Promises [Epilogue C]
Title: Promises
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong, hints of Yoochun/Changmin
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Action, Drama
Summary: As secrets came to light, Jaejoong saw his life falling apart to the point where he realizes he knows nothing and suspects everyone - even, Jung Yunho.
banner made by godchild1134
“Look at all of us,” Yunho muttered as Jaejoong slowly began to regain his consciousness. He blinked slowly, and it was only then that he realized that they were in someone’s house.
He sat up, but the motion caused the pain in his side to increase tenfold. Jaejoong groaned and gripped his waist as he leaned against the bed’s headboard, “Where…” he looked around the small room and turned his eyes to Yunho, who was seated beside him.
“This is the home of Yoochun’s brother, Yoohwan,” Yunho said in explanation before he leaned over and kissed Jaejoong, “I brought us here because it was the only place us bleeding fools had to go.”
Jaejoong nodded slowly and glanced at the bandage around his waist, “Which…which one of you killed Minhyun?”
“I sniped him from one of the lower floors,” Yunho answered as he slowly moved off the bed to check on Changmin, “I knew you would need help, and Changmin didn’t want to leave you to face him either. As soon as he was dead, his men separated. Some tried to go into the building, but Changmin took care of them, then we followed you to the alleyway.”
Jaejoong let the words process for a few minutes before he turned his eyes to Yunho and spoke, “But what about your face? The police won’t let something like this -“
“No one was around to see anything. I’ve made some calls, and it’s been officially classified as territorial wars between gangs - with Minhyun being an unfortunate victim of the skirmish,” Yunho replied calmly as he began to check on the bandage around Changmin’s arm, “I’ve also made sure that nothing leads back to us.”
“But -“
“Don’t you think that our years of privacy are a benefit?” Yunho whispered as he removed Changmin’s bandage in order to replace it with a new one, “We’ve spent so many years of our lives living in privileged seclusion that barely anyone really knows what we look like.”
Jaejoong looked doubtful, so Yunho turned to face him, “Those people I lived with barely even kept me in mind Jaejoong. In a few weeks time, I’ll be forgotten or merely a drug addict or some messed up neighbor they wouldn’t even want to remember. Don’t worry.”
“I guess privilege has its benefits,” Jaejoong murmured before he turned his eyes away from his injury to look at Yunho, “Will Changmin be okay?”
“He will,” Yunho said confidently, “Yoohwan’s pretty much a doctor, and he made sure that all of us got treated properly.”
Silence fell between them, and Jaejoong waited until Yunho was at his side again. He leaned his head against the taller man’s shoulder and their hands intertwined. Jaejoong exhaled quietly and stared blankly into the distance, content to have Yunho’s body firmly pressed against his.
“Is it over?”
“I don’t think it’ll ever be really over,” Yunho said quietly, “But…we can make do with what we have. As soon as we’re all better, we can make our return to Korea, and you can announce that I’m back.”
Jaejoong felt his eyes tear up, and he gripped Yunho’s hand tightly.
“I’m happy you’re back,” he whispered.
Yunho turned his face, his breath ghosting against the skin of Jaejoong’s face. He cupped Jaejoong’s cheek and smiled, “Me too,” Yunho replied before he leaned in and kissed him.
o-o-o
After two weeks, Dojin arrived. He ruffled Yoohwan’s hair despite his protests, and as soon as he saw Yunho, he immediately rushed over and embraced him tightly.
“Fucking bastard,” he said with a laugh before he pushed Yunho back onto his seat.
Jaejoong smiled at the older man as he walked slowly into the room, and he sat down next to Yunho, interlocking their hands. He squeezed Yunho’s hand briefly before he turned his attention to Dojin, “You’re a bit late, aren’t you?”
“Well, I needed to attend to some things. I managed to rat out some spies who’d been working for other syndicates, and I made sure that most of the debts owed to us were settled.” Dojin said as he settled down on the chair across from them, “It’s not every day that I have to announce that my boss isn’t actually dead. Speaking of announcements…”
“I’ve already got it somewhat figured out,” Jaejoong spoke as he let go of Yunho’s hand briefly to reach into his pocket and get the speech he’d written. He slid it across the table to Dojin, “Just a few answers to other matters that need to be resolved as well.”
Dojin unfolded the paper and looked at it for a few minutes before he raised his eyes and glanced between the two of them, “So, our statement will be that Yunho has gotten over his issues and will be taking back his company?”
“Well…” Yunho glanced at Jaejoong, “Yes, Jaejoong will be giving back my position in the board with the help of the other members, and I will assume the full rights of Jung Industries as well as -“
“I think this is all getting too technical for me,” Dojin said with a smile, “Which is why I called over someone to help me with all this. Hold on, I think he’s outside talking to someone. I’ll go -“
Before he could leave the table, the door opened, and Junsu bowed before he flashed a smile at everyone in the room. He sat next to Dojin and shook both Yunho and Jaejoong’s hands before he glanced down at the paper.
“Is this for me?”
“I think you’d understand what I want to happen better than Dojin,” Jaejoong murmured jokingly, “He looked quite lost reading it.”
“I can handle this easily enough,” Junsu said after he’d finished reading it, “It’s a good thing I came along with Dojin. He wouldn’t have been able to explain this properly to me if I’d just stayed in Korea.”
Dojin shook his head, “I’m insulted. I can explain things quite well.”
“Yeah, to your children,” Yunho cut in with a smile, earning him a glare from the older man.
Dojin rolled his eyes, “I think I miss the times when you were dead now.”
o-o-o
“Yeah, I’ll be staying here a bit longer,” Jaejoong murmured as he cradled the phone between his ear and his shoulder, “Yeah, I know Suyeon, I promise I’ll be around for your birthday.”
He listened to his sister talk a bit longer, cherishing the sound of her voice, and after they’d said their goodbyes, he set the phone down onto the table and looked out the window of the kitchen.
His coffee had gone cold, but Jaejoong didn’t mind and took a sip of it anyway, his mind full of thoughts. Things were finally settled on most ends, but he still wondered how things would fit when they were back in Korea.
Would things return to the way they’d been before?
As if Yunho had sensed his unease from the bedroom, he pushed open the kitchen door and smiled at Jaejoong before he took a seat across him. He took a sip of the coffee and wrinkled his nose, “It’s gotten really cold.”
“I know,” Jaejoong murmured, “I was busy talking to Suyeon.”
“How is she?”
“She’s doing good…” Jaejoong trailed off, and his finger traced absentminded spirals on the checkered surface of the table. He paused for a few seconds and raised his eyes off the table to look at Yunho, “About Jihye…”
“I know,” Yunho said quietly, “I couldn’t save her.”
Jaejoong reached out and took hold of Yunho’s hand, “It’s not your fault,” he squeezed it tightly and reached across the table to tip Yunho’s chin in order to force the other man to look at him, “You were the best brother and son your family could’ve ever hoped for Yunho. Don’t…it’s not your fault.”
They stared at each other across the table, and Yunho pulled away from Jaejoong’s hand to briefly brush his hand across his eyes to prevent any tears from falling. He turned his eyes back to Jaejoong, “I’ve done so many things…”
“Both good and bad,” Jaejoong murmured as he took hold of Yunho’s hands in his and squeezed them, “As have I…listen Yunho -“
“No Jaejoong, I think you have to listen,” Yunho took a deep breath, “I love you, and I have to say -“
“Don’t -“
“Thank you, for never giving up on me.”
Jaejoong was still, and Yunho let out a breath before he continued, “I’ve kept you at a distance for so many years because I didn’t know if I could trust you, or if I was even worth your trust...but you made me realize that I was wrong about so many things. There is no one else in the entire world that I would rather have at my side, and so I have to say, thank you.”
They kissed, and when they stood up to leave the kitchen, Yunho intertwined his fingers with Jaejoong and led him back to their bedroom with renewed confidence and determination.
No matter what happened, they would always be one another’s strength.
o-o-o
Jaejoong had moved off the bed to get water when the door opened. He paused when he saw Changmin, and the younger man raised his eyes off the floor to look at Jaejoong.
“You’re awake,” Changmin said as he hobbled over to the spare bed that Yoohwan had only placed just recently in the room. The bed creaked as he sat down, and he glanced at his bandaged leg before he looked at Jaejoong, “Is something wrong?”
Jaejoong walked over slowly to the table, and he held onto the pitcher, “I…I need to thank you, for all of this.” He raised his eyes off the table’s wooden surface and studied Changmin, “I couldn’t have found him without you.”
“He’s my brother,” Changmin murmured as he looked over at Yunho’s sleeping figure on the bed, “I couldn’t have done it without you either, and…I’m glad that we found him. You can live happily with him.”
“And what about you?” Jaejoong questioned as he set the pitcher back down onto the table to focus on Changmin. He stood still and tilted his head, “What happens to you as soon as this is all over? Where will you go?”
Changmin glanced at the picture of Yoochun on the wall of the room and replied with a small smile on his tired face, “I’m going home.”
o-o-o
“Take care of yourself and study hard,” Yunho muttered as he pulled Yoohwan into a tight embrace before he patted the young man’s hair, “Don’t be like your brother…well, be like your brother, but don’t be as foolish as he can be sometimes.”
Yoohwan grinned, “Yeah, I’ll make sure of that, don’t worry.”
“I owe you,” Yunho spoke as he straightened out the younger man’s shirt and fixed his collar in an odd fatherly gesture, “You’ve saved our lives. I paid off your debts in your bank account, and I -“
“You didn’t,” Yoohwan groaned, “You really don’t owe me. You helped both Yoochun and I out, okay? It’s nothing -“
“Just let him be a noble idiot,” Changmin said gruffly with a smile as he approached the two of them. “Maybe you can ask Yunho for a car next year when it’s your birthday, and with him being the man that he is, he’ll probably get one for you.”
Jaejoong watched the three of them talk, content to be at the sidelines. He smiled as he watched the three of them, and Dojin tapped him on the shoulder, “It seems like you’re alive and happy.”
“Yeah, I am,” Jaejoong said with a laugh as he turned to face the older man. “I didn’t think things could end up like this, you know? That…despite everything, some sort of happiness could come through.”
Dojin chuckled, “Look at you, all bright eyed and sparkly,” he smiled to himself and patted Jaejoong on the shoulder, “It’ll never quite be over though. Life will still be hard, and there will always be assholes to deal with.”
“I know,” Jaejoong murmured as Yunho turned away to allow Yoohwan and Changmin to say goodbye to one another. “But, I think we’ll be okay.”
As soon as Yunho approached him, he held his hand out to Dojin, “Thank you, for everything - for helping Jaejoong, for being there for him, for keeping things under control and for -“
Dojin shook his head and reached out to shake Yunho’s hand, “It’s nothing. I did it not just because you are my boss but because you’re someone worth fighting for and believing in. You’re a good man in a world of chaos Jung Yunho.”
“I have to say the same thing for you too,” Yunho said as he gripped Dojin’s hand firmly and warmly, “It’s a pleasure to work with you, and I look forward to whatever will come in the future.”
Dojin nodded, and he pulled his hand away, “I’ll go make sure the plane’s ready.”
As soon as Dojin was gone, Yunho turned his attention to Jaejoong and smiled at him lovingly, “Is…is there anything you want to say to me?” he asked softly as he reached out to tuck back a strand of Jaejoong’s hair behind his ear.
Jaejoong took hold of Yunho’s hand in his and gripped it tightly, “Not really,” he murmured, “I think…the past weeks have allowed for the both of us to say everything that needs to be said.”
“No more secrets.”
“No more secrets,” Jaejoong repeated calmly as he lifted his eyes off their intertwined hands to look into Yunho’s eyes, “Will you stay with me?”
“Of course,” Yunho murmured before he leaned down and kissed Jaejoong deeply, pulling the other man into his arms carefully.
Jaejoong relaxed into his touch and felt happier than he had in months. He allowed himself to be pulled away from any worries, and everything cleared from his mind as he enjoyed what they had together.
They could not promise each other a perfect future guaranteed with constant happiness, but if there was one thing that they could promise each other in the imperfect world that they lived in, it was the promise of love.
← Part B
Fin ♥
Author’s Note: As I end this story, my birthday is coming to an end as well. ^__^ I hope you guys all enjoyed this, and thank you so much for all the support. I’ll be posting a fanmix/soundtrack for this story tomorrow, so I do hope you guys enjoy that! :D I hope this wraps everything up nicely for you all, and as for the MinChun side story for this universe, I’m currently working on it. Once again, thank you so much for everything! ♥
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong, hints of Yoochun/Changmin
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Action, Drama
Summary: As secrets came to light, Jaejoong saw his life falling apart to the point where he realizes he knows nothing and suspects everyone - even, Jung Yunho.
banner made by godchild1134
“Look at all of us,” Yunho muttered as Jaejoong slowly began to regain his consciousness. He blinked slowly, and it was only then that he realized that they were in someone’s house.
He sat up, but the motion caused the pain in his side to increase tenfold. Jaejoong groaned and gripped his waist as he leaned against the bed’s headboard, “Where…” he looked around the small room and turned his eyes to Yunho, who was seated beside him.
“This is the home of Yoochun’s brother, Yoohwan,” Yunho said in explanation before he leaned over and kissed Jaejoong, “I brought us here because it was the only place us bleeding fools had to go.”
Jaejoong nodded slowly and glanced at the bandage around his waist, “Which…which one of you killed Minhyun?”
“I sniped him from one of the lower floors,” Yunho answered as he slowly moved off the bed to check on Changmin, “I knew you would need help, and Changmin didn’t want to leave you to face him either. As soon as he was dead, his men separated. Some tried to go into the building, but Changmin took care of them, then we followed you to the alleyway.”
Jaejoong let the words process for a few minutes before he turned his eyes to Yunho and spoke, “But what about your face? The police won’t let something like this -“
“No one was around to see anything. I’ve made some calls, and it’s been officially classified as territorial wars between gangs - with Minhyun being an unfortunate victim of the skirmish,” Yunho replied calmly as he began to check on the bandage around Changmin’s arm, “I’ve also made sure that nothing leads back to us.”
“But -“
“Don’t you think that our years of privacy are a benefit?” Yunho whispered as he removed Changmin’s bandage in order to replace it with a new one, “We’ve spent so many years of our lives living in privileged seclusion that barely anyone really knows what we look like.”
Jaejoong looked doubtful, so Yunho turned to face him, “Those people I lived with barely even kept me in mind Jaejoong. In a few weeks time, I’ll be forgotten or merely a drug addict or some messed up neighbor they wouldn’t even want to remember. Don’t worry.”
“I guess privilege has its benefits,” Jaejoong murmured before he turned his eyes away from his injury to look at Yunho, “Will Changmin be okay?”
“He will,” Yunho said confidently, “Yoohwan’s pretty much a doctor, and he made sure that all of us got treated properly.”
Silence fell between them, and Jaejoong waited until Yunho was at his side again. He leaned his head against the taller man’s shoulder and their hands intertwined. Jaejoong exhaled quietly and stared blankly into the distance, content to have Yunho’s body firmly pressed against his.
“Is it over?”
“I don’t think it’ll ever be really over,” Yunho said quietly, “But…we can make do with what we have. As soon as we’re all better, we can make our return to Korea, and you can announce that I’m back.”
Jaejoong felt his eyes tear up, and he gripped Yunho’s hand tightly.
“I’m happy you’re back,” he whispered.
Yunho turned his face, his breath ghosting against the skin of Jaejoong’s face. He cupped Jaejoong’s cheek and smiled, “Me too,” Yunho replied before he leaned in and kissed him.
o-o-o
After two weeks, Dojin arrived. He ruffled Yoohwan’s hair despite his protests, and as soon as he saw Yunho, he immediately rushed over and embraced him tightly.
“Fucking bastard,” he said with a laugh before he pushed Yunho back onto his seat.
Jaejoong smiled at the older man as he walked slowly into the room, and he sat down next to Yunho, interlocking their hands. He squeezed Yunho’s hand briefly before he turned his attention to Dojin, “You’re a bit late, aren’t you?”
“Well, I needed to attend to some things. I managed to rat out some spies who’d been working for other syndicates, and I made sure that most of the debts owed to us were settled.” Dojin said as he settled down on the chair across from them, “It’s not every day that I have to announce that my boss isn’t actually dead. Speaking of announcements…”
“I’ve already got it somewhat figured out,” Jaejoong spoke as he let go of Yunho’s hand briefly to reach into his pocket and get the speech he’d written. He slid it across the table to Dojin, “Just a few answers to other matters that need to be resolved as well.”
Dojin unfolded the paper and looked at it for a few minutes before he raised his eyes and glanced between the two of them, “So, our statement will be that Yunho has gotten over his issues and will be taking back his company?”
“Well…” Yunho glanced at Jaejoong, “Yes, Jaejoong will be giving back my position in the board with the help of the other members, and I will assume the full rights of Jung Industries as well as -“
“I think this is all getting too technical for me,” Dojin said with a smile, “Which is why I called over someone to help me with all this. Hold on, I think he’s outside talking to someone. I’ll go -“
Before he could leave the table, the door opened, and Junsu bowed before he flashed a smile at everyone in the room. He sat next to Dojin and shook both Yunho and Jaejoong’s hands before he glanced down at the paper.
“Is this for me?”
“I think you’d understand what I want to happen better than Dojin,” Jaejoong murmured jokingly, “He looked quite lost reading it.”
“I can handle this easily enough,” Junsu said after he’d finished reading it, “It’s a good thing I came along with Dojin. He wouldn’t have been able to explain this properly to me if I’d just stayed in Korea.”
Dojin shook his head, “I’m insulted. I can explain things quite well.”
“Yeah, to your children,” Yunho cut in with a smile, earning him a glare from the older man.
Dojin rolled his eyes, “I think I miss the times when you were dead now.”
o-o-o
“Yeah, I’ll be staying here a bit longer,” Jaejoong murmured as he cradled the phone between his ear and his shoulder, “Yeah, I know Suyeon, I promise I’ll be around for your birthday.”
He listened to his sister talk a bit longer, cherishing the sound of her voice, and after they’d said their goodbyes, he set the phone down onto the table and looked out the window of the kitchen.
His coffee had gone cold, but Jaejoong didn’t mind and took a sip of it anyway, his mind full of thoughts. Things were finally settled on most ends, but he still wondered how things would fit when they were back in Korea.
Would things return to the way they’d been before?
As if Yunho had sensed his unease from the bedroom, he pushed open the kitchen door and smiled at Jaejoong before he took a seat across him. He took a sip of the coffee and wrinkled his nose, “It’s gotten really cold.”
“I know,” Jaejoong murmured, “I was busy talking to Suyeon.”
“How is she?”
“She’s doing good…” Jaejoong trailed off, and his finger traced absentminded spirals on the checkered surface of the table. He paused for a few seconds and raised his eyes off the table to look at Yunho, “About Jihye…”
“I know,” Yunho said quietly, “I couldn’t save her.”
Jaejoong reached out and took hold of Yunho’s hand, “It’s not your fault,” he squeezed it tightly and reached across the table to tip Yunho’s chin in order to force the other man to look at him, “You were the best brother and son your family could’ve ever hoped for Yunho. Don’t…it’s not your fault.”
They stared at each other across the table, and Yunho pulled away from Jaejoong’s hand to briefly brush his hand across his eyes to prevent any tears from falling. He turned his eyes back to Jaejoong, “I’ve done so many things…”
“Both good and bad,” Jaejoong murmured as he took hold of Yunho’s hands in his and squeezed them, “As have I…listen Yunho -“
“No Jaejoong, I think you have to listen,” Yunho took a deep breath, “I love you, and I have to say -“
“Don’t -“
“Thank you, for never giving up on me.”
Jaejoong was still, and Yunho let out a breath before he continued, “I’ve kept you at a distance for so many years because I didn’t know if I could trust you, or if I was even worth your trust...but you made me realize that I was wrong about so many things. There is no one else in the entire world that I would rather have at my side, and so I have to say, thank you.”
They kissed, and when they stood up to leave the kitchen, Yunho intertwined his fingers with Jaejoong and led him back to their bedroom with renewed confidence and determination.
No matter what happened, they would always be one another’s strength.
o-o-o
Jaejoong had moved off the bed to get water when the door opened. He paused when he saw Changmin, and the younger man raised his eyes off the floor to look at Jaejoong.
“You’re awake,” Changmin said as he hobbled over to the spare bed that Yoohwan had only placed just recently in the room. The bed creaked as he sat down, and he glanced at his bandaged leg before he looked at Jaejoong, “Is something wrong?”
Jaejoong walked over slowly to the table, and he held onto the pitcher, “I…I need to thank you, for all of this.” He raised his eyes off the table’s wooden surface and studied Changmin, “I couldn’t have found him without you.”
“He’s my brother,” Changmin murmured as he looked over at Yunho’s sleeping figure on the bed, “I couldn’t have done it without you either, and…I’m glad that we found him. You can live happily with him.”
“And what about you?” Jaejoong questioned as he set the pitcher back down onto the table to focus on Changmin. He stood still and tilted his head, “What happens to you as soon as this is all over? Where will you go?”
Changmin glanced at the picture of Yoochun on the wall of the room and replied with a small smile on his tired face, “I’m going home.”
o-o-o
“Take care of yourself and study hard,” Yunho muttered as he pulled Yoohwan into a tight embrace before he patted the young man’s hair, “Don’t be like your brother…well, be like your brother, but don’t be as foolish as he can be sometimes.”
Yoohwan grinned, “Yeah, I’ll make sure of that, don’t worry.”
“I owe you,” Yunho spoke as he straightened out the younger man’s shirt and fixed his collar in an odd fatherly gesture, “You’ve saved our lives. I paid off your debts in your bank account, and I -“
“You didn’t,” Yoohwan groaned, “You really don’t owe me. You helped both Yoochun and I out, okay? It’s nothing -“
“Just let him be a noble idiot,” Changmin said gruffly with a smile as he approached the two of them. “Maybe you can ask Yunho for a car next year when it’s your birthday, and with him being the man that he is, he’ll probably get one for you.”
Jaejoong watched the three of them talk, content to be at the sidelines. He smiled as he watched the three of them, and Dojin tapped him on the shoulder, “It seems like you’re alive and happy.”
“Yeah, I am,” Jaejoong said with a laugh as he turned to face the older man. “I didn’t think things could end up like this, you know? That…despite everything, some sort of happiness could come through.”
Dojin chuckled, “Look at you, all bright eyed and sparkly,” he smiled to himself and patted Jaejoong on the shoulder, “It’ll never quite be over though. Life will still be hard, and there will always be assholes to deal with.”
“I know,” Jaejoong murmured as Yunho turned away to allow Yoohwan and Changmin to say goodbye to one another. “But, I think we’ll be okay.”
As soon as Yunho approached him, he held his hand out to Dojin, “Thank you, for everything - for helping Jaejoong, for being there for him, for keeping things under control and for -“
Dojin shook his head and reached out to shake Yunho’s hand, “It’s nothing. I did it not just because you are my boss but because you’re someone worth fighting for and believing in. You’re a good man in a world of chaos Jung Yunho.”
“I have to say the same thing for you too,” Yunho said as he gripped Dojin’s hand firmly and warmly, “It’s a pleasure to work with you, and I look forward to whatever will come in the future.”
Dojin nodded, and he pulled his hand away, “I’ll go make sure the plane’s ready.”
As soon as Dojin was gone, Yunho turned his attention to Jaejoong and smiled at him lovingly, “Is…is there anything you want to say to me?” he asked softly as he reached out to tuck back a strand of Jaejoong’s hair behind his ear.
Jaejoong took hold of Yunho’s hand in his and gripped it tightly, “Not really,” he murmured, “I think…the past weeks have allowed for the both of us to say everything that needs to be said.”
“No more secrets.”
“No more secrets,” Jaejoong repeated calmly as he lifted his eyes off their intertwined hands to look into Yunho’s eyes, “Will you stay with me?”
“Of course,” Yunho murmured before he leaned down and kissed Jaejoong deeply, pulling the other man into his arms carefully.
Jaejoong relaxed into his touch and felt happier than he had in months. He allowed himself to be pulled away from any worries, and everything cleared from his mind as he enjoyed what they had together.
They could not promise each other a perfect future guaranteed with constant happiness, but if there was one thing that they could promise each other in the imperfect world that they lived in, it was the promise of love.
← Part B
Fin ♥
Author’s Note: As I end this story, my birthday is coming to an end as well. ^__^ I hope you guys all enjoyed this, and thank you so much for all the support. I’ll be posting a fanmix/soundtrack for this story tomorrow, so I do hope you guys enjoy that! :D I hope this wraps everything up nicely for you all, and as for the MinChun side story for this universe, I’m currently working on it. Once again, thank you so much for everything! ♥