To our Dearest Leader,

Teuk you are many things.  You are our; angel, president of the girls, our Casanova, our obsessive MC, Park Wind, Oily Teuk, the number one special leader, Peter Pan, duck face, dimple boy, Mr Simple, inspiration and above all leader.  It’s so incredibly hard to say good-bye to you and I do so with a heavy heart.

Super Junior came into my life when I needed something or someone to keep me sane.  I was in a new place thrown into a throng of y wannabe lawyers and ever since I’ve relied on you and the others to give me a smile every morning and they never fail to do so.  Leeteuk, you are the one that made it possible for them to get this far.  You are constantly helping the boys, supporting them and being the best hyung you can be.  Granted, you make mistakes but you are only human.

Every time I see you with Eunhyuk I can’t help but notice just how much you enjoy his company and support him, making jokes on shows so he feels included.  With Heechul, I see your friendship I can tell he trusts you to the ends of an earth and will protect you with all his might.  I remember when you were in that incident with Suzy and he jumped to your rescue.  It takes some person for Heechul to go to such lengths to protect and you deserve every bit of it.  Although you had a bad past with Kyuhyun the fact you care and look after him is what matters.  I can see that he dearly loves and cares about you now and the fact you were able to mend this with him just shows what type of person you are.  You wished nothing more than to protect the team in the beginning, it was for survival at first but over time it became more than that, didn't it? I’m not going to list every member because I know that each one is special to you and they hold you dearly. However, I will mention another, Lee Donghae.  Whenever I watch you and Hae interact I can tell you mean the world to him, you are his pillar of support and you are like another brother for him.  You get up in the middle of the night to keep him company, monitor his activities and I just feel this unbreakable connection between the two of you.  I read in an interview that you were scared he was going to be lonely, I mean you've been together for 13 years and you were there for him.  When his father died you were there to take his place and in my opinion no one appreciates you more than Lee Donghae.  Yes, he may mess around and act like a kid but he is always by his hyung's side, much like how you are always at his.  Something that has stuck with my has to be the time when donghae was on Strong Heart and he was doing those imatations you taught him.  I saw your proud smile on your face as he tried his best and I think that captures your relationship with the wannabe maknae the best.  

Living with a group people constantly for many years and sharing every single moment is bound to create a special type of bond which can never be broken. It must be hard for you and the members to say goodbye.  That fear of the unknown, that uncertainty must be terrifying for both you and the team.  Will the group be okay without you?  Will you cope in the army?  There are so many possible unforseen circumstances, which can’t be foretold and that’s a scary thought.  But it is more than that nagging feeling of uncertainty, isn’t it Teuk? Not being able to see the people that you hold dearly and worked with through the good, hard and breathtaking moments which is your rollercoaster of a life must be heart breaking.  Heck, I don’t even know you personally and I’m missing you.  How must you and the boys feel? 

My friends are mocking me for feeling like this and getting my head in a mess over you but I don’t think they realise how important you are to me.  You’re an inspiration, a one in a million and no one works as hard as you do.  You work selflessly, for the members and for your fans.  Your tears remind me of this, and everytime I see you tear up I just want to cry with you.  Do you know how much you mean to us? The fact you have made such an impact on my life despite me, a lonely Australian girl that never felt like she fits anywhere, never seeing you explains this perfectly.  You gave me a home, a place where I could be myself and celebrate the fact I’m different.  I don’t need to fit in I need to stand out from the crowd, to be seen so I can also emit my own light one day like the blinding one you emit every time you smile.  Honestly, you are one of the hardest members to say goodbye to and I don’t want to see you go.  Yet, at the same time I want you to get out there and breathe the fresh air for a bit without having to go through the hard gruelling schedule that has been your life since you joined SM Entertainment.  It’s bitter emotion and it’s hard to express in anything but tears.  I think the most apt words can be found in this translation of one of your SS3 solo’s Kiss goodbye.

Baby don’t you cry no more

How familiar is this feeling

Tightly holding your hand neither could bear to part
Wanting to speak but rather staying silent 
Just give me one minute
To fully appreciate your beauty
My happiness tinged with sorrow
A pain from the depth of my heart  
No amount of tears could measure my love for you 
I’ve given you my all
I can’t give anymore  
Please don’t you take my heart away 
 

Everytime we part
I am deeply crushed by you 
Everytime I lose your tender touch  
My pain will not subside        
Everytime we part
Everytime we kiss goodbye
I realise the bittersweet taste of love 

Bye, Teuk.  I'll miss you thank you for being everything that you are.  I promise, I in fact swear on the tears falling on my keyboard at the moment that I will wait for you.  In your own words, this is not an end it’s an and. 

Love you leader, thanks for everything,

Vic