Let's Play Pretend - Chapter 16

[smexplicit]

Title: Let's Play Pretend
Genre: Romance, fluff, slight angst
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jung Yunho finds himself stuck in a fake relationship with another man when he is very much straight and is secretly dating a very famous actress.



Prologue I [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9] [ 10] [ 11] [ 12] [ 13] [ 14] [ 15]

Turning Tables

The dinner was cold now, as dead as the two beautiful silver candles lined up on the table that were already burning out. Was the heater broken? For even the room felt like it dropped a few degrees colder. Although he knew it worked perfectly fine, Jaejoong checked anyway because a little distraction was desperately needed after sitting in that chair for-he glanced at the clock-over an hour now.

7:30

He stared at the empty seat in front of him, feeling a little worried that Yunho hasn’t shown up yet.

8:00

He called Yoochun for the second time, only to receive the same answer he was previously told, ‘Yunho left the building a long time ago. Don’t worry Jaejoong-ah, he’s probably just stuck in traffic.’

But at least a call would be nice. He took a sip of water, thinking that maybe Yunho couldn’t get to his phone for some reason.

It was at 8:40 that the door to his apartment finally clicked open.

Jaejoong’s head perked up at the familiar beep, grinning widely and ran to the door. Just seeing Yunho there, standing on his doorway looking striking in a suit ensemble, he suddenly didn’t mind him being late. He’d waited for this man all his life-what was an hour compared to that?

“Yunho-yah!” He smiled sheepishly and threw his arms around the other’s neck. His greeting was returned with a kiss on his forehead and a stiff smile that went unnoticed.

“I already made food,” Jaejoong gushed, pulling Yunho towards the table and urged him to sit. “Just let me heat it up for you. You don’t mind waiting a little, right?”

“Don’t. It’s fine,” Yunho answered quietly. He was staring at Jaejoong intensely, like he was trying to figure something out.

“Oh. Are you sure?” Jaejoong reached for the platter saying, “It won’t take long-”

“I said it’s fine.” Yunho repeated, his face now a picture of impatience. Jaejoong stilled and eyed him with a look of surprise. It was quickly remedied when Yunho shook his head, and distracted him with a small, hard smile.

“Sorry I’m late, by the way.”

“It’s alright,” Jaejoong nodded back, eyes twinkling… oblivious of the growing iciness between them. He served the dish back on the center table and pulled a chair for himself.

“So, how did the photoshoot go?”

“The usual,” Yunho shrugged, glancing away from those prying eyes.

Jaejoong frowned, but thought maybe Yunho was just a little tired. “Nothing interesting happened?” he tried again, smiling encouragingly. “That must have been a drag.”

“Yes it was,” Yunho whispered.

Jaejoong bit his lip, finally recognizing what he’d been trying to ignore the moment Yunho walked in. “You’re not in the mood,” he mumbled dejectedly, turning to the candles and blew them out one by one. He glanced sadly at the wrapped CD on the side, and said, “I-It’s okay, we don’t have to do this tonight.”

“No, I’m sorry.” Yunho looked down. It was hard to look at Jaejoong, afraid of what lies beneath that piercing stare. Love was his weakness. But this time, he wouldn’t allow it to affect him.

Jaejoong casted an appraising eye over to Yunho. “Baby, what’s wrong?” he inquired in understanding. He was itching to reach for that clenched hand but the tension he was sensing from Yunho scared him to move an inch.

“There’s something I want to talk to you about,” Yunho said, reaching under his jacket pocket. He revealed a brown envelope and placed it on the table.

Confused, Jaejoong grabbed for the thick packet and curiously took out its contents.

“What’s…” Jaejoong frowned. When it registered what the photos meant, his eyes widened. Everything in it had enough proof of Yunho being romantically involved with Soojin and him at the same time.

“Where did you get these?”

“You tell me,” Yunho stated blankly.

“What? I don’t-”

“Soojin’s being blackmailed.”

There was an underlying tone in Yunho’s voice that puzzled Jaejoong. And when he saw that accusatory look he was giving him, his eyes narrowed into slits. “You think I have something to do with this?”

“I talked to her on the phone,” Yunho looked up and stared him squarely in the eyes. “Someone’s threatening to release all the photos if she doesn’t cooperate.”

Jaejoong let out a shuddering breath. “Yunho, I have no idea what’s going on.”

Yunho sighed, torn with what to believe. He wanted to trust Jaejoong but there were things he learned that needed a whole lot of explanation. “You didn’t tell me you met with Shirota Yuu recently,” he whispered.

“What?” Jaejoong asked, a little caught off guard by the sudden change of topic.

Yunho leaned forward, and reached for Jaejoong's hand. “Just tell me if you went to see him,” Yunho pressed on, his grip tightening a little.

Jaejoong, although confused with the situation, went on and answered truthfully. “Y-Yes, I was going to tell you, but it must have slipped my mind.” Jaejoong panicked a little when Yunho loosened his hold. “I met him the other day but it didn’t mean anything. It just so happened that we were at the same place-”

“What are the odds of you two meeting accidentally?” Yunho interrupted, retracting his hand away. "Seoul is a big city, Jaejoong."

“Yunho! Just… stop,” he pleaded, looking offended. “Where are you getting at with this?”

“He’s the reporter that’s been taking photos of us,” Yunho hissed. "Soojin's been having him investigated, and she told me that the two of you were seen together.”
“But I swear I didn’t know he's a reporter!" Jaejoong was at a loss. He didn’t understand any of this. His face was red with anger and hurt, but controlled enough to speak with a steady voice. “I'm just as clueless as you are, Yunho. So I don't understand why you're putting the blame on me,” he snapped.
“Clueless? He told me you hired him!” Yunho nearly yelled.

“That’s not true!” Jaejoong gasped, scandalized by the accusations being thrown at him. “How could you believe something like that, Yunho? You of all people…” Jaejoong started to tremble, but he held it in.

“No, you of all people know how much I trusted you,” Yunho replied harshly. “If you really don’t know,” he muttered under his breath, voice suddenly dropping into a slow, venomous whisper. “Then tell me you had nothing to do with that dating rumor surfacing as well.”

Jaejoong's fingers clenched nervously under the table. He couldn’t find it in him to fight against it. Not this time.

“I wanted to punch him, bruise his face for talking about you like that because I know how easy it is to lie." Yunho took a while to speak again, and when he did, it was a dagger through Jaejoong’s heart. "But he said that I could hear it for my self, and confirm it with you.”

The desperation in his voice was tormenting. “Was he lying, Jaejoong-ah?”

Jaejoong looked down, his lungs desperately needing air. He feared of what he might see in Yunho’s eyes: hurt? betrayal? This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. No. He was so out of it that he forgot that someone was waiting for what he had to say.
“Answer me, damn it!” Yunho slammed his fist on the table, eyes glowering in impatience.
Jaejoong’s body jerked at the crash. He watched in horror as the glass tipped, spilling water on to the red tablecloth and directly drenching his little surprise.

No. His song… it’s ruined.

He held back a tear and nervously met Yunho’s eyes.

“Yes, I… I admit… talking to that reporter was a mistake. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.” Jaejoong breathed, body trembling from the fire of emotion that was bottled up inside him. “I thought it was the only way.”

“The only way for what?!”

He watched the play of emotions in Yunho’s face. Hurt. Anger. Betrayal.

“So I could get into a pretend relationship with you.” His voice broke at the last word, anxiety and despair coming off clearly. “It was really me who suggested it.”

Yunho's jaw clenched, his teeth gritting in disdain. “You’re unbelievable,” he muttered. “You had no right to play with my life like this!”

“I didn’t mean to-” Jaejoong bravely tried to reach for Yunho’s hand, but it was pulled back before he could get to it.

“Were you even gonna tell me or just let it conveniently slip your mind, too?” Yunho bit back spitefully. “What else have you been keeping from me?”

“Yunho-yah, I swear that’s it. I don’t know about Shirota… I never talked to him before. We only met during the trip and-”

“You planned that vacation,” Yunho’s nose flared just looking back to those wonderful memories. Lies. It was all lies. “How could have he known where we were headed to?!”

“I swear I don’t know!” Jaejoong shook his head violently, the sharp sting of useless tears made his eyes red and watery. “He must have obtained our flight schedule from his contact at the airline company. They always get away with t-these things, you know that.”

“No, I don’t know that. I don’t know what to believe anymore!” All the evidences pointed to Jaejoong and it was killing him that there was truth to it. This couldn’t be the same person he confessed his undying love to, could he?

“Yunho-yah, please trust me this once. I need you to listen-”

“I think I’ve heard enough.” Yunho stood up and headed for the door but Jaejoong was quick to follow, and held onto him from behind.

“I’m sorry,” Jaejoong whispered into his back.

"Sorry about what?" Yunho stiffened in his hold. “That everything we had was based on lies?” he answered coldly. “I need time, Jaejoong. Let me go.”

Jaejoong paled, a sudden thought taking over him. The coldness in Yunho’s voice, the lack of warmth in his eyes… this version of Yunho, he’d seen it before.

“Based on lies? How could you say that?” Images of their sweet late night conversations played in Jaejoong’s mind. Wasn’t there truth in those moments?

“Haven't I proven myself enough to you, Yunho-yah?” his voice struggled to come out. Jaejoong let a few tears fall this time as he pulled away. “I love you so much,” he whispered. “How could you doubt that?”

Yunho’s fingers dug through his palms, heart clouded by contempt and distrust towards the person he mistakenly trusted with everything. “Don’t confuse your sick fascination with love.”

A sick fascination? Jaejoong looked down, those words playing over and over in his head. It was the last straw. Something… something inside him snapped, and broke into millions of pieces. Yunho classified his feelings as something low and shameful… when it was the only thing he held on to for comfort in years.

He’d begged for this man’s love for as long as he could remember. There was nothing else left to sacrifice, because he’d already given his everything to him.

“You’re right.” His voice suddenly distant and unfamiliar it made Yunho turn to him in surprise. Jaejoong wiped his tears away, face masked with emptiness… totally void of any emotion. “It was all part of the plan.”

Is this the kind of person you see me as, Yunho-yah?

There was no use wasting his breath in convincing someone whose mind was already fixed on the idea of his betrayal.

“Are you satisfied?” His words left a taste of bitterness in his mouth. “Now that you heard the truth that you wanted… You can leave.”

You said you wouldn’t…

Yunho looked at him with an equally blank face, but with eyes that were pooling with moisture. He turned his back on Jaejoong as he blinked a few tears away and then silently walked out the door.

You promised you wouldn’t leave.

At the sound of the door closing, a choked sob escaped from his mouth but he refused to go further. He wasn’t going to cry anymore. What was the use of crying over something already broken? Hasn’t he cried enough?

He looked at the cold dinner and distractedly started cleaning out the plates. Lifeless, and empty… a walking corpse. After it was all cleared out-no traces of a broken wine glass and a spilled drink, he grabbed the drenched CD and tossed it on the trash.

To Yunho, his feelings were as good as trash.

With hazy eyes, he navigated to the bathroom and unsteadily went under the shower with his clothes on. He stayed under the cold downpour of water for a while, basking in the thought of cheating sadness-it comforted him that he could easily let the tears fall, sensing it disappear in the waters even before a single drop could remind him of what he’d lost.

Only when his teeth began to chatter in coldness that he finally changed into warm clothes, and buried himself in the fluffy sheets.

“Yunho-yah…” he whispered into the silence.

And when no one answered back, fresh tears slid through his cheeks. He realized, it was never possible to cheat sadness… especially when Yunho wasn’t there.

***

Drinking alcohol had always been an escape to Jaejoong. It made him bolder, and it made him forget. He particularly needed that last element right now, to forget his anger when he was just a few feet away from the guy he wanted to crush with his bare hands. He needed to be calm.

He woke up with a clearer mind this morning, far from the emotional wreck that he was in the previous night. Jaejoong recalled all the things Yunho said and gathered pieces of information to zero in on the person responsible for this mess. He believed it was a set-up, which Yunho unfortunately fell for.

But he wasn’t going to think about his issues with Yunho just yet... or think about Yunho at all.

It wasn’t really a difficult job to guess which person to start with. Shirota Yuu… that bastard. If his motive was to only blackmail Soojin, then why did he have to drag him into this and let him take the fall? He was going to the bottom of everything and someone was definitely going to pay.

Jaejoong worked his magic yet again on his media friends and collected enough info about Shirota to know exactly where he could find him in this cold night. He learned that the guy was a recognized ladies’ man and frequented this local pub he’d never visited before.




Jaejoong took the farthest seat away to observe, his true intentions concealed in the darkness. He was extremely dashing in his black, very low-neck top that showed the paleness of his chiseled chest, tight jeans that hugged the contour of his muscles and perfectly styled, wind-swept hair like he just walked out of a magazine. With eyes smoldering with a smudge of black liner, he definitely was ready for his first kill of the night.

Taking a swig of the bottle of vodka in his hand, he eyed the unsuspecting prey apprehensively and then walked towards his direction. The man was seated on one of the stools alone, back facing him. With a deep breath in, Jaejoong deliberately bumped into him, spilling some of his drinks on the man without it looking as if he was provoking a conflict.

Jaejoong heard the man splutter and curse before shooting a pointed gaze at him.

“Sorrryy,” he slurred in a faked drunken state.

He saw the guy vaguely recognize his face for a moment and then gradually turned into full familiarity of who he was talking to. “J-Jaejoong?”

“Hi,” Jaejoong smiled flirtatiously, sitting on the empty chair next to him. “It’s you again.”

“Are you alone?” Shirota looked at him questioningly, probably thinking why Jaejoong hasn’t clawed his eyes out yet. “And uh, what brings you here?”

“Mm,” Jaejoong hummed, his body slightly swaying to the beat of the heavy music. “I’m celebrating singlehood.”

“You are?” The reporter raised his brows at him.

“Yes,” Jaejoong whispered as he leaned his body closer. “Thanks to you, I’m finally free to do whatever I want.”

Shirota gaped in bewilderment. “You mean… you’re not mad at me or something?”

“Don’t be naïve,” Jaejoong whispered into his ear. “I’ve wanted to dump Yunho’s ass for quite a long time now. He’s too vanilla for my liking.” He smiled and then took the man’s drink and winked slyly. “Good riddance, don’t you think?” He raised the glass for a toss, and took the swig of the bitter alcohol.

Shirota chuckled, seeming pleased with himself. “What do you prefer then?”

“I want someone intense, and dangerous,” Jaejoong leaned forward a little more, his beautiful face just a breath away from the man’s lustful gaze, and then whispered seductively, “I want someone like you.”

“You’re so beautiful, you know that? It’s difficult not to be attracted to you.” He boldly followed Jaejoong’s lips with his eyes and then hotly whispered, “You know, I live only a few blocks from here.” He smiled deviously and said, “Since you ruined my shirt, do you want to help me out of it?”

“I’d love to,” the raven smirked, tracing a finger on the unsuspicious man’s flushed cheek.

Jaejoong scanned the small apartment with razor-sharp eyes, noting how far the bedroom was from the main entrance, that lone book lying on the ground that he could tripped over in case he needed to run, and a flower vase he could use to knock the guy unconscious if things got impossibly out of hand.

“Do you want anything to drink?”

“No thanks. I want to remember what we’ll do next,” Jaejoong laughed. “Come on, let’s go to your room.”

Shirota led the way, excited of having the sexy Kim Jaejoong under his roof-who by the way looked just as eager to get into bed with him. “I hope you don’t regret it in the morning,” he chuckled. “Come h-”

He was cut off when Jaejoong pushed him on to the mattress, a ferocious grin playing on his lips. Hips swaying with every step, he moved forward until he was straddling over the other man’s lap.

Jaejoong helped him out his suit jacket, followed with his stained shirt. “Close your eyes,” he whispered heatedly when he noticed those eyes looking at him with hunger. “No peeking.”

He lightly ghosted his lips along his jaw line, teasing his skin with his warm breath but not daring to touch it. While the man was distracted, his hand sneakily took out a bundle of thin, braided nylon rope hidden under his pants and then cautiously shoved it under the pillow.

Jaejoong took the discarded necktie on the side, dangling it mischievously on the man’s face.

“Let’s play,” he said.

Too consumed with lust, he smirked at the kinky gesture and submissively allowed Jaejoong to take control while he feasted on the pale neck. “You’re full of surprises,” he whispered huskily, then devoured the creamy expanse of chest as Jaejoong hovered above him, pinning his hands roughly over his head.

He felt a tug, but his mind was too busy to notice that instead of the silk texture, it was the roughness of hard nylon tying his wrists to the bed frame.

“Do you want a sneak peek of what I’m capable of?” Jaejoong whispered, and pulled on the man’s trousers. He moved away from the bed, satisfied of how it worked out quite easily.

Click

Shirota opened his eyes in anticipation, only for his fantasy to be crushed into the pavement at the sight of Jaejoong still fully clothed with a terrifying glint in his eyes. He held a phone, and was snapping pictures and taking videos of him... naked.

“J-Jaejoo-What the hell are you doing?!” He pulled at his wrists again, but realized… Oh crap. He was screwed.

“Giving you a taste of your own medicine,” Jaejoong spoke in a deadly chuckle. “I can’t believe you fell for that.”

“What do you want?!” Shirota screeched in hopelessness.

“Tell me,” Jaejoong looked at him in mock interest. “Did Soojin put you up to this?”

As expected, Shirota confirmed it with a nod and told Jaejoong everything like how his planned blackmail led to another arrangement with Soojin.

“I see,” Jaejoong hummed. “That’s all I needed to know.”

“What are you going to do with that picture?!”

“Oh this?” He showed the screen to Shirota who winced at the embarrassing image of him naked and tied up like that. “I’ll make a billboard out of it if you try to release anything to the public. You understand me?”

“Are you crazy?! Come on, it’s nothing personal! It’s part of my job,” he pleaded.

“Don’t tempt me,” Jaejoong glared dangerously. “I could upload this on twitter as well if you like.”

“Okay, Okay!” He nodded briskly in agreement. “I swear I’ll destroy everything! Just… don’t…” he hissed.

Jaejoong smiled. “Seems like we're done here,” he mumbled casually as he turned to leave.

“W-Wait, what about me?”

“Oh, right.” Jaejoong grabbed Shirota’s phone on the floor. He scrolled through a list of his contacts and randomly called a number. “Here, ask someone to come help you out of it,” he said, putting the device on speaker before tossing it on the man’s chest.

Shirota tried to see the name flashing on the screen and when he had a good look, his face twisted in pain and helplessness.

“Jaejoong!” he shrieked. “You called my boss!”

“Yeah well,” Jaejoong shrugged. “That’s what you get for crossing me. You idiots really should have known better.” He calmly waved a hand and then walked out as he faintly heard the man talk to the phone, mumbling apologies to his boss for disturbing him at the wee hours of the night.



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If you haven't read this oneshot yet,
please check out Butterfly Promises. :)

A/N: Sorry! I hope badass Jaejoongie made up for it. hehe Please leave comments and let me know what you think? THANK YOU! <3

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