Fic: Remind Me Please! Why Did I End Up Falling In Love With You? III

[hi_yu]

Title: Remind me, Please, Why Did I End Up Falling In Love With You?

Pairing: YunJae

Length: Chaptered

Genre: AU, Romance, Drama

Rating: PG 15

Author's Note: About the story; It revolved around Jaejoong and his attempt of salvation after disaster struck his life. The idea came while I was listening to THSK 23rd single; “Why Did I Fall In Love With You?” I want to make a story with YunJae as the main characters with the song as the ‘mood filler’ but I don’t want it to be a sad or tragic story. It’d be too typical and predictable if I make it that way. So I decided to make a love story, which will ended with a happy ending but the road isn’t smooth either. But it won’t be heart wrenching or gut tearing kind of angst. I want it to be light hearted, but deep emotionally and filled with humor, but not crack. In short, I want to make a good romantic drama with a slight dose of comedy.

Since Jaejoong is the main character, I have to think about him first. I don’t want him to be a typical, week damsel in distress. Furthermore, he’s a man. So I created a reckless, bold and snappy Jaejoong with a tender heart but a solid steel of a soul.

While Yunho, I gave him the standard prince charming but with a twist. As much as he’s in love with Jaejoong, he won’t make it easy for Jaejoong to understand that Yunho is the one for him. Am I making sense here? To make it simple; Yunho was the typical boy who when in front of someone he liked, he’d turned into a meanie. But always helping and protecting the one he love in the shadow until that person realized that no one is better than Yunho. He’s a very patient man yes. What matter to him was however at the end, he’s the one who’ll be by Jaejoong’s side, not anyone else.

Halfway writing the story, a friend of mine told me that the story is similar to a book that she’d read years ago. When we check, it is. So I read the whole book and decided to base my story from it. It’s good to be a source and atmosphere controller. Also for holding me from straying and dragging the story. I’m not taking the whole book to be put into my story. Just few facts and few similar scenes. Then halfway through the end, was wholly mine.

Thank you for reading this and if you’re interested to read the story, I wish you a happy reading. Hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Author's Note II: Please do not take it out, or copy or give and distribute it to anyone else.

07.
Finding a new place to live wasn’t easy. Jaejoong remembered his first accommodation when he arrived in Tokyo for the first time those years ago. He got himself a place; one room, four and a half tatamis in width, no bathroom and with a small window that opened to the back of a supermarket building. When he finally moved to a better place; one room, six and a half tatamis in width and has a toilet, he swore that he’d never go back to that small room ever again. And so on he said so every time he moved to a bigger, better, more expensive place to stay.

Now, faced with homelessness soon, Jaejoong cannot help but dreading the possibility of had to live like he first came to the big high-tech city.

Yunho had been nice, even offered him to stay at the family flat here when he’d sold his penthouse later but Jaejoong declined. The man had helped him enough. Yunho just called him to tell him that he had taken care of Jaejong’s car in Europe. Got a good price, even though Jaejoong still winced at the number; not even half of the price when he bought it. The good news was; his debt decreased.

Thinking back of what had happened to him since ‘the thing’ happened, Jaejoong realized something. Somehow, he found the older man in many corners of his life. How did this happen? In just few weeks, Yunho had become something that if his life hadn’t changed, Jaejoong wouldn’t ever let him be.

A frown made its way onto Jaejoong’s forehead. He looked around his room, saw the packed things, including his Italian made, crafted wood bed, and saw Yunho sitting on the now bare floor, chewing take out with paperwork around him, telling Jaejoong about this and that. And when Jaejoong went to the kitchen,   he saw Yunho sitting on one of the island stools, trading their children stories over cold pastas and wine.

Jaejoong’s frown deepened. How did it come to that? Since when they could sit and chat easily like that? Without insecurities and defences in both part? Since when he could stand Yunho treating him like as if he couldn’t do anything by himself?

Since when he ever accepted, the older man’s kindness and help easily like now?

The frown changed into something entirely. Jaejoong puffed his cheek in thought, remembering the old days. He used to object, vehemently, whenever Yunho approached him with intention of aiding him. Whenever the man advised him on something, he’d go ballistic and attack the other man with his scalding tongue.

But in the end, he’d always done what Yunho told him to do in the first place.

Was I that stubborn? Jaejoong grinned despite the bad things he did.

Like when he wanted to learn how to drive. He didn’t have the money to take the driving course so Yunho, already had a license way before, offered to teach him. Of course Jaejoong said no. He didn’t need Yoochun’s bully of a brother to teach him. He went borrowing Yoochun’s car and tried to learn by himself, which ended, of course, him almost drove the car into the pool of Yoochun’s house. Who saved him? Who else?

Yunho leaped into the opened convertible and grabbed the steering wheel, managed to pull the hand brake at the same time. Needless to say, Jaejoong accepted Yunho’s teaching after that, as a compensation of the almost accident and for ruin Mrs. Jung’s garden.

Curling his lips in disdain, he shuddered at his memories as a young boy. It seemed that he loved to make things hard for Yunho as much as the man loved to bully and tease him.

A shrill of his phone took him out of his rendezvous of the past. Looking at the caller id, he smiled. “What?” He said, tried to sound bored and flat.

“Hello princess, miss me?” The casual yet teasing voice made Jaejoong wanted to giggle all of a sudden. This made him snapped into the phone instead.

“As if,”

Yunho chuckled lightly and said, “I’ll be back earlier this evening, do you want me to get you something to eat?”

The question was so natural that Jaejoong didn’t fully get the meaning behind the call before it ended.

Smiling, Jaejoong went into the kitchen, now almost devoid of any appliances, took one bottle of wine that he still had and put it in the fridge to let it chilled. It was few minutes later, when a delivery man came to deliver a stack of clothes from the laundry that he sent yesterday did he realized it.

Almost all the clothes were Yunho’s. Since when...? Jaejoong sat down on the floor of his living room and came to face with the facts.

Since when did the man live with him? Why did he never realize that since Yunho came two weeks ago, Yunho always spend the nights here, at his place. Never once he spent a night at his own flat. And why did Jaejoong never bothered by it? Instead, to Jaejoong surprise, he felt, comfortable, like they had been living together forever.

Closing his eyes, Jaejoong took a deep breath to calm himself.

Something was changing, between the two of them. Something settled in the pit of his stomach and made him squishy. Jaejoong didn’t understand and it confused him. The confusion frightened him.

... ...

08.

In a flurry stream of panic, Jaejoong did the only thing he could do, and what he did best. Better than modelling; it’s running away.

Sitting in a plane, alone, Jaejoong could imagine Yunho’s face if he knew what made him running like a scurried mouse. He could imagine the handsome face curled into a sneer that he hated so much and when he opened his mouth, the words would fill with... Sighing deeply, Jaejoong didn’t dare to think about it.

But he knew the first emotion that Yunho would feel after he find out that Jaejoong had left.

Disappointment.

Then worry.

Then frustration.

Then anger.

Anger was okay. Better. That way, Jaejoong won’t feel guilty and things could be back to the way they were. Because Jaejoong was too much of a coward to let things to progress to something that might happen if it continued.

...

Jaejoong ignored the calls.

He couldn’t go to his old house because that will be the first place Yunho’s would look for him. And contacting Yoochun also out of question. Jaejoong didn’t think Yoochun would understand. Yoochun was his best friend. And Yunho’s brother.

And Jaejoong still didn’t understand what this was all about.

Oh how badly Jaejoong wanted to bang his head on the nearest hard, thick subject.

First, before he bloodied his head to anything, he had to find a place to stay. At least he was in Seoul, a city that he familiar with and not as expensive as Tokyo or Paris. The only problem would be; money.

Damn it! He cursed. He bought the plane ticket with his newly healed credit card. But he can’t use it again. Especially not to pay for a hotel because that’d be suicidal to his bills.

Jaejoong bit on his lips and absentmindedly stirred his cappuccino. He had been sitting at the airport’s cafe for almost an hour, hiding his face behind a tall fake palm tree and a giant pair of black shades over his eyes.

He didn’t know where to go.

“Jaejoong-shi?”

“Hmm?” who? Oh shit! So much for the black shades, he thought grimly.

“Jaejoong! Oh it’s really you. How have you been?” The one who, to Jaejoong’s opinion, came out of nowhere was none other than a long time friend of his.

“Junsu-shi?”

The said man smiled and pulled a seat in front of Jaejoong without being offered. “I’ve been trying to contact you for the past month.” He laughed excitedly and waved his arm to call out a waiter.

“Junsu what,”

Kim Junsu, a successful young Korean fashion designer, kept on talking, “I have been dying to have you for my new collection but you just have to disappear all of a sudden. Damn You!” He jokingly punched Jaejoong’s shoulder.

“Junsu, haven’t you heard,” Jaejoong tried to say.

Junsu waved his hand as if to swat a fly and snorted. “Bullshit! I don’t buy it. And why didn’t you contact me? I thought we’re friends.” They worked more than a couple of times in the past. Since before they were on top.

Jaejoong was touched by the outspoken but genuine words. That was how Junsu always had been. He was an outspoken, charismatic designer and a genuine, caring friend.

“Thank you Junsu yah. But it was over so...” He trailed off.

“So hear what I’m saying will you. I’ve been meaning to ask you to work with me again, since before the fiasco. You didn’t have time for me then, snob! Don’t you dare say no now!” The cheerful man glared.

Jaejoong smiled despite seeing the attempted glare. “Don’t make that kind of face, you know it doesn’t look well on you.” He teased. “Besides, I don’t do modelling anymore.” He said calmly.

“Nonsense! Are you telling me you quit just because what happened?”

Well, coming out of Junsu’s mouth, Jaejoong could see that it was ridiculous to think that he’d quit his career altogether.

“You haven’t even heard my proposal Jaejoong. I know you love fashion and the whole world knew you are a super model, in adjective and noun. But what I’m offering is more than to be a face to model my new collection. I want you to work together with me.” When Junsu used the serious and persuading tone, head high and eyes intently absorbed with anything that his mind focused on, Jaejoong knew that it meant business.

“I’m offering you, a joint venture. A collaboration. See here, for months I’ve been planning a new project. I’ve had the view and the vision. It’ll be a Grande I tell you. But it still has holes. And I can’t think of anyone beside you that could be filling those empty spots.”

“What are you saying?”

Junsu leaned his crossed arms on the table. “You have good eyes Jaejoong, for appreciating arts. If not, you wouldn’t able to make it to the top. You must have felt that being a model, is not enough. Models have time limit. While your talent not.”

A month ago he did. But he forgot all about it when the harsh reality struck.

“So, I’m offering you, for your love of art, don’t quit. If you had enough of being a model, than be in fashion industry still. As a fashion executive.”

Jaejoong’s breath caught. Yes, it makes sense.

“Use your eyes Jaejoong. Use your talent.”
...tbc...