Annoyingly Beautiful - 2
Title: Annoyingly Beautiful
Pairing(s): YunJae, One-sided JaeMin
Author: tvfxq
Rating: PG 13
Genre: Romance, Drama, Slight(?) Fluff, Slight Angst
Disclaimer: Some of the characters and scenes in story were inspired by the ones in the drama ‘You’re Beautiful’, so inevitably, there will be some similarities.
Length: 2/??
Summary: Jung Yun Ho was never a people person. Having only three friends in the entire world - who, most of the time, got on his nerves - he never learned how to act anything but hostile towards other people. But does that all change when he one day meets Kim Jae Joong, the clumsiest and most naive klutz he had ever known? Maybe not…
a/n.: This dedicated to musik_love because she’s my non-related sister, and also because it’s been a year since everything ♥
Annoyingly Beautiful
~;~
“Just what do you two think you’re doing?” Yun Ho uttered through gritted teeth, his fists clenched. Swiftly, he stomped his way all the way to the counter and yanked Jae Joong’s hand away from Chang Min’s mouth; but not before scowling viciously at his friend.
“Hyung, relax, I was just-“
“Well you can’t!” Yun Ho growled before fixating his eyes on Jae Joong. The latter gulped thickly, the sharp pain in his hand momentarily forgotten. “I-it was my fault…”
“I know it was your fault!” he hissed, startling Jae Joong. And before either Chang Min or Jae Joong said anything, Yun Ho dragged Jae Joong forcefully out the kitchen and up the stairs to his room.
“Let go of me, it hurts!” Jae Joong shook his way out of Yun Ho’s hold. When his eyes met with the other’s he tensed. “…Please.” Yun Ho didn’t really utter anything as he locked the door and pushed Jae Joong onto his bed.
“Don’t move from that spot.” Yun Ho commanded, and Jae Joong meekly nodded his head in obedience. He walked over to the bathroom and came out with a first aid kit in his hands. Making his way to his bed where Jae Joong was, he sat down beside the other and took hold of the hand that was bleeding. “From now on, if anything happens to you, you come to me first, okay?” Yun Ho ordered rather than asked.
Jae Joong nodded silently and watched as Yun Ho cleaned his wound before applying medicine on the cut. “You shouldn’t just allow other people to suck on your wounds like a vampire. It’s unhygienic and also very disturbing.” The older between the two stated while bandaging the wound.
Jae Joong smiled. Yun Ho had such light hands. “Thank you.” He said when Yun Ho had finished, and the latter almost smiled. Almost. “From now on, I’m your number one, not Chang Min or anybody else, understand?”
“I don’t really see how-“
“Just say yes.”
“Okay.” Jae Joong nodded meekly, “Yes.”
A satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of Yun Ho’s lips and he stood up, “Good.” He uttered, “Now let’s go downstairs, as much as I want to, we can’t just leave Chang Min alone downstairs.”
“You’re right,” Jae Joong agreed, standing up, “I also have to get back to cooking-“
“Don’t.” Yun Ho interrupted, “I’ll… I’ll eat what you cooked. I’ll eat the prawns.” It came out forced, and Jae Joong noticed. The latter furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, “I promise to be careful.”
“I said I’ll eat it!” Yun Ho insisted. Jae Joong couldn’t really do anything much and, being the pushover that he is, simply nodded his head.
~;~
Chang Min and Jae Joong couldn’t help but stare at Yun Ho as he ate. He looked like he was in pain, as if he was being tortured. Watching Yun Ho force himself to eat food that he didn’t like was a very unpleasant site to see.
“Hyung, you look like you’re suffering from constipation.” Chang Min remarked, and Jae Joong frowned at him. Quickly he looked at Yun Ho and smiled, “I don’t think you look like that. But really, you don’t have to eat it. I can always-“
“No.” Yun Ho interjected, “It’s delicious.” Despite his words, anyone could tell that it was a lie - what with that pained expression on his face. He swallowed the food he had been chewing on for the past two minutes and hurriedly chugged down a glass of water. When he noticed that Chang Min and Jae Joong were still staring, he snapped at them, “Will you guys quit staring? How do you expect me to eat knowing that there are eyes boring into my very soul?”
Jae Joong then turned his attention to Chang Min, lest he upset Yun Ho further with his stares. “You look so handsome when you eat, Chang Min.” he complimented, and the aforementioned boy couldn’t help but feel very special at that moment. With a huge grin and a smug expression on his face, he chuckled and reached out to pinch Jae Joong’s cheek.
“Hey! I thought I was your number one?” Yun Ho suddenly chimed in, an ineffable look of jealousy and rage on his face.
“You look handsome too!” Jae Joong quickly said, not wanting to upset the other. Chang Min scoffed and stabbed the innocent shrimp on his plate. When his food was barely recognizable, he pursed his lips and looked up from his plate, glaring at Yun Ho from across the table.
“You bully him too much, hyung.”
“What?” Yun Ho hissed and quickly turned his head to look at Jae Joong, “Kim Jae Joong, tell him I don’t bully you.”
“He doesn’t bully me!” Jae Joong nodded, glancing at both Yun Ho and Chang Min. “Umm… anyway, Chang Min and I were talking about cellphones earlier… can you buy me one?” he asked, smiling nervously at Yun Ho. The tension in the room was getting to him.
“No.” Yun Ho stated, eyes still fixated on Chang Min. The latter frowned, but as he shifted his gaze to Jae Joong, his frown quickly faded and he smiled warmly, “It’s okay Jae Joong, you’ll get one eventually.”
Jae Joong smiled, Yun Ho rolled his eyes, and Chang Min did the same. As they resumed eating, silence ensued for a peaceful five minutes… until Chang Min broke the golden silence by asking a question that made the oldest in the room’s blood boil. “Why don’t you introduce him to Yoo Chun and Jun Su?”
Yun Ho’s head shot up, eyes darting daggers at Chang Min. The tension in the room suddenly turned ominous, and it made Jae Joong shudder unconsciously. “He’s not meeting them.”
“I don’t see why-“
“The food’s getting cold!” Jae Joong interrupted, laughing awkwardly, “Let’s just eat.”
~;~
Jae Joong rested his head on his knees, which were hugged tightly against his chest, as he stared with unseeing eyes outside the window in his bedroom. Yun Ho barely had time for him, and it didn’t really help that Chang Min hadn’t been visiting, either. He was bored out of his wits; but more than bored, he was lonely.
Just as he was brooding, the faint sound of knocking was heard, and Jae Joong lifted his head, turning it to the direction of the sound. Yun Ho entered not too long after, and it brought a smile to Jae Joong’s face. “Why are you locking yourself up in here? Shouldn’t you be tripping around the house, like you’ve been doing for the past week?”
Jae Joong slowly shook his head before she answered, “I feel lonely. And Chang Min hasn’t been coming over, either.” He pouted, resting his chin on his knees again.
“And just what am I, a ghost?” Yun Ho asked bitterly, that inevitable frown on his face again. Jae Joong raised his head and let go of his knees, standing up. He regarded Yun Ho with a somehow worried look and shook his head, biting his lip.
“No… you were always busy with other things; I didn’t want to get in your way.”
“Oh.” Yun Ho’s frown faltered then, and his expression softened. “Well, I’m going out for a while. Just… try not to look too depressed, it doesn’t suit you.” With that he turned on his heel and left the room. Jae Joong, who was hopeful that Yun Ho would spend the day with him, sulked and sat back down, slumping.
How could he be happy if he was all alone?
~;~
Yun Ho left his house with a rare and wide smile on his face. He wasn’t happy about leaving Jae Joong - believe it or not, the latter was growing on him - he was happy because he had a surprise for his newfound brother.
He was on his way to buy Jae Joong a cellphone, and he felt strangely good about it.
~;~
Jae Joong’s arms and legs were sprawled across his bed as he idly stared at the ceiling. Waiting was such an agony. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the doorbell ringing and as though pressed for time, Jae Joong sprung off the bed and dashed down the stairs to open the door.
Finally, he thought.
“You’re ba-oh.” Jae Joong’s face visibly fell when he saw that the person at the door wasn’t Yun Ho. “Hi Chang Min.” He greeted with a wan smile.
“Yun Ho isn’t here, is he?” Chang Min pouted when he saw the look of disappointment on Jae Joong’s face, “I’ll drop by some other time, then. When you don’t look so depressed.”
“Wait!” Jae Joong nearly yelled, clutching onto Chang Min’s arm, preventing him from leaving, “Don’t go. I’m happy you came over!” It wasn’t a lie. He did want to see Chang Min, but at the same time he wished to see Yun Ho more.
“Are you sure~?” Chang Min cocked an eyebrow, and Jae Joong nodded. “In that case, get dressed. I’m taking you out today, so I can buy you a cellphone, and so you can meet Yoo Chun and Jun Su.”
“Really?” Jae Joong beamed, excited at the thought of meeting new people. Then all of a sudden, a realization hit him and his smile fell.
“What’s the matter?”
“I don’t have that much clothes. And all the ones I have are really shabby…”
“Well then, I guess we’re going to drop by a few shops today.”
~;~
“Jae Joong, you should be a model.” Chang Min told Jae Joong whilst paying for the new sets of clothes he had bought for the younger boy. “You look good in everything you wear. You make gaudy clothes look fashionable.”
“You’re just being biased because we’re friends.” Jae Joong blushed, eyes downcast. Chang Min chuckled and ruffled the other’s hair. “I could be…” He took hold of the younger boy’s hand and led him out the store once he had finished paying.
“Come on~”
~;~
“Choose whichever model you want,” Chang Min said as they entered the cellphone store, a cornucopia of phones surrounding them.
“I wasn’t being serious when I asked him to buy me a phone…” Jae Joong trailed off, biting his lip, “I just wanted to lessen the tension. I don’t need one.”
Chang Min ignored him and moved over to one of the displays of cellphones. Jae Joong frowned and pursed his lips, following Chang Min. He tapped the freakishly tall boy’s shoulder and was spared a glance in return. “Yes?”
“Did you even hear what I just told you?”
“Yes.” Chang Min nodded, moving over to another array of phones. He paused and turned to face Jae Joong, regarding the latter with a grin, “The real question is, though, Am I going to listen to what you just said. And the answer to that, my friend, is no.” Chang Min turned his attention back to the display of phones.
“But-“
“This one looks good. Do you want it?” Chang Min interrupted nonchalantly, as if Jae Joong wasn’t even talking. The latter pouted angrily and crossed his arms, “You don’t have to get me anything.”
“But I want to.” Chang Min insisted, “That way, you can call me when you’re bored, or can’t sleep, or when Yun Ho hyung quarrels you again. I want to be there for you.”
Jae Joong said nothing after that, and Chang Min took the other’s silence as an, Okay, Chang Min. You can buy me a phone and I’ll call you everyday and night.
~;~
“Jae Joong?” Chang Min began as soon as they exited the cellphone store. Jae Joong looked at Chang Min, a little wide eyed, and responded, “Yes?”
“How do you feel about ice cream?”
Jae Joong’s eyes suddenly lit up as fond memories from the orphanage ran through his mind. “I love it. Growing up, the other kids and I used to be treated to it once a year during New Year’s. We all looked forward to it… except for Geun Tae, because he was lactose intolerant…” he trailed off for a moment. Jae Joong looked up at Chang Min and smiled, “One of my favorite memories.”
Chang Min took Jae Joong’s hand in his, “I’ll create more memories for you, then. I’ll buy you the biggest ice cream sundae there is - complete with all the toppings.” With that, he led Jae Joong to a nearby ice cream shop, and true enough, he did buy Jae Joong the biggest ice cream sundae available.
“Aren’t you going to have some?” Jae Joong offered, a huge grin on his face, and pushed the sundae closer to Chang Min, “It’s delicious!”
Chang Min shook his head and pushed it back, “Normally I would have bought two for myself. But now that I’m with you, just you, I suddenly don’t feel like eating.” Jae Joong put his spoon down and the smile that was once on his face faded away. “Do I make you lose your appetite…?”
“No!” Chang Min quickly shook his head, waving both hands frantically in front of his chest, “I meant that in a good way.”
“Oh…” Jae Joong nodded, “That’s too bad.” He picked up his spoon again and resumed eating the biggest ice cream sundae he had ever eaten in his entire life; but not before regarding Chang Min with a warm smile that sent the latter’s heart aflutter, “Thank you, by the way. I’ll treasure this moment.”
~;~
Jae Joong trailed behind Chang Min, following him to a small café. He was to be introduced to Park Yoo Chun and Kim Jun Su, Yun Ho and Chang Min’s friends. That fact alone made Jae Joong feel excited. He liked meeting Yun Ho’s friends.
“Yo, Chang Min!” Jae Joong heard someone call out to Chang Min; he looked around and found someone waving. Jae Joong assumed that was Yoo Chun. The waving guy just looked like a Yoo Chun to him.
“Ah, Yoo Chun~” Chang Min said, walking towards the direction of the aforementioned person.
Yup, he was right. That was Yoo Chun.
“I thought you said you were gonna bring Yun Ho’s brother along with you? Jun Su and I wanted to meet him.”
“I did bring him along.” Chang Min replied, stepping to the side so that Jae Joong could be seen more.
“Where is he?” Jun Su asked, looking around, and Chang Min whacked his head. “You idiot. THIS,” he said, moving his hand towards Jae Joong, “is him.”
“Hi~” Jae Joong greeted cheerily, “I’m Kim Jae Joong.”
“Kim?” both Yoo Chun and Jun Su asked incredulously in unison.
“Yun Ho told him to keep the name.” Chang Min shrugged.
“Oh…” Jun Su nodded, “Honestly, I was expecting to see a tall, tan and unimaginably mean guy. He’s not at all what I imagined.”
“You mean you expected him to be like Yun Ho?” Yoo Chun laughed and Jun Su shook his head, “I was thinking more like Chang Min, but yeah, Yun Ho works.”
“Shut up, Jun Su.” Chang Min hissed before he pulled a seat and ushered Jae Joong to sit down.
“So Jae Joong,” Yoo Chun began, a sly grin etched upon his face as he spoke, “how old are you?”
“Eighteen.” Jae Joong answered happily, unaware of the sleazy grins Yoo Chun was flashing him.
“Yoo Chun!” Jun Su gasped, aghast. He looked rather scandalized and began to berate the aforementioned person, “You just met him and already you’re going all greasy mode on him?!”
“I was just asking his age!” Yoo Chun answered defensively, “It wasn’t as if I was planning anything.”
“You’d better not.” Chang Min frowned, giving Yoo Chun the evil eye. He turned to face Jae Joong, who was quietly sitting on his chair doing nothing. “You’re awfully quiet, is anything the matter?”
“No.” Jae Joong shook his head, “I just didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.”
“Aw, he’s so sweet!” Jun Su squeaked, bending forward to pinch Jae Joong’s cheek, “Why can’t you be more like him, Chang Min?”
“Shut up Jun Su, nobody was asking your opinion.” Chang Min rolled his eyes, and Yoo Chun merely laughed. Jun Su glared at Chang Min momentarily before averting his attention back to Jae Joong, “You mean to tell me you’ve spent the entire day with that Hitler incarnate?”
“Chang Min’s not a bad guy.” Jae Joong pursed his lips, “He’s really nice.”
“That’s a first.” Yoo Chun shrugged, leaning forward, “No one has ever said that about Chang Min.”
“Don’t believe them.” Chang Min frowned, and Jae Joong laughed, “You’ll still be my friend even if what they say is true.”
“See? He’s so sweet! You should learn from him.” Jun Su cooed, finding Jae Joong absolutely adorable.
Jae Joong sat back for a while and watched as Jun Su and Chang Min bickered, and as Yoo Chun simply laughed at the situation. He came to the conclusion that he liked all of Yun Ho’s friends.
~;~
Jae Joong and Chang Min came home only to find Yun Ho pacing back and forth by the porch frantically. He looked worried, troubled, and Jae Joong couldn’t help but feel that he had something to do with the anxiety Yun Ho had felt at that moment.
“Hyung.” Chang Min called out, and Yun Ho quickly turned his head. Upon seeing them, Yun Ho’s expression changed from anxious to relieved; and from relieved to irritated.
He made his way to Chang Min and Jae Joong, quickly enveloping the latter in a tremendously tight embrace. Right after, he pulled away and glared at him and Chang Min, “Just where did you two come from? I thought something bad happened!”
“Chang Min took me out today. He bought me clothes, he took me to meet Jun Su and Yoo Chun, and,” he paused, taking out his newfound cellphone from his pocket, “He bought me a phone.”
Yun Ho took a step backwards; he began feeling strange, unfamiliar emotions, and he didn’t like them one bit. His hands balled into fists and through gritted teeth he nearly yelled, “And what makes you think I care?” He regarded both Chang Min and Jae Joong icily before turning on his heel and stomping his way into his household.
Jae Joong’s expression saddened. Worriedly and in confusion, he attempted to follow Yun Ho, but Chang Min held his arm and prevented him from doing so. He regarded Chang Min with nothing but worry in his eyes.
“Leave him for now, wait until he’s calmed down.” Chang Min told him before, all of a sudden, leaning down and kissing Jae Joong’s cheek. “I had a fun date, though. I’ll see you soon.” With that, he left without any other word.
Jae Joong, meanwhile, just stood where he was, dumbfounded by what had just happened. It had just dawned on him that Chang Min liked him; and at the moment, he wasn’t sure if he could handle the uneasiness of knowing that fact, especially at a time like this.
chapter 1| chapter 3
Pairing(s): YunJae, One-sided JaeMin
Author: tvfxq
Rating: PG 13
Genre: Romance, Drama, Slight(?) Fluff, Slight Angst
Disclaimer: Some of the characters and scenes in story were inspired by the ones in the drama ‘You’re Beautiful’, so inevitably, there will be some similarities.
Length: 2/??
Summary: Jung Yun Ho was never a people person. Having only three friends in the entire world - who, most of the time, got on his nerves - he never learned how to act anything but hostile towards other people. But does that all change when he one day meets Kim Jae Joong, the clumsiest and most naive klutz he had ever known? Maybe not…
a/n.: This dedicated to musik_love because she’s my non-related sister, and also because it’s been a year since everything ♥
Annoyingly Beautiful
~;~
“Just what do you two think you’re doing?” Yun Ho uttered through gritted teeth, his fists clenched. Swiftly, he stomped his way all the way to the counter and yanked Jae Joong’s hand away from Chang Min’s mouth; but not before scowling viciously at his friend.
“Hyung, relax, I was just-“
“Well you can’t!” Yun Ho growled before fixating his eyes on Jae Joong. The latter gulped thickly, the sharp pain in his hand momentarily forgotten. “I-it was my fault…”
“I know it was your fault!” he hissed, startling Jae Joong. And before either Chang Min or Jae Joong said anything, Yun Ho dragged Jae Joong forcefully out the kitchen and up the stairs to his room.
“Let go of me, it hurts!” Jae Joong shook his way out of Yun Ho’s hold. When his eyes met with the other’s he tensed. “…Please.” Yun Ho didn’t really utter anything as he locked the door and pushed Jae Joong onto his bed.
“Don’t move from that spot.” Yun Ho commanded, and Jae Joong meekly nodded his head in obedience. He walked over to the bathroom and came out with a first aid kit in his hands. Making his way to his bed where Jae Joong was, he sat down beside the other and took hold of the hand that was bleeding. “From now on, if anything happens to you, you come to me first, okay?” Yun Ho ordered rather than asked.
Jae Joong nodded silently and watched as Yun Ho cleaned his wound before applying medicine on the cut. “You shouldn’t just allow other people to suck on your wounds like a vampire. It’s unhygienic and also very disturbing.” The older between the two stated while bandaging the wound.
Jae Joong smiled. Yun Ho had such light hands. “Thank you.” He said when Yun Ho had finished, and the latter almost smiled. Almost. “From now on, I’m your number one, not Chang Min or anybody else, understand?”
“I don’t really see how-“
“Just say yes.”
“Okay.” Jae Joong nodded meekly, “Yes.”
A satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of Yun Ho’s lips and he stood up, “Good.” He uttered, “Now let’s go downstairs, as much as I want to, we can’t just leave Chang Min alone downstairs.”
“You’re right,” Jae Joong agreed, standing up, “I also have to get back to cooking-“
“Don’t.” Yun Ho interrupted, “I’ll… I’ll eat what you cooked. I’ll eat the prawns.” It came out forced, and Jae Joong noticed. The latter furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, “I promise to be careful.”
“I said I’ll eat it!” Yun Ho insisted. Jae Joong couldn’t really do anything much and, being the pushover that he is, simply nodded his head.
~;~
Chang Min and Jae Joong couldn’t help but stare at Yun Ho as he ate. He looked like he was in pain, as if he was being tortured. Watching Yun Ho force himself to eat food that he didn’t like was a very unpleasant site to see.
“Hyung, you look like you’re suffering from constipation.” Chang Min remarked, and Jae Joong frowned at him. Quickly he looked at Yun Ho and smiled, “I don’t think you look like that. But really, you don’t have to eat it. I can always-“
“No.” Yun Ho interjected, “It’s delicious.” Despite his words, anyone could tell that it was a lie - what with that pained expression on his face. He swallowed the food he had been chewing on for the past two minutes and hurriedly chugged down a glass of water. When he noticed that Chang Min and Jae Joong were still staring, he snapped at them, “Will you guys quit staring? How do you expect me to eat knowing that there are eyes boring into my very soul?”
Jae Joong then turned his attention to Chang Min, lest he upset Yun Ho further with his stares. “You look so handsome when you eat, Chang Min.” he complimented, and the aforementioned boy couldn’t help but feel very special at that moment. With a huge grin and a smug expression on his face, he chuckled and reached out to pinch Jae Joong’s cheek.
“Hey! I thought I was your number one?” Yun Ho suddenly chimed in, an ineffable look of jealousy and rage on his face.
“You look handsome too!” Jae Joong quickly said, not wanting to upset the other. Chang Min scoffed and stabbed the innocent shrimp on his plate. When his food was barely recognizable, he pursed his lips and looked up from his plate, glaring at Yun Ho from across the table.
“You bully him too much, hyung.”
“What?” Yun Ho hissed and quickly turned his head to look at Jae Joong, “Kim Jae Joong, tell him I don’t bully you.”
“He doesn’t bully me!” Jae Joong nodded, glancing at both Yun Ho and Chang Min. “Umm… anyway, Chang Min and I were talking about cellphones earlier… can you buy me one?” he asked, smiling nervously at Yun Ho. The tension in the room was getting to him.
“No.” Yun Ho stated, eyes still fixated on Chang Min. The latter frowned, but as he shifted his gaze to Jae Joong, his frown quickly faded and he smiled warmly, “It’s okay Jae Joong, you’ll get one eventually.”
Jae Joong smiled, Yun Ho rolled his eyes, and Chang Min did the same. As they resumed eating, silence ensued for a peaceful five minutes… until Chang Min broke the golden silence by asking a question that made the oldest in the room’s blood boil. “Why don’t you introduce him to Yoo Chun and Jun Su?”
Yun Ho’s head shot up, eyes darting daggers at Chang Min. The tension in the room suddenly turned ominous, and it made Jae Joong shudder unconsciously. “He’s not meeting them.”
“I don’t see why-“
“The food’s getting cold!” Jae Joong interrupted, laughing awkwardly, “Let’s just eat.”
~;~
Jae Joong rested his head on his knees, which were hugged tightly against his chest, as he stared with unseeing eyes outside the window in his bedroom. Yun Ho barely had time for him, and it didn’t really help that Chang Min hadn’t been visiting, either. He was bored out of his wits; but more than bored, he was lonely.
Just as he was brooding, the faint sound of knocking was heard, and Jae Joong lifted his head, turning it to the direction of the sound. Yun Ho entered not too long after, and it brought a smile to Jae Joong’s face. “Why are you locking yourself up in here? Shouldn’t you be tripping around the house, like you’ve been doing for the past week?”
Jae Joong slowly shook his head before she answered, “I feel lonely. And Chang Min hasn’t been coming over, either.” He pouted, resting his chin on his knees again.
“And just what am I, a ghost?” Yun Ho asked bitterly, that inevitable frown on his face again. Jae Joong raised his head and let go of his knees, standing up. He regarded Yun Ho with a somehow worried look and shook his head, biting his lip.
“No… you were always busy with other things; I didn’t want to get in your way.”
“Oh.” Yun Ho’s frown faltered then, and his expression softened. “Well, I’m going out for a while. Just… try not to look too depressed, it doesn’t suit you.” With that he turned on his heel and left the room. Jae Joong, who was hopeful that Yun Ho would spend the day with him, sulked and sat back down, slumping.
How could he be happy if he was all alone?
~;~
Yun Ho left his house with a rare and wide smile on his face. He wasn’t happy about leaving Jae Joong - believe it or not, the latter was growing on him - he was happy because he had a surprise for his newfound brother.
He was on his way to buy Jae Joong a cellphone, and he felt strangely good about it.
~;~
Jae Joong’s arms and legs were sprawled across his bed as he idly stared at the ceiling. Waiting was such an agony. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the doorbell ringing and as though pressed for time, Jae Joong sprung off the bed and dashed down the stairs to open the door.
Finally, he thought.
“You’re ba-oh.” Jae Joong’s face visibly fell when he saw that the person at the door wasn’t Yun Ho. “Hi Chang Min.” He greeted with a wan smile.
“Yun Ho isn’t here, is he?” Chang Min pouted when he saw the look of disappointment on Jae Joong’s face, “I’ll drop by some other time, then. When you don’t look so depressed.”
“Wait!” Jae Joong nearly yelled, clutching onto Chang Min’s arm, preventing him from leaving, “Don’t go. I’m happy you came over!” It wasn’t a lie. He did want to see Chang Min, but at the same time he wished to see Yun Ho more.
“Are you sure~?” Chang Min cocked an eyebrow, and Jae Joong nodded. “In that case, get dressed. I’m taking you out today, so I can buy you a cellphone, and so you can meet Yoo Chun and Jun Su.”
“Really?” Jae Joong beamed, excited at the thought of meeting new people. Then all of a sudden, a realization hit him and his smile fell.
“What’s the matter?”
“I don’t have that much clothes. And all the ones I have are really shabby…”
“Well then, I guess we’re going to drop by a few shops today.”
~;~
“Jae Joong, you should be a model.” Chang Min told Jae Joong whilst paying for the new sets of clothes he had bought for the younger boy. “You look good in everything you wear. You make gaudy clothes look fashionable.”
“You’re just being biased because we’re friends.” Jae Joong blushed, eyes downcast. Chang Min chuckled and ruffled the other’s hair. “I could be…” He took hold of the younger boy’s hand and led him out the store once he had finished paying.
“Come on~”
~;~
“Choose whichever model you want,” Chang Min said as they entered the cellphone store, a cornucopia of phones surrounding them.
“I wasn’t being serious when I asked him to buy me a phone…” Jae Joong trailed off, biting his lip, “I just wanted to lessen the tension. I don’t need one.”
Chang Min ignored him and moved over to one of the displays of cellphones. Jae Joong frowned and pursed his lips, following Chang Min. He tapped the freakishly tall boy’s shoulder and was spared a glance in return. “Yes?”
“Did you even hear what I just told you?”
“Yes.” Chang Min nodded, moving over to another array of phones. He paused and turned to face Jae Joong, regarding the latter with a grin, “The real question is, though, Am I going to listen to what you just said. And the answer to that, my friend, is no.” Chang Min turned his attention back to the display of phones.
“But-“
“This one looks good. Do you want it?” Chang Min interrupted nonchalantly, as if Jae Joong wasn’t even talking. The latter pouted angrily and crossed his arms, “You don’t have to get me anything.”
“But I want to.” Chang Min insisted, “That way, you can call me when you’re bored, or can’t sleep, or when Yun Ho hyung quarrels you again. I want to be there for you.”
Jae Joong said nothing after that, and Chang Min took the other’s silence as an, Okay, Chang Min. You can buy me a phone and I’ll call you everyday and night.
~;~
“Jae Joong?” Chang Min began as soon as they exited the cellphone store. Jae Joong looked at Chang Min, a little wide eyed, and responded, “Yes?”
“How do you feel about ice cream?”
Jae Joong’s eyes suddenly lit up as fond memories from the orphanage ran through his mind. “I love it. Growing up, the other kids and I used to be treated to it once a year during New Year’s. We all looked forward to it… except for Geun Tae, because he was lactose intolerant…” he trailed off for a moment. Jae Joong looked up at Chang Min and smiled, “One of my favorite memories.”
Chang Min took Jae Joong’s hand in his, “I’ll create more memories for you, then. I’ll buy you the biggest ice cream sundae there is - complete with all the toppings.” With that, he led Jae Joong to a nearby ice cream shop, and true enough, he did buy Jae Joong the biggest ice cream sundae available.
“Aren’t you going to have some?” Jae Joong offered, a huge grin on his face, and pushed the sundae closer to Chang Min, “It’s delicious!”
Chang Min shook his head and pushed it back, “Normally I would have bought two for myself. But now that I’m with you, just you, I suddenly don’t feel like eating.” Jae Joong put his spoon down and the smile that was once on his face faded away. “Do I make you lose your appetite…?”
“No!” Chang Min quickly shook his head, waving both hands frantically in front of his chest, “I meant that in a good way.”
“Oh…” Jae Joong nodded, “That’s too bad.” He picked up his spoon again and resumed eating the biggest ice cream sundae he had ever eaten in his entire life; but not before regarding Chang Min with a warm smile that sent the latter’s heart aflutter, “Thank you, by the way. I’ll treasure this moment.”
~;~
Jae Joong trailed behind Chang Min, following him to a small café. He was to be introduced to Park Yoo Chun and Kim Jun Su, Yun Ho and Chang Min’s friends. That fact alone made Jae Joong feel excited. He liked meeting Yun Ho’s friends.
“Yo, Chang Min!” Jae Joong heard someone call out to Chang Min; he looked around and found someone waving. Jae Joong assumed that was Yoo Chun. The waving guy just looked like a Yoo Chun to him.
“Ah, Yoo Chun~” Chang Min said, walking towards the direction of the aforementioned person.
Yup, he was right. That was Yoo Chun.
“I thought you said you were gonna bring Yun Ho’s brother along with you? Jun Su and I wanted to meet him.”
“I did bring him along.” Chang Min replied, stepping to the side so that Jae Joong could be seen more.
“Where is he?” Jun Su asked, looking around, and Chang Min whacked his head. “You idiot. THIS,” he said, moving his hand towards Jae Joong, “is him.”
“Hi~” Jae Joong greeted cheerily, “I’m Kim Jae Joong.”
“Kim?” both Yoo Chun and Jun Su asked incredulously in unison.
“Yun Ho told him to keep the name.” Chang Min shrugged.
“Oh…” Jun Su nodded, “Honestly, I was expecting to see a tall, tan and unimaginably mean guy. He’s not at all what I imagined.”
“You mean you expected him to be like Yun Ho?” Yoo Chun laughed and Jun Su shook his head, “I was thinking more like Chang Min, but yeah, Yun Ho works.”
“Shut up, Jun Su.” Chang Min hissed before he pulled a seat and ushered Jae Joong to sit down.
“So Jae Joong,” Yoo Chun began, a sly grin etched upon his face as he spoke, “how old are you?”
“Eighteen.” Jae Joong answered happily, unaware of the sleazy grins Yoo Chun was flashing him.
“Yoo Chun!” Jun Su gasped, aghast. He looked rather scandalized and began to berate the aforementioned person, “You just met him and already you’re going all greasy mode on him?!”
“I was just asking his age!” Yoo Chun answered defensively, “It wasn’t as if I was planning anything.”
“You’d better not.” Chang Min frowned, giving Yoo Chun the evil eye. He turned to face Jae Joong, who was quietly sitting on his chair doing nothing. “You’re awfully quiet, is anything the matter?”
“No.” Jae Joong shook his head, “I just didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.”
“Aw, he’s so sweet!” Jun Su squeaked, bending forward to pinch Jae Joong’s cheek, “Why can’t you be more like him, Chang Min?”
“Shut up Jun Su, nobody was asking your opinion.” Chang Min rolled his eyes, and Yoo Chun merely laughed. Jun Su glared at Chang Min momentarily before averting his attention back to Jae Joong, “You mean to tell me you’ve spent the entire day with that Hitler incarnate?”
“Chang Min’s not a bad guy.” Jae Joong pursed his lips, “He’s really nice.”
“That’s a first.” Yoo Chun shrugged, leaning forward, “No one has ever said that about Chang Min.”
“Don’t believe them.” Chang Min frowned, and Jae Joong laughed, “You’ll still be my friend even if what they say is true.”
“See? He’s so sweet! You should learn from him.” Jun Su cooed, finding Jae Joong absolutely adorable.
Jae Joong sat back for a while and watched as Jun Su and Chang Min bickered, and as Yoo Chun simply laughed at the situation. He came to the conclusion that he liked all of Yun Ho’s friends.
~;~
Jae Joong and Chang Min came home only to find Yun Ho pacing back and forth by the porch frantically. He looked worried, troubled, and Jae Joong couldn’t help but feel that he had something to do with the anxiety Yun Ho had felt at that moment.
“Hyung.” Chang Min called out, and Yun Ho quickly turned his head. Upon seeing them, Yun Ho’s expression changed from anxious to relieved; and from relieved to irritated.
He made his way to Chang Min and Jae Joong, quickly enveloping the latter in a tremendously tight embrace. Right after, he pulled away and glared at him and Chang Min, “Just where did you two come from? I thought something bad happened!”
“Chang Min took me out today. He bought me clothes, he took me to meet Jun Su and Yoo Chun, and,” he paused, taking out his newfound cellphone from his pocket, “He bought me a phone.”
Yun Ho took a step backwards; he began feeling strange, unfamiliar emotions, and he didn’t like them one bit. His hands balled into fists and through gritted teeth he nearly yelled, “And what makes you think I care?” He regarded both Chang Min and Jae Joong icily before turning on his heel and stomping his way into his household.
Jae Joong’s expression saddened. Worriedly and in confusion, he attempted to follow Yun Ho, but Chang Min held his arm and prevented him from doing so. He regarded Chang Min with nothing but worry in his eyes.
“Leave him for now, wait until he’s calmed down.” Chang Min told him before, all of a sudden, leaning down and kissing Jae Joong’s cheek. “I had a fun date, though. I’ll see you soon.” With that, he left without any other word.
Jae Joong, meanwhile, just stood where he was, dumbfounded by what had just happened. It had just dawned on him that Chang Min liked him; and at the moment, he wasn’t sure if he could handle the uneasiness of knowing that fact, especially at a time like this.
chapter 1| chapter 3