The Road of Love and Memories
The Road of Love and Memories
Yunho/Jaejoong
AU/Romance
G/PG
One-shot
Summary: As Jaejoong walks down a road he and Yunho always used to walk down, he is reminded of all those times he and Yunho have spent together.
A lone figure was seen walking down the road, a road he traveled every day. He was an old man, a man who had seen the hardships of life but had also experienced the joys of living. He walked slowly, looking here and there, almost as if trying to look for something. To the people who had lived here for some time, this was an ordinary scene.
No one knew though, the reason why he walked down this road everyday. No one saw the little details that he saw. Nobody knew the memories that those tiny little details evoked. He had lived here with his loved one for a long time, and they had made this street full of memories. Now that his loved one had passed away, this street with its memories were the only way he could remember past times with its tears and laughter.
His name was Jaejoong. He and his loved one, Yunho, had broken society’s unspoken rule that love must be between man and woman. They had been ostracized, insulted, bullied, and yet, they had been happy. As long as they had each other, life was complete. Of course, breaking their relationships with their parents had been the hardest things they had ever done, but the pain had dulled over time, with their love filling the empty hole in their hearts.
Now that Yunho had passed away, there was an empty hole in Jaejoong’s heart that nothing can fill up. The only way the pain could be temporarily suppressed was when Jaejoong walked among this road as he did now, this road that was full of the little details that he and Yunho had unknowingly made when they had spent so much time on this road. Each tiny, miniscule detail reminded him of times that he knew would never come back again.
On the side of the road, in the grass, he saw a lonely, broken shell. It reminded him of the time when he and Yunho had been at the beach…
“Look, Yunho! I found a shell! Too bad it’s not complete though. If it was complete, wouldn’t it be such a miracle? The two separate parts of the shell had been separated, but somehow, they found themselves reunited.” said Jaejoong.
“Well…,” said Yunho, “I found a shell too! Let’s see if it fits together!”
They had put the shell together and surprisingly, it had fit.
“It really fits! It’s a miracle! Look, it almost makes a heart!” exclaimed Jaejoong.
“Haha, it does! You know what? Maybe this broken yet reunited again shell represents us. If we ever become separated, maybe we’ll one day meet each other again.
Jaejoong had nodded his agreement, and under the warmth of the summer sun, they kissed tenderly, sealing the promise that they would be like the shell: if they ever separate, they will one day reunite and be together once again.
He smiled sadly, knowing that right now, that lonely, broken shell was him. Without Yunho there to complete him, he will never be fully himself.
Feeling bereft, he looked away only to find himself looking at a couple strolling down the road hand in hand, oblivious to everything but the other person.
“We were like that once,” murmured Jaejoong, “We had always been happiest when we were with each other…”
They had been wandering down this road, hand in hand, in another time and life when Yunho had suddenly…
“Jaejoong, I love you,” said Yunho gazing gently down at Jaejoong, “Do you love me?”
Jaejoong started to smile but his tears had overwhelmed him. “Of course I love you, you idiot! Why else would I be here?!” answered Jaejoong, sobbing.
Yunho had pulled him into a tight hug and asked, “Then why are you crying? I thought you would be happy…”
“I am happy! Jeez, sometimes you can be such a man. I’m crying because I’m so happy.”
“Ah, I see. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Here, cry all you want.” Yunho had hugged him even tighter and had started to make soothing noises.
After Jaejoong had finally stopped crying, Yunho had wiped his tears away tenderly, making him feel like the most loved person on earth.
“I probably look so weird, with my red eyes and nose,” said Jaejoong morosely.
“No, you look like my beautiful Jaejoong,” replied Yunho.
“… You do know that you’re the only one I let call me beautiful right?”
“Yes, and that’s why I’m going to call you beautiful more often!”
Jaejoong had chased Yunho around until they both collapsed onto the grass exhausted. They had kissed under the autumn sun, sealing their pledge of love.
He smiled again, but differently. He remembered feeling so ecstatic when Yunho had suddenly confessed to him that nothing had been able to diminish his happiness.
He kept walking, lost in his thoughts once more. His gaze fell on yet another couple. The couple was arguing over something he couldn’t quite hear. Yet the simple sight of an arguing couple sent him sliding back into a memory of him and Yunho. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant memory, but it was a memorable one. They had been arguing about whether they should adopt children. Jaejoong had wanted to, but Yunho had been adamant about not adopting.
“Why don’t you want to adopt? I thought you always wanted to have many children!” asked Jaejoong.
“I did want many children! But that was back when I still believed that I would one day marry a woman and have a family!” retorted Yunho.
“That’s why I want to adopt! That way, we can be able to fully be a family and not just two guys living together!”
“Do you really believe that? If we’re just two guys living together, then what was the point of moving all the way out here to the countryside?! And besides, what are we supposed to say to people who ask who the mother was? You well know that Korea still hasn’t fully accepted the idea that there are people who love the same gender around them.”
“But couldn’t we just say that we decided to adopt because we haven’t found the right woman to marry but still wanted children?”
“Well, yes, but what if one day, when our child goes to school and sees all his or her friends leave with their mothers, he or she asks us who their mother was?”
“We’ll just say he or she was adopted!”
“Then what if the question is who the mother is in our relationship? Not to mention that if our child goes to school and tells his or her classmates that he or she has two dads at home, our child will be ostracized. Do you really want that for him or her? And all just because the people raising him happen to love each other and be the same gender at the same time.”
“… But what if I say that the reason I want a child is because I want to fulfill your wish?”
“I would be very happy, but haven’t you realized yet that if I’m with you, nothing matters? As long as I have you by my side, the whole world could be against me and I would still be the happiest man on earth.”
Jaejoong’s eyes had started to fill with tears at what Yunho had said. He walked straight into Yunho’s open arms and started to cry onto Yunho’s chest.
“I’m sorry I can’t grant your wish,” murmured Yunho softly into Jaejoong’s ear, “but can’t you be happy with just me?”
“What are you talking about? I’m always happiest when I’m with you. I don’t need anything else but you. I just can’t express it as well as you…” muttered Jaejoong.
“I think you express it just fine,” replied Yunho, smiling.
They had kissed under the winter sun, telling each other by the kiss that no matter what the world threw at them, they would be happy.
His eyes filled with tears, sad, melancholy tears that he had no way of brushing away. Everywhere he looked, everything he saw, reminded him of times he and Yunho had spent together. And yet, if he didn’t come to this road everyday, his pain of losing Yunho would be impossible to bear.
With tears streaming down his face, Jaejoong walked slowly down the road. He saw a white flower…
“Look Jae! Doesn’t the color of this flower match your skin?”
“What?!”
He saw a worn down bench…
“Ah, I’m tired. Let’s sit down on this bench for a bit.”
“Alright. Here, since you’re so tired, just lean on me. Go to sleep, Boo. I’ll wake you up in a while.”
He saw a house with the “For Sale” sign…
“Oh! This house looks beautiful! Don’t you think so, Yunnie?”
“Hm… I liked the other one better. It had the better view out the bedroom window.
And finally… he saw the sign he and Yunho had carved onto the bark of a tree.
“Hey, Yunho? Let’s carve our names onto this tree. Let’s put “Yunjae’s love will last forever” with a heart.”
“… You seem to becoming more and more feminine every day.”
He gave a watery chuckle at that memory.
“Yes, that’s right, even though Yunho might not be here besides me right now, our love still exists,” murmured Jaejoong. With that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and looked up at the spring sun, pretending that its warmth was Yunho’s strong arms wrapped around him.
“And who knows? Maybe Yunho’s here with me right now. All I know is that when I die, Yunho will be there, waiting for me. Waiting for us to be like that shell, separated yet reunited again.” He gave a smile, his first genuinely happy smile of today at that thought. He gave one last look at their carving and walked back home.
~*~ The next day, in the newspapers’ obituary section:
“Kim Jaejoong, 85 years old, died in his sleep. He had no spouse or children. The rest of his belongings will be donated to charity in accordance to his will.”
He and Yunho’s closest friends, friends who had known and accepted their love, weren’t sad at Jaejoong’s passing. They knew how painful Yunho’s passing away was to Jaejoong and what it did to him. Now that Jaejoong had passed away, they can finally celebrate, with tears, the reunion of Jaejoong and Yunho. After all, what was better for both of them than to be together?
Yunho/Jaejoong
AU/Romance
G/PG
One-shot
Summary: As Jaejoong walks down a road he and Yunho always used to walk down, he is reminded of all those times he and Yunho have spent together.
A lone figure was seen walking down the road, a road he traveled every day. He was an old man, a man who had seen the hardships of life but had also experienced the joys of living. He walked slowly, looking here and there, almost as if trying to look for something. To the people who had lived here for some time, this was an ordinary scene.
No one knew though, the reason why he walked down this road everyday. No one saw the little details that he saw. Nobody knew the memories that those tiny little details evoked. He had lived here with his loved one for a long time, and they had made this street full of memories. Now that his loved one had passed away, this street with its memories were the only way he could remember past times with its tears and laughter.
His name was Jaejoong. He and his loved one, Yunho, had broken society’s unspoken rule that love must be between man and woman. They had been ostracized, insulted, bullied, and yet, they had been happy. As long as they had each other, life was complete. Of course, breaking their relationships with their parents had been the hardest things they had ever done, but the pain had dulled over time, with their love filling the empty hole in their hearts.
Now that Yunho had passed away, there was an empty hole in Jaejoong’s heart that nothing can fill up. The only way the pain could be temporarily suppressed was when Jaejoong walked among this road as he did now, this road that was full of the little details that he and Yunho had unknowingly made when they had spent so much time on this road. Each tiny, miniscule detail reminded him of times that he knew would never come back again.
On the side of the road, in the grass, he saw a lonely, broken shell. It reminded him of the time when he and Yunho had been at the beach…
“Look, Yunho! I found a shell! Too bad it’s not complete though. If it was complete, wouldn’t it be such a miracle? The two separate parts of the shell had been separated, but somehow, they found themselves reunited.” said Jaejoong.
“Well…,” said Yunho, “I found a shell too! Let’s see if it fits together!”
They had put the shell together and surprisingly, it had fit.
“It really fits! It’s a miracle! Look, it almost makes a heart!” exclaimed Jaejoong.
“Haha, it does! You know what? Maybe this broken yet reunited again shell represents us. If we ever become separated, maybe we’ll one day meet each other again.
Jaejoong had nodded his agreement, and under the warmth of the summer sun, they kissed tenderly, sealing the promise that they would be like the shell: if they ever separate, they will one day reunite and be together once again.
He smiled sadly, knowing that right now, that lonely, broken shell was him. Without Yunho there to complete him, he will never be fully himself.
Feeling bereft, he looked away only to find himself looking at a couple strolling down the road hand in hand, oblivious to everything but the other person.
“We were like that once,” murmured Jaejoong, “We had always been happiest when we were with each other…”
They had been wandering down this road, hand in hand, in another time and life when Yunho had suddenly…
“Jaejoong, I love you,” said Yunho gazing gently down at Jaejoong, “Do you love me?”
Jaejoong started to smile but his tears had overwhelmed him. “Of course I love you, you idiot! Why else would I be here?!” answered Jaejoong, sobbing.
Yunho had pulled him into a tight hug and asked, “Then why are you crying? I thought you would be happy…”
“I am happy! Jeez, sometimes you can be such a man. I’m crying because I’m so happy.”
“Ah, I see. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Here, cry all you want.” Yunho had hugged him even tighter and had started to make soothing noises.
After Jaejoong had finally stopped crying, Yunho had wiped his tears away tenderly, making him feel like the most loved person on earth.
“I probably look so weird, with my red eyes and nose,” said Jaejoong morosely.
“No, you look like my beautiful Jaejoong,” replied Yunho.
“… You do know that you’re the only one I let call me beautiful right?”
“Yes, and that’s why I’m going to call you beautiful more often!”
Jaejoong had chased Yunho around until they both collapsed onto the grass exhausted. They had kissed under the autumn sun, sealing their pledge of love.
He smiled again, but differently. He remembered feeling so ecstatic when Yunho had suddenly confessed to him that nothing had been able to diminish his happiness.
He kept walking, lost in his thoughts once more. His gaze fell on yet another couple. The couple was arguing over something he couldn’t quite hear. Yet the simple sight of an arguing couple sent him sliding back into a memory of him and Yunho. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant memory, but it was a memorable one. They had been arguing about whether they should adopt children. Jaejoong had wanted to, but Yunho had been adamant about not adopting.
“Why don’t you want to adopt? I thought you always wanted to have many children!” asked Jaejoong.
“I did want many children! But that was back when I still believed that I would one day marry a woman and have a family!” retorted Yunho.
“That’s why I want to adopt! That way, we can be able to fully be a family and not just two guys living together!”
“Do you really believe that? If we’re just two guys living together, then what was the point of moving all the way out here to the countryside?! And besides, what are we supposed to say to people who ask who the mother was? You well know that Korea still hasn’t fully accepted the idea that there are people who love the same gender around them.”
“But couldn’t we just say that we decided to adopt because we haven’t found the right woman to marry but still wanted children?”
“Well, yes, but what if one day, when our child goes to school and sees all his or her friends leave with their mothers, he or she asks us who their mother was?”
“We’ll just say he or she was adopted!”
“Then what if the question is who the mother is in our relationship? Not to mention that if our child goes to school and tells his or her classmates that he or she has two dads at home, our child will be ostracized. Do you really want that for him or her? And all just because the people raising him happen to love each other and be the same gender at the same time.”
“… But what if I say that the reason I want a child is because I want to fulfill your wish?”
“I would be very happy, but haven’t you realized yet that if I’m with you, nothing matters? As long as I have you by my side, the whole world could be against me and I would still be the happiest man on earth.”
Jaejoong’s eyes had started to fill with tears at what Yunho had said. He walked straight into Yunho’s open arms and started to cry onto Yunho’s chest.
“I’m sorry I can’t grant your wish,” murmured Yunho softly into Jaejoong’s ear, “but can’t you be happy with just me?”
“What are you talking about? I’m always happiest when I’m with you. I don’t need anything else but you. I just can’t express it as well as you…” muttered Jaejoong.
“I think you express it just fine,” replied Yunho, smiling.
They had kissed under the winter sun, telling each other by the kiss that no matter what the world threw at them, they would be happy.
His eyes filled with tears, sad, melancholy tears that he had no way of brushing away. Everywhere he looked, everything he saw, reminded him of times he and Yunho had spent together. And yet, if he didn’t come to this road everyday, his pain of losing Yunho would be impossible to bear.
With tears streaming down his face, Jaejoong walked slowly down the road. He saw a white flower…
“Look Jae! Doesn’t the color of this flower match your skin?”
“What?!”
He saw a worn down bench…
“Ah, I’m tired. Let’s sit down on this bench for a bit.”
“Alright. Here, since you’re so tired, just lean on me. Go to sleep, Boo. I’ll wake you up in a while.”
He saw a house with the “For Sale” sign…
“Oh! This house looks beautiful! Don’t you think so, Yunnie?”
“Hm… I liked the other one better. It had the better view out the bedroom window.
And finally… he saw the sign he and Yunho had carved onto the bark of a tree.
“Hey, Yunho? Let’s carve our names onto this tree. Let’s put “Yunjae’s love will last forever” with a heart.”
“… You seem to becoming more and more feminine every day.”
He gave a watery chuckle at that memory.
“Yes, that’s right, even though Yunho might not be here besides me right now, our love still exists,” murmured Jaejoong. With that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and looked up at the spring sun, pretending that its warmth was Yunho’s strong arms wrapped around him.
“And who knows? Maybe Yunho’s here with me right now. All I know is that when I die, Yunho will be there, waiting for me. Waiting for us to be like that shell, separated yet reunited again.” He gave a smile, his first genuinely happy smile of today at that thought. He gave one last look at their carving and walked back home.
~*~ The next day, in the newspapers’ obituary section:
“Kim Jaejoong, 85 years old, died in his sleep. He had no spouse or children. The rest of his belongings will be donated to charity in accordance to his will.”
He and Yunho’s closest friends, friends who had known and accepted their love, weren’t sad at Jaejoong’s passing. They knew how painful Yunho’s passing away was to Jaejoong and what it did to him. Now that Jaejoong had passed away, they can finally celebrate, with tears, the reunion of Jaejoong and Yunho. After all, what was better for both of them than to be together?