Promises [Epilogue B]
Title: Promises
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong, hints of Yoochun/Changmin
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.
banner made by godchild1134
“I can’t do this anymore,” Jaejoong whispered as he looked around the empty room. His heart clenched tightly in his chest, and he glanced at Changmin helplessly, “I just, my heart, it hurts. I can’t breathe.”
He whirled out of the room before Changmin could call him back, and he escaped the decrepit apartment building without a single backward glance. He ignored the people on the street and bumped past them, not caring where he went.
All he knew was that he wanted to escape everything.
He wandered the streets in a daze, too overcome by his emotions to register his tired feet and the ache in his stomach. He ignored all of Changmin’s calls before he finally decided to shut his phone off. People glanced at him as he walked by, but before they could stare at him for too long, he walked away.
Too many scenarios were running through his emotion clouded mind. Had Minhyun’s men somehow found Yunho? Was Yunho once again on the run? Where was Yunho? Was he even still alive in the first place?
Jaejoong let out a sob and let his face fall into his hands as soon as he was in a deserted alleyway. He’d tried to be strong for so many months, but he’d never fully moved on from Yunho’s loss in his life. He was falling apart, and there was no one he could turn to comfort.
Yunho had been his sanctuary, and now he was gone.
As minutes slowly passed, Jaejoong eventually calmed himself and evened out his harsh breathing. He straightened out his posture and reached for his wallet, slowly pulling it out of his pocket before he opened it and pulled out the picture he’d shown the landlady.
He gripped the corners of the picture tightly and stared down at it. It was one of their few pictures together, and he remembered Soojung had taken it the day he’d moved some of his things into Yunho’s apartment. As soon as Sohyang had told his sisters that he was seeing Yunho, Soojung had demanded to see their place and so she had hung out with them the entire day, bothering them and talking about anything and everything.
It’d also been on that same day that she’d taken a picture of them - him leaning against Yunho’s shoulder, and both of them sharing identical smiles of pure joy as they smiled at her camera. She’d had the pictures developed the day after and had given them both copies of it, and she’d forced Jaejoong to keep one of the smaller copies in his wallet.
The larger one had been framed, and Jaejoong kept it at his bedside even after Yunho had gone. He looked at it every night before he went to sleep, and while it made his heart clench painfully in his chest, it reminded him of happier times.
It reminded him that once upon a time, they’d been happy and together.
Jaejoong brushed away the tears that had started to form and slipped it back into his wallet so that it wouldn’t get wet. He slowly began to walk, and his feet led him back to the old apartment building. He walked up the stairs and he noticed that Changmin had not closed the door before he left.
He pushed the door open gently and looked around the room. He walked carefully around everything, trying to find some piece of Yunho that had been left behind. His footsteps resounded in the quietness of the room, and after at least an hour of searching, he found nothing worth keeping or remembering.
The room was what it looked like - a ruin.
Jaejoong turned to leave, and he paused the moment he caught sight of a girl holding onto the doorframe of the apartment, looking at him. She was a young girl that looked around seven or eight, and her eyes were focused on him.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before he finally decided to take a step and approach her. As soon as she did, she disappeared behind the wall for a few seconds before slowly peeking back at him.
“It’s you,” she whispered quietly, her voice muffled by the wall.
Jaejoong paused and narrowed his eyes at her as he stepped closer, “What did you say?”
The girl licked her lips anxiously and moved away from the doorframe, “You’re the one from the picture.”
“What picture?”
The girl looked around the corridor to see if anyone was around before she shuffled into the room. She bit her lip and wrung her hands nervously, “The man that used to live here. He had a picture with you...you were leaning on his shoulder, and you were both smiling. I saw it in his wallet when he gave me money to buy some ice cream.”
“You….you knew him?” Jaejoong asked softly, his voice threatening to crack, “Were you close to him?”
“He was nice,” the girl mumbled, “My mom and dad told me not to talk to him, but he was always nice to me whenever I wanted to talk to him. He gave me candy and other things if I asked for them.”
Silence fell between them, and the girl pulled at her hair anxiously before she raised her eyes up to look at Jaejoong, “He never really talked about the picture though. He just said that you were someone that he wanted to see again. Is that why you’re here? You’re here to see him?”
He could feel the tears once more, and Jaejoong shot the girl a watery smile and nodded sadly, “Yes, I’m here to see him.”
Jaejoong took a few more steps until he was directly in front of the young girl. He kneeled down so that he could look at her better and put his hand on her shoulder, “Do you know what happened to him?”
“No.”
His eyes dropped to the floor, and Jaejoong let out a deep breath, “I see. I…It’s late, you should go to bed -“
“Maybe he moved? He didn’t live here all the time,” the girl said, “Whenever I played with the other kids, I used to see him enter another building. When I asked him about it, he told me that he liked to live in two places because he’s not allowed to smoke in this building.”
Jaejoong froze, and his grip on the girl’s shoulder tightened slightly, “Where’s the other building?”
“It’s two blocks away, and it’s between a pachinko parlor and a convenience store.”
“Thank you, thank you so much,” Jaejoong whispered before he stood up to leave. He let the little girl exit the apartment first, and as soon as he shut the door, he let out a sigh of relief. He glanced at the girl who already had her hand on the door of the apartment where she lived, “Hey wait!”
The girl turned and looked at him.
“What’s your name?”
She thought for a few seconds before she replied, “My mom tells me not to give my names to strangers. I’m sorry mister,” she bowed and then left, shutting the door behind her.
Her words elicited the first smile from him in days.
o-o-o
He stepped into the apartment building with a fearful heart. The apartment building was smaller but slightly nicer than the previous one, but still, it was hardly something extravagant or extremely pleasing to the eye. He walked slowly to the stairs, and he praised his luck when he saw someone going down them.
“Excuse me!”
The man stopped in his tracks and scrunched his nose, “What?” he asked, his tone indicating that he wanted Jaejoong to hurry up. When Jaejoong didn’t say anything, he added, “Hurry up, I have somewhere to go.”
He held out the picture from the wallet and showed it to him, “Have you seen this man?”
The older man took the picture of his hands and stared at it for two seconds before he pushed it back into Jaejoong’s hand with an irritated look, “He lives in room 206.” Even before Jaejoong could thank him, he pushed past him and didn’t bother to apologize.
Jaejoong didn’t let himself think about the man any longer, and he walked up the stairs to find the room. As soon as he found it, his heart was pounding rapidly in his chest, and his hands were shaking.
This was it.
It was his last lead, and he had nothing else left to go on if Yunho was not in the room. After one shaky breath, Jaejoong raised his hand and knocked on the door. He waited for a few seconds before he knocked again, harder this time.
Once again, there was no answer.
He pressed his ear to the door and rang the doorbell. He knocked again, and there was still no reply. Jaejoong swallowed hard and began to speak.
“Yunho, please, open the door. It’s me. It’s Jaejoong,” he whispered brokenly, “Please? Answer the door Yunho, it’s me. Are you there? Please answer me, are you there?”
His only answer was silence.
Jaejoong pressed his forehead against the door and shut his eyes. He was on the verge of tears once more, and his hand balled into a fist, “Yunho, please, are you there? It’s me, Jaejoong, do you -“
He choked back a sob and hit the door. He was so tired. All the pent up frustrations and despair were flowing forth, and he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to give up, but he couldn’t.
“Is it stupid for me to be like this?” Jaejoong whispered, “Are you even behind that door? What if that man was wrong?” Tears slipped past Jaejoong’s eyes, and he sobbed against the door softly, “But I can’t give up hope that you’re alive because…because I love you so much that I need to cling to whatever is left of you. Please, if you’re -“
The door knob turned, and Jaejoong backed away from the door in shock. He looked up, and tired eyes met his.
“Yunho -“
Before another word could be said, Yunho fell into his arms.
o-o-o
Yunho was heavy, so it was hard to get him back inside the room. Jaejoong kicked the door shut before he shuffled further into the room. He looked around made out the figure of a couch in the darkness. Yunho was completely silent, and he was practically dead weight. The moment he was laid onto the couch, Jaejoong immediately cradled his face with his hands.
“Where are you hurt?”
His eyes opened slowly, and he blinked several times, “Is this a dream?”
Jaejoong pressed his hand against Yunho’s forehead - he was burning up. He bit his lip and shook his head, the tears refusing to stop falling from his eyes, “It’s not. I’m here Yunho. I’m here.”
“It hurts,” Yunho whispered, and it was only then that Jaejoong caught sight of the bloodied bandages wrapped around his leg. “I don’t…” he winced and gripped Jaejoong’s hand tightly before it could unwrap the bandages, “I don’t have anything to treat it anymore.”
“I’ll get you medicine,” Jaejoong stood up to leave, but Yunho’s hand weakly wrapped around his wrist and pulled him back.
“Stay…for a bit longer,” Yunho said softly, “Just…just a bit longer,” he repeated as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness due to his sickness and tiredness. Jaejoong returned to his side, and he held Yunho’s hand tightly.
Yunho looked at him in the darkness and smiled faintly, “I hate it when you see me like this,” he whispered as he reached his hand out to cup Jaejoong’s cheek, “Don’t…don’t cry for me.”
Jaejoong shook his head and wiped the tears away, “I can’t stop crying, I’m sorry. I’m so happy to see you alive.”
“Smile for me?” Yunho asked as his hand dropped, and it became harder for him to keep his eyes open, “You’re always more beautiful when you smile.”
Jaejoong smiled, but the tears still streamed down his cheeks. He took hold of Yunho’s hands in his and gripped them tightly, “You’ll make it Yunho. Keep fighting.”
“One day,” Yunho murmured weakly as his eyes drifted shut, “One day you’ll smile for me again, and you won’t be crying…I promise.” He slipped into unconsciousness, and Jaejoong buried his face into Yunho’s chest and embraced him tightly.
“I know you’ll make good on that promise,” Jaejoong whispered as he gently began to pull himself away to get what Yunho needed. He stepped away, and as soon as he was standing over Yunho, he spoke with a small smile on his face, “You’ve never let me down.”
o-o-o
Seeing blood had almost no effect on him, so Jaejoong changed the bandage on Yunho’s leg capably. He was no doctor, but he’d learned enough from Yoochun in the past on how to dress wounds and other simple procedures.
“You have a fever,” Jaejoong murmured softly as he took a damp cloth and set it on Yunho’s forehead. He nudged Yunho awake, and the other man blinked at him slowly as he gradually recognized Jaejoong’s presence.
His heart was filled with emotion, and Jaejoong looked down at the floor briefly before he raised his eyes and met Yunho’s, “When was the last time you ate?”
Yunho smiled weakly at him and coughed, “I can’t really remember.”
“You need to eat first then,” Jaejoong mumbled as he took the ramen off the floor and helped Yunho sit up, “I know it’s just ramen, but I figured that there’s no time to cook and Changmin said he was coming already when I called him, so I did the best I could and just -“
“Don’t worry about me.”
Jaejoong stilled, and he looked at Yunho, “I’ve spent so much time in my life worrying about you Jung Yunho,” he stirred the ramen and slowly fed the soup to Yunho, “I don’t think you can just tell me to stop.”
Yunho licked his lips and leaned closer to Jaejoong, “I’m sorry…I owe you so many apologies, and -“
Jaejoong shoved noodles into his mouth, “No more apologies,” he muttered before he grabbed a napkin to dab at Yunho’s lips while he chewed, “Just…” he placed the cup of ramen into Yunho’s hands and embraced him tightly, burying his face into Yunho’s shoulder.
“No more secrets, please,” Jaejoong whispered, as his hold tightened, “It was so hard to be without you.”
When he pulled away, Jaejoong brushed the tears away from his eyes irritably and took the cup of ramen out of Yunho’s hands, “This is stupid,” he muttered as he stirred it once more, “I hate this.”
Yunho leaned closer, and Jaejoong pushed his head gently back onto the sofa, “No kisses, you’re sick. How are we ever going to leave here if we’re both sick and useless?”
“I’m not useless,” Yunho said weakly with a laugh.
“Really? Why is then that I always seem to find you in terrible situations?” Jaejoong mumbled light heartedly as he relaxed against Yunho and simply allow himself to let go of his fears, even if it was just for a while.
“You make me a stronger person.”
Jaejoong bit back a smile and shook his head, “Sappy. Are you sure you don’t have a brain injury somewhere?” he muttered before he fed Yunho more of the ramen.
Yunho smiled at him faintly while he chewed, and Jaejoong smiled back at him before he carefully settled himself against Yunho.
They were both exhausted by everything that had happened, but just being around one another was enough to inspire more energy to just keep going. They weren’t assured of their safety in the future, but at that moment, just being together was enough to keep their spirits high.
o-o-o
Jaejoong woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing. He quickly got off the floor and made his way to the door, but just as he was about to open it, he paused and gripped it tightly.
“Who is it?”
There was a loud banging on the door, “Let me in Jaejoong,” Changmin hissed from the other door, “We need to get the fuck out of here.”
Jaejoong opened the door, “What?”
Changmin pushed past him and began to look around for Yunho as he spoke, Jaejoong trailing behind him, “Choi Minhyun sent someone to trail us. I only realized it when I went back to our apartment and noticed someone that had been around since when we were at the other apartment building.”
He froze as soon as he saw Yunho, and Jaejoong stopped as well. He watched as Changmin slowly approached Yunho and knelt at his side, gently shaking his shoulder to get him to wake up.
Yunho’s eyes fluttered open, “Changmin.”
“Fucking bastard,” Changmin muttered in reply as he glanced over Yunho’s injury then turned his eyes back to his dearest friend’s face, “Do you know how much I’ve done for you, how worried I’ve been, fuck…I’ve missed you.”
Yunho chuckled, “I think we’re even then…don’t you think?” he murmured as he set his hand on Changmin’s shoulder and squeezed, “I’ve missed you too.”
Changmin shook his head, “No, we’re not yet even, not even close,” he replied before he stood up and glanced at Jaejoong, “I have a car out front, and we need to leave as soon as possible. Choi Minhyun’s man left when I returned to our place, and I don’t know where he went, but I’m without a doubt sure that they’re suspicious of us. He could’ve sent more than one person to tail us.”
“You need to carry Yunho,” Jaejoong ordered as he began to pack Yunho’s things and pick up the medicine and other items that he’d left on the floor, “You’re closer to him in weight and size. It’ll be easier and faster if you do so.”
“Can you walk?” Changmin asked as he helped Yunho sit up, “Just lean on me, and we’ll get out of here.”
Yunho nodded and held onto Changmin, and they both stood up together. He gripped onto his friend’s shoulder tightly and pointed at a cabinet, “There are guns there Jaejoong. You need to get them.”
Jaejoong took them out and left the room to search for anything else. As soon as he was sure there was nothing left to bring, he met Changmin and Yunho at the front door of the apartment.
“We’re safe inside here…but outside, I’m not sure,” Changmin muttered, “The moment we’re out on the streets, we’re defenseless.” He glanced at Yunho, “Is there a backdoor?”
“There’s a back door, but I’m sure Minhyun would have men there if he’s already here,” Yunho replied tiredly, “Just…you two should give me up, and bargain your way out -“
“Okay.”
Changmin turned his head to Jaejoong, his face lit up with anger, “What are you saying? Are you stupid? You’ve come thousands of miles just to sell away your lover? I thought -“
Jaejoong shook his head and pocketed a gun before he handed another one to Changmin, “I need to talk to Minhyun. I’ll say we’ll give him Yunho.”
“Jaejoong, do you really think he’ll believe you?” Changmin questioned, “He’s a fucking dangerous man, and I don’t think he’ll make a slip as big as Jaewook. Everyone knows you were the one who took his ally out. He’s not going to trust you.”
“He’s not going to trust you either, now is he?” Jaejoong shot back, “It’s either I do it, or we all die. If I talk to Minhyun, at least I can bargain some way out for both of you, or I can provide enough time for a distraction. We need to do this now, while it’s still early.”
Yunho reached out to hold Jaejoong back, “Jaejoong, you can’t -“
Jaejoong evaded his reach and shook his head, “I can. You…you’ve risked your life for me so many times, and I promised to protect you,” he came close to Yunho and kissed him softly on the lips before pulling away, “I’ll come back.”
Yunho shook his head, “Jaejoong, you can’t promise that when -“
“Both of you stay by the back door, and Changmin, the moment you find the back alleyway cleared, I need you and Yunho to get out as soon as possible,” Jaejoong ordered. He opened the door and turned to face Yunho, “Have faith in me,” he murmured before he turned away from them, uncertain of his fate.
o-o-o
As soon as he was outside of the apartment building, Jaejoong knew that Minhyun’s men were present. There was a black car parked directly across him, and he immediately noticed the men that were in front of it.
“Are you going to shoot?” he questioned as he tilted his head to the side. He raised his arms up, “I’m innocent.”
One of the bulkier men stepped forward to grab Jaejoong, but before he could touch him, the car door opened and Choi Minhyun stepped out. He shut the door behind him and motioned for his men to stand down.
“Is he alive?”
“Who?”
Minhyun’s face turned dark, and his eyes narrowed, “I think you fucking know who I’m talking about Mr. Kim,” he pulled his coat aside to reveal the gun in his holster, and he stared Jaejoong down, “Jung Yunho. Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
“Well then,” Minhyun stroked his chin, “What are we going to do about that?” he looked at his men then turned his eyes back to Jaejoong, “Do you have anything to say?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Jaejoong took a step forward and glanced at the men who were close to Minhyun. Seeing as it seemed like they’d just arrived, he didn’t think there were any people in the alleyway that could catch Yunho or Changmin if ever they tried to escape.
He needed to make a diversion.
“Do you want me to give him up to you?” Jaejoong asked seriously, “If I do, will you allow me to leave? After all, you and I had a deal. If I took care of the person that tried to kill you, then you and I would do business. It just so happens that Yunho is the person that tried to kill you.”
Minhyun studied Jaejoong, “I’m sorry to say, but I’m not willing to take that chance with you. I’m not a fool.” He looked around and made sure the streets were empty before he pulled out his gun, “Don’t worry, your lover will join you shortly.”
A shot was fired, and Jaejoong’s eyes widened the moment he saw the large crimson stain that was beginning to spread on Minhyun’s shirt. The man’s eyes were opened wide, and his mouth was open and gasping for breath.
His body fell to the ground, and Jaejoong quickly pulled out his own gun and fired at several of Minhyun’s men before he ran into the alleyway. He could hear their footsteps behind him, and he quickly ducked behind a dumpster for cover.
Several gunshots were fired and as soon as there was a lull in gunfire, he left his hiding place and shot at the men. He managed to hit one of them in the stomach, but there were still three more.
Jaejoong breathed heavily and held his gun tight. He could hear the men approaching, and he knew that if he didn’t start moving, he would be cornered. It was dark in the alleyway, but if he were to run out, there was no cover for him until he reached the other end.
He swallowed hard and immediately began to run before turning around to fire at the men who were following him. One man crumpled onto the ground due to the bullet to the chest, but the two remaining men still followed.
Jaejoong ran as fast as he could, but he stumbled the moment he felt a bullet graze his waist. The searing pain spread immediately, and he cried out as he tried to move despite the blood that was dripping from the wound.
He tried to keep moving, but the pain was too much and he was slowing down significantly.
The sound of two gunshots resounded, and Jaejoong fell to the ground.
← Part A Part C →
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong, hints of Yoochun/Changmin
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.
banner made by godchild1134
“I can’t do this anymore,” Jaejoong whispered as he looked around the empty room. His heart clenched tightly in his chest, and he glanced at Changmin helplessly, “I just, my heart, it hurts. I can’t breathe.”
He whirled out of the room before Changmin could call him back, and he escaped the decrepit apartment building without a single backward glance. He ignored the people on the street and bumped past them, not caring where he went.
All he knew was that he wanted to escape everything.
He wandered the streets in a daze, too overcome by his emotions to register his tired feet and the ache in his stomach. He ignored all of Changmin’s calls before he finally decided to shut his phone off. People glanced at him as he walked by, but before they could stare at him for too long, he walked away.
Too many scenarios were running through his emotion clouded mind. Had Minhyun’s men somehow found Yunho? Was Yunho once again on the run? Where was Yunho? Was he even still alive in the first place?
Jaejoong let out a sob and let his face fall into his hands as soon as he was in a deserted alleyway. He’d tried to be strong for so many months, but he’d never fully moved on from Yunho’s loss in his life. He was falling apart, and there was no one he could turn to comfort.
Yunho had been his sanctuary, and now he was gone.
As minutes slowly passed, Jaejoong eventually calmed himself and evened out his harsh breathing. He straightened out his posture and reached for his wallet, slowly pulling it out of his pocket before he opened it and pulled out the picture he’d shown the landlady.
He gripped the corners of the picture tightly and stared down at it. It was one of their few pictures together, and he remembered Soojung had taken it the day he’d moved some of his things into Yunho’s apartment. As soon as Sohyang had told his sisters that he was seeing Yunho, Soojung had demanded to see their place and so she had hung out with them the entire day, bothering them and talking about anything and everything.
It’d also been on that same day that she’d taken a picture of them - him leaning against Yunho’s shoulder, and both of them sharing identical smiles of pure joy as they smiled at her camera. She’d had the pictures developed the day after and had given them both copies of it, and she’d forced Jaejoong to keep one of the smaller copies in his wallet.
The larger one had been framed, and Jaejoong kept it at his bedside even after Yunho had gone. He looked at it every night before he went to sleep, and while it made his heart clench painfully in his chest, it reminded him of happier times.
It reminded him that once upon a time, they’d been happy and together.
Jaejoong brushed away the tears that had started to form and slipped it back into his wallet so that it wouldn’t get wet. He slowly began to walk, and his feet led him back to the old apartment building. He walked up the stairs and he noticed that Changmin had not closed the door before he left.
He pushed the door open gently and looked around the room. He walked carefully around everything, trying to find some piece of Yunho that had been left behind. His footsteps resounded in the quietness of the room, and after at least an hour of searching, he found nothing worth keeping or remembering.
The room was what it looked like - a ruin.
Jaejoong turned to leave, and he paused the moment he caught sight of a girl holding onto the doorframe of the apartment, looking at him. She was a young girl that looked around seven or eight, and her eyes were focused on him.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before he finally decided to take a step and approach her. As soon as she did, she disappeared behind the wall for a few seconds before slowly peeking back at him.
“It’s you,” she whispered quietly, her voice muffled by the wall.
Jaejoong paused and narrowed his eyes at her as he stepped closer, “What did you say?”
The girl licked her lips anxiously and moved away from the doorframe, “You’re the one from the picture.”
“What picture?”
The girl looked around the corridor to see if anyone was around before she shuffled into the room. She bit her lip and wrung her hands nervously, “The man that used to live here. He had a picture with you...you were leaning on his shoulder, and you were both smiling. I saw it in his wallet when he gave me money to buy some ice cream.”
“You….you knew him?” Jaejoong asked softly, his voice threatening to crack, “Were you close to him?”
“He was nice,” the girl mumbled, “My mom and dad told me not to talk to him, but he was always nice to me whenever I wanted to talk to him. He gave me candy and other things if I asked for them.”
Silence fell between them, and the girl pulled at her hair anxiously before she raised her eyes up to look at Jaejoong, “He never really talked about the picture though. He just said that you were someone that he wanted to see again. Is that why you’re here? You’re here to see him?”
He could feel the tears once more, and Jaejoong shot the girl a watery smile and nodded sadly, “Yes, I’m here to see him.”
Jaejoong took a few more steps until he was directly in front of the young girl. He kneeled down so that he could look at her better and put his hand on her shoulder, “Do you know what happened to him?”
“No.”
His eyes dropped to the floor, and Jaejoong let out a deep breath, “I see. I…It’s late, you should go to bed -“
“Maybe he moved? He didn’t live here all the time,” the girl said, “Whenever I played with the other kids, I used to see him enter another building. When I asked him about it, he told me that he liked to live in two places because he’s not allowed to smoke in this building.”
Jaejoong froze, and his grip on the girl’s shoulder tightened slightly, “Where’s the other building?”
“It’s two blocks away, and it’s between a pachinko parlor and a convenience store.”
“Thank you, thank you so much,” Jaejoong whispered before he stood up to leave. He let the little girl exit the apartment first, and as soon as he shut the door, he let out a sigh of relief. He glanced at the girl who already had her hand on the door of the apartment where she lived, “Hey wait!”
The girl turned and looked at him.
“What’s your name?”
She thought for a few seconds before she replied, “My mom tells me not to give my names to strangers. I’m sorry mister,” she bowed and then left, shutting the door behind her.
Her words elicited the first smile from him in days.
o-o-o
He stepped into the apartment building with a fearful heart. The apartment building was smaller but slightly nicer than the previous one, but still, it was hardly something extravagant or extremely pleasing to the eye. He walked slowly to the stairs, and he praised his luck when he saw someone going down them.
“Excuse me!”
The man stopped in his tracks and scrunched his nose, “What?” he asked, his tone indicating that he wanted Jaejoong to hurry up. When Jaejoong didn’t say anything, he added, “Hurry up, I have somewhere to go.”
He held out the picture from the wallet and showed it to him, “Have you seen this man?”
The older man took the picture of his hands and stared at it for two seconds before he pushed it back into Jaejoong’s hand with an irritated look, “He lives in room 206.” Even before Jaejoong could thank him, he pushed past him and didn’t bother to apologize.
Jaejoong didn’t let himself think about the man any longer, and he walked up the stairs to find the room. As soon as he found it, his heart was pounding rapidly in his chest, and his hands were shaking.
This was it.
It was his last lead, and he had nothing else left to go on if Yunho was not in the room. After one shaky breath, Jaejoong raised his hand and knocked on the door. He waited for a few seconds before he knocked again, harder this time.
Once again, there was no answer.
He pressed his ear to the door and rang the doorbell. He knocked again, and there was still no reply. Jaejoong swallowed hard and began to speak.
“Yunho, please, open the door. It’s me. It’s Jaejoong,” he whispered brokenly, “Please? Answer the door Yunho, it’s me. Are you there? Please answer me, are you there?”
His only answer was silence.
Jaejoong pressed his forehead against the door and shut his eyes. He was on the verge of tears once more, and his hand balled into a fist, “Yunho, please, are you there? It’s me, Jaejoong, do you -“
He choked back a sob and hit the door. He was so tired. All the pent up frustrations and despair were flowing forth, and he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to give up, but he couldn’t.
“Is it stupid for me to be like this?” Jaejoong whispered, “Are you even behind that door? What if that man was wrong?” Tears slipped past Jaejoong’s eyes, and he sobbed against the door softly, “But I can’t give up hope that you’re alive because…because I love you so much that I need to cling to whatever is left of you. Please, if you’re -“
The door knob turned, and Jaejoong backed away from the door in shock. He looked up, and tired eyes met his.
“Yunho -“
Before another word could be said, Yunho fell into his arms.
o-o-o
Yunho was heavy, so it was hard to get him back inside the room. Jaejoong kicked the door shut before he shuffled further into the room. He looked around made out the figure of a couch in the darkness. Yunho was completely silent, and he was practically dead weight. The moment he was laid onto the couch, Jaejoong immediately cradled his face with his hands.
“Where are you hurt?”
His eyes opened slowly, and he blinked several times, “Is this a dream?”
Jaejoong pressed his hand against Yunho’s forehead - he was burning up. He bit his lip and shook his head, the tears refusing to stop falling from his eyes, “It’s not. I’m here Yunho. I’m here.”
“It hurts,” Yunho whispered, and it was only then that Jaejoong caught sight of the bloodied bandages wrapped around his leg. “I don’t…” he winced and gripped Jaejoong’s hand tightly before it could unwrap the bandages, “I don’t have anything to treat it anymore.”
“I’ll get you medicine,” Jaejoong stood up to leave, but Yunho’s hand weakly wrapped around his wrist and pulled him back.
“Stay…for a bit longer,” Yunho said softly, “Just…just a bit longer,” he repeated as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness due to his sickness and tiredness. Jaejoong returned to his side, and he held Yunho’s hand tightly.
Yunho looked at him in the darkness and smiled faintly, “I hate it when you see me like this,” he whispered as he reached his hand out to cup Jaejoong’s cheek, “Don’t…don’t cry for me.”
Jaejoong shook his head and wiped the tears away, “I can’t stop crying, I’m sorry. I’m so happy to see you alive.”
“Smile for me?” Yunho asked as his hand dropped, and it became harder for him to keep his eyes open, “You’re always more beautiful when you smile.”
Jaejoong smiled, but the tears still streamed down his cheeks. He took hold of Yunho’s hands in his and gripped them tightly, “You’ll make it Yunho. Keep fighting.”
“One day,” Yunho murmured weakly as his eyes drifted shut, “One day you’ll smile for me again, and you won’t be crying…I promise.” He slipped into unconsciousness, and Jaejoong buried his face into Yunho’s chest and embraced him tightly.
“I know you’ll make good on that promise,” Jaejoong whispered as he gently began to pull himself away to get what Yunho needed. He stepped away, and as soon as he was standing over Yunho, he spoke with a small smile on his face, “You’ve never let me down.”
o-o-o
Seeing blood had almost no effect on him, so Jaejoong changed the bandage on Yunho’s leg capably. He was no doctor, but he’d learned enough from Yoochun in the past on how to dress wounds and other simple procedures.
“You have a fever,” Jaejoong murmured softly as he took a damp cloth and set it on Yunho’s forehead. He nudged Yunho awake, and the other man blinked at him slowly as he gradually recognized Jaejoong’s presence.
His heart was filled with emotion, and Jaejoong looked down at the floor briefly before he raised his eyes and met Yunho’s, “When was the last time you ate?”
Yunho smiled weakly at him and coughed, “I can’t really remember.”
“You need to eat first then,” Jaejoong mumbled as he took the ramen off the floor and helped Yunho sit up, “I know it’s just ramen, but I figured that there’s no time to cook and Changmin said he was coming already when I called him, so I did the best I could and just -“
“Don’t worry about me.”
Jaejoong stilled, and he looked at Yunho, “I’ve spent so much time in my life worrying about you Jung Yunho,” he stirred the ramen and slowly fed the soup to Yunho, “I don’t think you can just tell me to stop.”
Yunho licked his lips and leaned closer to Jaejoong, “I’m sorry…I owe you so many apologies, and -“
Jaejoong shoved noodles into his mouth, “No more apologies,” he muttered before he grabbed a napkin to dab at Yunho’s lips while he chewed, “Just…” he placed the cup of ramen into Yunho’s hands and embraced him tightly, burying his face into Yunho’s shoulder.
“No more secrets, please,” Jaejoong whispered, as his hold tightened, “It was so hard to be without you.”
When he pulled away, Jaejoong brushed the tears away from his eyes irritably and took the cup of ramen out of Yunho’s hands, “This is stupid,” he muttered as he stirred it once more, “I hate this.”
Yunho leaned closer, and Jaejoong pushed his head gently back onto the sofa, “No kisses, you’re sick. How are we ever going to leave here if we’re both sick and useless?”
“I’m not useless,” Yunho said weakly with a laugh.
“Really? Why is then that I always seem to find you in terrible situations?” Jaejoong mumbled light heartedly as he relaxed against Yunho and simply allow himself to let go of his fears, even if it was just for a while.
“You make me a stronger person.”
Jaejoong bit back a smile and shook his head, “Sappy. Are you sure you don’t have a brain injury somewhere?” he muttered before he fed Yunho more of the ramen.
Yunho smiled at him faintly while he chewed, and Jaejoong smiled back at him before he carefully settled himself against Yunho.
They were both exhausted by everything that had happened, but just being around one another was enough to inspire more energy to just keep going. They weren’t assured of their safety in the future, but at that moment, just being together was enough to keep their spirits high.
o-o-o
Jaejoong woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing. He quickly got off the floor and made his way to the door, but just as he was about to open it, he paused and gripped it tightly.
“Who is it?”
There was a loud banging on the door, “Let me in Jaejoong,” Changmin hissed from the other door, “We need to get the fuck out of here.”
Jaejoong opened the door, “What?”
Changmin pushed past him and began to look around for Yunho as he spoke, Jaejoong trailing behind him, “Choi Minhyun sent someone to trail us. I only realized it when I went back to our apartment and noticed someone that had been around since when we were at the other apartment building.”
He froze as soon as he saw Yunho, and Jaejoong stopped as well. He watched as Changmin slowly approached Yunho and knelt at his side, gently shaking his shoulder to get him to wake up.
Yunho’s eyes fluttered open, “Changmin.”
“Fucking bastard,” Changmin muttered in reply as he glanced over Yunho’s injury then turned his eyes back to his dearest friend’s face, “Do you know how much I’ve done for you, how worried I’ve been, fuck…I’ve missed you.”
Yunho chuckled, “I think we’re even then…don’t you think?” he murmured as he set his hand on Changmin’s shoulder and squeezed, “I’ve missed you too.”
Changmin shook his head, “No, we’re not yet even, not even close,” he replied before he stood up and glanced at Jaejoong, “I have a car out front, and we need to leave as soon as possible. Choi Minhyun’s man left when I returned to our place, and I don’t know where he went, but I’m without a doubt sure that they’re suspicious of us. He could’ve sent more than one person to tail us.”
“You need to carry Yunho,” Jaejoong ordered as he began to pack Yunho’s things and pick up the medicine and other items that he’d left on the floor, “You’re closer to him in weight and size. It’ll be easier and faster if you do so.”
“Can you walk?” Changmin asked as he helped Yunho sit up, “Just lean on me, and we’ll get out of here.”
Yunho nodded and held onto Changmin, and they both stood up together. He gripped onto his friend’s shoulder tightly and pointed at a cabinet, “There are guns there Jaejoong. You need to get them.”
Jaejoong took them out and left the room to search for anything else. As soon as he was sure there was nothing left to bring, he met Changmin and Yunho at the front door of the apartment.
“We’re safe inside here…but outside, I’m not sure,” Changmin muttered, “The moment we’re out on the streets, we’re defenseless.” He glanced at Yunho, “Is there a backdoor?”
“There’s a back door, but I’m sure Minhyun would have men there if he’s already here,” Yunho replied tiredly, “Just…you two should give me up, and bargain your way out -“
“Okay.”
Changmin turned his head to Jaejoong, his face lit up with anger, “What are you saying? Are you stupid? You’ve come thousands of miles just to sell away your lover? I thought -“
Jaejoong shook his head and pocketed a gun before he handed another one to Changmin, “I need to talk to Minhyun. I’ll say we’ll give him Yunho.”
“Jaejoong, do you really think he’ll believe you?” Changmin questioned, “He’s a fucking dangerous man, and I don’t think he’ll make a slip as big as Jaewook. Everyone knows you were the one who took his ally out. He’s not going to trust you.”
“He’s not going to trust you either, now is he?” Jaejoong shot back, “It’s either I do it, or we all die. If I talk to Minhyun, at least I can bargain some way out for both of you, or I can provide enough time for a distraction. We need to do this now, while it’s still early.”
Yunho reached out to hold Jaejoong back, “Jaejoong, you can’t -“
Jaejoong evaded his reach and shook his head, “I can. You…you’ve risked your life for me so many times, and I promised to protect you,” he came close to Yunho and kissed him softly on the lips before pulling away, “I’ll come back.”
Yunho shook his head, “Jaejoong, you can’t promise that when -“
“Both of you stay by the back door, and Changmin, the moment you find the back alleyway cleared, I need you and Yunho to get out as soon as possible,” Jaejoong ordered. He opened the door and turned to face Yunho, “Have faith in me,” he murmured before he turned away from them, uncertain of his fate.
o-o-o
As soon as he was outside of the apartment building, Jaejoong knew that Minhyun’s men were present. There was a black car parked directly across him, and he immediately noticed the men that were in front of it.
“Are you going to shoot?” he questioned as he tilted his head to the side. He raised his arms up, “I’m innocent.”
One of the bulkier men stepped forward to grab Jaejoong, but before he could touch him, the car door opened and Choi Minhyun stepped out. He shut the door behind him and motioned for his men to stand down.
“Is he alive?”
“Who?”
Minhyun’s face turned dark, and his eyes narrowed, “I think you fucking know who I’m talking about Mr. Kim,” he pulled his coat aside to reveal the gun in his holster, and he stared Jaejoong down, “Jung Yunho. Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
“Well then,” Minhyun stroked his chin, “What are we going to do about that?” he looked at his men then turned his eyes back to Jaejoong, “Do you have anything to say?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Jaejoong took a step forward and glanced at the men who were close to Minhyun. Seeing as it seemed like they’d just arrived, he didn’t think there were any people in the alleyway that could catch Yunho or Changmin if ever they tried to escape.
He needed to make a diversion.
“Do you want me to give him up to you?” Jaejoong asked seriously, “If I do, will you allow me to leave? After all, you and I had a deal. If I took care of the person that tried to kill you, then you and I would do business. It just so happens that Yunho is the person that tried to kill you.”
Minhyun studied Jaejoong, “I’m sorry to say, but I’m not willing to take that chance with you. I’m not a fool.” He looked around and made sure the streets were empty before he pulled out his gun, “Don’t worry, your lover will join you shortly.”
A shot was fired, and Jaejoong’s eyes widened the moment he saw the large crimson stain that was beginning to spread on Minhyun’s shirt. The man’s eyes were opened wide, and his mouth was open and gasping for breath.
His body fell to the ground, and Jaejoong quickly pulled out his own gun and fired at several of Minhyun’s men before he ran into the alleyway. He could hear their footsteps behind him, and he quickly ducked behind a dumpster for cover.
Several gunshots were fired and as soon as there was a lull in gunfire, he left his hiding place and shot at the men. He managed to hit one of them in the stomach, but there were still three more.
Jaejoong breathed heavily and held his gun tight. He could hear the men approaching, and he knew that if he didn’t start moving, he would be cornered. It was dark in the alleyway, but if he were to run out, there was no cover for him until he reached the other end.
He swallowed hard and immediately began to run before turning around to fire at the men who were following him. One man crumpled onto the ground due to the bullet to the chest, but the two remaining men still followed.
Jaejoong ran as fast as he could, but he stumbled the moment he felt a bullet graze his waist. The searing pain spread immediately, and he cried out as he tried to move despite the blood that was dripping from the wound.
He tried to keep moving, but the pain was too much and he was slowing down significantly.
The sound of two gunshots resounded, and Jaejoong fell to the ground.
← Part A Part C →