speed dating event, the two seemed quite shy and closed-off at first, but as time passed they even got the time to talk to each other outside of the allotted time. Through Donghae’s lead and the hosts, the two were able to bond more with comments and questions like “Really, really”. “You don’t like them for real, right?”, “Based on my experience as a member of the same group, she must be similar to his ideal type.” Although their chemistry was off the charts on screen, not long after that it was revealed that Son Eun-seo never saw Donghae as a serious romantic partner. From the very start, she only saw him as a little brother, and was never really truly interested in pursuing anything further between the two of them.
Are They Dating in Real Life?
As mentioned before, although the Donghae and Son Eun-seo caused a lot of buzz online, the two are, in fact, not dating. Son Eun-seo was even spotted in a relationship with another fellow actor. According to news agencies on June 20 2012, “Choi Jin Hyuk and Son Eun Seo, who have worked together on the SBS drama, ‘My Daughter the Flower’ are in a relationship. Through the drama, both of them had good feelings toward each other and they have naturally progressed into a dating relationship.” News agencies reported that Choi Jin-hyuk and Son Eun-seo like to enjoy dates in Garusugil in Seoul. A photo of them wearing matching jumpers was released last April, which drew many eyes as well. Many netizens wondered if they were really couple back then. Netizens who came across this news have responded quite positively with comments such as, “Choi Jin-hyuk and Son Eun-seo are a real couple? Daebak,” “They look good together,” “I hope this isn’t a rumor but I hope they are really dating,” and more.
After ‘We Got Married’ Appearance
On July 18, 2012, Donghae appeared at the press conference for Channel A’s drama “Miss Panda and the Hedgehog,” where he first revealed that he learned about Son Eun-seo’s relationship with his co-star, Choi Jin-hyuk, through news reports. When asked how it felt to see the reports, Donghae said, “I felt betrayed.” But later he answered with a smile, “I think the two look good together and I hope they get married in the future.” Donghae’s response drew laughter because it seems like such a small world to be appearing on “We Got Married,” just a few months before starring in a drama with her boyfriend.
