This event that BTS were preparing for would then be known as “Yet to Come in Busan”, a free concert reminiscent of Aliza’s free tour back in February 2016. As expected, the concert was a success.

But it did not take long until we get a surprisingly unsurprising memo two days later, which determined not only the fate of the group, but leadership itself.

On October 17, Weverse shared a memo announcing that the members of BTS had decided to fulfill their mandatory military service, with a promise of reuniting as a group in 2025.

Surprised?

I was not.

But I was taken aback by this announcement. I knew that was coming, but it seemed that I was not really prepared for it to come like this. Ever since we started to have a conversation on their military service, which was already going on for almost a year, I had been keeping up not only with the members’ activities (especially Cara) but also with their decisions moving forward.. and it seemed that little by little, we were having a better idea of what’s to come.

Now if the members were said to reunite in 2025, that would mean that Cara would have to go within the next two years.

But what about June?

If we are to be real, unfortunately, there’s a higher chance for him to leave before STAY’s disbandment in June. Does this mean that he will not make it to June 2023?

No way.

But I wanted STAY to end their contracts as five members!

And there we had it.

Amid his future becoming all the more uncertain now, I still held on to his chance of making it with his new bandmates in June 2023. At the end of the day, I still believe in STAY OT5 in June 2023.

But one had to already decide.

It took quite some time and a lot of careful consideration before Cara arrived with this pivotal decision. It must be difficult for him to decide on it, since that would come at the expense of something he had held on for a few years now - but it seemed that he already made a choice.

Since that memo, Cara had already decided on something that will change everything. Forever.

And along with that, a change in his status as a leader.