________ couldn’t stay still after finding out about the heartbreaking news. She looked up different news portal sites just to read additional details about the on-going dispute.

________ got her cell phone in hand and looked up at the last time she exchanged messages with any of the guys.

It’s been almost 5 months since she last had contact with any of them. They individually called her up to greet her a happy birthday. It was a pity that ______ and the guys couldn’t meet to celebrate but of course it was very understandable. 

Although she wasn’t sure if they still had the same numbers, _______ sent a group message to the 5 guys she truly worried about.

‘How are you?’

A text message that was simple yet not too straight to the point. Of course she wasn’t going to interrogate them right there and then, she had to wait and let them open up to her. ______ didn’t want to ask her uncle as well since she wanted to hear it from the guys.

In all honesty, she was bothered. She felt that Yunho, Jaejoong, Yoochun, Junsu and Changmin had a genuine relationship, they were a family and she guessed that wasn’t part of the problem.

Even if this is just a rough patch, a bump in the stardom road…will things ever be the same for them?

How will this 3 vs. 2 clash end up with no kind of bad blood between the two parties.

________ eventually got her answers…or well at least parts of it. She was able to get in contact with all of the guys. But she didn’t bombard them with questions. The guys didn’t need any more journalists like people / friends to probe into their problems and create more drama.

All she asked and truly wanted to know about was how they were holding up…their well-beings. Subtly letting them know that she knew about their problem.

Yunho and Changmin were still aloof and quiet about the situation. All the talking was being done by SM’s lawyers. On the other hand, JYJ’s camp was outspoken about the issue. They tried not to ‘sugarcoat’ their words to reveal the truth. A lot of people, fans, even media staitions were torn but some picked sides.

________ on the other hand didn’t press on the issue. She just tried to be casual with the rest of the guys when she gets to communicate with them, to act like nothing’s wrong was maybe what they needed.

________ was in her home, editing photos from the Singles Magazine photo shoot that she did over the weekend when suddenly her phone rang.

“Oppa, what’s up?” she asked curiously over the phone. It’s been a few months since she last talked to Jaejoong. Jaejoong, a long with Yoochun and Junsu were busy recording songs for their new or well first album as a ‘temporary trio’.

“Well _______, we were wondering if you would want to be our photographer for the JYJ album jacket? Yoochun, Junsu and I agreed that we would want you to be our photographer since we’ve known each other for quite some time now. Besides we looked great in your photos *chuckles* What do you say?” Jaejoong offered _______ a job.

“Uhm…I would love to but...I think it will be a conflict of interest. Oppa, can I be honest?” _______ asked cautiously. If only things were different, _______ would have taken the job on the spot.

“Yes, of course. What is it?” Jaejoong urged.

“You know I’m still friends and in good terms with Yunho and Changmin, right? And so by being your photographer I don’t want them to think that I’m choosing sides. I’d do the same if they or SM asked me to photograph for them. I’m sorry.” She tried to explain her situation. She hated being in the middle, it was killing her.

“It’s okay. I understand _______.” Jaejoong answered back with a more somber tone of voice compared to earlier.

- Later that year -

“________! I’m so glad you made it.” Yoochun approached _______ who just entered the backstage area of the venue. _______ was given a ticket and a VIP pass for JYJ’s first showcase is Seoul. The venue was jam-packed which made _______ feel at ease. She knew that the guys needed to feel the love and support to carry on despite their harsh and judgmental surroundings.

“Well I couldn’t miss JYJ’s first showcase.” ______ answered with a smile, although deep inside, she did feel a bit awkward saying ‘JYJ’ for the first few times.

“Did you enjoy it?” Junsu asked as he patted the side of his neck with a towel.

“The music was definitely refreshing. Your powerful stage presence really made the crowd go wild and hyper. It was like a big party out there. You guys were so great!!” _______ answered as she nodded happily.

A hug from the back surprised ______ but she soon relaxed when she heard Jae’s voice.

“I’m happy you enjoyed. We missed you _______.” Jaejoong said before letting go of _______. He actually feared that _______ wasn’t going to show up just because she would want to show her loyalty to everyone else.

“I missed you guys too. I’m sure a lot of people miss you all. Look at the amount of fans that watched. I’m sure more will continue to watch you.” _______ showed her support.

“Yeah well…I’m not too sure about that. I know there’ll be people watching us just to bring us down. This is just the start, there’s still a big battle ahead of us.” Jaejoong said seriously making everyone feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Ayyy…Oppa, don’t think too much. Just enjoy today and the rest of your showcases, don’t make your fans worry about you.” _______ said trying to lighten up the atmosphere.