Past, Present & Future, Chapter 5
Title: Past, Present & Future
Author: trieze0713
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong, Yoochun/Junsu
Length: Chaptered
Genres: AU, Drama, Angst, Romance
Rating: PG
(Prologue) (Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4)
Chapter 5: The Truth & Growing Up
Moonbin was anxiously waiting for his father and his uncle to return from the hospital. He truly wished that he result was better than what he and his uncle expected.
He had never been terrified in his whole life as he was that night when he found his father lying on his bed, unmoving and not breathing. It felt like his world had come crashing down around him and it would never be mended in any possible way. His father was his lifeline, is and always will be.
Jung Moonbin doesn’t care about idols or celebrities… he never looked up to them… if there was anyone that he would call a hero and worth his admiration, it would be Jung Yunho, his father, his protector. Even though he didn’t know much about his father’s background or past, it was an undeniable truth that that man had been devoting his life for him. It wasn’t easy to be a young father… and armless… but he made sure that he grew up as a happy child and poured all his attention for the sake of his future. He’s the idol and the hero in his life.
He knew that his father hates to be depended on his uncle in some way, especially when it comes to his needs. Sometimes he felt bad using his uncle to gain what he wants, but he never asked for something bad or useless so he was sure in the end he hadn’t done anything wrong.
And then that great news on Wednesday! He was called into the principal’s office and met someone named Mr. Park Yoochun from HOPE Foundation who’s searching for candidates for their scholarship program. He was so proud that the principal was thinking of him to represent the school… well, his grades didn’t lie about his brain and effort in studying to make his father proud. If he passes the qualification, the scholarship will fund him all through High School and he would be able to choose the best school on the list. It doesn’t stop there, if he’s able to maintain top grades during High School; there’s a possibility that the scholarship will be continued to University.
He must get it! That way, he would make his father proud and he wouldn’t have to worry about the tuition anymore! Appa could relax and won’t need to ask for Min-ahjussi’s help for his education! And as part of the program, the foundation’s representative will have to meet his father to discuss the potential and give explanation about the program before they make decisions and get his approval. Appointment has been set to Saturday, at 10am at his home, which is tomorrow.
On one hand he’s elated about it, but on the other hand he’s still worried about his father’s health. ‘What if the result’s not good? What if it’s something serious? What would happen to him? Would Min-ahjussi be able to help this time? Woul-‘
“Binnie!”
“Binnie!” someone shook him up from his train of thoughts. He didn’t realize he shed a tear while watching the store with Noona.
"Hey… what’s up? Why are you crying?” Jihye-noona took a seat beside him as she rubbed his back slowly. “Care to tell Noona about it?”
He wiped his tears and cleaned his nose with the tissue that the gentle employee handed him. “Nothing. I’m just-…”
“Are you worried about the result of Yunho Oppa’s check-up?”
He nodded and replied softly, “Yeah… I’m so scared Noona.”
She smiled and hugged him on his seat. “Oh Binnie… “
“I mean… I knew there must be something not right, though I wished I was wrong. It’s different than when Appa lost his arm. I was small and didn’t understand the pain that he was going through. But now- I just- I feel helpless! I’m just a kid, I can’t help him! What if-“
“Jung Moonbin, stop thinking that way! I can understand how you feel right now… I’ve been through the same thing when my mother was so sickly before I decided to study here in Seoul.”
Moonbin looked up at Jihye who’s still smiling at him. “You have?”
“I have… but then again, what else can I do but do my best in what I can and make her proud?” she ruffled his hair. “You know, Oppa is very proud of you. He said that you’re an independent child, smart too though he didn’t teach you anything, and he told me that he wouldn’t want anybody else to be his child but you. You should know how much he loves you.”
“He told you those stuff?”
“He did. It’s a mistake if you think that you are helpless… don’t ever think that you can’t make him happy. You’ve made him very very happy and you’ve been helpful too. You helped him with the prosthesis every day, you helped watching over the store with me, you do the chores around the house perfectly… are all those nothing to you?”
“I-… I still think it’s not enough. He- you know that I’m not his real son, do you? He’s not supposed to be burdened with me, he-”
“Binnie! Since when does that matter to you? Did you ever feel like he doesn’t love you enough? Did he ever do anything that showed that you’re not his real son? It never mattered to him, he loves you and that’s all that matters. No matter how did you end up together, you’re father
and son now! I’ve seen a lot of parents who doesn’t treat their biological children right! But not him! Tell me, do you think there’s anyone that can match his love for you?”
“No one! There’s no one!” He retorted. “There has never been a day that I don’t feel loved by him!”
“So you know the answer already!” She sighed…”It’s never about blood, Binnie, it’s all about heart. Let me tell you a little secret.” She cocked her head toward him, “I’m also adopted.”
Moonbin’s eyes widened. “Really? You’re not joking?”
She smiled, “I’m not. My parents couldn’t have children and then my biological mother kinda wanted to give me up, she was just a high school neighbor. Her parents were furious that she got pregnant while she’s still in school. They were so ashamed and asked her to give me up. My parents, their neighbor, decided that I wasn’t worth that kind of family. They took me in and moved to another town so they would never see me
again. And I can’t be more thankful than being given a new chance to live. I love my parents so much…” She turned to look at him. “Do you know what’s the greatest thing about being an adopted child?”
Moonbin shook his head.
“That you’re loved before you start to love. My parents took me in because they loved me, even before I understand my situation back then, before I understand how to love them. Just like you… Oppa chose to take care of you because he loved you, even before you decided that you love him too. And he had taken the responsibility for your life the moment he chose you to be his son.”
Moonbin was struck speechless. This is something new, something that he never thought of before, of how lucky he is to be loved by a great man named Jung Yunho.
“So don’t ever think that what you’ve done is not enough. It’s more than enough for him. Because you’re still a child, that’s the best you can do. And he understands. Maybe later when you grow up you’ll be able to do more for him. For the time being, you’ve done more than most children that I know of. Do you know what else can you do for him today?”
He thought for awhile before he shook his head. “Is there really something I can do for him?”
She cupped his face in his hands, “Be strong for your father this time. Even if there is indeed something wrong with him, try not to cry. I’m very sure that he’s more worried about how are you going to handle it. If there’s something wrong in with his body, he’ll need your support to be healthy again. He also must be feeling bad to you for being sick, if he sees you cry he will be more depressed over it.”
She hugged him once again, “You may cry when you’re with me… I’m your Noona after all, I’m here for you. But be strong for your father, show him that you have also grown up to be someone that he can trust and he can lean on. That would be the coolest gift that you can give him. Show him that he has raised a very cool boy!”
Moonbin squeezed the girl in his embrace, “Thank you so much, Noona! I promise that I won’t cry, I’ll be strong for Appa. I’ll show him that he won’t have to worry about me.” He pulled off with a wide grin. “And I’m going to try hard to get the scholarship so that he doesn’t have worry about my tuition anymore!”
Jihye laughed at him, “Now that’s the Jung Moonbin that I want to see. Fighting!!”
“Fighting!!’
“Now, how about I’ll help you make dinner? It’s already 5.00pm now… I’m sure that Yunho-Oppa and Changmin-ssi must be tired and hungry when they get home.”
Moonbin grinned, “That’s great! Shall we close the store early?”
“I’m sure Oppa won’t mind when he sees the feast that we’re going to make?” she winked.
“Oh Noona! I’m glad that Appa accepted you to work here! I don’t what I would do without you!” He said those words with a thankful heart. And he knew that the girl understood.
* * * * *
The two men were standing in front of the store’s door. One was looking impatient and can’t wait to get in while the other seemed like he’s standing outside someone else’s house instead of his own.
"Hyung, come on, get in already! I thought you’ve had enough time at the park to calm down about the result. Now get in and talk it out with your son!”
“What if… what if he’s not ready to hear about it Min? I mean, he was hysterical when I fainted and now I’m going to tell him that-“
“So what? You’re going to lie? Relax hyung, you heard what the doctor said, you still had a chance for an angioplasty, as soon as you’re ready to take the procedure then we can be rest assured that you won’t need a surgery. You’ll only have to stay there for one night, so it’s as good as it can be. I don’t see any better way. It’s not like you’re telling him you’re going to die! Moonbin will understand, trust me… trust him.”
Yunho took a deep breath before he finally took a step forward, “Let’s get in.”
They went through the store to the connecting door to the house. As soon as he opened it he could hear laughter and smell something delicious… He moved forward and saw his employee was setting the table happily with his son. She saw him first and smiled, “Good evening Oppa! We’ve been waiting for you!”
Moonbin looked up to his father and walked up to him. “So, how was it? What did the doctor say?”
Yunho hesitated to answer but Moonbin suddenly spoke again without waiting for his answer, “Ah, you must be tired and hungry. Guess what? Jihye-noona helped me cooked these delicious food for you and Min-ahjussi. Let’s eat before they cooled.”
Moonbin ushered his father to his seat and Jihye asked Changmin to take a seat as well.
“Well, I guess now that everyone’s settled, I gotta get going before it gets too dark.” Jihye told the 3 men as she took her bag and ready to step out.
Moonbin looked startled, “Noonaaaaa, stay please.”
“Yeah, Jihye, you’ve made so many food already, come on, eat with us.” Yunho called out.
“Thank you Oppa, but this is family time, I don’t want to interrupt. And I’ll have to catch a train back to where I live.”
“Then I’ll take you back later, and you’re not interrupting anything. You have no more reason to walk out of the door now.” Changmin told her.
“That’s right Jihye, you’re Binnie’s noona too. What’s the fun of eating dinner by yourself anyway. Let my brother drives you home later.”
Moonbin was already running to her side, took her bag and pushed her towards the dining table. “I told ya’, they’re not going to let you leave like that.”
Jihye laughed at the 3 men’s persuasion. “Fine, fine… I’m staying. Thank you for the invitation Oppa. And Changmin-ssi, thank you for the ride home later.”
Changmin snorted. “So he’s Yunho Oppa but I’m Changmin-ssi, and he’s an old man already. Well, it’s going to change anyway. So, let’s dig in and try out what you and the munchkin had made here.”
Dinner started and everyone was enjoying the food, Changmin kept praising Jihye about her cooking skill while Moonbin kept whining and saying it’s not fair that he didn’t get any compliment because he helped too.
Yunho couldn’t enjoy the food at all… he tried to smile and laugh at the conversation but he couldn’t lie that the thing he wanted to do most was confessing about the check-up result to his son and see how he would react. The doctor already told him that he shouldn’t be tired and more importantly he shouldn’t get stressed out. That would be risky in his condition right now. But the more he tried to enjoy what’s on his plate, the faster he felt his heart was beating from trying to suppress his emotion.
At one point of time, he just couldn’t hold it in anymore. And in the middle of the laughter and chitchat between in the table he suddenly blurted it out. “I’m having a heart disease Bin.”
The table went quiet in all of a sudden.
“Appa?...”
“I said I have a heart disease. The blackouts I experienced were actually heart attacks and the doctor said I was lucky to survive them without medication. He didn’t say whether it’s that bad or not, but I must undergo a procedure called angioplasty and I’ll have to stay at the hospital overnight. Only if everything is alright then I’m allowed to go home. Otherwise I might have to go through bypass surgery. But until that happens, I’m not allowed to exhaust myself or stressed out, and I have a lot of medicines that I had to take starting from tonight.” He said all that in one take of breath looking without looking at Moonbin’s eyes. Afraid of what he might see in them. He closed his eyes instead.
No one made a sound for almost a minute and his fear grew. “Appa… “ he felt Moonbin’s hand touching his shoulder. “Appa please open your eyes and look at me.”
He slowly opened his eyes and his vision was suddenly covered by his son’s shirt, the boy had stood up to embrace him. He returned the hug and waiting to hear what Moonbin was going to say.
The look on Moonbin’s face after they pulled off the hug awed him. There’s no trace of tears or fear in them, instead he saw understanding.
Moonbin kept his hands around his father’s shoulder. “Appa, we’ll get through this together. You’ll be fine, you’ll be alright. You don’t have to worry about me, just think about your recovery, OK. I’m a big boy now, though I’m afraid to lose you, you must be more afraid of having to go through the procedure. Let’s not worry about something that hasn’t happened yet… whatever you’re going through, I’ll be there for you.”
Just like that, all the suppressed emotion that he held inside was relieved through his tears as he kissed his son and held him tight. “Thank you Bin, thank you… I love you… “
“I love you too Appa… now stop crying… you said it yourself that you shouldn’t be tired, I’m sure that you’re exhausted after being in the hospital the whole day… let’s finish your dinner then we’ll go to bed after I clean up, okay… we shouldn’t forget your medicine too tonight.” he got more food and put them in his father’s plate. “You have me, and you have Jihye-noona and Min-ahjussi to help you too… stop worrying too much.”
Yunho nodded, no words could express how he was feeling right now. And when he looked inside his son’s eyes, he didn’t see a little boy anymore. He saw someone who’s growing up to be a man.
* * * * *
The two men were sitting next to each other on the bar.
“How did you come up with the brilliant plan of using HOPE Foundation to get to the kid?”
“Oh, it’s a coincidence. Junsu and I were watching the news about an idol who was giving out scholarship to his former high school. He kind mentioned how good it would be if there’s a foundation who cared enough to do the same thing since there are a lot of kids out there with extraordinary brain but no money to go to a good school and ended up being hobos on the street.”
“So?”
“It reminded me of the boy’s profile. It was mentioned that he’s smart enough to be on top of his class since primary school but he always went to public ones since his father couldn’t afford private school. And I remember about the foundation that you created for Eun Hee, she never really did anything with it so I thought it’s the perfect moment to put it to use.”
“I see. Congratulations then… it was a great plan. And we’re still scheduled to go see his father tomorrow, right?”
“No change of plan. You’re still coming? Are you sure?”
The other guy played with his wine glass… swirling the liquid inside as he absentmindedly replied, “It’s what I’ve always dreamed of for the past 5 years… or maybe since I left him… of course I’m sure.”
Yoochun sighed at the sight of his best friend. He’d been acting like that ever since they found out about Yunho’s whereabouts and gathered information about the kid that lived as the man’s house. The kid that create a distance between him and his lover. The kid whom he didn’t expect to stay. Or at least that’s what he thought of even though in Yoochun’s opinion the kid had done nothing wrong but he was just being immature.
“Do whatever you want then. Whatever the outcome after the meeting tomorrow, I want my two weeks holiday. No interruption, no matter what excuse you’re giving me. You can even fire me for all I care but I can’t keep giving empty promises to Junsu.”
“You got my word.”
“Good. I’m leaving now. Are we coming together or separately tomorrow?”
“Separately. I’ll bring my own car later.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow, and be careful while driving home.” Yoochun tapped him on the shoulder as he was left alone.
Jaejoong finished his drink in one gulp. “I’ll see you tomorrow Yunho… I”ll finally see you…”
* * * * *
There was a comfortable silence in the car and the dinner tonight seemed to get rid of the awkwardness they were having before.
“Thank you for the food Jihye, I really appreciate it. It made my brother feel better and looked like you also had a little talk with my nephew. I could see that he’s actually trying to be strong.”
“Well, what I told him was only my experience. I didn’t do anything much… and Moonbin needed distraction while waiting for you guys to come home. Rather than having take outs, I thought homemade dinner was more acceptable.”
“That’s wise, thanks again. I’m glad to see my brother relieved that his son took it all well.”
Jihye smiled as she turned her head to look at him. “You love your brother so much, don’t you?”
“You can’t imagine how much. You know that we don't have the same mother right?”
“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. It’s enough for me to know that you care about him.”
Changmin chuckled. “You just don’t want to know about me, do you? No worries, no one paid attention to me before the announcement of my position as the heir or Jung Corp. anyway… you’re not the first.”
“It’s not like that bu-“
The car stopped. “Here we are. Thanks again for helping out, it’s highly appreciated. I’ll make sure that my brother will give you a bonus at the end of the year.” He tried to joke with the girl.
Jihye didn’t smile back. She opened the car door. But before she got out she took a glance one more time at the man behind the steering wheel. “Changmin-ssi, thank you for driving me home though you didn’t have to. I’m sorry if I sounded that I didn’t care about you, but Changmin-ssi,” she looked at him with concern, “not everyone is as bad as you think they are. And you can’t expect people to open up to you unless you open up to them first.”
She stepped out. “Good night and drive safely.” She closed the door and walked to her apartment unit, not looking back.
And Shim Changmin was left in wonder. ‘Maybe it’s time for me to open up myself to someone?’
* * * * *
Chapter 6
Author: trieze0713
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong, Yoochun/Junsu
Length: Chaptered
Genres: AU, Drama, Angst, Romance
Rating: PG
(Prologue) (Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4)
Chapter 5: The Truth & Growing Up
Moonbin was anxiously waiting for his father and his uncle to return from the hospital. He truly wished that he result was better than what he and his uncle expected.
He had never been terrified in his whole life as he was that night when he found his father lying on his bed, unmoving and not breathing. It felt like his world had come crashing down around him and it would never be mended in any possible way. His father was his lifeline, is and always will be.
Jung Moonbin doesn’t care about idols or celebrities… he never looked up to them… if there was anyone that he would call a hero and worth his admiration, it would be Jung Yunho, his father, his protector. Even though he didn’t know much about his father’s background or past, it was an undeniable truth that that man had been devoting his life for him. It wasn’t easy to be a young father… and armless… but he made sure that he grew up as a happy child and poured all his attention for the sake of his future. He’s the idol and the hero in his life.
He knew that his father hates to be depended on his uncle in some way, especially when it comes to his needs. Sometimes he felt bad using his uncle to gain what he wants, but he never asked for something bad or useless so he was sure in the end he hadn’t done anything wrong.
And then that great news on Wednesday! He was called into the principal’s office and met someone named Mr. Park Yoochun from HOPE Foundation who’s searching for candidates for their scholarship program. He was so proud that the principal was thinking of him to represent the school… well, his grades didn’t lie about his brain and effort in studying to make his father proud. If he passes the qualification, the scholarship will fund him all through High School and he would be able to choose the best school on the list. It doesn’t stop there, if he’s able to maintain top grades during High School; there’s a possibility that the scholarship will be continued to University.
He must get it! That way, he would make his father proud and he wouldn’t have to worry about the tuition anymore! Appa could relax and won’t need to ask for Min-ahjussi’s help for his education! And as part of the program, the foundation’s representative will have to meet his father to discuss the potential and give explanation about the program before they make decisions and get his approval. Appointment has been set to Saturday, at 10am at his home, which is tomorrow.
On one hand he’s elated about it, but on the other hand he’s still worried about his father’s health. ‘What if the result’s not good? What if it’s something serious? What would happen to him? Would Min-ahjussi be able to help this time? Woul-‘
“Binnie!”
“Binnie!” someone shook him up from his train of thoughts. He didn’t realize he shed a tear while watching the store with Noona.
"Hey… what’s up? Why are you crying?” Jihye-noona took a seat beside him as she rubbed his back slowly. “Care to tell Noona about it?”
He wiped his tears and cleaned his nose with the tissue that the gentle employee handed him. “Nothing. I’m just-…”
“Are you worried about the result of Yunho Oppa’s check-up?”
He nodded and replied softly, “Yeah… I’m so scared Noona.”
She smiled and hugged him on his seat. “Oh Binnie… “
“I mean… I knew there must be something not right, though I wished I was wrong. It’s different than when Appa lost his arm. I was small and didn’t understand the pain that he was going through. But now- I just- I feel helpless! I’m just a kid, I can’t help him! What if-“
“Jung Moonbin, stop thinking that way! I can understand how you feel right now… I’ve been through the same thing when my mother was so sickly before I decided to study here in Seoul.”
Moonbin looked up at Jihye who’s still smiling at him. “You have?”
“I have… but then again, what else can I do but do my best in what I can and make her proud?” she ruffled his hair. “You know, Oppa is very proud of you. He said that you’re an independent child, smart too though he didn’t teach you anything, and he told me that he wouldn’t want anybody else to be his child but you. You should know how much he loves you.”
“He told you those stuff?”
“He did. It’s a mistake if you think that you are helpless… don’t ever think that you can’t make him happy. You’ve made him very very happy and you’ve been helpful too. You helped him with the prosthesis every day, you helped watching over the store with me, you do the chores around the house perfectly… are all those nothing to you?”
“I-… I still think it’s not enough. He- you know that I’m not his real son, do you? He’s not supposed to be burdened with me, he-”
“Binnie! Since when does that matter to you? Did you ever feel like he doesn’t love you enough? Did he ever do anything that showed that you’re not his real son? It never mattered to him, he loves you and that’s all that matters. No matter how did you end up together, you’re father
and son now! I’ve seen a lot of parents who doesn’t treat their biological children right! But not him! Tell me, do you think there’s anyone that can match his love for you?”
“No one! There’s no one!” He retorted. “There has never been a day that I don’t feel loved by him!”
“So you know the answer already!” She sighed…”It’s never about blood, Binnie, it’s all about heart. Let me tell you a little secret.” She cocked her head toward him, “I’m also adopted.”
Moonbin’s eyes widened. “Really? You’re not joking?”
She smiled, “I’m not. My parents couldn’t have children and then my biological mother kinda wanted to give me up, she was just a high school neighbor. Her parents were furious that she got pregnant while she’s still in school. They were so ashamed and asked her to give me up. My parents, their neighbor, decided that I wasn’t worth that kind of family. They took me in and moved to another town so they would never see me
again. And I can’t be more thankful than being given a new chance to live. I love my parents so much…” She turned to look at him. “Do you know what’s the greatest thing about being an adopted child?”
Moonbin shook his head.
“That you’re loved before you start to love. My parents took me in because they loved me, even before I understand my situation back then, before I understand how to love them. Just like you… Oppa chose to take care of you because he loved you, even before you decided that you love him too. And he had taken the responsibility for your life the moment he chose you to be his son.”
Moonbin was struck speechless. This is something new, something that he never thought of before, of how lucky he is to be loved by a great man named Jung Yunho.
“So don’t ever think that what you’ve done is not enough. It’s more than enough for him. Because you’re still a child, that’s the best you can do. And he understands. Maybe later when you grow up you’ll be able to do more for him. For the time being, you’ve done more than most children that I know of. Do you know what else can you do for him today?”
He thought for awhile before he shook his head. “Is there really something I can do for him?”
She cupped his face in his hands, “Be strong for your father this time. Even if there is indeed something wrong with him, try not to cry. I’m very sure that he’s more worried about how are you going to handle it. If there’s something wrong in with his body, he’ll need your support to be healthy again. He also must be feeling bad to you for being sick, if he sees you cry he will be more depressed over it.”
She hugged him once again, “You may cry when you’re with me… I’m your Noona after all, I’m here for you. But be strong for your father, show him that you have also grown up to be someone that he can trust and he can lean on. That would be the coolest gift that you can give him. Show him that he has raised a very cool boy!”
Moonbin squeezed the girl in his embrace, “Thank you so much, Noona! I promise that I won’t cry, I’ll be strong for Appa. I’ll show him that he won’t have to worry about me.” He pulled off with a wide grin. “And I’m going to try hard to get the scholarship so that he doesn’t have worry about my tuition anymore!”
Jihye laughed at him, “Now that’s the Jung Moonbin that I want to see. Fighting!!”
“Fighting!!’
“Now, how about I’ll help you make dinner? It’s already 5.00pm now… I’m sure that Yunho-Oppa and Changmin-ssi must be tired and hungry when they get home.”
Moonbin grinned, “That’s great! Shall we close the store early?”
“I’m sure Oppa won’t mind when he sees the feast that we’re going to make?” she winked.
“Oh Noona! I’m glad that Appa accepted you to work here! I don’t what I would do without you!” He said those words with a thankful heart. And he knew that the girl understood.
* * * * *
The two men were standing in front of the store’s door. One was looking impatient and can’t wait to get in while the other seemed like he’s standing outside someone else’s house instead of his own.
"Hyung, come on, get in already! I thought you’ve had enough time at the park to calm down about the result. Now get in and talk it out with your son!”
“What if… what if he’s not ready to hear about it Min? I mean, he was hysterical when I fainted and now I’m going to tell him that-“
“So what? You’re going to lie? Relax hyung, you heard what the doctor said, you still had a chance for an angioplasty, as soon as you’re ready to take the procedure then we can be rest assured that you won’t need a surgery. You’ll only have to stay there for one night, so it’s as good as it can be. I don’t see any better way. It’s not like you’re telling him you’re going to die! Moonbin will understand, trust me… trust him.”
Yunho took a deep breath before he finally took a step forward, “Let’s get in.”
They went through the store to the connecting door to the house. As soon as he opened it he could hear laughter and smell something delicious… He moved forward and saw his employee was setting the table happily with his son. She saw him first and smiled, “Good evening Oppa! We’ve been waiting for you!”
Moonbin looked up to his father and walked up to him. “So, how was it? What did the doctor say?”
Yunho hesitated to answer but Moonbin suddenly spoke again without waiting for his answer, “Ah, you must be tired and hungry. Guess what? Jihye-noona helped me cooked these delicious food for you and Min-ahjussi. Let’s eat before they cooled.”
Moonbin ushered his father to his seat and Jihye asked Changmin to take a seat as well.
“Well, I guess now that everyone’s settled, I gotta get going before it gets too dark.” Jihye told the 3 men as she took her bag and ready to step out.
Moonbin looked startled, “Noonaaaaa, stay please.”
“Yeah, Jihye, you’ve made so many food already, come on, eat with us.” Yunho called out.
“Thank you Oppa, but this is family time, I don’t want to interrupt. And I’ll have to catch a train back to where I live.”
“Then I’ll take you back later, and you’re not interrupting anything. You have no more reason to walk out of the door now.” Changmin told her.
“That’s right Jihye, you’re Binnie’s noona too. What’s the fun of eating dinner by yourself anyway. Let my brother drives you home later.”
Moonbin was already running to her side, took her bag and pushed her towards the dining table. “I told ya’, they’re not going to let you leave like that.”
Jihye laughed at the 3 men’s persuasion. “Fine, fine… I’m staying. Thank you for the invitation Oppa. And Changmin-ssi, thank you for the ride home later.”
Changmin snorted. “So he’s Yunho Oppa but I’m Changmin-ssi, and he’s an old man already. Well, it’s going to change anyway. So, let’s dig in and try out what you and the munchkin had made here.”
Dinner started and everyone was enjoying the food, Changmin kept praising Jihye about her cooking skill while Moonbin kept whining and saying it’s not fair that he didn’t get any compliment because he helped too.
Yunho couldn’t enjoy the food at all… he tried to smile and laugh at the conversation but he couldn’t lie that the thing he wanted to do most was confessing about the check-up result to his son and see how he would react. The doctor already told him that he shouldn’t be tired and more importantly he shouldn’t get stressed out. That would be risky in his condition right now. But the more he tried to enjoy what’s on his plate, the faster he felt his heart was beating from trying to suppress his emotion.
At one point of time, he just couldn’t hold it in anymore. And in the middle of the laughter and chitchat between in the table he suddenly blurted it out. “I’m having a heart disease Bin.”
The table went quiet in all of a sudden.
“Appa?...”
“I said I have a heart disease. The blackouts I experienced were actually heart attacks and the doctor said I was lucky to survive them without medication. He didn’t say whether it’s that bad or not, but I must undergo a procedure called angioplasty and I’ll have to stay at the hospital overnight. Only if everything is alright then I’m allowed to go home. Otherwise I might have to go through bypass surgery. But until that happens, I’m not allowed to exhaust myself or stressed out, and I have a lot of medicines that I had to take starting from tonight.” He said all that in one take of breath looking without looking at Moonbin’s eyes. Afraid of what he might see in them. He closed his eyes instead.
No one made a sound for almost a minute and his fear grew. “Appa… “ he felt Moonbin’s hand touching his shoulder. “Appa please open your eyes and look at me.”
He slowly opened his eyes and his vision was suddenly covered by his son’s shirt, the boy had stood up to embrace him. He returned the hug and waiting to hear what Moonbin was going to say.
The look on Moonbin’s face after they pulled off the hug awed him. There’s no trace of tears or fear in them, instead he saw understanding.
Moonbin kept his hands around his father’s shoulder. “Appa, we’ll get through this together. You’ll be fine, you’ll be alright. You don’t have to worry about me, just think about your recovery, OK. I’m a big boy now, though I’m afraid to lose you, you must be more afraid of having to go through the procedure. Let’s not worry about something that hasn’t happened yet… whatever you’re going through, I’ll be there for you.”
Just like that, all the suppressed emotion that he held inside was relieved through his tears as he kissed his son and held him tight. “Thank you Bin, thank you… I love you… “
“I love you too Appa… now stop crying… you said it yourself that you shouldn’t be tired, I’m sure that you’re exhausted after being in the hospital the whole day… let’s finish your dinner then we’ll go to bed after I clean up, okay… we shouldn’t forget your medicine too tonight.” he got more food and put them in his father’s plate. “You have me, and you have Jihye-noona and Min-ahjussi to help you too… stop worrying too much.”
Yunho nodded, no words could express how he was feeling right now. And when he looked inside his son’s eyes, he didn’t see a little boy anymore. He saw someone who’s growing up to be a man.
* * * * *
The two men were sitting next to each other on the bar.
“How did you come up with the brilliant plan of using HOPE Foundation to get to the kid?”
“Oh, it’s a coincidence. Junsu and I were watching the news about an idol who was giving out scholarship to his former high school. He kind mentioned how good it would be if there’s a foundation who cared enough to do the same thing since there are a lot of kids out there with extraordinary brain but no money to go to a good school and ended up being hobos on the street.”
“So?”
“It reminded me of the boy’s profile. It was mentioned that he’s smart enough to be on top of his class since primary school but he always went to public ones since his father couldn’t afford private school. And I remember about the foundation that you created for Eun Hee, she never really did anything with it so I thought it’s the perfect moment to put it to use.”
“I see. Congratulations then… it was a great plan. And we’re still scheduled to go see his father tomorrow, right?”
“No change of plan. You’re still coming? Are you sure?”
The other guy played with his wine glass… swirling the liquid inside as he absentmindedly replied, “It’s what I’ve always dreamed of for the past 5 years… or maybe since I left him… of course I’m sure.”
Yoochun sighed at the sight of his best friend. He’d been acting like that ever since they found out about Yunho’s whereabouts and gathered information about the kid that lived as the man’s house. The kid that create a distance between him and his lover. The kid whom he didn’t expect to stay. Or at least that’s what he thought of even though in Yoochun’s opinion the kid had done nothing wrong but he was just being immature.
“Do whatever you want then. Whatever the outcome after the meeting tomorrow, I want my two weeks holiday. No interruption, no matter what excuse you’re giving me. You can even fire me for all I care but I can’t keep giving empty promises to Junsu.”
“You got my word.”
“Good. I’m leaving now. Are we coming together or separately tomorrow?”
“Separately. I’ll bring my own car later.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow, and be careful while driving home.” Yoochun tapped him on the shoulder as he was left alone.
Jaejoong finished his drink in one gulp. “I’ll see you tomorrow Yunho… I”ll finally see you…”
* * * * *
There was a comfortable silence in the car and the dinner tonight seemed to get rid of the awkwardness they were having before.
“Thank you for the food Jihye, I really appreciate it. It made my brother feel better and looked like you also had a little talk with my nephew. I could see that he’s actually trying to be strong.”
“Well, what I told him was only my experience. I didn’t do anything much… and Moonbin needed distraction while waiting for you guys to come home. Rather than having take outs, I thought homemade dinner was more acceptable.”
“That’s wise, thanks again. I’m glad to see my brother relieved that his son took it all well.”
Jihye smiled as she turned her head to look at him. “You love your brother so much, don’t you?”
“You can’t imagine how much. You know that we don't have the same mother right?”
“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. It’s enough for me to know that you care about him.”
Changmin chuckled. “You just don’t want to know about me, do you? No worries, no one paid attention to me before the announcement of my position as the heir or Jung Corp. anyway… you’re not the first.”
“It’s not like that bu-“
The car stopped. “Here we are. Thanks again for helping out, it’s highly appreciated. I’ll make sure that my brother will give you a bonus at the end of the year.” He tried to joke with the girl.
Jihye didn’t smile back. She opened the car door. But before she got out she took a glance one more time at the man behind the steering wheel. “Changmin-ssi, thank you for driving me home though you didn’t have to. I’m sorry if I sounded that I didn’t care about you, but Changmin-ssi,” she looked at him with concern, “not everyone is as bad as you think they are. And you can’t expect people to open up to you unless you open up to them first.”
She stepped out. “Good night and drive safely.” She closed the door and walked to her apartment unit, not looking back.
And Shim Changmin was left in wonder. ‘Maybe it’s time for me to open up myself to someone?’
* * * * *
Chapter 6