DBSK Fic : Finders are Keepers (2/??) --> and a plea for help
Title: Finders are Keepers
Pairing: Yoochun x Junsu
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG-13 for now
Warnings: male x male relationship, hinted child abuse
Disclaimer: I do not own DBSK/JYJ
Summary: But sometimes we learn something new about the past that changes everything about the present.
Unbeta-ed, all mistakes are mine.
---
Lost and Found
Chapter Two
By: Sharl
Yoochun sighed as he looked up from his iPad. In twenty minutes the plane would land at Incheon. It was ten minutes to one AM South Korean time, and nearly all passengers in the plane were asleep. Only few of them were awake, including Yoochun himself.
He was reviewing an acquisition offer his business development manager had developed. There was a small export import company in India that Yoochun was interested to buy because it would benefit his own trading company. They would get goods and spices for half the price from India before selling them later to either Britain, including Western Europe or United States. Both markets had huge potential, but they would need higher initial investment as well. That was the main reason for acquiring this Indian export import company. It would help cutting the cost at the source.
Under his watch, Park Corp had grown bigger than ever, and Yoochun would always make sure it would remain that way. What was once a logistic company was now a trading empire with strong logistic and distribution efficiency; and even then the logistic business unit was still prospering.
It was all going very well. But this little distraction with Minseok left Yoochun bewildered. Minseok was not his son, for that he was sure. Or at least, he was once sure. Now that he had come back from China and had more time to think about this clearer, he was not very sure after all. As a businessman Yoochun had been offered with side services through his business partners. Not all businessmen were honest after all, and some used sex and pretty girls to sweeten the deal.
What if Minseok’s mother was one of those hookers? It was possible, but Yoochun wasn’t convinced. Those whores usually didn’t know who their clients were nor did they care. As long as they had money, they would remain silent. Moreover the girls and women he hooked up with usually from high class escort services. These kinds of escort services provided their girls with the best protection because they cater to some of the most powerful and richest men.
Well, there was no use pondering about that now. Checking his schedule once again, Yoochun looked at an appointment Victoria had put in his calendar. On Monday next week at 10AM he would go to the hospital with Minseok and they would do the DNA test. It should give definite proof about Minseok, whether he was Yoochun’s son or he wasn’t.
Meanwhile, Minseok seemed to be taken-care well enough by Kim Junsu. The newly hired nanny proved to be capable in doing his job, even with his background as the member of the wealthy Kim Family. Kim Junsu did surprisingly well according to Yoochun’s private investigators’ report.
An announcement came from the cockpit. They would land in Incheon airport in ten minutes. The flight attendants began to walk around and wake the passengers. There weren’t many in the first class. Aside from Yoochun, there were only one more middle-aged couple and one other businessman. All other seats were empty, it was a late flight after all.
Contrary to what people believed, not all wealthy business owners owned private jets, even when they could afford it. In Yoochun’s opinion, private jets were just waste of good money. He would much prefer taking commercial flights with the best services rather than hiring a private jet. Even sometimes commercial flights proved to be as efficient, if not more. Private jets were built for prestige and privacy, not for efficiency and in some cases, speed.
A flight attendant reminded him to put his iPad down and Yoochun complied. Buckling on his seatbelt, he relaxed and took a deep breath. In less than an hour, Yoochun would be back to his apartment. He was more than ready to take a good rest and sleep.
+++
His penthouse was dark when Yoochun opened the door. Switching on the lights, he took off his suit and unlocked his cufflinks.
The apartment looked neat and decent. On the first glance there was nothing out of ordinary, but venturing deeper, there were some obvious signs to show that others live there. Yoochun felt his eyebrows twitched at the sight. Several pairs of shoes that are not his were in the shoe rack; two pairs of them were small and the other was of grown-man size. Three huge shopping bags stood in the kitchen counter and a few books were thrown carelessly on the coffee table.
Yoochun tried to clamp down the irritation that built in. He himself was a neat freak, his friend Yunho often jokingly said that Yoochun had the worst OCDs in the world. Victoria sometimes sighed in annoyance because of his weird habits. He was the kind of man who couldn’t eat if his chopsticks were not of identical size and shape. Seeing his apartment in such state was unacceptable to him. But he hadn’t explained his rules and standard to this nanny so it was partly his fault as well.
Suddenly somebody spoke, surprising him. “You’re early.”
Turning around, Yoochun saw Kim Junsu stepped out from the guest room. Kim Junsu closed the door after that, but the CEO was fast enough to catch a glimpse of his guest room which has been remodeled somehow to a child’s bedroom. The wallpaper were those of bright colors, some children books stacked neatly on a shelf with dolls and toys were piled in one corner and if Yoochun had more time, he was sure he’d see TV and game consoles as well.
Instead of replying Kim Junsu, Yoochun growled. “What the hell happened to my guestroom?”
A shrug. “Minseok sleeps there, what do you expect?”
He frowned, not at the answer, but more at Kim Junsu’s voice. He still sounded so rough and hoarse, much like the first time they spoke. It was as if he had been screaming for hours. Initially when they first met, Yoochun thought maybe it was because Kim Junsu had been screaming for hours, but no one could still sound hoarse and that rough for that long. Maybe it was Kim Junsu’s real voice. But if it was, it’s just so weird. No one could have permanently sounded like that.
Has he tried going to a voice doctor or something? Clearing his throat, Yoochun dismissed the idea. It wasn’t his concern right now, and to be honest it’s not his fucking business as well. Kim Junsu could sound as hoarse as he wanted it to be; Yoochun didn’t hire him because of his voice.
“Victoria said you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow,” he heard Kim Junsu spoke.
“Last minute changes,” Yoochun answered curtly. Sighing, he walked to the kitchen. The last dinner he had was seven hours ago. Food plane was horrible, he didn’t even touch the food. And so he was damn hungry now. He could order in something, but it’d take more time than cooking instant noodle. As soon as he ate, he would go back to bed and sleep.
“I have kimchi-jiggae leftovers from dinner if you’re hungry,” Kim Junsu offered quietly. “Why don’t you shower and I’ll reheat the food.”
Yoochun blinked. He didn’t expect this. When he said he’d offer Kim Junsu a job, it was purely as a nanny for Minseok. He didn’t know he was hiring a cook too. Kim Junsu had been proven to be an incompetent house keeper but maybe he was better as a cook?
Well he would find out about that soon enough. Clearing his throat once again, the CEO nodded, said his thanks and left the kitchen behind with cluttering of pots and pans.
He crossed the living room and opened the door to his own bedroom. Midway into the room, however, he stopped short. Where the hell did that coconut tree come from? There was an ugly, definitely newly bought freaking coconut tree in his bedroom.
Yoochun growled in annoyance. This must be the doing of that Kim Junsu again. Sighing, he decided to let it slide this once. He was too damn tired to deal about this now. Tired and hungry, that’s what he was right now. Grabbing a pair of clean clothes, he stepped into the shower.
+++
Kim Junsu was a surprisingly decent cook. The jiggae he made was edible, not mind blowing, but it was hot and delicious enough and Yoochun wasn’t that picky about food anyway. As he sipped at the warm sustenance, Yoochun watched as Kim Junsu placed a glass of water in front of him.
“Thank you,” he said between mouthfuls.
The other only shrugged and mumbled something incoherently. Neither man said anything after that; Yoochun was busy with his food while Kim Junsu was… well it wasn’t very clear what he was doing. He looked outside beyond the huge pane of windows in the kitchen and stared at the city lights below. Seoul was known as one of the cities with highest light pollution after all, second only to Tokyo and the light did tempt you to think of other things.
Yoochun wondered what Kim Junsu was thinking right now. He took the opportunity to look at the man closer. His nails were still polished black and he wore emerald sweater instead of turtleneck. Without his sunglasses, he looked less sophisticated and much younger.
“How old are you?”
Kim Junsu blinked and turned his gaze towards Yoochun. “I’ll be twenty nine next year.”
Yoochun nodded. Picking a thick slice of tofu with his chopsticks, he asked again, “That’s a pretty late age to take a master degree, but then again not everyone wants to take their masters immediately after finishing their bachelors. What are you studying?”
“Business Administration.”
“Had your bachelor in business too?”
“What is this, twenty questions?” Kim Junsu suddenly said with irritated tone. He was frowning now. Somehow that only made Yoochun intrigued. As a high position businessman, he was used to people answering his questions at the drop of the hat. But Kim Junsu didn’t just refuse to answer, he was even retaliating.
Yoochun didn’t bother to hide his smirk. Instead of answering the other’s rhetoric question, he took another spoonful of the warm jiggae. Taking the opportunity to study Kim Junsu closer, Yoochun’s eyes noted the comfortable hoodie and washout jeans. Kim Junsu was wearing most homey clothes, he’d definitely taken Yoochun’s penthouse as his own home now.
He didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.
Considering the fact that Kim Junsu was now a live-in nanny, it was only logical that he became more comfortable living here. However Yoochun wasn’t used with people living under the same room like this. Even when he had girlfriends, they only stayed for three days tops and they all knew how to behave. None of them would even dream about invading his privacy and moving his things. But Kim Junsu did all those, even redecorating one of the guestrooms.
He had to lay some ground rules immediately. No one could move his things without asking for permission first, let alone redecorate. Clearing his throat, Yoochun spoke, “Whenever you want to put my things back in their places, do it immediately. Also, throw away that coconut tree. I don’t like it. There are shopping bags littered on the floor. Get rid of them in the morning.”
His words surprised Kim Junsu, Yoochun could see that. A familiar feeling of satisfaction crept in him. He always loved it when he caught others off their guard. Obviously Kim Junsu didn’t expect Yoochun to be so curt and directive.
Standing up, Yoochun put the empty dishes in the sink and washed them, aware of the other’s eyes on him the whole time. He knew that his orders had made Kim Junsu irritated, but this was his penthouse and he was the employer. He could say and give orders whenever, however he wanted to. He turned off the tap and put the clean dishes on the drying rack. “Thank you for the meal,” he said with a nod of thanks.
As he walked past Kim Junsu towards the door, he heard Kim Junsu spoke in that hoarse voice of his. “You don’t ask about your son at all?”
The answer came to him automatically. “He’s not my son.” The more he spoke those words, the more convinced he became. Deciding that he needed to sleep soon, he offered Kim Junsu one last courtesy before heading towards his room. “Good night.”
Taking a deep breath, Yoochun crawled under his blankets, patted his pillows and made himself comfortable. He then turned off the bedside lamps. He didn’t know how long Kim Junsu remained seated in the kitchen. Not that he wanted to know either. It wasn’t his business to find out.
+++
The acquisition of the Indian trading company went not as he had expected. They wanted a higher selling price, probably had gotten whiff of what the Park Trading Corp planned to do afterwards. The profits from selling exotic goods and spices from India would be most beneficial and now on top of initial offer, the trading company wanted a share in the profits later. The number they were asking was still small, but Yoochun knew the longer this negotiation took, the higher the price would be.
He twirled the pen in his hand as he listened to his business development manager rambling on about this sudden development would damage the profits and they should sue the Indian trading company for taking advantage of market knowledge. His lawyers disagree. They said technically the Indian trading company was under no legal constraint to do so, nor it was under legal obligation to notify the Park Trading Corp of every information they knew.
Yoochun knew his lawyers were right. But his pride still couldn’t take that he had been outwitted by his business partners. He had just met them two days ago for fuck’s sake, and the CEO was convinced that this plan would be an easy game.
He sighed. He should’ve known better. Information was a terrifying thing. He had seen companies closed down because of baseless rumors. Stocks market could fall down in matters of hours. Foreign exchanges could be turned upside down in just one day. He, Park Yoochun, should know better about this than anyone else.
“Okay, stop,” he said, effectively cutting the ramblings from one of his lawyers.
Turning his attention to the obviously upset business development manager, he spoke in curt tone. “Put your team together and made counter offer. Said that instead of 15% of profits, we are willing to give them no more than 7%. Get the numbers calculated, write the proposal and send it. Meanwhile, coordinate with our people in New Delhi, ask them to start looking for second acquisition option with less cost than what these people are asking for in case the deal went off.”
He looked at the screen, where the initial investment figures in Western Europe were displayed. “We have to relook our plans. Now that the starting cost is higher, the only way we can keep the selling price as per plan is to reduce the initial investment. Cut down the budget. Start to consider outsourcing option.”
“What about the vendors’ agreement? Those can’t be cancelled.”
“Keep those that we have made down payment for. But negotiate the fees.”
“Yes sir.”
“Good. Keep me posted. I want the draft sent to my email tomorrow morning before the board weekly meeting. Thank you all.” Standing up, Yoochun took his iPad and left the room. A frantic whispers and exclamation of protests went behind him immediately. ‘We’ve spent three weeks making the last draft, now he wants the new one in less than twenty hours!’ ‘Doesn’t that man ever sleep?’ ‘There’s no way we can do this!’
Less than twenty hours? A quick check on his watch told Yoochun that it was true. He smirked. Oh well. His team could handle this, he knew that. He handpicked the manager, and in return the manager handpicked his own team. They were the best team out there.
Near the lift Victoria was waiting, few papers in her arms as she waited her boss to address her.
“What’s next?”
“Lunch meeting with the Port Officials, then the hospital, Sajang-nim.”
The hospital. The word that Yoochun had been most un-looking forward to for days now. As eager as he wanted for this DNA test to be done with, a part of him didn’t want to go through it at all. It was almost like a full body health check up. You know that it was for cautious optimism, to detect any sickness or anomaly early if there was any. But somehow you’re dreading the result. You wanted to postpone seeing the result as long as possible. Somehow, someway, this DNA test made him felt like that.
“Sajang-nim, the car is ready. The Port Officials are also on their way.” Victoria’s voice brought Yoochun back to reality. Turned out that they were already on the ground floor, he didn’t even notice that the lift was moving.
Yoochun nodded to show that he was listening. With a long sigh, the CEO exited the lift. He knew the test would be the tipping point. However, now he had a lunch meeting to attend to, it’d be better to focus on that and put the worry aside. This was so unlike him though. Usually there were only few things he was worried about. If he was so sure that Minseok was not his son, he shouldn’t even be worried in the first place.
But something didn’t sit right. Like he knew something was bound to happen.
+++
That night, he was working late at the office. The visit to the hospital had put three meetings being rescheduled and now Yoochun needed to catch up with his work. The hospital assured him that the result of the DNA test would be delivered in few days, and as much as Yoochun hated to admit it, he dreaded the result. As per his habit whenever he was unsure of something however, he threw himself on work. In his opinion, the less idle the mind was, the better.
It was already very late and aside from Park Yoochun himself, there were only few nightshift security guards. And maybe the janitors. The rest of the employees had gone home. Victoria had excused herself earlier, knowing her boss’ habit to stay late at work and refused to accompany him. Yoochun didn’t mind, he knew that Victoria had had life of her own.
The clock ticked by, and it was after eleven PM when as he typed on his laptop there was a knock on the door. Frowning, the CEO permitted whoever that was to enter. He didn’t expect Kim Junsu to walk in casually, looking attractive in dark jeans and light jacket. Yoochun raised an eyebrow. What on earth could his nanny is wanting now?
“Victoria said you were working late,” Kim Junsu offered as explanation.
Nodding, he went back to his work, determined to finish writing an email before giving Kim Junsu his full attention. “Two minutes. I’m just finishing this one email.” He heard Kim Junsu sighed, out of annoyance maybe, but Yoochun wasn’t going to let it distract him.
However Kim Junsu seemed to have different idea as the man continued speaking, completely disregarding what Yoochun had said. “I just want to let you know that I need to go to the university tomorrow. Have some administration work to do, and then I’m going to go back to my house to pick up some stuff. I’ll drop Minseok in here tomorrow morning.”
Yoochun was startled. And then almost immediately he became annoyed at two things: that his request was disregard just like that, and that Kim Junsu decided on things without telling himself as his employer as it should be. His pride and ego was bruised. He remembered that he should impose few rules and now was a good time as any. “You can’t decide things on your own like that,” he said in annoyed voice.
“What, now I can’t take a day off? What kind of employer are you?”
“You are entitled to have days off, but you can’t tell me in last minute like this.”
He saw Kim Junsu shrugged. “Well technically, it’s not last minute.”
Yoochun growled. He glanced at his Rolex and replied, “When my employee asking for days off, I consider forty-two minutes as last minute notice. I understand that you have your own things to settle, but if you drop this on me at the last minute, I can’t find temporary replacement. Who will take care of Minseok while you’re gone?”
Kim Junsu stepped closer until he was standing exactly in front of Yoochun’s mahogany desk. An irritated look on his face and it was also apparent in his voice as he spoke, “It was not a permission that I ask, it was a notification. I am entitled to have days off, you have agreed with that. May I remind you that I don’t need this job, you need me to take care of your son.”
“He is not my son,” came the automatic response to Yoochun.
“And now to answer your other question,” Kim Junsu continued as if he hadn’t heard what Yoochun just said, “As to who will take care of Minseok while I’m gone, you have plenty of choices. You can take him to daycare, ask your girlfriends to take care of him, or even better: you can take care of him yourself. Get to know your son.”
At this point Yoochun had almost given up reminding his nanny that Minseok was not his son. Whatever he said to the man, Kim Junsu seemed to suffer from selective hearing. The master degree student obviously only heard what he wanted to hear. Such an egotistical man, the CEO thought.
As per his ingrained habit, when things don’t go the way he wanted it to be, Yoochun’s business instinct returned in full force. And certainly no one could go against him, be that in business or in life. Park Yoochun always got what he wanted. He stood up, his height easily towered over Kim Junsu. “If you take the days off tomorrow, you don’t need to return. There are plenty other nannies who will be willing to take your place.”
He didn’t expect Kim Junsu to look at him strangely, like he didn’t believe that Yoochun would be that harsh. Well that would be a lesson for Kim Junsu indeed. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time Yoochun fired his employees. Fortunately Kim Junsu wasn’t employed by legal contract so there was no need for Yoochun to pay any damages. Kim Junsu certainly had many things to learn if he was to survive in business world and ran his father’s hotel business.
“Fine,” he heard Kim Junsu replied through gritted teeth, “I won’t be back the day after tomorrow.”
+++
The result came one week after the DNA test was done and Yoochun stared at aghast to the piece of paper he was holding. When he first read the DNA test result, he had to take a double take. The result must be unbelievably wrong. It confirmed that Minseok was indeed his son. The DNA test was a match. Yoochun knew he was right to worry. He had called the hospital earlier, demanding to speak to the Head Lab himself to clarify the test’s result. And the reply was not favorable.
“Sir, we were right to the dot. There is no mistaken result. The boy really is your son.”
Yoochun had very nearly slammed the phone back then, but then he knew better. It wouldn’t be any good if he behaved like a ruffian, after all Park Yoochun was a businessman. His business instinct then kicked in, and he placed few well-placed reminders so that the DNA test result wouldn’t be leaked to the press.
Still, he was so screwed. Yoochun sighed. Fuck. This was not what he had expected. Having a son had no benefits, it would only complicate things, especially since the mother had abandoned the kid. Moreover what would happen if somehow the press sniffed around? He was in the middle of very important business acquisition. This was the moment for Park Trading Corp to expand their wings, they could not afford a scandal; not now, not ever.
“Sir, there is a letter for you from Kim Junsu,” came Victoria’s voice over the intercom.
He frowned. Kim Junsu? What in the world was the problem now? Why would Kim Junsu send him a letter? Deciding to deal with this now rather than procrastinating it for later time, he replied, “Bring that here.”
Victoria then came in, bringing a rather big envelope with her and placed it in front of a frowning Yoochun. He then opened it and was baffled. Inside were receipts from numerous purchases Kim Junsu had made for Minseok. There were purchases of toys, children books, stuffed toys, clothes, underwear, grocery bills and shoes, to name a few.
Yoochun scrutinized the bills for a moment. These were high quality products, expensive ones. Kim Junsu must have spent a small fortune for Minseok. The fact that Kim Junsu -a stranger, was willing to go that far for a boy he barely knew about- brought a trickle of guilt in Yoochun. Here he was, the boy's biological father, and he hadn't even thought to provide for his son. A stranger had to do it. And what did Yoochun do instead? Frantic denial.
He then sighed. As Yoochun pondered the fact, his instinct as a responsible businessman kicked in. He had made a mistake. A grave one. But it didn't mean he couldn't fix it. He owed Minseok, his son and Kim Junsu that much at least. Reaching for his phone, he swiped it open and scrolled down the contact list until he found the one name he was looking for.
Kim Junsu.
He took a deep breath and made the call. It was on the fourth ring when a hoarse voice picked up at the other line. Yoochun was never good with pleasantries and so he immediately went for the purpose of this call. “Would you like to work back here permanently? At least until…your next term starts.”
-End of Chapter Two-
Author's Note: Hi all. Many of you probably know the situation I am in right now. Mom is sick. She has been hospitalized since July 12th and on Saturday last week she was admitted to the ICU for the third time during her stay. This time because she's bleeding. Her BP was 80/40. Dangerously low.
After thorough analysis and surgeries, the doctors were able to close four of her bursting blood vessels, one of them was directly in her stomach. But then two days later she was having difficulty in breathing and after an x-ray to her lungs, seems like her lungs were infected. We were at lost. We didn't know what to do.
In the last week I've seen my father cried for the first time in my 26 years of life, and I saw him cried three times. He loves my mother so much. We all love her too much to lose her. Right now she is doing better, but I don't dare hope. So far it's been like a roller coaster ride. Every time she does become better, something come up, be that her heart, kidneys, gastric, lungs, pains, bones. So this one time, I'm praying that there won't be anything else.
There is a problem of paying her bills too. Her medical bills has reached three times my annual salary. The plan to sell the house can't really move on since mom is still hospitalized and most of our time is dedicated at the hospital. Meanwhile her bills keep mounting. Dad has been looking for loans, and I have too, but so far it's not enough.
So this is the plea, the request for help. A donation, or a prayer to help us. My sister and I, are only good (she's awesome, I'm still learning to step up to her level) at writing fics. By reading this chapter, and also my sister's fic, we hope that the fics are enjoyable to readers and in turn, readers would be willing to donate to us. For those who cannot donate, hopefully can pray for our mom's recovery. May our mother can enjoy the same enjoyment as all of you have when reading these fics.
If you have a paypal account, please send the donation to
If you are an Indonesian, do contact us if you wish to donate directly to our bank accounts. Our emails: sharlzielddhy@yahoo.com and jusrecht@yahoo.com
Thank you very much for reading this request for help. We really appreciate it.
Pairing: Yoochun x Junsu
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG-13 for now
Warnings: male x male relationship, hinted child abuse
Disclaimer: I do not own DBSK/JYJ
Summary: But sometimes we learn something new about the past that changes everything about the present.
Unbeta-ed, all mistakes are mine.
---
Lost and Found
Chapter Two
By: Sharl
Yoochun sighed as he looked up from his iPad. In twenty minutes the plane would land at Incheon. It was ten minutes to one AM South Korean time, and nearly all passengers in the plane were asleep. Only few of them were awake, including Yoochun himself.
He was reviewing an acquisition offer his business development manager had developed. There was a small export import company in India that Yoochun was interested to buy because it would benefit his own trading company. They would get goods and spices for half the price from India before selling them later to either Britain, including Western Europe or United States. Both markets had huge potential, but they would need higher initial investment as well. That was the main reason for acquiring this Indian export import company. It would help cutting the cost at the source.
Under his watch, Park Corp had grown bigger than ever, and Yoochun would always make sure it would remain that way. What was once a logistic company was now a trading empire with strong logistic and distribution efficiency; and even then the logistic business unit was still prospering.
It was all going very well. But this little distraction with Minseok left Yoochun bewildered. Minseok was not his son, for that he was sure. Or at least, he was once sure. Now that he had come back from China and had more time to think about this clearer, he was not very sure after all. As a businessman Yoochun had been offered with side services through his business partners. Not all businessmen were honest after all, and some used sex and pretty girls to sweeten the deal.
What if Minseok’s mother was one of those hookers? It was possible, but Yoochun wasn’t convinced. Those whores usually didn’t know who their clients were nor did they care. As long as they had money, they would remain silent. Moreover the girls and women he hooked up with usually from high class escort services. These kinds of escort services provided their girls with the best protection because they cater to some of the most powerful and richest men.
Well, there was no use pondering about that now. Checking his schedule once again, Yoochun looked at an appointment Victoria had put in his calendar. On Monday next week at 10AM he would go to the hospital with Minseok and they would do the DNA test. It should give definite proof about Minseok, whether he was Yoochun’s son or he wasn’t.
Meanwhile, Minseok seemed to be taken-care well enough by Kim Junsu. The newly hired nanny proved to be capable in doing his job, even with his background as the member of the wealthy Kim Family. Kim Junsu did surprisingly well according to Yoochun’s private investigators’ report.
An announcement came from the cockpit. They would land in Incheon airport in ten minutes. The flight attendants began to walk around and wake the passengers. There weren’t many in the first class. Aside from Yoochun, there were only one more middle-aged couple and one other businessman. All other seats were empty, it was a late flight after all.
Contrary to what people believed, not all wealthy business owners owned private jets, even when they could afford it. In Yoochun’s opinion, private jets were just waste of good money. He would much prefer taking commercial flights with the best services rather than hiring a private jet. Even sometimes commercial flights proved to be as efficient, if not more. Private jets were built for prestige and privacy, not for efficiency and in some cases, speed.
A flight attendant reminded him to put his iPad down and Yoochun complied. Buckling on his seatbelt, he relaxed and took a deep breath. In less than an hour, Yoochun would be back to his apartment. He was more than ready to take a good rest and sleep.
+++
His penthouse was dark when Yoochun opened the door. Switching on the lights, he took off his suit and unlocked his cufflinks.
The apartment looked neat and decent. On the first glance there was nothing out of ordinary, but venturing deeper, there were some obvious signs to show that others live there. Yoochun felt his eyebrows twitched at the sight. Several pairs of shoes that are not his were in the shoe rack; two pairs of them were small and the other was of grown-man size. Three huge shopping bags stood in the kitchen counter and a few books were thrown carelessly on the coffee table.
Yoochun tried to clamp down the irritation that built in. He himself was a neat freak, his friend Yunho often jokingly said that Yoochun had the worst OCDs in the world. Victoria sometimes sighed in annoyance because of his weird habits. He was the kind of man who couldn’t eat if his chopsticks were not of identical size and shape. Seeing his apartment in such state was unacceptable to him. But he hadn’t explained his rules and standard to this nanny so it was partly his fault as well.
Suddenly somebody spoke, surprising him. “You’re early.”
Turning around, Yoochun saw Kim Junsu stepped out from the guest room. Kim Junsu closed the door after that, but the CEO was fast enough to catch a glimpse of his guest room which has been remodeled somehow to a child’s bedroom. The wallpaper were those of bright colors, some children books stacked neatly on a shelf with dolls and toys were piled in one corner and if Yoochun had more time, he was sure he’d see TV and game consoles as well.
Instead of replying Kim Junsu, Yoochun growled. “What the hell happened to my guestroom?”
A shrug. “Minseok sleeps there, what do you expect?”
He frowned, not at the answer, but more at Kim Junsu’s voice. He still sounded so rough and hoarse, much like the first time they spoke. It was as if he had been screaming for hours. Initially when they first met, Yoochun thought maybe it was because Kim Junsu had been screaming for hours, but no one could still sound hoarse and that rough for that long. Maybe it was Kim Junsu’s real voice. But if it was, it’s just so weird. No one could have permanently sounded like that.
Has he tried going to a voice doctor or something? Clearing his throat, Yoochun dismissed the idea. It wasn’t his concern right now, and to be honest it’s not his fucking business as well. Kim Junsu could sound as hoarse as he wanted it to be; Yoochun didn’t hire him because of his voice.
“Victoria said you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow,” he heard Kim Junsu spoke.
“Last minute changes,” Yoochun answered curtly. Sighing, he walked to the kitchen. The last dinner he had was seven hours ago. Food plane was horrible, he didn’t even touch the food. And so he was damn hungry now. He could order in something, but it’d take more time than cooking instant noodle. As soon as he ate, he would go back to bed and sleep.
“I have kimchi-jiggae leftovers from dinner if you’re hungry,” Kim Junsu offered quietly. “Why don’t you shower and I’ll reheat the food.”
Yoochun blinked. He didn’t expect this. When he said he’d offer Kim Junsu a job, it was purely as a nanny for Minseok. He didn’t know he was hiring a cook too. Kim Junsu had been proven to be an incompetent house keeper but maybe he was better as a cook?
Well he would find out about that soon enough. Clearing his throat once again, the CEO nodded, said his thanks and left the kitchen behind with cluttering of pots and pans.
He crossed the living room and opened the door to his own bedroom. Midway into the room, however, he stopped short. Where the hell did that coconut tree come from? There was an ugly, definitely newly bought freaking coconut tree in his bedroom.
Yoochun growled in annoyance. This must be the doing of that Kim Junsu again. Sighing, he decided to let it slide this once. He was too damn tired to deal about this now. Tired and hungry, that’s what he was right now. Grabbing a pair of clean clothes, he stepped into the shower.
+++
Kim Junsu was a surprisingly decent cook. The jiggae he made was edible, not mind blowing, but it was hot and delicious enough and Yoochun wasn’t that picky about food anyway. As he sipped at the warm sustenance, Yoochun watched as Kim Junsu placed a glass of water in front of him.
“Thank you,” he said between mouthfuls.
The other only shrugged and mumbled something incoherently. Neither man said anything after that; Yoochun was busy with his food while Kim Junsu was… well it wasn’t very clear what he was doing. He looked outside beyond the huge pane of windows in the kitchen and stared at the city lights below. Seoul was known as one of the cities with highest light pollution after all, second only to Tokyo and the light did tempt you to think of other things.
Yoochun wondered what Kim Junsu was thinking right now. He took the opportunity to look at the man closer. His nails were still polished black and he wore emerald sweater instead of turtleneck. Without his sunglasses, he looked less sophisticated and much younger.
“How old are you?”
Kim Junsu blinked and turned his gaze towards Yoochun. “I’ll be twenty nine next year.”
Yoochun nodded. Picking a thick slice of tofu with his chopsticks, he asked again, “That’s a pretty late age to take a master degree, but then again not everyone wants to take their masters immediately after finishing their bachelors. What are you studying?”
“Business Administration.”
“Had your bachelor in business too?”
“What is this, twenty questions?” Kim Junsu suddenly said with irritated tone. He was frowning now. Somehow that only made Yoochun intrigued. As a high position businessman, he was used to people answering his questions at the drop of the hat. But Kim Junsu didn’t just refuse to answer, he was even retaliating.
Yoochun didn’t bother to hide his smirk. Instead of answering the other’s rhetoric question, he took another spoonful of the warm jiggae. Taking the opportunity to study Kim Junsu closer, Yoochun’s eyes noted the comfortable hoodie and washout jeans. Kim Junsu was wearing most homey clothes, he’d definitely taken Yoochun’s penthouse as his own home now.
He didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.
Considering the fact that Kim Junsu was now a live-in nanny, it was only logical that he became more comfortable living here. However Yoochun wasn’t used with people living under the same room like this. Even when he had girlfriends, they only stayed for three days tops and they all knew how to behave. None of them would even dream about invading his privacy and moving his things. But Kim Junsu did all those, even redecorating one of the guestrooms.
He had to lay some ground rules immediately. No one could move his things without asking for permission first, let alone redecorate. Clearing his throat, Yoochun spoke, “Whenever you want to put my things back in their places, do it immediately. Also, throw away that coconut tree. I don’t like it. There are shopping bags littered on the floor. Get rid of them in the morning.”
His words surprised Kim Junsu, Yoochun could see that. A familiar feeling of satisfaction crept in him. He always loved it when he caught others off their guard. Obviously Kim Junsu didn’t expect Yoochun to be so curt and directive.
Standing up, Yoochun put the empty dishes in the sink and washed them, aware of the other’s eyes on him the whole time. He knew that his orders had made Kim Junsu irritated, but this was his penthouse and he was the employer. He could say and give orders whenever, however he wanted to. He turned off the tap and put the clean dishes on the drying rack. “Thank you for the meal,” he said with a nod of thanks.
As he walked past Kim Junsu towards the door, he heard Kim Junsu spoke in that hoarse voice of his. “You don’t ask about your son at all?”
The answer came to him automatically. “He’s not my son.” The more he spoke those words, the more convinced he became. Deciding that he needed to sleep soon, he offered Kim Junsu one last courtesy before heading towards his room. “Good night.”
Taking a deep breath, Yoochun crawled under his blankets, patted his pillows and made himself comfortable. He then turned off the bedside lamps. He didn’t know how long Kim Junsu remained seated in the kitchen. Not that he wanted to know either. It wasn’t his business to find out.
+++
The acquisition of the Indian trading company went not as he had expected. They wanted a higher selling price, probably had gotten whiff of what the Park Trading Corp planned to do afterwards. The profits from selling exotic goods and spices from India would be most beneficial and now on top of initial offer, the trading company wanted a share in the profits later. The number they were asking was still small, but Yoochun knew the longer this negotiation took, the higher the price would be.
He twirled the pen in his hand as he listened to his business development manager rambling on about this sudden development would damage the profits and they should sue the Indian trading company for taking advantage of market knowledge. His lawyers disagree. They said technically the Indian trading company was under no legal constraint to do so, nor it was under legal obligation to notify the Park Trading Corp of every information they knew.
Yoochun knew his lawyers were right. But his pride still couldn’t take that he had been outwitted by his business partners. He had just met them two days ago for fuck’s sake, and the CEO was convinced that this plan would be an easy game.
He sighed. He should’ve known better. Information was a terrifying thing. He had seen companies closed down because of baseless rumors. Stocks market could fall down in matters of hours. Foreign exchanges could be turned upside down in just one day. He, Park Yoochun, should know better about this than anyone else.
“Okay, stop,” he said, effectively cutting the ramblings from one of his lawyers.
Turning his attention to the obviously upset business development manager, he spoke in curt tone. “Put your team together and made counter offer. Said that instead of 15% of profits, we are willing to give them no more than 7%. Get the numbers calculated, write the proposal and send it. Meanwhile, coordinate with our people in New Delhi, ask them to start looking for second acquisition option with less cost than what these people are asking for in case the deal went off.”
He looked at the screen, where the initial investment figures in Western Europe were displayed. “We have to relook our plans. Now that the starting cost is higher, the only way we can keep the selling price as per plan is to reduce the initial investment. Cut down the budget. Start to consider outsourcing option.”
“What about the vendors’ agreement? Those can’t be cancelled.”
“Keep those that we have made down payment for. But negotiate the fees.”
“Yes sir.”
“Good. Keep me posted. I want the draft sent to my email tomorrow morning before the board weekly meeting. Thank you all.” Standing up, Yoochun took his iPad and left the room. A frantic whispers and exclamation of protests went behind him immediately. ‘We’ve spent three weeks making the last draft, now he wants the new one in less than twenty hours!’ ‘Doesn’t that man ever sleep?’ ‘There’s no way we can do this!’
Less than twenty hours? A quick check on his watch told Yoochun that it was true. He smirked. Oh well. His team could handle this, he knew that. He handpicked the manager, and in return the manager handpicked his own team. They were the best team out there.
Near the lift Victoria was waiting, few papers in her arms as she waited her boss to address her.
“What’s next?”
“Lunch meeting with the Port Officials, then the hospital, Sajang-nim.”
The hospital. The word that Yoochun had been most un-looking forward to for days now. As eager as he wanted for this DNA test to be done with, a part of him didn’t want to go through it at all. It was almost like a full body health check up. You know that it was for cautious optimism, to detect any sickness or anomaly early if there was any. But somehow you’re dreading the result. You wanted to postpone seeing the result as long as possible. Somehow, someway, this DNA test made him felt like that.
“Sajang-nim, the car is ready. The Port Officials are also on their way.” Victoria’s voice brought Yoochun back to reality. Turned out that they were already on the ground floor, he didn’t even notice that the lift was moving.
Yoochun nodded to show that he was listening. With a long sigh, the CEO exited the lift. He knew the test would be the tipping point. However, now he had a lunch meeting to attend to, it’d be better to focus on that and put the worry aside. This was so unlike him though. Usually there were only few things he was worried about. If he was so sure that Minseok was not his son, he shouldn’t even be worried in the first place.
But something didn’t sit right. Like he knew something was bound to happen.
+++
That night, he was working late at the office. The visit to the hospital had put three meetings being rescheduled and now Yoochun needed to catch up with his work. The hospital assured him that the result of the DNA test would be delivered in few days, and as much as Yoochun hated to admit it, he dreaded the result. As per his habit whenever he was unsure of something however, he threw himself on work. In his opinion, the less idle the mind was, the better.
It was already very late and aside from Park Yoochun himself, there were only few nightshift security guards. And maybe the janitors. The rest of the employees had gone home. Victoria had excused herself earlier, knowing her boss’ habit to stay late at work and refused to accompany him. Yoochun didn’t mind, he knew that Victoria had had life of her own.
The clock ticked by, and it was after eleven PM when as he typed on his laptop there was a knock on the door. Frowning, the CEO permitted whoever that was to enter. He didn’t expect Kim Junsu to walk in casually, looking attractive in dark jeans and light jacket. Yoochun raised an eyebrow. What on earth could his nanny is wanting now?
“Victoria said you were working late,” Kim Junsu offered as explanation.
Nodding, he went back to his work, determined to finish writing an email before giving Kim Junsu his full attention. “Two minutes. I’m just finishing this one email.” He heard Kim Junsu sighed, out of annoyance maybe, but Yoochun wasn’t going to let it distract him.
However Kim Junsu seemed to have different idea as the man continued speaking, completely disregarding what Yoochun had said. “I just want to let you know that I need to go to the university tomorrow. Have some administration work to do, and then I’m going to go back to my house to pick up some stuff. I’ll drop Minseok in here tomorrow morning.”
Yoochun was startled. And then almost immediately he became annoyed at two things: that his request was disregard just like that, and that Kim Junsu decided on things without telling himself as his employer as it should be. His pride and ego was bruised. He remembered that he should impose few rules and now was a good time as any. “You can’t decide things on your own like that,” he said in annoyed voice.
“What, now I can’t take a day off? What kind of employer are you?”
“You are entitled to have days off, but you can’t tell me in last minute like this.”
He saw Kim Junsu shrugged. “Well technically, it’s not last minute.”
Yoochun growled. He glanced at his Rolex and replied, “When my employee asking for days off, I consider forty-two minutes as last minute notice. I understand that you have your own things to settle, but if you drop this on me at the last minute, I can’t find temporary replacement. Who will take care of Minseok while you’re gone?”
Kim Junsu stepped closer until he was standing exactly in front of Yoochun’s mahogany desk. An irritated look on his face and it was also apparent in his voice as he spoke, “It was not a permission that I ask, it was a notification. I am entitled to have days off, you have agreed with that. May I remind you that I don’t need this job, you need me to take care of your son.”
“He is not my son,” came the automatic response to Yoochun.
“And now to answer your other question,” Kim Junsu continued as if he hadn’t heard what Yoochun just said, “As to who will take care of Minseok while I’m gone, you have plenty of choices. You can take him to daycare, ask your girlfriends to take care of him, or even better: you can take care of him yourself. Get to know your son.”
At this point Yoochun had almost given up reminding his nanny that Minseok was not his son. Whatever he said to the man, Kim Junsu seemed to suffer from selective hearing. The master degree student obviously only heard what he wanted to hear. Such an egotistical man, the CEO thought.
As per his ingrained habit, when things don’t go the way he wanted it to be, Yoochun’s business instinct returned in full force. And certainly no one could go against him, be that in business or in life. Park Yoochun always got what he wanted. He stood up, his height easily towered over Kim Junsu. “If you take the days off tomorrow, you don’t need to return. There are plenty other nannies who will be willing to take your place.”
He didn’t expect Kim Junsu to look at him strangely, like he didn’t believe that Yoochun would be that harsh. Well that would be a lesson for Kim Junsu indeed. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time Yoochun fired his employees. Fortunately Kim Junsu wasn’t employed by legal contract so there was no need for Yoochun to pay any damages. Kim Junsu certainly had many things to learn if he was to survive in business world and ran his father’s hotel business.
“Fine,” he heard Kim Junsu replied through gritted teeth, “I won’t be back the day after tomorrow.”
+++
The result came one week after the DNA test was done and Yoochun stared at aghast to the piece of paper he was holding. When he first read the DNA test result, he had to take a double take. The result must be unbelievably wrong. It confirmed that Minseok was indeed his son. The DNA test was a match. Yoochun knew he was right to worry. He had called the hospital earlier, demanding to speak to the Head Lab himself to clarify the test’s result. And the reply was not favorable.
“Sir, we were right to the dot. There is no mistaken result. The boy really is your son.”
Yoochun had very nearly slammed the phone back then, but then he knew better. It wouldn’t be any good if he behaved like a ruffian, after all Park Yoochun was a businessman. His business instinct then kicked in, and he placed few well-placed reminders so that the DNA test result wouldn’t be leaked to the press.
Still, he was so screwed. Yoochun sighed. Fuck. This was not what he had expected. Having a son had no benefits, it would only complicate things, especially since the mother had abandoned the kid. Moreover what would happen if somehow the press sniffed around? He was in the middle of very important business acquisition. This was the moment for Park Trading Corp to expand their wings, they could not afford a scandal; not now, not ever.
“Sir, there is a letter for you from Kim Junsu,” came Victoria’s voice over the intercom.
He frowned. Kim Junsu? What in the world was the problem now? Why would Kim Junsu send him a letter? Deciding to deal with this now rather than procrastinating it for later time, he replied, “Bring that here.”
Victoria then came in, bringing a rather big envelope with her and placed it in front of a frowning Yoochun. He then opened it and was baffled. Inside were receipts from numerous purchases Kim Junsu had made for Minseok. There were purchases of toys, children books, stuffed toys, clothes, underwear, grocery bills and shoes, to name a few.
Yoochun scrutinized the bills for a moment. These were high quality products, expensive ones. Kim Junsu must have spent a small fortune for Minseok. The fact that Kim Junsu -a stranger, was willing to go that far for a boy he barely knew about- brought a trickle of guilt in Yoochun. Here he was, the boy's biological father, and he hadn't even thought to provide for his son. A stranger had to do it. And what did Yoochun do instead? Frantic denial.
He then sighed. As Yoochun pondered the fact, his instinct as a responsible businessman kicked in. He had made a mistake. A grave one. But it didn't mean he couldn't fix it. He owed Minseok, his son and Kim Junsu that much at least. Reaching for his phone, he swiped it open and scrolled down the contact list until he found the one name he was looking for.
Kim Junsu.
He took a deep breath and made the call. It was on the fourth ring when a hoarse voice picked up at the other line. Yoochun was never good with pleasantries and so he immediately went for the purpose of this call. “Would you like to work back here permanently? At least until…your next term starts.”
-End of Chapter Two-
Author's Note: Hi all. Many of you probably know the situation I am in right now. Mom is sick. She has been hospitalized since July 12th and on Saturday last week she was admitted to the ICU for the third time during her stay. This time because she's bleeding. Her BP was 80/40. Dangerously low.
After thorough analysis and surgeries, the doctors were able to close four of her bursting blood vessels, one of them was directly in her stomach. But then two days later she was having difficulty in breathing and after an x-ray to her lungs, seems like her lungs were infected. We were at lost. We didn't know what to do.
In the last week I've seen my father cried for the first time in my 26 years of life, and I saw him cried three times. He loves my mother so much. We all love her too much to lose her. Right now she is doing better, but I don't dare hope. So far it's been like a roller coaster ride. Every time she does become better, something come up, be that her heart, kidneys, gastric, lungs, pains, bones. So this one time, I'm praying that there won't be anything else.
There is a problem of paying her bills too. Her medical bills has reached three times my annual salary. The plan to sell the house can't really move on since mom is still hospitalized and most of our time is dedicated at the hospital. Meanwhile her bills keep mounting. Dad has been looking for loans, and I have too, but so far it's not enough.
So this is the plea, the request for help. A donation, or a prayer to help us. My sister and I, are only good (she's awesome, I'm still learning to step up to her level) at writing fics. By reading this chapter, and also my sister's fic, we hope that the fics are enjoyable to readers and in turn, readers would be willing to donate to us. For those who cannot donate, hopefully can pray for our mom's recovery. May our mother can enjoy the same enjoyment as all of you have when reading these fics.
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