Because of You [Chapter 22B]
Title: Because of You [22B/?]
Author: Sum3r
Pairing: JaeMin
Rating: R (Lemon)
Warning: Delinquent!Jae and Uke!Min = Smex / Language
Disclaimer: Plot is mine. Characters aren’t.
Summary: Min is a simple boy who was rejected by his first love. However, when he agrees to tutor a delinquent, his life turns upside down in ways he never wished it would.
Previous: [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6A] [Chapter 6B] [Chapter 7] [At a Glance - YooSu SideStory] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11A] [Chapter 11B] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15A] [Chapter 15B] [Chapter 16A] [Chapter 16B] [Chapter 17] [Chapter 18] [Chapter 19A] [Chapter 19B] [Chapter 20A] [Chapter 20B] [Chapter 21A] [Chapter 21B]
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Chapter 22B
“I’m going food shopping, Minnie-ah, do you need anything?” asked his mother from the kitchen, making a list while she waited for her son to answer.
Changmin absentmindedly clicked through the channels, trying to find something to watch. “No!” he called back. He watched his mother as she shuffled through the house, grabbing her jacket, her keys, the list.
When she turned to him, he smiled, a light carefree smile, one that mismatched his eyes and turned up his lips. She smiled back in return, head slightly tilted. “I know you’ll tell me later, but for now, I’m glad you started to smile like that again. I was getting worried where my Minnie-ah was, and whether or not I had left him back at the station.”
The younger boy blushed, turning away, but as Soo Jin was heading towards the door, he said softly, almost too soft, but she caught on, “I-I hope…it stays like this. For some time.”
“Yeah,” she said, opening the door, “me too.”
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Jaejoong walked up to the desk, meeting his father’s eyes straight on. He threw the package on top of the desk as the pictures fell out, scattering themselves among his father’s papers.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he spat, shoulders tense, hands nearly shaking. His lips were turned up into a sneer, his eyes flashing out in anger as he tried to hold himself back, tried to calm himself down. It unnerved him, being in this room, in front of this man, knowing that he didn’t belong, seeing that he was no longer a part of his world.
“Meaning of what?” said Chin-Hwa calmly, eyebrows raised. He glanced down at the chair in front of him, and Jaejoong caught on the meaning quickly, settling down but not settling in. His hands became fisted underneath the table as he swallowed down the words he wanted to say, words that would get him nowhere.
“If you’re talking about the pictures,” Chin-Hwa reached for one of his side drawers, eyes never leaving Jaejoong’s face, and pulled out a package similar to his own, “then that wouldn’t really be my fault, now would it?” He threw the package on top of Jaejoong’s, as the older boy watched pictures of himself fall now, pictures of him in work, in school, walking out of his apartment, all with the same red X.
“What do you mean it’s not your fault?” said Jaejoong calmly, despite seeing the pictures. It wasn’t his pictures that set a sick coil of worry in his stomach, it was Changmin’s. He had no desire to be in here, no desire to speak to him to all, but he knew there had to be a connection between the pictures and this was the quickest to find out.
Funny how everything’s becoming full circle now because of him.
“Your own fault Jaejoong,” said his father coldly, as the older boy nearly flinched, fists tightening. “You don’t remember? Let me enlighten you.”
Jaejoong met Chin-Hwa’s eyes directly as he spoke, never once winching, never once showing any amount of emotion. Because emotions betray too much, he remembered, another one of his father’s rules.
“At the night of the anniversary, you stepped out.” The sickening feeling grew, but Jaejoong didn’t let it show in his face, didn’t let it show at all except for the shaking of his hands and the tightening of his stomach.
“You didn’t think of the consequences did you? No, of course not, why would you ever think of the consequences? To you it’s just now now now.” The words were a slap against Jaejoong’s icy exterior, the tone almost mocking, like a child. “Didn’t think of what would happen later on when you attacked the son of a man with such influential power now did you?”
The shock was visible on his face now, and he could his father smirking. Attack his son? Don’t tell me that was-
[Flashback]
A group of men rounded up from the corner, laughing as they consisted of no more than a few or more college boys and some still in high school. Jaejoong turned away when they noticed him, alcohol reeking from their breaths as one of the larger boys stepped out.
“I heard about you,” he sneered, “everyone was talking about him,” he said turning back around to look at his friends, “like he’s someone important.”
It took the rest of the boys a few seconds, after they saw their friend crash into the floor, unconscious with half his face full of glass shards to rush forward, bent on attacking the other boy as Jaejoong stood, arms wide open and ready.
[End/Flashback]
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. Jaejoong winced, hands clenching and unclenching on his knees as he tried to keep his anger in check, trying hard not to lift the fucking desk and break it already. My fault. Entirely my fucking fault. Because of my stupid fight, he’s in danger. My fault. The words wrapped themselves around Jaejoong’s brain as the older boy began to feel an acidic taste in his mouth, feel his shoulders bunch up underneath his shirt, his biceps tightening. He had been expecting answers, but what he found out nearly made him sick. My fault, it’s my fucking fault-
Chin-Hwa watched him closely, noticing the palpable differences. “Realized it, didn’t you?” he said, in a snide voice. “But it can be solved,” he continued, as Jaejoong looked up, the sick feeling uncoiling, the acid building up, his throat closing. He had a feeling, a hunch about what he was going to say, but he didn’t have much of a choice anymore. Not with the photographs staring at him on top of the desk, not with the truth ringing inside him head over and over again.
“Protection,” said Chin-Hwa. He spread open his arms and waved his hand over the photographs. “This boy,” he said, as if he was talking about something rather than someone, “can be protected at all times. He, his family, and his friends will not have even the tips of their hair touched by someone else, let alone one with malicious intent.” He paused, letting the words wash over the older boy, let it sink in.
Jaejoong closed his eyes, swallowing. “You want something in return of course.” His body was nearly fucking shaking by now, and he licked his dry lips, feeling disgusted that he was being reduced to this, that he was acting like this.
Chin-Hwa leaned forward, eyes intent as he stared into Jaejoong, stared into his eyes as the older boy opened them. “Come back,” he simply said. Jaejoong, thrown off by his words, simply stared at him, shock written all over his face. He had been expecting something big, something sudden, but this, this-
“Junsu,” he said, explaining himself, “does not have what it takes to survive in this world. You do. As I’m growing old, I will need someone to take care of company and its shares after I retire.”
There was no come back home, or I missed you, because Jaejoong realized, he never did. It was just another political strategy that Chin-Hwa manipulated to bend his way and protect the family business, to ensure no one else would touch it.
Jaejoon’s hands came up to rest upon the sides of the desk, as his eyes flashed angrily and his back straightened. “I’ll do it myself,” he said frostily, voice betraying his eyes as he started to stand up. “I’ll protect him myself, I don’t need you.”
But as Chin-Hwa spoke, as he answered back, his words stopped the older boy, stopped him and made every motion in his body freeze.
“Oh but you do. You think you can protect him in his house? When he goes to school? Or how about when he’s with his friends? His family? He’ll be lost to you well before you know it.” He taunted him, taunted him and each sentence felt as though a sledgehammer pounded Jaejoong over and over again until he could barely breathe, barely stand. “Do you have any idea of the mess you’re in? This isn’t just another child, it is Kwon’s child, Jaejoong, and Kwon will not stop unless he seeks revenge.”
This time there was steel behind his voice, strength when he spoke, “You will take over this company, Kim Jaejoong, or else I will do nothing to stop them.” This snapped Jaejoong’s attention back to him, and he sat back down, leaning forward, voice almost hissing, “Blackmail? You think you can blackmail me into coming back into your clutches?”
“You are no different from me, Jaejoong, so don’t act as if this is new territory. I know if you wanted something, nothing would stop you from getting it.” At this, Jaejoong stood up furiously, hand slamming down on the desk with such force that it shook, papers falling down, over the sides as the older boy spoke, voice ragged and breathless, as though he ran for miles moments ago.
“I am nothing like you, and nor shall I ever be,” he bit out, lips curling.
His father watched him for a moment’s silence, and then titled back his head and laughed; a sharp, cold, merciless laugh. “Do you honestly believe that? Think back Jaejoong, and see yourself of what, of whom, you truly are.”
“No,” Jaejoong spat, eyes falling down on the desk, “no-I am nothing like-no…”
[Flashback]
“If you ever fucking try to run away again, I swear to god I’ll fuck you over so bad, you’ll be crying mommy every goddamn time you climax.” Min stopped struggling, trying to get air back into his lungs, trying to control his breathing. He nodded mutely, already feeling the bruises around his wrists. Please…
“You will come to school tomorrow as usual, understand?” Min nods again, his eyes pleading to be let go. Jae leans closer, his eyes staring at Min’s lips.
“If you don’t…ill tell the entire world your little secret.” As Min gasped up in surprise, Jae captured his lips, slipping in his tongue before Min closed them. Jae tilted his head to the side, pushing Min back, forcing him to arch his head from underneath him.
[End/Flashback]
“No…” Jaejoong vehemently tried to deny it, but fuck, it’s staring at him right in front of his face, and shit shit shit. How could I have done that? Why? The acidic feeling rose up again as Jaejoong tried to force it back down, perspiration sliding down his face, his throat closing up again as he tried to force himself to take in air, to breathe normally.
Chin-Hwa watched him for a few more seconds, watched his son break apart in front of him as though it was an amusing spectacle, a front row ticket to the latest circus attraction, and then picked up his phone, quickly dialing a few numbers and said into the mouthpiece, “Get Minwoo and Hyesung in here.” He put the phone down as Jaejoong turned his face to the side, stubbornly refusing to meet his eyes. The truth was damn near killing him, with that it was his fault Changmin’s in danger, that he’s like his father in more ways than one, that he can do nothing but create problems, never solve them.
‘You didn’t think of the consequences did you? No, of course not, why would you ever think of the consequences? To you it’s just now now now.’
“I want you to start immediately after school tomorrow,” said his father, breaking through his thoughts, voice back to being flat and emotionless. Jaejoong’s jaw clenched as his breathing returned to normalcy, voice slightly strangled as he said in reply, “And if I don’t come?”
There was slight pause before Chin-Hwa said something in return. “Then you know what will happen.” Jaejoong stayed silent as a knock was heard on the door, two men, one in a suit in pure white, while another in an identical suit in pure black, walked through after a moment’s pause.
“You called sir?” said the man in black, face unreadable and impassive. Chin-Hwa gathered up the photos, holding them out for him to reach. “Protect him. At all costs.” Minwoo reached forward, grabbing the photos. “And make sure the perpetrator doesn’t escape.”
Minwoo bowed, instructions clear on what he had to do as Hyesung gave a curt nod as well, following him out the door. Jaejoong remained standing silently, hands curled on the desk, eyes turning vacant with the streaming thoughts in his mind, face becoming lax. Rather than taking control and doing what he wanted to do, Jaejoong was giving in for the first time in his life, giving in because the stakes were higher and he couldn’t risk it, he wouldn’t risk it.
He’d die himself rather than watch Changmin fall.
His hand relaxed, fingers limp as his shoulders dropped down, muscles relaxing after all that tension. He turned around, knowing the conversation was over, that he had lost, and began walking towards the doors.
“One other thing.” Jaejoong stopped; body near the exit, eyes on the door as he heard his father’s voice.
“I don’t know what your relationship is with him, and nor do I care. But this will not be the first time, or the last time that this will happen.” Jaejoong closed his eyes, body stiff, unyielding as the words echoed throughout the room.
Something was breaking.
“You know as well as I do that he will only drag you down. Forget him, and this is no request; this is an order, and know that if you don’t follow it, I will find out. And then the deal will cease to exist.”
Jaejoong opened his eyes and walked away. He didn’t turn back, didn’t answer, didn’t say anything in return, and realized he was out the front door before he knew it. He pulled out of the driveway before the gates were fully open, speeding through them with the small amount of space given and fell into the roads with his mind wrapped around something else.
Something was breaking, and Jaejoong didn’t know what it was yet, didn’t know he was feeling it yet, but something was breaking, and it was only a matter of time until it shattered.
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