A Fare Well to My North Star
It has been two days since the news broke not just of him leaving the company, but leaving the group itself and I am far from okay. Mark has been everything to me. Even before I called myself a Czennie, he was the reason I stepped into this world. Iโve been here for eight years; I stood by through the first "graduation" from the Dreamies, always fearing this day would eventually come. Now, the day has arrived.
When I look at him now, I still see the young boy from the SM Rookies days. I canโt help but cry thinking about the sacrifices he made at such a tender age to become the man he is today. He has traveled so far and reached such heights, yet he never lost his humility. He never failed to thank us. And though it hurts, I am quietly proud that he is finally being "selfish." After years of being everything to everyone else, he is finally choosing himself.
NCT was the best thing that happened to me as I grew up. For ten years, through every back-to-back comeback and grueling concert, he never slacked. He gave us his youth. Now, I hope he finally does what he truly wants. He deserves a life where he can simply walk down a street with his guitar, unnoticed and free. I know this decision wasnโt easy, but we aren't angry. We only wish for his happiness.
Iโm reminded of what a wise man once said:
"We all change, when you think about it. We're all different people all throughout our lives. And that's ok, that's good, you've got to keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be."
Watching how he handled this saying goodbye properly not just to the fans, but to the friends who became his family makes me love him more. Iโve always hated goodbyes; I don't even want to speak the word. But I have to say that I love him, and I will miss him desperately. I am grateful for every single second I had with him.
I will always support you, even if you are no longer a part of NCT. I wish you all the luck in the world in your future endeavors, Mark.
Thank you for these ten years. The stage will always belong to you. We will always remember the era when the "Main Character" was you.
