No Show Fee: 18. Non-endorsable [JaeMin, JaeHae, YehHae; DBSJ]
No Show Fee : 18. Non-endorsable
yumeyana
dong bang shin ki / super junior | JaeMin, JaeHae, YehHae
PG-13 - NC-17 / drama, angst, humor, romance
They say love waits. But the question always is, until when? The gang returns to Korea with Saitoh and the whole crew in tow. Yoochun and the gang are there, ready with their plan. But when Changmin tries to score some points by helping out in the kitchen, will Jaejoong let him play or will he foul out?
[crossposted at hug______, miracle______, _starcandy.]
Author’s Notes: I’m trying to write as fast as I can but life is catching up on me and I could only write so much. I’m really sorry this is taking me so long. I’ll try to contact my muses again and the moment I do, I will write until my fingers quit. xD Anyway, I’m fast forwarding so hold on tight because this one’s going to be quite a ride. :D
Disclaimers: None of the Dong Bang Shin Ki and Super Junior boys are mine, only the plot is.
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No Show Fee : Non-endorsable
Time quickly passed by for everyone in Japan and soon, the cast and crew of Heechul’s drama were on a plane back to Korea. Saitoh was back to his old teasing self, badgering Yehsung and Heechul to no end. It amused Jaejoong, this playful way of getting his hyung-deul to relax. He knew that even though Yehsung and Heechul wanted to skin Saitoh alive, they liked him. After all, Kangin had been worse.
Donghae, though, had been overprotective of Yehsung. He stepped in whenever he saw Yehsung almost on the verge of strangling Saitoh, telling the older one that there are other ways to amuse oneself. That amused Saitoh even more, resulting, therefore, to more teasing.
After two hours and twenty five minutes of being airborne, flight number KE 706 landed on Incheon International Airport. Heechul’s minions-as Heechul liked calling them-strolled out of the airplane and soon, they were all being photographed by hundreds of fans who managed to get past the airport security. Heechul almost smiled and waved to everyone-I’m home, he wanted to cry out-but he didn’t; management always told them to just breeze through the throng of fans without so much as a smile. He glanced at the others, making sure that none of them was squished or anything. He almost grinned when he saw how natural it was for them to be photographed by their fans who haven’t seen them in so long. Only Saitoh was a little unused to the attention; the Japanese fans had always been different, after all. Heechul wanted dance in his little victory.
Thirty minutes after going through all the necessary airport stuff and getting their baggage, Jaejoong caught sight of their friends waving like crazy. It wasn’t customary for them to do this but it put a big smile on Jaejoong’s tired face. Yoochun rushed to hug him as if they haven’t seen him in years; Yunho was taking Heechul’s bags, trying to look as if Heechul’s rants were interesting. Hyukjae tackled both Donghae and Yehsung, unmindful that they were causing a scene in the airport.
“Welcome home,” Yoochun said, grinning as he took Jaejoong’s bags. “How’s Miwha-sshi?” he asked as they walked out of the airport. “She’s better. Junsu and Changmin have been taking care of her.”
Yoochun watched as Jaejoong hummed his reaction, eyes anywhere but at him. Jaejoong had that habit of not looking at who he was talking to when he didn’t like the subject and he didn’t like it that Yoochun included Changmin in their conversation. Yoochun followed his gaze, watching him smile as Jaejoong caught Donghae’s own gaze. He sighed; this was going to be harder than he originally though it would be.
Jaejoong was already in love with Donghae.
*
Hey, baby, Junsu heard as soon as he flipped his phone open. He sighed, glad that it was a red light when Yoochun called. He fished his earphones from the dashboard compartment. “Hi, babe,” Junsu greeted; the light turned green. Just in time, he thought. “Have they arrived yet?” Yeah. They all arrived in one piece. Yoochun sighed. We’ve got a problem, Su.
Changmin watched as Junsu’s fingers tapped the steering wheel. There was something going on, that he could surmise from the way his hyung’s face changed from cheerful to serious. He was probably talking to Yoochun about Jaejoong and him. That was the only thing that could make Junsu look older than he was.
He sighed inwardly, diverting his attention elsewhere. The window was so tinted that Changmin wondered if the real reason behind it was the fans. He shook his head; now was not the time to think of such perverted thoughts. Whatever Yoochun and Junsu did was none of Changmin’s business-and was probably more decent than what Yunho did with Hyukjae. He almost choked at the memory. You’ve been reading too much fan fiction, Shim Changmin, he told himself.
He rolled his eyes. Lately, that was the only thing that gave him some sort of confidence that he still had a chance with Jaejoong. Sure, most fan fictions didn’t get it right-their characteristics and the way they’d react when faced with a confession-but some gave him inspiration on how to woo Jaejoong again. Yes, it was not a hundred percent fool proof but it was better than asking Yoochun for advice. Heck, it was better than asking his mother. He didn’t even know what possessed him to ask her for help.
“Changmin?”
Changmin tore his gaze away from the speeding scenery, suddenly aware that Junsu was driving faster than normal. “Hyung, slow down,” he said but Junsu just shrugged. “Do you really love Jaejoong hyung?” Changmin stared the older one, unable to decipher why Junsu was asking that. “Was there any doubt of that?” Junsu spared him a glance, eyebrow raised. “You disappeared from his life for half a year, Min.” He sighed. “I-Yoochun would hate me but I have always rooted for you. But when we saw how happy Jaejoong hyung was whenever he was with Donghae, it made me think that maybe you weren’t for each other. That it was Jaejoong and Donghae, not Jaejoong and Changmin. You get me?”
The younger of the two nodded, silently. His fingernails were beginning to be interesting.
“We shouldn’t meddle with all of this, really. But Changmin, I still believe that he loves you. The mere fact that he hates you means something.” Changmin stopped fiddling and looked at Junsu. “Don’t look at me like I’ve just given you hope, Min, because that’s not what I meant by saying that.”
He hit the breaks and turned to him, taking the younger one’s hands in his. “Changmin, if you really want to get Jaejoong hyung back, listen to me.” Changmin nodded, gripping Junsu’s hands harder than he intended. “Jaejoong hyung is in love with Donghae and Donghae loves Jaejoong hyung more than either of us knows. Do you still want to fight for him, for a chance to prove to Jaejoong hyung that you were just a stupid coward to make him wait for so long?”
“Yes.”
*
The party was already in full swing when Junsu and Changmin rang the doorbell. Changmin could not find it in himself to grin just like Junsu was doing so when he heard thundering footsteps run towards the door. He was nervous, dead nervous, on how Jaejoong would react when he saw him. Would Jaejoong get mad at their friends and at him for being audacious enough to think that he was still invited to his home after their last encounter? Or worse, he thought, would Jaejoong ignore him?
“You are a disgrace to men, Lee Donghae. Stop making out with Jaejoong in front of all of us,” he heard Heechul cry out as he opened the door. Heechul’s eyes went wide when he saw who was at the other side. “Just what we need,” he muttered, trying to look as if he hated the fact that two of the dongsaeng-deul closest to him were there. “Oh come on, hyung,” Junsu said, reaching over to hug Heechul. “Don’t tell me you didn’t miss us.” Heechul’s eyes narrowed, meeting Changmin’s own over Junsu’s shoulders. The latter shivered inwardly, fighting the urge to run back to the car.
“Did you bring food?”
Junsu released Heechul, grinning. “Of course we did.”
Heechul’s smirked, eyes on Junsu. “Then in that case, I did.” Junsu laughed and Changmin found himself smiling as Heechul announced their arrival. Perhaps he was thinking too much, Changmin thought; perhaps Heechul was just acting and he was just being paranoid.
“Yah! Get a room, you two!” Heechul cried out again as they entered. Changmin froze. He had to do everything in his power not to raise a white flag and bolt out of the room. There on the couch was Donghae and Jaejoong, the latter sitting on the younger one’s lap. Jaejoong had his arms around Donghae, unmindful of Heechul or anyone in the room. “We’re at home, hyung,” he heard Jaejoong say, hand going up Donghae’s shirt. The latter smirked-or at least it looked like it-as his lips worked on Jaejoong’s ear, earning a moan from the older one. It was obvious that part of this make-out was to annoy Heechul. Or at least, that was what Changmin wanted to believe.
“Hyung, I did not come to watch you make-out with Donghae,” Junsu said, trying to sound annoyed but ended up giggling. Jaejoong rolled his eyes, stopping his ministrations; Donghae groaned. The former lead singer glared at Junsu as he stood up from Donghae’s lap. “You are unfair, Kim Junsu,” he said, sauntering to the giggling one. “I had to endure years of watching you make-out with Yoochun every chance you got and you can’t even give me my much needed quality time with my boyfriend.” Junsu blushed-“Hyung!”-causing Yoochun to react-“Hey!”-and Jaejoong to laugh.
It made Changmin want to grab Jaejoong and catch his laughter as it spilled from Jaejoong’s lips. Jaejoong’s laughter sounded the same-silly, dorky and unique. And Jaejoong still hid it behind his hand, trying to keep the world from such beauty. He wanted to reach out, to remove that hand from Jaejoong’s lips.
But.
“Oh shush, both of you,” Heechul said. “Junsu brought something to eat, Jae. Go and prepare us something edible.” Jaejoong raised an eyebrow. “I am not your slave, Kim Heechul.” It was another face off, another round of their usual banter. Yehsung shook his head, taking the bundle from Junsu. “Hm. Kimchi jiggae ingredients. Never mind, Jae. I’m cooking,” he said, walking towards the kitchen. There was a collective groan from the people in the apartment and a chuckle from Saitoh from the other side of the living room.
Jaejoong took the plastic bag from Yehsung. “In your dreams, hyung.”
*
While Heechul and Saitoh were in a close-door discussion about the next day’s meeting, Donghae borrowed Hyukjae from Yunho and dragged his best friend to his room. Yunho, finding nothing else to do, sat beside Yehsung on the couch and watching The Dark Knight for the nth time that week. “HBO needs to reshuffle their schedule,” he said, earning a chuckle from a deeply engrossed Yehsung.
Meanwhile, Yoochun took that opportunity to take Changmin aside and talk to him while Junsu helped Jaejoong in the kitchen. Changmin had been too quiet, too frozen since arriving at the apartment. If Changmin wanted to win Jaejoong back, he had to be ready for such public displays of attention. After all, Donghae had never been one to be afraid of it.
“You okay, Min,” he asked as they settled in the veranda. Yoochun almost regretted choosing the veranda as a place to talk to Changmin; he knew what had transpired in the veranda after all. Changmin shrugged, leaning on the railing. “I was just surprised, I guess. I never knew Jaejoong hyung could do that.” Yoochun sighed, deciding not to look at Changmin. “A lot has changed since you left, Changmin. You didn’t expect him to stay the same, didn’t you?”
Changmin let out a bitter laugh. “Actually, I did. I forgot that Jaejoong hyung always has a knack of proving me wrong.” He sighed, shoulders slumping. Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure if he should still go on with his plans. “Wouldn’t it be wrong, hyung? Wouldn’t it be wrong for me to try and take him from Donghae hyung? He’s obviously happy with him already; more than I could make him, that’s for sure.”
“Perhaps,” Yoochun said, finally resting his gaze on Changmin. His dongsaeng looked so defeated, so lost that he wanted to make him stop and just go back to Canada. That was Changmin’s life now, not this one he was living in Korea. He had left behind whatever life he had here when he decided not to call Jaejoong. But-he put an arm around Changmin’s shoulders. “But we’ll never know until we’ve tried, right?”
Yoochun was also uncertain of the steps they were taking and Changmin could see it. Yet, Yoochun was brave enough-Yoochun believed in him enough-to risk his friendship with Jaejoong. And he was a coward, backing down at the first sign of defeat.
“Try and try until I die, right?”
And Yoochun laughed.
*
“This is going to get pretty messy, isn’t it?”
Heechul looked up from his laptop, eyes settling on Saitoh who was sitting on the edge of his bed. He snorted. “If they all forget to act their ages, yes.” Saitoh crossed his legs, leaning back. Heechul waited for him to continue, knowing that Saitoh wouldn’t tease about such serious matters. After all, they had all become friends in the time they spent in Japan.
“You may need some back-up.”
“My back-up might break my neck if I ask him to come back and rescue me from the imbeciles.”
Saitoh raised an eyebrow. “You’ve already asked for back-up?”
“Let’s just say, I considered it.”
*
Jaejoong moves across the kitchen in a speed Junsu has never known he possessed. His hyung was pissed off; they should’ve asked him first, should’ve told him that they were bringing Changmin along. It was his house after all. But it was the only way to make them meet.
“Hyung-”
“Stop, Junsu. Whatever reason it is you guys have, I don’t like it.” There was a pause in Jaejoong’s words, his movements. Junsu couldn’t meet his eyes; he didn’t like it when Jaejoong was angry. “I’m sorry, Su. It’s just that-” A deep intake of breath and Junsu could feel Jaejoong’s fatigue. There was more to this than what they knew and that was the thing Jaejoong hated.
“Junsu hyung?”
They both looked up at the sound of Changmin’s voice; one was surprised, the other agitated by his mere presence. Whatever Jaejoong was going to say was lost as he continued preparing the kimchi jiggae.
“Yoochun hyung wants to talk to you. Your manager called, I think.”
“Oh,” Junsu said, eyes darting to Jaejoong and then to Changmin. “Okay.”
Junsu squeezed Changmin’s shoulder as he passed by; Changmin wasn’t sure what it was but he would’ve wanted Junsu to stay longer. Being alone with Jaejoong-in a kitchen, yet again-brought back memories of what had transpired more than a month ago. But he told Yoochun he would try, wouldn’t he? And try he would.
He crossed the kitchen to where Jaejoong was already in the middle of preparing his infamous kimchi jiggae. He knew Jaejoong didn’t need anyone’s help-he knew the recipe by heart-but Changmin remembered always being there to assist Jaejoong in cooking anyway. Jaejoong never let anyone else assist him in the kitchen; only Changmin was allowed there.
“Let me help you, hyung,” he said, getting the knife and the cutting board. There was no response from Jaejoong and for a moment, Changmin thought he was getting his hyung’s approval. “Out,” Jaejoong hissed, gritting his teeth. He was gripping the ladle tightly, obviously trying hard not to hit Changmin or anything. Changmin held his breath-had he heard Jaejoong right?-and tried to remain calm.
“Get out of my kitchen, Shim.”
*
“Donghae, this relationship you have with Jaejoong hyung-” Hyukjae paused, unable to phrase his words in a way that wouldn’t make Donghae mad at him. “I mean, are you sure that he loves you?”
The younger one paused the game they were playing and put the game console down. “Since when did you start sounding like Jongwoon hyung, hm?” He sighed and before Hyukjae could say anything more, Donghae continued. “I know he loves me. Does he love me as much as I love him-I don’t know. Do we really know how much our boyfriends love us, Hyukkie?”
Hyukjae stared at his hands. “But Changmin’s back, Hae.”
“I know,” he said, letting his head fall on Hyukjae’s shoulder. “But I’m not going to give him up, Hyukjae. Not now, not ever.” There was determination in Donghae’s voice but Hyukjae could hear the fear it was trying to mask. “What if Changmin tries to win him back?”
“Then he’s going to be up for one hell of a fight.”
*
Changmin ran out of the kitchen, out of the house. He had muttered a few words to Yoochun, telling him that there were some things he needed to attend to; that his mother called him and the like. He knew Yoochun wouldn’t believe him but he needed to get out of there. Jaejoong had told him to get out of the kitchen. And in Jaejoong-speak, that was telling Changmin to get out of his life.
He flipped his phone open, wiping the tears escaping from his eyes. He needed Kibum and Kyuhyun but he knew that the latter would still be in the middle of his class. He needed at least one of his best friends, now more than ever. And yet, the one best friend he knew was available wasn’t answering his phone.
“Where are you? Why aren’t you answering my calls?” He sighed, frustration mounting with every second he could not hear Kibum’s voice. He kept walking towards his mother’s house, the only safe place where he could cry and no one would ask why; his mother never really asked anything. She just knew.
Dammit, Kibum; I need you, he thought as he left a message on Kibum’s voice mail. He sniffed, hating the fact that his emotions were getting the better of him. He closed his phone, deciding that it might work to his advantage-that sobbing message. Kibum would surely call him in a flash. After all, Kibum had always been his Superman; the one who came to his rescue whenever he was lost, drowning or just plain stupid.
He was about to try contacting Kyuhyun when Kibum sent him a message. He could see it now; where are you, he’d ask. Or Kibum would tell Changmin to meet him somewhere. That was Kibum. That was his best friend, he thought as he flipped his phone open. But Kibum’s message was nowhere near what he expected.
I’m working.
*
Two hours after Changmin had suddenly excused himself from everyone, the rest of the gang was already calling it a day. Heechul was already claiming that he needed his beauty sleep; they had a long day ahead of them tomorrow. Saitoh had already excused himself earlier; he still had to unpack and fix his new place near the one Heechul and the others lived in. Yehsung was already unpacking while Donghae was doing the dishes, leaving Jaejoong with a few minutes with his former band mates.
“Jae,” Yunho called, pulling him aside while Yoochun, Junsu and Hyukjae were putting their shoes on. Jaejoong blinked. “Yeah?” Yunho caught Yoochun’s eye, silently signaling him to wait for him outside the door. He needed to talk to Jaejoong. “About Changmin-” Jaejoong sighed, looking away. “I don’t want to talk about him, Yunho.”
Yunho nodded. “I understand, but Jae, don’t you think you should give him another chance?”
Jaejoong looked at him, all the pain he had been keeping until now was evident in his eyes. Yunho suddenly wanted to take it back-his words, his proposition. But there was no way to do that.
“He’s already out of chances, Yunho. He ran out of chances when he decided not to call me.”
*
The next day, Jaejoong was up early to make breakfast for five people. They had invited Saitoh over, knowing that the place they had rented for him was still bare and that they didn’t have the chance to help him stock up for his stay in Korea. Heechul was up early as well, laptop and mobile phone already in his hands when he left their bedroom. Yehsung was up at the first sniff of brewed coffee; Donghae followed soon afterwards. Saitoh rang the doorbell just as Jaejoong finished cooking.
Breakfast was a fast and silent meal and soon, they were all ready for the meeting. Everyone was excited; someone was going to be included in the cast and that only meant that their ratings were doing well. Heechul tossed the keys to Jaejoong; he needed a driver while he prepared for the meeting. When they arrived at SBS’s main building, everyone greeted them with a thunderous applause. Heechul was beaming with happiness as the top executives greeted him. It was every director’s dream come true.
A celebration would surely be underway but Heechul insisted that they attend to that later. He had a meeting with his staff, his cast, and his crew. SBS’s top executive for TV and Entertainment invited Heechul’s cast and crew for dinner later.
As soon as they entered the conference room, Jaejoong and the others looked around for a new face amongst their crew, hoping to catch a glimpse of their new co-actor before the meeting started. But no one there was new and no one, not even their secretive casting director, would reveal who the new actor was. At ten minutes past eight, Heechul announced that they would start the meeting even though their mystery actor had yet to arrive. Everyone took their places, disappointment painted clearly on their faces. Heechul looked totally pissed off.
Then, just as the new script was about to be explained, the door opened. Everyone turned around, their eyes widening at the sight of the newcomer. Yehsung swore under his breath, making Saitoh-who was sitting beside him-raise an eyebrow.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
tbc.
17 | 19
Check-in. Check-out.
No Show Fee: o1 | o2 | o3 | o4 | o5.a | o5.b | o6 | st, boarding pass | o7.a | o7.b. | o7.c | o7.d | o8.a | o8.b | o8.c | o8.d | o8.e | o9 | 1o | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
yumeyana
dong bang shin ki / super junior | JaeMin, JaeHae, YehHae
PG-13 - NC-17 / drama, angst, humor, romance
They say love waits. But the question always is, until when? The gang returns to Korea with Saitoh and the whole crew in tow. Yoochun and the gang are there, ready with their plan. But when Changmin tries to score some points by helping out in the kitchen, will Jaejoong let him play or will he foul out?
[crossposted at hug______, miracle______, _starcandy.]
Author’s Notes: I’m trying to write as fast as I can but life is catching up on me and I could only write so much. I’m really sorry this is taking me so long. I’ll try to contact my muses again and the moment I do, I will write until my fingers quit. xD Anyway, I’m fast forwarding so hold on tight because this one’s going to be quite a ride. :D
Disclaimers: None of the Dong Bang Shin Ki and Super Junior boys are mine, only the plot is.
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No Show Fee : Non-endorsable
Time quickly passed by for everyone in Japan and soon, the cast and crew of Heechul’s drama were on a plane back to Korea. Saitoh was back to his old teasing self, badgering Yehsung and Heechul to no end. It amused Jaejoong, this playful way of getting his hyung-deul to relax. He knew that even though Yehsung and Heechul wanted to skin Saitoh alive, they liked him. After all, Kangin had been worse.
Donghae, though, had been overprotective of Yehsung. He stepped in whenever he saw Yehsung almost on the verge of strangling Saitoh, telling the older one that there are other ways to amuse oneself. That amused Saitoh even more, resulting, therefore, to more teasing.
After two hours and twenty five minutes of being airborne, flight number KE 706 landed on Incheon International Airport. Heechul’s minions-as Heechul liked calling them-strolled out of the airplane and soon, they were all being photographed by hundreds of fans who managed to get past the airport security. Heechul almost smiled and waved to everyone-I’m home, he wanted to cry out-but he didn’t; management always told them to just breeze through the throng of fans without so much as a smile. He glanced at the others, making sure that none of them was squished or anything. He almost grinned when he saw how natural it was for them to be photographed by their fans who haven’t seen them in so long. Only Saitoh was a little unused to the attention; the Japanese fans had always been different, after all. Heechul wanted dance in his little victory.
Thirty minutes after going through all the necessary airport stuff and getting their baggage, Jaejoong caught sight of their friends waving like crazy. It wasn’t customary for them to do this but it put a big smile on Jaejoong’s tired face. Yoochun rushed to hug him as if they haven’t seen him in years; Yunho was taking Heechul’s bags, trying to look as if Heechul’s rants were interesting. Hyukjae tackled both Donghae and Yehsung, unmindful that they were causing a scene in the airport.
“Welcome home,” Yoochun said, grinning as he took Jaejoong’s bags. “How’s Miwha-sshi?” he asked as they walked out of the airport. “She’s better. Junsu and Changmin have been taking care of her.”
Yoochun watched as Jaejoong hummed his reaction, eyes anywhere but at him. Jaejoong had that habit of not looking at who he was talking to when he didn’t like the subject and he didn’t like it that Yoochun included Changmin in their conversation. Yoochun followed his gaze, watching him smile as Jaejoong caught Donghae’s own gaze. He sighed; this was going to be harder than he originally though it would be.
Jaejoong was already in love with Donghae.
*
Hey, baby, Junsu heard as soon as he flipped his phone open. He sighed, glad that it was a red light when Yoochun called. He fished his earphones from the dashboard compartment. “Hi, babe,” Junsu greeted; the light turned green. Just in time, he thought. “Have they arrived yet?” Yeah. They all arrived in one piece. Yoochun sighed. We’ve got a problem, Su.
Changmin watched as Junsu’s fingers tapped the steering wheel. There was something going on, that he could surmise from the way his hyung’s face changed from cheerful to serious. He was probably talking to Yoochun about Jaejoong and him. That was the only thing that could make Junsu look older than he was.
He sighed inwardly, diverting his attention elsewhere. The window was so tinted that Changmin wondered if the real reason behind it was the fans. He shook his head; now was not the time to think of such perverted thoughts. Whatever Yoochun and Junsu did was none of Changmin’s business-and was probably more decent than what Yunho did with Hyukjae. He almost choked at the memory. You’ve been reading too much fan fiction, Shim Changmin, he told himself.
He rolled his eyes. Lately, that was the only thing that gave him some sort of confidence that he still had a chance with Jaejoong. Sure, most fan fictions didn’t get it right-their characteristics and the way they’d react when faced with a confession-but some gave him inspiration on how to woo Jaejoong again. Yes, it was not a hundred percent fool proof but it was better than asking Yoochun for advice. Heck, it was better than asking his mother. He didn’t even know what possessed him to ask her for help.
“Changmin?”
Changmin tore his gaze away from the speeding scenery, suddenly aware that Junsu was driving faster than normal. “Hyung, slow down,” he said but Junsu just shrugged. “Do you really love Jaejoong hyung?” Changmin stared the older one, unable to decipher why Junsu was asking that. “Was there any doubt of that?” Junsu spared him a glance, eyebrow raised. “You disappeared from his life for half a year, Min.” He sighed. “I-Yoochun would hate me but I have always rooted for you. But when we saw how happy Jaejoong hyung was whenever he was with Donghae, it made me think that maybe you weren’t for each other. That it was Jaejoong and Donghae, not Jaejoong and Changmin. You get me?”
The younger of the two nodded, silently. His fingernails were beginning to be interesting.
“We shouldn’t meddle with all of this, really. But Changmin, I still believe that he loves you. The mere fact that he hates you means something.” Changmin stopped fiddling and looked at Junsu. “Don’t look at me like I’ve just given you hope, Min, because that’s not what I meant by saying that.”
He hit the breaks and turned to him, taking the younger one’s hands in his. “Changmin, if you really want to get Jaejoong hyung back, listen to me.” Changmin nodded, gripping Junsu’s hands harder than he intended. “Jaejoong hyung is in love with Donghae and Donghae loves Jaejoong hyung more than either of us knows. Do you still want to fight for him, for a chance to prove to Jaejoong hyung that you were just a stupid coward to make him wait for so long?”
“Yes.”
*
The party was already in full swing when Junsu and Changmin rang the doorbell. Changmin could not find it in himself to grin just like Junsu was doing so when he heard thundering footsteps run towards the door. He was nervous, dead nervous, on how Jaejoong would react when he saw him. Would Jaejoong get mad at their friends and at him for being audacious enough to think that he was still invited to his home after their last encounter? Or worse, he thought, would Jaejoong ignore him?
“You are a disgrace to men, Lee Donghae. Stop making out with Jaejoong in front of all of us,” he heard Heechul cry out as he opened the door. Heechul’s eyes went wide when he saw who was at the other side. “Just what we need,” he muttered, trying to look as if he hated the fact that two of the dongsaeng-deul closest to him were there. “Oh come on, hyung,” Junsu said, reaching over to hug Heechul. “Don’t tell me you didn’t miss us.” Heechul’s eyes narrowed, meeting Changmin’s own over Junsu’s shoulders. The latter shivered inwardly, fighting the urge to run back to the car.
“Did you bring food?”
Junsu released Heechul, grinning. “Of course we did.”
Heechul’s smirked, eyes on Junsu. “Then in that case, I did.” Junsu laughed and Changmin found himself smiling as Heechul announced their arrival. Perhaps he was thinking too much, Changmin thought; perhaps Heechul was just acting and he was just being paranoid.
“Yah! Get a room, you two!” Heechul cried out again as they entered. Changmin froze. He had to do everything in his power not to raise a white flag and bolt out of the room. There on the couch was Donghae and Jaejoong, the latter sitting on the younger one’s lap. Jaejoong had his arms around Donghae, unmindful of Heechul or anyone in the room. “We’re at home, hyung,” he heard Jaejoong say, hand going up Donghae’s shirt. The latter smirked-or at least it looked like it-as his lips worked on Jaejoong’s ear, earning a moan from the older one. It was obvious that part of this make-out was to annoy Heechul. Or at least, that was what Changmin wanted to believe.
“Hyung, I did not come to watch you make-out with Donghae,” Junsu said, trying to sound annoyed but ended up giggling. Jaejoong rolled his eyes, stopping his ministrations; Donghae groaned. The former lead singer glared at Junsu as he stood up from Donghae’s lap. “You are unfair, Kim Junsu,” he said, sauntering to the giggling one. “I had to endure years of watching you make-out with Yoochun every chance you got and you can’t even give me my much needed quality time with my boyfriend.” Junsu blushed-“Hyung!”-causing Yoochun to react-“Hey!”-and Jaejoong to laugh.
It made Changmin want to grab Jaejoong and catch his laughter as it spilled from Jaejoong’s lips. Jaejoong’s laughter sounded the same-silly, dorky and unique. And Jaejoong still hid it behind his hand, trying to keep the world from such beauty. He wanted to reach out, to remove that hand from Jaejoong’s lips.
But.
“Oh shush, both of you,” Heechul said. “Junsu brought something to eat, Jae. Go and prepare us something edible.” Jaejoong raised an eyebrow. “I am not your slave, Kim Heechul.” It was another face off, another round of their usual banter. Yehsung shook his head, taking the bundle from Junsu. “Hm. Kimchi jiggae ingredients. Never mind, Jae. I’m cooking,” he said, walking towards the kitchen. There was a collective groan from the people in the apartment and a chuckle from Saitoh from the other side of the living room.
Jaejoong took the plastic bag from Yehsung. “In your dreams, hyung.”
*
While Heechul and Saitoh were in a close-door discussion about the next day’s meeting, Donghae borrowed Hyukjae from Yunho and dragged his best friend to his room. Yunho, finding nothing else to do, sat beside Yehsung on the couch and watching The Dark Knight for the nth time that week. “HBO needs to reshuffle their schedule,” he said, earning a chuckle from a deeply engrossed Yehsung.
Meanwhile, Yoochun took that opportunity to take Changmin aside and talk to him while Junsu helped Jaejoong in the kitchen. Changmin had been too quiet, too frozen since arriving at the apartment. If Changmin wanted to win Jaejoong back, he had to be ready for such public displays of attention. After all, Donghae had never been one to be afraid of it.
“You okay, Min,” he asked as they settled in the veranda. Yoochun almost regretted choosing the veranda as a place to talk to Changmin; he knew what had transpired in the veranda after all. Changmin shrugged, leaning on the railing. “I was just surprised, I guess. I never knew Jaejoong hyung could do that.” Yoochun sighed, deciding not to look at Changmin. “A lot has changed since you left, Changmin. You didn’t expect him to stay the same, didn’t you?”
Changmin let out a bitter laugh. “Actually, I did. I forgot that Jaejoong hyung always has a knack of proving me wrong.” He sighed, shoulders slumping. Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure if he should still go on with his plans. “Wouldn’t it be wrong, hyung? Wouldn’t it be wrong for me to try and take him from Donghae hyung? He’s obviously happy with him already; more than I could make him, that’s for sure.”
“Perhaps,” Yoochun said, finally resting his gaze on Changmin. His dongsaeng looked so defeated, so lost that he wanted to make him stop and just go back to Canada. That was Changmin’s life now, not this one he was living in Korea. He had left behind whatever life he had here when he decided not to call Jaejoong. But-he put an arm around Changmin’s shoulders. “But we’ll never know until we’ve tried, right?”
Yoochun was also uncertain of the steps they were taking and Changmin could see it. Yet, Yoochun was brave enough-Yoochun believed in him enough-to risk his friendship with Jaejoong. And he was a coward, backing down at the first sign of defeat.
“Try and try until I die, right?”
And Yoochun laughed.
*
“This is going to get pretty messy, isn’t it?”
Heechul looked up from his laptop, eyes settling on Saitoh who was sitting on the edge of his bed. He snorted. “If they all forget to act their ages, yes.” Saitoh crossed his legs, leaning back. Heechul waited for him to continue, knowing that Saitoh wouldn’t tease about such serious matters. After all, they had all become friends in the time they spent in Japan.
“You may need some back-up.”
“My back-up might break my neck if I ask him to come back and rescue me from the imbeciles.”
Saitoh raised an eyebrow. “You’ve already asked for back-up?”
“Let’s just say, I considered it.”
*
Jaejoong moves across the kitchen in a speed Junsu has never known he possessed. His hyung was pissed off; they should’ve asked him first, should’ve told him that they were bringing Changmin along. It was his house after all. But it was the only way to make them meet.
“Hyung-”
“Stop, Junsu. Whatever reason it is you guys have, I don’t like it.” There was a pause in Jaejoong’s words, his movements. Junsu couldn’t meet his eyes; he didn’t like it when Jaejoong was angry. “I’m sorry, Su. It’s just that-” A deep intake of breath and Junsu could feel Jaejoong’s fatigue. There was more to this than what they knew and that was the thing Jaejoong hated.
“Junsu hyung?”
They both looked up at the sound of Changmin’s voice; one was surprised, the other agitated by his mere presence. Whatever Jaejoong was going to say was lost as he continued preparing the kimchi jiggae.
“Yoochun hyung wants to talk to you. Your manager called, I think.”
“Oh,” Junsu said, eyes darting to Jaejoong and then to Changmin. “Okay.”
Junsu squeezed Changmin’s shoulder as he passed by; Changmin wasn’t sure what it was but he would’ve wanted Junsu to stay longer. Being alone with Jaejoong-in a kitchen, yet again-brought back memories of what had transpired more than a month ago. But he told Yoochun he would try, wouldn’t he? And try he would.
He crossed the kitchen to where Jaejoong was already in the middle of preparing his infamous kimchi jiggae. He knew Jaejoong didn’t need anyone’s help-he knew the recipe by heart-but Changmin remembered always being there to assist Jaejoong in cooking anyway. Jaejoong never let anyone else assist him in the kitchen; only Changmin was allowed there.
“Let me help you, hyung,” he said, getting the knife and the cutting board. There was no response from Jaejoong and for a moment, Changmin thought he was getting his hyung’s approval. “Out,” Jaejoong hissed, gritting his teeth. He was gripping the ladle tightly, obviously trying hard not to hit Changmin or anything. Changmin held his breath-had he heard Jaejoong right?-and tried to remain calm.
“Get out of my kitchen, Shim.”
*
“Donghae, this relationship you have with Jaejoong hyung-” Hyukjae paused, unable to phrase his words in a way that wouldn’t make Donghae mad at him. “I mean, are you sure that he loves you?”
The younger one paused the game they were playing and put the game console down. “Since when did you start sounding like Jongwoon hyung, hm?” He sighed and before Hyukjae could say anything more, Donghae continued. “I know he loves me. Does he love me as much as I love him-I don’t know. Do we really know how much our boyfriends love us, Hyukkie?”
Hyukjae stared at his hands. “But Changmin’s back, Hae.”
“I know,” he said, letting his head fall on Hyukjae’s shoulder. “But I’m not going to give him up, Hyukjae. Not now, not ever.” There was determination in Donghae’s voice but Hyukjae could hear the fear it was trying to mask. “What if Changmin tries to win him back?”
“Then he’s going to be up for one hell of a fight.”
*
Changmin ran out of the kitchen, out of the house. He had muttered a few words to Yoochun, telling him that there were some things he needed to attend to; that his mother called him and the like. He knew Yoochun wouldn’t believe him but he needed to get out of there. Jaejoong had told him to get out of the kitchen. And in Jaejoong-speak, that was telling Changmin to get out of his life.
He flipped his phone open, wiping the tears escaping from his eyes. He needed Kibum and Kyuhyun but he knew that the latter would still be in the middle of his class. He needed at least one of his best friends, now more than ever. And yet, the one best friend he knew was available wasn’t answering his phone.
“Where are you? Why aren’t you answering my calls?” He sighed, frustration mounting with every second he could not hear Kibum’s voice. He kept walking towards his mother’s house, the only safe place where he could cry and no one would ask why; his mother never really asked anything. She just knew.
Dammit, Kibum; I need you, he thought as he left a message on Kibum’s voice mail. He sniffed, hating the fact that his emotions were getting the better of him. He closed his phone, deciding that it might work to his advantage-that sobbing message. Kibum would surely call him in a flash. After all, Kibum had always been his Superman; the one who came to his rescue whenever he was lost, drowning or just plain stupid.
He was about to try contacting Kyuhyun when Kibum sent him a message. He could see it now; where are you, he’d ask. Or Kibum would tell Changmin to meet him somewhere. That was Kibum. That was his best friend, he thought as he flipped his phone open. But Kibum’s message was nowhere near what he expected.
I’m working.
*
Two hours after Changmin had suddenly excused himself from everyone, the rest of the gang was already calling it a day. Heechul was already claiming that he needed his beauty sleep; they had a long day ahead of them tomorrow. Saitoh had already excused himself earlier; he still had to unpack and fix his new place near the one Heechul and the others lived in. Yehsung was already unpacking while Donghae was doing the dishes, leaving Jaejoong with a few minutes with his former band mates.
“Jae,” Yunho called, pulling him aside while Yoochun, Junsu and Hyukjae were putting their shoes on. Jaejoong blinked. “Yeah?” Yunho caught Yoochun’s eye, silently signaling him to wait for him outside the door. He needed to talk to Jaejoong. “About Changmin-” Jaejoong sighed, looking away. “I don’t want to talk about him, Yunho.”
Yunho nodded. “I understand, but Jae, don’t you think you should give him another chance?”
Jaejoong looked at him, all the pain he had been keeping until now was evident in his eyes. Yunho suddenly wanted to take it back-his words, his proposition. But there was no way to do that.
“He’s already out of chances, Yunho. He ran out of chances when he decided not to call me.”
*
The next day, Jaejoong was up early to make breakfast for five people. They had invited Saitoh over, knowing that the place they had rented for him was still bare and that they didn’t have the chance to help him stock up for his stay in Korea. Heechul was up early as well, laptop and mobile phone already in his hands when he left their bedroom. Yehsung was up at the first sniff of brewed coffee; Donghae followed soon afterwards. Saitoh rang the doorbell just as Jaejoong finished cooking.
Breakfast was a fast and silent meal and soon, they were all ready for the meeting. Everyone was excited; someone was going to be included in the cast and that only meant that their ratings were doing well. Heechul tossed the keys to Jaejoong; he needed a driver while he prepared for the meeting. When they arrived at SBS’s main building, everyone greeted them with a thunderous applause. Heechul was beaming with happiness as the top executives greeted him. It was every director’s dream come true.
A celebration would surely be underway but Heechul insisted that they attend to that later. He had a meeting with his staff, his cast, and his crew. SBS’s top executive for TV and Entertainment invited Heechul’s cast and crew for dinner later.
As soon as they entered the conference room, Jaejoong and the others looked around for a new face amongst their crew, hoping to catch a glimpse of their new co-actor before the meeting started. But no one there was new and no one, not even their secretive casting director, would reveal who the new actor was. At ten minutes past eight, Heechul announced that they would start the meeting even though their mystery actor had yet to arrive. Everyone took their places, disappointment painted clearly on their faces. Heechul looked totally pissed off.
Then, just as the new script was about to be explained, the door opened. Everyone turned around, their eyes widening at the sight of the newcomer. Yehsung swore under his breath, making Saitoh-who was sitting beside him-raise an eyebrow.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
tbc.
17 | 19
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