Distance [4/6]
Title: Distance
Beta: minniesaranghae
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Angst, Drama
Summary: Yunho had assumed that one day he’d be able to bridge the gap between their worlds, but one day, he realized that perhaps that day would never come.
Jaejoong knocked on the door and waited, his heart pounding quickly in his chest. The wait was unbearable, and he could feel the beads of sweat running down his back as he agonized over the wait.
Eventually, the door opened.
Changmin stared at Jaejoong, unsurprised. He opened the door a little wider, made no attempt to welcome Jaejoong inside, and stepped out of his apartment. Jaejoong took a step back in order to place more space between himself and the younger man, and he watched as Changmin closed the door.
Silence then followed, and all Jaejoong could do was swallow hard and wait for the judgment that he was sure would follow. When Changmin refused to say anything, Jaejoong decided that he would have to make the first step.
“Is he inside?” Jaejoong asked quietly, making eye contact with the taller man.
Changmin shook his head slowly, “He’s not here right now.”
“But he’s living with you…isn’t he?” Jaejoong said, sure of what the answer would be. He knew Yunho would turn to no one else other than Changmin. The younger man was practically Yunho’s flesh and blood.
“Yes.”
“Do you know when he’ll be coming back?”
“No.”
Jaejoong swallowed hard. He wasn’t surprised that Changmin was acting so coldly; he hadn’t expected anything else than a cold shoulder and a judging gaze. He was no doubt sure that Changmin had been the one dealing with the reparation of Yunho’s heart - the heart that he’d broken.
“When he…when he comes back, could you tell him that I want to see him? Please?” Jaejoong asked, wincing when he realized how pitiful he sounded. He cast his gaze down to the floor and clenched his fists. “It’s important.”
Changmin was silent, and Jaejoong took that as his cue to leave.
He raised his eyes off the floor and met Changmin’s cold gaze. “It was good to see you again Changmin…despite these circumstances. You look…you look well.” Jaejoong swallowed hard and turned away, unsure of where to go next.
His heart was aching in his chest - he had no one in Seoul. He didn’t have a single good friend in the city, no relative to talk to, because no matter how much he’d wanted to repair all the relationships in his life, there’d never been the opportunity to do so.
Yunho was the only person in Seoul that he wanted to see, but Yunho was nowhere to be found.
“Jaejoong, wait.”
Jaejoong turned around and Changmin approached him slowly. He stopped a few steps away from Jaejoong, “You’ll be able to fix things,” He said softly, his gaze much kinder than before. “He loves you, and this isn’t entirely your fault…even he knows that. He’ll come back to you, I’m sure.”
Changmin let out a sigh, “But you have to take better care of him - if you hurt him again, I will never let him see you again. Yunho’s my best friend, my brother . If you hurt him again, I will kill you.”
Jaejoong let out a soft chuckle and nodded, “I won’t hurt him again. I promise.”
o-o-o
“Sohyang.”
Yunho stood up from the bench and approached the girl. He smiled at her kindly and pulled her into a quick hug before pulling away. She smiled back at him and gently brushed a strand of hair off his face.
“I haven’t seen you in a long time.” She said as she linked her arm with his, leading him away from the bench. She looked up at him, “Where have you been?”
Yunho’s heart clenched in his chest, and he forced a smile at the young singer. “I’ve been busy. I moved with Jaejoong to Paris -“
“Oh, Jaejoong.” Sohyang’s smile dimmed slightly, but it remained in place just the same as they walked. “How is he?”
“He’s good.” Yunho forced out, remembering the words Yoochun had told him. He smiled at Sohyang, “What about you? How are you? Are you still planning on going abroad? Have you auditioned for -“
“Slow down.” Sohyang laughed and tossed her hair back, “I’m fine. I’ve been trying to get myself discovered, but it’s hard - not everyone has the same luck that Jaejoong has. I wish that people gravitated to me the same way they do to him.”
Yunho couldn’t miss the bitter undercurrent in her words and glanced at the woman worriedly. He was well aware of how she felt about Jaejoong, as well as how she felt about him.
It seemed like her feelings towards Jaejoong had not changed at all, and it was beginning to worry him. She’d always been a dear friend of his, but as with many other decisions, he’d chosen Jaejoong in the end.
“Are you listening to me?”
Yunho glanced at her and offered a weak smile, “I’m sorry.”
A frown crossed Sohyang’s pretty face, “Fine, I have to tell you something.” She led him away from a crowd of people and ushered him to sit down on a park bench. Yunho followed her lead mutely and when they were both seated, he waited for her to talk.
“I heard you and Jaejoong have broken up -“
“What? But -“
“You weren’t there at his concert Yunho. Everyone who knows you two well enough is talking about it.” Sohyang interrupted, shooting Yunho a look that demanded for him to listen to her. “I want to know why.”
“Look, I don’t think this is appropriate for us to talk about.” Yunho answered tensely. He shook his head, “I’m sorry, but I think I have to go now.”
“Are you going to get back together with him? He’s not any good for you Yunho. Everyone knows he has problems with his family, and he’s led you on for too long -“
“Do you know anything?” Yunho practically shouted. He shook his head and stood up to leave, “Sohyang, we were friends before.” He let his words sink in for a moment, “I understood that you didn’t like Jaejoong much - he’s a polarizing figure, but you have to understand, I loved him - and I still do.”
Sohyang stared at him and shook her head. “You could do better.”
“No, no I couldn’t.”
With those words, Yunho turned around and left.
o-o-o
“You don’t want to meet them Yunho.” Jaejoong muttered as he pulled Yunho away from the building’s elevator. “Please, come on. Just wait here, and then we can go get dinner -“
“Why don’t you want me to meet your family?” Yunho asked. “Are you -“
“No!” Jaejoong shook his head, “It’s not that. I would never be ashamed of you, okay? But please, you meeting them…it won’t be worth it. You don’t need to know them Yunho. They’re…”
“Jaejoong!”
Yunho turned at the same time he did, and they were greeted by the sight of an elderly couple, followed by a few women who looked nothing like Jaejoong. Jaejoong reached down and squeezed Yunho’s hand tightly.
“Good evening.” Yunho greeted, realizing that Jaejoong probably needed a moment to compose himself. He smiled at Jaejoong’s family, but they didn’t bother to smile back.
“Jaejoong, could we talk?” Jaejoong’s mother asked, ignoring Yunho’s greeting. “It’s important, and…” she glanced at Yunho, “I don’t think your boyfriend has to hear about it. Come along.”
Jaejoong nodded mutely, and followed his family to another area of the recording company’s lobby. Yunho stood by the elevators, watching carefully from where he was, and did not bother to move any closer - it was obvious he wasn’t wanted or liked.
He watched as Jaejoong wrote out five checks and handed them to his family members, who quickly left as soon as the whole thing was done. Yunho’s heart tightened in his chest, and he moved to Jaejoong as soon as his family was gone.
“Jaejoong -“
Jaejoong shook his head and buried his face into Yunho’s chest, “Please. Let’s not talk about it.”
Yunho gently pushed Jaejoong away and placed his hands on the other man’s shoulders. Jaejoong refused to look at him, so he tipped Jaejoong’s chin up, forcing their eyes to meet.
“I love you.” Yunho whispered, the words coming naturally to him, and really he didn’t think he could ever stop saying those words to Jaejoong - he knew, each time he said them that he would mean them.
Jaejoong crashed his body against Yunho’s once more, pulling him into a tight embrace, hoping the action would speak volumes, that it would show Yunho how he was the only person that mattered in his entire world.
o-o-o
Jaejoong sat down at the café and stared down into his coffee. He had no idea where to look for Yunho, and he would never even bother to ask his family for help since the only thing they could offer him were more demands.
He was so tired of people demanding things from him - which was probably why he’d become so attached to Yunho so quickly. Yunho had never asked anything of him, had never demanded anything, and had never been greedy for the entire duration of their relationship.
And as Jaejoong clutched his mug of coffee, he realized how he’d taken advantage of that selflessness. Perhaps it was because he’d grown up in such a manipulative environment with family members that used and abused his talent in ways for them to earn money - maybe in some sick and twisted way, he was embodying that persona.
His eyes shut tightly, and he wanted nothing more than to see Yunho at that moment, with his heart clenched so tightly in his chest. Jaejoong wouldn’t have been surprised if he died on the spot.
Jaejoong let out a few shaky breaths before he stood up, his chair scraping against the tile of the café and left. He couldn’t think in that place, it only made him feel more alienated than he already did. He would have to go back to where it’d all began.
o-o-o
Jaejoong pushed past people on the street and made his way to the studio where he’d first met Yunho. Familiar sights blurred past as Jaejoong kept his mind on one of the few places in Seoul he felt a connection to.
He kept walking, and it wasn’t soon before he was breaking out into a full blown sprint.
As soon as he was outside of the building, Jaejoong didn’t know what he was supposed to do next. He was so tired of not knowing, so tired of being unable to fix his mistakes.
When would things start going right for him?
He could feel the beginnings of a drizzle, but he remained fixated in his spot, staring up at the shabby building in front of him. It wasn’t the most renowned dance studio, but he’d grown up playing piano for the dancers - one of them being Yunho’s sister.
Jaejoong swallowed hard and shut his eyes, feeling the rain begin to pour down on him, but not finding the strength to move out of the rain. All he wanted to do was see Yunho, to talk to him, to explain how he felt, to just love him properly and like he deserved.
The rain was falling harder, and Jaejoong’s eyes fluttered open.
He felt so alone, so -
The rain had stopped falling? He turned his head upwards, and stared up at the red umbrella that covered his head. Jaejoong slowly turned his head to the side, and as soon as he saw Yunho, he let out a small noise of surprise.
“Jaejoong, come on. It’s time to get you out of the rain.”
< >
Author’s Note: OTL This chapter has come out much later than it should have, and for that, I am sorry. D: Anyway, I know you all shall forgive me because I have completed this fic! ^__^ I’ll be posting the last chapters throughout this month - there are only two more to go by the way - so that there won’t be a complete draught of fics from me. ;) Also, I’ll be going on a posting spree this coming week. Think of it as a little present from me before I solely focus on my NaNoWriMo story. Also! I’ll be opening a request post soon! ^___^ More news on that later, though. Thank you so much for reading, and please leave a comment! ♥
Beta: minniesaranghae
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Angst, Drama
Summary: Yunho had assumed that one day he’d be able to bridge the gap between their worlds, but one day, he realized that perhaps that day would never come.
Jaejoong knocked on the door and waited, his heart pounding quickly in his chest. The wait was unbearable, and he could feel the beads of sweat running down his back as he agonized over the wait.
Eventually, the door opened.
Changmin stared at Jaejoong, unsurprised. He opened the door a little wider, made no attempt to welcome Jaejoong inside, and stepped out of his apartment. Jaejoong took a step back in order to place more space between himself and the younger man, and he watched as Changmin closed the door.
Silence then followed, and all Jaejoong could do was swallow hard and wait for the judgment that he was sure would follow. When Changmin refused to say anything, Jaejoong decided that he would have to make the first step.
“Is he inside?” Jaejoong asked quietly, making eye contact with the taller man.
Changmin shook his head slowly, “He’s not here right now.”
“But he’s living with you…isn’t he?” Jaejoong said, sure of what the answer would be. He knew Yunho would turn to no one else other than Changmin. The younger man was practically Yunho’s flesh and blood.
“Yes.”
“Do you know when he’ll be coming back?”
“No.”
Jaejoong swallowed hard. He wasn’t surprised that Changmin was acting so coldly; he hadn’t expected anything else than a cold shoulder and a judging gaze. He was no doubt sure that Changmin had been the one dealing with the reparation of Yunho’s heart - the heart that he’d broken.
“When he…when he comes back, could you tell him that I want to see him? Please?” Jaejoong asked, wincing when he realized how pitiful he sounded. He cast his gaze down to the floor and clenched his fists. “It’s important.”
Changmin was silent, and Jaejoong took that as his cue to leave.
He raised his eyes off the floor and met Changmin’s cold gaze. “It was good to see you again Changmin…despite these circumstances. You look…you look well.” Jaejoong swallowed hard and turned away, unsure of where to go next.
His heart was aching in his chest - he had no one in Seoul. He didn’t have a single good friend in the city, no relative to talk to, because no matter how much he’d wanted to repair all the relationships in his life, there’d never been the opportunity to do so.
Yunho was the only person in Seoul that he wanted to see, but Yunho was nowhere to be found.
“Jaejoong, wait.”
Jaejoong turned around and Changmin approached him slowly. He stopped a few steps away from Jaejoong, “You’ll be able to fix things,” He said softly, his gaze much kinder than before. “He loves you, and this isn’t entirely your fault…even he knows that. He’ll come back to you, I’m sure.”
Changmin let out a sigh, “But you have to take better care of him - if you hurt him again, I will never let him see you again. Yunho’s my best friend, my brother . If you hurt him again, I will kill you.”
Jaejoong let out a soft chuckle and nodded, “I won’t hurt him again. I promise.”
o-o-o
“Sohyang.”
Yunho stood up from the bench and approached the girl. He smiled at her kindly and pulled her into a quick hug before pulling away. She smiled back at him and gently brushed a strand of hair off his face.
“I haven’t seen you in a long time.” She said as she linked her arm with his, leading him away from the bench. She looked up at him, “Where have you been?”
Yunho’s heart clenched in his chest, and he forced a smile at the young singer. “I’ve been busy. I moved with Jaejoong to Paris -“
“Oh, Jaejoong.” Sohyang’s smile dimmed slightly, but it remained in place just the same as they walked. “How is he?”
“He’s good.” Yunho forced out, remembering the words Yoochun had told him. He smiled at Sohyang, “What about you? How are you? Are you still planning on going abroad? Have you auditioned for -“
“Slow down.” Sohyang laughed and tossed her hair back, “I’m fine. I’ve been trying to get myself discovered, but it’s hard - not everyone has the same luck that Jaejoong has. I wish that people gravitated to me the same way they do to him.”
Yunho couldn’t miss the bitter undercurrent in her words and glanced at the woman worriedly. He was well aware of how she felt about Jaejoong, as well as how she felt about him.
It seemed like her feelings towards Jaejoong had not changed at all, and it was beginning to worry him. She’d always been a dear friend of his, but as with many other decisions, he’d chosen Jaejoong in the end.
“Are you listening to me?”
Yunho glanced at her and offered a weak smile, “I’m sorry.”
A frown crossed Sohyang’s pretty face, “Fine, I have to tell you something.” She led him away from a crowd of people and ushered him to sit down on a park bench. Yunho followed her lead mutely and when they were both seated, he waited for her to talk.
“I heard you and Jaejoong have broken up -“
“What? But -“
“You weren’t there at his concert Yunho. Everyone who knows you two well enough is talking about it.” Sohyang interrupted, shooting Yunho a look that demanded for him to listen to her. “I want to know why.”
“Look, I don’t think this is appropriate for us to talk about.” Yunho answered tensely. He shook his head, “I’m sorry, but I think I have to go now.”
“Are you going to get back together with him? He’s not any good for you Yunho. Everyone knows he has problems with his family, and he’s led you on for too long -“
“Do you know anything?” Yunho practically shouted. He shook his head and stood up to leave, “Sohyang, we were friends before.” He let his words sink in for a moment, “I understood that you didn’t like Jaejoong much - he’s a polarizing figure, but you have to understand, I loved him - and I still do.”
Sohyang stared at him and shook her head. “You could do better.”
“No, no I couldn’t.”
With those words, Yunho turned around and left.
o-o-o
“You don’t want to meet them Yunho.” Jaejoong muttered as he pulled Yunho away from the building’s elevator. “Please, come on. Just wait here, and then we can go get dinner -“
“Why don’t you want me to meet your family?” Yunho asked. “Are you -“
“No!” Jaejoong shook his head, “It’s not that. I would never be ashamed of you, okay? But please, you meeting them…it won’t be worth it. You don’t need to know them Yunho. They’re…”
“Jaejoong!”
Yunho turned at the same time he did, and they were greeted by the sight of an elderly couple, followed by a few women who looked nothing like Jaejoong. Jaejoong reached down and squeezed Yunho’s hand tightly.
“Good evening.” Yunho greeted, realizing that Jaejoong probably needed a moment to compose himself. He smiled at Jaejoong’s family, but they didn’t bother to smile back.
“Jaejoong, could we talk?” Jaejoong’s mother asked, ignoring Yunho’s greeting. “It’s important, and…” she glanced at Yunho, “I don’t think your boyfriend has to hear about it. Come along.”
Jaejoong nodded mutely, and followed his family to another area of the recording company’s lobby. Yunho stood by the elevators, watching carefully from where he was, and did not bother to move any closer - it was obvious he wasn’t wanted or liked.
He watched as Jaejoong wrote out five checks and handed them to his family members, who quickly left as soon as the whole thing was done. Yunho’s heart tightened in his chest, and he moved to Jaejoong as soon as his family was gone.
“Jaejoong -“
Jaejoong shook his head and buried his face into Yunho’s chest, “Please. Let’s not talk about it.”
Yunho gently pushed Jaejoong away and placed his hands on the other man’s shoulders. Jaejoong refused to look at him, so he tipped Jaejoong’s chin up, forcing their eyes to meet.
“I love you.” Yunho whispered, the words coming naturally to him, and really he didn’t think he could ever stop saying those words to Jaejoong - he knew, each time he said them that he would mean them.
Jaejoong crashed his body against Yunho’s once more, pulling him into a tight embrace, hoping the action would speak volumes, that it would show Yunho how he was the only person that mattered in his entire world.
o-o-o
Jaejoong sat down at the café and stared down into his coffee. He had no idea where to look for Yunho, and he would never even bother to ask his family for help since the only thing they could offer him were more demands.
He was so tired of people demanding things from him - which was probably why he’d become so attached to Yunho so quickly. Yunho had never asked anything of him, had never demanded anything, and had never been greedy for the entire duration of their relationship.
And as Jaejoong clutched his mug of coffee, he realized how he’d taken advantage of that selflessness. Perhaps it was because he’d grown up in such a manipulative environment with family members that used and abused his talent in ways for them to earn money - maybe in some sick and twisted way, he was embodying that persona.
His eyes shut tightly, and he wanted nothing more than to see Yunho at that moment, with his heart clenched so tightly in his chest. Jaejoong wouldn’t have been surprised if he died on the spot.
Jaejoong let out a few shaky breaths before he stood up, his chair scraping against the tile of the café and left. He couldn’t think in that place, it only made him feel more alienated than he already did. He would have to go back to where it’d all began.
o-o-o
Jaejoong pushed past people on the street and made his way to the studio where he’d first met Yunho. Familiar sights blurred past as Jaejoong kept his mind on one of the few places in Seoul he felt a connection to.
He kept walking, and it wasn’t soon before he was breaking out into a full blown sprint.
As soon as he was outside of the building, Jaejoong didn’t know what he was supposed to do next. He was so tired of not knowing, so tired of being unable to fix his mistakes.
When would things start going right for him?
He could feel the beginnings of a drizzle, but he remained fixated in his spot, staring up at the shabby building in front of him. It wasn’t the most renowned dance studio, but he’d grown up playing piano for the dancers - one of them being Yunho’s sister.
Jaejoong swallowed hard and shut his eyes, feeling the rain begin to pour down on him, but not finding the strength to move out of the rain. All he wanted to do was see Yunho, to talk to him, to explain how he felt, to just love him properly and like he deserved.
The rain was falling harder, and Jaejoong’s eyes fluttered open.
He felt so alone, so -
The rain had stopped falling? He turned his head upwards, and stared up at the red umbrella that covered his head. Jaejoong slowly turned his head to the side, and as soon as he saw Yunho, he let out a small noise of surprise.
“Jaejoong, come on. It’s time to get you out of the rain.”
< >
Author’s Note: OTL This chapter has come out much later than it should have, and for that, I am sorry. D: Anyway, I know you all shall forgive me because I have completed this fic! ^__^ I’ll be posting the last chapters throughout this month - there are only two more to go by the way - so that there won’t be a complete draught of fics from me. ;) Also, I’ll be going on a posting spree this coming week. Think of it as a little present from me before I solely focus on my NaNoWriMo story. Also! I’ll be opening a request post soon! ^___^ More news on that later, though. Thank you so much for reading, and please leave a comment! ♥