When Rain's fans saw the kiss mark decorating his cheek in his new music videos, they wondered if his girlfriend actress Kim Tae Hee placed it there.

The dark-lipstick mark appears in the music videos for "La Song" and "30 Sexy," two songs found on his newly released sixth album "Rain Effect." But Rain said the mark was not the impression left by Kim Tae Hee's lips. The imprint was made by a kiss-shaped stamp.

He would not have asked his girlfriend to make a lipstick impression because they keep their work lives separate. She did not even hear the album before anyone else did.

"I don't want to mix love and work," said Rain. "I don't let her listen to my songs before they are released. She will hear my album when it comes out. I love surprising people, so even my own family doesn't get to listen to my songs early."

Did the mark indicate that he was definitely taken?

"You could think of it that way," he said. "Of course I do have someone."

Rumors that he and Kim Tae Hee have broken up are not true, says the singer, who also starred in the drama "Full House" and the films "Speed Racer" and "Ninja Assassin." He will star with Bruce Willis in a new film "The Prince."

"Some say we have broken up but we are doing well," he said.

The rumors started because they are rarely seen together these days.

"We are so busy that we can't see each other as often as we would like to but we catch up on the phone when we can," he said.

The relationship is, in fact, stronger than ever.

"My girlfriend is someone I can rely on and trust when I am feeling down," he said of the actress that has often been described as one of the most beautiful women in Korea.

The couple went public with their relationship early last year. Rain was fulfilling his two-year military duty and was seen taking leave to spend time with her. It was his first public relationship since his debut. While they admitted to having a relationship, they don't often speak about each other.

"We could not help but go public with our relationship," he said of dating in a spotlight. "Sometimes it's uncomfortable but for the most part it's comfortable."

The album is his first full-length album release in four years. All the tracks were written by Rain in collaboration with songwriter Bae Jin Ryeol. The album also features 4Minute's HyunA, singing "Where Are You Going Oppa."