K-pop band Super Junior's Kim Hee-chul has thanked fans for their support over his romance with Momo, a Japanese member of the girl group Twice. The romance was confirmed earlier this month.
During a recent episode of singer Taeyeon's VLive channel Petionista Taengoo, Kim, 38, denied reports they had dated for three years.
“To be honest, we didn't know each other back then,” he said, in the episode which went live on Tuesday (January 28).
But Kim felt a swell of gratitude that came with a dose of guilt for not being forthcoming.
“When this issue came up, the public and my fans were saying, ‘it's OK. You have been going strong without getting into any scandals. We support you,’ and this made me feel guilty in some sense,” he said.
“I don't know if I deserve such overwhelming love that fans gave me … I even thought I might not be the best fit to be a celebrity.”
He disclosed that he even paused work on his solo album.
“The title of the song was Flower Petals, because my debut nickname was flower,” he said. He feared such a flowery romantic album would give the wrong impression to audiences.
The K-pop couple confirmed earlier this month they were dating after denying a rumour last August. Kim's agency SM Entertainment said: “They have been close acquaintances and started dating each other recently.”
Kim debuted in 2005 as a Super Junior member. His wit and good looks have made him a star in reality shows including JTBC's popular Knowing Bros.
Momo, 25, whose real name is Hirai Momo, joined Twice through JYP Entertainment's K-pop audition show Sixteen in 2015.
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This story originally appeared on Korea Times