[oneshot] Red Umbrella
Title: Red Umbrella
Rating: PG || Genre: Drama/ Romance/ Angst || Status: Completed || Chapters: 1
Pairing(s): YooSu
Warning: Lack of inspiration...XD
Basic Synopsis: As a punishment for all the troubles he keeps causing, Yoochun's father sent him to Seoul. With no money, no family near him and no friends, he ends up falling for someone completelly different from everyone he'd ever known.
Amidst the rain, he ends up finding his shelter...
Sometimes, Yoochun thought about it: They’d met eight years ago for the first time and every single time they would meet after that, Yoochun would be in some kind of trouble.
That night, they met again in a dark and cold night of pouring rain. Yoochun was alone and desperate; crying his heart out even though no sounds ever came out of his mouth. His tears were another story: they kept running through his face like rivers.
Soaked wet and kneeling down in the middle of a busy street, everyone made sure to take a second to turn their heads and send him curious stares, but no one bothered to take a step forward.
*
Yoochun used to think that life was easy, that people would come and go as he wanted them to and the first time he briefly thought that maybe the world did not spin around him was when his best friend punched him in the face for being a cocky bastard who thought he could toy with people’s feelings. It didn’t help the fact that Yoochun did actually act all playboyish with the girl that his friend liked although he had never told him that detail or else he’d never make a move to start with.
Nonetheless, one broken nose did the job pretty well and taught him a lesson.
The next time that life made it clear that Yoochun was not the center of all things was when he was sent to Seoul by his father after his son got into so much trouble that he had to spend a full night in jail. Yoochun thought he was being betrayed by his family as the fact that a guy was leaning on his brand new and shinny car was - for him - a legit reason for Yoochun to knock him down. His father on the other way thought that a night in jail might actually make him understand something about rights and wrongs but it didn’t.
Yoochun was sent to Seoul with two fully packed suitcases and a one-way ticket. No credit cards, no car, no money except a few thousand won and the guarantee that he’d have a monthly allowance for him to spend wisely. - Not a word that would feature in Yoochun’s vocabulary, at all.
Living at a neighbourhood in the surroundings of Seoul, Yoochun would spend his days walking around with nothing to do and bored as hell. The curly-haired ahjumma who rented the tiny room were he was staying would keep on bugging him to get a part-time job and stop being a useless son who’d make his parents worry on the other side of the world.
“If they cared about me, would they send me here?” He’d say
Yoochun lived carelessly for about two months until the curly-haired ahjumma knocked on his door one day and asked for the rent money, saying that his parents told her they were not sending it anymore so their son should pay it instead.
Yes, she knew he didn’t have the money to pay her but she wouldn’t let him off the hook and when he had the nerve to scoff that it was “just a couple thousand won, so why bother so much”, she laughed and told him to try and earn those few couple thousand won then or he’d be homeless in two weeks time.
Yoochun found for the very first time then that getting hired at a good place that would pay him what he thought he was worth was actually pretty hard and everyone that picked up his resume to read would simply look at him and dismiss him politely saying that he was not what they were looking for.
The last company where he applied had actually asked him if he was not ashamed of wasting their time by showing up. He had barely graduated and not with the best results on top of it so what made him think that just the fact that he came from America and was fluent on that language would grant him a job? He didn’t attend college, he had no major and no experience so unless his pretty face would get him some favours, his qualifications sure wouldn’t.
One week due for the rent payment, Yoochun met Junsu, whom he thought was an extremely weird kid. They first met at the convenience store that was two blocks away from Yoochun’s house. Due to the fact that Junsu could not keep his mouth shut to save his life, Yoochun got to know his name and how both of them were the same age and how Junsu was attending collage during the day and making the night shift at the store to earn his money.
Honestly, Junsu’s bubbly and chirpy personality got on Yoochun’s nerves A LOT but somehow he ended up smiling all the time at the other’s blabbering and at his ridiculous laughter. Yoochun started thinking that maybe Junsu was trying to atone for something just by being nice to everyone and specially to him when he told him that they were looking for a male employee for the late night shift after reports of robbery on other stores of the area.
“They say that if I’m here alone I might get kidnapped, so they want to have at least two guys at the store at night” Junsu said but Yoochun scoffed.
“Are you kidding? Why would they kidnap you? You would annoy them to death.”
All and all Yoochun needed the money, so he ended up applying and started working with Junsu. Well, he could not say it wasn’t entertaining to say the least. He often asked himself how the hell that short-legged and hyperactive human being managed to stay like that all day, like he was constantly high on sugar or something.
On the other side, Junsu just kept asking Yoochun how come his gloomy aura never seemed to abandon him.
“Isn’t it tiring to be mad at the world twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week?” He’d ask Yoochun.
“What about you? Isn’t it tiring to pretend that you’re happy and to keep smiling twenty -four hours a day, seven days a week?”
He’d expect a silly answer from Junsu, but at his reply, Yoochun ended up surprised actually.
“Yes, it is but I guess it’s harder to smile than to sulk, so I’m probably stronger than you.”
Ever hour spend with Junsu after that came to be new and fresh as he’d actually managed to realize that he didn’t know that “character” at all. They’d spend time together during work and they’d go out sometimes at the weekend when Junsu didn’t have to study for his exams and still after months and months of being with him, Yoochun still didn’t get him at all. He wanted to know the real Junsu and at the same time it fascinated him not to know him at all. It was fascinating and entertaining. Or maybe it was just… addicting.
The first time they had the chance to change the shift with two other employees, they went out to celebrate Junsu’s graduation from college. It was the first time they went out at night and Yoochun got pretty much drunk.
That was also the first time he told Junsu that he liked him for real. Not his most romantic move, Yoochun had to admit and although that memory sure was clouded on his mind the next day, he’d still remember Junsu’s reply:
“I knew that already, but I’m glad you told me yourself.”
Dating another guy ended up being quite easy because Yoochun already had experience in ignoring what the world thought about him and Junsu just didn’t think about it at all so everything was good.
Three years later Yoochun’s parents and his brother came back to Korea. They’d always been in touch although it would be their first reunion after Yoochun’s departure from America.
For some reason he felt nervous, like he was meeting those people for the first time in his life. Somehow, he had been thinking for awhile now how he actually wanted to thank his father for sending him to Korea, for giving him a chance to straight up but something was in his way: his pride.
Yoochun took Junsu with him to the airport. After his parent’s arrival and his mother and brother hugging the life out of him, he politely said hello to his father and proceeded to introduce Junsu.
“This is Junsu. We work together and he is my… er…we are…”
“I’m his friend.” Junsu replied
“Thanks Junsu, but there’s no need for that.” Yoochun said “He’s my boyfriend.”
Junsu smiled and Yoochun smiled back at him until Yoochun’s father cleared his throat, asking where the cabs were so that could go to the hotel at once.
“Junsu brought the car.”
But then again, there were 5 of them plus the luggage.
“You can all go and Yoochun drives. I have to stop by somewhere so I can just take the bus.”
Junsu didn’t give them a chance to think or to reply, because the moment Yoochun tried to start talking again, the other was already smiling brightly and waving his hand.
Junsu disappeared in seconds and Yoochun, his parents and his brother got inside Junsu’s car.
Yoochun drove the car ‘til they got to the hotel. His parents would stay there until they’d finish all the details about the house they wanted to buy. Even after three years apart, only with a few phone calls during all that time, the only conversation going on inside the car was between Yoochun and his brother. Yoochun’s mother would laugh a bit in between their silly remarks but no sound came from his father until Yoochun parked the vehicle.
Everyone got out of the car and as Yoochun removed his father’s luggage from the trunk, the man ripped off the bag from his hand, sending him a look.
“Did I send you to Korea for you to be like this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I am talking of you having no shame!” His father said, almost yelling.
“Darling, please.”
“No, don’t try to go darling on me, because I’ve done all of this to see if he would finally grow up as a man but now what have he become? Getting involved with other man? What is all this about? Did I really raise you that bad?”
“No, you’ve actually made the right thing sending me here. I’m thankful to you for that. The fact that I have a relationship with another man is something that is my responsibility and fault entirely, not yours.”
“I am truly disappointed Yoochun. I thought you had become more responsible and at least… at least you should be ashamed of yourself!”
“I was ashamed of myself for awhile after I thought about everything I had done, father, but why would I be ashamed of loving someone?”
“Because I am ashamed of you. I didn’t want my son to be like that.”
Yoochun smiled “Well, I’m sorry then that you have to live your life ashamed of me. I was actually pretty happy that the three of you were coming. I had planned on thanking you for actually making the right choice of sending me off. I am truly thankful for that so please don’t be too ashamed.”
Yoochun’s father remained silent as he hugged his mother and his brother, asking the younger to call him later so that they could hang out. The elder bowed to his father and got inside the car, driving off then.
The fact that Junsu was a pain in the ass did not change for the past three years and in the last hour the other had tried to call him about 30 times so he just removed the phone’s battery. He kept sighing for hours, thinking once and twice about what had happened. He knew things would be like that. Deep down he knew but he still felt like crap. Yoochun knew that Junsu knew things would be like that with his parents and that’s why he tried to tell them he was just a friend; but wouldn’t it be worse later when they found out?
Yoochun got off the car, leaving all his things inside and not even bothering to lock the vehicle. He just walked and walked and walked, not knowing where he was going and not even noticing the pouring rain that soaked his clothes.
Just as if he walking while in some kind of a trance, Yoochun just started crying as all kind of memories passed by his mind and at the moment that he simply started sobbing, he stopped suddenly and squatted down and then kneeled on the floor.
Everyone kept passing by him, busy with their lives but still curious enough to spare him an intrigued glance although not bothered enough to go to him.
Yoochun lost the track of time and he could have been kneeling there for five or ten minutes because he only came back to his senses when he felt the rain stop falling on him although it kept falling down around him. That was when he looked up and saw a hand holding on a red umbrella and protecting him from the rain.
Smiling. He was smiling.
When Yoochun took notice who’s hand was holding the red umbrella, he also smiled, despite his face stained with all the tears he shed. Junsu squatted down, still holding onto his red umbrella and used it to cover Yoochun even more, resulting on himself getting wet instead and right there, in the middle of somewhere, he asked him what no one else around him did
“Are you alright?”
Yoochun laughed.
“What? Am I funny?”
“Uhm. You are. Thankfully, you are.”
Three years didn’t change Junsu and five years later, didn’t either. For all the eight years that they’d know each other, Junsu remained that bubbly and smiling kid with a 4D personality who’d no one would ever think capable of protecting anyone and yet he had always been Yoochun’s shelter
“Ah!” The elder blurted, as he suddenly woke up from the nightmare he was having.
“What’s wrong, Yoochun?” A startled Junsu inquired
“It’s nothing. Just a nightmare. Sorry if I woke you up, baby.” The other said, steadying his breath and pulling up the sheets.
“Come here then” The younger told him, opening his arms lazily
“What for?”
“I’ll hug you tight so you can sleep well the rest of the night. Come on.”
“Are you my mother by any chance? You know, I’m older and I’m the man in this relationship, so I should be the one doing the hugging you know?”
“Oh, you are the man, huh? Alright, I can pretend to be all girly just for today and you can hug me all you want. No more nightmares that way right?” He asked, while moving closer to Yoochun, spreading his arms, so he could just snuck up and nest himself on his chest “Sleep now.”
“Hey!”
“Just sleep. I’m here, so don’t think about unnecessary things and sleep.” Junsu said, looking right into Yoochun’s eyes and smiling after closing his eyes and snuggling up to the other.
[Eight years and nothing in him ever changes…] Yoochun thought as he closed his eyes and started to fall asleep once again, still whispering
“Thank you.”
The End
A/N : I was finally able to post this!! Tell me what you think. ^_^