Promises [2/?]
Title: Promises
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Action, Drama
Summary: As secrets came to light, Jaejoong saw his life falling apart to the point where he realizes he knows nothing and suspects everyone - even, Jung Yunho.
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As soon as things had calmed down slightly and Jaejoong had changed shirt, he was summoned to his father’s office. Security on the estate had more than tripled, and Jaejoong eventually got used to the sights of dozens of men and women circling the entire area in similar uniforms.
He pushed open the door, and as soon as he had one foot inside, he was immediately pulled into a hug by his mother who sobbed onto his chest worriedly. His heart clenched in his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, trying to soothe away her fears.
“Seonhwa, let go of the boy.” His father muttered gruffly as he left his chair and made his way across the room to examine Jaejoong.
His mother stepped aside and tried to stifle her tears as she kept her eyes on both her husband on her only son. As soon as Kim Jungwon stood in front of his son, he quickly embraced him.
The hug didn’t last long, and Jaejoong stood still as his father stepped away.
“What happened?” his father asked, his voice tight with worry. “They found the assailant’s body, and although other intruders were located, the rest either escaped or were shot dead. You’re the only that can talk about what happened.”
Jaejoong swallowed hard, “Father…” he averted his eyes, “It’s hard to explain.”
It was an internal battle, so much of him wanted to tell his father about the fact that Yunho had been to rescue him, but he also felt like he couldn’t. Just as he had trusted Yunho to lead him to safety, Jaejoong knew that Yunho had trusted him to keep the act a secret.
As painful and dishonest as it was, Jaejoong fully decided to keep his mouth shut.
“He snuck up on me - I don’t even know how he managed to get to the balcony. One moment I was alone, then next, he’d made his presence known.” Jaejoong shut his eyes, and his hands balled up into fists. “I fought him, and there was so much confusion, I didn’t know what to do -“
Seonhwa clutched her chest, “Honey, please, you’re not making things any easier for Jaejoong. I’m sure the explanation can wait until the morning, he’s still distressed by everything that’s happened, and -“
“I shot him.”
She froze and stared at her son before she broke out into another round of sobs. Jaejoong eyed his mother with pity, and just as he’d stepped closer to her in order to offer some comfort, his father spoke.
“You did the right thing.” He said slowly as he walked over to Jaejoong and his wife so that he could pull them all into a tight embrace, “We don’t know what we would’ve done if we’d lost you Jaejoong…you’re our child, and we love you.”
Jaejoong glanced at his father, “Father…”
“I understand.” Jungwon called out for an attendant, and a woman instantly rushed inside. “Please take my wife to our bedroom, she needs to be calmed. If she asks you of anything, fulfill her requests immediately.”
The woman led Jaejoong’s mother out, and as soon as the doors were shut. Jaejoong leaned followed his father over to his desk and waited as the man took out some scotch and a few glasses.
“Do you have enemies?” Jaejoong asked as he watched his father fill up a glass with the amber liquid. “Is there something you’ve been hiding from all of us? If you’ve been doing something -“
“Don’t accuse me of anything Jaejoong.” His father snapped before he took a sip. He sighed loudly, “I haven’t done anything wrong as far as I’m concerned. I can’t even begin to think why someone would target you.” A pause fell between them, and Jungwon eyed his son carefully, “Should I be worried that you’ve done something wrong?”
“I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Then we’ve both done nothing wrong, yet someone seems to want to hurt our family in the most terrible way possible.” Jungwon said slowly as he set his glass down back onto his table, “I can’t even begin to think of a cause or a solution.”
“Did the police suggest anything?”
The older man sighed and shook his head, “They said they would investigate the matter, but I find it hard to believe that they shall find any answers - all the men are dead or missing. There’s nothing they can do.”
Jaejoong was silent for a moment before he lifted his head and met his father’s concerned gaze, “What are we to do then? Do you have any suggestions? I…I don’t know what to do.”
“There’s only one thing we can do.” His father replied as he sat back down onto his chair and leaned back, “I’ll have to increase the security of everyone in this family. I can’t have any of you wandering alone, and I’ll need for all of you to be fully protected at all times. The best defense is a good offense.”
“I agree with that.” Jaejoong replied quietly, “I think we should lessen all of our events at the moment and try to remain indoors as much as possible - it’ll make protection much easier.”
“Good idea.” Jungwon reached over for his phone, and Jaejoong pushed it closer to him. “I’ll call in favors with some of my friends,” Jungwon explained as he dialed a number on the phone, “Many of them owe me something. I’ll ask for more security, and then I shall ask if any of them can find answers to this problem of ours.”
“Do you think they’ll be able to find something?” Jaejoong asked, “Do you think any of them will know why someone’s targeting us? Are you sure that you can trust any of them? What if -“
“Jaejoong.”
Jaejoong stopped talking and waited for his father to continue.
“If I trust no one, then we shall never get out of this state. As risky as it is to go out and trusting people in such a critical moment, I shall have to do so. I won’t be able to find any answers on my own, no matter how much I wish I could. I’ll just have to be careful about who I talk to.”
Jaejoong nodded, “I’m sorry if I was out of line. I should trust you to make good decisions for the family - you’ve been doing so for so many years, I should have more faith in your decision making skills.”
A small smile stretched across Jungwon’s weary face, and he took hold of Jaejoong’s hand in a comforting gesture, “Now that I’ve experienced the possibility of losing a son, I never want to feel such fear again.” he stared into Jaejoong’s eyes, “Jaejoong, I love you as much as any father could ever possibly love his son.”
Jaejoong’s eyes watered, and a small smile stretched across his face as well as he gripped his father’s hand tighter, “I love you too father.” He replied, his voice thick with emotion.
He was all the more grateful to Yunho for saving his life.
o-o-o
Jaejoong got out of the car and stared up at the large building in front of him. He ignored the press that flocked around his vehicle and walked inside, determined to talk to Yunho.
It was good that he’d mastered the art of ignoring other people - it made it much easier for him to focus on his task on hand. He would thank Yunho for saving his life, but he would also ask for answers.
The elevator ride felt slower than it was, and the presence of his numerous bodyguards made Jaejoong feel suffocated - his father had kept true to his promise, and now everywhere Jaejoong went, five bodyguards followed.
Jaejoong stepped out of the elevator, and he paused when he noticed activity on the other end of the hallway. His stomach lurched, and he quickened his steps in order to reach the people faster.
A distressed woman came out to greet him, and she bowed frequently as she apologized profusely to him. “I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly, “Mr. Jung isn’t around, and…” she glanced back at the people behind her, “I don’t know when he’ll be back in the office.”
Jaejoong frowned at her and narrowed his gaze, “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice colder than it usually was, “Are you hiding something from me? As a business associate of this company, I demand you -“
“He’s missing.” The woman blurted before she covered her mouth in dismay. She shook her head and apologized once more, “I’m sorry, but…”
A man came out of the office, and he quickly sent her a stern look that had her rushing back inside the main area. He straightened his tie and held out his hand, “I’m Mr. Lee Yoonjung, and I’m in charge of public affairs.”
“Kim Jaejoong.”
“If you would just follow me - “
“I have an appointment.” Jaejoong said stiffly, immediately shooting down the man’s offer without a single ounce of hesitation. “If you would just clarify the situation for me quickly, then I would greatly appreciate that.”
The man’s lips formed a straight line of disapproval, and he shook his head. “Unfortunately, I am not allowed to release any information unless I am given consent by members of the Jung family themselves. The best I can do is tell you that Mr. Jung Yunho shall not be attending to any business matters until further notice.”
“If that’s all you can reveal, then why would you need a private meeting with me? Surely information like that doesn’t need to be guarded.”
“No, it doesn’t, but other matters need to be. Mr. Kim, if you are to reveal that the current whereabouts of Mr. Jung are unknown, then the Jung family will be forced to seek legal action against you -“
“I won’t talk.” Jaejoong interrupted. He glanced at his bodyguards who were standing more than a good distance away. He turned his attention back to the smaller and older man standing before him, “It’ll be bad for their business if news comes out that their heir is missing, so I shall keep quiet.”
“Thank you for your cooperation then Mr. Kim.” The man said as he bowed, “If Mr. Jung’s location is known, and things are in a steadier situation, then I will be sure that you are given the good news as soon as possible.”
“Thank you for your time.” Jaejoong replied before he turned away, his mouth set into a deep frown. As he made his way back to his car, his thoughts revolved entirely around the situation from the night before.
Yunho hadn’t even made a formal attendance at the party, yet he’d been there just in time in order to save him from the assailant, and now he was missing. It was either he’d gotten caught by whoever had planned the assassination, or he’d somehow managed to escape and was on the run.
Either way, everything and everyone were suspicious and Jaejoong had no idea where to look or who to turn to for answers. It seemed like things were more complex than they had pretended to be, and it infuriated to Jaejoong to no end - he felt entirely like a fool for being blind to it all.
The assassination proved that his father had enemies that were more than willing enough to resort to dirty, underhanded tactics to get what they wanted. Jaejoong’s brows furrowed in thought as he tried to think of any fury his father had somehow managed to invoke, but his mental search was fruitless.
He was quite sure his father had done a more than perfect job of keeping good relations with everyone worked with, and Jaejoong had no idea how any of his father’s contacts had somehow managed to get in contact with a highly trained assassin.
Jaejoong ran through possible scenarios, possible suspects, yet nothing seemed to match in his mind. His mind was working at a thousand miles per minute, and he had no idea what to do.
“Mr. Kim?”
Jaejoong snapped his eyes away from the leather of the car seat and looked up at the driver from the rearview mirror. He swallowed hard and tried to focus his attention back on the matter at hand, “Yes? Is there something you need from me?”
The driver looked at him, “Sir, you haven’t given an address for our next destination yet, would you like to be driven back to the estate or is there somewhere else that you would like to go to?”
“I -“ Jaejoong bit his lip and looked down. After a minute or so of thought, he looked up and met the other man’s gaze, “Could you take me to Jung Jihye’s residence across town? There’s something I would like to talk to her about.”
“Okay sir.”
As the car began to move, Jaejoong scooted closer to the window and stared out, his mind once more running off into distant thoughts. He didn’t know if Jihye would have the answers that he wanted, and he didn’t know if she had any clue about what her brother was involved in, but he had no choice but to look to her for answers. Every person knew of the close bond between siblings, and if there was anyone that Yunho would willingly confide in, Jihye was the most likely person.
Jaejoong could only hope that Jihye would be willing to provide him the answers and the clarifications he so desperately needed.
o-o-o
Jaejoong rang the doorbell, hoping that Jihye was around. He waited for a few more seconds, and he heard the shimmying of a door lock. A few more seconds later, and the door opened to reveal Jihye.
Her surprise was written on her face immediately, “I didn’t expect to see you this morning.” Jihye said with a small smile before she looked over Jaejoong’s shoulders and noticed the bodyguards behind him. She turned her gaze back to him, “I don’t want them inside, if you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t.” Jaejoong glanced back at the men, “Stay in the corridor. I’ll be safe with her.” He ordered before he stepped inside quickly in order to prevent any sort of disagreement from the men.
As soon as he was inside, Jaejoong noticed how simple the apartment was. While there were still expensive things lying around, the whole abode was so simple that Jaejoong could’ve easily believed that the residence belonged to any normal middle class person, and not one of the richest girls in Seoul.
“It’s all a little plain, I know.” Jihye said with a smile as she led Jaejoong to where the kitchen was, “My parents have been asking me to move back to the penthouse for years, but I’ve refused them each time.”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Jaejoong said as he took a seat on a kitchen stool, “Why don’t you move back?”
“I like the independence.” Jihye answered easily, “It’s nice living here. I’m rather clumsy, so if I break anything, I won’t have to worry about how much it cost.” She laughed and handed Jaejoong a mug, “Besides, if my brother gets to live away from home, it’s only fair that I get to live away from home too.”
“Your brother lives in an expensive -“
Jihye rolled her eyes, “Well, he should live there seeing as he meets all sorts of important people all the time.” She poured some coffee into Jaejoong’s mug, “He can’t live in…” she gestured to her surroundings, “A simple place like this. He needs something fancier, or else he’ll get judged. The only people I meet are fellow students, so they don’t mind something like this.”
“I see.” Jaejoong replied with a smile as he accepted the coffee creamer and milk from her. As he prepared and stirred his coffee, he looked up at her and rested his chin against his palm, “Speaking of your brother, do you know how I could contact him?”
Jihye tensed up visibly, and she set down the pot of coffee she’d been holding. She studied Jaejoong carefully, “I don’t know. Have you tried his phone? He’s probably just busy again.”
She turned away from Jaejoong and began to fiddle with the bowls and plates on the other side of the kitchen, and Jaejoong’s instinctual feeling that Jihye knew where her brother was only grew.
“He’s not answering.” Jaejoong said slowly, watching Jihye for every change in her reaction, “I’m a little concerned. Maybe you know where he is? I’d like to talk to him about something - and it’s really important.”
Jihye turned back to look at him, her jaw tense, and she crossed her arms. “Something tells me that you know more than you’re letting on.” She leaned against the counter and stared hard at Jaejoong, “If you’re looking for answers, I can’t give them to you. I don’t…” she trailed off and averted her gaze to the floor, “I don’t know where he is as well.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“The last time I saw him was around seven thirty last night. He came in to check up on me, told me to move out of this apartment, commented about how messy it was - the usual things.” Jihye tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “I don’t know where he went, and I’m sure he’s missing now because…”
Jaejoong watched her carefully, and he noticed Jihye’s eyes were watery. He quickly got off his seat and approached her, but she made sure he kept his distance from her and held up her hand so that he couldn’t come any closer.
She brushed her tears away, “Every morning, he calls.” Jihye said, her voice thick with emotion, “Every morning - it doesn’t matter where he was, how busy he was the night before, he always calls. He didn’t call this morning, and now no one knows where he is.”
Jaejoong bit his lip, wondering if he could tell Jihye about what had happened the night before. Just as he was about to speak, she turned away from him and began to walk away.
“I don’t know where he is, but I know something is wrong about all of this.” Jihye said softly, “I don’t believe that my brother would just dump all his responsibilities and flee like a coward. There has to be something else to all this, and I’m scared because I don’t know anything about what’s happened to him. If there was a ransom call or note…maybe I would be less worried because then I wouldn’t be so fearful about whether or not he’s dead.”
Jihye held her hand to her mouth and held back a sob. She turned and faced Jaejoong again, “I’m happy you weren’t hurt last night Jaejoong…the pain, this pain I’m feeling right now - no doubt your family would feel the same if anything had happened to you last night.”
Jaejoong was quiet for a few seconds, “How are you sure that -“
“My brother and I are close. You’re well aware of that, right?” Jihye asked, and Jaejoong nodded in response. “There’s just something about that bond…it’s almost like a sixth sense of sorts. I just know Jaejoong, I know something’s gone wrong.”
“I should go now.” Jaejoong said, guilt and other emotions rising to the surface the longer he stayed with Jihye. “I’m sorry for bringing up something so uncomfortable and painful for you.”
“It’s okay.” Jihye said softly with a kind smile. “Goodbye Jaejoong.”
“Goodbye.”
Jaejoong left the apartment, guilt consuming him. He swallowed hard, and it was hard for him to think - fear and guilt gripped his heart, and his thoughts refused to come together in order to find a solution to the question that had taken hold of his mind.
What if he was the reason Yunho was missing?
o-o-o
The apartment was deathly silent, but Jaejoong couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d been checking all the news sites the entire day, seeing if any of them had caught word that Yunho was missing, but like he’d expected, none of them had.
Jaejoong sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t know what to do. He felt responsible for the fact Yunho was missing, but he didn’t know what he could do to find some sort of solution. He had no connections aside from the ones established from his business, and while he knew of the existence of private investigators that dealt with shadier issues, he didn’t know how he could contact any of them - it wasn’t like he could post a wanted notice on the internet.
He let his face fall into his hands, and he sighed once more. He was going crazy with frustration and guilt. He couldn’t understand why Yunho had risked so much to save his life - they weren’t even that close.
All along, there’d been so much about Yunho he didn’t know, and Jaejoong couldn’t pinpoint the reason as to why he was so disturbed about it all. As much as he wanted to let go of the whole issues, to just be thankful that Yunho had saved him and move on, he couldn’t. Too much of him wanted answers, and too much of him wanted to know that Yunho was okay.
A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts, and Jaejoong glanced in the direction of his door. He left the chair he’d been sitting on and walked to the door slowly, cautious of who was at the door. It was close to midnight, and he had never received unannounced visitors past twelve before.
His hand wrapped around the brass knob, and he looked through the peephole of his door.
“Who is it?” he asked, his grip on the knob tightening as each second past by.
“It’s me.” The voice whispered on the other side, so quiet that Jaejoong almost hadn’t heard and recognized the voice. He quickly unlocked the door and swung it open, only to reveal Yunho standing outside in the corridor.
“What…what are you doing here?” Jaejoong asked, as his eyes raked over the entire length of Yunho’s body, “Your sister said you were missing, you shouldn’t be here! You have to go tell your family that -“
“Please, let me in.” Yunho interrupted as he clutched his side, “Jaejoong, please.” He reached out and gripped the doorframe, “I need your help.”
“Yunho, how did you -“ Jaejoong stopped talking the moment he noticed the large crimson stain on Yunho’s pristine white shirt. It’d been hidden by Yunho’s jacket before, but because of the angle he was now in, Jaejoong could see the amount of blood that the other man was losing. “You have to go to the hospital!”
“No, I can’t, it’s not safe there.” Yunho pleaded, “Please, help me.” He moved forward and Jaejoong quickly caught him. He led Yunho inside slowly and shut the door quickly, not bothering to lock it.
He didn’t have any clue how to help Yunho, but he just followed his instincts and led Yunho to his spare bathroom. Yunho groaned in pain, and Jaejoong’s hands shook as he led Yunho to the bathtub.
“Where are you bleeding?” Jaejoong asked, as he unbuttoned Yunho’s shirt with trembling hands. He couldn’t bring himself to look Yunho in the eyes, and he wasn’t even sure of his actions as he slowly began to slide the shirt off Yunho’s body.
Yunho turned and took hold of Jaejoong’s hands, and although the pain was evident on his face, he only gripped Jaejoong’s hands tighter. “You…” he winced as he moved slightly, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“You saved my life.” Jaejoong whispered back, “It’s the least I can do for you.” He swallowed hard, “It’s the least I can do.” He repeated before he tore Yunho’s shirt slowly in order to reveal the extent of his injuries.
Yunho clenched the edge of the bathtub tightly, and Jaejoong bit his lip, trying to figure out what to do with Yunho. The other man was bruised everywhere, his tanned skin was darkened with bruises, cuts marred his skin, and from what Jaejoong could see, most of the bleeding came from what looked like a bullet wound.
“You got shot?” Jaejoong asked, fear evident in his voice. His hands became even shakier, and he could barely grip the fabric of Yunho’s shirt, “I don’t know what to do Yunho, I’m not a doctor, I don’t know how to help you -“
“Alcohol Jaejoong, I need alcohol.” Yunho hissed, “We need to disinfect the wound. There’s no need to worry about taking the bullet out because it didn’t get embedded in my skin.”
Jaejoong stumbled out of the bathroom and ran for one of his cabinets. He rummaged through his things and ignored all the items that clattered down onto the floor in his rush. He pulled the alcohol from the depths of the cabinet and immediately ran back to the bathroom, hoping that Yunho hadn’t blacked out.
When he came back inside the bathroom, he tried to ignore the blood that was slowly rolling down into his bathtub. He knelt down next to Yunho and met his eyes. “This is going to hurt Yunho.” Jaejoong said quietly, “I don’t know how I can make this any less painful for you.”
Yunho shook his head and rolled a strip of his shirt, “I’ll be fine.” He replied as he gripped the edge of the bathtub tightly, “Do it now.”
Jaejoong poured the alcohol onto the wound, and Yunho let out a loud pained noise. He flinched, but continued to pour the alcohol onto the wound. After Yunho had let out another pained shout, Jaejoong dropped the bottle, and it clattered onto the tiles of the bathroom.
“First aid kit?” Yunho asked, tears leaking out the corner of his eyes. ‘Do you have one Jaejoong?”
“I - I don’t know!” Jaejoong stammered, “I’ll look.” He left Yunho’s side and looked through his bathroom cabinets, trying to find anything close to a first aid kit. He caught sight of one and quickly pulled it out.
He dumped the contents onto the floor in his rush, and began to take out the things to treat Yunho’s wound. His hands were still shaking as he applied the materials in the kit, and Jaejoong was sure that Yunho noticed.
Each hiss of pain only made things worse for the two of them, and Jaejoong didn’t know where his strength to keep going was coming from. As soon as he’d finished applying the necessary things onto the wound, he began to wrap the bandage around Yunho’s waist slowly.
“You’re going to die.” Jaejoong whispered, breaking the tense silence between them. “I don’t know if this is good enough to keep you alive Yunho. I don’t know anything about treating wounds.” He looked up and met Yunho’s gaze, “How did this happen to you?”
“It’s hard to explain.” Yunho choked out, wincing as the bandage passed by the wounded area of his body once more. He gritted his teeth and met Jaejoong’s worried and frightened gaze, “You don’t have to know.”
“What’s going to happen to you?” Jaejoong asked as soon as he’d finished bandaging the wound. He pulled away from Yunho and stood up, “I can’t keep you here forever. You’re going to die. I have to bring you to the hospital -“
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
Jaejoong glared at Yunho, “Not worry about you? Look at you Yunho! Do you think I could just let you die like this?” he looked away and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, “What makes you think I want to see you like this? You saved my life! Please, you need to tell me…what happened to you?”
“I…” Yunho trailed off and swallowed, “Jaejoong please, just…”
“No.” Jaejoong shook his head and moved closer to Yunho, “I can’t let this go. You showed up at my doorstep, shot and bleeding. I can’t let this go Yunho. I need to know what you’re -“
“Jaejoong, I’m part of a crime syndicate.” Yunho answered quietly, his eyes staring into Jaejoong’s. “This is…this is part of the job, and it’s also the consequence. Jaejoong please, don’t make me tell you more.”
“Yunho -“ Jaejoong swallowed hard. “For how long?” he asked, his voice restrained as he took a step closer, “How long have you been a part of them?”
“For too long.” Yunho whispered back before he shook his head and looked away. “If you’re going to turn me out Jaejoong, then turn me out now. You’ve helped me enough as it is -“
“Is that why you knew about what was going to happen last night?” Jaejoong asked, his voice steadier than how he felt. “Is that why you knew that someone was going to try to kill me? Tell me.”
“Jaejoong, don’t.” Yunho stood up on unsteady legs and walked closer to Jaejoong, forcing the other man to look up at him, “Don’t keep asking questions or else you’ll get pulled into it all, and the moment you’re pulled in, you won’t be able to get out. It’s on obvious answer Jaejoong, you don’t have to ask. You know the answer.”
Jaejoong took hold of Yunho and slowly led him out of the bathroom. He led Yunho to his bed and helped him down. Yunho let out a small groan as his wound touched the mattress and he looked up at Jaejoong apologetically, “I’ve ruined your life.”
“No, you’ve saved it.” Jaejoong replied softly. He sat down onto the bed next to Yunho and carded his fingers through the other’s hair in a comforting gesture, “You’re still the same Yunho that I had lunch with two days ago.”
“Am I?” Yunho smiled bitterly, “I don’t think that Yunho had a gunshot wound. I think I’d like to be him right now.”
Jaejoong let out a soft sigh, “Yunho…” his eyes met Yunho’s in the darkness, “Am I the reason you’re hurt right now? Were your fellow members supposed to kill me?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions.” Yunho replied, “You have nothing to do with this.” He licked his lips, and Jaejoong stood up to get him water, “Jaejoong…none of this is your fault. Your family….they didn’t deserve to lose you, and you don’t deserve to feel any guilt for all this.”
“Yunho -“
“None of this is your fault.” Yunho said softly, “None of it.” His eyes fluttered shut, and Jaejoong watched him for a few seconds before he turned away to get Yunho some water.
He swallowed hard and filled up a glass of water slowly. Jaejoong made his way through his apartment, ignoring the droplets of blood on the tile floor, and quietly entered his bedroom.
Yunho was sleeping, and Jaejoong watched his moonlight illuminated figure in the darkness. The bandage was beginning to show blood stains, and Jaejoong could feel fear grip his heart once more. He clutched the glass in his hand tighter and he didn’t know where the overwhelming sadness he was feeling was coming from.
All he could think of was that Yunho couldn’t die.
o-o-o
Jaejoong woke up on his sofa, and he tiredly rubbed his eyes. He sat up immediately and made his way to his room to check on Yunho. He walked to his room, and as soon as he saw the door ajar, he hastened his footsteps.
He pulled the door open wider, and he froze the moment he looked inside.
The room was empty, save for a note on the bed. Jaejoong walked to the door slowly and picked it up, noting that it had been written in Yunho’s handwriting.
I’m sorry.
Jaejoong crumpled the note and stuffed it into his pocket. He glanced down at his bed one last time before he walked out of his bedroom. He felt restless all over again, and once more, he was concerned for Yunho.
He returned to his sofa and sat down. The silence was eerie, and it only set him further on edge, so he turned on the television. Jaejoong glanced at his wall clock - it was four in the morning, and it was too early in the day for him to feel so stressed.
Jaejoong let out a sigh and flipped past channels, ignoring drama reruns and other mindless shows that filled the dead hours of television viewing. He put the remote down and sighed once more. As much as he hoped for normalcy, his mind refused to settle down.
Where had Yunho gone?
Jaejoong stood up and looked around his apartment, trying to find some clue about Yunho’s whereabouts. He even opened his own closet and rifled through his things, trying to see if Yunho had taken any of his clothes, but his entire closet was untouched and as pristine as it usually was.
Despite the look of normalcy that had once more taken over his apartment, Jaejoong could still a lingering amount of dread in the back of his mind. He bit his lip and looked around, examining each and every thing in an attempt to find out what was wrong, but he couldn’t find anything.
Jaejoong sighed - he’d go crazy if he continued acting so paranoid. He sighed and sat back down onto the sofa. He glanced at his phone, which was only lying on a cushion a few centimeters away. He considered calling one of his sisters, but then calling them would probably only worry them, so he shooed that thought away.
He stared blankly at the television, trying to process what was happening on the screen, but his mind was too far away to even think about what was playing on the channel in front of him.
Just as he made move to change the channel, a news flash appeared and interrupted the drama that had been airing.
“Just a few minutes ago, the bodies of Jung Yeonhee & Jung Jinhun were discovered in the bedroom of their penthouse. Their children, Jung Yunho and Jung Jihye are reported as missing, and speculation is coming in that the children may or may not have had a hand in the murder of their parents.”
Jaejoong stared at the television screen and dropped the remote. He watched as pictures were shown of the broken in penthouse, and as the seconds passed by, the sight of the ruined Jung residence made him feel numb.
The reporter was shown once more, and Jaejoong felt an almost familiar feeling of fear and anxiety grip his heart once more. He swallowed hard and he watched as the woman shuffled her papers.
“According to new reports and an official statement from the Jungs’ representative in public affairs, Jung Jihye is officially missing - there are no clues as to where she is now, but after an investigation of her apartment, there are signs of struggle and findings now say that she has been abducted.”
Jaejoong’s heart clenched painfully in his chest, and he couldn’t even bear to think about what could’ve happened to Yunho. He stared at the television screen, waiting for the woman to continue reporting the news and to unfold the rest of the tragedy that had occurred to the Jung family.
“As for the whereabouts of the Jung family heir, Jung Yunho, the Jung’s representative has made no comment. Further speculation is coming in however, that this whole incident may have been the result of a internal conflict within the family, but that is not confirmed.” The reporter shuffled her papers, “We will continue to keep you updated as more news comes in about the Jung Family tragedy.”
The news segment ended, and Jaejoong stared in shock at the television screen. Yunho’s parents were dead, his sister was missing and most likely dead herself, and Yunho…Yunho was gone.
The only thought that resounded in his mind was Yunho’s cryptic message.
I’m sorry.
What was he truly sorry for?
< >
Author’s Note: The fifth update of the fake Twelve Days of Christmas updates! Please continue to participate in the game! XD Alright, to make things easier, the things you can guess for the next update are these: A Learning Process, For You and New Story. If you need any further explanation about the game, then please check out the post in which I explain it. ;) I hope you guys all enjoyed the second chapter of my NaNoWriMo story! ^___^ Please leave a comment! ♥
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Action, Drama
Summary: As secrets came to light, Jaejoong saw his life falling apart to the point where he realizes he knows nothing and suspects everyone - even, Jung Yunho.
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As soon as things had calmed down slightly and Jaejoong had changed shirt, he was summoned to his father’s office. Security on the estate had more than tripled, and Jaejoong eventually got used to the sights of dozens of men and women circling the entire area in similar uniforms.
He pushed open the door, and as soon as he had one foot inside, he was immediately pulled into a hug by his mother who sobbed onto his chest worriedly. His heart clenched in his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, trying to soothe away her fears.
“Seonhwa, let go of the boy.” His father muttered gruffly as he left his chair and made his way across the room to examine Jaejoong.
His mother stepped aside and tried to stifle her tears as she kept her eyes on both her husband on her only son. As soon as Kim Jungwon stood in front of his son, he quickly embraced him.
The hug didn’t last long, and Jaejoong stood still as his father stepped away.
“What happened?” his father asked, his voice tight with worry. “They found the assailant’s body, and although other intruders were located, the rest either escaped or were shot dead. You’re the only that can talk about what happened.”
Jaejoong swallowed hard, “Father…” he averted his eyes, “It’s hard to explain.”
It was an internal battle, so much of him wanted to tell his father about the fact that Yunho had been to rescue him, but he also felt like he couldn’t. Just as he had trusted Yunho to lead him to safety, Jaejoong knew that Yunho had trusted him to keep the act a secret.
As painful and dishonest as it was, Jaejoong fully decided to keep his mouth shut.
“He snuck up on me - I don’t even know how he managed to get to the balcony. One moment I was alone, then next, he’d made his presence known.” Jaejoong shut his eyes, and his hands balled up into fists. “I fought him, and there was so much confusion, I didn’t know what to do -“
Seonhwa clutched her chest, “Honey, please, you’re not making things any easier for Jaejoong. I’m sure the explanation can wait until the morning, he’s still distressed by everything that’s happened, and -“
“I shot him.”
She froze and stared at her son before she broke out into another round of sobs. Jaejoong eyed his mother with pity, and just as he’d stepped closer to her in order to offer some comfort, his father spoke.
“You did the right thing.” He said slowly as he walked over to Jaejoong and his wife so that he could pull them all into a tight embrace, “We don’t know what we would’ve done if we’d lost you Jaejoong…you’re our child, and we love you.”
Jaejoong glanced at his father, “Father…”
“I understand.” Jungwon called out for an attendant, and a woman instantly rushed inside. “Please take my wife to our bedroom, she needs to be calmed. If she asks you of anything, fulfill her requests immediately.”
The woman led Jaejoong’s mother out, and as soon as the doors were shut. Jaejoong leaned followed his father over to his desk and waited as the man took out some scotch and a few glasses.
“Do you have enemies?” Jaejoong asked as he watched his father fill up a glass with the amber liquid. “Is there something you’ve been hiding from all of us? If you’ve been doing something -“
“Don’t accuse me of anything Jaejoong.” His father snapped before he took a sip. He sighed loudly, “I haven’t done anything wrong as far as I’m concerned. I can’t even begin to think why someone would target you.” A pause fell between them, and Jungwon eyed his son carefully, “Should I be worried that you’ve done something wrong?”
“I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Then we’ve both done nothing wrong, yet someone seems to want to hurt our family in the most terrible way possible.” Jungwon said slowly as he set his glass down back onto his table, “I can’t even begin to think of a cause or a solution.”
“Did the police suggest anything?”
The older man sighed and shook his head, “They said they would investigate the matter, but I find it hard to believe that they shall find any answers - all the men are dead or missing. There’s nothing they can do.”
Jaejoong was silent for a moment before he lifted his head and met his father’s concerned gaze, “What are we to do then? Do you have any suggestions? I…I don’t know what to do.”
“There’s only one thing we can do.” His father replied as he sat back down onto his chair and leaned back, “I’ll have to increase the security of everyone in this family. I can’t have any of you wandering alone, and I’ll need for all of you to be fully protected at all times. The best defense is a good offense.”
“I agree with that.” Jaejoong replied quietly, “I think we should lessen all of our events at the moment and try to remain indoors as much as possible - it’ll make protection much easier.”
“Good idea.” Jungwon reached over for his phone, and Jaejoong pushed it closer to him. “I’ll call in favors with some of my friends,” Jungwon explained as he dialed a number on the phone, “Many of them owe me something. I’ll ask for more security, and then I shall ask if any of them can find answers to this problem of ours.”
“Do you think they’ll be able to find something?” Jaejoong asked, “Do you think any of them will know why someone’s targeting us? Are you sure that you can trust any of them? What if -“
“Jaejoong.”
Jaejoong stopped talking and waited for his father to continue.
“If I trust no one, then we shall never get out of this state. As risky as it is to go out and trusting people in such a critical moment, I shall have to do so. I won’t be able to find any answers on my own, no matter how much I wish I could. I’ll just have to be careful about who I talk to.”
Jaejoong nodded, “I’m sorry if I was out of line. I should trust you to make good decisions for the family - you’ve been doing so for so many years, I should have more faith in your decision making skills.”
A small smile stretched across Jungwon’s weary face, and he took hold of Jaejoong’s hand in a comforting gesture, “Now that I’ve experienced the possibility of losing a son, I never want to feel such fear again.” he stared into Jaejoong’s eyes, “Jaejoong, I love you as much as any father could ever possibly love his son.”
Jaejoong’s eyes watered, and a small smile stretched across his face as well as he gripped his father’s hand tighter, “I love you too father.” He replied, his voice thick with emotion.
He was all the more grateful to Yunho for saving his life.
o-o-o
Jaejoong got out of the car and stared up at the large building in front of him. He ignored the press that flocked around his vehicle and walked inside, determined to talk to Yunho.
It was good that he’d mastered the art of ignoring other people - it made it much easier for him to focus on his task on hand. He would thank Yunho for saving his life, but he would also ask for answers.
The elevator ride felt slower than it was, and the presence of his numerous bodyguards made Jaejoong feel suffocated - his father had kept true to his promise, and now everywhere Jaejoong went, five bodyguards followed.
Jaejoong stepped out of the elevator, and he paused when he noticed activity on the other end of the hallway. His stomach lurched, and he quickened his steps in order to reach the people faster.
A distressed woman came out to greet him, and she bowed frequently as she apologized profusely to him. “I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly, “Mr. Jung isn’t around, and…” she glanced back at the people behind her, “I don’t know when he’ll be back in the office.”
Jaejoong frowned at her and narrowed his gaze, “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice colder than it usually was, “Are you hiding something from me? As a business associate of this company, I demand you -“
“He’s missing.” The woman blurted before she covered her mouth in dismay. She shook her head and apologized once more, “I’m sorry, but…”
A man came out of the office, and he quickly sent her a stern look that had her rushing back inside the main area. He straightened his tie and held out his hand, “I’m Mr. Lee Yoonjung, and I’m in charge of public affairs.”
“Kim Jaejoong.”
“If you would just follow me - “
“I have an appointment.” Jaejoong said stiffly, immediately shooting down the man’s offer without a single ounce of hesitation. “If you would just clarify the situation for me quickly, then I would greatly appreciate that.”
The man’s lips formed a straight line of disapproval, and he shook his head. “Unfortunately, I am not allowed to release any information unless I am given consent by members of the Jung family themselves. The best I can do is tell you that Mr. Jung Yunho shall not be attending to any business matters until further notice.”
“If that’s all you can reveal, then why would you need a private meeting with me? Surely information like that doesn’t need to be guarded.”
“No, it doesn’t, but other matters need to be. Mr. Kim, if you are to reveal that the current whereabouts of Mr. Jung are unknown, then the Jung family will be forced to seek legal action against you -“
“I won’t talk.” Jaejoong interrupted. He glanced at his bodyguards who were standing more than a good distance away. He turned his attention back to the smaller and older man standing before him, “It’ll be bad for their business if news comes out that their heir is missing, so I shall keep quiet.”
“Thank you for your cooperation then Mr. Kim.” The man said as he bowed, “If Mr. Jung’s location is known, and things are in a steadier situation, then I will be sure that you are given the good news as soon as possible.”
“Thank you for your time.” Jaejoong replied before he turned away, his mouth set into a deep frown. As he made his way back to his car, his thoughts revolved entirely around the situation from the night before.
Yunho hadn’t even made a formal attendance at the party, yet he’d been there just in time in order to save him from the assailant, and now he was missing. It was either he’d gotten caught by whoever had planned the assassination, or he’d somehow managed to escape and was on the run.
Either way, everything and everyone were suspicious and Jaejoong had no idea where to look or who to turn to for answers. It seemed like things were more complex than they had pretended to be, and it infuriated to Jaejoong to no end - he felt entirely like a fool for being blind to it all.
The assassination proved that his father had enemies that were more than willing enough to resort to dirty, underhanded tactics to get what they wanted. Jaejoong’s brows furrowed in thought as he tried to think of any fury his father had somehow managed to invoke, but his mental search was fruitless.
He was quite sure his father had done a more than perfect job of keeping good relations with everyone worked with, and Jaejoong had no idea how any of his father’s contacts had somehow managed to get in contact with a highly trained assassin.
Jaejoong ran through possible scenarios, possible suspects, yet nothing seemed to match in his mind. His mind was working at a thousand miles per minute, and he had no idea what to do.
“Mr. Kim?”
Jaejoong snapped his eyes away from the leather of the car seat and looked up at the driver from the rearview mirror. He swallowed hard and tried to focus his attention back on the matter at hand, “Yes? Is there something you need from me?”
The driver looked at him, “Sir, you haven’t given an address for our next destination yet, would you like to be driven back to the estate or is there somewhere else that you would like to go to?”
“I -“ Jaejoong bit his lip and looked down. After a minute or so of thought, he looked up and met the other man’s gaze, “Could you take me to Jung Jihye’s residence across town? There’s something I would like to talk to her about.”
“Okay sir.”
As the car began to move, Jaejoong scooted closer to the window and stared out, his mind once more running off into distant thoughts. He didn’t know if Jihye would have the answers that he wanted, and he didn’t know if she had any clue about what her brother was involved in, but he had no choice but to look to her for answers. Every person knew of the close bond between siblings, and if there was anyone that Yunho would willingly confide in, Jihye was the most likely person.
Jaejoong could only hope that Jihye would be willing to provide him the answers and the clarifications he so desperately needed.
o-o-o
Jaejoong rang the doorbell, hoping that Jihye was around. He waited for a few more seconds, and he heard the shimmying of a door lock. A few more seconds later, and the door opened to reveal Jihye.
Her surprise was written on her face immediately, “I didn’t expect to see you this morning.” Jihye said with a small smile before she looked over Jaejoong’s shoulders and noticed the bodyguards behind him. She turned her gaze back to him, “I don’t want them inside, if you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t.” Jaejoong glanced back at the men, “Stay in the corridor. I’ll be safe with her.” He ordered before he stepped inside quickly in order to prevent any sort of disagreement from the men.
As soon as he was inside, Jaejoong noticed how simple the apartment was. While there were still expensive things lying around, the whole abode was so simple that Jaejoong could’ve easily believed that the residence belonged to any normal middle class person, and not one of the richest girls in Seoul.
“It’s all a little plain, I know.” Jihye said with a smile as she led Jaejoong to where the kitchen was, “My parents have been asking me to move back to the penthouse for years, but I’ve refused them each time.”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Jaejoong said as he took a seat on a kitchen stool, “Why don’t you move back?”
“I like the independence.” Jihye answered easily, “It’s nice living here. I’m rather clumsy, so if I break anything, I won’t have to worry about how much it cost.” She laughed and handed Jaejoong a mug, “Besides, if my brother gets to live away from home, it’s only fair that I get to live away from home too.”
“Your brother lives in an expensive -“
Jihye rolled her eyes, “Well, he should live there seeing as he meets all sorts of important people all the time.” She poured some coffee into Jaejoong’s mug, “He can’t live in…” she gestured to her surroundings, “A simple place like this. He needs something fancier, or else he’ll get judged. The only people I meet are fellow students, so they don’t mind something like this.”
“I see.” Jaejoong replied with a smile as he accepted the coffee creamer and milk from her. As he prepared and stirred his coffee, he looked up at her and rested his chin against his palm, “Speaking of your brother, do you know how I could contact him?”
Jihye tensed up visibly, and she set down the pot of coffee she’d been holding. She studied Jaejoong carefully, “I don’t know. Have you tried his phone? He’s probably just busy again.”
She turned away from Jaejoong and began to fiddle with the bowls and plates on the other side of the kitchen, and Jaejoong’s instinctual feeling that Jihye knew where her brother was only grew.
“He’s not answering.” Jaejoong said slowly, watching Jihye for every change in her reaction, “I’m a little concerned. Maybe you know where he is? I’d like to talk to him about something - and it’s really important.”
Jihye turned back to look at him, her jaw tense, and she crossed her arms. “Something tells me that you know more than you’re letting on.” She leaned against the counter and stared hard at Jaejoong, “If you’re looking for answers, I can’t give them to you. I don’t…” she trailed off and averted her gaze to the floor, “I don’t know where he is as well.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“The last time I saw him was around seven thirty last night. He came in to check up on me, told me to move out of this apartment, commented about how messy it was - the usual things.” Jihye tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “I don’t know where he went, and I’m sure he’s missing now because…”
Jaejoong watched her carefully, and he noticed Jihye’s eyes were watery. He quickly got off his seat and approached her, but she made sure he kept his distance from her and held up her hand so that he couldn’t come any closer.
She brushed her tears away, “Every morning, he calls.” Jihye said, her voice thick with emotion, “Every morning - it doesn’t matter where he was, how busy he was the night before, he always calls. He didn’t call this morning, and now no one knows where he is.”
Jaejoong bit his lip, wondering if he could tell Jihye about what had happened the night before. Just as he was about to speak, she turned away from him and began to walk away.
“I don’t know where he is, but I know something is wrong about all of this.” Jihye said softly, “I don’t believe that my brother would just dump all his responsibilities and flee like a coward. There has to be something else to all this, and I’m scared because I don’t know anything about what’s happened to him. If there was a ransom call or note…maybe I would be less worried because then I wouldn’t be so fearful about whether or not he’s dead.”
Jihye held her hand to her mouth and held back a sob. She turned and faced Jaejoong again, “I’m happy you weren’t hurt last night Jaejoong…the pain, this pain I’m feeling right now - no doubt your family would feel the same if anything had happened to you last night.”
Jaejoong was quiet for a few seconds, “How are you sure that -“
“My brother and I are close. You’re well aware of that, right?” Jihye asked, and Jaejoong nodded in response. “There’s just something about that bond…it’s almost like a sixth sense of sorts. I just know Jaejoong, I know something’s gone wrong.”
“I should go now.” Jaejoong said, guilt and other emotions rising to the surface the longer he stayed with Jihye. “I’m sorry for bringing up something so uncomfortable and painful for you.”
“It’s okay.” Jihye said softly with a kind smile. “Goodbye Jaejoong.”
“Goodbye.”
Jaejoong left the apartment, guilt consuming him. He swallowed hard, and it was hard for him to think - fear and guilt gripped his heart, and his thoughts refused to come together in order to find a solution to the question that had taken hold of his mind.
What if he was the reason Yunho was missing?
o-o-o
The apartment was deathly silent, but Jaejoong couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d been checking all the news sites the entire day, seeing if any of them had caught word that Yunho was missing, but like he’d expected, none of them had.
Jaejoong sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t know what to do. He felt responsible for the fact Yunho was missing, but he didn’t know what he could do to find some sort of solution. He had no connections aside from the ones established from his business, and while he knew of the existence of private investigators that dealt with shadier issues, he didn’t know how he could contact any of them - it wasn’t like he could post a wanted notice on the internet.
He let his face fall into his hands, and he sighed once more. He was going crazy with frustration and guilt. He couldn’t understand why Yunho had risked so much to save his life - they weren’t even that close.
All along, there’d been so much about Yunho he didn’t know, and Jaejoong couldn’t pinpoint the reason as to why he was so disturbed about it all. As much as he wanted to let go of the whole issues, to just be thankful that Yunho had saved him and move on, he couldn’t. Too much of him wanted answers, and too much of him wanted to know that Yunho was okay.
A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts, and Jaejoong glanced in the direction of his door. He left the chair he’d been sitting on and walked to the door slowly, cautious of who was at the door. It was close to midnight, and he had never received unannounced visitors past twelve before.
His hand wrapped around the brass knob, and he looked through the peephole of his door.
“Who is it?” he asked, his grip on the knob tightening as each second past by.
“It’s me.” The voice whispered on the other side, so quiet that Jaejoong almost hadn’t heard and recognized the voice. He quickly unlocked the door and swung it open, only to reveal Yunho standing outside in the corridor.
“What…what are you doing here?” Jaejoong asked, as his eyes raked over the entire length of Yunho’s body, “Your sister said you were missing, you shouldn’t be here! You have to go tell your family that -“
“Please, let me in.” Yunho interrupted as he clutched his side, “Jaejoong, please.” He reached out and gripped the doorframe, “I need your help.”
“Yunho, how did you -“ Jaejoong stopped talking the moment he noticed the large crimson stain on Yunho’s pristine white shirt. It’d been hidden by Yunho’s jacket before, but because of the angle he was now in, Jaejoong could see the amount of blood that the other man was losing. “You have to go to the hospital!”
“No, I can’t, it’s not safe there.” Yunho pleaded, “Please, help me.” He moved forward and Jaejoong quickly caught him. He led Yunho inside slowly and shut the door quickly, not bothering to lock it.
He didn’t have any clue how to help Yunho, but he just followed his instincts and led Yunho to his spare bathroom. Yunho groaned in pain, and Jaejoong’s hands shook as he led Yunho to the bathtub.
“Where are you bleeding?” Jaejoong asked, as he unbuttoned Yunho’s shirt with trembling hands. He couldn’t bring himself to look Yunho in the eyes, and he wasn’t even sure of his actions as he slowly began to slide the shirt off Yunho’s body.
Yunho turned and took hold of Jaejoong’s hands, and although the pain was evident on his face, he only gripped Jaejoong’s hands tighter. “You…” he winced as he moved slightly, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“You saved my life.” Jaejoong whispered back, “It’s the least I can do for you.” He swallowed hard, “It’s the least I can do.” He repeated before he tore Yunho’s shirt slowly in order to reveal the extent of his injuries.
Yunho clenched the edge of the bathtub tightly, and Jaejoong bit his lip, trying to figure out what to do with Yunho. The other man was bruised everywhere, his tanned skin was darkened with bruises, cuts marred his skin, and from what Jaejoong could see, most of the bleeding came from what looked like a bullet wound.
“You got shot?” Jaejoong asked, fear evident in his voice. His hands became even shakier, and he could barely grip the fabric of Yunho’s shirt, “I don’t know what to do Yunho, I’m not a doctor, I don’t know how to help you -“
“Alcohol Jaejoong, I need alcohol.” Yunho hissed, “We need to disinfect the wound. There’s no need to worry about taking the bullet out because it didn’t get embedded in my skin.”
Jaejoong stumbled out of the bathroom and ran for one of his cabinets. He rummaged through his things and ignored all the items that clattered down onto the floor in his rush. He pulled the alcohol from the depths of the cabinet and immediately ran back to the bathroom, hoping that Yunho hadn’t blacked out.
When he came back inside the bathroom, he tried to ignore the blood that was slowly rolling down into his bathtub. He knelt down next to Yunho and met his eyes. “This is going to hurt Yunho.” Jaejoong said quietly, “I don’t know how I can make this any less painful for you.”
Yunho shook his head and rolled a strip of his shirt, “I’ll be fine.” He replied as he gripped the edge of the bathtub tightly, “Do it now.”
Jaejoong poured the alcohol onto the wound, and Yunho let out a loud pained noise. He flinched, but continued to pour the alcohol onto the wound. After Yunho had let out another pained shout, Jaejoong dropped the bottle, and it clattered onto the tiles of the bathroom.
“First aid kit?” Yunho asked, tears leaking out the corner of his eyes. ‘Do you have one Jaejoong?”
“I - I don’t know!” Jaejoong stammered, “I’ll look.” He left Yunho’s side and looked through his bathroom cabinets, trying to find anything close to a first aid kit. He caught sight of one and quickly pulled it out.
He dumped the contents onto the floor in his rush, and began to take out the things to treat Yunho’s wound. His hands were still shaking as he applied the materials in the kit, and Jaejoong was sure that Yunho noticed.
Each hiss of pain only made things worse for the two of them, and Jaejoong didn’t know where his strength to keep going was coming from. As soon as he’d finished applying the necessary things onto the wound, he began to wrap the bandage around Yunho’s waist slowly.
“You’re going to die.” Jaejoong whispered, breaking the tense silence between them. “I don’t know if this is good enough to keep you alive Yunho. I don’t know anything about treating wounds.” He looked up and met Yunho’s gaze, “How did this happen to you?”
“It’s hard to explain.” Yunho choked out, wincing as the bandage passed by the wounded area of his body once more. He gritted his teeth and met Jaejoong’s worried and frightened gaze, “You don’t have to know.”
“What’s going to happen to you?” Jaejoong asked as soon as he’d finished bandaging the wound. He pulled away from Yunho and stood up, “I can’t keep you here forever. You’re going to die. I have to bring you to the hospital -“
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
Jaejoong glared at Yunho, “Not worry about you? Look at you Yunho! Do you think I could just let you die like this?” he looked away and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, “What makes you think I want to see you like this? You saved my life! Please, you need to tell me…what happened to you?”
“I…” Yunho trailed off and swallowed, “Jaejoong please, just…”
“No.” Jaejoong shook his head and moved closer to Yunho, “I can’t let this go. You showed up at my doorstep, shot and bleeding. I can’t let this go Yunho. I need to know what you’re -“
“Jaejoong, I’m part of a crime syndicate.” Yunho answered quietly, his eyes staring into Jaejoong’s. “This is…this is part of the job, and it’s also the consequence. Jaejoong please, don’t make me tell you more.”
“Yunho -“ Jaejoong swallowed hard. “For how long?” he asked, his voice restrained as he took a step closer, “How long have you been a part of them?”
“For too long.” Yunho whispered back before he shook his head and looked away. “If you’re going to turn me out Jaejoong, then turn me out now. You’ve helped me enough as it is -“
“Is that why you knew about what was going to happen last night?” Jaejoong asked, his voice steadier than how he felt. “Is that why you knew that someone was going to try to kill me? Tell me.”
“Jaejoong, don’t.” Yunho stood up on unsteady legs and walked closer to Jaejoong, forcing the other man to look up at him, “Don’t keep asking questions or else you’ll get pulled into it all, and the moment you’re pulled in, you won’t be able to get out. It’s on obvious answer Jaejoong, you don’t have to ask. You know the answer.”
Jaejoong took hold of Yunho and slowly led him out of the bathroom. He led Yunho to his bed and helped him down. Yunho let out a small groan as his wound touched the mattress and he looked up at Jaejoong apologetically, “I’ve ruined your life.”
“No, you’ve saved it.” Jaejoong replied softly. He sat down onto the bed next to Yunho and carded his fingers through the other’s hair in a comforting gesture, “You’re still the same Yunho that I had lunch with two days ago.”
“Am I?” Yunho smiled bitterly, “I don’t think that Yunho had a gunshot wound. I think I’d like to be him right now.”
Jaejoong let out a soft sigh, “Yunho…” his eyes met Yunho’s in the darkness, “Am I the reason you’re hurt right now? Were your fellow members supposed to kill me?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions.” Yunho replied, “You have nothing to do with this.” He licked his lips, and Jaejoong stood up to get him water, “Jaejoong…none of this is your fault. Your family….they didn’t deserve to lose you, and you don’t deserve to feel any guilt for all this.”
“Yunho -“
“None of this is your fault.” Yunho said softly, “None of it.” His eyes fluttered shut, and Jaejoong watched him for a few seconds before he turned away to get Yunho some water.
He swallowed hard and filled up a glass of water slowly. Jaejoong made his way through his apartment, ignoring the droplets of blood on the tile floor, and quietly entered his bedroom.
Yunho was sleeping, and Jaejoong watched his moonlight illuminated figure in the darkness. The bandage was beginning to show blood stains, and Jaejoong could feel fear grip his heart once more. He clutched the glass in his hand tighter and he didn’t know where the overwhelming sadness he was feeling was coming from.
All he could think of was that Yunho couldn’t die.
o-o-o
Jaejoong woke up on his sofa, and he tiredly rubbed his eyes. He sat up immediately and made his way to his room to check on Yunho. He walked to his room, and as soon as he saw the door ajar, he hastened his footsteps.
He pulled the door open wider, and he froze the moment he looked inside.
The room was empty, save for a note on the bed. Jaejoong walked to the door slowly and picked it up, noting that it had been written in Yunho’s handwriting.
I’m sorry.
Jaejoong crumpled the note and stuffed it into his pocket. He glanced down at his bed one last time before he walked out of his bedroom. He felt restless all over again, and once more, he was concerned for Yunho.
He returned to his sofa and sat down. The silence was eerie, and it only set him further on edge, so he turned on the television. Jaejoong glanced at his wall clock - it was four in the morning, and it was too early in the day for him to feel so stressed.
Jaejoong let out a sigh and flipped past channels, ignoring drama reruns and other mindless shows that filled the dead hours of television viewing. He put the remote down and sighed once more. As much as he hoped for normalcy, his mind refused to settle down.
Where had Yunho gone?
Jaejoong stood up and looked around his apartment, trying to find some clue about Yunho’s whereabouts. He even opened his own closet and rifled through his things, trying to see if Yunho had taken any of his clothes, but his entire closet was untouched and as pristine as it usually was.
Despite the look of normalcy that had once more taken over his apartment, Jaejoong could still a lingering amount of dread in the back of his mind. He bit his lip and looked around, examining each and every thing in an attempt to find out what was wrong, but he couldn’t find anything.
Jaejoong sighed - he’d go crazy if he continued acting so paranoid. He sighed and sat back down onto the sofa. He glanced at his phone, which was only lying on a cushion a few centimeters away. He considered calling one of his sisters, but then calling them would probably only worry them, so he shooed that thought away.
He stared blankly at the television, trying to process what was happening on the screen, but his mind was too far away to even think about what was playing on the channel in front of him.
Just as he made move to change the channel, a news flash appeared and interrupted the drama that had been airing.
“Just a few minutes ago, the bodies of Jung Yeonhee & Jung Jinhun were discovered in the bedroom of their penthouse. Their children, Jung Yunho and Jung Jihye are reported as missing, and speculation is coming in that the children may or may not have had a hand in the murder of their parents.”
Jaejoong stared at the television screen and dropped the remote. He watched as pictures were shown of the broken in penthouse, and as the seconds passed by, the sight of the ruined Jung residence made him feel numb.
The reporter was shown once more, and Jaejoong felt an almost familiar feeling of fear and anxiety grip his heart once more. He swallowed hard and he watched as the woman shuffled her papers.
“According to new reports and an official statement from the Jungs’ representative in public affairs, Jung Jihye is officially missing - there are no clues as to where she is now, but after an investigation of her apartment, there are signs of struggle and findings now say that she has been abducted.”
Jaejoong’s heart clenched painfully in his chest, and he couldn’t even bear to think about what could’ve happened to Yunho. He stared at the television screen, waiting for the woman to continue reporting the news and to unfold the rest of the tragedy that had occurred to the Jung family.
“As for the whereabouts of the Jung family heir, Jung Yunho, the Jung’s representative has made no comment. Further speculation is coming in however, that this whole incident may have been the result of a internal conflict within the family, but that is not confirmed.” The reporter shuffled her papers, “We will continue to keep you updated as more news comes in about the Jung Family tragedy.”
The news segment ended, and Jaejoong stared in shock at the television screen. Yunho’s parents were dead, his sister was missing and most likely dead herself, and Yunho…Yunho was gone.
The only thought that resounded in his mind was Yunho’s cryptic message.
I’m sorry.
What was he truly sorry for?
< >
Author’s Note: The fifth update of the fake Twelve Days of Christmas updates! Please continue to participate in the game! XD Alright, to make things easier, the things you can guess for the next update are these: A Learning Process, For You and New Story. If you need any further explanation about the game, then please check out the post in which I explain it. ;) I hope you guys all enjoyed the second chapter of my NaNoWriMo story! ^___^ Please leave a comment! ♥