Through the crown of the sakura tree - 43
Author: Hikaru Del Sogno
Fandom: DB5K
Pairings: Changmin x Junsu (MinSu), Yoochun x Junsu, Yunho x Jaejoong
Genre: Romance, Angst
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They are not mine.
“The last point of our meeting today is whether to participating in the lobbying of xxyyzz…”
Jang Woohyun kept on and on. Changmin had lost track of how many “last point”’s Jang had assured people of so far. All he knew was that he had to get out of this meeting as soon as possible. For God’s sake, it was almost 7:20pm! This was one of the longest and most torturous meetings Changmin had ever been in, and he honestly regretted taking 6 days off because work had been culmulating into a mountain.
Changmin could pluck his hair out out of frustration but he wouldn’t do that. He needed to keep himself neat, following his mother’s advice that appearance was one of his selling points. At all costs Changmin would have to convince Junsu that he was worth hanging on to, and he would do that even if he had to employ his dazzling looks, which he thought was the most shameless scheme ever.
Changmin said “Agree” and “Agree” continuously, making his employees wonder what had made him so easy-going that day. Finally at 7pm, the meeting ended. Changmin ran out of the meeting room so fast his employees could see smoke behind him.
Changmin jumped into his white BMW, ignited the engine. God there was even a list of things to do! Changmin would have to skip all the going home to change into a handsome set of clothes, wearing nice cologne and all other stuff, to jump straight to the picking up flowers part. Expensive roses had proved to be a fail that night in Ilsan, so this time Changmin changed to the classic but safe bet: November lilies, Junsu’s favorite flowers. November lilies were hard to find during this time of the year (they were called November lilies for a reason), so he had had to contact a greenhouse in a Northern city for 21 fresh and gorgeous lilies to arrive and ready for pick-up at 6pm.
Yet only at 8pm were they safe in Changmin’s car.
Changmin rushed like something was chasing him, and at 8pm he was at the conservatory with a sharp “ritzz” sound of the brake. The end of the year concert was not for a large audience, so the venue wasn’t the Grand Auditorium. Changmin had to ran like a mice in a maze to find “Ravel Hall”, and when he arrived, the concert had apparently started, so he had to sneak in and didn’t have the chance to even obtain the program. The fact that he knew not when exactly Junsu was to perform gave even more suspence to the situation, and Changmin realized that for the first time in God knows how long, he was nervous. His hands were sweating on the paper wrap of the flowers, soaking on the rattling sounds of it.
Changmin told himself to calm the freak down, so his brain directed itself to the listening of music. On-going on the stage was a girl playing Paganini’s Capricio no. 24, and it took a while for Changmin to realize the girl had been sending him strange looks. He could see this because it was rather a small venue they were at, and it took him some more time to recognize she was Dana, Yuri’s close friend whom he had slept with once or twice before.
Changmin cursed his luck.
He looked away to avoid her eyes. So, as mentioned, it was a small venue. There were under 100 people in the audience, sitting around the center area which served as a low stage. There was soothing light on, giving the place an intimate feeling. It was probably because the people present were mostly students’ family members or friends, because many of them also brought flowers. There were chrysanthemums, roses of many colors, even some strange blue ones... so among them, Changmin’s bouquet of November lilies really stood out. Those flowers were pure white on top of thick green leaves, without redundant decorations or background flowers - just the way Junsu liked it, Changmin thought with fondness. Or to be more exact, just the way Junsu was. November lilies were also called Easter lilies, and like the name suggests, for long they had been the symbol of Christ’s resurrection, for their pure, simple yet royal beauty. Totally suited Junsu.
Changmin just hoped things would go well. He chose to come here to give Junsu flowers on stage so that Junsu wouldn’t be able to refuse it. Junsu would have to look at him, and realize how much he really didn’t want to cut all ties with the Shim heir. Then they would sit down and talk and make some arrangement. Things would become normal. Or so Changmin hoped.
Too absorbed in his own thoughts, Changmin didn’t pay attention to the performances on stage. He knocked himself out of his thoughts, and concentrated on what was going on again. A long-haired guy was playing the 3rd movement of “The Tempest”. Fairly speaking it wasn’t bad, but because Changmin had listened to Junsu playing it once, to his ears this interpretation seemed somehow flawed. Later Changmin learnt the name of this guy to be Lee Taemin.
Just like that Changmin killed time by learning the names of the performers. By the time he learnt the 6th name, he had become impatient. Where was Junsu? Changmin fidgeted, looking about. Then he told himself to sit still. There were 2 more performers and as people say, we save the best for last. Junsu was the best so he must be the last one to perform.
Reasoning so, Changmin relaxed again. But the next-to-last one had just finished (Changmin heard but listened to next to nothing of what that girl had played), and the last one was up. It was no Junsu. Changmin stared at Kwon Ji Yong (that guy’s name) with astonishment, a kind of expression wasn’t supposed to be there when the cheerful Carmen BV 284 was being played. By the time Ji Yong had finished Changmin became the only one left in the audience with a not-yet-given bouquet of flowers in his hands. Changmin laboriously convinced himself that there would be something like a Special Stage Of The Top Scorer or something, in which Junsu would appear, but there was none. Then he hoped the encore would turn into something Junsu’s, but it didn’t. Changmin was desperate.
The venue turned into a reception soon after, with students taking photos with friends and family members and there was even champagne going around. In the midst of the cheerful mood, Changmin was totally out of place. The lilies were still waiting to be given to someone who wasn’t even there.
Changmin caught a glimpse of Dana with some of her friends at the other end of the venue. He made a rush to her. Seeing Changmin coming with flowers, Dana’s face lit up. “Oppa, you come…”
But she hadn’t finished her sentence when Changmin cut her off. “Where’s Junsu?”
Dana blinked. “What Junsu?”
Changmin got a bit pissed off. “Kim Junsu. Do we have other Junsu's?”
“Oh, he’s not here.” Dana said absent-mindedly, busying herself with observing the beautiful flowers in Changmin’s hands.
“I thought this was a concert for the top scorers of the final exam?” Changmin became confused. He was sure this was the event. And seeing the kind of interactions of people going on around him, there could be no mistake about it.
“Yes, it is,” Dana’s eyes moved with the lilies.
“Then where’s Junsu?”
“What does Junsu have anything to do here?”
“What? Are you saying Junsu didn’t score among the top?” Changmin said a bit loudly, the way one would say something absurd so as to shake some people out of their absent-mindedness. But to his surprise Dana shrugged, “No he didn’t.”
This time Changmin was genuinely surprised. “What do you mean he didn’t?”
“Oh Changmin, you bore me with your questions,” Dana looked like she was about to yawn, “He isn’t here because he freaking failed the exam.”
“What?”
If it had been written out, Changmin would add 100 question marks at the end of this question (but it wasn’t really a question).
Junsu had failed the exam? It was one thing to not score among the top. It was another to fail the exam. The piece of information that Dana had just provided him was so unbelievable that for a moment Changmin had to question his own ability of judgment. To fail the exam takes serious effort, because the professors were never harsh on final exams. Did it mean some kind of crazy bias had made Changmin think Junsu’s skills were so incredible, when it was not? Could it be that in fact Junsu was no where as good as Changmin always had thought he was? And that Junsu totally had really failed the exam due to his horrible skills?
But no, it couldn’t be.
A mediocre was a mediocre, he wouldn’t fail the exam. And Junsu wasn’t mediocre. It wasn’t only Changmin’s own opinion that Junsu was excellent. Changmin had seriously researched before selecting someone to play at Yuri’s birthday party, and all sources had said that Junsu had topped all exams at the conservatories for the last 3 years. It was concrete information. Changmin’s brain was equipped with photographic memory and reproductions of all the charts were passing through his mind like Powerpoint slides. He couldn’t be wrong, unless there was something wrong with his sanity. Which was too much like one of those novels by Heinlein to be true.
So Changmin decided to turn back to Dana. He tried to be calm.
“What do you mean he failed?”
“What else do you thing the word ‘fail’ means? He scored less than 50 and he failed.” Dana said matter-of-factly.
“But why? Hadn’t he always been the best? What happened?” Changmin said in total disbelief. “He didn’t turn up for the exam?”
“Oh, he totally turned up and took it,” Dana made an amused expression, “For more information why don’t you ask him? Come on Changmin, you’re postponing our thing with questions about that Kim Junsu. Why don’t you hurry up?”
“Hurry what?”
“Just give me the flowers, don’t be shy. You broke up with Yuri didn’t you? We can be official now… Hey!”
Changmin had turned his back on her on his way out of the hall.
It was incredible. Junsu failed the exam?
Failing must mean something extraordinary had happened. The exam was two days after the fundraising party at the Park mansion, could it be that what had happened in the toilet had affected Junsu’s emotional state, so much that he couldn’t concentrate on his exam piece?
In that case, Junsu would never ever forgive Changmin. The thought made Changmin dread the future.
But it couldn’t be. Considering Junsu, who even dared to do business with the Devil to rise to the top, it just couldn’t be. Junsu was too professional to let emotions affect his music.
Furthermore, Junsu had looked more angry than he was heart-broken that night at the Parks’. And for all Changmin knew from his Psychology classes, anger was more likely to produce things than to break people down.
What had happened?
Changmin’s brain played all different possibilities that could explain Junsu’s failing the exam. If it wasn’t emotional problems, then…
Oh.
There was a light-bulb lit up in Changmin’s head. But, instead of congratulating himself on it, Changmin sweated.
End 43
Fandom: DB5K
Pairings: Changmin x Junsu (MinSu), Yoochun x Junsu, Yunho x Jaejoong
Genre: Romance, Angst
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They are not mine.
“The last point of our meeting today is whether to participating in the lobbying of xxyyzz…”
Jang Woohyun kept on and on. Changmin had lost track of how many “last point”’s Jang had assured people of so far. All he knew was that he had to get out of this meeting as soon as possible. For God’s sake, it was almost 7:20pm! This was one of the longest and most torturous meetings Changmin had ever been in, and he honestly regretted taking 6 days off because work had been culmulating into a mountain.
Changmin could pluck his hair out out of frustration but he wouldn’t do that. He needed to keep himself neat, following his mother’s advice that appearance was one of his selling points. At all costs Changmin would have to convince Junsu that he was worth hanging on to, and he would do that even if he had to employ his dazzling looks, which he thought was the most shameless scheme ever.
Changmin said “Agree” and “Agree” continuously, making his employees wonder what had made him so easy-going that day. Finally at 7pm, the meeting ended. Changmin ran out of the meeting room so fast his employees could see smoke behind him.
Changmin jumped into his white BMW, ignited the engine. God there was even a list of things to do! Changmin would have to skip all the going home to change into a handsome set of clothes, wearing nice cologne and all other stuff, to jump straight to the picking up flowers part. Expensive roses had proved to be a fail that night in Ilsan, so this time Changmin changed to the classic but safe bet: November lilies, Junsu’s favorite flowers. November lilies were hard to find during this time of the year (they were called November lilies for a reason), so he had had to contact a greenhouse in a Northern city for 21 fresh and gorgeous lilies to arrive and ready for pick-up at 6pm.
Yet only at 8pm were they safe in Changmin’s car.
Changmin rushed like something was chasing him, and at 8pm he was at the conservatory with a sharp “ritzz” sound of the brake. The end of the year concert was not for a large audience, so the venue wasn’t the Grand Auditorium. Changmin had to ran like a mice in a maze to find “Ravel Hall”, and when he arrived, the concert had apparently started, so he had to sneak in and didn’t have the chance to even obtain the program. The fact that he knew not when exactly Junsu was to perform gave even more suspence to the situation, and Changmin realized that for the first time in God knows how long, he was nervous. His hands were sweating on the paper wrap of the flowers, soaking on the rattling sounds of it.
Changmin told himself to calm the freak down, so his brain directed itself to the listening of music. On-going on the stage was a girl playing Paganini’s Capricio no. 24, and it took a while for Changmin to realize the girl had been sending him strange looks. He could see this because it was rather a small venue they were at, and it took him some more time to recognize she was Dana, Yuri’s close friend whom he had slept with once or twice before.
Changmin cursed his luck.
He looked away to avoid her eyes. So, as mentioned, it was a small venue. There were under 100 people in the audience, sitting around the center area which served as a low stage. There was soothing light on, giving the place an intimate feeling. It was probably because the people present were mostly students’ family members or friends, because many of them also brought flowers. There were chrysanthemums, roses of many colors, even some strange blue ones... so among them, Changmin’s bouquet of November lilies really stood out. Those flowers were pure white on top of thick green leaves, without redundant decorations or background flowers - just the way Junsu liked it, Changmin thought with fondness. Or to be more exact, just the way Junsu was. November lilies were also called Easter lilies, and like the name suggests, for long they had been the symbol of Christ’s resurrection, for their pure, simple yet royal beauty. Totally suited Junsu.
Changmin just hoped things would go well. He chose to come here to give Junsu flowers on stage so that Junsu wouldn’t be able to refuse it. Junsu would have to look at him, and realize how much he really didn’t want to cut all ties with the Shim heir. Then they would sit down and talk and make some arrangement. Things would become normal. Or so Changmin hoped.
Too absorbed in his own thoughts, Changmin didn’t pay attention to the performances on stage. He knocked himself out of his thoughts, and concentrated on what was going on again. A long-haired guy was playing the 3rd movement of “The Tempest”. Fairly speaking it wasn’t bad, but because Changmin had listened to Junsu playing it once, to his ears this interpretation seemed somehow flawed. Later Changmin learnt the name of this guy to be Lee Taemin.
Just like that Changmin killed time by learning the names of the performers. By the time he learnt the 6th name, he had become impatient. Where was Junsu? Changmin fidgeted, looking about. Then he told himself to sit still. There were 2 more performers and as people say, we save the best for last. Junsu was the best so he must be the last one to perform.
Reasoning so, Changmin relaxed again. But the next-to-last one had just finished (Changmin heard but listened to next to nothing of what that girl had played), and the last one was up. It was no Junsu. Changmin stared at Kwon Ji Yong (that guy’s name) with astonishment, a kind of expression wasn’t supposed to be there when the cheerful Carmen BV 284 was being played. By the time Ji Yong had finished Changmin became the only one left in the audience with a not-yet-given bouquet of flowers in his hands. Changmin laboriously convinced himself that there would be something like a Special Stage Of The Top Scorer or something, in which Junsu would appear, but there was none. Then he hoped the encore would turn into something Junsu’s, but it didn’t. Changmin was desperate.
The venue turned into a reception soon after, with students taking photos with friends and family members and there was even champagne going around. In the midst of the cheerful mood, Changmin was totally out of place. The lilies were still waiting to be given to someone who wasn’t even there.
Changmin caught a glimpse of Dana with some of her friends at the other end of the venue. He made a rush to her. Seeing Changmin coming with flowers, Dana’s face lit up. “Oppa, you come…”
But she hadn’t finished her sentence when Changmin cut her off. “Where’s Junsu?”
Dana blinked. “What Junsu?”
Changmin got a bit pissed off. “Kim Junsu. Do we have other Junsu's?”
“Oh, he’s not here.” Dana said absent-mindedly, busying herself with observing the beautiful flowers in Changmin’s hands.
“I thought this was a concert for the top scorers of the final exam?” Changmin became confused. He was sure this was the event. And seeing the kind of interactions of people going on around him, there could be no mistake about it.
“Yes, it is,” Dana’s eyes moved with the lilies.
“Then where’s Junsu?”
“What does Junsu have anything to do here?”
“What? Are you saying Junsu didn’t score among the top?” Changmin said a bit loudly, the way one would say something absurd so as to shake some people out of their absent-mindedness. But to his surprise Dana shrugged, “No he didn’t.”
This time Changmin was genuinely surprised. “What do you mean he didn’t?”
“Oh Changmin, you bore me with your questions,” Dana looked like she was about to yawn, “He isn’t here because he freaking failed the exam.”
“What?”
If it had been written out, Changmin would add 100 question marks at the end of this question (but it wasn’t really a question).
Junsu had failed the exam? It was one thing to not score among the top. It was another to fail the exam. The piece of information that Dana had just provided him was so unbelievable that for a moment Changmin had to question his own ability of judgment. To fail the exam takes serious effort, because the professors were never harsh on final exams. Did it mean some kind of crazy bias had made Changmin think Junsu’s skills were so incredible, when it was not? Could it be that in fact Junsu was no where as good as Changmin always had thought he was? And that Junsu totally had really failed the exam due to his horrible skills?
But no, it couldn’t be.
A mediocre was a mediocre, he wouldn’t fail the exam. And Junsu wasn’t mediocre. It wasn’t only Changmin’s own opinion that Junsu was excellent. Changmin had seriously researched before selecting someone to play at Yuri’s birthday party, and all sources had said that Junsu had topped all exams at the conservatories for the last 3 years. It was concrete information. Changmin’s brain was equipped with photographic memory and reproductions of all the charts were passing through his mind like Powerpoint slides. He couldn’t be wrong, unless there was something wrong with his sanity. Which was too much like one of those novels by Heinlein to be true.
So Changmin decided to turn back to Dana. He tried to be calm.
“What do you mean he failed?”
“What else do you thing the word ‘fail’ means? He scored less than 50 and he failed.” Dana said matter-of-factly.
“But why? Hadn’t he always been the best? What happened?” Changmin said in total disbelief. “He didn’t turn up for the exam?”
“Oh, he totally turned up and took it,” Dana made an amused expression, “For more information why don’t you ask him? Come on Changmin, you’re postponing our thing with questions about that Kim Junsu. Why don’t you hurry up?”
“Hurry what?”
“Just give me the flowers, don’t be shy. You broke up with Yuri didn’t you? We can be official now… Hey!”
Changmin had turned his back on her on his way out of the hall.
It was incredible. Junsu failed the exam?
Failing must mean something extraordinary had happened. The exam was two days after the fundraising party at the Park mansion, could it be that what had happened in the toilet had affected Junsu’s emotional state, so much that he couldn’t concentrate on his exam piece?
In that case, Junsu would never ever forgive Changmin. The thought made Changmin dread the future.
But it couldn’t be. Considering Junsu, who even dared to do business with the Devil to rise to the top, it just couldn’t be. Junsu was too professional to let emotions affect his music.
Furthermore, Junsu had looked more angry than he was heart-broken that night at the Parks’. And for all Changmin knew from his Psychology classes, anger was more likely to produce things than to break people down.
What had happened?
Changmin’s brain played all different possibilities that could explain Junsu’s failing the exam. If it wasn’t emotional problems, then…
Oh.
There was a light-bulb lit up in Changmin’s head. But, instead of congratulating himself on it, Changmin sweated.
End 43