The Time to Respect TVXQ is Now

Even as the 6^th TVXQ comeback “Catch Me” arrives, there are still fans who have not accepted that this is Yunho and Changmin’s chosen path. I’m not referring to antis but to fans who claim to actively support TVXQ, Yunho and Changmin – namely, ‘ot5 fans’. Instead of fragmenting, de-emphasizing or disregarding their decisions (which includes staying with SM), Yunho and Changmin deserve our respect.

The Dong Bang Shin Ki Path

A good place to start is to acknowledge that Yunho and Changmin made decisions in 2009 too. I’ve seen fans avoid it as if Yunho and Changmin’s choices are taboo. Isn’t it disrespectful to treat Yunho and Changmin like things we’re ashamed to speak of? Acknowledge and be proud of the two and their decisions:

1. Yunho and Changmin chose not to file the lawsuit.
2. Yunho and Changmin chose to stay with SM.
3. Most importantly, Yunho and Changmin chose to continue as TVXQ.

“Decision making” is almost always associated with JYJ but rarely with Yunho and Changmin. I wish that these fans would look at Yunho and Changmin with the same lens. Isn’t it only fair to treat both sides with the same respect?

Android

I’ve also seen fans suggest Yunho and Changmin have not actually made decisions at all:

• “Yunho and Changmin were forced into staying with SM and using the TVXQ name.”
• “Everything Yunho and Changmin have done or said is ‘scripted’ by SM.”
• “Yunho and Changmin stayed with SM only because they were blackmailed due to familial debt.”

These fans deny Yunho and Changmin of having any intelligence, personal will or desires. This is just utterly insulting to two people who have dreamed and accomplished so much. I’m left to wonder, if they believe Yunho and Changmin are just lifeless pawns, then who are they even supposedly fans of?

SM

Fans can’t truly accept Yunho and Changmin because they aren’t able to see past their personal judgments of SM. It’s sad these fans make it about SM when it’s really about Yunho and Changmin. They should treat it like any other decision Yunho and Changmin make. The basic act itself (to make a decision) is a right Yunho and Changmin have as people. Fans need to first and foremost respect that right.

The easiest way to make such fans understand, is to put it this way: JYJ making the choice to leave and Yunho & Changmin making the choice to stay, are inherently equal actions. Whether fans accept or approve of the actual choice is a separate issue.

Furthermore, even if fans don’t approve of the decision (no matter what it is), it doesn’t mean the decision didn’t happen.

TVXQ

What irritates me the most is when fans say, “I hope Homin leave SM …”. I’m sure these fans would never say, “I hope JYJ go back to SM …” – Because in all honesty, that is the equivalent of what they’re asking Homin to do. Yunho and Changmin deserve more respect than this, it needs to stop.

Lastly, why I respect and believe in Yunho, Changmin and the path they’ve chosen is best explained in their own words.

“…I think the current circumstances I’ve chosen for myself are absolutely not wrong. …having made this choice according to my personal values, I don’t have a single regret and I’m not uncertain at all. Even having said that, I don’t want to say “please understand me” and force anyone to do so. I’m going to continue on this path and change nothing. It would be great if the fans can believe in us like this from now on.” — Changmin 2011  [El Sol Photobook Interview via hominfatale]

“The moment that I will remember most happened recently at the Tokyo Dome, where we stood on stage once again. …If I were to go back in time, there is nothing I would do differently. Those were the decisions I made, and every moment I worked hard, so there are no regrets.” — Yunho 2012  [An Interview with TVXQ, ‘From Debut to World Stars’ via kpopstarz]

Confessions of a Cassiopeia #47 (or Fangirl, Year One)

#47

I’m revealing what my very first DBSK video folder looked like. In lieu of conventional dates and even song titles, my favorite way to name performances was by outfit color. It also appears I thought stage lighting was particularly descriptive. But “Talk First Then Sing” definitely takes the cake! In fangirl theory it was supposed to make identifying videos easier. Now that it has been 10 years I can laugh at my file-naming ways. It’s funny because downloading was the only way I could watch videos back then, meaning I had a lot of practice naming files. Yet I continued with my special descriptions until about halfway though the Tri-Angle/Miduhyo comeback cycle. It finally hit me that DBSK would have an indefinite number of performances and I needed to find an organizational solution. Yes, I graduated to the trusty method of date + title! The 10th Anniversary is near so I’ve really been in a sappy mood. I keep trying to summarize 10 years into a singular picture in my mind. This screencap of my ancient DBSK folder is one of the many images there.

Happy 9th Anniversary TVXQ! [9 for IX with TVXQ]: Moment 9 – Live Tour 2012 ～TONE～

Moment 9/9

Like releasing albums and performing, holding concerts for the first time as a duo would be as much a test as it was a matter of pride. By January 2012, the nagging though anticipatory question was, what would a concert be like with just the two of them? I think Yunho and Changmin were more than ready to prove that a concert was a feat they not only desired but could pull off spectacularly. TONE would become the tour that did exactly that, bringing Yunho and Changmin’s restoration of TVXQ to completion.

TONE Tour was every bit about restoring TVXQ, the musical act as it was restoring Yunho and Changmin as persons. If Yunho crying was any indication, I think we could tell just how emotional the tour was. Going through those emotions was what Yunho and Changmin very badly needed. It was a healing process that brought back the confidence I had missed so much in them. I cannot be more grateful to the fans who attended the concerts which helped Yunho and Changmin believe in themselves again. Of course, I must not leave out how precious it was to see Yunho and Changmin’s trust in each other skyrocket — even higher than Smtown 2010 and Keep Your Head Down 2011 T_T.

We Are T!

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*I’m embarrassed that I didn’t finish this series last year. Regardless, these ‘moments’ are what I see as defining points in DBSK’s timeline, worth revisiting during the anniversary.
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Happy 9th Anniversary TVXQ! [9 for IX with TVXQ]: Moment 8 – Keep Your Head Down

Moment 8/9

The comeback wasn’t real to me until this photo. I had suspended my excitement because by that point I was a very wary fan. In my heart of hearts though, I always knew believed Yunho and Changmin would keep DBSK alive. I was just afraid another unpredictable lawsuit equivalent would delay the comeback. But there they finally were, my 2 survivors in the rebirth of DBSK.

Having kept their dignified silence, it was stage demeanor that revealed how they approached the comeback. Yes, Keep Your Head Down was all sorts of fierce with Yunho and Changmin performing a DBSK x SMP title track exactly the way it should be done–not to mention the well suited combative sound of the song itself! But what really gave me chills was how visibly focused and determined they both were. After almost losing everything, it was for lack of better word, do or die. Keep Your Head Down was Yunho and Changmin choosing “do”. It was their moment of reclamation and they weren’t taking it lightly. This is why Keep Your Head Down has a meaning no other DBSK comeback or song can ever hold. It’s also why Keep Your Head Down is my DBSK anthem!

[Official lyrics] Gold Dust – Changmin’s solo @ ‘The Mission II’

*8/18/2014 — This post was originally my ‘amateur transcription’ using a fancam of Changmin. To my surprise, Christopher Wortley, the songwriter of Gold Dust left a comment with the correct lyrics. I therefore deleted my transcription.

Please be respectful: do not redistribute without properly crediting Christopher Wortley. I would prefer you link back to this post as Mr. Wortley took the time to personally leave a reply here.

Gold Dust

[Verse]
Stay and make it right again
Stay and make it right again
Yes I know I hurt you, Baby
Witness one careless kiss
But stay tonight and make it right again

[Pre-chorus 1]
Used to end each day
Safely gathered in
And I was sure
Now I’m left standing by the door
Crying for the time when I
Was yours

[Chorus]
In the dark, by an open fire
We shone like gold dust
Gone, Gone, Gone
Gone, Gone, Gone
Now, I’ve lost it all
Slipped through my fingers
Shone, Shone, Shone
Gone, Gone, Gone
Beneath the stones

[Verse 2]
Tears between the silences
But tears can’t make it right again
Got some friends to take me places
Lately I’m smiling more
‘Cause tears will never make it right again

[Pre-chorus 2]
But I sometimes hear your key
Or dream that you’re asleep
Beside my touch
Because I can’t let go of love
And I can never say goodbye
Enough

[Repeat Chorus]

[Middle Section]
Silent dream
Set me free

[Repeat Chorus]

Christopher Wortley, Songwriter/Lyricist

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I can’t get enough of Gold Dust! It totally exploits my weakness being Changmin’s innately soft manner in song and as a person. Lyrics for Yunho’s lovely solo: “Tethered Ship”.

 

Happy 9th Anniversary TVXQ! [9 for IX with TVXQ]: Moment 7 – SMTown Live 2010

Moment 7/9

“After chaos, we stuck it out through the hard times. We’re still standing here. 
We are DONG BANG SHIN GI.”

The way Yunho and Changmin floated from above with the epic intro music and message was absolutely chilling. Every element of this intro was carefully crafted to fit the circumstances. Even as of the 9th Anniversary, when I watch the intro, it still gives me goosebumps.

I don’t think I had ever felt so much hope before in my entire fandom life. As I sobbed along to the fancams, I also felt this incredible wave of adrenaline. It was like flying because Yunho and Changmin were suddenly there on stage again after the darkest uncertainty, resilient as ever.

Yunho and Changmin showed that they could get up again after falling. That they were ready to conquer what was rightfully theirs. It was Yunho and Changmin’s declaration of will.

Passion. Glory. Pride. DBSK.