[Fic] Untitled 2 [1/?]
Prologue I: Don’t Say Goodbye
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Don’t Say Goodbye 그 손을 놓지 말라는 마음이 들려요 그대 맘이 들려요 아직 나만을 원하죠 그댄 숨길 수 없죠 그댄 거짓말을 못하죠
허락할 수 없어요 헤어지잔 거짓말 눈을 보고 말해봐요 아니잖아요 진심 아니잖아요
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It was guaranteed. They would win and nobody doubted that. It only depended on when corrupt companies would realize their folly.
JYJ would win their lawsuit with SM Entertainment. No one doubted that. Heck, even those who worked in SM didn’t want to bet otherwise.
So for Jung Yunho and Shim Changmin, they knew JYJ would win. It was a given. It was guaranteed. The only variable was time. Whether it be today or next week or next year, everyone knew the conclusion.
After all, no company would be such a sick fuck to hack the legal system. It wasn’t as though TVXQ or JYJ were small insignificant figures in the Asian entertainment world. There would be no good in busting their own ass in something that was guaranteed, everyone agreed. All SME could do was delay, delay and delay. But there was only so much the large corporation could delay.
It was the day of the final hearing and only one member showed up to court.
Kim Junsu was quite confident that the final hearing would go well. So he left for Beijing without much thought. It was a long planned fan meeting and he was only a couple hours away.
Park Yoochun was quite confident that the final hearing would go well. So he left for Tokyo without much thought. It was an offer for a Japanese film and he was only a couple hours away.
Kim Jaejoong wished he were as confident as his younger members. The decision was coming down today. Otherwise he wouldn’t be there in this stuffy courtroom all alone without the support of the two younger. While Junsu and Yoochun wanted to stay, Jaejoong himself had shooed them away. Go, he had said. Everything will be fine, so just go.
But sitting in that seat, all alone without five and without three, Jaejoong suddenly felt less certain. Of course, it wouldn’t show. He would allow years of practice take over.
Sitting there, all alone, the camera’s captured a confident young man who had not a single doubt in his eyes. Strong, mature and absolutely stunning in a simple black suit, Kim Jaejoong would be reported to have no premonition of what came to be.
And, admittedly, no one saw it coming.
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Shim Changmin picked up the morning paper, sleepy and hungry. They had just returned to Korea late last night. It was an off day so they were able to sleep in slightly more than usual. Consequently, Changmin got to the morning paper about two hours later than the rest of Seoul did, but he reacted just the same.
Eyes wide, mouth agape and mind shocked, Changmin gripped the single page-the most freaking ridiculous crap ever, my god!-and sprinted down the hall.
So Jung Yunho woke up to a fury of long limbs and a single crinkled sheet of newspaper. Well, he left out the harsh breathing and broken muttering: “-my god, hyung-I can’t believe-this is about them-my god, what do we do-it wasn’t supposed to be-it was supposed to be alright-they were supposed to win!”
Nothing clicked for a very long moment.
Changmin stared at Yunho and Yunho gazed at Changmin. The clock in the background ticked silently as the two men just breathed.
Yunho was the first to break away, and his eyes fell on the miniature calendar. Today’s date was circled in red. Suddenly, the them and we and they and it and win and everything made sense.
Jumping out of bed, Yunho wrestled the paper out of Changmin’s willing hands. He read the first line and sunk back down into the false safety of his covers. Yunho sat there with the paper -he couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t fucking believe this-in his hands. A weary smile made its way on the leader’s lips. How perfect?
Today, their agency had planned a press conference for TVXQ to address JYJ directly. Yesterday, JYJ lost the lawsuit to SM Entertainments.
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When Kim Junsu heard of the press conference at first, he had been skeptical. They were confident of winning. After all, it would take a sick fuck to hack the legal system. But what was SM going to pull right after the ruling? He and Yoochun shared the same worries. What if this was their final way of-what if SM was trying to pull-what if-what if?!
“It’s okay, it’ll turn out fine,” was their hyung’s answer.
This sent Junsu off to China and Yoochun off to Japan, but it never settled the sinking feeling in his stomach.
Before they left, both of them had agreed to leave with confidence about the court ruling. While Jaejoong spoke calmly, they knew better than anyone that the eldest worried the most.
The outcome of the court ruling will dictate how the press conference goes and whether they’ll be able to meet the other two members, Jaejoong had said. At that time, Yoochun had already left for Japan and Junsu’s flight didn’t leave for another hour.
“It’s okay, it’ll turn out fine,” Junsu parroted his hyung, making the older man smile.
“You can’t think of something of your own to say?” the older man laughed, teasing and prodding the younger.
So they laughed away the remaining hour, talking about everything and anything but what they were both worried about. Junsu didn’t want the elder to feel his uncertainty and he was certain Jaejoong didn’t want Junsu to know of his either.
When they departed, each felt a little better about the situation. Not by much, but at least enough that when they said goodbye, their smiles were true.
Now as Junsu boarded the airplane to return to his hyung, he wonders if the TVXQ press conference-yes, he separates them now, they are TVXQ-would be the last nail to the coffin, sealing the past once and for all.
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“If we win, everything will be alright,” Jaejoong said with quiet conviction.
Park Yoochun had nodded, agreed, and smiled. He hadn’t been worried about winning the lawsuit up to this point. The Korean legal system would give them a fair trial and they would win. JYJ had more than just public opinion backing them up.
However, when SM Entertainment declared a press conference, Yoochun began worrying. Why would they conveniently schedule the press conference the day after the court ruling? Was it to make another excuse? Bring up some ‘forgotten’ detail? And why were Yunho and Changmin addressing them and not the company themselves? JYJ was fighting SM Entertainment, not TVXQ!
Of course, these questions were left unanswered. They were all buried in the back of his mind, milling around quietly.
Yoochun had been relieved when Junsu approached him with similar worries. At least he wasn’t being paranoid. These fears of his were somewhat grounded. So like worried old ladies, the two younger members had bickered over the possible consequences. What if this was their final way of-what if SM was trying to pull-what if-what if?!
However, none of this was said to Jaejoong. Yoochun didn’t want to put more unwarranted stress on the older man. So he went off to Japan to discuss the possible movie feature with a smile on his face and his heart left behind.
Even as he shook hands with some of Japan’s top producers and movie staffers, Yoochun knew his heart stayed in Korea. He reprimanded himself for it during and after the meetings, but the moment Junsu called with the news, his mind and soul followed his heart back to his soul mate.
His manager, sympathetic, booked the earliest flight back to Korea. Touching down in several minutes, Yoochun realized he wasn’t quite sure what to say to Jaejoong. Oh he knew what to say to Junsu, they’ve been on the same page for quite a while. (He separates them too. They were TVXQ.) But Jaejoong…
Looking down at his watch, Yoochun sighed. The press conference for Yunho and Changmin had started and all he could do is hope for the best.
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Shim Changmin wonders if his hyungs were watching right now.
Over the years, bitterness replaced most of the good feelings he once harbored for his three hyungs. But no matter how feelings changed, the memories would never disappear.
He could never forget the days he horsed around with Yoochun and Junsu, working out or playing video games. He could never forget the late afternoons he just sat quietly, listening to Yoochun play the piano. He could never forget the early mornings he shared with Junsu, practicing their English or Japanese or Kenyan.
He would never forget the years he shared with Jaejoong, enduring the other’s mothering or exchanging love taps. He would never forget the afternoons they shared funny stories and laughed at someone else’s expense. He would never forget the evenings they shared a bowl of cereal or warm jigae and laughed at each other.
He could never forget his hyungs and he would never forget what they’ve been through together.
So he doesn’t know what to say. The cameras flashed and the film rolled but he didn’t know what to say.
“Congratulations hyungs,” should he start? “We don’t know what happened either, but you lost the lawsuit. SM probably manipulated that to their favor, but we all knew that they would do something like this. After all, look at all the bans from different stations you’ve had for the past year alone! You guys are probably used to this now so no hard feelings, alright? Love you, hyung! ‘Kay, thanks, bye.”
That would go down well with the company, his hyungs and their fans.
For the first time, he wished their agency gave him a script to recite. At least he wouldn’t be in this disconcerting position where everyone wanted to know what he thought and how he was feeling but Changmin didn’t know what to think and couldn’t even begin describing what he felt.
So he sat there quietly as the cameras flashed and the film rolled.
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Jung Yunho forced himself to talk. Don’t get him wrong. He enjoyed talking with people and he could talk a lot for a long time if the situation allowed.
But as he sat there, groomed and polished, Yunho couldn’t see people. He saw flashing lights and microphones shoved to his face.
Still, years of being a public figure kicked in and forced the conversational words out of his mouth. He pretended he was talking to a friend even though all he could see were flashing lights and cold metal.
“Hello, it’s nice seeing everyone here,” he remembers beginning. After that, all the pleasantries and promotions were done instinctively. He remembers briefly talking about their Japanese single or was it their upcoming Korean one? He thinks he talked about the good weather in Seoul and the busy streets of Tokyo.
They continued like that for a few minutes. Yunho spoke of trivial things and Changmin nodded. Yunho spoke of more things and Changmin continued to nod. And Yunho knows that he is avoiding the topic just as everyone else seemed to know. Changmin just nodded.
So as he wrapped up some more promotional topics, Yunho stirred himself from his reluctance and forged forward. He knew what the company wanted to hear and also what they wanted to hear. Even so, he still didn’t know what to say.
The cameras flashed, the film rolled, Changmin sat and Yunho spoke.
The actual talking only took several minutes. The words were spoken, quickly and concisely. Then the speakers left just as quickly. And the moment Yunho and Changmin got into the car, they both knew it had all been a huge mistake.
Jung Yunho buried his face in his hands.
Fuck, he never should have said that.
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TVXQ finally addresses their former band mates JYJ
SM Entertainment has finally broken the silence. Coming back to Korea after their Japanese activities, TVXQ held a press conference to address their former members. Packed with reporters from various stations, Jung Yunho and Shim Changmin, better known by their stage names U-know and Max, expressed their feelings toward the lawsuit and their members.
Yunho expressed a neutral position toward the ruling and refused to give any comment on possible interference by SM. He spoke quickly while Changmin stayed quiet throughout the conference. Yunho reaffirmed the conflict he felt toward the lawsuit and his relief that it was finally resolved.
The leader stated, “While we were on differing sides of a legal dispute, Changmin and I had debated on contacting our former members. However, the situation made it difficult. Now that the lawsuit is over, I don’t think [contacting each other] should be a problem anymore.”
Since the start of the lawsuit, three of the members, Kim Jaejoong, Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu, continued activities as JYJ and pursued solo activities in acting, producing and composing. In several instances, JYJ has explained their trials in contacting the duo but failing. With Yunho’s statement, there is a clear implication that he will take the initiative to contact JYJ and when asked to clarify, the leader gave a firm reassurance.
“We are glad that our former members-well, with the results from the lawsuit, we are legally disbanded-have been doing well,” TVXQ expressed their well wishes toward JYJ. “We had our time as five which none of us will forget, but clinging onto the past will not help either party at this point. I see them as fellow entertainers now.”
TVXQ’s concluding statement, sounding very similar to a ‘let’s move on,’ rattled many of the fans who’ve hoped for the reunification of the five members. Neither member clarified on the statement and chose to leave the venue promptly.
With members of JYJ expressing nostalgia in the past, fans have expressed their concerns of the former members of TVXQ, using social medias such as Twitter, but so far, JYJ has responded to nothing.
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And that had been the most forgiving account on the press conference. No mention of heartless bastards or SM minions. No mentions of cruelty or Yunho’s final words:
“We chose our own paths and made our sacrifices. And from where we are now, those sacrifices were worth it.”
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A/N: I'm actually very weary of posting this...I started writing this long, long ago. A lot of it is no longer very relevant to what's going on now for DBSK/JYJ, but hey it's fanfiction right? So I hope you enjoy 'cause for me, this piece is hard for me to put out because to me, it embodies a lot more than just a YunJae fic or just a DBSK5 fic. It's a bit of a reflection upon certain things in my own life so if somethings don't seem to match up, uh, yeah.
Thank you for reading and give me a heads up if you would like to see more from this story :)