This feels like the same thing when Jay said sorry, packed up and left town last September.
Wow. It's been 5 months.
Time passes by very fast. And time, it seems, opened more wounds than heal them.
But this time, somehow the repercussions seem to be bigger.
Hopes were diminished, a verbal war is happening between fans or anyone who care to have a throw in the discussion and people are turning their backs on each other.
How did all these happen?
I am only praying for the best.
Being quite a skeptic at times, I doubt 2PM's near future will be good. It was a good comeback for their 1:59PM album, but whatever Jay had done (or not done, as some would argue) would really affect the individuals' images and the group as a whole. For now, at least.
I am just very sad to see some things that could be handled well not done so, and so soured a lot of relations and ignite a lot of bitter backlashes. But what is done is done, we can never reverse time to a time where 2PM was at the peak of their game as a 7-member group and everyone looked up to the leadja.
Yes, those were happy times.
Will 2PM as 6-member group be successful? Maybe. They DO still have their own futures to think about. But perhaps, knowing the relentless nature of Korean netizens (and international netizens to a certain extent), I am quite sad that the remaining 6 will be bearing the brunt of this whole mess, regardless whether they had a part to play in this or not.
The world...is after all, real. When these idols wave goodbye, step off the stage, they take off their masks and face the reality of life - money, living expenses, contract deals, family, etc. As they wash away their makeup, they are faced with themselves - who they really are, how they really relate to people and each other.
It seems as if they are bearing the weight of the world on their shoulder, no wonder many of their bodies in the end give up. With an age that is only in the late teens (1990s), they are too young to face the world. I guess this is the price of fame.
And I guess that's why many reports saying that Jay looks happy. Perhaps away from the prying eyes and relentless media attention, he's more at peace, able to make peace with himself, and truly do what he loves best, without the pressure behind his back. No doubt he would miss those precious times of training and teaching, especially with his brothers in his ancestral land, but the most important thing is where he is today and where he's going to go in the future. They are all his choices. To call JYPE and confess whatever he had done was his choice (even if many don't believe it, we'll just stick to the official version for now) and that again, reflects on his character. I believe that Jay (if he really did what he did) has learned to be more mature. There's a lot of guts in confession, it really need one to humble oneself and receive consequences, even if it means losing everything.
As for the rest of the members, I do believe that they also make their own choices. If anyone of them decide to turn their backs on their once leader, it's their choice. You cannot force them to be friends forever. Fly To The Sky had the similar problem almost happening, Brian and Hwanhee couldn't even speak to each other for a while. And even if they didn't turn their backs, but continued performing and hosting, those were also part of their choices. They, too, have reality to think about. And as idols, they have a heavier responsibility to carry. If they didn't entertain, they are labeled as boring and this affects the group dynamics. If they did entertain, they are targeted for criticisms in any other possible areas.
Of course, I am not saying that they can do whatever they want, neither am I condoning wrongdoings. All I'm saying is that every individual is responsible for the choice they make, including netizens, fans and antis when they decide to voice their heated sentiments against the group or against each other.
(Edit: I am not saying that we shouldn't support the remaining 6. I think we need to continue to support them because 2PM initially, is made out of 7 talents, not 1 talent and 6 backup dancers. So should one leave, we still have the remaining 6 talents and they still make up 2PM. Cutting a limb doesn't mean the rest of the body won't need to function. But cutting a limb does hurt like nuts, and I am very sure that 2PM are frustrated and hurting as much as the fans. I am just pointing out that they are all making choices, so whether it will hurt themselves and other people or not, it's their consequence to bear.)
What a sad, sad reality.
I just hope that many of these fans of 2PM will learn to think things through thoroughly before making hasty remarks. If not, we will only have scattered and bloodied bodies by the time this is over. Broken morale and bitter spirits. That IS not the future of entertainment.
All being said, I wish Jay to continue on to be more mature in life and all the best in whatever he's doing, should he be back in Korea or not. I also wish the best for each of the remaining 2PM members, in 2PM or not. I also wish that all 2PM fans, antis and netizens will find in them a passion that build lives rather than break them. Lives should not be broken over issues like these.
Whew, that was a long rant.
