Pulsatilla | Chapter 7/?

[love_cassiopeia]

Pulsatilla
Author: love_cassiopeia
Summary: A complete mess was what Jung Yunho became after his beloved wife’s death. Trapped in a permanent state of isolation and loneliness, Yunho summons his knowledge on biology in hopes of recreating his wife in the form of an artificial human. However, the experiment goes terribly wrong and instead creates a male who has all his wife’s looks and qualities, one who he eventually decides to name ‘Jaejoong.’ Coping with the idyllic memories Jaejoong brings back of his wife, Yunho tries his best not to fall in love with his creation, knowing that the love he brings along is not the real thing-or is it?
Rated: PG-13 - NC-17
Warning(s): NC-17 material, language
Genre: Romance/Angst
Pairing(s): YunJae
Chapter 7: Jaloux

Definition: The Pulsatilla is a deciduous perennial flower native to Europe and Asia that grows in the leftover nutrients of a dead plant. It is usually grown to replace another plant. It is capable of curing diseases and may be used in remedies.





J a l o u x

*

The day Yunho discovered that he had not been awarded with the project his company distributed, three substantial things immediately came to his mind. One; he had been spending far too much time with Jaejoong-going to his concert, accompanying him when he asked to go grocery shopping, and just having him in his already-overcrowded brain, dominating his thoughts when they could’ve been elsewhere. He knew that the time he spent with him wasn’t the least bit wasted, but he understood that in the hours he was generously offering Jaejoong, he couldn’t have possibly gotten a fraction of his work completed, in turn giving him a smaller chance of receiving the project. Second; he was forced to face the fact that a promotion was far from his reaches now, and that his goal could hardly be met anytime within the current year.

The third thing that came to mind made him the most aggravated. Three syllables: Lee JoongYoung.

Since Yunho’s wasn’t eligible for the project, the higher-ups at the facility proudly awarded Yunho’s egotistic rival and workmate with the project, giving him the opportunity for a desired promotion. The thought of his adversary nearly brought vomit to the back of his throat. The fellow workmate had no heart whatsoever. He had no emotions to fill himself up with, no one he could call a friend. Perhaps the only thing Lee JoongYoung focused on was the cruel yet rewarding career he had created.

Yunho was no doubt astonished by the man’s skills and knowledge, but despised the person that lay behind the hard work. He was as selfish as he was apathetic, paying no attention to how he treated his peers or how utterly fake he sometimes proved to be. JoongYoung was the person Yunho would’ve loved and hated to become-and he probably would’ve followed in his footsteps, if not for the spirit and sunshine that called itself ‘Jaejoong’ spontaneously deciding to show up.

To celebrate their failure (was celebrate the correct word?), Yunho and his fellow assistant, Shim Changmin decided to ignore their individual lives for a few hours in hopes to let loose and have some drinks at the bar. The assistant, Changmin, was a few years younger than Yunho with neatly trimmed dark brown hair and an appetite Yunho would’ve been embarrassed of. Although the assistant ate like a pig, he fortunately channelled his growing horizontally instead of vertically, making him resemble a male model out of a European fashion magazine that ate salads for a living. It was a bit amusing for Yunho, seeing how strangely Changmin’s body worked.

Despite his young age and polite first impressions, Changmin had a habit of smarting off and saying whatever was on his mind. Snarky was the word that summarized him-wise was also. As an assistant however, Yunho never thought of anyone who would fit the job better than this man. The scientist was deft at making decisions that didn’t involve any emotions, after all.

Situated in Yunho’s black two-door sedan, the two drove off into downtown Seoul-a place Yunho hadn’t diligently visited since his memorable days in college. Looking out the window, Yunho could discern the nightclub he had once left Jaejoong at. A wave of remorse swallowed him up immediately, causing him to recall Jaejoong’s dismal expressions that night. He hated being struck with the fact that once upon a time, he had nearly wanted to get rid of the boy who he had cherished so much recently.

Deciding to visit a quiet bar situated within the busy streets, Yunho and his assistant left the vehicle, strolling into the bar-perfectly ready for a descent amount of alcohol to fill their weary minds and bodies. Besides, it had been quite a while since the two had the opportunity to claim the town as theirs, spending quality man-to-man time with each other.

It was only his after his second bottle of beer when Yunho mindlessly began to prattle on about the one person he simply couldn’t expunge from his mind that night: Jaejoong. Considering his wits were terribly dull due to the alcohol consumption, Yunho paid no attention to what he was saying-even if the words divulged his darkest, deepest feelings.

“You know why I didn’t get this project?” Yunho asked in a slightly tipsy tone. “Because of that damn Jaejoong. I’ve been spending too much time on him nowadays.”

Changmin’s face wrinkled in confusion as he heard the unfamiliar name. “Jaejoong?” He asked. “Who the hell’s that?”

“I didn’t tell you about him yet?” Yunho questioned. “My bad. You see, he’s been living with me for a while-my roommate.” Although his senses weren’t entirely in tact at that point, the back of Yunho’s mind reminded him that if he leaked the secret about creating an artificial human, the government would without a doubt come running after Jaejoong.

“Your roommate, huh?” Changmin took another sip from his beer bottle. “How come when I asked you if I could move into your penthouse after Seulki passed away, you said 'no' straight away?” He demanded in a witty tone. “And now, you’ve finally found yourself someone worthy to share your precious home with?”

Yunho gave his friend and assistant a petulant eye roll. “Look Changmin, I didn’t want to share my misery with you after my wife died, that’s why I chased you away so eagerly.” He tried to console the younger man, but the attempt was proven futile in the end. “And besides… that Jaejoong was in desperate need of a place to stay.”

“Sure, whatever.” The assistant responded dispassionately. “Still, you said that you’ve been spending quite a lot of time on him… what exactly do you mean by that?”

The question caught Yunho off guard. What answer could he possibly give to the shrewd assistant without revealing too much of the intimate relationship he and Jaejoong subconsciously shared? It was strange enough, having a male in the house that did the housework and laundry without any fuss or complaints, waiting patiently for him to return home with a flawlessly-assembled dinner in his palms. It perhaps sounded just a tad too generous of a roommate.

“Uh… I’ve been helping him out with some… things.” Yunho tried to string the set of words together as ambiguously as he possibly could. “In other words, he was a really good friend of mine in college, and he has a financial problem right now. So I offered him my open arms and all the help I could summon up.” He lied, making up the story word by word right on the spot.

“No offense Yunho, but this doesn’t sound like you at all…” Changmin denied. “But keep it up, because who knows? What if I have a financial problem someday?”

Yunho wasn’t ready to invoke any misunderstandings. “Look, I’m not a saint, all right? Or a fool, for that matter.” He declared. “Don’t go telling all of your friends about how helpful I am, or else Jaejoong won’t be my only roommate for long.”

Changmin chuckled at the scientist’s prediction. “All right, all right. I guarantee that there won’t be fifty people, showing up at your doorstep, looking for shelter.” He replied with a certain liveliness in his voice. “But I want to make the request, just once again. Is there any chance I could move into the apartment right now? I mean… you seem to be recovering pretty nicely from Seulki’s death.”

“Oh God, Changmin, you just want to live in a penthouse because it’s a penthouse.”

The taller man shook his head in utter disagreement. “Me? Live with you just for the spacious room and lovely view? No way…” He spoke, using a false, sarcastic tone. “I’m your friend-assistant-Yunho! I mean, I’ll be there to help you out with your work and accompany you as a friend.”

Yunho made a wry face. “Right.”

“Oh c’mon, you know your apartment is large enough to accommodate three people!”

“Changmin, I’m afraid that it’s a no.” Yunho stated. He was fortunate that he had not revealed any information on Jaejoong’s marvellous cooking skills, for that would’ve gotten Changmin excited enough to jump out of his very seat at the bar. “It’s just that… I don’t think Jaejoong would like the company very much.”

Changmin scoffed in response. “What is it with this ‘Jaejoong’ anyway?” He questioned frantically. “He shouldn’t be demanding so much from you!

His words made Yunho wish that the subject of Jaejoong had never been brought up in the first place. It was just too difficult trying to explain something he himself couldn’t comprehend and admit. He had no intention to evince the fact that he wanted Jaejoong and him to be the only ones in the apartment (he wanted the boy all to himself, after all). He was disinclined to tell his assistant that it was just too complicated, restraining himself from fantasizing over Jaejoong and getting lost within those large, lustrous, grey-blue eyes of his. He didn’t want to tell anyone that he was slowly falling in love with an artificial being he had recently created in his lab.

“Look Changmin, I’m sorry.” He tried his best to apologize. “It’s just a complicated process, having you move in and make him angry to the point where he wants to move out.” He was sick of his own, mortifying lies-but there was just no way to tell the truth. “Forgive me, all right?”

Changmin sighed, not having much to look forward to anymore. “I forgive you…” He confirmed. “I forgive you for you lousy roommate, your apathetic attitude, and your bastard rival Lee JoongYoung for defeating you and getting that project that could’ve led to a promotion-not to mention more money in my pockets to buy gourmet meals with!”

The scientist gave his colleague a sympathetic look. “We’ll make through this.” He encouraged. “With another bottle of beer, of course!” And without hesitation, he ordered another bottle from the bartender, one for him and one for his friend.

Choosing to be the wise one, Changmin decided not to go overboard with the alcohol like his joyous companion did. Although he had warned Yunho to stop, the man kept ordering drink after drink, making sure his vision was blurry and his speech was as slurred as it could possibly get. Failure certainly wasn’t a familiar concept for Yunho, nor did he take a special liking to it. He wanted to get rid of all his emotions, making sure his ability to feel anything was well-sabotaged.

Seeing that his warnings were ineffective, Changmin let Yunho drink on, occasionally striking conversations with him that barely made any sense. Within the multiple conversations however, a single thing kept on popping up in his speech: Jaejoong. Changmin felt that it was a bit strange, having one man mention another so frequently and so ecstatically.

Who was this Jaejoong that occupied Yunho’s attention span nowadays? Who was he and what significance did he make ion his life? What made him stand out so vividly against all the commotion in his mind? And most importantly, why was Yunho so reluctant to have anyone in the apartment besides the two of them?

Changmin was perplexed by the entire situation, but knew there had to be some sort of meaning behind it. Yunho had indicated to Jaejoong as a mere friend-one who accompanied him through his college days as a student. However, there was only so far a relationship between friends could go. If this Jaejoong was only a friend, Yunho wouldn’t be mentioning him so frequently in his alcohol-infected monologues.

For a person as astute as Changmin, the concept was quite too intricate to grasp onto. But there was something just so intriguing behind Yunho’s words that made him hungry for more. Sitting at the bar, Yunho didn’t appear to be talking about a friend, in fact, his speech reminded Changmin of the days when he was madly in love with Seulki. It was quite breathtaking, seeing such a side of Yunho emerge almost like it had time-travelled from the past.

Considering the numerous amounts of times he mentioned Jaejoong, Changmin resolutely decided that he needed to meet this man and truly figure out just what was so significant about him. Discovering that Yunho was horribly drunk and had no potential to be driving tonight, Changmin knew that he had to take over the wheel in order to drop Yunho off back at the penthouse safely. Hopefully, he would be able to catch a glimpse of Yunho’s roommate along the way.

Seeing the grotesque condition Yunho was in, Changmin decided to leave the bar as soon as he could. “See what happened, Yunho?” He asked the half-awake man. “I told you not to go overboard with the alcohol, and you do the complete opposite!” Rolling his eyes, Changmin half-heartedly paid the bill to the bartender, putting an arm around the scientist and hauled him into the passenger’s seat the black sedan. Changmin really couldn’t help it, not having Yunho listen to a word of the deterrence he sent out about beer, and thus, he hated being stuck with him and having to be accountable for his safety.

It was perfectly fine to abhor the task. After all, it wasn’t as if he was his husband.

Driving away from the bar, Changmin soon came across the location of Yunho’s apartment complex after approximately twenty minutes of driving. Parking the car in the dark and gloomy underground lot, Changmin summoned up his biceps and tried to help Yunho to his room with a single arm wrapped around him. He had to admit it-even for a man who ate as much as a bear, the task of carrying a grown man across the parking lot and into an elevator was tough work.

Speaking of food, his stomach was growling vociferously-almost as if it had a song to sing. He needed to get back home and make himself a sandwich-anything.

Reaching Yunho’s apartment door was like reaching the finish line of a marathon. Panting wearily, Changmin ignored the doorbell and instead banged on the front door noisily. If that so-called ‘roommate’ of his was asleep, Changmin would try his best to wake him up from his dreams, for it was time to change shifts, leaving the scientist in his hands. The door opened abruptly-a surprise, considering Changmin predicted that the roommate would be fast asleep at this hour. However, the male who stood at the door did not look the least bit tired despite the ungodly hour. In fact, there was a certain exuberance in his smile as he opened the door and greeted the assistant.

“Uh… you must be Jaejoong!” Changmin took the chance to act as the offensive, but stepped back in incomprehension as he scanned over Jaejoong’s stunning face. Due to the fact that Yunho had told him his roommate was in desperate need for money and a place to stay, Changmin had expected to see a horribly dressed, overweight man who consumed way too much fast food (not that Changmin had problem or anything with fast food. He just preferred more intricate, expensive meals). Instead, he came face to face with a young man with a charming pair of eyes, a layer of skin as soft as silk, and a figure that was very toned and desirable.

Although the appearance of Jaejoong made his breath hitch in his throat, Changmin knew he just had to introduce himself to such a handsome individual. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Yunho’s assistant, Shim Changmin.” He extended his arm and gave Jaejoong a slight handshake.

“Pleased to meet you Changmin.” Jaejoong’s voice, predictably, was just as charming as his appearance. “I’m Jaejoong, Yunho’s wi-”

“Roommate, I know, I know. I’ve heard all about you!” Disregarding the concept of manners, Changmin barged into the penthouse as if it was his own home and left the half-awake Yunho in Jaejoong’s hands. “You’re surely lucky, living in such a big place.”

Jaejoong laid the barely-conscious Yunho onto a nearby sofa and smiled cheekily at his new friend. “Oh, it’s not exactly the penthouse I’m most excited about.” Jaejoong disclosed. “I’m here so I can take good care of Yunho-you know, to clean up his mess and to make him meals.”

Changmin was astounded by Jaejoong’s confession. “Oh really.” Perhaps it was a trade-off thing-you know, something like ‘you clean up for me and I’ll help you with your financial problems.’ “Well, Yunho got pretty drunk back there at the bar, so thank you for being awake. If you haven’t noticed already, he’s in desperate need of someone who can take care of him.” He elucidated. “I’m surprised that you haven’t already gone to bed yet.”

The pale-skinned boy chuckled. “He made a call informing me that he was going to be staying out tonight drinking his heart out.” He announced. “It’s all because he wants to forget about his failure and the fact that he was mercilessly defeated by his rival, Lee JoongYoung, isn't it?"

Changmin nodded in agreement. “You got that part right!” He confirmed. “The guy cannot take a mistake or a failure lightly at all. That’s why he wants to forget about it.”

“Ah, really?” Jaejoong seemed a bit astounded after Changmin’s statement. Perhaps it was the constant warning in the back of his mind that reminded himself that he was one of those mistakes Yunho had unintentionally made. Choosing not to bring it back up and ignoring the idea completely, Jaejoong decided to change the subject. “Changmin-sshi, by any chance, are you hungry?”

The single term ‘hungry’ made the taller man's eyes light up instantly. “Why yes! I’m starving!” He spoke his mind-once again not minding his manners.

“Good.” Jaejoong replied. “Because I’ve been experimenting with some new recipes lately, and I’m afraid that I’ve made way too much to shove down my own throat. Besides, since Yunho won’t be eating any of it due to his condition, would you like some to bring home?”

It was as if Jaejoong’s words had lifted him back to the gates of food heaven. “Of course!” He burst out blatantly. “Thank you for the offer! I’ll take care of all the leftovers for you!”

Mission completed, Jaejoong rushed into the kitchen, probing through the cupboards for a lunchbox to fill with his hearty, home-style cooking. Hopefully his new friend Changmin would be his judge for tonight-deciding whether the dishes were presentable or not to his ‘husband’ who was currently unconscious.

Meanwhile, as Jaejoong prepared his meal in the nearby kitchen, Changmin took the time to observe his surroundings inside the living room of the opulent penthouse. Instead of the unkempt, shoddy living room Yunho often lived in after Seulki's death, it was once again back in its original condition. The curtains were drawn back to let in the cool spring air, the carpet was stainless and gentle to the touch. It was almost as if a maid had come in daily to clean up the scraps every man was bound to leave behind. Realizing that he now had a roommate, it was easy for Changmin to discern that all the clean up was done by the infamous Jaejoong.

The assistant hovered over the scientist’s sleeping face, wanting to draw mischievously on the slightly-tanned skin with a permanent marker. For goodness' sake, Yunho was one lucky guy, having Jaejoong! It was almost as if he was having no problem, dealing with his wife’s death.

As the thoughts in Changmin’s mind reached its maximum, Jaejoong returned from the kitchen with a bag of five or so lunchboxes. Seeing the large amount of food he received and smelling the fragrant aroma of the home-style dishes, Changmin’s eyes doubled in size as his smile stretched nonstop. Man, was he glad to have met Jaejoong today!

Saying a ‘thank you’ to express his gratitude, Changmin left the apartment with the lunchboxes in his arms, suddenly feeling a jolt of energy as he strolled out of the penthouse. Telling him that ‘it was nice meeting him,’ Jaejoong closed the door behind him and returned to the living room, heading over to the sleeping Yunho.

In Changmin’s mind, everything about the meeting between Jaejoong and him was blissful and serene to the very last moment. There was just one simple question that couldn’t leave him alone:

Why the hell did he look so much like Yunho’s wife?



Immediately after Changmin left the apartment and closed the door behind him, Jaejoong instantly was blessed with the permission to feel at ease once more, considering he was left alone once again with the man who had created and nurtured him. Seeing Yunho unconscious however, swiftly brought the ease to fade away, leaving him with the many doubts that began to accumulate.

Jaejoong rushed over to the scientist and sat on the sofa beside him, trying to discern his condition by observing his facial expression. He was sound asleep now, breathing tranquilly as his eyes stayed shut, displaying a beautiful yet masculine image all at the same time. Despite Jaejoong’s worries about whether the alcohol did any damage to him or not, the soft smile that danced on Yunho’s lips made him feel relieved. Yunho is strong, Jaejoong wanted to tell himself. He has all the power to take care of himself.

After watching the man sleep for a few more minutes, Jaejoong decided that he would abscond the living room and leave the scientist on the sofa, hoping he would be able to attain rest and gain recovery on his own. Besides, there was nothing he could do for him at this point. The idea of waking Yunho up was preposterous, for he would hate stealing the precious item of sleep away from his weary body. For the first time in his life, there was nothing more for him to do-and it felt rather obscure, or wrong, should he put it.

Turning the light switch and letting the darkness flood the room, Jaejoong walked towards the bedroom, leaving his partner where he was-that is, until he heard a strange, silent, murmur fill the air.

“Seulki-ah…”

Hearing Yunho’s wife name pronounced made Jaejoong somewhat jealous and bewildered at the very same time. Turning around and re-entering the living room, Jaejoong made his way over to the drunken Yunho and tried to perceive what on earth he was trying to say.

Coming face to face with Yunho, Jaejoong realized that his eyes were half open, informing him that his sanity wasn’t exactly at its usual heights at the moment. Jaejoong tilted his head to one side and stared down upon him in confusion. Just what was he doing, uttering his wife’s name all of a sudden?

“Yunho, is something wrong?” Jaejoong got down to his knees and made sure their eye contact was nearly parallel.

The scientist shook his head. “No, Seulki, nothing is wrong.”

A bit irritated that Yunho had referred to him as Seulki, Jaejoong’s eyebrows furrowed-a clear indication that he had allowed the concept of jealousy to resurface. Had the man forgotten his name? For Christ's sake, they had spent quite a lot of time together already; why wasn’t he able to just refer to him by his real name-by who he really was?

Jaejoong sighed and decided to forgive the man. “Yunho-ah… my name is Jaejoong, remember?” He claimed. “You gave me my name on the day I was born. My name is not Seulki.” He denied.

“You’re so beautiful, Seulki…” Ignoring Jaejoong’s statement entirely, Yunho continued to prattle on soullessly, a hand now cupping Jaejoong’s face affectionately. “I love you, Seulki."

Outraged by his 'roommate's' words, Jaejoong removed Yunho’s hands from his face. He wanted to conceal everything-the pain, the envy, the sadness. Hearing his husband refer to him as someone else and say that he loves him due to that was just too much to handle.

For the first time in his entire life, Jaejoong learned what the concept of jealousy was.

He was jealous of Seulki; it was obvious. And yet, he did not want to be a bit like her. Ironically, he was created with her DNA and thus her traits and looks were passed onto him. It was frustrating, having to live in someone’s shadow. He was Jaejoong, and he wanted to remain Jaejoong. Most of all, he wanted to Yunho to love him as Jaejoong.

Allowing his mind to calm down by telling himself that Yunho was still drunk and had a tough time controlling what his mouth instinctively slipped out, Jaejoong forgave the scientist silently within his heart, knowing that his words were not the least bit intentional.

A few moments after Jaejoong’s mind settled down, Yunho once again made the same bad move. “Seulki-ah… come close to me.” His fingers were cupping Jaejoong’s chin now. “I want to kiss you so badly.”

Feeling an explosion of pleasure caused by Yunho’s touch and sensual words, Jaejoong was unable to feel the jealousy and fury that lingered in the back of his mind. He could only feel Yunho’s hot breath-infused with the pungent flavour of alcohol-seep onto his neck, telling him to come just a little closer.

“Is one kiss too much to ask for?” Yunho uttered when Jaejoong remained speechless.

The delicate boy shook his head. He couldn’t possibly do this: taking advantage of Yunho while he was terribly drunk and seizing the kiss as if he was his real wife. But the soft skin that met his own, that wave of seduction that Yunho’s voice sent throughout his body-they were just too eloquent to ignore.

“Yunho, I…” He decided that trying to convince the man with words just wasn’t going to work. So instead of grasping tightly onto his values and ethics, Jaejoong did as the scientist commanded, bringing his face closer to his and shutting his eyes.

Within moments, Yunho corresponded Jaejoong’s actions with his own, bringing their faces together and taking the action to full circle. Although the sensation of a kiss was alien to Jaejoong, he was completely awed as their lips finally met, bringing something as familiar as déjà vu to his mind.

Feeling the electricity between their lips meeting, Jaejoong’s aching body that was yearning for love was finally fulfilled. As he moved his lips swiftly against Yunho’s, he could feel his hand travel to his cheekbones, trying to receive more contact by claiming a part of him. The wet, soft, silky sensation of lip moving against lip made Jaejoong step over the line and press his toned chest against Yunho’s, trying to obtain more of the present Yunho was trying to give him. No matter how heavenly every moment was, Jaejoong was just unable to get enough.

Desiring a breath of air, Yunho sucked on Jaejoong’s lower lip one last time before he broke apart. Disappointed, Jaejoong stared into Yunho’s eyes hungrily, only to see that the scientist's eyes were now wide open and showcased a certain look of astonishment within them.

Exhaling, Yunho finally brought himself to full consciousness, taking in what was occurring right before his own very nose.

“Jaejoong…” He stuttered in disbelief. “It’s you…”

Discovering the massive mistake he had made, the fair-skinned boy immediately let his face fill up with guilt. By the look on Yunho’s visage and the hurtful words he spoke, Jaejoong understood that he was disappointed-no, outraged-that he had kissed him instead of his wife.

Alas, it was time for apologies-again.

“Y-Yunho… I’m so sorry. I-I shouldn’t have done that!” Jaejoong lifted a few fingers to his tainted lips, his face written with guilty. “It’s all my fault… I won’t do it ever again.”

Seeing the sympathy on the boy’s face, Yunho knew that it wouldn’t be at all humane, putting all the blame solely on Jaejoong. “It’s not your fault.” He declared in complete confidence. “It was my fault in the beginning for letting the alcohol get to me, causing me to think that you were Seulki and then ultimately, forcing you into doing something you had no intention of doing.”

“But Yunho… I wanted it, I enjoyed it.” Jaejoong confessed, his glassy eyes filling up with tears. “I’m so sorry Yunho…” He apologized. “I’m so sorry that I’m not Seulki.” And one by one, the tears began to flow.

It made Yunho’s heart ache, seeing the boy crave him so badly and yet, being condemned by himself for his wishes afterwards. Who was the sick man who had brought these tears onto the innocent boy’s face? Who was the monster that had enticed the boy, but now made him shiver in fear? He had no intention to admit it, but he knew deep down, the monster was him.

“Jaejoong, stop it.” He ordered, for he could not listen to another whimper from Jaejoong without bursting out in tears himself. “It was something we both couldn’t control. And besides… I should be the one blamed.” Yunho wanted to laugh, seeing that the post-kiss argument had nearly served as a wake up call for him. “Please don’t take it upon yourself, Jaejoong. Please, I’m begging you.”

Trying to wipe his face clean of the mortifying% tears, Jaejoong straightened himself up and attempted to repaint a smile onto his lips. He had no idea why the tears suddenly surfaced, but knew that the jealousy inside him had well reached its boiling point. It just felt utterly stupid, kissing Yunho so enjoyably and then realizing that the kiss was an accident to begin with.

Although his self esteem had been crushed and his jealousy had conquered every part of his mind, Jaejoong told himself that his love for Yunho wouldn’t go away (especially not after the kiss moments ago). Every look Yunho gave him, whether it was jovial or infuriated, Jaejoong wanted to photograph and keep the memory inside his heart. Every word Yunho spoke, whether it was reckless or profound, he wanted to record, playing it over and over in his head. He just couldn’t get enough of Yunho, it was that simple.

“Jaejoong…” Yunho trailed off, hesitant. “Did you… enjoy that kiss I just gave you?”

Dumbfounded by Yunho’s fickle question, Jaejoong was struck with the phobia of answering it honestly. Would Yunho think disgustingly of him if he answered yes? Would he hurt Yunho’s feelings if he said no? The two opposing opinions swam inside the quandary of his heart, forcing him to make a decision.

Seeing Jaejoong’s uneasy expression, Yunho decided to offer him a few words to speed up the process. “Don’t worry about what my reaction will be.” Yunho elucidated. “Just… tell me the truth. I won’t judge you for it, I promise.”

It was reassuring to hear Yunho’s words. “Well, in that case…” Jaejoong began. “Of course I enjoyed it. In fact, it made every inch of my body want to scream out in happiness.”

Yunho chuckled at Jaejoong’s endearing answer and felt rather flattered after the vivid description. Deep down inside him, he knew that he enjoyed it just as much as Jaejoong. He however, felt that an invisible wall had been built between them, preventing him from telling the truth about how he felt.

So instead of having to put it into an explanation, Yunho decided to modify it into a question instead.

“Would you like another one?”

As Yunho’s question rang loud and clear through the dark living room, Jaejoong’s smile spread wider and wider, making his answer obvious. Perhaps he would get what he wanted tonight, after all.

“Are you kidding me? Of course.”

The scientist scoffed at Jaejoong’s barefaced response. “Jae, you sound like a little boy being asked about whether he wants a bike for his birthday or not.”

Jaejoong rolled his eyes. “You jerk.” He accused. “Always making fun of me for acting immature when you’re not the least bit mature yourself.”

Wanting to shut the boy up, Yunho felt himself being enticed by Jaejoong’s velvety lips and dived straight into them once more. At first, Jaejoong’s body was uncooperative, shocked at the sudden move Yunho decided to make. But soon, after Yunho’s lips began to follow its usual rhythm, he learned to let himself melt into the kiss, savouring all he could from this sugary sensation.

And those tears he shed moments ago-they were already long gone. As soon as Yunho wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, Jaejoong could forget every negative emotion he felt, be it sadness or jealousy.

Instead, he let his body fill up with the ethereal yet evanescent sensation of happiness.

Yunho, on the other hand, felt the exact same, yet was embarrassed to reveal it. The thought of how much joy and delight Jaejoong had brought into his life however, made him want to jump off the couch in glee.

Too afraid to spend the night separately, Jaejoong sat on the sofa, providing his thighs as a pillow for Yunho, who rested his head upon them with composure. Jaejoong had a strong urge to take care of Yunho, as Yunho ho had a strong urge to offer Jaejoong the self confidence and nourishment he needed to continue living. With both their eyes closed, the two let the thought sink into their minds without any grey spots or uncertainties within them.

If this wasn’t love, Yunho didn’t know what was.



Hopefully you weren’t mad at Yunho for mistaking Jaejoong as Seulki. He sure made up for it at the end of the chapter, eh? This marks the beginning of YunJae-finally! It’s taken quite a long time. But of course, we must have good timing for the story to work =D

Thank you for reading. Please comment if you are willing to spare the time.

-Cindy

R é s u l t a t |  A l i é n é |  D é s o l é |  B a i g n o i r e | M u s i q u e | N o c t u r n e  1 | N o c t u r n e  2 | J a l o u x

Want more? For a list of chapters and stories, please don’t hesitate to visit my fanfiction archive