[CHAPTERED] Boomerang's (CH.10)
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?
CHAPTER 10 - Reality
Yunho let the warmth of his mother's house soak into his bones. It was so cold out that the short walk from his car up to the front door left him nearly numb with chill.
"Here, honey." His mother handed him a cup of hot chocolate and joined him on the couch. Yunho thanked her and took a sip. He smiled and hummed in content.
"This is good." She smiled and patted his knee.
"Only the best for my handsome son," She tilted her head at him and gave him a curious look. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but you didn't even tell me you were stopping by. Are you alright?" Yunho was hoping his mother wouldn't get right to the point so quickly, but he should have known better. She was the most perceptive person Yunho knew.
"I just really needed to see you. And...something happened." She tucked her lightly graying hair behind her ears and fixed Yunho with a serious look.
"What is it?" Yunho took another sip of hot chocolate, wanting to avoid answering for as long as possible.
"JaeJoong is working at the same hospital as me. He's a pediatrician just like he said wanted to be." Son Yee covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and shinning with unshed tears.
"Really? Yunho, I thought when you couldn't find him for all those years, I just assumed..." She trailed off. Yunho already knew what she was going to say.
"I did too. But part of me knew that wasn't true. I just didn't feel like the part of me he had was really lost. It would have been for sure if he was...dead." The word burned on his tongue when referring to JaeJoong. During the last year of his search for JaeJoong, Yunho fell into a deep depression. He barely ate and at one point came down with pneumonia that kept him on bed rest for nearly 2 weeks. His mother had been so worried that Yunho would never truly heal if he kept on like that.
"How is he? You guys have so much to catch up on!" Her eyes were lit up, but the light quickly died out when Yunho's expression didn't change. "Or not. Yunho, what's the matter?" For the first time the emotion he had been holding back spilled over. Lowering his head to his chest, the first tears began to fall.
"He doesn't remember me, mom." He looked up at his mom, his heart breaking all over again. "He's as beautiful and perfect as he was 11 years ago but he doesn't remember me. He looked right at me yesterday and was so confused when I said his name." He sniffled, finding it hard not to lose total control. Son Yee grabbed his hand, her face showing her own sorrow.
"Oh honey. I don't know what to say. He really hurt his head. It's a miracle that he's even living a normal life." Yunho nodded his agreement because his mother was right. When he was stressed, he still woke up in a cold sweat after having a nightmare about JaeJoong's head bleeding and him trying to stop it. He swore it was going to be a memory that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
"He could remember again one day. I don't even know how to bring it up to him without freaking him out. I have no idea how much he even remembers about himself." He wiped his face and sniffled. "I just feel like I'm going to explode. That's why I needed to see you before I went home to Hyun-Gi." Son Yee nodded.
"I understand." She gave his hand a tight squeeze. "Sweetie does this...does this change anything for you and Hyun?" Yunho found it hard to swallow all of a sudden. He coughed and looked down at their intertwined fingers.
"No." He answered simply. "I love Hyun very much and I don't think things will ever be the same with Jae. They can't be when he doesn't remember anything about us." The more of the truth he forced himself into accepting, the easier is would be. Son Yee sighed.
"As long as you're sure of yourself."
"I am." Yunho checked his watch then looked at his mother. "I've got to get going; I still haven't gone to the grocery store." He stood up and stretched. His mother stood with him and gave him a long hug that Yunho needed right then. They departed and Yunho said his goodbyes before leaving. On his way to the grocery store, he silently berated himself for not being completely honest with his mother.
He knew that he couldn't just leave JaeJoong alone. If there was something he wanted more than anything, he wanted his best friend back in his life.
...
JaeJoong took his reading glasses off and rubbed at his tired eyes. 56 charts down with only 15 more to read before he was completely caught up with the work the other doctors left. He glared at the clock that read 10:00pm and on que, his stomach growled at him like an angry dog. Pushing back from his desk, he grabbed his wallet and headed down to the cafeteria that was thankfully open until 12 am. On his way down in the elevator, he checked his phone and smiled at a text from Ji-Yoo. She sent him a picture of her holding an empty ketchup bottle and captioned it "Shoot me. Another graveyard shift." JaeJoong snapped a selfie of himself and texted back and captioned it "Same here. Text me when you're done and I'll come get you."
The elevator dinged and the doors opened to the cafeteria. It was completely deserted except for someone sitting at a table in the back. He took a moment to register who it was before he blushed. It was Dr. Jung. He closed his eyes for a second. No, Yunho. JaeJoong was still getting use to referring to the other doctor so casually.
Deciding it was best not to stare at him like an idiot, JaeJoong opened one of the fully stocked, clear door refrigerators and took out a sandwich and bottle of orange juice and headed for the automated checkout. Before he got there, he turned around and grabbed a bag of chips. After he paid, he talked himself into going over to say hello to Yunho. By the time he got half way to the table, he got too nervous and turned around.
"Jae?" Damn. He forced himself to smile and turned around.
"Hi. I don't want to bother you if you were busy." Yunho smiled and shook his head as he cleared a few charts away and set his laptop aside.
"No, you're not bothering me at all. I stopped eating hours ago and just didn't get up. Kind of by accident, but also on purpose." He shrugged. "Sometimes you need a change in atmosphere. I could use the company though." JaeJoong sat down with his food, still feeling nervous.
"I get that completely. But it's hard for me to get out of my office because I'm actually an introvert until I get to know someone." Yunho nodded.
"I know." Yunho looked up at him as if he hadn't meant to say that. "I mean, I've noticed. I haven't really seen you around since last week." Yunho covered up what he meant, but the uneasy look on his face was still there. JaeJoong decided not to read too much more into it. Instead he held up the bag of chips.
"I got these on autopilot but I'm not actually a fan of chips." Liar! JaeJoong bit his lip and tried to keep smiling. He had gotten the chips for Yunho. The other doctor smiled and accepted them.
"I was just thinking about getting a snack, so I'm happy to take them off your hands." He opened them and ate the first one. "So are you adjusting alright?" JaeJoong nodded and began to unwrap his sandwich.
"Yeah, I think so. Playing catch-up is rough but I know it's only temporary. Everyone is super nice and welcoming which helps a lot." Yunho focused completely on him as he spoke making JaeJoong feel shy.
"Where'd you work before here?" JaeJoong took another bite of his sandwich and chewed quickly so he could answer.
"A little bit of everywhere. I finished up college and my residency in Japan and stayed there for about a year or so after and then moved to a Malaysia and worked as a relief doctor at a children's hospital for about 10 months. Before Seoul I was in Busan helping a classmate set up his clinic for the elderly. Once he got it off the ground, I worked there for almost a year." He took a breath and realized what he must have sounded like. "I promise I'm not a flake. Seoul is my final stop. I swear!" Yunho stared at him for a long time before bursting into laughter.
"I don't think you're a flake at all. I think you just like to be busy so it's hard to stay in just one place. Right?" Speechless, JaeJoong could only nod. No one had ever gotten why he couldn't settle down. Honestly he didn't get it either.
"Whoa, that's it exactly! But apparently Seoul is where I grew up so I figured it was time to come back." Yunho put down the half eaten bag of chips, a more intense focus on JaeJoong than before.
"Apparently? What do you mean by that?" JaeJoong flushed and scratched the back of his head. He raised his bangs and turned his head to the left to reveal the pink raised scar that stopped about a half inch before his eyebrow.
"I was in a car accident when I was seventeen. My brakes completely failed and I got hit by a semi." He fixed his hair back down so that it lay flat. "The doctors told me my heart stopped on the operation table 3 times during surgery. When I woke up, the only thing I knew was my name." When he was finished, he looked up and found Yunho bating away tears with the back of his hand. "Yunho?"
"I'm so sorry. I-I don't really know what came over me." He wiped his face and sniffled. "That was probably weird. But I'm not always that weird. It's just been a weird day." JaeJoong blinked at him for a long time, trying not to laugh. After a minute he failed and broke out in hysterical laughter. He leaned over, clutching his side.
"I don't mean to laugh. That was just the best thing I've ever heard." He wiped his tears from laughing so hard. "I have no idea why that was so funny. I'm sorry." He covered his mouth, eyes still watering. Yunho, no longer crying, smiled.
"No, it's okay. I was the one over here acting like a crazy person." JaeJoong shook his head.
"You're not crazy at all." He tilted his head to the side as he continued to look at Yunho. The next thing he heard himself say almost knocked him out of his seat. "Can we be friends?"
His heartbeat was beating so loud, that there was no way Yunho couldn't hear it. In the span of 10 minutes, he had revealed his ugly scar, laughed in Yunho's face, and now he was asking to be friends. He really wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. But instead of looking surprised by the question, Yunho's kind eyes turned warm as he looked at JaeJoong.
"I can't imaging wanting anything more." Yunho's gentle response made JaeJoong's knees weak. If he wasn't sitting, he'd probably swoon. Trying to play it cool, he just nodded.
"Awesome! It's kind of lonely being new." Yunho smiled at him again. His smile could end world hunger.
"It definitely can be. I'm glad you chose me to be your first one here." He started to clean up his charts and closed his laptop. "Are you ready to go home?" JaeJoong looked down at his half eaten sandwich deciding he could it in the car.
"Yeah. I probably should be, anyway." Yunho stood up with his things, grabbing the bag of chips with his free hand.
"Can I walk you to your car?" Geez! Was this guy for real? If JaeJoong's heart rate didn't slow down, he was going to faint.
"Sure. I just need to go back to my office to grab my jacket." Yunho nodded and started to lead the way out of the cafeteria.
"I'll meet you in the stairwell."
"Okay." JaeJoong nearly ran to the elevator that would take him back to the pediatrics department. He quickly grabbed his coat and double checked to make sure everything was in the pockets before tossing off his doctors coat. He was just about to run down the stairs when he remembered that he didn't want to look like he had rushed. Taking a deep breath, he took his time getting down the stairs. As promised, Yunho was waiting in the stairwell.
"Ready to go?" JaeJoong nodded and followed Yunho down the remainder of the stairs to the garage. Today JaeJoong had parked a little further away than usual, but Yunho didn't seem to mind. When they got to his car, he turned to Yunho, heart still fluttering from the gesture.
"Thanks for walking down with me." Yunho shrugged easily and smiled.
"You don't have to thank me; I wanted to. And if you ever want to do it again, you can stop by my office...or you could text me since that's what friends do." He chuckled making JaeJoong do the same.
"It kind of sounds like you're asking for my number." Yunho looked away, probably a little embarrassed.
"You caught me. I'm not very sneaky." JaeJoong took his phone out of his pants pocket and unlocked it before handing it to Yunho.
"Neither am I. If you weren't going to ask, I was." Yunho took the phone and entered his number before handing it back.
"Well make sure you use it. I'll be expecting to hear from you soon." Officially swooning, JaeJoong could only nod. No guy had ever been such a gentleman to him. He had always ended up disappointed whenever he tried to let someone in only to find out that were only with him for sex. No one ever seemed serious enough about getting to know him.
"How about I text you when I get home? Is that soon enough?"
"Perfect! Goodnight, JaeJoong." JaeJoong unlocked the doors to his car and got in. Yunho, just like he had a week ago, held onto the door as he waited for JaeJoong to start his car. With yet another soul rattling smile, Yunho closed JaeJoong's door and waved before turning to go back across the lot to his own car. When he was out on the street, he voice dialed Ji-Yoo.
"Hello?"
"I'm on my way." She cheered.
"Great! I'll be outside freezing my ass off until you get here." JaeJoong laughed and ended the call as he turned on to the freeway. Finally calm enough to think, JaeJoong took a moment to consider his odds. Yunho was definitely a little more than just your friendly, neighborhood straight guy. But he still wasn't quite sure he had a chance.
"Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough."
-
Yunho sat in his car for what felt like hours before he finally was able to leave the parking garage and go home. He didn't know which feeling to process first. The urge he had to kiss the scar on JaeJoong's forehead or the one where he felt like an asshole for being so flirtatious.
He knew he was falling down the rabbit hole as soon as he offered to walk JaeJoong to his car. Who does that? Was this the 1950's? He groaned.
Wanting to spend time with JaeJoong, and ultimately take care of him, were both things Yunho thought about doing since the day they met. But things were different now. At least they were supposed to be. He shook his head as if it were going to help clear his thoughts.
Things were very different. He was engaged to someone he loved very much and had effectively left behind the person who had been in so much pain over losing his first love.
But that's what really complicated things. JaeJoong wasn't physically gone any more; even though he had no memories of Yunho and the time they spent together. And now Yunho was pushing the envelope by trying to invite him back into his life as a friend. They had tried the friends thing when they were younger, but they had been too in love with each other to not try for more. He closed his eyes and thought of Hyun Gi and their love for each other. They complimented each other and more importantly they understood one another. He nodded to himself, convinced that while he felt shaken by JaeJoong's re-appearance, he wasn't going to waver.
Yunho drove home with the radio on to help keep him from thinking. By the time he was parked walking in the front door of the apartment he shared with Hyun Gi, he felt like he was finally back to normal.
"Babe? I'm home."
"In here!" Yunho followed the call into Hyun Gi's office. His fiancé was flipping through a large book that looked a lot like a photo album.
"We're reading picture books now?" Hyun Gi rolled his eyes as he accepted Yunho's kiss on the cheek.
"Very funny. These are the options for our wedding that I had my secretary put together for us. It takes out a lot of guess work if we can just pick out one theme." He sighed. "I don't like anything so far though." Yunho leaned over his shoulder to take a look. Everything looked so over the top.
"None of that is us, Hyun." Hyun-Gi looked up at him.
"Yeah, I know. But what is us? How do we even know?" Yunho sighed and sat down on the couch on the other side of the office.
"Something small and intimate. We aren't flashy people." He would never say it out loud, but the attention Hyun Gi was giving their wedding was starting to bother him.
“It kind of feels like you’re trying to keep us getting married a secret.” Yunho frowned.
“When the hell did I say that?” Hyun-Gi leaned back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest.
"You didn't. It's how you've been acting this whole wedding planning process." Yunho sighed.
"I just want us to be married, Hyun. The fanfare is completely unnecessary." He felt like a broken record because of how many times they have had this exact same conversation in the last 2 months.
"What if it's necessary to me!? Have you considered that?" In full argumentative mode, Hyun Gi was practically foaming at the mouth. Yunho clenched his jaw and stood up.
"Whatever this is really about, you need it to get it together and talk to me when you've got a nicer tone." He finished undoing his shirt and headed upstairs to their room.
"You didn't really just walk away from me." Hyun Gi stood in the doorway, looking more annoyed than angry now. Yunho traded his work pants for a pair of sweats and his dress shirt was replaced with a baggy t-shirt.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did." He slid the door of their closet shut.
"It's not that serious." Yunho laughed.
"Hate to break it to you, Hyun, but it kind of is. At every turn, you've found a way to bite off my head about this wedding. I care about and I want everything that you want. But it's simple to me: I want to be married to you and it doesn't matter where we are or who's there to see it." He grabbed his head phones and stored them around his neck. Hyun-Gi hadn't said a word, which was entirely out of character. Yunho leaned in and tapped his nose. "Is this thing on?" Hyun Gi slapped his hand away.
"You're not funny." Yunho laughed.
"I never claimed to be." Hyun Gi let out a long breath and pushed himself off the door and walked over to Yunho who accepted him with open arms. For a few minutes, they just held each other in silence.
"My brother called today." Yunho pulled back to look at Hyun Gi's face.
"Yeah? What did he want?" Hyun Gi rolled his eyes.
"To brag and shit all over my parade, as usual. He's met some gold digger and they're getting married in, you guessed it, May." He shook his head. "He never fails to make me want to kick him in the teeth." Yunho hummed.
"So that's why you've turned into the groom from hell?" Yunho clapped his hands. "Well I guess we're going to have to get married in April, then.”
“What?” Yunho smiled, very pleased with himself.
“If he thinks that he’s going to upstage our wedding, he’s in for a big surprise. All of your family will have been to ours first and will be completely uninterested in going to his a month later. It’s the perfect crime.” Hyun Gi’s smile went from slight to spreading across his face.
“You really mean that?” Yunho nodded, pleased to see his fiancé happy again.
“I do. So I guess that means we’ve got a lot of work to do.” Hyun Gi jumped onto Yunho, his arms and legs wrapped around him. Yunho laughed as they stumbled back on to the bed. When they calmed down, Hyun Gi stared down at Yunho with the highest form of adoration. It was a look that always made Yunho’s heart swell with happiness.
“I love you so much. Thank you for being amazing even though I test positive for crazy everyday.” Yunho rubbed his hands up and down Hyun’s arms.
“I love you too.” Without his permission, JaeJoong’s smiling face flashed in his head. Moments later, his phone vibrated with a text. With in a closer reach, Hyun Gi grabbed it. Before handing it to Yunho he glanced at it and saw that it was from an unknown number.
“Looks like someone may have texted you by mistake.” Yunho took the phone and read the message.
I’m home now. Goodnight. He swallowed the lump in his throat and quickly texted back his goodnight before adding JaeJoong’s number to his contacts.
“No, it’s meant for me. It’s from a co-worker.” Hyun rolled off of Yunho and onto the bed.
“Oh cool!” He reclined back onto the bed. “What department?” Yunho slipped his phone into his pocket.
“Pediatrics. They just started a last week so it’s still a little difficult for them getting to know everyone.”
“I’m sure. Is she nice?” Yunho began to look for his running shoes.
“Yes, he is.” Yunho corrected as he got up and stretched. "I'm going to head downstairs to the gym. You need anything before I go?" Silent, Hyun-Gi shook his head no. Yunho smiled and leaned over to kiss the top of Hyun-Gi's head.
...
Hyun-Gi was left alone in the bedroom and with his thoughts. He couldn't remember the last time he got a confirmation text that one of his friends was home. Biting his lip, he pushed the useless thoughts out of his head. He trusted Yunho and had always done so. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. This wedding planning really was making him crazy.
-
“He totally wants you, Oppa.” JaeJoong said nothing, in part because the clay mask on his face was starting to harden.
“You’re not even trying to deny it because you agree!” Ji-Yoo got too excited and her own face mask pulled too hard on her face. "Ow." JaeJoong tried to laugh but it came out as more of a wheeze because his facial mobility was limited.
"He's just trying to make me feel better about being so new. I don't think it's more than that." The timer for their face masks went off and they headed into the bathroom to wash their faces. Their double sinks made it easy for them to do it side by side. Ji-Yoo finished first and started to pat her face dry.
"I'm not sure what rock you're living under, but all of that screams serious interest. Way more than just wanting to be friends." JaeJoong dried off his face and looked at himself in the mirror. The terry cloth headband that held his hair off his forehead put his scar on full display. He twisted his mouth, a little sad.
"I showed him my scar." Ji-Yoo looked at him, confused.
"Why?"
"Because I began to reveal my past and why the hell I don't remember my life leading up to the age of 17. And then he cried." JaeJoong shot his roommate a disapproving look as she began to laugh. "Ji! Don't laugh. I felt awful." He still did. Ji-Yoo finally stopped laughing long enough to take a breath.
"What! You can't be telling the truth. He cried?" JaeJoong reached for his moisturizer, starting with his scar first.
"It wasn't like he was bawling or anything. He just cried, like..." He trailed off trying to find a comparison. "Like how I cry whenever I watch soccer." Ji-Yoo nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. Together they had drawn the conclusion that at some point JaeJoong must have played soccer and he really loved to do it.
"Did he explain why he cried?" JaeJoong finished rubbing in the rest of his moisturizer and shook his head no.
"Nope. He just apologized. I didn't want to push in case it was something personal." He was about to turn to leave the bathroom when he stopped and turned to look at Ji-Yoo. "But you know what?" She raised her eyebrows.
"What?"
"I think he knows me. When we met on my first day he called me Jae and looked like the wind had been knocked out of him when I asked him if we had already met. And today when I said that I was an introvert around people I didn't know, he said 'I know'. He covered it up quickly but he definitely said it like he knew." Ji-Yoo nodded slowly and brought her hand to her chin.
"Maybe you guys were classmates in high school." JaeJoong nodded.
"Probably. I really hope I was nice to him." Ji-Yoo turned out the lights and linked arms with JaeJoong as they walked down the hall to their bedrooms.
"Well unless he's got some serious plans for revenge, it sounds like he is just really glad to see you." She shrugged. "Besides, if you were as sweet as you are now, there's no way anyone could dislike you." JaeJoong smiled and kissed her on the cheek.
"No one believes in me the way you do. Thanks, Dongsaeng." They went their separate ways and JaeJoong continued further down the hall to his room. He turned the lights off, and crawled into bed. Before he fell asleep, he checked his phone to make sure he set an alarm. Once he was done, he was about to put it down until it vibrated in his hand.
"I'm glad you're home. Goodnight." Simple, but uncharacteristically impactful, Yunho's text quickened JaeJoong's pulse. He put his phone down, and turned over. The last thing he thought about before sleep overcame him, was Yunho's smile and kind eyes.
--
A/N: I love YunJae so much. But things are about to get REALLY complicated. It looks like Yunho has some baggage he thought he left behind, but clearly hasn't. And our beautiful Jae is over here completely clueless about the man who seems to be a stranger, but is actually his first love. What will they do!? We'll see what happen's next on Sunday. Have a great week!