*A/N: Not beta-ed yet. So... haha... enjoy! =)*
It’s almost midnight but the city seems undead; just like the cigarette in between his fingers. Fiercely burning while the smoke astoundingly hung in the air, swirling. Just like his mind. Absentmindedly, he cursed the festive spirit his country owns but immediately corrects himself for being such bastard.
He then thought it was the stagnant silence within his condo that had killed his mood. He’s been considering going out to the crowd a few times but decided it would be too much. The crowd would drop everything at a mere sight of him. He doesn’t want that to happen. Not when everyone is suppose to focus on the celebration.
“Merry Christmas…” He whispered them out, with no effort in hoping for someone to hear it. He is alone anyway. “You, Merry Christmas…” He said it all over again, that certain someone, might feels it too.
The killer cold breeze swept his whole being yet again as he continues to warm his body by consuming the burning tobacco. He loves wearing thin clothes in this weather. It made him feels alive. Alive, yet it revived a new formidable doubt in his little heart- the feeling of needing someone to make him warm inside again. He is indeed in anticipation, waiting for something. Someone. Anybody. No. Not just anybody. To come. To save him from the ridiculous loneliness.
“Ah… So cold…” He glanced over his gaze onto his only companion of the night. The black velvety creature crawls closer to his leg, trying to absorb as much body heat as it could from its master so it won’t be dead cold in winter time like this.
“It’s very cold here, Jiji-ya… Go inside now…” He smiled when Jiji the cat refused to move even a muscle. So he kicked that stubborn cat a bit with such tender of playfulness so the said cat finally moves. He can’t help but to let out a giggle at Jiji’s stubbornness. Like master like pet. He sighed.
After a few attempts, Jiji did finally moves, but only to hang its head over the rail looking at the same direction as he did. “Yah… What are you looking at?” He blinked, tiredly, lazily, but with smile adorning his pale porcelain feature. “You’ll fall down, Jiji-ya…” He sucks on the cigarette again and tried to grab his cat yet failed miserably as Jiji continues to show off some extravagant tricks, walking along the rail with such grace only cats have.
He sighed for the umpteenth time. “Don’t fall down and leave me alone… Jiji-ya…” His supposedly dry eyes feel damp all of a sudden. Jiji seems to understand his sorrow as it stops moving with all its poise and starts to loom over the broken devil. With a single small meow, Kim Jaejoong regained his smile.
“You’ll never leave me right?” His tears broke and he starts to cry in boisterous way. It was a heartbreaking scene. Only there’s nobody there to witness it or lend their shoulder so he could cease it down.
“I need to leave… I’m not leaving you… But I need to leave… Or else I’m gonna die in there, regretting…” He told that absent someone while all that time sobbing his heart out.
After a few moments, he collects himself and inhaled as much air as he can till his chest swells. He finally realized that the chills he got while standing there was exquisitely dreadful. His fingers are starting to be a little bit more than numb as his body shivers. It’s the end of December anyway. He tossed away the cigarette and get Jiji inside where it’s warmer.
Something is really off about his house. It’s Christmas Eve anyway and it feels really dull inside that posh bachelor pad. He stands straight in the middle of his living room, thinking for a bit before a smile creeps up his face and his fingers start to snap unconsciously in realization.
“Jiji-ya!!! We have a Christmas tree right?! Yes we have it!” Happily he runs over into his walk-in wardrobe, rustling over a big box he had set aside behind his shoe closet while Jiji joins him in invisible giddiness. If only he could see his own reflection, he would be surprised at how his eyes had sparkled in excitement.
His heart thumps like crazy. “Let’s put this in the living room, Jiji-ya!” He laughed happily while jumpily strutting with the box in hand towards the living room. Like a child, he sets up the small Christmas tree next to the door. Within minutes, the Christmas tree stands proudly, gleaming, just like his own eyes.
“Let’s take photo with it, Jiji-ya!” He grabs Jiji to stand still next to their little Christmas tree but Jiji refused to do so and decided to run all over the house to make its master’s life a little bit harder.
“Yah! Jiji-yaaa!!!” He finally gave up and succumbs to the fact that Jiji never listens to him and just take photo of the lonely little Christmas tree alone. “Don’t move, my little Christmas tree… Don’t be like Jiji, ok? Haha!” He laughs at his own remarks.
“Ok! Let’s tweet this!” He smiled. His fans must be in festive mood too. So he ought to share some with them though he’s celebrating it alone. “Done!” He was about to sit next to the tree when his phone vibrates. “Ah… A message from Yoochunnie…” He smiled bitterly. His heart is having a pang of sourness.
“Happy Christmas, Jaejoongie! Hyung, come to my house! My mom made your favorite cookies!”
Yoochun must be really happy celebrating with his family. He always knew that it won’t be weird if he’s joining Yoochun and his family celebrating Christmas and New Year like he sometimes did. But this time around, he just don’t feel like doing it.
“You have fun with your family. I don’t feel like going out tonight. Happy Christmas!” He text Yoochun back.
“Yah! Are you okay, Hyung?” Yoochun texted him back.
Sigh. “Yes, I am okay. Writing a happy song now. Stop texting me, go celebrate with your family.” He replied. Half-heartedly hoping Yoochun would stop asking question.
“You are not okay. No emoticon. You are not okay. I’m coming to your house now.”
How can he make Yoochun understand? He pulled his hair in frustration. “I’ll kill you if you dare coming now. Don’t leave your mom.”
No more text coming in after his threatening one was sent to his fellow soulmate. Park Yoochun would definitely understand.
His gaze falls against his amusement source of the night all over again. Now that he has a cute Christmas tree all sets up to cheer his house atmosphere, he thinks he will need a good bottle of wine to drown the loneliness.
People might think he’s insane, celebrating New Year alone like this when he actually has one big family that would proudly open their arms welcoming him into their own celebrations. And yeah, he thinks so too. He’s being silly for refusing all the invitations. He even sends his own parents overseas to have a good time away from South Korea’s dreadful winter. He should’ve just joined them instead.
Another text message came in when he’s about to pour some wine into his glass. This is getting ridiculous. Another person is purposely texting him just to ask him out to join their celebration.
“Hyung! Merry Christmas!!! I’m with Junho tonight. Mum and dad are out watching something at the cinema. Wanna join us? Dad bought loads of liquor just for you and Yoochun. But Yoochun isn’t gonna come, so you come here and finish them up please?”
He sends “Urm… No, thanks. I 'll have to pass this one. Don’t wanna get drunk tonight. Have a photo-shoot tomorrow morning. Have fun! Merry Christmas to you too…and Junho =)” to Kim Junsu. Not forgetting to add the emoticon or else Junsu would freaks out too.
To be honest, it’s not that he doesn’t want to have fun during Christmas and New Year with Yoochun or Junsu. But it’s been 3 years to be exact that they’ve been celebrating it without Changmin and Yunho. The thought of them made his eyes immediately stung uncomfortably. He had to smack his own chest so he could breathe. It’s suffocating. He missed those two like crazy and being with Yoochun or Junsu or anybody he called family at time like this made him missed them even more. It hurts him to his core for not being able to even wish them a Happy New Year.
The only thing he could do now is to down the wine and beg for the imminent tears to not mar his cheeks. And so he did, letting the alcohol to flow down his numb throat. But so did his tears. It flows like a broken damp. The sound of the clock striking twelve caught him off guard at the stagnant silence that almost killing him in slow passion. He jerks away his wet cheeks only to realize he’s all alone in the expansive living room.
“Jiji… Where are you?” His cat is nowhere to be found. “Jiji-yaa…” He smiled. Jiji is in his bedroom, playing around with his blue elephant plushie. But then, Jiji did an unspeakable thing.
“YAH!!! JIJI-YAAA!!! DON’T EAT KKOKIRIIIII!!!!” he screamed. Jiji is begrudgingly chewing his favorite elephant. “Yah! Leave Kkoki alone!!!” He fought Kkokiri off Jiji’s strong jaw and thankfully the said plushie isn’t torn or anything. He glares at the little beast for a moment but then within seconds was washed away by the hilarity of their situation. He laughed his heart out as he grabs Jiji into his arms lovingly.
“Thanks for being here, Jiji-ya…” He smiled at Jiji. At least, at that moment, he has Jiji to distract him. And oh, a bunch of elephant plushies sprawling all over the floor too. “Maybe we should tweet them too, Jiji-ya… Hehe!”
Snap! Tweet! Send!
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This is not good. His throbbing head feels like exploding.
You got 2 missed calls.
He let his phone to ring for the third time that night. This is definitely not good. That hyung, after three years, after three frigging years, had the audacity to call him. He doesn’t have the courage to pick up the call. The possibility of him to break down is out of the world high if he ever did.
“Changmin-ah…” He almost throws his phone out of the window when a familiar voice suddenly calling for him in short distance.
“Yeah, hyung?” He tried his best to smile and act as if nothing has ever happened within those 5 minutes. He doesn’t have to try hard because of Jung Yunho. That older male was smiling all goofy, head peaking from the outside of his bedroom with a nonsense adorable expression nobody except TVXQ members ever beholds.
“Are you ok now? How’s your fever? Really wanna stay at home tonight alone?” That man. Tch. He asked question after question like an eager child, not even waiting for him to answer any of it when he decided to just jump into his bed and hug him like a lonely cold little baby.
“Aah… You are so warmmmmm…” He tried to shove Jung Yunho away, but his fever that is too stubborn to abate forbids him to have enough energy to do so. “Aah… Still feverish… Eat your medicine yet?” Yunho placed his cold hand over his warm forehead with a curious look. He just nods his head a couple of time, hoping for Yunho to move far away from his bed.
“Go away…” He meant nothing malicious at all. He just doesn’t want Yunho to be infected by his flu.
“I heard your phone ringing just now. Who’s calling?” Yunho ruffles his curly hair affectionately. A gesture that made him feels like dying and flying at the same time. Yunho should stop treating him like a freaking child as soon as possible. He rolls his eyes in annoyance.
“Nobody.” He pulled his thick blanket to cover his chest. All that while hiding his cellphone from Yunho’s sight. “Tell Minho and Sica I said hi ok? I think my mom gonna come by tonight. She said she might come.” His throat feels like hell. He sounded downright sick.
“Oh okay… Are you sure you’re okay? I can stay if you want me to?” Yunho pour some water into an empty glass and place it on the bedside.
“Go… I need to sleep.” Yunho smiled and retreat from his bedroom after a few second. A single deep sigh escaped. He’s indeed too damn tired. And his head, he feels like smashing it with something. He felt his phone vibrating again. A tinge of pain is starting to grow within him. If curiosity could kill a cat, it sure could harm him in a good cruel way.
He can’t take it anymore.
“Yoochun, hyung…”
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“Merry Christmas…”
He swears to god, he heard that sad voice resonating throughout the room. No, it was just in his head. After a few moments, he made himself to believe that he was just being delusional. That voice has quickly killed his excitement to go out to bowl with his fellow juniors.
In all his might in denying his longing, he falls apart and coming out cold in front of everyone even his own self. He chose to ignore the pang of guilt that already embedded so deep within his core. His heart, it was throbbing in painful twisted way.
“Jaejoong-ah… Are you okay?” Silently, he asked. At the same time smiling at his own reflection over a long mirror next to the door.
This is not the first time he ever heard things, voices to be exact. He blamed it over his stressful life that he somehow is suffering some sort of mental illness. But every single time that certain voice trying to reach out for him, he knew it was really happening. At least the next day he would definitely saw floods of reaction from fans about whatever heartbreaking tweets that certain someone tweeted. And they were all match whatever he felt or heard.
It’s sickeningly sick.
He’s deteriorating inside but he chose to live his current his life to the fullest. He found happiness in even the saddest thing. He’s an optimist that way. And he hopes the others are like that too. Things are bound to be as it is. He believes in that.
“Hyung, why are you still here? Aren’t you going out?” The lanky younger male called him out of his pondering. Changmin had caught him totally off guard. He has been stalling at the door for like 15 minutes now. He has no excuse to be told to Shim Changmin.
“Are you still going to bowl with them tonight? Minho said they already start playing.” Changmin had a bunch of Kleenex in his hands. Once a while, rubbing his redden nose with some of it. He’s having severe cold. Even his voice isn’t sound as clear as always.
“I’m having second thought now… Are you okay, being home alone? You’re feeling worse?” Indeed, he’s worried over Changmin’s health. He has been quite ill for a couple days now. He’s denying his other reason of stalling like that. He’s hearing things again. Things that made him questioned his right mind at the moment.
Changmin looks weird. His eyes are blood-red, twinning his red nose. As if he had just finish crying. But that is impossible. He can’t be…
“Yoochun hyung called—“
Upon hearing that name, his blood boiled in unknown manner so he cuts Changmin’s words off.
“How many time must I tell you, you are not allowed to—“
“Hyung! Listen to me! Please?! I need you to listen to me for once!” Changmin begged him. Wow, never in his right mind would he dreamt of to live to see the mighty Changmin begging someone to listen to him. He usually just bombard people with his sarcastic remarks.
Fatigue, defeated, he sat at the door, silently signaling Changmin to continue. He knows how beaten he looked, but he’s with the only person he can trust in the world. Nothing matters in front of Shim Changmin to him. It used to be four person, but things changed. He changed. He doesn’t even know if it was for good or bad.
After a long full minute, Changmin opens his mouth, hardly speaking of anything instead of “He needs you… Jaejoong hyung needs you…”
Upon hearing that he shook his head vigorously. All that while, his lips form a broken smile, contrasting his confused eyes. “He’s not. He’s fine without me. Yoochun was just freaking out.” He was about to stand up and leave when Changmin’s next words literally buried his feet from doing so.
“He doesn’t reply Yoochun back with emoticon.” Changmin’s voice was flat, as if it has nothing with significant meaning.
“He doesn’t—“ He’s about to dismiss Changmin’s remarks when the younger male continues…
“He rejected Yoochun omma’s cookies! He rejected Junsu appa’s liquor! He got himself a small friggin Christmas tree! He took photos of his elephants! Saw the photo on twitter! Hyung, he’s not alright and you know it!?” Changmin was practically screaming at him.
“Yah! He doesn’t need me! Nothing of what he has done spelled that he needs me. He’s always like that, that freak…” There’s nothing malicious coming out of his tone when he refers Jaejoong as a freak.
“Hyung, what important is Yoochun hyung finally called! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” Changmin is clearly frustrated.
“No. It means nothing to me. They are doing just fine. You know it too so stop fretting out just because Yoochun called. He’s overreacting. That was it.” He heads to the door, hand already grabbing the door knob, so ready to get out of that hellish conversation. He needs to save his heart from shattering all over again. He needs to get away.
“Don’t you feel tired, hyung?” Changmin’s voice barely audible to him as the question was obviously not meant to be heard by him. He decided to walk away anyway. He can’t just stand there, letting the only person that still stand by him all those years to see him in his degrading state.
One.
Two.
It was his third step when he heard the door he had just closed being opened and smashed closed. The next thing he knew, he was being dragged by the feverish Shim Changmin into the elevator.
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“Are you crazy?!” The back of his head felt numb. Changmin had shoved him into the elevator with such force that nobody would imagine that lanky body ever have. Especially in that feverish state, Changmin look incredibly pale. Sweat was marring his skin. His sympathy is starting to take over.
“Changmin, let’s go to the doctor? You don’t look we—“
“Not before we go to Jaejoong-hyung.” Changmin had this hard look on his face, laced with something definite of determination.
“I am not going to see him! We had our promise, Changmin-ah! Understand that!” He begged for Changmin to for even a second respect their promise with JYJ. Their promise with SME too. “We’re never again to see each other without business! We’re never again to contact each other unless we’re in the position of doing so!”
“That tons of rubbish! I refuse to do that any longer!” Changmin pushed the B1 button for the umpteenth time when the elevator refuses to go down faster to the parking area. “Yoochun hyung called! That’s more than enough reason for me to stop being an idiot! I’m not gonna let them waiting any longer!” The elevator door opens and Changmin drags him out, forcing him to get into his car.
“What do you plan to do? Leave SME?! Are you out of your mind?!” He can’t hold it any longer. Changmin is acting out without considering the consequences. “I can’t do this!” He’s trying to get out of the car when Changmin broke a loud sobbing sound.
“Changmin-ah… Please understand me… Understand us…” All he could do was trying to reason things out with Shim Changmin. He’s the smart one; he should’ve understood his words better than anyone else.
“When will you understand us? When will you two understand the three of us?!” Changmin was sobbing so hard. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than seeing his youngest brother like that.
“I do understand you! We both do understand what you and Yoochun and Junsu want the most. But aren’t we all have our own dreams? This is the only way…” He can’t hold it any longer. The frustration is rather insane. “Don‘t you forget that you want this too… There is no turning back now…” He tried to coax Changmin.
“I never thought we can’t even stay friends… Stay as a family… I missed them… Yoochun hyung said they are missing us too! Let’s just meet them, hyung? Please? I wanna see them!” Changmin, his voice was dreadfully raspy, it worries him so much. It seems like he could cough blood any moment if he continues talking.
“No. And that’s final.” That was it; he can’t let things like a single call makes them weak. A mere meeting could easily make him loose his mind. He sat there silently, waiting for Changmin to respond. The younger male seems to be taken aback for a good two seconds.
“I’ll drive straight into the wall if you are not coming with me.” Changmin is no longer crying his heart out. But the determination in his voice freaks him out big time. “I mean it!” Changmin starts the engine.
Things have gone out of hands and he blames it on Park Yoochun.
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“Wait a sec!” Someone is at his door. He heard the doorbell being rang by someone from the outside. He took a look at the screen and sigh when he saw Yoochun and Junsu stalling at his door with two bottles that are obviously wine and a basket that he suspected to contain cookies. Yoochun Omma’s cookies to be exact.
“I am not opening this door! Go home!” He screamed at the intercom. Slightly annoyed by the fact his dongsaengs being all stubborn coming to his house when he had clearly said he needs to be alone that night.
“Yah, Jaejoongie! Open this door!”It was Yoochun, banging at his door. “I’ll call the police if you don't open this fucking door!”
“What the… How dare you threaten me with police when you are the one knocking on my door in the middle of the night?!” He screamed at those two as he opens the door. He was about to kick Yoochun’s shin when he saw somebody else leaning at the hallway’s wall.
“What… What is he doing here?” He stutters. He must be seeing things. He had just downed a bottle of wine before Yoochun and Junsu came unannounced like that.
“Jaejoongie… I came to see you…” It was surreal to him.
“Go away!” He shuts the door off but to his disappointment failed miserably as Junsu had shove his left leg to block the door from being closed. He was screaming in pain. The whole thing looks like a comedy but he got nothing to laugh about.
“Yah! Hyung! Junsu’s leg!!!” Yoochun screamed. It was hysterical. He can no longer pushed the door as Yoochun and Junsu both pushed it back wide open. He’s practically out of energy to compete closing the door with the other two member of JYJ.
“I’m seeing things, right?” He paled out when he saw Jung Yunho joining the other two into the penthouse. “He’s not real?” He jumped onto his sofa, hugging his own body as if the action could protect him from getting anymore deluded.
Yoochun sat next to him and grabs him into a bone crushing hug. “Hyung, he’s real. I called Changmin.” He told Jaejoong the truth.
“Re… Really?” He’s still in panic state. “Why are you here? You should go now! SME would know you’re here. This is not right! You should go now!” Without notice He pushed Yunho out of his house causing Yunho to hug him real tight in order to stop him from gone wild. He could turn out crazy when he’s in panic state. He might kill someone accidentally.
“Listen to me! I’m here to see you!” Yunho’s palms were cupping the both sides of his face, ever so slowly grazing his perfect cheeks using his calloused thumbs. The action calms him down within seconds. “That just it. Nothing more.” Yunho smiled as he finally calm enough to register that Yunho meant nothing harm.
“Where’s Changmin?” He asked. He missed that little devil as much as he wanted to see Yunho.
“I’m here…” Changmin appears out of nowhere. He couldn’t remember if he saw Changmin coming inside his house with Yoochun and Junsu.
“Changmin-ah!!!” Junsu ran across the living room, jumping into Changmin’s embrace. So apparently he’s not coming with Yoochun and Junsu.
“Hyung! I miss you!!!” He can’t believe his eyes. Changmin was sobbing his eyes, hugging Junsu in his arms.
“Are you okay?! Yah.. Changmin-ah… You’re feverish!” Junsu touches Changmin’s forehead delicately, as if any hard move could broke the younger male apart. Changmin dismissed Junsu’s query with a smile.
“I already ate my meds. Don’t you worry.” With a genuine happy smile, Changmin drags Junsu to sit next to Yoochun.
“Hyung! I missed you!” Changmin openly admits his feeling to Yoochun. Something that he never thought would ever happen. He smiled like an idiot looking at Yoochun, Changmin and Junsu bundled up in one hug, sobbing with identical smile adorn all over their faces.
“Jaejoong-ah… Merry Christmas!” Yunho smiled happily at him.
“We’re breaking promises.” He realizes things can’t be too good to be true.
“It’s Christmas, and we missed you. We’re not breaking the promises we’ve made. We’re bending it a little bit.” Yunho is obviously coaxing him to forget their promises.
“We’ve promised to never see each other again without purpose—“
“Celebrating Christmas with you is a purpose to me..” Said Changmin. Yoochun and Junsu smiled proudly at that remarks.
“But things could go out of hands if we’re together like this.” He’s getting frustrated at the whole situation. Why can’t these men understand his worries?
“For once, Jaejoong. Let’s pretend that nothing had happened. Ok?” Yunho’s eyes are wet, full of hope when their gaze met. “Let’s pretend that they got nothing holding us apart.”
“Our careers are at stake here—“
“Jaejoong. Stop. Just stop.” Yunho made sure he’s looking straight to his eyes with both hands still clasping the side of his head. “We’re still holding on to the promise. We’ll stay away from each other for good. We’ve promised that. I won’t break it and will not make you break it too.” Yunho sighed. Maybe he’s starting to get tired of his stubbornness.
“Tonight, let’s just celebrate Christmas like we always do and be happy. Okay?” Yunho’s voice soothes his chaotic mind.
“What if they released the photos?” He’s still unsure.
“Nah… I did some thinking over these years… Our fans love YunJae so much; they’ll be even more excited and happy to see their dreams come true than berating us.” He heard Yoochun laughed at Yunho’s remarks.
“That or it could cause all of us to lose everything.” Silently he spoke. He can’t just let everything falls apart because of one mistake.
“We have enough money to start over, hyung. We can always build a farm or something back at your hometown.” Yoochun sarcastically replied for Yunho while Junsu and Changmin clearly smiling at that comment.
“Changminnie… Yoochun-ah… Junsu-ya… Come here…” He called out the others quietly, extending his left hand in gesturing that he needs them to join him in a group hug.
The three other men had actually jumped on their feet at the first sign of him surrendering to his feeling. They hugged with a big smile carved on each faces.
“Hyung, never again sending me messages without emoticon!” Yoochun nags him.
“Ahaha.. Okay…” He let his airy laughs to fill the room.
“You even refused my dad’s liquors! Unbelievable!” Junsu echoes, causing the others to laugh in union.
“I’m afraid I might infect you guys with cold. Can we stop hugging now?”
“NO!” The other four said in union. They hugged Changmin even closer after that.
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3 years ago…
“We’ve decided to break you into two sub-units.” Without even waiting for any of them to sit comfortably, the president gave out his verdict. A total minute of silence clouding the room after the bomb was laid before they explode into one big chaos questioning the sudden decision that may collapse both theirs and fans’ world.
The president moved his gaze, one by one, as if he’s trying to learn something from the obvious anger portrayed on those five young men’s visages.
“Don’t ask; just do as what you’re told.” There’s finality in his tone. Nobody mess with Lee Soo Man. Nobody.
“But why?! We’re doing just fine as five!” Yunho can’t hold it anymore. It is not like him to question his boss, but the request, no, the order was too much even for him to obey.
A single smirk drawn across the middle age man’s face, followed by a booming laugh.
“Do you really not know what have you done?” He asked.
Everybody was as clueless as Jung Yunho.
“Please, sir. Do tell us what is going on here so we can figure out other solution than breaking us like this.” With such solemn voice, Kim Junsu voiced out his curiosity.
The president shook his head in disbelief. About a moment later on, gestured their manager to hand them some photos.
Photos of the two of them, at their own house, their own bedroom. Far too involved with each other that it might bring shame to any eyes beholding it.
A small sobbing sound broke the imminent silence. It was Kim Jaejoong.
“Please, don’t do this to us! Please?” His voice was raspy. He needs to beg for the president to not punishing the others for the sin he had commit.
“You put camera in our house?! In our bedroom?! ” Yoochun was obviously enraged by that fact alone. “How could you do that to us?! I thought you trusted us!” He roared in spite.
“It’s for your own good. For your own safety.” Lee Soo Man smiled. “Obviously all of you knew what is happening between these two and yet had opted to stay in silence.” His voice was eerily calm, twinned by similar calm look in his eyes; as if he was about to slowly get into the boys’ mind to read them out.
Again, silence was embracing them.
“Now, Shim Changmin-shi, do you aware that Yunho and Jaejoong are romantically related?” The president asked. Changmin seems stunned that his name being called out that way by the president.
“You don’t have to answer me; I know the three of you are aware of them being… Together… I will not get to that or thing will get really messy…” Lee Soo Man again smiled.
“Sir, please. This is between me and Jaejoong. They have nothing to do with it! You can just punish me—“
“So noble of you, Yunho-shi. But the thing is, SME is all about teamwork. What you and Jaejoongie have done is something we can’t tolerate!” The president cuts Yunho off.
“This.” He points at a photo of the two of them kissing like madly in love couple with his finger to make a point. “This is a sin and nobody should know about this!” Undeniably the president is actually really mad. “You’re wrecking up your career and I will not allow that!”
“But sir, we can settle this out. Please don’t break us into two sub-units!?” Changmin begs. “Right, hyung? We can sort this out, right?” He desperately tries to get Yunho to agree with him.
The tension was insane.
“I’m sorry! I am wrong! Please, don’t do this to us! Just punish me, please don’t break us apart!” Kim Jaejoong can’t help it but to beg the president. “I’ll do anything! Anything, sir. Just don’t break us apart. It was my fault. Not them!” He would kneel down on his knees if he needs to. He’ll do whatever he could to change the old man’s decision.
“Yah! Jaejoongie! It isn’t your fault!” Yunho’s voice cracked, he’s about to cry too.
“You two breaks up and never do this again or I’ll break the group into two.”
“You might just throw all of us out, sir!” The raving Yoochun barks. He knew too well that Kim Jaejoong and Jung Yunho can’t live without each other. Being in two different groups meant no social connection at all. Or one or two meets up a year during functions and awards if they are lucky enough.
“And you said that knowing you still got 7 years of contract with us?” The president was saying the truth. He wasn’t thinking straight. There’s no way they could compensate SME. He couldn’t make himself to defend his stand. Indeed, they had made agreements with a devil. Things were collapsing in one go he can’t even breathe.
“Jaejoongie, let’s break up.” With a shaking voice, Yunho makes his decision. Jaejoong was stunned as the others, standing in a broken manner, looking at Yunho with teary eyes.
And things started to falls apart right there and then. Two souls that can’t live without each other, being near yet far away, drifted apart as time goes by.
“You can try to leave. We have nothing against it. We’ll see you in court. But never try to contact them again. Or else we might accidentally disclose the photos of the two of you to the press…” The president said, with no malicious tone at all. He can’t believe that devil is the same person that has made them the biggest star of Asia.
“You too, Yunho. Never contact those three again. They’re no longer comfortable being our family member. Our condition applies to you too. I’m impressed that you and Changmin aren’t leaving with these three for whatever reasons you have in mind, thanks for that.” President Lee Soo Man had his hand over Yunho’s shoulder, squeezing a little as a sign of thankful. “Let’s make things easier for all of us, okay?” With that, Lee Soo Man left.
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"I'm here to protect that name. TVXQ.” Jung Yunho.
-FIN-
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