Pulsatilla | Chapter 12/? [Part Two]
Pulsatilla
Author: love_cassiopeia
Summary: A complete mess was what Jung Yunho became after his beloved wife’s death. Trapped in a permanent state of isolation and loneliness, Yunho summons his knowledge on biology in hopes of recreating his wife in the form of an artificial human. However, the experiment goes terribly wrong and instead creates a male who has all his wife’s looks and qualities, one who he eventually decides to name ‘Jaejoong.’ Coping with the idyllic memories Jaejoong brings back of his wife, Yunho tries his best not to fall in love with his creation, knowing that the love he brings along is not the real thing-or is it?
Rated: PG-13 - NC-17
Warning(s): NC-17 material, language
Genre: Romance/Angst
Pairing(s): YunJae
Chapter 12: Fenêtres (Part Two)
Definition: The Pulsatilla is a deciduous perennial flower native to Europe and Asia that grows in the leftover nutrients of a dead plant. It is usually grown to replace another plant. It is capable of curing diseases and may be used in remedies.
F e n ê t r e s C o n t i n u e d *
It was exceptionally dark in the vehicle-too dark perhaps, that he couldn’t completely make out who he was with and what they were planning to do with him. All he bothered to understand was that the men were from a government organization, which meant he would not be able to deal with them in the same way he dealt with the others. He had to follow their commands to the every last detail or else he would without a doubt be maimed and tortured until he squirmed in pain.
He sighed heavily and returned to his unexciting activity of staring out the opaque windows that situated themselves beside his right shoulder. Sure he didn’t want to be stuck within a cramped vehicle, heading to an unknown location which he had not a single clue about, but he knew that being here was at least a dozen times better than being at home, having to argue loudly with the man who, after all he did to make his life lose its dull appearance, thought he did nothing at all. So yes, he’d rather be anywhere but stuck within that penthouse, having a man use him for his own amusement until ultimately, he got tired of him and was ready to throw him away.
There was a deafening silence in the van, so Jaejoong was able to clearly hear the multifarious thoughts that were running flagrantly within him, causing every part of his body to feel a deep sting. He didn’t know whether he was doing the right thing for not, for he knew Yunho gave him constant warnings about the many dangers of the outside world. He knew however, that staying where he was with Yunho, he could not achieve a single thing other than being able to gratify his many wishes. Surely he had quite a nice time with Yunho during the past few months, thinking that the man had loved him. But as he realized Yunho’s yearning for an actual human to fill the voids in his heart, Jaejoong understood that he would have no way of competing against the average human and gaining triumph.
No matter how cruel humans sometimes appeared… at least they were real.
Jaejoong shifted in his seat, feeling the incredibly cold and frigid weather pierce through his t-shirt and meet his fragile skin. It was still raining outside; the lightening and thunder were still in attendance as the storm raged on, flooding the city with rainfall. The driver of the large van had refused to turn the heater on-Jaejoong didn’t know why, but it was probably to compliment the dismal atmosphere they had created to frighten him. Within a split second, his mind brought back the though of Yunho, wondering pryingly what he was doing at the moment. Would he be situated in the large penthouse, watching TV by the fireplace with a fur blanket thrown over him? Or was he feeling the same chill he felt at the moment, his every skin cell crying out in pain?
He knew the latter of the assumptions was entirely rubbish. If Yunho had the guts to say such demeaning words right before him, then he would without a doubt ignore him just as brilliantly. It never appeared to Jaejoong that he would actually feel as mortified and disparaged as he did tonight due to the aftermath of one argument. It only seemed like a moment ago when his life was immersed in a never-fading joy-one that took so much to break through. Now situated within the dark van with no one to converse with other than his own contemptuous thoughts, Jaejoong finally discovered that in the end, he was terribly wrong about everything he had ever believed in.
His eyes widened as he noticed he was being taken into a district in town, where he had never once been to before, crowded by tall buildings and colossal memorials and statues. Moment by moment, he began to feel more frightened and alarmed. He was in desperate need of someone to hold on to-someone’s shoulder to bury his head into. Noticing that that someone was in absence tonight, Jaejoong knew he couldn’t survive through all this without having to shed a few tears or having to let out a few inaudible, weak whimpers. He hated himself for being so feeble and brittle, but he understood that the second after Yunho disappeared from his sight and left him by himself, he began to feel unconditionally incomplete.
The atmosphere he was situated within was so vapid and yet so tense at the same time. He didn’t know which emotion he could dig up from within him and feel whole-heartedly and he knew that without feeling anything, he wasn’t anything.
The long car ride finally come to a conclusion when the vehicle halted suddenly at a tall building with the words: Seoul’s lab for biology and research, engraved on it. Still not knowing why he was here, he tried to coerce himself into calming down in hopes of waiting patiently until a clear answer was ready to be given to him. He didn’t know exactly what the answer was capable of granting him, but a part of him claimed that it would surprise the living daylights out of him and place him in a world that seemed so far away from the world he had initially created with Yunho. He didn’t know why such a prediction came to mind, but he understood that as he saw the world ‘biology’ within the building’s title, things would only become more and more complicated from this point on.
One of the few men exited the vehicle and politely opened the door for Jaejoong, telling him to “be careful” as he exited the vehicle. It felt weird to him that the strangers were treating him so nicely and was so concerned about him-almost as if they didn’t want a single portion of his body damaged. He exited the van with the man, SangHyuk, whom he had met in the beginning, at his arms and examining his features curiously, trying to detect the slightest imperfection upon him. Jaejoong exhaled, feeling a part of his privacy being intruded as the man continued moving his eyes up and down upon his body. He had no intention to complain though, for the setting was to solemn and dark for such a childish antic.
But as Jaejoong entered the building and was met with the sight of thousands of nurses and doctors, scurrying around with patients, trying to get from one room to another, his mind strongly demanded answers to be given immediately.
While he entered the elevator with SangHyuk and a few other men also on the team, Jaejoong decided it was the correct time to probe for answers. “What am I doing here?” He inquired-his first few words in a couple of hours. But alas, his throat was still sore from the yelling match shared with Yunho earlier that night.
“You’re here so we can perform a few experiments on you.” SangHyuk explained, using the gentlest tone of his voice, acting as if he spoke too loudly, Jaejoong’s eardrums would shatter. “But don’t worry, you won’t be here for long. Once we’re done with you, we’ll immediately send you back home into Yunho’s arms.”
The utterance of his name made Jaejoong relieved yet revolted at the exact moment. Amongst all the confusion and strangers, there was finally something familiar which his mind could fully grasp onto. But it was also that very thing that brought him back to experience the sensation of anger, along with all the vicious pains it brought along.
“Yunho…” Jaejoong repeated silently. “How do you know his name?”
The man smiled amiably, willing to provide all the answers to Jaejoong’s questions. “I have a friend who’s his colleague.” SangHyuk explained, the tone in his voice convincing. “This Jung Yunho… does he treat you well?” The question came at Jaejoong unexpectedly, rendering him speechless as he rummaged through his mind for the correct words to say.
He didn’t want to say no, because he knew deep down that Yunho had come extremely close to meeting his every request during the last few months. But he couldn’t say yes either because at the moment, Yunho was the last person that came to mind when the words ‘treat you well’ were pronounced. So he decided to tell the truth, knowing that lies would have no way of taking him anywhere.
“He and I… we had an argument tonight.” Jaejoong finally decided to reveal as the group of men exited the elevator with him. “He has treated me as well as he possibly could until tonight, when he finally decided to hit me in the stomach with his words, stating that I wasn't necessarily ‘real.’ The two of us had staged what seemed like a flawless relationship where we constantly ignored the truth. It was only recently when I realized the two of us could never get along.”
The elderly man, SangHyuk, sighed in dismay, showing his sympathy. “Well, certainly Yunho doesn’t understand how valuable you are.” Jaejoong didn’t automatically grasp the meaning behind SangHyuk’s ambiguous words, but told himself to listen to them (the man was a government official, after all).
It was when he entered a dark hallway filled with many rooms-ones that appeared to be filled with patients-that Jaejoong finally seized the point that he was here for something extremely crucial. “SangHyuk-sshi… do you know what I am?” Jaejoong questioned, trying to probe for answers within the perplexing atmosphere.
“You’re not human, are you, Jaejoong?” The man replied with a question which he clearly already knew the answer to. “Since you’re not human, you’re exceptionally valuable to us, even if Yunho denies the fact. The government needs you terribly, Jaejoong. With you, we can achieve many things-from filling up positions in the army, finding more people to run businesses, and even make advancements in science. You’re unquestionably more valuable than you think you are. You should consider making a note to treat yourself better than you were treated tonight-standing out in the pouring rain, running through the streets recklessly.”
“It wasn’t a reckless action.” Jaejoong declared almost instantly. “I needed to get away from Yunho. I was unable to take every word he tossed at me, telling me that I didn’t have the resolve to seize the emotions in his heart.”
SangHyuk didn’t want to say that he was annoyed-the word was more like concerned. He was concerned that Jaejoong perhaps contained too many emotions, and thus was taking the love from a human too seriously. Instead of being an artificial human that did everything he was asked without any complaints, Jaejoong was an entire treasure chest filled with emotions, making him seem as if he was a real human being.
SangHyuk thought through the characteristic thoroughly, wondering if such a factor would corrupt the government’s original task of creating others like Jaejoong to do work-nothing else. With these emotions boiling within them, would the artificial humans eventually fall prey to their self-centeredness and ignore the work place before them-just like every other human did? If this was the case then no, SangHyuk knew he wouldn’t be pleased with the results one bit.
“Don’t worry about it Jaejoong.” SangHyuk convinced. “This is your home now. You don’t have to worry about that Yunho anymore.”
Hearing the man’s words, Jaejoong wanted to coerce himself into lifting his spirits back up. But knowing that he was to live separately from the man who had offered him life to begin with and to change his lifestyle entirely, Jaejoong could clearly feel a sharp pain in his chest that eventually echoed throughout every part of his body.
The confusion was soon eradicated as the team reached the end of the hallway. Jaejoong was brought into a spacious room where a large working station along with a hospital bed appeared, stretched out over blinding lights as darkness filled the other portions of the room. A few doctors appeared along with a few scientists, making their crucial appearance known as Jaejoong looked around intriguingly. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Jaejoong was brought into the room, placed before the few doctors and scientists who examined him carefully from head to toe.
“Is this the one?”
“He is the one.”
“We’ll get started on him right away, sir.”
“Of course. I’ll trust you to do your best work.”
After the last statement, the slightly-aged man, SangHyuk, and the entire team he brought along left the room without delay. Jaejoong was left alone within the gloomy atmosphere, making him completely vulnerable to the scientists and doctors who approached him.
All he could remember that night was being drugged by a doctor, stripped of his clothing entirely, and dragged onto a mattress where he was attached with what seemed like thousands of wires. He could feel multiple amounts of hands touch him nearly everywhere-feeling his heartbeat, trying to detect his breathing.
He had no idea what he was here for, but a part of him cautioned himself that the title of a ‘human’ was seeping away from his fingers with every second that flashed before him.
It seems like there has been some confusion with the character Seulki in this fic. The “Seulki” in this story is an original character, Kim Seulki, not the actress, Bae Seulki. And yes, Kim Seulki has Jaejoong’s face. If you are curious, here’s a picture of Kim Seulki. She looks exactly like Jae, doesn’t she?
Sorry for the confusion guys ^^;;
Please leave a comment!
-Cindy
Back to Part One R é s u l t a t | A l i é n é | D é s o l é | B a i g n o i r e | M u s i q u e | N o c t u r n e 1 | N o c t u r n e 2 | J a l o u x | P e s a n t e u r 1 | P e s a n t e u r 2 | r ê v e | S o u p ç o n n e u x | M e n s o n g e | F e n ê t r e s 1 | F e n ê t r e s 2
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