Who is “Forever”? Part III: JYJ vs Homin, the Dispute

Regarding the Dispute among the Members:

It is very annoying when people say that Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun abandoned TVXQ by leaving SM Entertainment. Do they believe that TVXQ equals SM? If you have been a fan for a while, you would know how much pride the three members have in “TVXQ,” and it is unacceptable that some fans accuse them of abandoning the name “TVXQ,” when it is so obvious that they have chosen to use the name JYJ, not TVXQ, out of respect for the other two members. (T/N: Some fans have the misconception that SM has the right to the name “TVXQ.” They do not. JYJ could have used “TVXQ,” but chose not to.) Would they have been happy if Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun had released “TVXQ, the 5th album” like Yunho and Changmin? The ones who have actually given up on “the old TVXQ” are Yunho and Changmin.

All the fans still remember to this day how they couldn't help but notice the awkward atmosphere that existed between Yunho and Jaejoong during the Mirotic days. I just tried to ignore it thinking that they had a small fight again because of Yunho’s 85 club friends. However, I realized how serious the matter was when they were on a radio show and each member was asked what they wanted to say to his teammates. Jaejoong said the future of TVXQ was often the topic of recent conversations among the members. He said that he had a sense of insecurity but it went away when he looked at his teammates’ faces. Jaejoong was the only one who gave such a serious answer although he looked very hesitant, and I couldn’t help but notice the troubled look on Yunho’s face. (T/N: You could watch inside the studio through internet broadcast.) Although I believe it was too early for the members to had started discussing the lawsuit at that time, this has always been on my mind since the lawsuit was filed. From this we know that the members had talked about their future together since the Mirotic days, and you would also know that they had apparently continued doing so until the lawsuit if you watched the Couple Talk on All about TVXQ3, filmed in April of 2009. You would know that the members had been very close to making their decisions.(T/N: I believe Moto is talking about the conversation between Yunho and Junsu in particular. I will upload the clip with translations soon.) Even after the filming of AATVXQ3, the members probably had some time to think about their individual plans and their future, and I believe that it is completely understandable for them to have a disagreement.

It is my assumption that Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun believed that even if they had to face many obstacles outside SM, they could gain their artistic freedom and lead both their group and individual careers to success with all five members and their loyal fans.

However, Yunho and Changmin probably thought about the possibility of losing the lawsuit and thoroughly considered their own individual opportunities offered by SM. They chose staying under SM for a guaranteed future over walking a thorny path, thinking they had tried and achieved enough as a group.

I do not see this as a “betrayal”; it is possible for them to have different beliefs. The Ho-Tel always argue that Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun left for financial gains, but Yunho and Changmin also stayed for the same reason. I don’t believe there was anything immoral about their decisions. It is a given that one has to consider his own individual future as the top priority. However, what disappointed me was the fact that Yunho and Changmin never made the effort to stand up for their teammates when SM crushed their reputation by calling them “moneygrubbers” accusing them of “scamming the whole nation.” Instead Yunho and Changmin insisted that they had known nothing and the members had suddenly turned their backs and left. Dozens of newspaper articles bought by SM were released everyday to condemn the three members as unforgivable villains. During that time, when I lived every single day in fear that the three might destroy themselves, Yunho and Changmin spent their days hiding behind their “SM family” and enjoyed their individual activities. (How happy Yunho looked when he was filming “Heading to the Ground”…) How could they sign the documents that said “we wish you would return to SM” and “this is all because of the cosmetics business” and pretend to be the victims when they knew everything?!!

I need to recompose myself…In retrospect, it probably seemed right for Yunho and Changmin to choose their individual careers (and more) over the group’s. Excuse me for having to bring this up, but I know of the sense of inferiority the two have always had to live with. I understand it completely.

Changmin’s parents saying “our son has always been treated as an outsider” did not make any sense whatsoever to the fans who had loved and known Changmin. Nonetheless, I tried to understand that, as parents, they could feel that way. Because we did not want Changmin to be targeted by the anti-fans for being the least popular, even fans whose favorite was not Changmin cared for him dearly. Nevertheless, I assume that he had growing concerns about his place beside his teammates. It is possible that he felt the need to build a better foundation for his future.

The same goes for Yunho as well. He has always tried his best to hide his discontent about being compared to his much talented teammates, and he has always put so much effort into everything that I couldn’t help but be touched. However, I realized how selfish Yunho could be when he answered countless questions about the situation at the HTTG press conference by saying “I hope things work out.” like a third party who could not care any less when Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun were standing on the edge of a cliff. How could the leader of TVXQ behave that way?

Anyway what I am trying to say is that one of the reasons Yunho and Changmin believed they would be better off with SM than their teammates was that they somewhat thought they were not the beneficiaries of the group activities. However, all five members had to make compromises and sacrifice individual gains, and they were willing to do so because of their pride in “TVXQ.” It is funny that Yunho and Changmin now like to think of themselves as the “victims.” The two members and Ho-Tel often insist that the circumstances limited the amount of their activities and work opportunities, but they have done as much as JYJ if not more. In fact, it was Yunho who began an individual career earlier than anyone else. Yunho has always been quite ambitious, and there is nothing wrong with it. However, did he really expect to have new fans throwing themselves at him and becoming a “world-class multi-entertainer” by grabbing a couple of opportunities SM fetched him? (Yes, “world-class multi-entertainer” is the term so often used by Yunho’s father.) Is that why you chose to sit back and watch everything happen with no attempt to intervene, Yunho? If he was really concerned about the survival of “TVXQ,” he would have done a lot more. I want to ask him just one question. Why does he avoid JYJ’s attempts to contact him? Why does he not answer their calls or texts and clear up the “misunderstanding”?

Anyway let’s get back to Yunho’s activities. Yunho’s drama HTTG actually did head to the ground in ratings, and Michael Jackson’s “This is It” concert had two thirds of its seats empty. Yunho lip-synced to all his songs, and the overall quality of the concert so horrendous that the media criticized it for being a disgrace to Michael Jackon’s name. Was he sick? Okay, that makes it all right. “Goong the musical” was so horribly produced that even Yunho fans wondered why he chose to do it in the first place. The short film “Haru” was overshadowed by the controversy of its actors getting overpaid.

I wonder why fans don’t remember these and keep on insisting that he has had no work!

Yunho must be quite disappointed that his solo career has not worked out the way he imagined it to when he accepted SM’s offer, and he seems to blame all this on JYJ as well. Now he come back with Changmin as “the second act of TVXQ” with “the fifth album” to be loved by “Cassiopeia the third term.” Is he now steering in a different direction perhaps because his plan has not worked at all? Seriously, what is this? He could have just told us what he wanted right after the lawsuit was filed. He is being just too cruel to support-all-five fans. (T/N: Moto does not mention any of Changmin’s work, but Changmin has also kept himself busy with his drama “Paradise Ranch” and countless photoshoots and interviews for many magazines.)

Original Text written by Moto

Translation by hopeforjyj