"I started walking today, this day. 26th December." Changmin said while pouring himself another glass of rice wine. "This exact day."

Changmin said to a kid who was at the playground with him. The kid just happened to play at the playground the time Changmin came with a plastic of rice wines. Changmin needed company although he usually drinks alone while sitting on the swing, but today, he wanted to talk with someone rather than keeping it up to himself. He saw a boy playing at the playground. He quickly bought a lot of snacks and ice creams so that he could give the boy something to eat. As he came back from the convinient store, he approached the boy.

"Kid, you want something to eat?" Changmin asks as the boy walks to him. "How old are you?" Changmin asked brushing the boy's hair.

"I am 10. Ahjussi, did you buy this for me? But my mom won't let me eat such things at night." 

"Its okay. Tell your mom, this good-looking ahjussi treated you with this. Why aren't you at home at this hour?" Changmin asked.

"I fought with my mom. I hate it. So I want to run away." The boy cries.

"What's your name?" 

"Kim jingoo."  

"Jingoo-yah, if you're brave enough to run away from home, why aren't you brave to eat this snacks at night? It means, the place where you belong is with your mom." Changmin said while tearing the food plastics for Jingoo. "Ahjussi too, once got into a big fight. And it didn't end well." Changmin said putting down the snack that he was trying to open. He sighs. "It was really ugly."

"Did you fought with your mom as well?" Jingoo grew some interest in listening to Changmin.

"No, I didn't. In fact I was a really good son to my mom. Although I self-proclaimed it. I fought with some guys."

"Who were those guys?" Jingoo asked.

"Friends?" Changmin started to think. Then he looked at Jingoo and smiled. "No it wasn't friends. My brothers." Changmin said.

Changmin started to tell Jingoo a story.

"There was once, 5 legendary brothers. Who had different backgrounds, different abilities and powers. Different thoughts. 5 brothers who looked after each other." Changmin said.

So Changmin told Jingoo a tale which he said was a legend. A childhood stories of his that he remembers to this day. There were 5 guys. Who came from different places, different abilities and different powers. But they, had the same passion and the same dream. Though they seems world apart, but they were the same. 5 different people running towards the same end.

"So, what are they? Normal guys?" Jingoo asked.

"Normal?" Changmin started to think to create a whole new stories. "How could they be humans? They're all great magicians. So let me continue on."

Story telling...

So, one they, they were brought together by fate. God fated them to meet. Why? It was a mystery. To Changmin, the youngest among the magicians, it was a miracle. He didn't know what was the meeting ment to the others. But, he felt that finally, his dreams would be able to come true with the presence of the other 4 magicians.

All of them had their own qualities. Some were great with tricks, some were great with jokes. There were also some who can read minds. However, we learnt each other's talent. Worked hard together, slept at the same hour when it was early in the morning when the fishermen started to go out for fishing. One day, they appointed Yunho to be the leader. He was righteous, caring and responsible.

Everything seems to be under his control. But there was more to come than just magic tricks. So, the day the 5 magicians first ever performance was set. It was really nerve-wrecking. As the youngest, Changmin was really nervous to the extend, he couldn't stop sweating and his eyes were wandering at other places. Out of the blue, one of the magician, Jaejoong held Changmin's hand.

"If you're nervous, lets be nervous together. If I am confident, lets put on a great performance together." Jaejoong said. Those words remained in Changmin's mind. With those words of encouragement, they started their performance.

They thought everyone would hate them as there were so many more magicians out there waiting to shine. To give other people a magical experience. Although this might not be good, but they thought, they need to try. When they performed, Junsu realized what they were giving the audience was't a magical experience. What they were giving to the audience were, miracles.

After the great first performance, the people of the kingdom started to get fond of their names. They were working hard together, no one was giving up. One day, they got an invitation to start a performance in another land far from where they were standing now. At first, everyone thought lets just enjoy giving out miracles in this land. But, Yoochun instead, he thought why not we share this miracles?

"What kind of miracles?" Jingoo asks.

"Miracles? Love?" Changmin was also unsure.

So that time, when they arrived at the land that was so foreign for them, they were hated. People called them the tinkers. People without shelters. People who came by the mountains. Neither of them were true. If only they know why they were there. They wanted to share their dreams. Although people hated them, they learned the language, they made magic show by the streets where no one even bothered to look.

They walk by everyone who would consider them invincible.

One day, Yoochun was sitting by the window. Wondering why were they here if everyone hated them? Why did they agreed to come? Slowly, one by one, the magicians gather. They started to cry. Remembering all their loved ones back in homeland, thinking of all those people who appreciated them. Here, they were not more than a trash.

"If, if we couldn't make it out here, lets just walk our own different path after this." Junsu said feeling down.

"Maybe you're right. We should be on our own different path." Jaejoong added.

"Things weren't really meant to be for us." Yoochun said.

However, the time spent were jewels, pearls and diamonds. Those times they spent together walking down the same road was irreplaceable. It can't be replace. With whom would they share such experience.

"It was a pleasure with all of you." Changmin said.

"No! We're not stopping here." Yunho said. "I am sick of this too! But if we stop here, we would never be able to see the possibilities of succeeding. As a leader, I think we should stay."

Being the wisest among all. They agreed to stay.

"So they continued the magic shows in the place they're not use to?" Jingoo asked.

"Yeap, even then. There were people who started watching their magic show. From performers by the streets, they started to see the chances of giving out the miracles to other people like they did back in the homeland."

Everyone loved them. Everyone treassured their miracles. The hopes that they give. One day, a little girl cam after the magic show. She met one of us and asked.

"Why didn't you guys give up?"

Remembering what Yunho said, he replied. "If we give up, we wouldn't be able to see this day and you wouldn't ask this questions. It is a lot scarier to give up even before you tried with all your might. You never know when you get to dig diamonds." He said.

That was one of the biggest lesson they learnt. Never to give up. To keep going on.

However, life was hard. Magicians aren't real. They were just people who knew how to play with tricks. So, one day. One bad and pitiful day,  Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu, met the person who brought us together. Those people came with a promise for us. But the promise, didn't meant to be fair for everyone, to those three, it wasn't an agreement that would make things good.

They tried to discuss. They wanted to discuss. Because loosing to this agreement means, losing every one of them. Yunho and Changmin wanted to hold their hands. To them, if the three weren't there, neither the team, the performance, the road, the magics or even the miracles would be the same. Nothing will. 

"To achieve one great thing, we need to sacrifice 10 small things." Changmin told Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu.

"What we would be sacrificing is neither you or our life." Jaejoong explained.

Suddenly, Jingoo holds Changmin's hand while he was sharing the stories. "What is the 10 small things?"

"10 small pebbles that are stopping you from going forward." Changmins said.

The problems were really small. We can just remove the pebbles that is disturbing our journey by kicking it away, by putting it aside. But because they failed to estimate whether the pebbles were really heavy or it was light as the thin air. They let go of the wrong thing.

"HA! What did they sacrificed?" Jingoo was nervous.

"Friends. Brothers." 

Yunho tried to hold their hands, but it was slippery. You see, Jingoo. It wasn't the three's fault. They had their reasons. Infront of their journey, there was this obstacles, but infront of Yunho and Changmin's there were only a smooth road to walk on with. Yunho and Changmin couldn't understand why the other three can't walk along. But that was because they were unable to see the obstacles. 

"It was sad that neither both of the party were able to help one another." Changmin said while Jingoo's hair. "It was too unfortunate."

And so, as Yunho and Changmin watched the other three left, they cursed, they swore. They were mad. But if only they saw what was infront ot the three's path they would understand. And if only the three really weighs the weight of the obstacle, they would have worked together to remove the obstacle.

They thought, they were starting to have different dreams and aims. 

Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu thought, that Yunho and Changmin don't want to continue the journey towards their dreams. But Yunho and Changmin didn't see the obstacle.

Yunho and Changmin thought the three were giving up on the dream but it was the three who failed to weigh the obstacle and learn to go through together.

It was too unfortunate. It was a misunderstanding.

And so the magicians dissapeared for a long time. People were starting to lose hope. There were no more miracles. Neitehr of them were going out giving people miracles. 

But, they knew. Never to lose hope. They need to Always Keep The Faith. So, they continued their dreams on a different path. They were no longer together. They were devided.

But, they loved one another, they loved their brothers to the limit that even the stars can't tell the directions at night.

Jingoo was left in amazement. "Woah. But it was a misunderstanding. Didn't they discussed it out?" Jingoo asked curiously.

Changmin starts eating the snacks that Jingoo has been eating. "The problem wasn't among themselves. Neither of them are the problems. No one had any problems with another. It was just the obstacles being the problems."

"I hope they get back together again." Jingoo said.

"Yah, kid. Its getting late. I should walk you to your house. Where do you live?" Changmin asked while carrying the plastic of rice wine. "Aish, I thought of drinking this  but it seems like, talking to you made me felt a lot better."

Jingoo pointed at the condominium accross the street. "Thats where I live." 

Changmin walks with Jingoo and starts humming to 'Holding Back the Tears'. It was one of the most memoreable song ever.

"What song is that?" Jingoo asked.

"Holding Back The Tears." Changmin said. "Do you want me to sing it for you?"

Changmin starts singing. Then he stopped after singing a few lines as emotions were welling up and he felt like tearing up. Being together as 5, were his dreams. There has never been a stage better than a stage with 5 of them together.

"Jingoo-yah, what you are seing is just an obstacle. Make sure you measure the weigh of the obstacle before you give up. Your mother, couldn't see what you are going through. So you tell her. Make up with her. It was just a misunderstanding." Changmin said.

"I'll try." 

"Trying is also an effort. Try your best." Changmin said and they arrive infront of the condominium. "Jingoo-yah, don't let go of the ones you love. You'll regret. Put yourself in one another's shoe then you'll know." 

Jingoo nods. Changmin Jingoo's hair and smile. "It was nice talking to you, my little friend. Ahjussi is going now." Changmin said.

"Ahjussi, in that story just now, what was that they misuderstand actually besides those obstacle?" 

Changmin looks into Jingoo's eyes and said. "Dreams. They thought they had different dreams. But their dreams were never changed. It was still the same. They could still walk the same road." Changmin said and gave him a really warm smile knowing the fact that he is also telling himself, there are still hopes.

Jingoo watches Changmin walking away. But he called Changmin.

"Ahjussi! What is your name?" 

Changmin turned around, "Changmin. The magician from the story." Changmin smiled.

Being called the evil maknae and sorts, people looked at him as if he didn't care about what is happening but, instead. He kept it all to himself. It was welling up that he felt like crying so much. To him, meeting Jingoo was more like a miracle that happened on 26th December. A relieve, Another doze of hopes he gets to face another challenging year. Till then, Changmin said.

"TVXQ has always been 5. We might stand as duo, but we're standing on a different stage under the same sky, as 5." Changmin said looking at the stars.

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Happy 10th Anniversary TVXQ!