Nado Saranghae
Title: Nado Saranghae
Length: One-shot
Author: iheartyunjae
Pairing: yunjae
Rating: PG13
Themes: angst, romance
Disclaimer: I do not own the hot boys ( though i really wish i do :P)
Summary: "Like a broken record he said it again and again."
Nado Saranghae
Junsu looked around the mass of people, trying to look for a certain brown-haired man but all he could see was faces of people unknown to him.
"Hyung's late? Oh well I guess I'll wait for him over there."
The airport was filled with many people, even more than usual. Junsu was looking around and humming to himself. He didn't notice somebody walking towards him until he felt hands covering his eyes from behind.
"Guess who?"
Junsu immediately smiled widely as soon as he heard that familiar deep soothing voice. The excited man jumped up from his seat and turned around, bursting out a loud 'eu kyang kyang'.
"Yunho hyung! How have you been doing? And you look different too...did you shave? You used to leave a small beard on your chin remember? I think you grew a little taller and-"
"Woah calm down Junsu. Why don't you come over to my place and we can talk there? It's getting a little too crowded here don't you think?"
"Ok. But you drive, I want to see how much Korea changed through the window."
"I see you haven't changed at all, still an innocent kid eh? Come on."
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
"Wow. You bought a new flat?"
"Yeah. Jaej- I mean I want to have some more space for my stuff."
Junsu looked around the room in awe. Yunho came out of the kitchen, carrying a big bowl of ramen.
"You must be hungry after a long ride on the plane."
"When did you learn how to cook? Because I don't recall having a meal cooked by you when we were young."
"Well. I'm not exactly young anymore so I got to find some way not to starve to death. So how is it?"
"It's great! Oh by the way, how's your toy shop?"
"It's alright. The business is going really well these days actually. But enough about me, how's work in Japan?"
"Very good. I've been working on some songs with Yoochun and people really like it there. Did you know they're also promoting those robots there?"
"It's not surprising. Japan really likes technology and stuff you know."
"Yeah but I actually find those androids quite scary. I mean they look so much like human except they got stranged colored eyes. I absolutely do not want to see our world being taken over by robots!"
"Have you been watching too many sci-fi movies?"
"I'm serious! While we were driving home, I saw many shops selling them and some are even working as employees!"
Yunho only gave a small smile, his eyes constantly staring at a worn out teddy bear. Junsu looked towards the direction Yunho's eyes were at and saw the bear. The seams were sticking out from the sides and the eyes were crooked. It had a little button nose but there was no mouth. The small bear looked incomplete and badly done but Yunho was looking at it with sadness in his eyes.
"Hyung did you make that?"
"No...someone gave it to me."
Junsu didn't want to ask any further. The doll seems precious to Yunho and so is the person but Yunho looks so sad everytime he looks at the bear. So Junsu finished up his ramen quietly and then left the room, not wanting to disturb the man. Junsu walked into the bedroom, there he saw a photo album on the desk. In it was filled with photos of the three of them during their high school days but their was one particular photo which caught his eye. It was the only picture in a photo frame and in the picture was Yunho with his arm wrapped around the shoulder of a black haired boy. The boy's arms were wrapped around Yunho's waist and he was smiling brightly. Junsu picked up the frame and took a closer look at the young boy. Instead of brown eyes, he saw peculiar looking grey eyes.
"That's Jaejoong."
Junsu immediately put down the picture, embarrassed at being caught. He didn't want Yunho to know that he was snooping around looking through his stuff.
"I-I'm sorry. I was just curious and wanted to..."
"It's ok. There's nothing really private in here anyway."
Yunho walked over to the desk and picked up the photo frame. His eyes had the same sadness as before, when he was looking at the teddy bear.
"Hyung, I don't mean to question you but his eyes...isn't he.."
"Yes. Jaejoong's an android."
"You made friends with an android? Or did you hire one to work in your toy shop?"
"No...no. I fell in love."
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Yunho was walking towards his toy shop to start a new day. A bright smile was on his face and he was turning his head from side to side, looking at the different shops around him. He spotted a very strange-looking shop at the side of a narrow alley. Curiosity got the best of him so he walked towards the store, assuring himself that it would only take minute. Yunho peered through the big glass window and the first thing which caught his eye was a very beautiful android. Its hair was black, his skin was white, he had a face of a porcelain doll with pink pouty lips. Yunho found himself unable to turn away and he couldn't help but go inside to take a closer look. There was a light jingle above his head when he opened the door.
"Welcome young man. What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if-"
"You want to buy an android? Here take a look at these. They learn very quickly, you just have to transfer information into them then they'll be able to do anything you've input into their memory disks."
"How about that one?"
They walked over to the other side of the room where another row of androids stood. These looked slightly different from the previous ones. As Yunho observed every one of them, he was immediately attracted to the one he saw at the window.
"Are you interested in this one?"
"It looks beautiful."
"It's name is KJ904. A male robot. He's a bit older than the rest since he's one of first few we made. Instead of a wrist band which the newer ones have. These here have a barcode on their wrists. And I'm afraid you'll have to teach them like children so it won't be as convenient as the others. Would you like to reconsider your choice?"
"No. I'll take this one."
--*--
"Ok. Where's the switch?"
Instruction manuals were spread all over the floor and Yunho was sitting in the middle of the mess trying to figure out how to wake the robot up. His hand brushed through its soft hair and couldn't help but smile. While he was smoothing the android's hair, his finger felt a slight bump at the back of its left ear. He lifted up the hair there and saw a very small switch. Yunho lightly flipped the switch upwards and suddenly the android's earrings started blinking. He fell backwards, shocked and confused. The android slowly opened its eyes and stared at Yunho.
"Hello. My name's Yunho. What's yours?"
The android only cocked his head sideways. Its grey eyes looking into Yunho's brown ones.
"Oh right. I forgot you can't understand me. Hmm...let's see..I can't call you KJ904. How about...Jaejoong?"
"Jae..joong?"
"Yup. This is your name now, Jaejoong."
--*--
Jaejoong was surprisingly a fast learner and he was able to speak basic Korean in a few weeks. Since Yunho didn't want to leave Jaejoong all alone in the house, he took him with him to the toy shop.
"Jaejoong-ah! Could you help me out here?"
The puzzled boy hopped to where Yunho sat and stood next to him.
"Could you just find some more white thread and some cloth for me?"
Jaejoong quickly rushed out of the room and began searching for what Yunho asked for. He came back quickly and spread the materials on the desk.
"Yunnie want these?"
"Yup thanks Joongie."
"Could Yunnie teach me?"
"You want to learn how to make toys?"
"Yes! Yes!"
Yunho motioned for Jaejoong to sit closer then he put his hands on top of the smaller ones and helped him sew the head of the doll to the neck. They spent the whole day finishing up the work. Jaejoong helped with some but he was distracted by the newly-made toys most of the time.
"Where do you want to go this weekend?"
"Somewhere with lots of colorful things with good smell!"
"Colorful things with good smell? What's that?"
The robot pointed to some flower pots on the windowsill of the house in front of them.
"Oh! You mean flowers? Hmm how about the park then? There are lots of flowers there."
"Please take me to park with lots of colorful things with good smell."
"Flowers,Joongie. Learn that word ok?"
--*--
"Flowers!! So many everywhere!"
"You like it here? I'll take you to the park every weekend if you want to."
Yunho sat under a tree and watched the excited boy run around the grass and smelling flowers. He almost fell asleep but was woken up by Jaejoong rolling around on his lap.
"What are you doing boo?"
"Nothing. Yunnie is very cuddly."
"Well I'm wide awake now and since it's your first time coming here, let's take a picture."
"Picture? What's that?"
"It's like this. You use this, a camera, and press this button on top. No no look through that hole over there and just press the button if you want a picture of that."
Jaejoong took this chance to snap at whatever random things he saw. He took pictures of the flowers, the grass, a worm and half of Yunho's face, all blurry.
"No pabo. You use it like this."
Yunho took the camera out of Jaejoong's hands then he put his arm around the boy's shoulders. He held the camera in front of them and smiled brightly.
"Come a little closer. Smile!"
--*--
There were still three days until Yunho's birthday and Jaejoong drew a big red circle on that special date. He had thought for a whole week on what to give Yunho but he couldn't think of any good ideas. Dissappointed, he walked into the toy shop for inspiration. A frown turned into a big smile and he quickly went to get some materials needed for his gift.
Three days passed quickly and Jaejoong was, of course, very nervous. He had bravely walked into the cake shop and bought a chocolate cake all by himself. He patted himself on the back afterwards and took out his gift from his hiding spot. Yunho was in the living room reading a newspaper. He noticed the boy peeking at him from the door and grinned.
"What's the matter Jae? Come in."
Jaejoong slowly walked towards Yunho and stopped in front of him. He was hiding the present behind his back and he was looking down at his own feet.
"Is there something you're hiding?"
"No."
"Really? Then show me your hands."
Jaejoong put out one of his hands but kept the other behind him.
"And the other?"
He hesitantly showed Yunho the present which was tightly wrapped in newspaper with a big purple bow around it.
"For Yunnie. Happy Birthday."
"Is..Is this for me?"
"Mhm. It's not really finished but I did try my best."
Yunho was so excited that he practically ripped the newspaper out into bits. He finally uncovered the last layer and inside was a small teddy bear. It wasn't very well done but Yunho felt very happy and he could clearly see the efforts Jaejoong had put in making this bear. He stood up and enveloped Jaejoong in a big hug.
"Saranghae."
"What does that mean?"
"It means ,boo, that I have a very very very strong liking towards you."
"Oh! Then I should say it too!
"In this case, you should say 'Nado saranghae'"
"Nado saranghae Yunnie."
--*--
Jaejoong and Yunho got very close ever since that day and soon they became lovers. But because Yunho was so in love and Jaejoong felt and looked as real as a human being, he failed to remember that machines won't last forever.
"Jaejoong-ah, you hungry? I grabbed some dinner for us."
Yunho walked through every single room in the house but Jaejoong was nowhere to be found.
"Maybe he's at the shop..."
He then went to his toy shop. It was surprisingly dark in there and he felt around the wall for the switch. Just as his fingers touched the switch, he saw light coming out through the gap below the door.
"Ah. So he's still working. Jaejo-"
He opened the door to see Jaejoong lying on the ground, unmoving. He immediately took him in his arms and shook him. The robot's eyes were half-open but instead of its usual beautiful grey color, it looked dull and lifeless.
"Yah! What's wrong?! Jaejoong! JAEJOONG-AH!"
--*--
"What's wrong with him?"
The shopkeeper was running a scan over Jaejoong. His expression turned stiff.
"Well, it doesn't look good. It seems its system is breaking down."
"Can it be fixed? I'll pay! I'll pay no matter what the price is."
"I'd be willing to help even if you don't pay me. If only the condition isn't this bad. On the day you purchased it, I told you that it's one of the oldest models we got and it won't be as easy to handle as the new ones.I'm afraid not much can be done."
"Please! You have to help me! Please!"
Yunho dropped down to his knees in front of the man with his head touching the ground. His tears dripped down his face onto the ground. The man saw how pitiful Yunho looked and his eyes softened.
"There is a way...but it will only help temporarily."
"What is it? I'll try anything!"
"I could put in a supporter and change a little of its system but I'll have to clean its memory disk. Which means you'll have to restart it. But like I said, it only works temporarily so it'll keep restarting itself until it finally shuts down. Are you willing to try this method?"
"Restart? Jaejoong... won't remember me?"
"I'm afraid so. You'll have to make the decision quickly before it completely crashes."
"Please...please help him."
--*--
The black cross earrings blinked and familiar grey eyes opened. Jaejoong turned his head to look at Yunho, the same blank expression when he was first switched on.
"It's nice to meet you Jaejoong. I'm...Yunho."
As the days passed, Jaejoong continued to collapse and be restarted again. Sometimes he would stare at the teddy bear on the desk for a long time and it would look as if he was searching for his lost memories but whenever Yunho asked if he could remember anything, Jaejoong would only stare at him like he didn't understand what Yunho just said.
"Excuse me, how much is this doll?"
Jaejoong looked at the doll then looked at the woman, his head cocking sideways. Yunho noticed the situation and immediately ran over, pushing Jaejoong lightly to the side.
"I'm sorry, he doesn't really understand Korean. Let me help you."
When the customer left the store, Yunho turned to Jaejoong.
"It's ok Joongie. Just start working when you feel ready all right?"
Just as he was about to walk away, he heard those two words coming out of Jaejoong's mouth. He stopped in his tracks and turned around.
"What did you say?"
"Nado saranghae."
Even if Jaejoong didn't understand what he was saying, he kept repeating it like he memorized those words in his heart. Yunho wrapped his arms around Jaejoong and hugged him tightly, his tears coming back once again. Even though Jaejoong couldn't remember him, he was happy he was still standing here with him, holding him. Jaejoong was still here.
--*--
The rain was falling heavily and the streets were deserted since people were trying to find shelter. There was only Jaejoong and Yunho walking down the sidewalk making their way home. Jaejoong never said those words again and Yunho knew Jaejoong would leave him very soon. They stopped when the lights turned green and watched the cars zoom past them. All Yunho could think about right now were the happy times he spent with Jaejoong then he saw an image of a smiling Jaejoong standing in the middle of the road with his arms spread out. Jaejoong looked up at Yunho when he saw him stepping out onto the road. He suddenly had an urge to pull him back so he tugged at his hand but Yunho seemed to be hypnotized and continued forward. Yunho stopped in the middle of the road and the image disappeared. He turned his head when he saw white lights coming nearer towards him but he remained on the spot. A sudden relief washed over him when he thought about being able to end it all in just a minute. He closed his eyes when the car was just an inch in front of him. The next thing he knew, he was suddenly pushed aside and the air was filled the sound of screeching tires.
There, on the ground where he was supposed to be, laid Jaejoong. Yunho's eyes widened and he ran over to his lover's side and gathered Jaejoong into his arms.
"Jaejoong-ah! Don't leave me! Don't leave me! I can't live on without you."
Grey eyes stared into brown ones. The rain fell on top of them and it looked like tears running down Jaejoong's face.
"Nado saranghae. Nado saranghae. Nado saranghae..."
Like a broken record, he said it again and again until he finally closed his eyes and laid limp in Yunho's arms.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Junsu hugged Yunho tightly, wanting to comfort the crying man. His own tears fell from his face and he felt the pain Yunho was feeling.
"Hyung..."
"I wanted us to always be together. Always, until I'm old and wrinkled and see Jaejoong with his never changing beauty."
"He does love you. I'm sure he does. Even if he's not human or else he wouldn't have saved you."
"Jaejoong-ah...I love you so much. Did you know my feelings towards you? Did you feel my love for you?"
The two sat together letting go of all the sadness they kept inside their hearts. Junsu stayed beside his friend and cried with him. He now realized how short time is if he didn't treasure it and he was determined to finally confess his feelings to Yoochun before it's too late. Junsu looked at the bear on the desk. He squinted his eyes and saw some very small words on the bear's left ear.
'J&Y'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/n: ok it's my first time writing such a long story! I really hope you like it. Btw, there's a reason why the words are on the left ear but I won't tell you~