Changmin has been known to voice out resentment on TVXQ's split. Let's first listen to the maknae's story.

Prologue - Changmin's Hatred (CM POV)

"I don't think it's right when a few of the geese who chose to broke away still considered themselves as part of the flock." 

- Shim Changmin

I remember when we started to drift apart. The five of us were there in interviews, in performances but we were not talking. There were a lot of meetings with lawyers, press, company directors, parents and relatives all of a sudden. That chaos was not what we worked hard for for more than a decade. Yunho-hyung and I were bombarded by death threats and hateful messages from our own fans who we did nothing else but to love and devote ourselves to. We were told to stay loyal in one ear, but to the other ear, the other members were whispering to join them. What did I want? I wanted to stay. I was living my life. This was everything I worked and hoped for. But, as we painstakingly reached our peak, suddenly there was no more TVXQ.

Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu fled to Japan and continued performing. Yunho-hyung and I stayed in Korea on hiatus. Our concerts were cancelled and we met with more conferences, legal councils, and mounting hateful words. It was like a bad dream. For days, I couldn’t sleep.

Yunho-hyung and I didn’t talk for several weeks. We talked but more of regarding the schedules and handling the lawsuit. It was so hectic. But what about us, hyung? All these talks about disbanding, going solo, or other plans they have for us, or other’s opinions about the three leaving… Weren’t you going to mention them and what they did? Aren’t we going to talk about what will happen to us?

Several months after, finally there was talk of resuming our activities in Korea. I was excited but unsure. I met with hyung and the other managers. We sat around a table in one of the rooms in SM.

“You will continue as TVXQ, even without the others,” a manager said.

“What? Really?” was my instant reaction.

“They bit the hand that fed them. They left the group and will not be part of the success of TVXQ. We will continue with what we have. Stronger than ever.”

I totally agree. Those traitors? I was spiteful more than anything. I hated them! How could they be selfish and greedy? They ruined everything.

I glanced at Yunho-hyung, gauging his reaction. Would he be okay with this? TVXQ without us all would not be TVXQ, especially for him.

Hyung noticed me looking at him. He perked up and put his hand on my hand and gripped it firmly. “I wanted this,” he said before removing his hand.

“TVXQ is still TVXQ. We built who we are and worked hard for this more than anyone. You and I,” he looked at me. “Are we not TVXQ?”

I agreed. I completely agree.

The meeting ended after a while and we walked outside. When it was just hyung and I at the hallway, he called to me, “Changmin-ah.” He looked so serious. He looked so tired, so beaten, or at least that’s what it felt to me.

“We will forever be TVXQ no matter what happens.”

I nodded at him.

“All five of us.”

I slightly gasped from the shock. “Are you still thinking they would come back? They left! They betrayed us!” I shouted. That was the first time I showed my thoughts to hyung.

He gripped my shoulder and looked at me. “We will protect TVXQ.” His eyes looked so tired but still full of conviction.

Anger and frustration that I couldn’t say before was filling me up to my neck, that I shoved his hand away and shouted, “You do it! You protect TVXQ!” and walked away. I think that was the only time I shouted and walked away from Yunho-hyung. I never was the one who did that. It was either Jaejoong-hyung, Yoochun-hyung or Junsu-hyung. Never me.

Gradually, schedules of recording and practice came about. The mess of the lawsuit still went on, but I was eager to move on. My outburst was that alone and I apologized to Yunho-hyung for my disrespect. I attended the meetings and recording sessions. I couldn’t leave hyung alone in TVXQ. I wasn’t like those three. Now there’s just the two of us, and I have to stand beside Yunho-hyung, TVXQ’s leader.

Being just us two, everything was different. From the melodies to the harmonizing to the steps for a duo instead of a group. We were TVXQ but it was different. We went through, I can say, the most strenuous and challenging period of our lives. I almost gave up plenty of times. I don’t know just how strong hyung is to pull it together. I hated the three more and more, and I swore to stay with hyung. One thing that is glaringly different but no one dared to point out is the ambience. No more jokes, no more laughing, no more pranks. It was dance practice, recording, practice again, day-in and day-out. Yunho-hyung became stricter and more controlling. Every single day I could feel his drive to succeed, and we put everything on the line.

I remember calling Heechul-hyung many times just to complain how overworked I was. How stressful it was to be with Yunho-hyung alone. I cried many times.

I will ne