Fate (Mirotic): Part 1/3
Title: Fate (Mirotic) Part 1/3
Author: VampireMadonna
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: NC-17
Synopsis: Yunho's life is empty, there's nothing much that gives him real joy. One fateful night he runs into the most beautiful girl he's ever seen...Except she's not a girl. He's immediately captivated by the boy. Could this be the start of something new?
A/N: It's too large so I had to split it. Boo!
He was hungry, tired and his face ached from smiling too much. Some days he truly enjoyed what he did but there were others when he wanted to say “to hell with it all” and just quit. Not that it was possible at this point. He had too high a celebrity profile to ever think he could leave the industry and not have some of the craziness follow him into a normal life. Just yesterday he’d made a rare trip to his parents’ house and had had to call the police on the throng of fans that followed him there. He felt apologetic towards his parents for causing them such distress. It was the very reason his visits were so few and far between. He loved his work but it was quite burdensome at times.
As he made his way through the crowd after his group’s anniversary concert, he smiled and waved automatically while his mind was already anticipating the hot tub that would be waiting for him. He’d nibble on some caviar and soak until he was wrinkled. His smile turned genuine, the pleasant image giving him the strength to make it through the mini-fanmeet that always occurred after a show. Security led their way but the girls were persistent and he always cautioned the bodyguards not to be too forceful with their fans. He didn’t particularly want them mauling him but he also didn’t want any of them getting injured. Lawsuits were a nasty business but the injuries or deaths of innocents were a weight he didn’t want on his soul.
“Yunho!!!!!”
The screams assaulted his ears as they walked through the outer doors and still, the smile stayed firmly on his face. He and his members spread out in front of the barricade, the only thing keeping the girls from stampeding, to sign a few autographs. As he took their pictures, bits of paper, whatever they held out, he tried as best he could to pay attention to what they said to him. It was hard, though, with all the screaming. He didn’t think they really cared if he heard them so long as they had the impression that he did and his smile of acknowledgment did that.
He stepped in front of a small girl. She was cute and couldn’t possibly have been older than 10. Taking the photo she held out to him, he smiled and inquired, “What’s your name?”
“JaeMi,” she replied. Suddenly, she laughed and covered her mouth with a little hand. “I’m going to marry you one day,” he heard her say, surprised that he could hear anything at all with all the noise.
He burst out laughing. “Oh, really?” He placed a hand on her head and patted it gently. Poor thing, he thought. They all had their favorites, all hoped that one day they could be Mrs. *blank*. Perhaps, for the other members, one of them might be…someday. As for him… He’d had girlfriends over the years, famous friends who didn’t mind being involved in a charade. It was just acting after all. Everyone got caught up in a scandal every now and again, be it real or contrived. It was an expected part of the celebrity life. His real romances, however, had always been on the down low. He’d only had one serious relationship: a five year torrid affair with an actor who had debuted when his group was just beginning their upward climb to stardom. To the general public, they were best friends, but the real nature of their relationship had been known by those in the industry. They weren’t the only ones so it wasn’t such a big deal. Homosexuality existed, even if it wasn’t openly acknowledged. So long as it was kept under wraps and no scandals developed, it was mostly overlooked.
For five years, they’d lived hard, loved hard and fought hard until one day he just couldn’t take it anymore. Love wasn’t supposed to be so stressful, painful. There were always hard times but things with Lee were tougher than they should have been. For one thing, his jealousy was overwhelming. He was dissatisfied with his career, felt that he was too good for the bit parts he was receiving: he was always the sidekick, never the lead. When he was in one of his moods, he’d accuse Yunho of flaunting his fame in his face. As if that wasn’t bad enough, when they’d go out, which was often because Yunho led such a high profile social life, he’d rage that Yunho was flirting in front of him, that he was already looking for his replacement, someone richer and more famous. Trading up, as he called it. None of it had been true, of course, but Lee saw what he wanted to see and never listened when Yunho tried to talk to him. It hadn’t always been like that. They’d been blissfully happy in the beginning, first as friends, then as lovers, and later settling into a quiet cohabitation. ‘Roommates’ supposedly but it felt like being married. It was more than he’d ever hoped for when, at the age of 18, he’d admitted to himself that he was gay. He never imagined that five years later he’d be moving out of his beloved home and into Jinho’s apartment.
Jinho, his best friend and band mate, had been understanding, compassionate and Yunho’d been grateful for his support in the hard times that followed. Never in his wildest dreams had he conceived of the drama that would follow. Lee tried everything he could to ruin him but, thankfully, his good name and reputation had held up. His company and group had stood behind him. All of it was hush-hush, of course. If there was one thing that Lee loved more than all else in the world, it was his career. He might try to ruin Yunho’s but not at the cost of his own, so all of his attacks had been as on the down low as their relationship. Lee’s life took a turn for the worst when he was arrested for possession of narcotics. Yunho had tried to reach out to him, get him help, but he’d been rudely turned away. It wasn’t totally surprising when, eight months later, he got the call saying that Lee was dead. An overdose. He’d cried at his funeral: to the public, a friend mourning the loss of his estranged brother; to those in the know, a man grieving over the tragic end of his lover.
After Lee’s death, he’d taken a short hiatus from the group to get his head straight. It took longer than expected but eventually he’d found his way back. Since then, he’d had a few flings, a few casual relationships, but nothing serious. There just hadn’t been anyone worth taking such a big risk on again. Pulling back from the memories, he dropped his hand.
“I’ll be waiting for you then,” he said with mock seriousness.
The girl squealed and he laughed again. His eyes shifted to the person standing beside her. His breath caught in his throat when he met and held the penetrating dark eyes staring back at him. They were like wide, round, bottomless pits beaming out of, from what he could tell in the dim light, a very beautiful face. Pale, fair skin; pert nose; high cheekbones. Bangs covered the forehead and her mouth was hidden by the edge of the scarf wrapped around her neck.
“What about you?” he asked. “Anything for me to sign?”
“Sorry, I’m not a fan,” a husky voice spoke, a voice that was several octaves lower than it should have been.
She was a…boy?
Yunho almost stumbled back at the shock, had to force himself not to react. The soft, taunting laughter he heard coming from the boy barely registered. “You’re a…”
“JaeMi-ah, let’s go now, okay?” With that, he took the girl’s hand and started leading her away.
“Oppa, saranghae!” JaeMi called to Yunho as she was dragged away.
Shaking his head, Yunho moved onto the next fan.
“Wonders never cease,” he muttered.
********************************************************************
He was bored. He’d had his soak in the hot tub, caviar included, but it hadn’t soothed him as much as he’d thought it would. It was late but he wasn’t sleepy. He was really wired for some reason. He’d had a glass of wine but it did nothing so he’d had another. No effect whatsoever. After pacing his hotel room for half an hour, he finally decided to go for a walk. He was both excited and wary of the prospect. It had been a while since he’d had the time to simply stroll around like a normal person. On the other hand, he wasn’t just a regular person and despite the hour, there were bound to be people about who’d recognize him. He wouldn’t be surprised if fans were at the entrance of the hotel that very minute.
He didn’t let it discourage him from his plan, though. With renewed vigor, he thought of it as a game, an acting challenge. He’d had parts in dramas before but not recently so he’d use it as a sort of refresher course. Brimming with excitement, he opened his closet and started assembling the perfect outfit. Five minutes later, he stepped out of his hotel room donned in a thick, dark grey winter coat over a black cashmere sweater and straight-cut dark blue jeans, matching scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, covering his mouth like the kid he’d seen earlier, and a baseball cap fitted snugly over his short-cropped hair. Military-style boots completed his outfit. He knew it was a bit cliché, that he might draw more attention rather than avert it, but it was winter and people were bundled up against the abrasive cold, so although he might not be as unassuming as he might have liked, he still wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
He walked down the back staircase to the ground floor and headed for the service entrance he’d seen upon entering earlier. It would most likely be locked but it wouldn’t hurt to check anyway. Call it luck or fate, but the door was open as what looked like fresh produce was being wheeled into the hall. Keeping his head down, he rushed past the loaders before they could even think to stop him. From the alley, he made his way to the main street. He felt a keen sense of accomplishment. Phase one was complete: he’d gained freedom without attracting attention. Now he just needed to find something do to occupy his time or at least tire him out before he returned. His manager would freak if he knew what he’d done. He chuckled at the thought.
He walked around for about an hour, stopping at stalls and vendors he passed along the way. He sampled ddokboki and fish cakes, both of which he hadn’t eaten in ages. It was delicious and reminded him of his childhood, of the simple life he’d led before he became an idol. It wasn’t too long before he became bored again. Walking without purpose wasn’t much different than being at home doing nothing. He strolled around aimlessly until he spotted a group of kids on a promenade. It looked like they were performing. There was a small crowd gathered around them and he could hear the faint sound of music, most likely coming from a portable radio.
He jogged across to get a closer look. They wore masks and hooded sweatshirts, drawing the audience’s attention to their dancing and not their looks. As for their dancing, they’d apparently practiced a lot because they were really good. Why haven’t they been discovered yet?, he wondered. They could easily have signed with a company and been trained, even if only as back-up dancers. He glanced at the faces of those in the crowd. Mostly couples, other young people or teenagers. If they only performed in the wee hours of the morning, they’d never catch the industry’s attention. He continued to watch, becoming more and more impressed with each performance. By the time they wrapped up, he was about ready to reveal who he was and offer to help them get signed. They were amazing. Their style was fresh, their moves crisp and clean. The music, which sounded like original work as well, perfectly accompanied their routines.
They were bowing to the clapping crowd. Just then, one of the kids removed his mask. “Kansamnida. We’re happy you’ve enjoyed our performance. You give us encouragement to continue doing what we love so much.”
Yunho froze. That voice… His eyes flew to the kid’s face, widening as recognition hit. It was the kid from earlier! He could see his entire face clearly now. His bangs were pushed back so he could see the wide forehead, shapely eyebrows and thick lashes that had been hidden earlier. Not to mention the blood red, rosebud lips. How on earth did a boy end up with a face like that?
Yunho took a deep breath. He watched as the kid turned to his group, watched as they embraced. One by one they removed their masks and he could see them all, if he’d wanted to, but his eyes were glued to the kid, tracking his every move. When the kid waved goodbye to his friends and took off, he found his feet moving of their own accord. He didn’t know why he was drawn to the boy but clearly it didn’t matter because his body was moving independently of his brain anyway. He followed the kid down a couple of vendor-lined streets, kept a distance as he stopped to get a bite to eat, before continuing down a narrow, ill-lit alleyway. When the kid suddenly stopped and spun around, he gasped audibly.
“Do you plan on following me all night or are you gonna tell me what you want at some point?” he asked frankly.
“How… When?”
“How? Because you’re not nearly as quiet as you think you are. Besides, I only have one shadow usually. If you’re gonna stalk someone, make sure to maintain distance,” he chastised. “And when? From the beginning. I saw you in the crowd, you know.”
Yunho closed his mouth, which he just realized was agape, and swallowed thickly.
The kid sighed deeply. “What do you want? Shouldn’t you be in your fancy hotel sleeping on mink sheets or something?”
Yunho’s eyes widened again, this time in astonishment. “You know who I am?”
The kid nodded. “And before you ask ‘how’, it’s the eyes. That’s a pretty good disguise you’ve got there and maybe if I hadn’t looked I wouldn’t have noticed but I did and I never forget a person’s eyes. Now, I’ll ask you one last time: what do you want?”
Shaking his head, Yunho got straight to the point. “Look, you and your friends are really talented.”
The kid nodded, accepting it as his due. “I know.”
Yunho smiled at his confidence. “You should be performing for huge crowds in stadiums, not on the sidewalk in the early hours of the morning for a handful of late-night stragglers.”
The kid turned to him fully, cocking his head to the side. “What makes them any less deserving than stadium patrons? Because they didn’t pay for it?”
“Well…” Yunho stuttered, unsure of how to respond.
The kid crossed his arms over his chest. “Look, maybe it’s been a while since you’ve experienced the simple joy of doing what you love because you love it and not because it’s demanded of you day in and day out but that’s why I do it. I love to dance, I love how dancing makes me feel. Sure, I like showing off to people, I feed off of the energy they give me but it still boils down to me, dance and my love of dance. Whether people are there cheering me on or not matters very little to me and I definitely don’t care about fattening my pockets. It doesn’t cost me anything to dance for them. If anything, it should be the other way around since they take time out of their day to encourage and support me, whether they stop for five minutes or five seconds.”
Yunho couldn’t argue with that logic. He’d thought and felt the same long ago, back when he’d still been an idealist. I guess success and fame have jaded me somewhat, he thought.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “I’m sorry.”
The kid nodded his acceptance. They lapsed into silence, neither knowing what to say. Finally, the kid cleared his throat. “What are you doing out at this hour anyway?” He looked over Yunho’s shoulder. “And alone at that.”
“Uh… I couldn’t sleep and I was bored. It’s been a while since I had time to walk around so I took advantage of the opportunity but…before I stumbled upon you and your friends, I was bored again. Walking around aimlessly isn’t as interesting as I’d thought it would be,” he joked.
“I see…”
They lapsed into silence for a second time and, again, it was the kid that broke it.
“Well…um…I guess, if you want that is, I could show you a few places. It’s the least I can do since you stopped to watch us, lending your support.”
Yunho eyed him cautiously. “Shouldn’t you be getting home? Don’t you have school tomorrow?”
Rather than be offended, the kid laughed. “Do you really care? Just how young do you think I am?”
“16?” Yunho guessed.
The kid burst out laughing again. “Aigoo!” He walked toward Yunho, then past him until he got to the main street. Raising an arm, he flagged a taxi. When one stopped in front of him, he opened the door before turning back to Yunho. “Are you coming?”
Yunho didn’t know what it was about the boy that made him so eager to find out more about him. He was definitely intrigued and that interest could cost him his career if he wasn’t careful but in that moment, he didn’t care. Rushing forward, he followed him into the cab.
“Hongdae,” the kid told the driver.
He settled back against the seat and unzipped his sweatshirt, the hood falling back.
Yunho finally got a good look at him. He was really exquisite. His face was already breathtakingly beautiful but he had long, bronze-colored hair tied back in a ponytail. The sweatshirt fell off his shoulders a bit, exposing delicate collarbones and a slender chest beneath the thin material of his cotton t-shirt. His shoulders were surprisingly broad but they didn’t detract from his beauty and femininity. If he had been a woman, he would have been the most perfect creature to ever walk the face of the earth. Perhaps that’s why God made him a man…
The kid glanced up at him. “What are you looking at?”
Yunho shook his head, realizing he had been staring. “Sorry, it’s just that you’re so…”
“Pretty? Beautiful?” The kid laughed as he removed the band from his hair, shaking out his waves. He peeked up at Yunho from beneath his fringe, a wicked smile on his perfect lips. “Trust me, there’s nothing you can say that I haven’t heard before.”
With his hair down, he was even more gorgeous. All that was missing were the hint of soft mounds under his t-shirt. He really would’ve been an unbelievably striking woman.
Soon after, the driver pulled up to the curb and the kid jumped out, leaving Yunho to pay. For the next hour, he was dragged from pub to pub, up and down streets that were ridiculously busy for the time of day that it was. Then again, Hongdae was the little city that never slept. He found himself relaxing, enjoying the unpredictability of the place. Each pub had its own essence, offered something different. He discovered really new and original music, far removed from the kpop he was used to in his musical community.
By the time they stumbled out of the fifth or sixth pub, he’d lost track to be honest, it was already 4am. The kid took his arm and led him down a street to an outdoor restaurant. As he sat across from the kid, he knew his enjoyment mainly had to do with his present company. The kid was chill and laid back. He’d danced in the pubs, not even batting an eye when he got hit on, which was often. It didn’t seem to bother him, he just laughed and flirted back, whether it was a guy or girl who had made the move, which ultimately led Yunho to wonder about his sexual preference. He was a guy who looked like a girl and didn’t seem to care who approached him. Could he be bi? Yunho was curious but couldn’t think of a way to broach the subject. It was then that he realized that he didn't even know the kid’s name.
“What’s your name?”
The kid cocked an eyebrow as if to say, “oh now you remember?” “Jaejoong.”
“Jaejoong and Jaemi,” Yunho murmured.
Jaejoong smiled. “Yup.”
“And you’re not my fan,” Yunho added, mock-hurt dripping from his tone.
Jaejoong laughed. “Nope, sorry. As you can see from your experience tonight, your kind of music doesn’t really satisfy my tastes.”
“I wonder what other predilections you have…” Yunho voiced before he realized he’d spoken.
Jaejoong’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
Yunho flushed. “I’m sorry, forget I even said that.”
“Mmm…”
Just then, a waitress arrived with their order. Yunho watched as Jaejoong plowed through three servings of samgyupsal. He mildly wondered where the food went because now that the kid had removed his sweatshirt altogether, he could see that there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. His face was full but the rest of him was incredibly lean. He absently wondered if he was underfed and thought it would be nice to treat him to a meal again sometime. Catching his train of thought, he poured himself another shot of Soju and downed it in one go.
“If you keep drinking like that, I’m going to have to carry you out of here,” Jaejoong warned.
“Have you ever been with a guy?” Yunho suddenly blurted.
Jaejoong’s head snapped up. “Why do you ask?”
“I was just wondering.” This time he didn’t apologize. The alcohol had loosened him up so now he wasn’t afraid to speak what was on his mind.
The kid shrugged. “Yeah, I have. Have you?”
Yunho nodded.
“A relationship?”
He nodded again.
“That guy who died a few years ago. Was it him?”
Yunho took a deep breath, pushed through the pain. Any mention of Lee’s death still hurt. It was such a waste of a life. “Yeah,” he replied. “How did you know? I thought you weren’t a fan.”
Jaejoong smiled. “I’m not but JaeMi is and she doesn’t spare me any details of your life, unfortunately.”
“Oh, really? What else do you know?”
“Enough,” was all he said.
“Well, I’m a bit at a disadvantage since I don’t know anything about you.”
“You don’t need to.”
“How old are you?”
Jaejoong decided he could at least give him that much. “19.”
“Do you like older men? Have you ever been with one?”
The question made Jaejoong pause. He cocked his head to the side, his hair falling over his shoulder. In the light, the bronze shone around his face like a halo.
Beautiful…
“Define old,” he finally said.
“Well, you’re 19 so about my age. 29, 30, 31.”
Jaejoong burst out laughing. “Honey, you have no idea…”
Yunho’s eyes widened. “Older?”
“There was this guy once… He was really obsessed with me for some reason. He would be waiting outside my school every day, promising me all sorts of things. It was fun for a while but it got old really fast. He started showing up outside my house. It’s one thing to mess with me, you know, but I don’t want that near my family, especially JaeMi. I knew where he lived so I went to his house to confront him. He promised to leave me alone if I granted one wish...” His voice trailed off and he started finishing off the remaining meat on the platter.
Yunho waited for him to continue but he just kept eating. Eventually he grew impatient. “And?” he prompted.
JaeJoong looked up at him puzzled. “And what?”
“What was his wish?”
Jaejoong’s eyebrows disappeared into his bangs. “Oh, you really wanted to know? I stopped because I wasn’t sure how much you’d be able to handle.”
Yunho leaned back, took a sip of Soju. “By all means, continue.”
Jaejoong set his fork down, swallowed his last mouthful. “Well… I should warn you, I’m going to speak very plainly about this.”
Yunho smiled wryly. “It’s not like you’ve been formal to begin with.”
Jaejoong nodded. “Point taken. Well, he promised he’d leave me alone if I granted him one wish. He wanted to fuck me, of course, but I’d never do that so then he said he would settle for touching me. Basically, he wanted to feel me up. I warned him not to try to kiss me or I’d sock him in the mouth. No way in hell did I want his tongue in my mouth.” He gagged at the thought. Shaking the image from his mind, he went on. “So I stood there while he ran his hands over me. I kinda closed my eyes and counted backward from 100. Next thing I know, he’s unbuttoning my pants and pulling my underwear down. I was just about to stop him when he started sucking me off. I couldn’t watch him, it really grossed me out, but I won’t lie: it felt really good. Clearly, he knew what he was doing. Well, I’m sure you can fill in the rest. Anyway, he stayed away from my house after that. He still watched me but from a distance. Every so often little gifts would show up at my house and I knew it was from him. Or, so I assumed. It sorta became clear after a while that he wasn’t my only stalker.” Shrugging, he poured himself a shot of Soju.
Yunho stared at him dumbfounded. How could he be so nonchalant about it all? His own first sexual experience hadn’t been nearly so traumatic yet he had a hard time thinking of the bumbling mess he’d made of it. Assuming it was his first sexual experience, a voice reminded him.
“Was that the first time you…?” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the question.
Jaejoong lifted a brow. “The first time I’d been with a guy?” He smiled mysteriously. “Wouldn’t you like to know…”
Yunho blushed. He really would actually. He didn’t know why he was so enchanted with Jaejoong but he wanted to know everything about him and while his story may have stirred up unappealing memories for Jae, it had had the opposite effect on him. He knew that there was a visible tent in his pants and was ever grateful for the cover of the table between them.
Jaejoong laughed. “I didn’t know guys your age could be so cute still.”
Yunho’s blush deepened.
With a lofty sigh, Jae raked his fingers through his hair, twirling a lock while he studied it intently. “He wasn’t my first experience, no. Sadly, while this face has brought me many things, a lot of it hasn’t been good…”
Yunho was curious about what he meant but this time he didn’t give into the overwhelming urge to ask. Whatever it was was disturbing enough to kill Jaejoong’s laidback mood for the first time since he'd met him.
Somberness settled between them and neither said anything, just drank silently.
When Yunho raised his hand to order another round, Jaejoong spoke up. “I think you’d better just get the bill. It’s almost 5am. Pretty soon the early-morning work crowd’s going to start heading out and you still have to get back and sneak into your hotel.”
It was a good thing that he’d reminded him since Yunho had totally lost track of time. When the waitress came he requested the bill and went with her to settle it. When he returned, Jaejoong was standing on the sidewalk waiting, his sweatshirt zipped up, hood pulled down like the first time he’d seen him. Yunho could see him shiver occasionally, though. The sweatshirt wasn’t nearly thick enough and he wore very little underneath. They started down the street and Yunho pulled up the high collar of his own coat against the bracing cold, regretting having lost his scarf earlier when he’d removed his ‘cover’ in one of the pubs.
As he started walking, he felt a slight queasiness in his stomach. He wasn’t much of a drinker and he wondered if maybe he’d overdone it. He didn’t say anything to Jae, only took deep breaths and swallowed back the vomit that threatened. The feeling worsened, however, and before he could call out a warning to Jae, he ducked into a side street and emptied his stomach. As he retched, he felt Jae behind him, felt his hand patting his back gently. His stomach continued to heave even when nothing more came up. He heard Jae say, “Stay here,” followed by footsteps running behind him in the opposite direction.
When he felt like his stomach had calmed, he moved away from the mess he’d made and sat, taking deep, cleansing breaths. Five minutes later, Jae returned with a black bag in tow. He handed him a bottle of water and a packet of what he assumed was anti-nausea medication before stuffing the bag and the rest of its contents into his pocket.
Jae watched him intently while he took the medication. “Better?” Yunho nodded but Jae still made him wait another five minutes before he let him stand. When Jae wrapped an arm around his waist and started leading him out onto the main street again, he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around Jae’s shoulder in turn. He knew Jae was doing it just in case he was still shaky but although he felt steady, the nausea having passed once he’d puked everything up, it felt nice to hold and be held so he leaned on Jae a little more than he needed to, feeling warm inside when Jae’s arm tightened around him.
Ten minutes later, they were ensconced in a taxi on their way back to his hotel. Jae still held him and he continued to lean on him. He looked up and saw the taxi driver glancing at them through the rear-view mirror, a small smile on his face. He’d seen similar looks from passersby on the streets. He imagined they made a very attractive picture, Jae with his ethereally beautiful face and he with his quiet handsomeness. He wondered what they’d think if they knew it was another male he held so closely.
He found himself smiling while he pictured what they looked like together. He glanced down at the top of Jae’s head and noticed it was resting on his shoulder. He leaned forward to get a better look at his face and was surprised to see his eyes closed. He was asleep. Yunho felt a stab of guilt. As entranced as he was with the boy, he knew very little about him. He’d been so caught up in his own enjoyment that he spared little or no thought about how the boy was holding up, if he’d had a hard day, if he’d get in trouble with his parents for staying out so late, etc.
Yunho studied his face as he dozed. His features were soft and relaxed, dusky eyelashes brushed his cheeks; his ruby red lips were slightly parted. Was it possible that he was even more beautiful in sleep? Yunho had a sudden urge to take him home and lock him up for all eternity. Was it possible to fall in love with someone after only knowing them for a few hours? Was this what they called love at first sight? He wasn’t sure what he was feeling but he knew he’d never felt it before. Not even with Lee. He’d been drawn to JaeJoong from the moment he’d set eyes on him and that had been before he’d even known he was a boy. After spending the past five hours with him, he was beyond intrigued. There might be a ten year age gap between them but JaeJoong was such an old soul that if he didn’t look his age, younger even, he’d have thought he was the older one and not the other way around. With a sigh, he pulled Jaejoong closer to him and rested his cheek on the top of his head.
Part Two: 2
Author: VampireMadonna
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: NC-17
Synopsis: Yunho's life is empty, there's nothing much that gives him real joy. One fateful night he runs into the most beautiful girl he's ever seen...Except she's not a girl. He's immediately captivated by the boy. Could this be the start of something new?
A/N: It's too large so I had to split it. Boo!
He was hungry, tired and his face ached from smiling too much. Some days he truly enjoyed what he did but there were others when he wanted to say “to hell with it all” and just quit. Not that it was possible at this point. He had too high a celebrity profile to ever think he could leave the industry and not have some of the craziness follow him into a normal life. Just yesterday he’d made a rare trip to his parents’ house and had had to call the police on the throng of fans that followed him there. He felt apologetic towards his parents for causing them such distress. It was the very reason his visits were so few and far between. He loved his work but it was quite burdensome at times.
As he made his way through the crowd after his group’s anniversary concert, he smiled and waved automatically while his mind was already anticipating the hot tub that would be waiting for him. He’d nibble on some caviar and soak until he was wrinkled. His smile turned genuine, the pleasant image giving him the strength to make it through the mini-fanmeet that always occurred after a show. Security led their way but the girls were persistent and he always cautioned the bodyguards not to be too forceful with their fans. He didn’t particularly want them mauling him but he also didn’t want any of them getting injured. Lawsuits were a nasty business but the injuries or deaths of innocents were a weight he didn’t want on his soul.
“Yunho!!!!!”
The screams assaulted his ears as they walked through the outer doors and still, the smile stayed firmly on his face. He and his members spread out in front of the barricade, the only thing keeping the girls from stampeding, to sign a few autographs. As he took their pictures, bits of paper, whatever they held out, he tried as best he could to pay attention to what they said to him. It was hard, though, with all the screaming. He didn’t think they really cared if he heard them so long as they had the impression that he did and his smile of acknowledgment did that.
He stepped in front of a small girl. She was cute and couldn’t possibly have been older than 10. Taking the photo she held out to him, he smiled and inquired, “What’s your name?”
“JaeMi,” she replied. Suddenly, she laughed and covered her mouth with a little hand. “I’m going to marry you one day,” he heard her say, surprised that he could hear anything at all with all the noise.
He burst out laughing. “Oh, really?” He placed a hand on her head and patted it gently. Poor thing, he thought. They all had their favorites, all hoped that one day they could be Mrs. *blank*. Perhaps, for the other members, one of them might be…someday. As for him… He’d had girlfriends over the years, famous friends who didn’t mind being involved in a charade. It was just acting after all. Everyone got caught up in a scandal every now and again, be it real or contrived. It was an expected part of the celebrity life. His real romances, however, had always been on the down low. He’d only had one serious relationship: a five year torrid affair with an actor who had debuted when his group was just beginning their upward climb to stardom. To the general public, they were best friends, but the real nature of their relationship had been known by those in the industry. They weren’t the only ones so it wasn’t such a big deal. Homosexuality existed, even if it wasn’t openly acknowledged. So long as it was kept under wraps and no scandals developed, it was mostly overlooked.
For five years, they’d lived hard, loved hard and fought hard until one day he just couldn’t take it anymore. Love wasn’t supposed to be so stressful, painful. There were always hard times but things with Lee were tougher than they should have been. For one thing, his jealousy was overwhelming. He was dissatisfied with his career, felt that he was too good for the bit parts he was receiving: he was always the sidekick, never the lead. When he was in one of his moods, he’d accuse Yunho of flaunting his fame in his face. As if that wasn’t bad enough, when they’d go out, which was often because Yunho led such a high profile social life, he’d rage that Yunho was flirting in front of him, that he was already looking for his replacement, someone richer and more famous. Trading up, as he called it. None of it had been true, of course, but Lee saw what he wanted to see and never listened when Yunho tried to talk to him. It hadn’t always been like that. They’d been blissfully happy in the beginning, first as friends, then as lovers, and later settling into a quiet cohabitation. ‘Roommates’ supposedly but it felt like being married. It was more than he’d ever hoped for when, at the age of 18, he’d admitted to himself that he was gay. He never imagined that five years later he’d be moving out of his beloved home and into Jinho’s apartment.
Jinho, his best friend and band mate, had been understanding, compassionate and Yunho’d been grateful for his support in the hard times that followed. Never in his wildest dreams had he conceived of the drama that would follow. Lee tried everything he could to ruin him but, thankfully, his good name and reputation had held up. His company and group had stood behind him. All of it was hush-hush, of course. If there was one thing that Lee loved more than all else in the world, it was his career. He might try to ruin Yunho’s but not at the cost of his own, so all of his attacks had been as on the down low as their relationship. Lee’s life took a turn for the worst when he was arrested for possession of narcotics. Yunho had tried to reach out to him, get him help, but he’d been rudely turned away. It wasn’t totally surprising when, eight months later, he got the call saying that Lee was dead. An overdose. He’d cried at his funeral: to the public, a friend mourning the loss of his estranged brother; to those in the know, a man grieving over the tragic end of his lover.
After Lee’s death, he’d taken a short hiatus from the group to get his head straight. It took longer than expected but eventually he’d found his way back. Since then, he’d had a few flings, a few casual relationships, but nothing serious. There just hadn’t been anyone worth taking such a big risk on again. Pulling back from the memories, he dropped his hand.
“I’ll be waiting for you then,” he said with mock seriousness.
The girl squealed and he laughed again. His eyes shifted to the person standing beside her. His breath caught in his throat when he met and held the penetrating dark eyes staring back at him. They were like wide, round, bottomless pits beaming out of, from what he could tell in the dim light, a very beautiful face. Pale, fair skin; pert nose; high cheekbones. Bangs covered the forehead and her mouth was hidden by the edge of the scarf wrapped around her neck.
“What about you?” he asked. “Anything for me to sign?”
“Sorry, I’m not a fan,” a husky voice spoke, a voice that was several octaves lower than it should have been.
She was a…boy?
Yunho almost stumbled back at the shock, had to force himself not to react. The soft, taunting laughter he heard coming from the boy barely registered. “You’re a…”
“JaeMi-ah, let’s go now, okay?” With that, he took the girl’s hand and started leading her away.
“Oppa, saranghae!” JaeMi called to Yunho as she was dragged away.
Shaking his head, Yunho moved onto the next fan.
“Wonders never cease,” he muttered.
********************************************************************
He was bored. He’d had his soak in the hot tub, caviar included, but it hadn’t soothed him as much as he’d thought it would. It was late but he wasn’t sleepy. He was really wired for some reason. He’d had a glass of wine but it did nothing so he’d had another. No effect whatsoever. After pacing his hotel room for half an hour, he finally decided to go for a walk. He was both excited and wary of the prospect. It had been a while since he’d had the time to simply stroll around like a normal person. On the other hand, he wasn’t just a regular person and despite the hour, there were bound to be people about who’d recognize him. He wouldn’t be surprised if fans were at the entrance of the hotel that very minute.
He didn’t let it discourage him from his plan, though. With renewed vigor, he thought of it as a game, an acting challenge. He’d had parts in dramas before but not recently so he’d use it as a sort of refresher course. Brimming with excitement, he opened his closet and started assembling the perfect outfit. Five minutes later, he stepped out of his hotel room donned in a thick, dark grey winter coat over a black cashmere sweater and straight-cut dark blue jeans, matching scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, covering his mouth like the kid he’d seen earlier, and a baseball cap fitted snugly over his short-cropped hair. Military-style boots completed his outfit. He knew it was a bit cliché, that he might draw more attention rather than avert it, but it was winter and people were bundled up against the abrasive cold, so although he might not be as unassuming as he might have liked, he still wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
He walked down the back staircase to the ground floor and headed for the service entrance he’d seen upon entering earlier. It would most likely be locked but it wouldn’t hurt to check anyway. Call it luck or fate, but the door was open as what looked like fresh produce was being wheeled into the hall. Keeping his head down, he rushed past the loaders before they could even think to stop him. From the alley, he made his way to the main street. He felt a keen sense of accomplishment. Phase one was complete: he’d gained freedom without attracting attention. Now he just needed to find something do to occupy his time or at least tire him out before he returned. His manager would freak if he knew what he’d done. He chuckled at the thought.
He walked around for about an hour, stopping at stalls and vendors he passed along the way. He sampled ddokboki and fish cakes, both of which he hadn’t eaten in ages. It was delicious and reminded him of his childhood, of the simple life he’d led before he became an idol. It wasn’t too long before he became bored again. Walking without purpose wasn’t much different than being at home doing nothing. He strolled around aimlessly until he spotted a group of kids on a promenade. It looked like they were performing. There was a small crowd gathered around them and he could hear the faint sound of music, most likely coming from a portable radio.
He jogged across to get a closer look. They wore masks and hooded sweatshirts, drawing the audience’s attention to their dancing and not their looks. As for their dancing, they’d apparently practiced a lot because they were really good. Why haven’t they been discovered yet?, he wondered. They could easily have signed with a company and been trained, even if only as back-up dancers. He glanced at the faces of those in the crowd. Mostly couples, other young people or teenagers. If they only performed in the wee hours of the morning, they’d never catch the industry’s attention. He continued to watch, becoming more and more impressed with each performance. By the time they wrapped up, he was about ready to reveal who he was and offer to help them get signed. They were amazing. Their style was fresh, their moves crisp and clean. The music, which sounded like original work as well, perfectly accompanied their routines.
They were bowing to the clapping crowd. Just then, one of the kids removed his mask. “Kansamnida. We’re happy you’ve enjoyed our performance. You give us encouragement to continue doing what we love so much.”
Yunho froze. That voice… His eyes flew to the kid’s face, widening as recognition hit. It was the kid from earlier! He could see his entire face clearly now. His bangs were pushed back so he could see the wide forehead, shapely eyebrows and thick lashes that had been hidden earlier. Not to mention the blood red, rosebud lips. How on earth did a boy end up with a face like that?
Yunho took a deep breath. He watched as the kid turned to his group, watched as they embraced. One by one they removed their masks and he could see them all, if he’d wanted to, but his eyes were glued to the kid, tracking his every move. When the kid waved goodbye to his friends and took off, he found his feet moving of their own accord. He didn’t know why he was drawn to the boy but clearly it didn’t matter because his body was moving independently of his brain anyway. He followed the kid down a couple of vendor-lined streets, kept a distance as he stopped to get a bite to eat, before continuing down a narrow, ill-lit alleyway. When the kid suddenly stopped and spun around, he gasped audibly.
“Do you plan on following me all night or are you gonna tell me what you want at some point?” he asked frankly.
“How… When?”
“How? Because you’re not nearly as quiet as you think you are. Besides, I only have one shadow usually. If you’re gonna stalk someone, make sure to maintain distance,” he chastised. “And when? From the beginning. I saw you in the crowd, you know.”
Yunho closed his mouth, which he just realized was agape, and swallowed thickly.
The kid sighed deeply. “What do you want? Shouldn’t you be in your fancy hotel sleeping on mink sheets or something?”
Yunho’s eyes widened again, this time in astonishment. “You know who I am?”
The kid nodded. “And before you ask ‘how’, it’s the eyes. That’s a pretty good disguise you’ve got there and maybe if I hadn’t looked I wouldn’t have noticed but I did and I never forget a person’s eyes. Now, I’ll ask you one last time: what do you want?”
Shaking his head, Yunho got straight to the point. “Look, you and your friends are really talented.”
The kid nodded, accepting it as his due. “I know.”
Yunho smiled at his confidence. “You should be performing for huge crowds in stadiums, not on the sidewalk in the early hours of the morning for a handful of late-night stragglers.”
The kid turned to him fully, cocking his head to the side. “What makes them any less deserving than stadium patrons? Because they didn’t pay for it?”
“Well…” Yunho stuttered, unsure of how to respond.
The kid crossed his arms over his chest. “Look, maybe it’s been a while since you’ve experienced the simple joy of doing what you love because you love it and not because it’s demanded of you day in and day out but that’s why I do it. I love to dance, I love how dancing makes me feel. Sure, I like showing off to people, I feed off of the energy they give me but it still boils down to me, dance and my love of dance. Whether people are there cheering me on or not matters very little to me and I definitely don’t care about fattening my pockets. It doesn’t cost me anything to dance for them. If anything, it should be the other way around since they take time out of their day to encourage and support me, whether they stop for five minutes or five seconds.”
Yunho couldn’t argue with that logic. He’d thought and felt the same long ago, back when he’d still been an idealist. I guess success and fame have jaded me somewhat, he thought.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “I’m sorry.”
The kid nodded his acceptance. They lapsed into silence, neither knowing what to say. Finally, the kid cleared his throat. “What are you doing out at this hour anyway?” He looked over Yunho’s shoulder. “And alone at that.”
“Uh… I couldn’t sleep and I was bored. It’s been a while since I had time to walk around so I took advantage of the opportunity but…before I stumbled upon you and your friends, I was bored again. Walking around aimlessly isn’t as interesting as I’d thought it would be,” he joked.
“I see…”
They lapsed into silence for a second time and, again, it was the kid that broke it.
“Well…um…I guess, if you want that is, I could show you a few places. It’s the least I can do since you stopped to watch us, lending your support.”
Yunho eyed him cautiously. “Shouldn’t you be getting home? Don’t you have school tomorrow?”
Rather than be offended, the kid laughed. “Do you really care? Just how young do you think I am?”
“16?” Yunho guessed.
The kid burst out laughing again. “Aigoo!” He walked toward Yunho, then past him until he got to the main street. Raising an arm, he flagged a taxi. When one stopped in front of him, he opened the door before turning back to Yunho. “Are you coming?”
Yunho didn’t know what it was about the boy that made him so eager to find out more about him. He was definitely intrigued and that interest could cost him his career if he wasn’t careful but in that moment, he didn’t care. Rushing forward, he followed him into the cab.
“Hongdae,” the kid told the driver.
He settled back against the seat and unzipped his sweatshirt, the hood falling back.
Yunho finally got a good look at him. He was really exquisite. His face was already breathtakingly beautiful but he had long, bronze-colored hair tied back in a ponytail. The sweatshirt fell off his shoulders a bit, exposing delicate collarbones and a slender chest beneath the thin material of his cotton t-shirt. His shoulders were surprisingly broad but they didn’t detract from his beauty and femininity. If he had been a woman, he would have been the most perfect creature to ever walk the face of the earth. Perhaps that’s why God made him a man…
The kid glanced up at him. “What are you looking at?”
Yunho shook his head, realizing he had been staring. “Sorry, it’s just that you’re so…”
“Pretty? Beautiful?” The kid laughed as he removed the band from his hair, shaking out his waves. He peeked up at Yunho from beneath his fringe, a wicked smile on his perfect lips. “Trust me, there’s nothing you can say that I haven’t heard before.”
With his hair down, he was even more gorgeous. All that was missing were the hint of soft mounds under his t-shirt. He really would’ve been an unbelievably striking woman.
Soon after, the driver pulled up to the curb and the kid jumped out, leaving Yunho to pay. For the next hour, he was dragged from pub to pub, up and down streets that were ridiculously busy for the time of day that it was. Then again, Hongdae was the little city that never slept. He found himself relaxing, enjoying the unpredictability of the place. Each pub had its own essence, offered something different. He discovered really new and original music, far removed from the kpop he was used to in his musical community.
By the time they stumbled out of the fifth or sixth pub, he’d lost track to be honest, it was already 4am. The kid took his arm and led him down a street to an outdoor restaurant. As he sat across from the kid, he knew his enjoyment mainly had to do with his present company. The kid was chill and laid back. He’d danced in the pubs, not even batting an eye when he got hit on, which was often. It didn’t seem to bother him, he just laughed and flirted back, whether it was a guy or girl who had made the move, which ultimately led Yunho to wonder about his sexual preference. He was a guy who looked like a girl and didn’t seem to care who approached him. Could he be bi? Yunho was curious but couldn’t think of a way to broach the subject. It was then that he realized that he didn't even know the kid’s name.
“What’s your name?”
The kid cocked an eyebrow as if to say, “oh now you remember?” “Jaejoong.”
“Jaejoong and Jaemi,” Yunho murmured.
Jaejoong smiled. “Yup.”
“And you’re not my fan,” Yunho added, mock-hurt dripping from his tone.
Jaejoong laughed. “Nope, sorry. As you can see from your experience tonight, your kind of music doesn’t really satisfy my tastes.”
“I wonder what other predilections you have…” Yunho voiced before he realized he’d spoken.
Jaejoong’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
Yunho flushed. “I’m sorry, forget I even said that.”
“Mmm…”
Just then, a waitress arrived with their order. Yunho watched as Jaejoong plowed through three servings of samgyupsal. He mildly wondered where the food went because now that the kid had removed his sweatshirt altogether, he could see that there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. His face was full but the rest of him was incredibly lean. He absently wondered if he was underfed and thought it would be nice to treat him to a meal again sometime. Catching his train of thought, he poured himself another shot of Soju and downed it in one go.
“If you keep drinking like that, I’m going to have to carry you out of here,” Jaejoong warned.
“Have you ever been with a guy?” Yunho suddenly blurted.
Jaejoong’s head snapped up. “Why do you ask?”
“I was just wondering.” This time he didn’t apologize. The alcohol had loosened him up so now he wasn’t afraid to speak what was on his mind.
The kid shrugged. “Yeah, I have. Have you?”
Yunho nodded.
“A relationship?”
He nodded again.
“That guy who died a few years ago. Was it him?”
Yunho took a deep breath, pushed through the pain. Any mention of Lee’s death still hurt. It was such a waste of a life. “Yeah,” he replied. “How did you know? I thought you weren’t a fan.”
Jaejoong smiled. “I’m not but JaeMi is and she doesn’t spare me any details of your life, unfortunately.”
“Oh, really? What else do you know?”
“Enough,” was all he said.
“Well, I’m a bit at a disadvantage since I don’t know anything about you.”
“You don’t need to.”
“How old are you?”
Jaejoong decided he could at least give him that much. “19.”
“Do you like older men? Have you ever been with one?”
The question made Jaejoong pause. He cocked his head to the side, his hair falling over his shoulder. In the light, the bronze shone around his face like a halo.
Beautiful…
“Define old,” he finally said.
“Well, you’re 19 so about my age. 29, 30, 31.”
Jaejoong burst out laughing. “Honey, you have no idea…”
Yunho’s eyes widened. “Older?”
“There was this guy once… He was really obsessed with me for some reason. He would be waiting outside my school every day, promising me all sorts of things. It was fun for a while but it got old really fast. He started showing up outside my house. It’s one thing to mess with me, you know, but I don’t want that near my family, especially JaeMi. I knew where he lived so I went to his house to confront him. He promised to leave me alone if I granted one wish...” His voice trailed off and he started finishing off the remaining meat on the platter.
Yunho waited for him to continue but he just kept eating. Eventually he grew impatient. “And?” he prompted.
JaeJoong looked up at him puzzled. “And what?”
“What was his wish?”
Jaejoong’s eyebrows disappeared into his bangs. “Oh, you really wanted to know? I stopped because I wasn’t sure how much you’d be able to handle.”
Yunho leaned back, took a sip of Soju. “By all means, continue.”
Jaejoong set his fork down, swallowed his last mouthful. “Well… I should warn you, I’m going to speak very plainly about this.”
Yunho smiled wryly. “It’s not like you’ve been formal to begin with.”
Jaejoong nodded. “Point taken. Well, he promised he’d leave me alone if I granted him one wish. He wanted to fuck me, of course, but I’d never do that so then he said he would settle for touching me. Basically, he wanted to feel me up. I warned him not to try to kiss me or I’d sock him in the mouth. No way in hell did I want his tongue in my mouth.” He gagged at the thought. Shaking the image from his mind, he went on. “So I stood there while he ran his hands over me. I kinda closed my eyes and counted backward from 100. Next thing I know, he’s unbuttoning my pants and pulling my underwear down. I was just about to stop him when he started sucking me off. I couldn’t watch him, it really grossed me out, but I won’t lie: it felt really good. Clearly, he knew what he was doing. Well, I’m sure you can fill in the rest. Anyway, he stayed away from my house after that. He still watched me but from a distance. Every so often little gifts would show up at my house and I knew it was from him. Or, so I assumed. It sorta became clear after a while that he wasn’t my only stalker.” Shrugging, he poured himself a shot of Soju.
Yunho stared at him dumbfounded. How could he be so nonchalant about it all? His own first sexual experience hadn’t been nearly so traumatic yet he had a hard time thinking of the bumbling mess he’d made of it. Assuming it was his first sexual experience, a voice reminded him.
“Was that the first time you…?” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the question.
Jaejoong lifted a brow. “The first time I’d been with a guy?” He smiled mysteriously. “Wouldn’t you like to know…”
Yunho blushed. He really would actually. He didn’t know why he was so enchanted with Jaejoong but he wanted to know everything about him and while his story may have stirred up unappealing memories for Jae, it had had the opposite effect on him. He knew that there was a visible tent in his pants and was ever grateful for the cover of the table between them.
Jaejoong laughed. “I didn’t know guys your age could be so cute still.”
Yunho’s blush deepened.
With a lofty sigh, Jae raked his fingers through his hair, twirling a lock while he studied it intently. “He wasn’t my first experience, no. Sadly, while this face has brought me many things, a lot of it hasn’t been good…”
Yunho was curious about what he meant but this time he didn’t give into the overwhelming urge to ask. Whatever it was was disturbing enough to kill Jaejoong’s laidback mood for the first time since he'd met him.
Somberness settled between them and neither said anything, just drank silently.
When Yunho raised his hand to order another round, Jaejoong spoke up. “I think you’d better just get the bill. It’s almost 5am. Pretty soon the early-morning work crowd’s going to start heading out and you still have to get back and sneak into your hotel.”
It was a good thing that he’d reminded him since Yunho had totally lost track of time. When the waitress came he requested the bill and went with her to settle it. When he returned, Jaejoong was standing on the sidewalk waiting, his sweatshirt zipped up, hood pulled down like the first time he’d seen him. Yunho could see him shiver occasionally, though. The sweatshirt wasn’t nearly thick enough and he wore very little underneath. They started down the street and Yunho pulled up the high collar of his own coat against the bracing cold, regretting having lost his scarf earlier when he’d removed his ‘cover’ in one of the pubs.
As he started walking, he felt a slight queasiness in his stomach. He wasn’t much of a drinker and he wondered if maybe he’d overdone it. He didn’t say anything to Jae, only took deep breaths and swallowed back the vomit that threatened. The feeling worsened, however, and before he could call out a warning to Jae, he ducked into a side street and emptied his stomach. As he retched, he felt Jae behind him, felt his hand patting his back gently. His stomach continued to heave even when nothing more came up. He heard Jae say, “Stay here,” followed by footsteps running behind him in the opposite direction.
When he felt like his stomach had calmed, he moved away from the mess he’d made and sat, taking deep, cleansing breaths. Five minutes later, Jae returned with a black bag in tow. He handed him a bottle of water and a packet of what he assumed was anti-nausea medication before stuffing the bag and the rest of its contents into his pocket.
Jae watched him intently while he took the medication. “Better?” Yunho nodded but Jae still made him wait another five minutes before he let him stand. When Jae wrapped an arm around his waist and started leading him out onto the main street again, he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around Jae’s shoulder in turn. He knew Jae was doing it just in case he was still shaky but although he felt steady, the nausea having passed once he’d puked everything up, it felt nice to hold and be held so he leaned on Jae a little more than he needed to, feeling warm inside when Jae’s arm tightened around him.
Ten minutes later, they were ensconced in a taxi on their way back to his hotel. Jae still held him and he continued to lean on him. He looked up and saw the taxi driver glancing at them through the rear-view mirror, a small smile on his face. He’d seen similar looks from passersby on the streets. He imagined they made a very attractive picture, Jae with his ethereally beautiful face and he with his quiet handsomeness. He wondered what they’d think if they knew it was another male he held so closely.
He found himself smiling while he pictured what they looked like together. He glanced down at the top of Jae’s head and noticed it was resting on his shoulder. He leaned forward to get a better look at his face and was surprised to see his eyes closed. He was asleep. Yunho felt a stab of guilt. As entranced as he was with the boy, he knew very little about him. He’d been so caught up in his own enjoyment that he spared little or no thought about how the boy was holding up, if he’d had a hard day, if he’d get in trouble with his parents for staying out so late, etc.
Yunho studied his face as he dozed. His features were soft and relaxed, dusky eyelashes brushed his cheeks; his ruby red lips were slightly parted. Was it possible that he was even more beautiful in sleep? Yunho had a sudden urge to take him home and lock him up for all eternity. Was it possible to fall in love with someone after only knowing them for a few hours? Was this what they called love at first sight? He wasn’t sure what he was feeling but he knew he’d never felt it before. Not even with Lee. He’d been drawn to JaeJoong from the moment he’d set eyes on him and that had been before he’d even known he was a boy. After spending the past five hours with him, he was beyond intrigued. There might be a ten year age gap between them but JaeJoong was such an old soul that if he didn’t look his age, younger even, he’d have thought he was the older one and not the other way around. With a sigh, he pulled Jaejoong closer to him and rested his cheek on the top of his head.
Part Two: 2