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Inside Hyuna and Dawn’s rule-breaking relationship, from leaving K-pop idol groups to go public, to releasing their first couple album ‘1+1=1’
STORYPatti Sunio

- The Korean stars caused controversy when they announced their relationship on Instagram and to the media, departing bands Triple H and Pentagon as a result
- After breaking ties with Cube Entertainment, the K-pop couple joined Psy’s P Nation and released their debut album together on September 9, led by the single Ping Pong
In the world of K-pop, dating remains a big no-no. Contracts commonly feature relationship bans, and if an artist does date, they are heavily encouraged to hide it. Why? Because the K-pop industry apparently relies on a fan base that engages in a “pseudo-relationship” with their favourite idols. And so a music artist’s bankability is believed to decrease when they are found out to be dating an actual individual human being.

Although times are slowly changing and amendments are being made to many idol contracts, dating still remains a question mark for most – and in K-pop speak, it’s even considered a “scandal”. Many stars risk their careers if they consider going public with a relationship.
But there is some hope, it seems. Here, we take a look at Hyuna and Dawn’s controversial love story. They had to fight for their relationship, and there’s even more reason to admire the two since they released their first duet EP, called “1+1=1”, on September 9 featuring the lead single, Ping Pong.
How it started: going public and getting shamed
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Back in 2017, Hyuna, then under Cube Entertainment, was announced to be part of a trio called Triple H with label mates Hui and Dawn (previously called E’Dawn) of boy band Pentagon. Although Triple H was perhaps the first public encounter between the two, in hindsight, we realise that their relationship started way before this. The two even admitted to have started dating in 2016.

In August 2018, Hyuna, who has always been an outspoken idol who broke the rules (and fans love her for it!), revealed their relationship on her Instagram account, stating that she wanted to be honest with her fans. The two also confirmed their relationship with Yonhap News – a move that wasn’t approved by their agency.

The announcement shook the K-pop world and, eventually, a statement from Cube Entertainment revealed the decision to terminate Hyuna’s contract. The idol then shared a video of her hugging Dawn in an Instagram post.
Barely a month later, Dawn’s ties with the agency were terminated too. Cube Entertainment’s decisions were met with backlash from the public, as fans reasoned that idols are human beings who can fall in love and date, too (!).
