Part 1. First Meeting
1. That Summer that Was So Cold
Without saying much, they awaited the time when people would eventually know what it was they had wanted, and what it was they were trying to say. Although they did not know when that time would come, they were certain that it couldn't be "like this, right now" forever.
In the end, they went in search of 'happiness' and 'dreams'. Their footsteps were heavy with a fear of the uncertain future. But they felt that they could overcome the heavy footsteps and the fear for true happiness and their dreams.
With that, they became one through the name "JYJ".
Stories Hidden In Their Hearts
In the summer of 2009, Kim Jaejoong, Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu made the decision to give up everything though they were at the top of their game. In the end, popularity and money were not important. If popularity and money were everything, they would not have been able to take that big step with heavy and fearful hearts. They did not hope for anything other than happiness and their dreams. As long as each of them had the other two by his side, that in itself was the best source of strength and comfort.
At the time, some people in the industry and the public made speculations about JYJ and attacked them. But they couldn't do anything but stay silent. The flood of criticism and the ridiculous rumors ripped them apart. But they didn't respond to such rumors. That was because they knew that reacting would be nothing but 'Spitting on their own faces' in this situation.
"I'm sure that SM Entertainment, our agency at that time, were hurt too, but when I look back on what happened, I think we were hurt more by the whole thing. There were times when I thought, 'What's the use of saying things that will do nothing but hurt each other'. Though there were a lot of rumors surrounding us, we kept it locked in our hearts and repeated to ourselves, 'This too shall pass.' I felt like when time had passed, people and the world would come to see what the truth was." (Park Yoochun)
Kim Junsu's thoughts did not differ much from Park Yoochun's.
"We were frustrated. But (C-JeS CEO Baek) Chang Joo told us that we needed to hold back and endure to overcome our situation, that things would get worse if we responded to every little thing. We held back and tried to find comfort in his words that if we responded, something small that would have passed quickly if we had stayed put, would drag on and hurt us for a long time. Though it was a very trying time for us, we could do nothing but hold back. That was the only thing we could do."
Those trying times were hard for the oldest member Kim Jaejoong, as well. But he decided to keep it all buried in his heart.
"We knew that this was a fight that we could possibly lose, but we hoped that people would understand our truth and sincerity when time had passed. At the time, we had no one to speak for us, and we could do nothing but silently stand our ground. Because speaking up would lead to misunderstandings. We couldn't express ourselves because even denying things would make us look like cowards."
The summer of 2009, which was too painful to let slide by, leaves a bitter taste in the members' mouths. Things are supposed to get easier with time no matter what it is, but deep sighs still continue to escape their mouths.
The Truth Will Always Prevail
The members claimed that the difference in opinions regarding the cosmetic company was the beginning of their dispute, as the rumors had stated, but the crux of the matter was elsewhere.
Kim Jaejoong explained the situation at the time.
"It's true that we decided to pursue the (cosmetic company) enterprise, like it's been widely publicized. It came up because we wanted to make an investment and earn profit from it. Because the income of each member was taken care of separately, there were discrepancies. We discussed the enterprise with our company, but they unilaterally forbade us to and treated us like children. They said things like 'Legal issues will come up,' and 'It will restrict your CF opportunities.' We told them we wouldn't do it because the we felt that our conflict would deepen if we left it at that situation."
