Redeeming Eden Chapter Twenty Five
Title: Redeeming Eden
Length: Chaptered
Rating: PG and growing
Pairings: YooSu, JaeHo, MinOther
Summary: Love, Hatred, Gratitude, Revenge. Is love worth all the pain they have to go through?
lmaii's creation!
17th December
Removing the leaves from the top of the strawberry, he passed it to the other.
They sat next to each other on the bench, basking in the warm rays of the morning sun that were not blocked off by the trees.
Junsu was wrapped in a thick woolen coat and a scarf to keep him warm, the cold of winter still winning over the warming efforts of the greenhouse they were in.
"Junsu-ah, you must take care of yourself. You've lost a lot of weight recently."
"Yes, Hyung."
"The doctor says that you're recovering well and can be discharged after a few more days of observ..."
He did not miss the hopeful glances out of the glass walls and the lack of attention from the younger man, Yunho just chose to stay silent on the subject.
"Yoochun's fine, but he's still restricted to bed rest in the ward."
The sudden change of subject and the subject that the elder broached immediately brought Junsu back, his eyes swinging to the face of the man speaking and then looking down with the guilt of knowing that he had been caught searching for another.
Taking the fidgety hands into his own, he managed to get those clear brown eyes looking at him again.
"Junsu-ah, you've been with me for long enough. It's time for you to go back to your heart, and go back to Yoochun."
"Hyung.."
"Listen, I know that you'll worry for me. But I don't want to you, I'll be fine. And I don't want to worry about you, you'll be fine with Yoochun."
Letting go of the smaller hands, Yunho picked up another one of the ripe red fruits and repeated the process of removing the leaves. Placing the sweet bulb on the white palm and admiring the beautiful contrast for the very last time, he stood up and walked away, moving to exit the house of glass. Thank you for not saying you're sorry, not sorry for all this because your love for me was real. Thank you.
Throughout all the words and motion that passed, Junsu had been unable to respond, his shock at the sudden change of attitude in the other rendering him speechless. Finally realising the acceptance that the older man had given, he raised the berry to his lips and bit into it, the sweet juices flowing onto his tongue as the warm salty drops did from his eyes. I won't let you worry about me.
---
His eyes followed the taller figure as the man stood up and walked out of the greenhouse, leaving the one he accompanied.
When the familiar back view disappeared around the corner, Jaejoong turned and proceeded in the opposite direction, taking in the scent from the cup of coffee held in his hand.
Will this be the last time? Are you really leaving him now?
---
She found the features of innocence mildly familiar, yet she could not place where it was that she had seen the face before.
Only when she saw him heading down the corridor towards the room she came from, did she remember glimpses of the man on the night when her upcoming engagement was announced and at the hotel in Japan.
Kang Eunbi was not the simple young lady she projected herself to be. Without the keen sense of observation and the intelligence, or rather cunning, she possessed, the woman would not have won over the Parks so easily.
And the strong emotions her soon-to-be fiance had for the other did not escape those sharp eyes either.
The instructions were given without any mercy. "I don't want that man to get anywhere near Mr Park's room."
"Yes, Young Mistress."
Upon seeing 2 of her bodyguards act on her words then Eunbi continued on her way to the cafe.
---
His struggles were pointless. The two burly men held him by the arms effortlessly and the hand over his mouth would only allow very muffled sounds that were too soft to raise any alarm.
The route was unfamiliar but it was not difficult to figure out that they were heading for the carpark in the basement.
Being brought down the rarely used fire escape stairwell lowered his chance of being discovered and rescued.
Junsu was eventually released from the iron grip and dropped onto the hard cement floor. But before he could query about their intentions, the blows started raining on him.
Being served the physical torture in the secluded area discouraged him further.
Punched and kicked without a chance to retaliate, he could only curl up his body and take what came his way. The pain induced left him strengthless to cry out, reducing him to whimpers that rang only in his ears.
It was the growing fatigue in his attackers that ended the period of torment.
"Stay away from Park Yoochun."
Already confused by a lack of understanding on why he was given such treatment, he was befuddled by the mention of that name before succumbing to darkness.
---
"Yoochun-ah, the doctor said you should stay in bed and rest more. Let's go back to the room." Trying her best to suppress the anxiety in her voice, Eunbi put in her best effort to persuade the man to change his mind. After all, she did not want to spare him any chance of meeting that person who might stand in the way of their engagement.
Ignoring the hands that clung on to him, Yoochun took no heed of the advice and continued his way down the passageway.
Recognising Jaejoong who was standing at the nurse station signing his rounds, the younger man wanted to approach the doctor to find out more about the man he was admitted with.
A hospital bed suddenly pushed across his path cut his pursuit short and threw the medical personnel into alert.
When they caught sight of the face of the patient, the couple had very different reactions.
"Yoochun-ah, I still think..." Hoping that he had not shared what she saw, the woman threw in her last attempt to stop a reunion between the men.
Sensing that she was purposely getting in his way, he pulled the hands off his arm and gave the slim body a hard shove.
Not caring how the woman landed, he ran after the only person on his mind.
Catching the doctor before he entered the operating theatre, Yoochun's panic prevented him from considering the consequences of this delay. "Doctor Kim, what happened to Junsu? Why.."
The glare that came loosened his grip, the words that followed made him drop his hand.
"If you want him alive, you let go of me now."
---
This picture had been repeated before his eyes far too many times.
Once again, he stood at the foot of a hospital bed, looking at the face of the man he loved spotted with patches of blue and red.
Previously confident of the decision he made, his resolution wavered with each second that he watched the pain from the injuries distort the peace on the sleeping face.
Yunho turned away, trying to control the wetness running in his eyes and forced himself to remain calm.
Junsu-ah, was I wrong to let go? Can I trust him again to protect you?
---
He stood in front of the window, looking out of the falling snow as he waited.
"Young Master."
"Who was it?"
The answer was more of a surprise than he expected. "Footage from the CCTV in the carpark wasn't very clear but we managed to identify them. They're Miss Kang's bodyguards."
"Don't let anyone find out that I know this, especially my father."
"Yes, Young Master."
There was never any intention to go through with the engagement and this new knowledge did nothing to change that, it only made Yoochun grow a sense of hatred for her.
---
Knowing that it was most probably pointless to ask, he kept quiet, hoping that the doctor would talk without being prompted.
As the bandages were almost fully removed, Yoochun was getting increasingly tempted to let his voice work.
Fortunately for him, Jaejoong seemed to be in a rather chatty mood today.
"The wound looks to be healing well and shouldn't leave much of a scar, if that is of any concern to you."
"No, it wouldn't."
"Seeing how lucky you are, there should be nothing much for you to worry about. Even when you were freezing in the mountains, there was someone willing to burn his brains with a fever just so that you could be kept warm and alive."
"Wha.." It was unexpected. Finding himself alone in the hospital room when he woke up, Yoochun had thought that they were warded apart because Junsu had still chosen Yunho over him. Now, knowing that the other given so much, he found no other reason to hold back his concern. "Doctor Kim, how is Junsu now?"
Handing the used bandages to the nurse, Jaejoong turned to leave the room. "I told you that he would live if you let go. Ward 610. Let him rest more."
"Thanks!" The relief sat softly in his heart as his lips curved into the first genuine smile he had in the past few months.
---
Finding the room occupied by only the named patient, he stepped in lightly, trying not to wake the sleeping angel up.
He did not detest his friend but felt that things would still be uneasy if he came face to face with Yunho now.
Unexpectedly, the angel was awake and staring wide eyed at him, struggling to sit up in bed.
All forms of reservation left when he saw the discomfort his beloved was in.
Yoochun ran over to the bed from the entrance and gently gathered the weak torso into his arms, sitting on the edge of the bed.
The embrace brought much joy but the apparent impetuosity of it stunned Junsu's trembling heart.
An uncalled for fear began to materialize when those plump lips came near his again, memories of how their last kiss ended flashing in his mind.
But he let it go as the older man showed a loving patience in his approach, lightly pressing down and taking care to avoid the bruises around.
Slowly responding to what he had been waiting for, Junsu allowed his lover to lead, following the movements initiated.
Although the kisses were feathery, short pecks with little licks, the passion was not missing.
Finally forcing himself to stop for fear of further hurting the younger man's skin, Yoochun changed to rubbing the tips of their noses in an Eskimo kiss.
Looking into the other's eyes in such proximity still successfully brought a rosy flush to Junsu and he looked down as the heat rose to his cheeks.
"Baby, look at me. I won't let you look anywhere else again, just like I'll only look at you from now on."
Even the air appeared to be as still as everything in the room.
"Su-ah, I love you. Will you come back to me?" No other words were necessary. All they needed between them was the truth and their love.
The arms that came to wrap around his waist was a positive reaction but he needed the answer in his ears and his heart.
Reaching out a finger to lift the downcast face, he managed to get himself in the other's vision again. "Baby, be with me again, let me love you."
"Chunnie, don't let me ever leave you again. I love you too."
Those sweet pink wings that mouthed the words to reach his heart tempted him, bringing them again to moments of soft kisses, kisses that kept the 2 recovered hearts warm on that cold winter afternoon.
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A/N: I'm not exactly happy with this chapter. Felt that my writing of the emotions here were kind of weak. Tired from school and work! >_<
KEB hate-fest! Arghhh... that evil woman!
1) YooSu were not in life danger after being rescued from the mountains so Yunho made the decision to fly them back to a Korean hospital for treatment.
2) Yunho was informed after Junsu was beaten up because he was registered with the hospital as Junsu's family.
3) Jaejoong's information of what happened in the mountains came from medical reports that the paramedics submitted.
4) Yoochun still does not know that Yunho had given YooSu his blessings. That will come later.
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Jung Yunho x Kim Jaejoong
Park Yoochun x Kim Junsu