September 30, 2014...a day I will never forget....

One announcement sent a shockwave across the globe and in one day, one of the world's most solid girl groups yet crumbled. This was the day Jessica Jung ceased to become a member of the group that she had been with for 7 years since their debut. But if you count their pre-debut days where they trained together, the members of Girls' Generation had been together for more than 7 years which means they have been friends for more than a decade.

Jessica had expressed that she had discussed about her fashion business plans with SM and also her fellow bandmates whom she regards as sisters and they all gave her their blessings to continue with her pursuit. But on the day when they were to leave for their overseas promotion, the news came for Jessica that she was no longer needed and had been removed from the group permanently.

When I heard about this, I was on vacation in Hong Kong. I can't remember if it was early morning or late at night, but when I did a random Google search for Jessica, I got news results for Jessica leaving or in her words, being forced out of SNSD. When I saw this, I couldn't believe my eyes! I thought that maybe I was dreaming or I had a little too much to drink at the bar in Lan Kwai Fong which caused me to start imagining stuff. But no matter what I do, whatever I just read was true.

Jessica Jung was no longer a part of SNSD!

The reason I started this story is because I saw something special in these girls. The bond of their friendship, the way they love and care for each other, the ups and downs that they've been through together....all of that felt so real to me. And because of that, I was inspired to write a story about them based on my favorite TV show at the time. But after the news about her departure came, I just couldn't take it. I couldn't believe it.

Of course I was disappointed that Jessica had left. Which fan wouldn't? But I felt something else about all this - I felt cheated. You mean to tell me that after all these years, treating each other like sisters and even giving your sister who wants to pursue her dreams your blessing, was all for show? For a while there, the words "But you put on quite a show /You really had me goin' / But now it's time to go / Curtains finally closin' / That was quite a show /Very entertaining / But it's over now" from Rihanna's Take A Bow sounded so true. And I thought maybe that was how Jessica felt at that time. And a piece of trivia here: when the news broke, I was actually working on the seventh chapter of this story. It was still a rough draft that I meant to go back and edit at some point before posting it up. But when I saw the news, I just couldn't continue anymore.

Now I want to say that I'm not taking sides in this situation and it's not my intention to make you feel that I am. I'm neither on Jessica, SM or the remaining 8 members' sides. Yes, I was really unhappy about this decision and although I had a feeling that SM was playing both the goodie and the villain by saying yes to Jessica and then using the other girls to gang up against her to show her who's boss, nothing is confirmed yet. We hear a lot of different versions of this story and until today, I don't really know what is going on. All I know is OT9 is over.

That being said, I'm not saying that I will stop supporting the girls or Jessica or other SM artists after this scandalous episode. SM is problematic and we have seen enough (TVXQ, EXO) to know that they are problematic. As much as it is tempting to point fingers at the company and brand them as the mastermind behind all the past and recent exits, we don't really know for sure. A lot of the things we hear and see are one-sided and it's a no-brainer that SM will sugarcoat everything to ensure that they have a good name. This is a business after all. Reputation is important and if sacrificing someone can save their face, then of course they will do it. Like I said before, I will continue supporting Jessica, SNSD and other SM artists after this. I have a different idea about SM after the whole Jessica issue but I have nothing against its other artists and definitely not the newly 8 SNSD.

However, this story was written with OT9 in mind. And although a lot of fans will say "OT9 is still alive!", "If you're a true fan, you will still believe in OT9!", "it doesn't matter if it's 8 or 9, if you're a fan, you will stay loyal no matter what" etc. etc. etc. (those comments can be found all over social media), let's face the truth - there will never be OT9 again. What is said and done is final. There is no turning back. There is no way Jessica will return to the group and there is no way the group will stop their activities just because one member left. This is K-pop and this is where everyone is replaceable. And unfortunately, it had to come down to this. It had to happen to Jessica and she had to suffer. I believe all fans suffer the loss of a talented member in SNSD and let's not discount the other girls' feelings about this situation. I'm sure they feel sad and burdened to do what they have to do and at the same time, it's so hard on them. Maybe they were forced to play the bad guy, maybe they have all these pent up feelings inside and they all go back and cry in their rooms at night thinking about Jessica (they actually lost it during their Into The New World performance at their recent Japanese concert) and maybe this was a corporate decision that they were forced to go along with. I don't know for sure and a lot of people don't know for sure what is the true story behind 9/30/2014.

You may be wondering why I'm writing about this now. It has been quite some time since Jessica had been out of the group. She seems to have moved on and she is doing lots of interviews and appearances and is busy with her new fashion brand. The other 8 girls are also doing fine. Everyone seems to have moved on. And that's the reason why I'm writing this now. It is time to move on.

There must be a proper way to end this. I don't want to keep you guys hanging. I want to thank all my subscribers for subscribing to the story. I also want to thank all of you who commented. It means a lot to me. But when Jessica left, it felt like she left together with this story. If you've been following the story, you will know that she's a central character and it hurts to write about her knowing that she's no longer in it. It feels empty. And that's why I'm announcing that this story will now come to an abrupt but needed end.

I love Jessica and also SNSD and I hope you feel the same way. Whatever their future endeavours may be, I wish them nothing but the best. Before I go, I wanna dedicate Spice Girls' Goodbye in loving memory of OT9.