The Art Of Deception (Yunho x Jaejoong) - Chapter Thirty
**Note: Thank you, dadamidi, for the wonderful banner you made for me!**
**Note: Thank you, steorie, for the wonderful banner you made for me!**
The Art of Deception (Chapter Thirty)
Pairing: Yunho (DBSK) x Jaejoong (DBSK).
Category: K-Pop.
Length: Multi-chaptered.
Genres: Angst, drama, humor, romance.
Rating: PG-13.
Warning: Homosexuality, abuse, 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
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I am officially the worst person ever. But I swear, I could NOT have updated earlier. I've been sleeping 4-5 hours most days, so that tells you about how busy I am... and despite that, I tried my best to bring you a chapter... So I hope this utter piece of crap (which is kinda long) will make up for the wait. I'm sorry. T__T I am intent on finishing this, don't worry.
Enjoy! Thank you!
***
[Jaejoong’s POV]
With eyebrows knit in mild annoyance, I tap my fingers on my castless thigh impatiently.
For a while now, I’ve been listening to Yunho and Moon Hyunshik discussing my future as if I wasn’t right there in front of them. I appreciate the fact that Yunho is showing concern for my well being, but I really wish he would stop acting so infuriatingly fatherly around me. Ever since he stumbled back into my life - and completely ruined my attempt to give him a better future by staying out of his -, he’s been babying me and not even trying to hide just how much he enjoys it. Don’t I have a say in this?
I already have my hands full dealing with Yoochun, okay?
I don’t need a second babysitter.
“I could have settled for crutches, you know…” I start saying, glaring at the stupid wheelchair I’m going to be stuck in for the weeks to come. The two men stop their conversation to look at me. “I’m not invalid, for fuck’s sake, what’s the big idea?!”
Yunho strokes my cheek gently, but I brush his hand away, glowering at him.
I will not be moved or sweet-talked to.
My infuriating boyfriend purses his lips. “Yah, Jaejoongie… Be reasonable, will you…? I know this doesn’t please you, but it cannot be avoided. I don’t want you walking around on that leg of yours, not until it has healed to a satisfactory point. This is the only way.” His serious expression doesn’t hold out long and he chuckles at my face, but I don’t find him funny. I swear that man has questionable tastes when it comes to humor…
“You’re not the one who’s gonna have to lie around like a fucking blob for a month…”
What am I supposed to do during such a long time?
Not impressed, Yunho tells me to be quiet and returns his attention to the doctor, who isn’t done delivering his prognosis. “As I was saying, he needs to stay off that leg as much as possible for a full month. No chances can be taken. Considering his severe and numerous dietary deficiencies, his immune system isn’t at its best, to say the least. So unless he is extremely careful, I cannot guarantee a full recovery of his leg.”
I feel a vein pop on my temple.
“Wait a minute. Are you calling me weak…? I’ll have you know I’m perfectly-”
Moon greets my protests with a benevolent smile. My boiling blood gains a few degrees.
Why does that man have such self-control? It’s so damn frustrating!
I can’t even mess with him. That’s just no fun.
“You do seem to be in good spirits, Mr. Kim, but your test results say otherwise, so please do not object and observe my recommendations. This is for your own good.” While I try to process his words without biting back or giving him a piece of my mind, he turns to Yunho. “I will monitor the reconstruction of the muscle and reconnection of the fractured bone on a weekly basis. Mr. Kim might need the help of a walking stick or boot once the cast is removed. It could take weeks or months. That is up to him.”
Oh, I am not going to let that go.
“No fucking way! How long until I can perform again? How long do I have to wait?”
Instead of the doctor, who looks somewhat perplexed and at a loss for words, it’s Yunho that answers my question. “Your whole life if you continue being such a kid!” Compared to the health specialist, he knew what to expect from me, but honestly, I wasn’t expecting his answer. I might have gone too far this time… Either that or he has been hanging around me too much. I honestly don’t know what to say to that…
He’s kinda right… Fuck, I hate when that happens!
“…”
“Do you want to walk again?”
I feel so incredibly stupid. Do I really have to say it out loud? He knows damn well I do...
“…mmm…” I mutter under my breath, but that seems to satisfy Yunho.
“Then stop complaining and do as you’re told.”
The finishing blow. My ego is in pieces.
When I find that I have nothing left to say, I quit arguing. It’s not like this is their fault, and like they can do something about it. If the only way for me to go back on stage is to sit in a stupid wheelchair until my leg is healed, so be it. I am not happy with my fate and these will probably be the most boring days of my life, but it’s a lot better than spending the rest of my existence in said stupid chair. Even I can see the logic in that.
Of course, I tell Yunho none of that. “Tch.”
Before I can wheel myself out of the room - can’t say I’m really used to maneuvering this thing -, I feel Yunho coming up behind me to grab the handles and pushing me out into the corridor. Not wanting to start a world war for something so minor, and kind of secretly grateful for his help, to be honest, I accept it without a murmur, but I haven’t had my final say. Yunho notices it right away. “Are you still giving me the cold shoulder?”
Drumming my fingers on my arm rest, I look towards the end of the corridor, where a nurse is struggling with a pile of files. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I can always play innocent, right?
But Yunho is no fool. “If it were me, you’d tell me to stop acting like a goddamn kid.”
The temptation is too high… I just can’t resist it.
“Oh yeah. I was curious, wanted to know what it felt like to be you.”
“Cut the crap. I’m being serious.”
Almost naturally, the mechanism continues on. I almost know no way of stopping it. “…So am I, Mister J-”Apparently caring very little about my stubbornness, Yunho stops, immobilizing my chair as a result. He walks around me and places his hands on both arm rests, leaning in to look at me in the eyes. “What are you doing?” His plans become clear when he moves closer and parts his lips, eyes closing on their own.
I try to look away as best as I can despite his attempts to grab my chin and immobilize my face. Why can’t he just let me be mad at him? It would be so much easier if he did… “No, I don’t… go away...” Too late, I turn my head to avoid him, and his lips land in the corner of my mouth, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. I struggle to look unfazed by Yunho’s kiss - which isn’t an easy thing to do, I’ll have you know.
Keeping his face only a few centimetres away, hovering dangerously close to mine, Yunho continues to torture me, his warm, minty breath tickling my nose.
“Really? You’re asking me to leave again?”
Contrary to his seductive actions, his expression is that of a cute puppy - accepting to be abandoned, giving you the freedom to leave it to spend the rest of its day behind bars, all alone, but making you feel guilty for it until the end of your days. Damn it! That rich papa boy… Why is he taking advantage of my handicap? And where the hell did he learn all those tricks? How does he expect me to resist that kind of face?
Of course he doesn’t.
“…”
“So?” The pout makes way for a dashing white-toothed smile, the kind that I’m used to.
To my great desperation, I’m not any less troubled by it.
Having neither the strength nor the desire to keep pushing him away, I decide to face him directly, which he hasn’t hesitated to do until now. Once again, he’s managed to make me step on my pride for him, something that not many can brag to have accomplished before. “No… I don’t want you to leave.” As soon as those words leave my mouth, Yunho stops, and a serious air spreads across his features. “…I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault.”
Yunho crouches down in front of me, resting his hands on my knees, so that he can get a better look at me. “Listen. I know how important being on stage is for you. Trust me, I do. But you’re injured, Jaejoong, and like it or not, you need to rest in order to recover. Why don’t you enjoy a break for once? You have a place to stay and everything you could possibly need, so stop worrying. You guys are in good hands. I won’t let you down.”
Well, this is definitely not something I’m used to.
Strangely calm, all of a sudden, I heave out a long sigh. Looking down at Yunho’s hands on my lap, I interlace our fingers, breathing out a small thank you. I should be grateful... I mean, I am, but this is not what I’m worried about, and I think he knows why.
How can I ever repay his kindness...?
***
[Yunho’s POV]
Shivering a little, I wrap my light coat tighter around my body and start walking down one of the rows of tombstones, not in any kind of rush, really. In all truth, I remember precisely where my father rests, but I take my time to walk past everyone and pay my respects as I go. Though it would probably not make much of a difference if I simply headed straight for my destination, I prefer to acknowledge the dead silently.
I have no desire to attract their wrath or something.
And I am not a chicken, alright? Only, I don’t take this kind of thing lightly, that’s all.
Someone has got to remember them once in a while… Because the cemetery is quite close to my house and I have a full view of it at all times, I can say with certainty that seldom anyone treads its beaten earth paths. Most of the time, this place is nothing more than a deserted wasteland, with phantoms of the past as its only visitors.
I should know, since I am no better than all of those whom the dead wait on.
My father must be wondering where the heck I have been…
I feel a bit shameful as it occurs to me that this is the first time I visit him since his death. Not to mention that the reason why I decided to come now might not please him at all. But I have things to tell him, things that I was not able to tell him when he was alive, things that I need to get off my chest before they take a toll on me.
Even if I am using the easy way out by letting him know now that he has passed away.
As I stop in front of the engraved stone bearing his name, almost embarrassed to be here, I look over my shoulder with the strange feeling that someone has been following me.
I’m alone.
Shaking my head - I mean, it’s probably just the eerie atmosphere of the burial grounds -, I heave out a small breath I didn’t know I was holding and step up to the monument, resting the palm of my hand on the cool stone. I stay like this for a while, trying to set my thoughts in order and make sense out of them. But so many ideas are churning around in my head that I have to voice them out to make room for some thinking.
A lot has happened.
“Father-…” I start saying and stop abruptly, whirling around to scan my surroundings. My voice is hoarse and low, as if overtaken by a rush of emotions. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes, and manage to keep my feelings under control for now. “…D-Dad.” I correct myself, my eyelids fluttering frantically as I struggle not to cry. A pain that I did not remember or acknowledge before surfaces at last, choking me.
“If you saw me, you wouldn’t believe your eyes… me… crying for you… tch.”
It is kind of ironic. When I first left, we had not been in good terms for a long time, fighting over the silliest of things. Now, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do to see him again. “But I’ll admit it: I miss you more than I ever imagined I would…”
I don’t know why I suddenly find it so easy to speak. It is only now that I realize just how much I had yet to say to my father and how much I actually wanted to let him know... “Dad, there’s something I need to tell you.” Though the words come so much easier, through this unidirectional conversation we have, the news I have for him are so major and decisive for me that I need a few seconds to compose myself. “I decided to inherit the company. But… I plan to change it quite a bit. I know you might not approve of this, but I feel like this is something I have to do. To give my life meaning, once and for all.”
There is no doubt in my mind. I don’t know how this will turn out, but I want to try it.
I’ll never know unless I give it a chance. Will he trust me?
Then comes another crucial part of myself that I have hidden from him for far too long. How ridiculous it is that I reveal it all now. What kind of coward comes out to a ghost…? “I met someone, Dad… A guy. You’re probably turning in your grave, huh? That’s right... I’m… gay. Wish I had told you when you were still alive. It’s a bit too late for that now.”
With bitter regret, I realize how much time I wasted, not being completely honest.
Wiping the tears that I did not notice at first, I laugh at myself a little.
I did not change so much after all. Still a damn crybaby.
“Aish, this is stupid. I feel like I’m talking to a rock. But you’re here, aren’t you…? Even if you’re not, it feels good to let this all out. I hope… you don’t hate me for it.”
Trying as best as I can to control myself, I crouch down in front of the tombstone, letting my fingers hover over the letter markings and feeling the roughness of the granite. “…This guy… I want to do something for him. In any way that I can, I want to help people like him who need me… I don’t want to greedily keep all my money to myself. You know this is something I have always accused you of. Well, that’s all in the past. I won’t blame you for it anymore, but please forgive me for what I’m about to do.”
Resting one of my knees on the fresh soil to rest, I contemplate my next course of actions, lost in my thoughts. When I am pulled out of them by a sudden screech of tires followed by the resounding sound of a honk, I lift my head up in fright, but the car drives off without a scratch with the driver giving the finger to the guy that almost crashed into him.
Relieved, I bring myself up to my feet, eyes fixed on the monument, and I make a mental note to come back soon and bring some flowers to adorn the cold stone. It’s... lonely.
For now, it’s time I head back.
My feet slowly take me down the road that leads to my house, but my body is a bit numb. Making sure my eyes are dry and back to normal, with no traces left to testify that I cried, I walk across the freshly mown lawn and up to the front door, pushing it open without a sound, but failing to make my entrance unnoticed. As soon as I so much as set a toe inside the house, I am met with at least half of the household.
“Yunho-hyung! There you are!”
Already, Yoochun joins me by the door as I close it while Jaejoong comes wheeling himself in our direction. Before his friend arrives, Yoochun inches closer as if to whisper, but makes no effort to be subtle. “Jaejoong-hyung has been sulking since you left. Think he was afraid you might not be coming back for him. Well, I wouldn’t have blamed you. Doesn’t the guy make you want to leave him in a cardboard box somewhere..?”
I should be surprised by the comment, but I’m not.
Those two seem to take perverse pleasure in jesting at one another.
I swear only true friends can do this on a daily basis and continue speaking to each other...
“Shut up, moron!” Jaejoong snaps at Yoochun, visibly annoyed, while the childish man doubles over in laughter. His head shoots to the side and upon seeing my mother’s frowning face, he falters. “S-Sorry… But anyway, this is nonsense. Even I’m not that stupid! He lives here, after all.” Addressing Yoochun, this time, Jaejoong shakes his fist menacingly before rushing towards him at an impressive speed. It seems like he just can’t let it go, after all. “You come here and I swear I’ll make you regret your words…!”
“...Yah! I’m sorry! I really am!” Yoochun claims before hiding behind me, all smiles.
I know he doesn’t mean it.
But Jaejoong has no serious plan to kick Yoochun’s ass any time soon, nor is he in any condition to do so, even if he wanted to (which he probably does), therefore after a few minutes of (a completely hilarious) blind chase, he soon gives up on trying to catch his friend and stops by my side instead. Subtly, he motions for me to bend down so he can speak in my ear. Obediently, I crouch next to him and prick up my ears.
I wonder what this is about. Should I worry? “…Yunho, your mother has been eyeing me suspiciously since you left. I don’t think she likes me very much...”
I was afraid of that. I thought I told her to go easy on him...!
Glancing at my mother who has resumed preparing dinner and who is standing on the other side of the kitchen aisle, watching us, I quirk an eyebrow as a way to ask her for an explanation, yet in the end I can’t help but grin stupidly. So she has been giving him a hard time? I feel bad for him... almost. “She might have figured you out… well, us...”
Poor Jaejoong tenses up at the words and he grabs my forearm tightly. “You think?!”
Trying to keep a serious air, though Jaejoong’s untypical lack of confidence is so tempting to take advantage of, I confirm the cause of his sudden fear. “...I’m positive... She is a woman after all. Even more so, she’s a mother. Mothers can be scary.”
“Fuck...!” Jaejoong lets out, attracting my mother’s attention once more and causing her to watch us fixedly. “She’s looking at me again! I need to get out of here...”
After addressing Mom a sweet - very awkward - smile, Jaejoong rolls off in a rush.
Quickly, I do the same and hurry to follow Jaejoong in the corridor. For someone who had never used a wheelchair in his life before, he is getting pretty good fast.
“Just what are you afraid of…?”
No reply. Rolling sound of the wheels on the hardwood floor.
“Yah, Jaejoong...! Hey.... Wait-”
Slightly worried, I pick the pace and brush Jaejoong’s hand on the armrest, which makes him stop halfway on the way to the room he has been using for a few days.
After pausing for an instant, he attempts to get away again, but I won’t let him go.
Finally, Jaejoong gives me the time of day.
Letting out a long-suffering sigh, he motions for me to follow him inside the bedroom. Once we arrive, I close the door behind me, knowing without a doubt on my mind that my mother won’t go so far as to eavesdrop on our conversation. She may be rich, but she is no monster. She does have manners, regardless of the gap in social status.
At any rate, Jaejoong looks no less than preoccupied. What could he not be telling me?
As Jaejoong approaches the bed, preparing to lay down for some rest, I prevent him from straining his body and grab him gently under the arms and the legs, lifting him up bridal style despite his protests and laying him down on the fresh sheets of the thick mattress so that he may nap a while... unless he prefers sulking and dragging me with him.
“Well, what is it? Has my mother been so terrible with you? Sorry. I’ll talk to her...”
It is not so and Jaejoong quickly rectifies the matter.
“Not... really. No... I just feel like she dislikes me... doesn’t approve of me... How will she react when she discovers our relationship? What am I supposed to do then?” As I take in the information and the reason for his concern - which is not what I was expecting at all -, he continues. “I also don’t like to be living off your back. Once we figure out what to do next, I promise we’ll find another place. For the kids’ sake, we can’t-”
“Don’t make me say this. You know how I feel...”
“I know, I know. I know you’re happy to do it. I appreciate it. But Yunho...”
Instead of lying on his back so I can tuck him into bed, Jaejoong sits up to object. “...What about how I feel? I feel like I’m abusing your generosity and I don’t like that...”
Not sure what to say, I remain silent, opening the drawer and fetching his medicine. When I turn back to him, Jaejoong is still waiting in the same position, watching me with his probing dark eyes. It’s not that I want to avoid this conversation, but at the same time, I don’t want to hear such things from him. Whenever Jaejoong feels bad about something, my conscience acts up. How can I let him torture himself for such meaningless reasons?
When I think about the spoiled boy I used to be - and the very lucky man I still am -, incredible shame washes over me. Jaejoong has qualms asking for basic needs I have never even had to wonder about. I have never asked myself whether I had grounds to complain or always ask for more. Only recently did I realize how selfish I had been.
“Whatever. You know what I’m going to say. Why waste my breath?”
Not waiting for an answer and avoiding eye contact with him at all costs, I unscrew the cap of the bottle of pills I’m holding, checking the dosage for the umpteenth time though I know it by heart already. After retrieving the tablets, I prepare to shove them in Jaejoong’s mouth without waiting for his approval, but my fingers run into a mouth drawn in a thin unwilling line. In my surprise, I drop the pills which fly across the room.
Jaejoong turns his head to the side, looking away.
I sigh. The last thing I need right now is for him to play the difficult child.
Knowing that there’s no use, but far from ready to give up and let him win, I pick a tablet between my thumb and forefinger, attempting to insert it between Jaejoong’s pursed lips, but there is not one millimeter of space to spare. But still I force myself to breathe deeply and place a knee on the mattress, leaning forward to cup his face and open his mouth. “You’re going to have to take your antibiotics if you want to heal one day...”
Shrugging as if he didn’t care - I know it isn’t so -, Jaejoong crosses his arms behind his head and plops down on his back, pressing his eyes shut.
I pause for a few seconds, waiting for him to show signs of a change of heart.
When no such thing comes, I shift my weight forward and swing my other leg on the other side of his lap, straddling him. Jaejoong cracks an eye open before opening both and looking at me disapprovingly. “Taking advantage of an invalid, are ya?”
“I thought you weren’t an invalid.”
“I am when you’re sitting on top of me. So heavy... Ugh. Get off.”
But as he scowls at me, my smile stretches into a wide silly grin and I lean down to kiss him on the lips as my hair tickles his nose. Running my fingers down one side of his face, I deepen the kiss, before letting my hand lie next to his head and playing with his hair. When I am certain that I have distracted him enough and taken his mind off what just transpired, I reach for his mouth with my free hand and stuff a pill in.
So easy to fool. Just like a child.
Large hazy eyes flutter open too late as a reflex mechanism forces Jaejoong to swallow the medicine I just forced him to take. Before he opens his mouth, I expect him to lash out at me or at least to show his discontentment, but he does none of that. Instead, he regards me curiously and asks another one of his existential questions. Why can’t he just let me help him if that’s what I want? “Why go to such lengths for me?”
I figure humor could not hurt. “You really like me to remind you all the time, huh.”
A mischievous light sparkles in Jaejoong’s eyes. “As a matter of fact, yeah, I do.”
“To be honest, I don’t know.”
“Yah!” Jaejoong smacks me on the arm, sticking his tongue out. “Insensitive bastard!”
At last, I raise myself up and let my own body fall next to his, chuckling at my own joke. I would have kept my earlier position, but I did not want to hinder the healing process of Jaejoong’s leg, so I decided to avoid putting too much weight on it. Settling down comfortably, I bury my face in Jaejoong’s neck and slip an arm over his narrow waist. Kissing the top of my head, Jaejoong asks me how long I intend to stay there.
“What if your mother comes here and finds us?” He whispers, sounding a little worried. For a tough street guy, he sure seems to care a lot about what my mother thinks of him... But I am 100% positive that she already knows about us - her earlier behavior is probably just a way to protect me - and besides, she will have to know eventually. So of all the things I could be worrying about, this one is quite low on my list.
Closing my eyes, I say nothing, focussing instead on the warmth of Jaejoong’s body and the rise and fall of his chest. “All the better if she does. That will save us a lot of talking.”
“...”
When silence is all I get from Jaejoong, I prop myself up on my elbows to look at my quiet boyfriend who is sporting a puzzled expression. I almost giggle at the sight.
“Is there a problem?”
Jaejoong’s voice comes out in childish amazement as his eyes widen considerably. “...You’ve REALLY loosened up since I met you. I can’t believe you just said that...” I’ve never seen him look so innocent before nor has he ever sounded so adorably precious. I snap a mental picture to immortalize this rare moment, so that I can remember it when Jaejoong decides to behave again like the world’s last asshole.
“Is that a bad thing?”
After thinking it through for one long second, Jaejoong gives me his verdict.
“Nah, I can see that working out just fine.” He concludes, leaning forward to give me a peck on the lips. But despite the chaste demonstration of affection, his mind is still as dirty as it can possibly get. “So, hey. Since you’re so comfortable with your sexuality, how about going for a round two in that dressing room...?”
This time, it’s my turn to smack him on the arm.
“What am I going to do with you...?”
“I know exactly what you could do... Need a hint?”
“Kim Jaejoong!”
Chapter Thirty-One