As Red Eyes Stare Through The Night [5][YunJae]
Title: As Red Eyes Stare Through The Night
Pairing/Characters: YunJae, Yoochun, Changmin, Junsu
Rating: R
Warning: Character deaths (just minors..; do I need to warn for already dead characters?), Violence
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except of the story idea.
Summary: Jaejoong was torn out of his own quiet world when he saw someone else take away a life for the first time. That was the start. Now, as he kills people for a living, he finds out more about his past than he had ever wanted.
"What now? Hm? You failed miserably?" the kite mocked as it sat on a branch of the tree in front of Jaejoong. They were somewhere outside Busan where Jaejoong it thought safest to stay while he had to wait for the meeting to take place. Before that, he couldn't return after all.
"Yeah. Too many security guards and no free spot from where I could have shot him," Jaejoong said, his voice sounding rather carefree.
"I'm worried for you. I don't want you to go through the same again. You know how you did the first couple of months after his supposed death."
Jaejoong shuttered. Yes, he remembered all too well. The sleepless nights. The drinking. Spiraling deeper and deeper into an emptiness he couldn't escape for a long time. "Yeah, I know."
"You fool, I won't watch you destroy yourself again. Not like that!"
"I'm better now. Also, you will help me, won't you?" asked Jaejoong with a look at his friend.
"I will," the kite answered and Jaejoong gave him a smile.
-----
A few days later, Jaejoong was calling his boss to tell him about the failed mission. "I wasn't able to shoot him. There was no clear chance. Too many security guards were shielding him already," he explained. His boss wasn't happy with him, but he couldn't change the events either, so he just told Jaejoong to get home.
Jaejoong was more than happy as he finally arrived at his apartment. He missed his home when he was away. He called Junsu that day and asked to meet up after the other one inquired about his mission. Jaejoong had missed him. And he felt strange, a feeling he couldn't grasp as it disappeared deeper in his mind, or heart, whenever he tried to. And when he tried to ignore it, it came back to the surface, teasing him and frustrating him to no end.
Jaejoong and Junsu met in the evening, both having some soju while chatting on Junsu's couch.
"So? About your mission, you didn't want to talk over the phone," Junsu immediately started.
Jaejoong laughed lightly as he answered, "Yeah, I didn't go through with it. I couldn't."
"Because of that personal part?" They both took their drinks. Jaejoong liked when it ran down his throat. It made him feel better somehow.
"Yeah. I actually met someone I knew in Busan. We..spent some time together," Jaejoong admitted, because his head needed him to say it out loud to make it real, finally.
"You hooked up with an old friend?" Junsu asked in surprise, then started laughing. "Oh damn, Jae, you failed the job because you found someone to fuck?"
"What? No, of course not! It was just a little extra down there," Jaejoong said with a grin, but he didn't want to correct Junsu or give him any more information regarding that old friend out of fear he would realize who he was talking about. Jaejoong didn't know whether Junsu knew Yunho was alive.
"Yeah, sure," Junsu shook his head, irony dripping from his voice while still laughing.
Suddenly, Jaejoong's phone rang. He took a look at the screen and knew he had to answer that call, even though the alcohol started setting in. But it was Yoochun after all.
"Yes?"
"We were finally able to open the box you bought us. The things we were looking for were not inside."
"Oh, that..sucks," Jaejoong mumbled. He didn't want to deal with Yoochun now, but he couldn't just hang up either.
"Yes, yes, it does. Have you found any other ammunition in the Shim's residence?" Yoochun asked. His voice gave off this authorative tone, which made Jaejoong shiver. He felt Junsu's eyes on him, the other one was watching him carefully. Maybe he already knew who was on the other line by now.
"No, I haven't."
"Okay, we're going to check the fingerprints inside. This is important. Maybe we will find a lead there," Yoochun informed him before hanging up.
Jaejoong breathed out in relief. Yoochun didn't seem to suspect him and he did use gloves after all, so his fingerprints shouldn't be on either the ammunition nor the map. But then he remembered, that he probably touched the inside of the box before when he had checked the content. That they would find. If they knew he had the box opened, then they knew he had been lying all along. "Fuck, I'm screwed," he cursed lowly as he swallowed the rest of his soju.
Junsu eyed him in concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, but Jaejoong couldn't tell him. A coldness ran through him. Hatred. Hatred for himself and his stupidity was all he felt in that moment.
"I fucked up. Big time," he let out. "I lied and thought I had everything under control, but I was wrong." He ran a hand through his hair, staring into the wall, before yelling, "damn it!"
"Okay, you lied to whom? The boss?"
"No, to Yoochun. But I can't tell you!" Jaejoong insisted as he jumped up. "I need to go now, Junsu. Fucking shit." The last part was directed at himself as he grapped his coat and barely said goodbye before he was out the door.
The cold nightair made him feel the alcohol in his veins. He felt a little unstable as he walked. His home wasn't far away from Junsu's though. He needed to decide what to do with the content that he had hid at home. He needed to know if his suspicious was true. But he didn't know who he could ask about it. No one working for the company would be able to help him. They either didn't know or would tell his boss or Yoochun about it. The only one he knew that seemed to have the information was someone else. Yunho.
Today was the 8th. In five days, they could meet up in a hotel near Seoul.
"What now?" Jaejoong wondered out loud in annoyance. He still couldn't believe how he made such a stupid mistake.
"Run for your life while you still can," a hiss came from above him. The kite was just about to settle down on Jaejoong's shoulder. The man wasn't even surprised.
-----
Jaejoong had taken the little bag with the original content of the box with him along with his weapons, some clothes and all his money as he went south on his harley. For the next two days, he stayed under an old bridge. Almost no one passed through. He didn't dare get a room somewhere, because he feared they would find him. Even his phone was left at home. In a store three miles away he bought food and water, his harley still hiden under the bridge. Hopefully no one found it while he was walking back and forth.
Soon, he looked for another hiding place. He shouldn't stay at the same one for so long. Anyone who saw him, or his harley, would get suspicious and he didn't know what the company, what Yoochun would do to find him.
Time went slowly, more so than ever in Jaejoong's life. And his only constant companion was fear.
Finally, only one day was left before he could meet up with Yunho. Jaejoong didn't want to appear there early as not to attract attention. He was close to a small river tonight. He heard it splash in the background. No village or city was close by. He was all alone, so he took that opportunity to strip and wash the dirt off himself.
His left shoulder looked better now, too. It really did. The wound didn't seem likely to open up again. The ointment from the hotel really had helped a lot.
Afterwards, Jaejoong lay down in the grass and fell asleep with the kite snuggled up to his head.
The next morning, the sun rose Jaejoong. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. Nothing suspicious could be seen, so he started to eat the leftovers from yesterday. He wanted to wait until evening to be sure that Yunho was already there.
Most of the day, he spent lying around, letting the sun warm his skin and the grass tickle his face. It was a quiet day. He listened to birds sing while his own bird friend teased him with his wings. It amused Jaejoong that the kite was so adamant to make him feel better and Jaejoong forgot the stress of the last few days for a while.
-----
It was late at night when he rolled with his harley to the address Yunho had given him. After finding it, he turned around to look for a abandoned barn or factory building. He found the first one eventually and hid his beloved motorcycle in there, before walking towards the hotel.
Yunho had even given him the room number, so Jaejoong didn't need to ask. No one was at the front desk anyway at this time. He just went through the lobby to the stairs. The hotel wasn't big, it only had three levels, and Yunho's room was on the second one.
Jaejoong rushed through the hallway, looking forward to a bed to sleep in and a shower to wash himself properly, maybe also to a little comforting by Yunho. A thought crossed his mind though. How, how could he give Yunho still so much of his trust, after all this time? How could he go here so readily, believing Yunho will only help him? Damn, he should know better, honestly, but still, he knocked.
And waited. "It's me, Jaejoong," was rushed out.
It took a little bit before he heard shuffling on the other side of the door, then it was opened and Yunho stood there in boxers and a shirt, a knife in hand. He saw Jaejoong and looked out to see if someone had followed him. No one else was up this late at night. He pulled him in and locked the door. Jaejoong looked around, the room was barely lit by a small bedside lamp. It only had one bed. Jaejoong sighed in disappointment. He really would have liked to sleep on one tonight, but it was Yunho's room after all. He probably hadn't expected that Jaejoong would stay over night.
"You don't look good. What happened?" Yunho asked after taking a close look at the other one.
"I had to..leave the city," he admitted reluctantly, but Yunho already reached for him.
"Are you in trouble? Did someone come after you?" he asked quickly. Fear was shining in his eyes.
"No, not yet. But I'm going to be when they find out that I didn't give them the content of the box," Jaejoong muttered, but his voice was muffled for Yunho was already pulling him in for a hug.
Jaejoong froze at first, but eventually patted him on the back as well. It awoke old memories he wished he could reclaim.
"Sorry, uh, is your shoulder okay?" Yunho hurriedly ended the hug and met Jaejoong's eyes to make sure for himself.
"I'm fine. Can I sleep here?" Jaejoong felt awkward asking this, but he didn't want to assume that he just could do it either. "I sleep on the carpet, I don't care, but inside is nicer than sleeping outside."
"Yeah, just stay here for the night. We can talk tomorrow. Uhm, are you sure it's okay for you to sleep on the carpet?" Yunho frowned, but Jaejoong nodded. "Yes, it is. Just, if you have another blanket, that would be nice." Suddenly, he realized how tired his voice sounded. The past few days had taken a toll in him. The constant alertness had given him more stress than anything.
Yunho smiled a little and turned to retrieve the two he still had here other than his own blanket for the bed. One he set down on the carpet to make it softer, the other he gave Jaejoong, thus he wouldn't be cold.
Jaejoong thanked him and made himself comfortable in his made-up bed.
"Good night then," whispered Yunho as he climbed back into the real one.
-----
Yunho had bought some breakfast from a store nearby. As he returned, Jaejoong was still in the shower, enjoying the water. Just these few days made him appreciate this so much more. As he left the bathroom, fully dressed in his jeans and a shirt, he was met by Yunho sitting on his bed and already eating. Jaejoong sat down next to him and took the food Yunho offered him.
It was quiet, they didn't talk as they emptied their food boxes. Neither of them tried to disperse the awkwardness or address it.
"Thanks," Jaejoong just said afterwards. "By the way, about the red box, why is it so important?"
"It's..hard to explain. It was mine, though."
"Yours?" Jaejoong's eyebrows rose. He remembered the photo of himself in there and blushed slightly. "But, uh, the ammo and, and..what about that?"
"I.. the things inside are not mine, well except for the photo. You saw that one, too, right? That was mine," Yunho admitted with a shy laugh.
Jaejoong found it incredibly charming, but he had to concentrate. "Who do they belong to then?"
Yunho didn't answer for a long time, instead he stood up and put the trash away and walked towards the window to look outside. Eventually, he turned back towards Jaejoong and spoke. "I'm going to tell you what happened, okay? You came too late that time I was shot, you don't know everything."
"Okay," said Jaejoong slowly, not sure if he had waited for this the whole time or if he didn't want to know at all.
Yunho started anyway. "Three years ago, damn what a long time. You haven't been killing people back then." It sounded harsh, but Jaejoong knew it was true. He hadn't worked for his company yet. "Who do you know though? A-About me?" he inquired quickly.
Yunho frowned. "Changmin told me. Anyway, I was in Seoul that day. There was some kind of festival. I don't know what it was for, but Seoul was overflowing with people. I was on my way to visit you. I had been late and was forced to take side streets to get through the city because of all these people."
"I remember being so worried for you. You usually called when you were late. I headed towards you myself, then," Jaejoong said, his eyes shining slightly as he thought back to that fateful day.
"Yeah. You remember the way I took then? It wasn't too far from the Blue House. In one of those site streets though, I heard someone talk about the president, and not in a nice way. I wasn't bothered at first, but when I turned around the corner, I saw the person. It was Han Konu. Changmin had told me about him later. I saw his rifle and instandly new that I needed to stop him. He didn't see or hear me coming appearantly, because I was able to jump him from behind. I remember kicking his weapon away, but he had a knife, too, which he stabbed into my right leg. I just know that I somehow was able to pull the knife out and force it into his throat. I-I didn't want to kill him, but I had no other choice. He was choking me."
Jaejoong noticed Yunho tremble. He wished he could comfort him, but they weren't even friendly enough to hug yet. The day before was just an exception.
"I was so shocked to see all that blood, everything was red." Yunho lifted his hands up and stared at them as if to copy his movement back then. His eyes reflected so much fear. "I didn't know what to do, but I was scared that he would get up and kill me. I know it was stupid, but I couldn't help myself back then. I just took all the ammo and a paper that lay on the ground. I understood somehow that he wasn't alone. He had planned to kill our president. And if he didn't succeed, someone else would take his place. He was working for a group. A logo was on the inside of his jacket. I totally worked myself up over it, but in the end I took it all and ran. But before I could even leave the street, I heard a gun and fell. Changmin later on told me, that they knew about the attempt to kill the president. He was there to prevent it. He saw me, bloody and dirty and assumed I was the one to kill the president."
"I saw the last part. I was there when Changmin shot you, Yunho," whispered Jaejoong. He had watched Yunho the whole time, listening closely as Yunho shared the story.
"A-Anyway," Yunho seemed to be more than a little battered, trying to continue quickly. "I got the map and the ammo from him. The ammo is special. I don't know if you realized it, but it was made for only one rifle. It definitely kills the person who is shot because inside is a poison that numbs the muscles, thus the heart stops beating within a minute. It's impossible to stop that from invading the blood," he explained closely.
"Yunho, you saved the president," Jaejoong let out quietly with wide eyes. He was amazed at what the other one had gone through. He would never have guessed.
"Changmin would have done the job, too," he dismissed with a shrug, seemingly having caught on as his trembling finally stopped. "I kept the stuff as you know and locked it up in the red box. His family, I mean Han Konu's family, they are after me. It's because of them that I'm never safe, no matter where I am," said Yunho at last. He looked down into his hands once more, at a loss for words all of a sudden.
Jaejoong felt sorry for him. Yunho had sacrifized his life for the president and now had to live like this, always scared and always running.
"Why did no one do anything? Put the Han family in prison, stop them from going after you!" Jaejoong exclaimed angrily, but Yunho just shook his head. "No, the Han family is very important and powerful. No one would dare to do that. There is not enough proof."
Jaejoong finally stood up and walked towards the other one. "Thanks for telling me," he said with a sincerer smile as he lifted Yunho's chin up.
Yunho just nodded and turned away, wriggling away from Jaejoong's hand.
Suddenly, a song interrupted the silence. "Oh, that's my phone," Yunho said with a laugh as he grabbed it and answered, walking back to the bed. His whole posture straightened immediately. "Hello Yoochun." Yunho's voice sounded strictly like business.
Jaejoong listened closely while looking out the window. The black-winged kite sat there on a tree, eyeing him. Jaejoong waved even though he knew the bird couldn't return that gesture.
"Why are you asking me that? I haven't seen him all this time, you know that. I'm near Seoul, yes. Okay, bye." Yunho hung up and faced Jaejoong who had turned back around after he heard the end of the conversation. He raised his eyebrows, but Yunho looked grim.
"Yoochun, huh?" he asked tauntingly although he didn't really care about that anymore.
"I know I said I don't know him. I lied. I'm sorry," said Yunho, but Jaejoong shrugged, before answering with such a sarcastic tone that even he was surprised. "No, it's okay. I'm getting used to it, don't worry."
"Jae, please, I am sorry. But we have a problem. Yoochun knows you are with me."
At that, Jaejoong looked up in shock. "What?"
"Did you tell him that you met me?" Yunho asked in a rush as he collected his few belongings other than his phone, which he put aside.
"No, of course not!" retorted Jaejoong angrily. "I'm not stupid!"
"Well, but somehow he knows. And because he tracks my fucking phone, he knows where I am, so we should leave immedaitely," hissed Yunho as he stuffed everything in a bagpack.
"I don't have anything to do with it, I swear! Why would I tell him that-" Jaejoong stopped midsentence. "I think I know how he knows."
Yunho unlocked the door and went out, followed by Jaejoong, the phone still on the table to hopefully lead Yoochun to this place first and off their track. He threw an expectant look at him, and Jaejoong blushed as he explained. "I might have told Junsu that I met an old friend down in Busan."
"Seriously?" Yunho was stunned, so Jaejoong took over the check-out.
"Yeah, and he might have told Yoochun, who might have realized that it might be you," he admitted eventually, ducking his head slightly. Damn, he did fuck up everything recently.
"You idiot," muttered Yunho as they left the hotel. He led them to a black car and unlocked it. His movements were hurried, but precise.
"My harley!" Jaejoong exclaimed, but Yunho immediately said, "No, it will attract too much attention. Leave it here, we're taking my car."
With a pout, Jaejoong settled down on the passenger seat and crossed his arms in front of his chest as Yunho sat on the driver's seat and started the car.
Pairing/Characters: YunJae, Yoochun, Changmin, Junsu
Rating: R
Warning: Character deaths (just minors..; do I need to warn for already dead characters?), Violence
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except of the story idea.
Summary: Jaejoong was torn out of his own quiet world when he saw someone else take away a life for the first time. That was the start. Now, as he kills people for a living, he finds out more about his past than he had ever wanted.
"What now? Hm? You failed miserably?" the kite mocked as it sat on a branch of the tree in front of Jaejoong. They were somewhere outside Busan where Jaejoong it thought safest to stay while he had to wait for the meeting to take place. Before that, he couldn't return after all.
"Yeah. Too many security guards and no free spot from where I could have shot him," Jaejoong said, his voice sounding rather carefree.
"I'm worried for you. I don't want you to go through the same again. You know how you did the first couple of months after his supposed death."
Jaejoong shuttered. Yes, he remembered all too well. The sleepless nights. The drinking. Spiraling deeper and deeper into an emptiness he couldn't escape for a long time. "Yeah, I know."
"You fool, I won't watch you destroy yourself again. Not like that!"
"I'm better now. Also, you will help me, won't you?" asked Jaejoong with a look at his friend.
"I will," the kite answered and Jaejoong gave him a smile.
-----
A few days later, Jaejoong was calling his boss to tell him about the failed mission. "I wasn't able to shoot him. There was no clear chance. Too many security guards were shielding him already," he explained. His boss wasn't happy with him, but he couldn't change the events either, so he just told Jaejoong to get home.
Jaejoong was more than happy as he finally arrived at his apartment. He missed his home when he was away. He called Junsu that day and asked to meet up after the other one inquired about his mission. Jaejoong had missed him. And he felt strange, a feeling he couldn't grasp as it disappeared deeper in his mind, or heart, whenever he tried to. And when he tried to ignore it, it came back to the surface, teasing him and frustrating him to no end.
Jaejoong and Junsu met in the evening, both having some soju while chatting on Junsu's couch.
"So? About your mission, you didn't want to talk over the phone," Junsu immediately started.
Jaejoong laughed lightly as he answered, "Yeah, I didn't go through with it. I couldn't."
"Because of that personal part?" They both took their drinks. Jaejoong liked when it ran down his throat. It made him feel better somehow.
"Yeah. I actually met someone I knew in Busan. We..spent some time together," Jaejoong admitted, because his head needed him to say it out loud to make it real, finally.
"You hooked up with an old friend?" Junsu asked in surprise, then started laughing. "Oh damn, Jae, you failed the job because you found someone to fuck?"
"What? No, of course not! It was just a little extra down there," Jaejoong said with a grin, but he didn't want to correct Junsu or give him any more information regarding that old friend out of fear he would realize who he was talking about. Jaejoong didn't know whether Junsu knew Yunho was alive.
"Yeah, sure," Junsu shook his head, irony dripping from his voice while still laughing.
Suddenly, Jaejoong's phone rang. He took a look at the screen and knew he had to answer that call, even though the alcohol started setting in. But it was Yoochun after all.
"Yes?"
"We were finally able to open the box you bought us. The things we were looking for were not inside."
"Oh, that..sucks," Jaejoong mumbled. He didn't want to deal with Yoochun now, but he couldn't just hang up either.
"Yes, yes, it does. Have you found any other ammunition in the Shim's residence?" Yoochun asked. His voice gave off this authorative tone, which made Jaejoong shiver. He felt Junsu's eyes on him, the other one was watching him carefully. Maybe he already knew who was on the other line by now.
"No, I haven't."
"Okay, we're going to check the fingerprints inside. This is important. Maybe we will find a lead there," Yoochun informed him before hanging up.
Jaejoong breathed out in relief. Yoochun didn't seem to suspect him and he did use gloves after all, so his fingerprints shouldn't be on either the ammunition nor the map. But then he remembered, that he probably touched the inside of the box before when he had checked the content. That they would find. If they knew he had the box opened, then they knew he had been lying all along. "Fuck, I'm screwed," he cursed lowly as he swallowed the rest of his soju.
Junsu eyed him in concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, but Jaejoong couldn't tell him. A coldness ran through him. Hatred. Hatred for himself and his stupidity was all he felt in that moment.
"I fucked up. Big time," he let out. "I lied and thought I had everything under control, but I was wrong." He ran a hand through his hair, staring into the wall, before yelling, "damn it!"
"Okay, you lied to whom? The boss?"
"No, to Yoochun. But I can't tell you!" Jaejoong insisted as he jumped up. "I need to go now, Junsu. Fucking shit." The last part was directed at himself as he grapped his coat and barely said goodbye before he was out the door.
The cold nightair made him feel the alcohol in his veins. He felt a little unstable as he walked. His home wasn't far away from Junsu's though. He needed to decide what to do with the content that he had hid at home. He needed to know if his suspicious was true. But he didn't know who he could ask about it. No one working for the company would be able to help him. They either didn't know or would tell his boss or Yoochun about it. The only one he knew that seemed to have the information was someone else. Yunho.
Today was the 8th. In five days, they could meet up in a hotel near Seoul.
"What now?" Jaejoong wondered out loud in annoyance. He still couldn't believe how he made such a stupid mistake.
"Run for your life while you still can," a hiss came from above him. The kite was just about to settle down on Jaejoong's shoulder. The man wasn't even surprised.
-----
Jaejoong had taken the little bag with the original content of the box with him along with his weapons, some clothes and all his money as he went south on his harley. For the next two days, he stayed under an old bridge. Almost no one passed through. He didn't dare get a room somewhere, because he feared they would find him. Even his phone was left at home. In a store three miles away he bought food and water, his harley still hiden under the bridge. Hopefully no one found it while he was walking back and forth.
Soon, he looked for another hiding place. He shouldn't stay at the same one for so long. Anyone who saw him, or his harley, would get suspicious and he didn't know what the company, what Yoochun would do to find him.
Time went slowly, more so than ever in Jaejoong's life. And his only constant companion was fear.
Finally, only one day was left before he could meet up with Yunho. Jaejoong didn't want to appear there early as not to attract attention. He was close to a small river tonight. He heard it splash in the background. No village or city was close by. He was all alone, so he took that opportunity to strip and wash the dirt off himself.
His left shoulder looked better now, too. It really did. The wound didn't seem likely to open up again. The ointment from the hotel really had helped a lot.
Afterwards, Jaejoong lay down in the grass and fell asleep with the kite snuggled up to his head.
The next morning, the sun rose Jaejoong. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. Nothing suspicious could be seen, so he started to eat the leftovers from yesterday. He wanted to wait until evening to be sure that Yunho was already there.
Most of the day, he spent lying around, letting the sun warm his skin and the grass tickle his face. It was a quiet day. He listened to birds sing while his own bird friend teased him with his wings. It amused Jaejoong that the kite was so adamant to make him feel better and Jaejoong forgot the stress of the last few days for a while.
-----
It was late at night when he rolled with his harley to the address Yunho had given him. After finding it, he turned around to look for a abandoned barn or factory building. He found the first one eventually and hid his beloved motorcycle in there, before walking towards the hotel.
Yunho had even given him the room number, so Jaejoong didn't need to ask. No one was at the front desk anyway at this time. He just went through the lobby to the stairs. The hotel wasn't big, it only had three levels, and Yunho's room was on the second one.
Jaejoong rushed through the hallway, looking forward to a bed to sleep in and a shower to wash himself properly, maybe also to a little comforting by Yunho. A thought crossed his mind though. How, how could he give Yunho still so much of his trust, after all this time? How could he go here so readily, believing Yunho will only help him? Damn, he should know better, honestly, but still, he knocked.
And waited. "It's me, Jaejoong," was rushed out.
It took a little bit before he heard shuffling on the other side of the door, then it was opened and Yunho stood there in boxers and a shirt, a knife in hand. He saw Jaejoong and looked out to see if someone had followed him. No one else was up this late at night. He pulled him in and locked the door. Jaejoong looked around, the room was barely lit by a small bedside lamp. It only had one bed. Jaejoong sighed in disappointment. He really would have liked to sleep on one tonight, but it was Yunho's room after all. He probably hadn't expected that Jaejoong would stay over night.
"You don't look good. What happened?" Yunho asked after taking a close look at the other one.
"I had to..leave the city," he admitted reluctantly, but Yunho already reached for him.
"Are you in trouble? Did someone come after you?" he asked quickly. Fear was shining in his eyes.
"No, not yet. But I'm going to be when they find out that I didn't give them the content of the box," Jaejoong muttered, but his voice was muffled for Yunho was already pulling him in for a hug.
Jaejoong froze at first, but eventually patted him on the back as well. It awoke old memories he wished he could reclaim.
"Sorry, uh, is your shoulder okay?" Yunho hurriedly ended the hug and met Jaejoong's eyes to make sure for himself.
"I'm fine. Can I sleep here?" Jaejoong felt awkward asking this, but he didn't want to assume that he just could do it either. "I sleep on the carpet, I don't care, but inside is nicer than sleeping outside."
"Yeah, just stay here for the night. We can talk tomorrow. Uhm, are you sure it's okay for you to sleep on the carpet?" Yunho frowned, but Jaejoong nodded. "Yes, it is. Just, if you have another blanket, that would be nice." Suddenly, he realized how tired his voice sounded. The past few days had taken a toll in him. The constant alertness had given him more stress than anything.
Yunho smiled a little and turned to retrieve the two he still had here other than his own blanket for the bed. One he set down on the carpet to make it softer, the other he gave Jaejoong, thus he wouldn't be cold.
Jaejoong thanked him and made himself comfortable in his made-up bed.
"Good night then," whispered Yunho as he climbed back into the real one.
-----
Yunho had bought some breakfast from a store nearby. As he returned, Jaejoong was still in the shower, enjoying the water. Just these few days made him appreciate this so much more. As he left the bathroom, fully dressed in his jeans and a shirt, he was met by Yunho sitting on his bed and already eating. Jaejoong sat down next to him and took the food Yunho offered him.
It was quiet, they didn't talk as they emptied their food boxes. Neither of them tried to disperse the awkwardness or address it.
"Thanks," Jaejoong just said afterwards. "By the way, about the red box, why is it so important?"
"It's..hard to explain. It was mine, though."
"Yours?" Jaejoong's eyebrows rose. He remembered the photo of himself in there and blushed slightly. "But, uh, the ammo and, and..what about that?"
"I.. the things inside are not mine, well except for the photo. You saw that one, too, right? That was mine," Yunho admitted with a shy laugh.
Jaejoong found it incredibly charming, but he had to concentrate. "Who do they belong to then?"
Yunho didn't answer for a long time, instead he stood up and put the trash away and walked towards the window to look outside. Eventually, he turned back towards Jaejoong and spoke. "I'm going to tell you what happened, okay? You came too late that time I was shot, you don't know everything."
"Okay," said Jaejoong slowly, not sure if he had waited for this the whole time or if he didn't want to know at all.
Yunho started anyway. "Three years ago, damn what a long time. You haven't been killing people back then." It sounded harsh, but Jaejoong knew it was true. He hadn't worked for his company yet. "Who do you know though? A-About me?" he inquired quickly.
Yunho frowned. "Changmin told me. Anyway, I was in Seoul that day. There was some kind of festival. I don't know what it was for, but Seoul was overflowing with people. I was on my way to visit you. I had been late and was forced to take side streets to get through the city because of all these people."
"I remember being so worried for you. You usually called when you were late. I headed towards you myself, then," Jaejoong said, his eyes shining slightly as he thought back to that fateful day.
"Yeah. You remember the way I took then? It wasn't too far from the Blue House. In one of those site streets though, I heard someone talk about the president, and not in a nice way. I wasn't bothered at first, but when I turned around the corner, I saw the person. It was Han Konu. Changmin had told me about him later. I saw his rifle and instandly new that I needed to stop him. He didn't see or hear me coming appearantly, because I was able to jump him from behind. I remember kicking his weapon away, but he had a knife, too, which he stabbed into my right leg. I just know that I somehow was able to pull the knife out and force it into his throat. I-I didn't want to kill him, but I had no other choice. He was choking me."
Jaejoong noticed Yunho tremble. He wished he could comfort him, but they weren't even friendly enough to hug yet. The day before was just an exception.
"I was so shocked to see all that blood, everything was red." Yunho lifted his hands up and stared at them as if to copy his movement back then. His eyes reflected so much fear. "I didn't know what to do, but I was scared that he would get up and kill me. I know it was stupid, but I couldn't help myself back then. I just took all the ammo and a paper that lay on the ground. I understood somehow that he wasn't alone. He had planned to kill our president. And if he didn't succeed, someone else would take his place. He was working for a group. A logo was on the inside of his jacket. I totally worked myself up over it, but in the end I took it all and ran. But before I could even leave the street, I heard a gun and fell. Changmin later on told me, that they knew about the attempt to kill the president. He was there to prevent it. He saw me, bloody and dirty and assumed I was the one to kill the president."
"I saw the last part. I was there when Changmin shot you, Yunho," whispered Jaejoong. He had watched Yunho the whole time, listening closely as Yunho shared the story.
"A-Anyway," Yunho seemed to be more than a little battered, trying to continue quickly. "I got the map and the ammo from him. The ammo is special. I don't know if you realized it, but it was made for only one rifle. It definitely kills the person who is shot because inside is a poison that numbs the muscles, thus the heart stops beating within a minute. It's impossible to stop that from invading the blood," he explained closely.
"Yunho, you saved the president," Jaejoong let out quietly with wide eyes. He was amazed at what the other one had gone through. He would never have guessed.
"Changmin would have done the job, too," he dismissed with a shrug, seemingly having caught on as his trembling finally stopped. "I kept the stuff as you know and locked it up in the red box. His family, I mean Han Konu's family, they are after me. It's because of them that I'm never safe, no matter where I am," said Yunho at last. He looked down into his hands once more, at a loss for words all of a sudden.
Jaejoong felt sorry for him. Yunho had sacrifized his life for the president and now had to live like this, always scared and always running.
"Why did no one do anything? Put the Han family in prison, stop them from going after you!" Jaejoong exclaimed angrily, but Yunho just shook his head. "No, the Han family is very important and powerful. No one would dare to do that. There is not enough proof."
Jaejoong finally stood up and walked towards the other one. "Thanks for telling me," he said with a sincerer smile as he lifted Yunho's chin up.
Yunho just nodded and turned away, wriggling away from Jaejoong's hand.
Suddenly, a song interrupted the silence. "Oh, that's my phone," Yunho said with a laugh as he grabbed it and answered, walking back to the bed. His whole posture straightened immediately. "Hello Yoochun." Yunho's voice sounded strictly like business.
Jaejoong listened closely while looking out the window. The black-winged kite sat there on a tree, eyeing him. Jaejoong waved even though he knew the bird couldn't return that gesture.
"Why are you asking me that? I haven't seen him all this time, you know that. I'm near Seoul, yes. Okay, bye." Yunho hung up and faced Jaejoong who had turned back around after he heard the end of the conversation. He raised his eyebrows, but Yunho looked grim.
"Yoochun, huh?" he asked tauntingly although he didn't really care about that anymore.
"I know I said I don't know him. I lied. I'm sorry," said Yunho, but Jaejoong shrugged, before answering with such a sarcastic tone that even he was surprised. "No, it's okay. I'm getting used to it, don't worry."
"Jae, please, I am sorry. But we have a problem. Yoochun knows you are with me."
At that, Jaejoong looked up in shock. "What?"
"Did you tell him that you met me?" Yunho asked in a rush as he collected his few belongings other than his phone, which he put aside.
"No, of course not!" retorted Jaejoong angrily. "I'm not stupid!"
"Well, but somehow he knows. And because he tracks my fucking phone, he knows where I am, so we should leave immedaitely," hissed Yunho as he stuffed everything in a bagpack.
"I don't have anything to do with it, I swear! Why would I tell him that-" Jaejoong stopped midsentence. "I think I know how he knows."
Yunho unlocked the door and went out, followed by Jaejoong, the phone still on the table to hopefully lead Yoochun to this place first and off their track. He threw an expectant look at him, and Jaejoong blushed as he explained. "I might have told Junsu that I met an old friend down in Busan."
"Seriously?" Yunho was stunned, so Jaejoong took over the check-out.
"Yeah, and he might have told Yoochun, who might have realized that it might be you," he admitted eventually, ducking his head slightly. Damn, he did fuck up everything recently.
"You idiot," muttered Yunho as they left the hotel. He led them to a black car and unlocked it. His movements were hurried, but precise.
"My harley!" Jaejoong exclaimed, but Yunho immediately said, "No, it will attract too much attention. Leave it here, we're taking my car."
With a pout, Jaejoong settled down on the passenger seat and crossed his arms in front of his chest as Yunho sat on the driver's seat and started the car.