[SBS Star] ANTON's Alleged Girlfriend Confirms Their Holding Hands Photo Is Not Fake, but Denies Dating

K-pop boy group RIIZE's member ANTON's alleged girlfriend clarified that she is not in a romantically involved with him, although their holding hands photo is authentic.  

Recently, one photo of ANTON started going viral online. 

The photo showed about a quarter of someone who looks like ANTON walking hand in hand with a girl of similar age on the street.

It was uploaded on the girl's Instagram as part of the "Highlight" feature, and it soon caught the attention of K-pop fans around the world. 

Many claimed that the guy in the photo was ANTON, and speculated that she was subtly suggesting they were dating by sharing an image showing only a portion of his face and body. 

However, numerous fans remained skeptical, claiming that the photo appeared heavily edited.

The debate went on regarding whether ANTON was dating the girl, but without any responses from RIIZE's agency SM Entertainment, the rumor only continued to escalate as time passed. 
Then on March 12, the girl issued a statement on her Instagram to make some clarifications. 

The girl started off by stating, "Hi, I'm writing to address the recent post circulating online, which features a photo of ANTON and me holding hands during his visit to his hometown New Jersey last month on his break." 

She continued, "I want to clear up any confusion surrounding this matter, as there have been claims suggesting that ANTON and I are dating because of that photo. I want to make it clear that I have never dated him, and I deny all allegations stating otherwise." 

Then, the girl explained her relationship with ANTON, "ANTON and I have been friends since we were young, and as you can see in the other photos, we were with a group of our close friends throughout the day. We continued to hang out in group settings, just like old times." 

She added, "Seeing ANTON isn't as easy as it used to be, and his recent visit home marked the first time in years. I posted that photo on my private Instagram to commemorate the day, where I frequently share photos of my friends and me. I had no idea it would cause such a stir." 

Wrapping up the statement, she said, "Please refrain from jumping to conclusions based on a single photo. Thank you." 
After her statement was released, some fans persisted in arguing that she merely confirmed the authenticity of the photo though.

They expressed their belief that it is unusual for friends to hold hands while walking; even though hugging friends in considered normal in the United States, holding hands is not, they said. 

ANTON and SM Entertainment are still remaining silent regarding this matter.

(Credit= Online Community) 

(SBS Star)