Project 2035 | Chapter 10/10 -final chapter-
Project 2035
Author: love_cassiopeia
Summary: Fast forward to the year of 2035. The Korean republican government has fallen prey to the dictatorial regimes of the Jung family. Jung Yunho is to become Korea’s future emperor, introducing a new world to the citizens under his name. Kim Jaejoong is an adroit assassin, plotting to abolish the government by shedding Yunho’s blood. It appeared easy at first for the shrewd assassin to kill the new leader, but will the fickle game of love serve as a worthy obstacle?
Rated: NC-17
Warning(s): NC-17 material, language
Genre: Romance
Pairing(s): YunJae, minor Yoosu
Chapter 10
Beta'ed by Facesandmasks
2 - It takes only two idyllic kisses to drive me to madness; to entice me until I forget everything I'm set out to do.
0 - the 100% of hate I held against you fluctuated as soon as I first spoke to you, and ironically dwindled down into a meaningless 0%. Although it was my sole mission in life to bring you to your demise, there is no such intention now.
3 - There are three things I demand you give up: your heart, mind, and soul. No matter how immoral I will appear, I wish to eat up every last piece of you.
5 - I want to say the words ‘I love you’ at least five times a day, making sure that my emotions are evident to you. And yet, I discern that perhaps you won’t be able to hear four out of the five declarations due to the space between us-due to reality.
Although the bullet was removed from my body long ago, I could still without a doubt feel the grotesque pain it left upon me.
What happened to me that evening in mid May was nearly a blur to me now. Although I had been asleep the entire time after the bullet jammed into my body, there was still a part of me that clearly recalled every single detail. The pain of the bullet, those tears in your eyes-they still lingered within my memories like a continuous warning.
When I first awoke in the hospital room, I was frantically shouting out your name like a mantra. Surprisingly, I found Yoochun hovering over me with care and compassion in his eyes, telling me that I would eventually be healed of the excruciating wound caused by the bullet. He didn’t ask a single question about you, and in return I didn’t ask of Junsu either. But deeply within each other’s glares, I could see that we both understood every single spontaneous event that happened during the previous few months.
I was left alone in the hospital for weeks. Yoochun would at times visit me with comforting words and packs of cigarettes (the doctor didn’t recommend it, but we enjoyed it furtively). He told me stories of my future; of abolishing Project 2035 due to all the trouble and tragedy it has caused. I nodded courteously and pretended to listen, but deep inside me, the only thing I could think about was you.
The thought of you kept me awake during those long nights. I shifted in my sheets (trying not to open my wounds, of course) as I attempted to predict where you were and what you were doing. My curiosity was consuming every last part of me, leaving me nothing else to feast on but my own insanity. I considered myself cursed, falling in love with the enemy and ultimately, losing my entire mind along the way.
Regardless of my wounds being unhealed, I escaped the hospital through the window (my skills as an assassin were not put to waste after all). Like Junsu, I was impatient and absolutely could not tolerate lying in bed all day, knowing that you were out there, living your life without me. After leaving the hospital, I stayed out at various hotels each night and drank my life away at various bars. At times, when my money ran out, I would stay and sleep at the bar until morning when the bartenders and owners chased me back out onto the streets. Although my lifestyle was quite unkempt and chaotic at the time, I strangely wanted you to share it with me.
Life itself was taken not as seriously as before the bullet jammed into my chest. The bullet sank into my collarbones-only inches away from my arteries. A part of me was fortunate to be alive while another wished that I would’ve died for you instead. Perhaps the latter sounded more heroic.
It was when I arrived back at my old, untidy, apartment that I realised I wanted to see you again. The unmade sheets which scattered across the mattress where we last slept still stood in the same position, causing me to recall the unforgettable memories. I lay in that very bed all day, hoping to feel your presence and hopefully, be able to hear your voice while I slept and dreamt of that night over and over again.
So I did as my desires told me. I dug up the strength and the tactics I learned form my days as an assassin to assist me in my new mission. I would find you within this city in hopes that I would be able to apologise, or even better-have a conversation with you, once more.
It didn’t take long for me to realise that I needed to revisit New Seoul. The possibility of you being within the streets of Old Seoul was far below what I expected, and I strived to find you-as soon as I could.
So I did the unspeakable. Without even coming in contact with Yoochun or Junsu, I squeezed my wounded body through the secret pathway Project 2035 once used to lead their members into New Seoul. Although I really had no intention to lie or to disguise myself, I kept the intrusive eyes of New Seoul off myself with a few linen shirts that I had stolen in a nearby store. I made my way through the city streets, marking the royal palace as my final destination once again. The sensation was quite eccentric, retracing the steps I created as an assassin for completely different reasons.
Despite my short term as a palace chef, I decided to keep a low profile as I entered the palace grounds. I snatched away a chef’s uniform from the unsecured closet and walked through the palace with my head bowed, trying not to capture the attention of anyone who recognized me from my days working in the kitchens.
I spent hours and hours searching for you. A part of me urged me to give up, for it was ridiculous of anyone to ransack through such an affluent mansion for a single individual without some kind of direction or indication. But I was an optimist in the end, and there was absolutely nothing I wanted more than to see you before the sun set that evening.
In spite of my whole day of furtive searching, I still could not find you within the palace. My entire body considered giving up and going home-that is, until my footsteps brought me to a familiar ballroom.
I was struck with a familiar melody as soon as I entered.
Erik Satie’s ‘Je te Veux.’
You and I used to dance to this very song practically everyday in this ballroom by ourselves at dusk. The melody drove me to a state of blissful delirium, as well as a state of astonishment.
I saw you situated at the centre of the room, knees bent, resting on the floor. There was a soft whimper which escaped your lips. It took me a while before I finally perceived what you were actually doing.
…You were weeping, within the middle of this ballroom; you let your tears flow wild as the melody played on.
Perhaps I would be able to tell you all five of the ‘I love you’s, after all.
My knees were becoming fatigued from kneeling down upon the marble floor. But I must say, the thing I was most fatigued from was mourning over you day and night-waiting for you, thinking that you’d capriciously show up on my doorstep one day. Not only were my predictions false, but they stripped away the painful truth I chose to ignore as well. It was only now, months after the gunshot, when I realised you were long gone.
That bullet Junsu initially shot at me jammed into you like a fatal poison, bringing your life to an end in an instant.
And to think that you had died for me… perhaps that’s what drove me off the cliff.
As Erik Satie’s ‘Je te Veux’ penetrated my ears, I began to allow my tears its desired path. They sprang from my eyes like how blood sprang from your chest that day. I was forced to recall the memories of the two of us, dancing in this ballroom while the song played on, its rhythm moving through me as I knelt, trying to find a grain of comfort within it.
If only I were to have one more dance with you before you disappeared. Perhaps that way, I wouldn’t be here, crying helplessly like an unripe child.
But it was your voice I heard-or I think I heard-that eradicated my tears and caused a rampage across my morose memories.
“Yunho?”
I considered that perhaps I was crazy, hearing that tone of your voice travel through me. But then I heard it again and again, and thus, I finally decided to allocate my full attention to the gentle, melodic sound.
“Yunho… is that you?”
As soon as I turned to look at you, I could feel a jolt of pain in my chest-just by looking at that tall, slim silhouette of yours. My eyes were blurred from the tears I had been shedding, and therefore I could only see the outline of your figure as you walked towards me. I immediately ignited a heated debate within me of whether this image was of your ghost’s or whether it was just my mind, playing tricks on me once again.
“I must be hallucinating.” I mumbled.
I could see you form as smile as you continued proceeding towards me. “No silly, you’re not.” You replied, leaving a light caress on my left shoulder. “If this wasn’t the real me, you wouldn’t have that daft grin painted on your face, now would you?”
I didn’t know how to respond you, so I just knelt there, speechless. You hadn’t changed one bit-even your hair was relatively the same length. Your locks were still just as dark, your skin just as fair. It literally felt as if you had time travelled from the past to the present, just to visit me and to see how ridiculous I had become.
“Oh God, will you at least stand up?” You demanded, an irritated frown on your countenance. “Do your knees a favour and stop kneeling.”
You held out your hand, indicating me to take it. I stared upon your palm blankly, and then finally grasped your fingers as you lifted me up from the ground.
It was only when my eyes aligned with yours in parallel level that I discovered the truth. “Jaejoong…” I murmured. “You’re alive.”
“Of course I’m alive. A gunshot like that is nothing close to what I couldn’t handle.” Your words became muffled as I pulled you into my arms delightfully for a long-deserved embrace. “What I can’t handle is seeing that bullet hit you-or even worse, have you hate me for the rest of your life.” You gently whispered into my ears.
“I’m so sorry, Jaejoong.”
You sighed. “There’s no need to apologise.” You convinced, breaking loose form my embrace.
I stared into your eyes with worry, knowing you had things to explain. “You must hate me for what I said to you that night with Junsu.”
You chuckled, attempting to lift the dismal atmosphere. “I must admit, during that evening with both you and Junsu convicting me of that crime, I considered whether or not you would love me like you once loved me ever again.” You let the thoughts pour out. “It was horrible… being condemned by the one man I loved so heavily. So I must say, it took me a bit of energy to finally decide to come back here.”
Seeing the uneasy expression painted about you, I couldn’t help but feel remorseful. “Those words I said… about you being a liar and a traitor… I can’t help but tell you that they were true at that time.” I explained. “But you became a traitor for me. You betrayed your own kind for my sake. Who am I to complain?” I questioned, completely dissatisfied with my choice of words at the time.
“Look, Yunho. If I was in your position, I would have said the same things-if not something worse. I’m glad that in the end, you kept your overall composure.”
I nodded. “Well, at least that didn’t get me killed.”
You scoffed. “But that’s what caused that bullet to sink into my body.” You elucidated. “But never mind me. I want to ask you a question, Yunho. Can you fully trust me, after all this?”
It was the easiest question you had ever asked me, and yet I could not impel myself to answer it instantly.
“I…” I hesitated. “How could I not trust you, seeing that you had risked your life for me? Seeing that you had done so much to protect me? The question I should be asking you is whether you can trust me or not!”
You shook your head in impatience. “Yunho, there’s no need to go on about this close-to-death experience of mine. I’ve heard enough already.”
“But Jae-”
My words were cut off as your lips met mine, claiming what you had missed during our time apart. I entangled my fingers into your dark hair, vigorously trying to gain more contact as our bodies pressed against each other’s. It was only now that I realised all this-your lips, your touch, your love-was real all along.
We broke apart with a few childish laughs. We stood there and examined each other from head to toe, too overjoyed to exchange any compassionate or angry words at each other. Pristine silence glided over us, allowing us space and time to bring back the fond memories.
“I’m so glad to see you, Jaejoong, you have no idea.” I was ready to shed tears of joy. “My crowning to the throne is in a week. Thank goodness I was able to see you before that.”
The edges of your rosy lips began to curl. “Yunho?”
“Hmm?”
“Let’s run away together.”
I was unsure of whether my ears had deceived me or not. “Now who came up with that crazy idea?”
You burst out in laughter. “You, actually.” You affirmed, a flirtatious tone in your voice.
“Ah yes, I’m a genius after all.”
“You’re quite the opposite, actually.” You denied, wagging your index finger in front of my nose mockingly. “But what do you say? Will you run away from this life you’re forced into-and spend the rest of your days living freely?”
I hesitated for a moment, pondering over the consequences. But moments later, I realised there were no consequences whatsoever.
“I think my answer has been obvious since day one.” I replied with confidence. “And hey, if I run away with you, you won’t have to hate me anymore, right?”
“I’ll only hate you if you’re lousy in bed.”
I chuckled at your flippant words. “That goes the same for you.”
You giggled in return, pulling at the collar of my shirt seductively with your eyes full of ambition. I ended your foolish antics by pulling you closer to me, smelling the familiar fragrance in your hair and experiencing the familiar sensation. I drowned myself within your presence, telling myself that I could never get enough of this pleasure.
“Where do you want to go, Yunho?” You whispered into my ears.
“Anywhere you want to go.” I responded mischievously. “Perhaps Europe… or an island in the middle of nowhere. Maybe we’ll just travel the world-eating unique delicacies and seeing new cultures. We’ll do whatever we want.”
“This is the Yunho I love.” You left a gentle peck on my cheek and continued embracing me once again.
“Jaejoong-ah?”
“Yes?”
“I just have one request to ask of you before we run away.”
You tilted your head in confusion. “What is it?”
“Shall we dance?” I asked, figuring that we were in the grand ballroom already. "It seemed like ages since I last danced with you to Erik Satie’s ‘Je te Veux.’"
“That’s funny.” You replied. “Shall we dance… those were the first words I heard you say. Except that time, you were asking Haneul.”
“Forget about Haneul.” I demanded. “I’m asking you now, what do you say?”
“We shall.”
And just like that, we let our bodies soar once again the familiar ballroom, dancing to the classical violin piece as our movements corresponded. Somewhere along the dance, I felt as if wings were attached to our shoulders, lifting us away from our dilemmas-away from this world.
I felt free at last.
And even though your original mission was to mercilessly put me to death, I couldn’t help but feel utterly alive whenever I was with you.
You failed your mission, Jaejoong.
FIN
Alright! Finished! Completed! The end! Accomplished! What did you think of it? No really, what did you think of it? I looked over this chapter meticulously this week and I was a bit dissatisfied with it even though it took me a while to completely fix it. Please, if you plan on commenting, please offer me your feedback and criticism (not on just this chapter, but on the entire fic).
Since I started attending school this past week, I want to tell you about an interesting even that happened in my English class. We were asked to describe ourselves in six words, and I must say, it was a bit difficult to summarize something so complicated. But since this fic has ended, I was wondering if you (the reader) can summarize my fic in six words. I’d love to see the results!
Anyways, the OST (soundtrack) has made its appearance. Thank you to all the readers who were willing to recommend songs to me. Please click HERE to download, and offer me your feedback on that as well.
I’d like to inform you that it will take a while before I update my next story due to the school work I’m piled with nowadays. It’s only the first week of school, and I feel as if I’m already falling back in fandom and not being able to catch up to fics I should be reading. So until I get I break, please be patient =D
I know if I continue to type I’ll ramble on about things you’d rather not listen to, but thank you so much to everyone for supporting me! It was a difficult fic to write (and an even more difficult environment to write it in-due to the lawsuit), but I hope you enjoyed every single chapter I put down!
I love you all, and thank you!
-Cindy
Download the OST!
Previous chapters: Prologue + Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 |
Want more? For a list of chapters and stories, please don’t hesitate to visit my fanfiction archive