The Art of Deception (Yunho x Jaejoong) - Chapter Three
**Note: The picture is a resized wallpaper that I DID NOT make and for which I take no credit.**
The Art of Deception (Chapter Three)
Pairing: Yunho (DBSK) x Jaejoong (DBSK).
Category: K-Pop.
Length: Multi-chaptered.
Genres: Angst, drama, humor, romance.
Rating: PG-13.
Warning: Homosexuality, light swearing, sexual implications, violence.
Summary: Yunho is a rich son who’s never done anything to earn his own money. Attending snobby diners and appearing in social events with his parents is more than he can take, so he decides to run away, thinking that surely life is better elsewhere - anywhere but his place. Little does he know that it doesn’t get any better in the slums. His thirst for adventure will be quenched - a little too much. Enter street Kabuki actor Kim Jaejoong!
Chapter One
Chapter Two
***
[Jaejoong’s POV]
Highly concentrated on the task at hand, I draw circles on a plate with a small dish mop, glancing sideways at my best friend as he pretends not to be staring at me and delivers a pretty poor performance. With all the respect that I have for his acting skills though, I must say that in those instances when one of us is involved - especially when that person is me - he gets about as subtle as a flying brick.
I don’t want him to confront me about this, so I too pretend not to see through his little game.
We’re good at this: acting. Especially when our opponent is the other.
This kind of mental battle can last considerably long between the two of us; it stretches on until either Yoochun or I give up - a result which requires a pretty damn good reason to be. That is why I pay no mind to his inquisitive eyes that are fixated on me, hungry for information. I won’t give him the satisfaction of getting the details he wants without first begging for them.
Of course, I’m dying to talk to him about it, but I’m ready to wait as long as I will have to.
All I want is to win. We’ll see what happens after that.
Thus the (one-sided) staring competition continues, as I completely ignore Yoochun, concentrating on the task at hand and trying not to let my current feelings show on the outside. If I revealed even the slightest bit, I know that he would figure it out easily, which is not what I want right now. I don’t want him to understand that something big has just happened. So I’ll just wash that plate…
“Hyung, this is the fifth time you wash that plate. I think just once should have been enough.”
Alerted, I look up from the (too) clean dish to glance at Taemin, a small boy with silken strands of platinum hair. But he’s not to be confused for an angel, because he’s everything but one.
Grinning wickedly, I flick some soapy water at the boy, who dodges just in time.
“Want me to wash that smile off your face, you little bum?”
Not bothering to wipe my hands dry, I attempt to grab the child who runs away to take cover behind Yoochun’s bony legs - not the wisest place to hide, and surely not the widest fortress.
Of course, my friend is all too happy to have the advantage this time.
“Joong-ah… You’d never lay a finger on him, would you?” Yoochun states with confidence while stretching his fragile arms on either side of him to block my path - again, it doesn’t prove to be the strongest protection against me, but it stops me momentarily. What he says is the truth. To be honest, I love the boy as if he was my little brother. He is, in a sense, although we’re not related by blood.
“Of course I wouldn’t. That doesn’t mean you’re safe though!” I warn my oblivious friend, who is a split second too late to react to my threat. Yoochun makes to get away, but I catch his wrist to pull him towards me and grab his other arm, securing both of them within my steel grip and lifting them over his head to keep him from moving. “Aha!” I’m grinning as he tries to wrestle his way out of my clutches. For a few seconds, I manage to have the upper hand, but he soon makes me lose my balance and sends us both to the floor, as Taemin laughs out loud like only a child would, without restraint.
“What are you… Yah, Joong-ah, where are you touching-”
“Get him while I hold him down!” I instruct to the kid while Yoochun wriggles under me, calling me all sorts of names and trying to kick me without success. Taemin takes this as his cue to rush over and tickle his hyung’s sides, effectively pulling a few squeaks and screams out of him. It’s not every day that he has the chance to see him reduced to such a state, so he seizes the occasion.
The sight is priceless. I would pay to see it again… and that’s saying a lot.
Finally, after torturing the poor guy for a few minutes, after which he’s left breathless and red-faced with tears pouring down his eyes, I start feeling bad - a little - and release him at last. Sly Taemin seizes the occasion to get away before he can have a taste of Yoochun’s revenge.
Can’t blame him. I guess you could say it runs in the family.
As for me, I decide that the diversion should suffice to make him forget about what I’m hiding from him.
“What a little punk.” I chuckle softly as Yoochun gets up to his feet and brushes the dust off his pants. Eyes crinkling with remnants of mirth in them, he turns to face me, slowly regaining his calm as the air returns to him. He gives me a look that clearly says “who do you think made him this way, you dimwit”, while all I can do is to look away innocently, whistling to myself.
When I look back, Yoochun is eyeing me with interest, intent to get the details out of me. That guy… “But you gotta admit the little punk is pretty damn perceptive, huh. A lot more than you are.”
Arms crossed, I lean against the kitchen isle, looking up to the sky - ceiling.
“Yoochun, I know you’ve been staring at me for the past twenty minutes.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Then what? Stop speaking in riddles and get to the point.”
Shit. I’m busted. I’m so busted.
“The point is you met someone, didn’t you? You’ve been smiling like an idiot all evening long.”
My heart skips a beat as he actually manages to take me aback with his answer. Expressionless, I try not to let my surprise show on the outside, but I know he caught that instant when I stopped breathing and my eyes grew bigger. He just knows me too damn well for me to be able to fool him… While it seems like I have some explaining to do, if I can, I’d rather keep him in suspense a little longer.
“Are you jealous?”
“Maybe I am. So did you?”
“Did I what?”
“Meet someone.”
“Maybe I did. What’s it to you?”
“I swear to you, Kim Jaejoong… If he’s not drop-dead gorgeous and rich, I’ll kill him!”
“There won’t be a need, Yoochun. He’s both.”
“Okay, I’m jealous.”
“Of me?”
“Of him.”
“Stop fooling around, dummy.”
Yoochun simply smiles without saying anything.
And I know. And he knows that I know. But it’s alright…
Because it’s always been this way.
A few moments pass in comfortable silence as Yoochun and I share a knowing look, not needing to say a word to understand exactly what the other is thinking. But someone has to interrupt our peace by barging into the room under the form of a very annoying nuisance - namely Bongchol, whom I can’t stand to be around for a minute without thinking of fourteen different ways of erasing him off the face of the earth.
We can hear the end of his ranting session as he comes in with his right-hand man, but he stops talking as soon as he sees me. Then, he points an accusing finger at me. Death suddenly feels very close.
I’m pretty sure I didn’t deserve that one.
Even though I’m aware this cannot end well if I lose my temper, I feel my blood boil at the sight of him. I already know what he’s going to say before the words leave his mouth, but my mind is already made… “Kim, you bastard! If you’d have let me bring back that rich guy’s stuff, we might have enough food for tonight’s dinner… Did you think of the children before you did something so selfish? Exactly what the hell were you thinking by protecting him? You’ve never-”
“Shut your trap. I don’t have to explain myself to you.” I reply in a gruff manner, preparing myself to leave before this gets out of hand. His mere presence is enough to get me out of control.
But I’m not given the luxury of escaping to my quarters.
Bongchol grips my forearm to stop me and I pull my arm out of his hold as if I had just been shocked. “Don’t you fucking touch me again.” I threaten him, meaning every word that I say. But despite the fact that I’m firing revolver eyes at him, he doesn’t seem to be disconcerted at all. “You’re hiding something. That rich guy… He caught your attention, eh?” This time I let my feelings show, though it wasn’t my intention. Am I really that obvious? How come everyone has figured this out?
If there’s something that I hate, it’s having my private life talked about for all to hear.
This lack of discretion makes me dislike him even more.
My change of expression doesn’t go unnoticed by Bongchol who smirks triumphantly, way too happy to be right. He belts out his accusation at me. “Bull’s eye. You got the hots for him.”
Am I supposed to give him what he wants, to admit defeat? No fucking way. There’s no way I’m handing him my pride on a silver platter. He’ll have to get it over my dead body. Oh, it’s not so much what he discovered that I don’t want to acknowledge, as the fact that he, whom I hate more than anyone else on this planet, currently has the advantage over me. That much I can’t and won’t concede.
“Bullshit. You’ve got this all wrong.” Hopefully he’ll catch the hint of murderous intents in my words and let the matter rest before I decide to strangle him physically and not just mentally.
Someone makes an intervention I hadn’t planned.
“So he really is rich…?” Yoochun breathes out in amazement while looking back and forth between the two of us and I have to resist the urge to bang my head on the wall. Exasperated, I turn to the one person I was hoping to receive support from. “Yoochun! On whose side are you exactly?” How is it important? Can’t I go for the guys I like without it mattering? What difference does it make if he’s rich?
Except it does make a difference, doesn’t it. It makes all the difference.
Yoochun seems offended by the reproach and for a second, I feel bad about reacting so violently. “I was just asking! Geez, calm the fuck down, Jae… No need to be so uptight…”
Trying as best as I can to collect my thoughts, I rub the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger, taking a deep breath. I shouldn’t be taking out my anger on my best friend. What leaves his mouth does not always come out after a long time of reflection, but I know that as far as I’m concerned, Yoochun always wants what’s best for me. I know that very well, and yet…
It’s just that Bongchol makes me so damn mad!
“I’m sorry. But please tell that guy to stay the hell away from him. And don’t ask me why.”
From the look Yoochun gives me, I can see that he’s a little confused, but one thing’s for sure. He knows I’m entirely serious about this, and he intends to see it through.
Dead serious, he turns to face my nemesis - okay, I might be exaggerating a little.
“You heard him, didn’t you? Don’t touch a hair on his head.”
Disgusted, and more than a little annoyed, Bongchol scans the room, examining the faces of the men who have assembled in the kitchen during our argument. He clearly sees that everyone is on my side rather than his (except for his stupid sidekick, maybe), something that must anger him to no ends. Finally, he lets out a string of curses, bumps into someone (intentionally?) on the way out and leaves the room.
Relieved, I heave out a small sigh, although I can’t say I’m convinced that I have won this battle.
I’m going to have to keep a close eye on that Yunho…
Will he really be alright on his own?
***
[Yunho’s POV]
I’m starting to question whether this was such a good idea after all.
It’s not that my ambitions have changed, but in the span of a day, I have failed so miserably at taking care of myself that I’m really beginning to wonder if I’m cut out for this kind of lifestyle…
Perhaps my father’s announcement about my future heritage shook me more than I would like to admit, even though I should have seen it coming. I was surprised, frightened even, but after much thought, it might not be so bad if I gave myself a chance, if I tried my hand at it. After thinking it through, I truly believe that I’m capable of undertaking the challenge and doing a pretty good job at it. That doesn’t mean I have to become like my father, selfish and vain… so unaware of the world outside of his own.
Then again, isn’t that exactly what I’m doing? Being selfish and vain?
What am I thinking, all of a sudden?
Am I so depressed about my failure that I’m willing to give up completely?
I don’t even know what I want anymore… Any change in my life is more than welcome, but I would rather it did not involve sleeping on the ground or fishing for food in the dumpsters. Perhaps this was too abrupt and sudden of a move. Maybe going gradually might have brought up better results…
Well, it’s a little too late to be thinking along those lines now.
As if I wasn’t feeling disheartened enough already, I suddenly hear footsteps getting nearer to me and upon looking up, I see the last person I wanted to find me like that (aside from my father).
Jaejoong. Always him.
Once again, looking beautiful in a wild, rebellious kind of way. Having no idea how the man manages to remain so attractive while living in such a nasty environment - it looks like the work of a god to me; maybe a protective film or an invisible bubble? -, I simply stare at him long enough for it to be considered borderline sexual harassment, and when I finally come to my senses, my cover is blown (if I ever had one). The smirk Jaejoong’s face is displaying suggests he won’t let me forget it.
Curse this. I must look downright pathetic, huddled up at the foot of a dirty wall covered with graffiti, while he, the prince of thieves, that beautiful and sneaky bastard, is looking down at me.
Now who’s losing this one, I wonder.
Rookie Jung Yunho’s has been KO’d to the mat, ladies and gentlemen, along with his ego! The splendid Kim Jaejoong wins this match hands down! Ding ding ding!
“You… look like you’ve seen better days…”
I raise an inquisitive eyebrow. Something doesn’t sound right…
“Okay, you look like shit.”
Yeah, I thought so.
How can such crude words leave such a beautiful mouth, I have no idea. I wince inwardly, refusing to show him just how much that one hurt. Straightening my back, I try to pull myself together so he won’t see just how right he was when he told me to go home - and how wrong I was to believe I could do this. Even though I know I should probably shut up and wait for him to go away, I can’t just sit around and wait while he makes a fool out of me. “That’s called taking a break. Ever heard the word?”
For some reason, I already know that I’ve dug my own grave.
“That’s more than one word and you know it.” Jaejoong snickers as I fight the violent urge to have my face connect with the palm of my hand - or to have his face connect with my fist, but that’s another story. I run a hand through my dishevelled hair in hopes to drive away the homicidal thoughts. “Go play in the traffic or something. I don’t have the energy to deal with your childishness right now.”
Yeah, you continue flaunting your flawlessness at me while I die of hunger.
Very nice of you, asshole. Very nice of you.
So I might have brought this upon myself, but I don’t need anyone to remind me about it.
But Kim Jaejoong doesn’t stop, no. Kim Jaejoong never stops until his opponent abdicates. He needs to have the last word at all costs - so long as it doesn’t involve money on his part, of course. “Now who’s being a child, Jung? Stop this nonsense and go home to your parents. They’ll feed you.” He still has that cocky air about him, but I can’t help but notice he doesn’t seem to find my state as funny anymore.
Could he be… worried?
No way. I must be coming down with a fever, because I’m clearly delirious.
“You don’t understand the reason why I’m doing this in the first place! And… I’ll have you know I’m not hungry, alright?” Upon which my stomach growls in desperate hunger, efficiently proving my statement wrong. I sigh. Of course I can’t have even this small victory.
Jaejoong rolls his eyes and stretches out his hand for me (?) to take.
Confused, I just stare at his hand dumbly (and a “little” disdainfully), refusing to submit.
After a few long seconds of more staring - this time coming from both directions - Jaejoong must come to the conclusion that unlike what they say, a picture is not worth a thousand words, seeing how I have failed to understand what his true intentions are, and so he decides to enlighten me with an explanation. “Come on, now. Grab my hand. I’ll take you somewhere nice.”
“And why should I trust the man who shamelessly stole my wallet and is an asshole to boot?*”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
This time I can’t hold it back; I close my eyes and bury my face in my hand. “Idiot.”
“Awww, you’re so mean…” Jaejoong apparently tries to sound cute, but the teasing is still flagrant in his tone of voice. “Listen, I’ll return your goddamn wallet. Just come with me first.”
Wait. Did I hear this right…?
Reasoning that I have to see it to believe it, I uncover my eyes and drop my hand onto my lap, sceptical. “Wow. That almost doesn’t sound dangerous.” My voice is thick with sarcasm.
Ever so bright, he cleverly avoids the bait I set up for him. “Actually, I was searching for you before I found you here… I can’t force you to tag along, but… Isn’t staying here alone a lot more of a threat?” I furrow my brow as I trace invisible patterns in the dirt with my shoe, thinking the matter through. For once, I have to admit that he’s right… When I look back up, my gaze meets Jaejoong’s and for the first time since I met him, the smile I see on his lips appears to be genuine. “Trust me.”
Maybe it’s my imagination, but it feels like… something passes between us.
I want to believe him. I really do.
He aggravates me like no one has before, but at the same time, I feel strangely attracted to him.
He might just be trying to have me in the palm of his hands. He might just be pulling my strings as he sees fit so that he can throw me out away when he’s done with me. I don’t see what else there could be in it for him. I don’t even know what the heck I’m doing, and to be honest, I don’t really care. The truth is this man - this phenomenon who goes by the name of Kim Jaejoong… This man intrigues me.
I want to know more about him. I want to understand him.
Of course, I would never admit it to him, but… I don’t know… for some reason…
He fascinates me.
“Whatever.” I take Jaejoong’s hand, barely managing to keep mine from jolting when it comes in contact with skin that rivals with the most expensive satin, smooth and white, and let the other help me up.
Because honestly, I don’t think I have anything left to lose.
***
*Author’s note: I’ll love you if you got that one. XD I don’t know how I come up with such dirty lines… Maybe because I’m a pervert myself? X3 Yeah, that must be why…
Chapter Four