it's a conspiracy!

i'm not a die hard Hottest, in fact, i have to admit, i only gotten into 2PM when the whole Jay controversy started in September which eventually led to his quick withdrawal from 2PM. Pre-scandal, i have seen 2PM but have never really gotten into them basically because I thought they were just one of those new boybands like SHINee. I also didn't think the 7 boys were that good looking..however, I have always been drawn to one of them. I didn't know their names and I didn't follow them, but I thought the short guy who was always in the middle looked cute. He had a memorable face. Turns out, the guy whose looks and charisma struck me was called Jay. I learned that he was the leader and most popular member of the group and he was the one who withdrew. I thought, "oh, what a shame, he seemed like the only guy who was worth noticing in the group." I then remembered that I downloaded their second mini-album "It's Time for Change" a few months back. I listened to their songs once in a while that I was familiar to the tunes that not that often as to put them in my playlist. After the scandal, I flipped through my ITunes library and starting playing their songs. Again and again..and again. Curious, I searched youtube for the music video of Again and Again and the song and the choreography got stuck in my head! The next person I noticed was Wooyoung, I actually thought he looked different from the rest and the most mature (of course I was wrong.. Nichkhun was the odd one out in terms of looks... he looks too clean cut and Wooyoung was not the mature one, he was the angang (crybaby) one.). Still, it was quite evident that the main man of 2PM is leadja Jay. He had amazing vocals, slick dance moves and judging from the variety shows that I watched, the funniest and most anticipated one. The idol girls and nunas were spazzing whenever he dances or shows off his abs.. Soon I was hooked on this talented guy too! 

Despite leaving the group, Jay would still become a very hot and sticky topic in Korea for the next couple of months. I followed the news and also the other 6 boys. I soon started to get to know the other boys too, Wooyoung still comes 2nd (after watching his ssanti dances in Star King) and Taec (after watching his hilarious and goofball antics with Jay in Wild Bunny), Junho is next (he looks so much like Rain, it's amazing). Nichkhun is boyishly charming but I still haven't gotten into him. Chansung and Junsu are my least fave members, mostly because I don't like their looks too much and they're not as charming as the other boys in Wild Bunny. 6PM released their first album called, 1:59PM in November and started performing their title track, "Heartbeat". Their concept is so different, so manly as against the too cute SHINee plus adding the controversial factor, made them instant celebrities! I admit that I have all of their Heartbeat performances during the entire promotions (from Inkigayo, Music Core, Music Bank to various performances in festivals and awards). As i mentioned in my previous post on 2PM, i loved their "dying" endings. Despite loving their new songs, I still wished that Jay was there to share the fame and success with them. I heard a rumor that they were in the midst of recording and practicing Heartbeat when Jay left.  Jay was supposed to be the core of the song (Wooyoung had to sing his parts when he left) and the dance was totally different, Jay was supposed to have a kickass ending for the song. Of course we will never know what Heartbeat is with Jay. 

totally adorkable!

End of 2009 came and JYPE still has no official word on Jay. Is he coming back or not? That was the question in everyone's minds. I think personally, JYPE handled this situation badly. We dont know what's happening behind the scenes or what they're all thinking. Upto December, the six boys continued to give shout outs to Jay. February came and rumors are spreading that JYPE will be releasing a official message about Jay. Fans are anxious. Some are saying JYPE kicked him out because of some personal arguments with Jay. All this time, JYPE has been sending lots of positive and negative news, mostly trying to feel the fans' reactions. Finally, last night, JYPE released an official statement that Jay is not returning to 2PM because he did something worse that the Myspace controversy that everyone, including the 6 boys were so shocked that he really can not come back. How do I feel about this news? Hm.. first of all, finally fans are given the closure that they've always wanted.. an official statement. Of course I'm disappointed. I was hoping he really was coming back. But then I felt a little bit cheated. JYP has been sending feelers that he will be back.. and now he's saying he isn't. He just played with everyone's emotions. I think that was such a low trick. Rather than leading us on, he could have just been more negative than optimistic. or he could have just shut up and told everyone not to get our hopes up. Third, i thought of Jay. All throughout this issue we never heard a single word from Jay. He never had the chance to give his side of the story. We don't know what he's really feeling. All we hear are opinions of his friends in Seattle that he wants to come back but can't. My take - if he's happy in Seattle doing bboying and being with his family, then I'm happy with his decision not to come back. But what if he isn't happy? What if he really was kicked out? Then that's awful! Another thing I didn't like about the press release.. why did they have to say that Jay did something so shocking? Now are fans are even more curious as to what bad thing he did during the A&A promotions. Did he do drugs? Got a girl pregnant? Gambled? Even if it were true, Jay's reputation in Korea has been in tatters since the controversy.. couldn't they just give him his last piece of decency and pride and just told everyone that he decided not to come back without having to divulge that he did something bad? Or did they intentional do this so that there's no way that Jay can ever come back to Korea - be it as part of 2PM or as a solo act in another company? And the most mysterious question of all.. what really happened between Jay and JYP? It's so obvious that there's bad blood between them. Fans are in a state of confusion right now. Hottests are being torn apart with the wars between the pro- and anti-boycotters. How about the 6PM? They're also at the losing end of the stick. They are also embroiled in this controversy even if they didn't do anything wrong. Some like Wooyoung were mentioned to have cried when they heard the news. They lived and trained together for more than 4 years. They were like brothers. I'm sure they're also hurting, not just for Jay but also for themselves. 

don't you just love that smile?

I don't know what's going to happen in the next couple of days or weeks. Fans have threatened to stop loving the remaining boys. While others are continuing to support them even without Jay. How about me? For the most part, i lost a little bit of interest with 2PM. I've seen 2PM as 7 and 2PM without Jay and there is a difference! Jay brought the charisma to the group. He was the brightest star among 2PM. Despite the huge effort of 6PM promoting Heartbeat, the stage lacked presence. They lacked star quality. 6PM was good, but as 2PM, they were better! I guess fans who are new to 2PM and did not see Jay perform with 2PM won't know what they're missing. But to us, 6PM will never be the same. Yes, I will still continue to support 6PM, mainly because I like Wooyoung and sometimes Taec. But I probably won't be into them as much as before. Lastly, wherever Jay is now or what he is doing, I wish him all the best! Can he try out in The X Factor or American Idol or America's Best Dance Crew? He needs to be back in the limelight. He's got loads of talent and it's sad to see it go to waste. But most of all, I wish he will continue to do what he loves doing and is happy with his life. That's what matters most. Who knows, maybe in a few years, when all the hoopla has gone down, he can have his second chance... a chance he had never gotten before and I hope this time he take grab his chance and people can accept him! 

total performer

Update: Just logged on to 2oneday.com and read all the info and rumors and fanaccounts and looks like JYP is purposely dragging Jay's name down the drain.. That's so unfair! JYP knows Jay can't fight him and now it's such a mess. I just hope the real truth comes out of all this and Jay is given the justice he deserves! Hang on Jay! Hang on 6PM! Hang on fans! 

park jaebum fighting!