[CHAPTERED] BOOMERANG'S (CH. 9)
Title: Boomerang's
Rating: G-PG13-R-NC17
Pairing: YunJae
Summary: What if fate wasn’t a red string, but a boomerang instead? Yunho's first memory of being in love was when he was 7 years old. Meeting Kim JaeJoong was the start of a nearly 20 year long love that spanned many separations. After being unexpectedly ripped apart at 7, they meet again 10 years later as soccer players on opposing high school teams. On a tragic night, they are pulled a part once again only to find each other 11 years later as adults working at the same hospital. This time, their new complication resides in JaeJoong's memories; or the lack there of. The complications don't stop there. Yunho's fiancé, Song Hyun Gi, is less than pleased to have Yunho's first love back in his life and will stop at will stop at nothing to keep them a part. Will the boomerang return a 4th time, or will the distance finally become too far?
11 Years Later
On his third cup of coffee, Yunho read the same line of the chart for the 5th time.
“This isn’t working.” He groaned and leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hands over his face. Time seemed more of a concept than an actual thing that was actually moving around him; it had been that way since he was a kid. He looked at his watch for the first time and cursed. It was already 3 in the morning.
“You can’t really still be here.” Changmin, head of the Neurology department, stood in the doorway of Yunho's office holding two cups of green smoothie.
“Yes I am and I could kick myself for it.” 5 back to back surgeries, 15 patient consultations, finished up with 3 more surgeries had given him zero time to review charts.
“Hyun is gonna kick your ass.” Yunho took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I know and I deserve it.” Since becoming engaged in last December, Yunho had dogged every responsibility pertaining to his wedding which left his fiancé in charge of everything. Their conflicting work schedules did nothing to deescalate the tension that often arose when they discussed any details regarding their impending nuptials.
“Well drink this to make sure your stomach doesn’t eat itself from all of the coffee you’ve probably drank, and go home.” Yunho sighed and left his charts where they were. He’d be back in 8 hours anyway. He grabbed his coat and bag and thanked Changmin for the smoothie.
“It’s pretty late for you too. Aren’t you going home?” The department head shrugged and shoved his freehand in to his lab coat.
“I don’t have a fiancé at home. I can spare a little more time.” He winked and patted Yunho on the back. “Goodnight.” He turned and headed back to his office and Yunho locked his before taking the stairs down to the the parking lot. He found his car close to the entrance glad he had the foresight to choose a easily accessible space when he came in early that morning.
He turned off the alarm and got in. The feel of the leather steering wheel in his hands grounded him for a moment. He was thankful for the ability to do what he did everyday, but sometimes he felt like he wasn’t doing enough outside of work. And he knew that he wasn’t the only one that felt that way. He thought of his fiancé Hyun Gi, and sighed. With any luck, the man would be asleep when Yunho got home.
“Whoa, didn’t think you still lived here.” There was no such luck to be had tonight. Hyun Gi looked up from his laptop as Yunho took off his shoes.
“I’m sorry, babe. It really was crazy and I didn’t even get to start on charts till an hour ago.” He smiled sheepishly. “Forgive me?” Hyun Gi sighed and closed the lid of his laptop.
“I always do.” He set the laptop aside and got up. Walking over to Yunho he put his arms around his neck. “I missed you.” Yunho kissed his nose and then his lips.
“And I always miss you.” He gestured to the couch. “What were you doing still up?” Hyun Gi released his hand and led them towards the bedroom.
“Well I was prepping for court tomorrow and when I finished I started looking at venues for the wedding.” Now in their bedroom, Yunho started to unbutton his shirt.
“But I thought we already decided we’re getting married in the park near the coffee shop we met in.” That much Yunho had been a part of and he had been happy with the decision.
“No, it’s not going to work. It might be too warm in May to have an out door wedding.” Hyun Gi handed Yunho his pajamas before getting into bed. “And you know how my mother does in heat.” Yunho laughed.
“yeah: she doesn’t.”Hyun Gi began to laugh as well, as they both remembered how much she complained when they vacationed in Italy last summer. The only thing that kept her quiet and happy was air conditioning and an endless supply of margaritas.
“So I was thinking we could find something in doors instead of pushing back the date to next fall.” Yunho listened as he went into the bathroom connected to their bedroom so he could brush his teeth.
“Wherever, whenever. As long as you’re there I have zero complaints.” He mumbled around his tooth brush. Hyun Gi sighed loudly from bed. Yunho decided to not look at him because he already knew there was going to be a very annoyed look waiting for him.
“Yeah Yunho and that’s kind of the problem. You don’t complain. It’s like you don’t care that we’re getting married.” Yunho gargled and spit before turning out the light and heading over to the bed. He climbed in next to his fiancé and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to have this conversation again and not at 4:30 in the morning.
“Hyun, you know that’s not true. I’m just not the event planner type. If it were left up to me, we’d get married at the court house and leave for our honeymoon directly after. But I know that’s not what you want which means I want what you do.” He tugged on Hyun Gi’s arm. “Now can we please go to bed?” His fiancé looked down at him, obviously still annoyed. But he complied and laid down next to Yunho reached out and gave him a hug.
“You’re lucky I love you.” Yunho smiled and hugged him tighter.
“Extremely.”
....
The next morning Yunho leaned up against the nurses station as he reviewed the chart of a patient he was set to meet in an hour. Usually the nurses were quiet and deeply focused on their work. But this morning they were gossiping non stop.
“I caught a glance of him on my way to the lady’s room. He’s positively gorgeous.” Yunho’s nurse gushed. The rest of the nurses all began talking at once, trying to interject their stories of when they saw this mystery person.
“Alright, spill it. Who are you guys falling out of your bras for?” The nurses, like they were in sync, rolled their eyes at Yunho.
“Well if you must know.”
“I must.” He countered.
“It’s the new pediatrician, Dr. Kim. He started this morning and Administrator Lee is introducing him to the staff and showing him around.” His nurse practically swooned. “He has to be the most gorgeous man I’ve seen in ages.” Everyone nodded their agreement.
“He looks like one of those Halleluya stars my granddaughter lives for.” One of the older nurses added. Yunho raised his eyebrows. Now he was curious.
“And this is our cardiology department. Oh and this is our finest cardio thoracic surgeon, Dr. Jung Yunho.” At the sound of his name, Yunho turned and was prepared to introduce himself when he felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Dr. Kim wasn’t a stranger to Yunho in the slightest.
“Jae.” JaeJoong tilted his head, clearly confused.
“I’m sorry but, have we already met?” Yunho searched JaeJoong’s face, hoping that JaeJoong was joking. He wasn't. He really meant it.
“Dr. Jung, are you alright?” Administrator Lee looked concerned. Yunho was actually speechless.
“I-I um.” He stuttered, his mouth dry. JaeJoong smiled.
“You probably had a really long night; been there, done that. I’m sure we’ll catch up with each other soon.” With that, he turned his smile to Administrator Lee. “What’s next!” The older man, having forgotten about his concern for Yunho’s response, patted JaeJoong on the back.
“The cafeteria. My favorite place in the whole hospital.” He laughed as he patted his rotund stomach. JaeJoong chuckled.
“Don’t worry, it’s mine too.” They left the station and headed for towards the elevators. Yunho watched them leave, completely blown away. One of the nurses clucked her tongue at him.
“Real smooth, Dr. Jung.” The rest of the nurses erupted in to giggles.
Yunho left without another word and went straight into the bathroom. He gripped the sink, shaking as he tried to catch his breath. His mind was racing as he struggled to process an endless stream of thoughts.
11 years ago JaeJoong disappeared from the hospital 3 days after the car accident they had when they were 17. Yunho had been told that JaeJoong had been moved by his family to a hospital in America.
As soon as he was able to travel again, Yunho went to America and searched for JaeJoong. 1 year went by. Then 3. And before he knew it, his search had gone on for 6 years. Every where he searched he couldn’t find anything about JaeJoong. It was like he had been erased. He completed his undergrad education in America before going to medical school back in Korea. His hopes had been crushed and the heartbreak, that truly never healed, became quiet enough for him to get through his day.
Then he met Hyun Gi and for the first time in 6 years, he felt it possible to try moving on. He hadn’t looked back since then. But seeing JaeJoong, alive and well and a pediatrician just like he said he would be, trudged up feelings he thought were long buried and forgotten.
And the kicker? JaeJoong didn’t even remember him. It seemed he hadn’t been the only one to bury things.
-
Yunho knocked on the door of Changmin’s office. The neurologist looked up from his computer and when he saw it was Yunho he took off his glasses and waved him in.
“Hey! This is a rare middle of his day visit. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Yunho came in and sat down in the chair in front of Changmin’s desk.
“I won’t keep you long; I know you’re busy. I just had a quick question.”
“Shoot.” Yunho, still shaken from earlier, took a deep breath to calm himself.
“How common is it for someone’s to get head trauma that causes long term memory loss?” Changmin shrugged.
“It really depends on the severity. If it was a truly traumatic event for the patient then it might be even harder to remember anything leading up to the trauma.” He sighed. “It really is a case by case situation.” Yunho nodded, not sure how to feel.
“I see. I was just curious.” Changmin raised one of his eyebrows.
“No you’re not. What’s this really about?” Yunho bit his lip. He should have known Changmin wasn’t going to let him get away that easy.
“I met someone again for the first time in years and he didn’t remember me. The last time I saw him, was before our accident.” Changmin’s skepticism turned to sadness for his friend.
“Oh, Yunho I’m sorry. That’s really rough.” Yunho smiled sadly.
“Yeah. But you know, I’m just glad he’s okay. For 11 years I had no idea where he was or if he was okay and it was the worse time in my life.” He took another deep breath to steady himself before standing up. “Thanks again.” Before he left, Changmin called after him.
“Was he important to you? Like more than just a friend?” Yunho turned around and smiled at the other doctor.
“He was very important and I cared about him way more than a friend.” To say it in past tense felt weird, but it was true. But the truth was rarely painless.
....
The rest of Yunho’s shift carried on. He did surgeries, saw patients, and worked on charts. When 8:30 rolled around, he called it quits for the day. He gathered up his things and texted Hyung Gi to let him know that he was on his way home.
On his way down the stairs to the parking garage, he heard keys hit the concrete quickly followed by a large thump.
“Crap!” Yunho peered over the banister of the stairs and saw the top of JaeJoong’s head. Yunho’s legs were moving before his brain caught up.
“Can I help?” JaeJoong, bent over a pile of charts and books, looked up and Yunho. He smiled and for a moment Yunho thought he saw a flash of recognition in JaeJoong’s eyes.
“Dr. Jung!” He bit his lip. “I’m embarrassed. I don’t know what possessed me to try to carry all of this stuff to my car.” Crushed, Yunho forced down his disappointment and started to help gather up all the things JaeJoong dropped.
“It looks like a lot of work for your first day.” JaeJoong laughed and Yunho was having a hard time breathing again for the second time today. After all these years, JaeJoong's laugh was still the most magical thing Yunho had ever heard.
“I’m taking the place of two doctors. One is out temporarily on maternity leave and the other skipped town for another opportunity in the States. I’m here to fill in the cracks as quickly as I can.” He shuffled the last of the papers into their folders and Yunho picked up the last of the books.
“Well, I kind of had a brain fart earlier, but what I wanted to say is welcome to the team.” JaeJoong’s eyes, as brown and as chocolate as ever, softened as he looked at Yunho.
“That means a lot. Thank you, Dr. Jung.” Yunho swallowed, his stomach feeling like it was in knots. It was weird hearing JaeJoong’s voice again after so long. But it was even weirder having him not call him by his first name.
“I’ll help you take this stuff to your car.” Trying his best not to dwell, Yunho offered his help and he and JaeJoong went down the steps towards the garage.
“That’s me.” JaeJoong nodded his head in the direction of the red Audi parked right next to Yunho’s black Mercedes. When they got over to his car, JaeJoong rested the charts on the roof and unlocked the doors. “You can just stick those back there on the floor.” Yunho placed books on the floor in the backseat as JaeJoong asked and took the charts off the roof of the car and did the same.
“Okay, you’re all set.” JaeJoong smiled, leaning up against his car.
“Thank you again. I hope I didn’t keep you.” Yunho shook his head. He had truthfully been trying to find a way to bump into JaeJoong all day in hopes of apologizing for earlier, but this felt more natural.
“It’s no problem. I’m glad I could help.” JaeJoong turned and opened the door to his car and got in. Before starting it, he looked up at a Yunho who was holding onto the door, waiting to shut it for him.
“Goodnight, Dr. Jung.” Yunho felt like he was standing in quick sand. This was all too much.
“Dr. Kim, please call me Yunho.” JaeJoong laughed. A small blush reddened his cheeks and it did funny things to Yunho's stomach.
“Alright. Goodnight...Yunho.” He started his car and Yunho closed the door for him. He walked around to get in his car, tired for more reasons than just lack of sleep.
“Yunho.” At the sound of JaeJoong calling his voice, Yunho turned to look at the man who currently had his passenger side window rolled down. “Call me Jae.” With that he pulled out of the parking space and was off towards the exit.
Yunho watched him go, his heart in his throat. On his way home, Yunho remained in a daze a lot like the one he was in the first time he met JaeJoong again, when they were 17. He looked at the origami lion he had fashioned into a review mirror accessory years ago; it was the only constant reminder of JaeJoong he had allowed himself to keep.
He could feel the dirt he packed over his feelings for JaeJoong begin to shift. He held on to the steering wheel tighter.
“Shit.”
-
JaeJoong yawned as he got the last of his charts and books organized on the coffee table. It was going to take him a lot of coffee and Running Man to help him power through at least half of the charts he brought home.
“You’re home!” His roommate Ji-Yoo emerged from the kitchen, her light brown hair pushed back with a hair band and wearing her glasses that took up half her face. “How was your first day?” She plopped down on the couch next to him. JaeJoong let out a sigh.
“Overwhelming is probably the right word. I’ve never seen a hospital so big. You practically need to take a train to get to another department.” Ji-Yoo laughed.
“Hey I’m the one with the fine arts degree. Don’t be so dramatic.” JaeJoong smiled and leaned his head on her shoulder. She put her arm around his shoulders and hugged him.
“I really wanna be good at this, Ji. I’m going be handling my patients and the patients of two other doctors. I don’t wanna neglect anyone.” She knocked her head against his.
“Oppa, you have never been bad at being a doctor. You graduated at the top of your class a whole year early and have worked in 4 different hospitals. A large hospital in Seoul is going to be a piece of cake.” Still not convinced, he looked up at her.
“But what if I get distracted?” She frowned.
“What could possibly distract you? You’re like a bull that only sees red when it comes to being a doctor.” JaeJoong bit his bottom lip.
“Not a what. More of a who.” Ji-Yoo practically threw JaeJoong off the couch.
“Are you serious?! And on the first day, too. Spill! Who is he?” JaeJoong righted himself on the couch.
“His name is Jung Yunho. He works in the cardiology department.”
“Of course he’s a heart doctor.”
“He’s a cardio thoracic surgeon so he works on more than just hearts.” Ji-Hoo waved her hand at him dismissively.
“Formalities." She gripped his hand. "Tell me more.” JaeJoong shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant but was failing.
“Well his face looks like he’s cut out of damn marble. He’s a little bit taller than me, but not by much.”
“Just like you prefer.” Ji-Hoo interrupted. JaeJoong rolled his eyes.
“Yes, as I prefer. May I continue?” She smiled and nodded. “His voice is deep and he’s probably got the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen. He’s also incredibly sweet. He helped me take all this to my car and he even closed my car door for me.” He smiled as he remembered the short interaction. “But I’m not going to get my hopes up.” Ji-Hoo punched him the shoulder.
“Ow!”
“Why the hell shouldn’t you get your hopes up?” Still rubbing his sore shoulder, JaeJoong glared at her.
“Because one: I’ve got no idea if he’s even gay or not. And two: even if he is, there’s no way a guy like him is single.” And JaeJoong rarely has time outside of work anyway, so dating, for the most part, seemed like a moot point.
“Well I’m not buying it, Oppa.” JaeJoong picked up the first chart and opened it.
“Well that’s good cause I’m not selling anything." Ji-Hoo pinched him and quickly got off the couch before JaeJoong could retaliate.
"Hate you!"
"Love you too Oppa!"
....
Yunho slipped off his shoes and stepped into the apartment. Unlike yesterday, his fiancé wasn't waiting for him on the couch. He loosened his tie and headed into the kitchen to get a glass of water. His head was a mess from trying to process things too hard. It felt a lot like when he was trying to learn math on his own in college.
No matter how wrong it felt, he couldn't stop thinking about JaeJoong and how how well he had aged. His features were more mature, but the youth and undeniable beauty from when he was a teen were still the focal point. Still, 11 years later, JaeJoong hadn't lost his ability to make Yunho's heart skip a beat.
The front door alert put a momentary end to his useless stream of thought. His fiancé was home.
"I thought you were joking when you said you were on your way." Hyun-Gi took off his jacket and tossed it on the back of a kitchen chair. He walked up to Yunho and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Hi."
"Hi. Did you have good day?" Hyun-Gi took the glass from Yunho and finished the rest of the water.
"If you mean I kicked absolute ass in court today, then yes, it was a very good day." Yunho laughed. Hyun-Gi was a prosecutor and saying he was good at it would be a gross understatement. He was smart, quick witted, and didn't like to lose. When he and Yunho met 5 years ago, they didn't like each other. Their first interaction involved a mistaken coffee order that Yunho walked out with and Hyun-Gi chased after him like he had stolen his child.
Not one for conflict, Yunho had been blown away by the sheer rudeness and readiness that Hyun-Gi had to argue with a complete stranger. Yunho had felt genuinely terrible and immediately offered to buy him another. Hyun-Gi refused and stormed off. Yunho had said a prayer to never have to see the man again.
His prayer, as it would have it, didn't work and a week later he was at the coffee shop again, standing in line standing behind the argumentative man. But that encounter had been very different from the first and Hyun-Gi explained that he had been studying for the bar exam for one week straight and hadn't slept in 4 days. Yunho found that when he wasn't yelling, Hyun Gi was extremely cute. Taking a chance, he asked him out on a date, and now here they were. 5 years down the line, through various phases of their careers, they were engaged and ready to be married.
"You say that like it's news." Hyun-Gi laughed as he rummaged through the fridge. "There's nothing in there. I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow." His fiancé sighed and shut the door.
"Take out it is. Italian?"
"No!" Hyun-Gi stepped back and raised his hands in mock surrender.
"No Italian; got it. Is pizza okay or you got something against pepperonis too?" Yunho cleared his throat, trying to recover from his own reaction to the idea of having Italian. It would just be too much for him today, considering that his was still reeling from meeting JaeJoong again.
"No...pizza is fine. I'm sorry." Hyun-Gi shook his head.
"Don't be. You haven't actually had full nights sleep in like 3 days. I know you turn into the handsome brother of Frankenstein after being sleep deprived." He patted Yunho on the chest pressed himself as close as he could into Yunho. "I know the perfect way to get you to sleep right on time." His suggestive tone caused a stir of arousal in the bottom of his stomach. He wrapped his arms around Hyun Gi's waist to hold him in place.
"Goodness, I seemed to have forgotten how you do that. Do mind showing me now?" Hyun-Gi, smirked and grabbed Yunho by his loose tie and pulled him out of the kitchen.
"It would be my pleasure, doctor."
-
The next morning, Yunho walked through the sliding double doors of the cardiology department, completely rested. The difference a full nights sleep made was truly amazing. He headed straight to the nurses station to get his morning charts.
"Good morning, everyone." He frowned. "...What are you guys doing?" All of the nurses were gathered around his nurse and were looking under her section of the desk. A moment later, JaeJoong popped up from behind the desk and wiped his hands on his shirt.
"Looks like it was just unplugged, nurse Park." Not yet in his doctors coat, JaeJoong wore a tight green long-sleeved t-shirt and skinny black slacks.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for bothering you then. I must have accidentally unplugged it with my foot." Yunho rolled his eyes so hard, that if it were possible, they would have fallen straight out of his head.
"You're so helpful, doctor Kim. Thank you." Another nurse gushed and JaeJoong flashed a distracting smile.
"And you're too lovely, Nurse Mae." He turned and finally noticed Yunho who was staring at him like a gapping fish. "Morning Dr. J- Yunho."JaeJoong corrected himself and Yunho felt happy and sad at the same time.
"Good morning, Jae." He watched as JaeJoong moved from behind the nurses station to stand in front of him. The dark green brought out the hazel flecks in his eyes. He had always looked great in green.
"Sorry I'm on your turf. I took the wrong set of stairs trying to get to my office and then the best nurses ever pulled me aside to help with their computer troubles." He winked at the nurses who were all giggling like school girls.
"Don't be sorry. Do you need help finding your office?" JaeJoong smiled and shook his head.
"No I'm fine. Everyone gave me directions so I'm good." He waved over his shoulder as he headed towards the elevators. "Have a good day!" Yunho waved back, happy he hadn't frozen up like yesterday. Nurse Park leaned over the desk and handed Yunho his charts.
"You've got a patient to see in ten minutes." She smirked. "It would probably do you some good to wipe the drool off your chin first, doc." Yunho stuck his tongue at her and snatched the charts out of her hand.
"You first." He quipped back.
On his way to his office, he sighed to himself. He felt like he was balancing on a tightrope in serious danger of losing his balance. His focus was shot to hell and he had no idea if he was going to truly return to normal now that JaeJoong was so close again.
"Fuck."
--
A/N: Reunited and it feels so good! Reunited cause we understood. But...opps, there's some amnesia. So are they truly reunited? And Yunho is engaged. Please know that I'm ducking because I know I'm being stoned. I had a hard time writing romantic scenes between Yunho and someone else too. But listen! This story would be over in like 5 chapters if there wasn't a pinch of conflict, RIGHT? So settle in and be patient with me PRETTY PLEASE! Anyway, check out the Character Profile where I give a face to all the characters. I hope you like my choices :D. Thanks a bunch!!! See you all on Tuesday!