I have read a lot of YJ materials since joining this fandom a long time ago, and there's a pretty good mix of people who want to believe no matter what and people who have had their faith shaken at times for one reason or another. I'm fairly new to this site, but I've followed Yunjae for awhile and I love to write (English major alert!), so I thought I'd share my own ideas on some of the issues the DB5K and YJS fandoms have had to face over the years.

Also, some of this is purely selfish. I hate being called delusional or delulu or whatever they call it these days. I'm 23 years old, and believe it or not, I know better than to believe everything I see and hear online. I also have my own life outside of supporting DB5K, as terribly unexciting as it is. I want them to get back together. I want Yunjae to be happy, if they are real. But does my life hinge on it? No. I know DBSK wants their fans to have their own concerns and happiness. And I do. My interest in them doesn't feel “delulu” to me in the slightest, and I don't think the fact that I'm supporting Yunjae makes me a hormonal teenager with a weird kink. Sure I used to be one, but I think my brain has developed since then. I can think for myself. And I have.

So I've played devil's advocate with myself over both DB5K and Yunjae,and here is what I have come up with in regards to some of the biggest questions that have challenged our fandom:

WHAT IF HOMIN AND JYJ HATE EACH OTHER AFTER THE LAWSUIT?

This is the question that usually gets asked by “fans” who followed/follow DBSK loosely, if at all, but I will acknowledge it since the sentiment that the boys are still suffering from a break in their relationship following the lawsuit is out there. Never mind that believing HoMin and JYJ hate each other goes against everything the boys have been saying over the years including:

"Yunho. Changmin. Jaejoong. Yoochun. Junsu. I'm waiting for us... let's wait together"- Jaejoong

"Deny their (JYJ's) existence, it would be like erasing the history that we have created"- Changmin

"If we were able to get together and have a glass of soju together one day, even that alone would be great, don't you think"- Yoochun

"In the future, 3hree voices will be followed by 4our and 5ive voices. I hope we can continue to be united as one as I go forward.” - Junsu

"It would be a lie to say that it didn't hurt to have to stand on stage as a duo"- Yunho

"When the five members come together once again, it will be even more glorious than before. Hopefully that day will come, even if we don't know when it will become a reality. But we have to grasp onto this hope"- Yoochun

"We are still members of TVXQ. That's why we hate being called ex-members of TVXQ"- Jaejoong

"No matter how far we're separated, we'll come back together one day"- Yunho

I'm not so blind that I believe that the lawsuit didn't effect the members of DBSK on a personal level, though it was always a battle against SM Entertainment rather than against the other two members who didn't join the suit. Recall that JYJ was fighting the illegality of their contracts, which consequently freed all of the artists in SM from “slave contracts” which bound them from unfair contract lengths, including both Yunho and Changmin, so their actions were intended to help rather than to hurt. We didn't have a full window into what was happening at the time, but from what we could see, there was undeniably tension, and I'm sure there were more difficulties than even we knew-- how couldn't there be, given that every single member's stake in the group was at risk? There were probably tensions in HoMin not joining the lawsuit, in JYJ for wanting to leave, the halted promotions, the issues with Avex, their families stepping in, and of course in the fact that JYJ could have been barred from the industry completely and HoMin might have been unable to retain their place or popularity as two members. Just thinking of it makes my heart hurt, so I know it must have been a thousand times worse for them.

That being said, the words of JYJ in particular over the years indicate that in the end, it was a lawsuit against SM far more than it was a personal war, and that even though the five of them suffered (and in many ways still do), their bond still exists. If they hated each other, why would they say otherwise? Think about it: JYJ has their freedom. Freedom from SM and more creative freedom than most idols in the industry enjoy. If they genuinely didn't want to get back together, they wouldn't have to. Though a significant portion of their fanbase is made up of Cassies, they've built up their own support with their own music. AKTF fans would be disappointed if things ended that way, but if we've stuck with them this long, we're pretty damn committed to our Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu aren't we? If they didn't like or care about Yunho and Changmin anymore, they would have absolutely no reason to continually talk about wanting to return to a five member group with them in the future. No one is forcing them to have those feelings. In fact, there are many JYJ and HoMin stans out there who want them to let it go. But they aren't, and that speaks to me more than anything else.

Honestly, I don't delude myself into thinking that every K-Pop group is a perfect, happy family, but I know without question that so many of those moments I watched DBSK sharing together were not lies. You don't take care of someone to the extent Jaejoong cared for Yunho after he was poisoned if you don't care about them. You don't struggle together and fight your way to the top against all odds like DBSK did in Japan without growing together as a team. You don't cry while singing the words to past songs if there are no precious memories attached, like Junsu did at his ballad concert.

Some love and some friendships aren't meant to last forever. But on the same note, there are some things you go through that bind you forever, and if that describes anyone, it's our boys. If they say there's no hate, why shouldn't we believe them, if we say we love them so much?

WHY DO OTHER SM ARTISTS SEE JYJ AND HOMIN DON'T IF THEY REALLY DON'T HATE EACH OTHER?

So, we know Eunhyuk still shows up for his boy Junsu and Heechul still hangs with Jaejoong, plus shares a very close mutual friend with him in his hair stylist Gunhee. So if the DBSK boys don't hate each other, why aren't they seeing each other (openly) like their labelmates, who clearly haven't let the lawsuit faze them?

I've thought about this very same question myself. Frankly, I don't think SM is as concerned about Super Junior meeting up with JYJ, especially since Heechul does what he wants regardless. What would Eunhyuk and Heechul have to do with the potential of DBSK getting back together? I doubt SM even cares overmuch about Super Junior and their own former member Hangeng seeing each other, as Hangeng was a single member in a huge group and his absence from SuJu didn't completely force a transition in the group's identity. Besides, his career is pretty set in China right now, so fans aren't really as thirsty for a reunion, as much as they love their OT- however-many-members-of-SuJu-they-want-in-the-main-group (Kibum? Henry? Zhou Mi? I never know which fans will kill me if I count them or not).

Now imagine how SM would react if JYJ and HoMin hung out openly, and the fans and media were aware of it. The fandom would go crazy-- as fans ourselves, we know this to be true all too well. Reunion rumors would abound around the members. SM's hold on HoMin would seem threatened, because if the five of them did want to be together again, it's doubtful it would happen under SM. Keep in mind that this is the company that has continually undermined JYJ in their promotions, pinning them as enemies who betrayed SM and their former members. Would they really be okay with HoMin consorting with the “enemy”? The answer, to me, is a big fat NO.

Honestly, I think keeping their interactions a secret is one the best ways DBSK has of protecting each other, not only from SM, but also from the parts of the fandom that see one side or the other as traitors. We are a part of a broken base, Cassies. Not everyone wants them to be close again, sad as that is. We have to let the boys sort this out on their own time, and it's probably not going to happen properly while HoMin are still in the company that has a clear vendetta against JYJ.

When Yoochun says he wants to get together for drinks with all five members, I don't take it to mean that they haven't seen each other at all since the lawsuit (though I'm not sure if they've been able to see each other all at the same time, since that would be much more conspicuous) just that he wants to be able to see them openly, without hiding.

COULDN'T JAEJOONG'S SONGS BE ABOUT A FORMER GIRLFRIEND OR LOVER?

I was on allkpop the other day, and one user was talking about rumors she'd heard awhile ago about JJ's songs being about an ex-girlfriend who broke his heart so badly that he begged her to stay and wanted to kill himself (please, guys, let's not even joke about that), which explained to her all his emo tweets in JYJ's early days.

If you read JJ's lyrics only without knowing anything more about his life and feelings, that would make perfect sense. His songs are some of the saddest I've ever heard in my life. I felt that even before I read the lyrics, because he conveyed it so purely in his delivery. I cry when I hear “Still in Love,” “Nine,” “One Kiss,” and so many others. They make JJ cry regularly onstage, too, and if you remember from his DBSK days, Jaejoong wasn't all that big of a crier originaly. Also, JJ pulls very heavily on the theme of being apart from someone he loves, which would hint at a girlfriend for many, particularly one who'd caused him heartbreak. When I was writing the first part of my fanfic “Song For You” where Jaejoong shares his songs with Yunho, I was very hard pressed to find songs that did not hint on this subject, or at the very least did not feature the sentiment of wanting to stay together with a lover (“Kiss B” is an exception, notable for other reasons).

The girlfriend theory is a convincing argument up until JJ says this:

"I think I have never written a song for a woman but there are songs containing my feelings after parting. Almost all the songs I made are sad songs. For me, the sorrow of parting lasts long. At times like that, many songs come out."

accompanied by this:

Q : Where does Jaejoong’s inspiration come from? Like a person, or a thing? 

JJ: It’s someone.

And then this:

Q: What's your inspiration when writing songs?

JJ: Past memories and love, the most important

Let's rephrase:

Jaejoong writes his song about past memories and the pain of parting from someone he loves, but that person is not a woman.

Okay, so he's been writing songs with these things in mind from when JYJ began, and that's when the highest volume of sad songs came out-- after a significant event of parting. Meaning that he's felt strongly about missing someone (not a woman) and wanting to be with someone (also not a woman) since after the lawsuit at the latest.

Be honest, this bae is TROLLING us

Could be both Yunho and Changmin he's singing to, but frankly, I think Changmin would would beat his hyung's lights out for using lyrics like “It's painful that everyone knows/It's so true/I'm nothing but a fool for you /But I don't care/I'll always be here/Loving you with all I got/I don't care if you love me or not" or even better "with a slowed breath we share one kiss/I feel it with my eyes closed in this complicated feeling" geared towards him. Changmin is not about that life. Early Cassies rarely shipped Changmin within the group with anyone other than food because unlike the other members, he never gave the impression of caring about fanservice other than the sadistic kind of fanservice where he could beat up Jaejoong and tease the ever loving ball of cuteness that is Junsu. He definitely cuddled with the other members, particularly when he was younger, and he had an endearing relationship with pretty much everyone in the group (I'm not going to lie, Yoomin moments gave me all kinds of life). But at the same time, Changmin definitely showed a clearer interest in girls and a more straightforward disinterest in not wanting to touch other men for more than just their on camera shenanigans (remember when he cried because Jaejoong stole his first kiss?). 

HoMin was born out of necessity to feed the fans who were giving up on Yunjae but still wanted their fanservice, but Changmin and Yunho both have S-type personalities, and are much less compatible with each other emotionally. Changmin said himself during his couple talk with Jaejoong that HoMin was the pairing fans cared the least about, and Jaejoong added that their pairing was created from the pity of fans, since they were unsuitable for each other. SM used to cut moments focused on HoMin out of their programs, which Yunho himself pointed out several times, including in “Bonjour Paris.” Changmin was okay with Yunjae, but not the point where he would want Jae writing love songs disguised as “I miss you” messages for both him and Yunho.

Not tryin to say I don't appreciate HoMin eye candy, though

Also, since I'm sure someone out there exists to take this stance, I would also argue about any of JJ's songs being about any of the other male personalities he's been linked to in his lifetime-- I mean, how likely is it that he'd be going through the exact same separation issues with someone else that he went through with HoMin, and specifically Yunho? I'm sure you don't need me to go through song by song and point of specific details that ring true to our Yunnie (“Dear J(ung)?” “baby you know I can't forget”?!?!), but I urge everyone to check out the definitive YunJae analysis of “Nine” if they have any doubts whatsoever. If JJ really used Yunjae to disguise another relationship, I truly applaud him for keeping up the effort through pretty much his entire career >_<

WHAT IF YUNJAE IS JUST SM-STYLE FANSERVICE?

I will be honest: this nagged at me all the time as a shipper. I discovered shipping in K-Pop through Super Junior, who quite honestly laid it on pretty thick. Eunhae was the first pairing I recognized, and when I first saw them, I was overcome with feels. in K-Pop? Had everything I secretly loved in the anime scene come to me in real life? But then I noticed that along with Eunhae, people also shipped Kangteuk, Kyumin, and several other pairings in the group. To be honest, that took some of the wind out of my sails. They can't all be gay, I thought to myself. So who is faking it, and who isn't? Or is anybody being real here?

And then I found DBSK. To me, YooSu were the two who screamed blatant fanservice, and then, of course, there was Yunjae. Yunjae had some of the blatant fanservice as well. Yunho calling Jaejoong his wife, the two of them being the mother and father of the group, some of the more obvious touching, and then, of course, the SM created “Dangerous Love”. Shipping them started for me with the fanservice that wasn't fanservice as I had recognized it before. The longing looks. The subtle touching that happened when the cameras weren't specifically trained on them. The quiet jealously that was never spoken out loud, merely shown. The photos taken by fans of them holding hands outside of official appearances. And then, of course, MMKF08. You can't tell me they were doing fanservice there, when half the shots of them being lovey dovey were taken when they weren't even on stage, and they weren't anticipating cameras watching them. This was a very different beast than Super Junior members attacking each other onstage and openly professing love left and right, and I believed its authenticity.

That smile isn't fanservice

Getting distracted by the Jung's gorgeous face isn't fanservice. Jae's not too thrilled with himself

They could totally play this off as "paying attention to Changmin"

All the same, I was anxious. SHINee came along and we got Jongkey and 2Min, and various other combinations (Minkey? Ontae? Jongtae even had that kiss onstage). SNSD has Taeny. Even EXO, well after the lawsuit hoopla, had Taoris, Hunhan, Taohun, Kaisoo, and so many combinations that I'm fairly sure they are all commonly shipped with each other in the fandom. I'm a fangirl, I'm not going to lie, but there is absolutely no way they can all be true (unless they are all gay manwhores). So it seemed to me there was a reoccurring pattern: SM does deliberate fanservice. Maybe one or two were true. Maybe none were. I mean, there's a small chance there's at least one true pairing per group, but that must mean there are fairy gaymothers at work in SM, pairing young trainees with the loves of their life with each new group. Cool, but not too likely. Even if there is at least one gay member per group, chances are more likely that they'll fall in love with someone outside the group than consistently be able to fall in love with one of their own members.

Still, in spite of my growing skepticism, I kept coming back to Yunjae. Jaejoong's emotions to me felt very, very real. He's not good at hiding his heart. When he wants something, he says it. When he wants to cry, he cries. SM has admitted to creating fake relationships to prevent scandals, but Jaejoong has never struck me as someone who would get so emotionally invested in something that wasn't real. Following the poisoning incident, Yunho's emotions started feeling more and more real to me, too. The other members seemed to be in on it-- you even had instances of Yoochun and Junsu trying to explain away particular Yunjae moments, which never happened with Yoosu moments, to my knowledge. Or most other pairings. Usually, groupmates are like 'Oh hell yeah, more fanservice in our team? Bring it on!' But when Jaejoong crossed the line, there was either Yoochun or Junsu trying to clear up potential misunderstandings.

Some people may have lost faith in Yunjae after the lawsuit because they weren't interacting directly anymore, but for me, that's when my faith became rock solid, following the period where it was clear JYJ and HoMin weren't in contact with each other. Not being in SM anymore removed the SM fanservice accusations out of the equation. SM moved on to promoting HoMin, and it could have ended there but for one thing: Jaejoong never stopped promoting Yunjae.

Once again, he had absolutely no need to do this. I'm sure Yunjae got some people into DBSK, but their music has done so much more in building their fanbase that if Jaejoong wanted to say goodbye to his Yunjae days when he became a part of JYJ, he would have been free to. Once again, Yunjae fans would have been sad, but again we support Jaejoong for more than just that. True fans would keep supporting him even if he never said Yunho's name again. But he didn't.

An interesting part of his name to be smooching...

I don't really need to list the times he acknowledged Yunjae lightboards, signed fan photos, wrote Yunjae reminiscent songs, banged his head on tables laughing when Yunho's name was mentioned, and secretly supported Yunho's projects and interests in his “subtle” tweets. All of this without the incentive to keep fans interested in Yunjae for SM, or even his own label. Either he gets a lot of personal satisfaction from a fictional relationship, or he really wants the fans to keep the faith in that relationship because it's important to him.

"That's right, es"- Kim Jaejoong

And even though he's been placed into HoMin and even YunRa world by SM (and even his best friendship with BoA is rife with speculation), Yunho has done his share of very subtle shipping. Kissing his couple rings in front of Yoonjaelovebar? Continuing to have couple rings in the first place and continuing to smother his bae in Cartier? He has even less reason to do this than Jaejoong. SM doesn't want to be associated with JYJ in any way anymore, but guess who's also keeping the faith?

He KISSED it, though...

Not to throw shade on other SM couples because I would be tickled if Jongkey was real, but I'm still betting my money on Yunjae being THE ONE. Making out with each other onstage and obviously professing love is fanservice. The fans can see it without having to turn into Sherlock Holmes to snoop out the truth, like ninja Cassies have been doing since the lawsuit. Being unable to hide the love in your eyes isn't fanservice. Showing fanservice when cameras are off isn't fanservice, because you don't think there are fans around to service. In my opinion, this is a relationship where the real beauty has had to hide under the surface. We've only been able to see shades of it in their eyes and in their words, but I think it's deeper than we even know. That deepness? It ain't got nothing to do with SM anymore. This is all on them. 

BUT IF THEY WERE TOGETHER, DIDN'T THEY BREAK UP AFTER THE LAWSUIT?

...yes. I do believe that they did, at least at one point, maybe more. The pain in Jaejoong's tweets after Yunho said in an interview that the members' hadn't contacted him was real. They definitely lost contact when their numbers were blocked from each other, and I'm sure salvaging their careers was a bigger concern for both of them directly following the lawsuit. Then, of course, you have JJ's early JYJ and solo songs, which are heartbreak city. “For You It's Goodbye, For Me It's Waiting”? If we follow the theory that JJ writes his songs about Yunho, heck yes did those two split up.

Are they together now? If you believe in their couple items, various theories, suspected love marks and occasional sketchy walking on the part of Jaejoong, then yes. Perhaps they aren't dating in the standard sense, since their circumstances don't fully allow them to be together, but my guess would be an “I'll wait for you until we can be together” type arrangement. Didn't Yunho once say something to the effect that he didn't want to date other girls, because he'd feel bad for the person he loved, who he couldn't be with yet? But I definitely think they're in a better place now than they were before. We'll see what the army changes about that!

That's in for Part One! Dang, that was long! Stay tuned for Part Two for a look at some Yunjae specific moments :D