a/n Minsu day in two following days. anyone interested to reread my old minsu fics? if you are, leave your message on what fic you would like to reread on my wall or on the comment box. I would set them on public mode for 24 hours of minsu day. keke. For now, here comes the next post of Mvtsqanth.

Eleven.

Jaejoong is the light sleeper among three of them. They sleep entangling their feet and arms hogging Jaejoong’s portable mattress. It’s messy and cramp-ish but when Yoochun cries, he cries like open dam, unfortunately not for long. Junsu keeps hugging Yoochun till the crying man finds his usual self back. He still hugs even after Jaejoong kicks Yoochun’s for playing ninja these past week. The kick break somewhat serene atmosphere and they soon kick each other playfully despite Yoochun’s swollen eyes and snot, Jaejoong’s ringing alarm in his head that something is terribly wrong, and Junsu’s gradually pale face masked by his endless happy laugh.

They sleep after two. Half past two or a quarter to three. Junsu claims his spot between Jaejoong and Yoochun. He sleeps first, too tired walking from home to Sara’s End and from playing around with his two bestfriends. Yoochun sleeps soon after. He’s exhausted from long flight and emotional outburst. Jaejoong sleeps the latest. He takes picture of sleeping Yoochun and Junsu several times before joining them to dreamland.

He is shifting his legs under Yoochun’s one when his extra sensory awareness tells him the mattress has wider space now. It takes two full minutes of effort for him to call his wake back. He wakes up. Junsu isn’t sleeping with them anymore. The spot still has bits of warmth from Junsu’s body. Junsu has left. Jaejoong looks around in sleepy eyes for any phone or watch to check the time. It’s five forty in the morning.

“Hurmm…” Yoochun mumbles. He rolls aside to get more comfortable position.

Jaejoong gets up from the mattress walking to the studio front door. It’s safely locked. Junsu indeed has left them. He walks back in light steps, chest suddenly filled with sadness and pang he can’t explain. Why didn’t Junsu wait till morning?

“Jae?” Yoochun sits in closed eyes and head hung aside fighting his sleep. “Where’s Junsu?”

“Home.” Jaejoong sits on his mattress. “He’s just left.”

Yoochun can’t open his eyes however much he wants to. “Home? Is it morning already? I have classes at nine.”

Jaejoong slowly pushes Yoochun to lie down. “It’s five something. Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you up before eight.”

Yoochun complies. He’s technically half sleeping anyway. He feels Jaejoong’s body lies beside him a while after. Too bad there’s only two sofa cushions her. It’d be better with real soft fluff pillows. “Bad Junsu.” His murmur is in the tip of deep sleep.

“Yeah. Bad Junsu.” Jaejoong uses his both hands as pillow. “Bad. I don’t know where to start.”

Yoochun snores mildly.

“I didn’t have time to ask him about Changmin.” Jaejoong talks to himself. “Or ask about Yunho. I didn’t have the heart to ask. You should tell him that you’ve broken up with Min, Chun.”

The mild snore continues.

“I don’t know what to do either.” Jaejoong closes his eyes. “Junsu never tells us a thing what happened with Changmin. He didn’t once mention Yunho or Changmin because of us, did he?” Jaejoong exhales. “Changmin was your fiancé. Yunho was my long time crush. He didn’t want to get in between us and our screwed personal lives.”

Yoochun hears it all. He’s not fully asleep yet but he has no energy to respond to Jaejoong.

“How is it the two people matter to us as important pictures in our lives connected messily to Junsu? Why didn’t we do something about it? Aren’t we his good friends?”

The snore dies down. Yoochun catches the implied meaning. He’ll deal with it later when he’s recharged. Junsu must have heard about Yoochun-Changmin’s break up somewhere or from someone though it might not change a thing now what with Yunho has tied Junsu up as his soon to be husband. That if Junsu survives his therapy. He’ll tell Jaejoong they both must let go Yunho and Changmin. Now, sleep. Sleep. He still has to heal his mourning broken heart too.

--

Junsu tightens his jacket’s hold to keep warm. There are 24/7 buses operating in Palgan, fortunately. He gets off at the shelter closest to his house block then continues the rest journey home on foot.

It’s cold and windy. He can see dark clouds hanging in the baby morning sky. His headache has lessened a lot during his way back home. The pounding headache woke him up from sleep. There’s hint and smooth touch of tickling blood through his nose when he sat up from sleep. He couldn’t let Jaejoong, the light sleeper, saw it and rushed him to hospital. He decided it’s time to quietly leave Jaejoong’s studio. He’s met them. He’s told them the truth about his head treatment. He has saved the memory of them three together after quite a while. It’s done.

Now it’s time to pack up. Yunho said he would stay in Palgan till afternoon. Junsu needs to leave for Aeon before Yunho finds out Junsu has terminated his treatment both with Dr. Nando and Shin Ae. He doesn’t want to spend more of his parents’ money for his treatment. It’s enough. He’s done it too. He still needs to go to Aeon to deliver Yunho’s wrapped gift. Yunho will be busy in Kyoto for a couple of days, Junsu could clear up everything in the pavilion and returns home or go to Neolhwa right after. It’s all set. Junho agrees. His parents have to agree.

Changmin waits in thumping restless heart and shivering fingers and toes. His body temperature drops down three or four degrees praying and anticipating meeting Junsu. He rubs his hands again and again as his feet fidget in sync with the increasing or decreasing rate of his heart.

Is Junsu asleep inside the house? Should he come back a couple of hours ahead? But what if Junsu takes early flight and leaves Palgan when Changmin is riding his motor home? Besides, it’s already five in the morning. In two or three hours, the front gate will open be it Junsu or the other Kims. He’d better stay here waiting and composing words he is going to say when he actually meets Junsu in person later. It’s getting colder and colder with the thick moist dewy air under the hanging dark cloudy sky. Is it going to rain?

He’s barely squatting down when he catches a shadow of approaching figure. Changmin’s whole body freezes in his squatting position, unable to stand up right away. The thrill of possibility that it might be Junsu is too sudden to be accepted by his system. The Kims’ residence is located in a decent housing block where most of its occupants are mid class employers or a small to medium business owner. The block’s roads are usually near zero after midnight to early morning saves for some patrol security car. Changmin has avoided one patrol car in time so it’s unlikely that the approaching figure is one of the hired block security people. It must be one of the block’s residents who might be anyone else coming home or.. might be the person he’s been waiting for.

Changmin holds his breaths. The light footsteps and the consumed shortened distance by the slow painful ticking seconds pull a stop not far from Changmin’s parked motor and him. The motor shields him from the figure but Changmin is certain the figure notices him.

“Changmin..?”

Changmin slowly rises up. It feels surreal. Real yet unreal at the same time just like the vivid running images in his head. Junsu is standing there, few meters before him, eyes widened in surprise, face lacks of its lively complexion, lips slightly gape, both hands shoved inside his jacket, standing, real, matching and revealing all the blur parts in Changmin’s memory box.

“Junsu..” is the only word Changmin could pronounce. The sliding images flood him in uncontrollable fast speed dizzying him yet he remembers everything. Every single thing they did and had in the past. Every feeling and emotion, every spoken words and promises, every argument and make up, every laugh and anger, every hug and kiss.

Junsu’s eyes were clearer and brighter. His cheeks were fuller. His hair was more well-groomed, thicker and brown. He was closer, reachable, less self-guarded; he was Changmin’s deep beloved Junsu.

“I’m…” Changmin struggles hard to find the right words. “I’m.. I broke up with Yoochun.”

He sees Junsu takes a step backward adding more space between them.

“I’m not engaged to Park Yoochun anymore.”

Junsu shakes his head out of his will. No. No. It can’t be. It mustn’t happen. Changmin and Yoochun can’t break up now. They can’t. They mustn’t.

“Why?” Junsu hates this feeling, this cutting pain whenever his past haunts him. “He loves you.” He bites his dry lip. “You love him as much. Why?”

It’s sickening to witness your own fiancé shoves you for his best friend. To know that he chooses his best friend over you, the one who trusts him to be your life partner.
“I love him.” Changmin follows Junsu’s game. “We have tried it, Junsu. We have loved and given our best to work it out together.” He swallows. This is not right. He has to say something else. ”We broke up.”

Junsu is shortly silent. Have Yoochun and Changmin really failed their engagement? Why didn’t Jaejoong or Yoochun tell him about it before? Why didn’t he hear it sooner? He could have done something to prevent it. Was it why Yoochun cried an ocean on his shoulder few hours ago?

“You said you’re going to make me pay for it.” Changmin’s soft tone reaches Junsu’s ears. “I thought you’re going to watch us, to monitor how we did but instead you left Palgan.” Changmin can’t add with Yunho. “You didn’t really care about us.” You ran away, did you? You’re afraid I’d remember something, weren’t you?

Junsu wishes he’d stay back in Jaejoong’s studio till morning. Meeting and speaking to Changmin alone is always bad idea, especially now.

“Did Yoochun..” He has no idea what he is saying. “Did Yoochun make unforgivable mistake?”

“No. I did.”

Junsu mustn’t look at Changmin in the eye. “Couldn’t it be fixed? Yoochun loves you so much, I’m sure he would understand and forgive.” His shoved hands inside the jacket dig its fingers onto his palms.

“He did.” Changmin doesn’t know how long he could play Junsu’s game anymore. “But I didn’t. I didn’t understand and forgive him.” He chances two steps forward. “I told him honestly I didn’t love him anymore. It’s dead end for us.”

Junsu looks away. “You wouldn’t find someone as good and loving as Yoochun to you.”

“I know.” Changmin says bitterly. “I wouldn’t find someone like Yoochun anymore but it’s my life. You just need to worry about Yoochun, not me. He’s a great person. He’ll find someone better soon.”

It doesn’t make sense, Junsu feels like screaming. Just hours ago, Yoochun cried for him. Yoochun hit him for not being honest about his treatment. Yoochun looked so hurt and betrayed. His pooling tears while he unveiled Junsu’s latest therapy record were genuine. Why did Yoochun let Changmin go? Why didn’t he hold onto Changmin like he did to Junsu?

“Aren’t you going to rip my head off or something?” Changmin asks when Junsu is quiet for too long for Changmin’s liking. “You sounded deadly serious when you threatened me in our secret pool back then.”

Junsu blinks. What did Changmin just say again?

“I went there to think about Yoochun and me, to sort things of, to clear my mind.” Changmin goes on, it’s now or nothing. “None supposed to know where I was. None but you.” He bolds his tone at his last word. “It’s funny, wasn’t it? Yoochun told you my secret place while he himself didn’t know where it was. Did Yoochun really tell you about that pool? Or you planted a tracking device in me? Or you had known where I might be when I need peace?”

“I didn’t know where you were.” Junsu looks everywhere but to Changmin.

“You didn’t know yet you found me.”

“It’s.. coincidence.”

“I see.” Changmin is itchy to shake Junsu off from his lying effort. “Did you meet Yoochun first before you coincidentally found me? Or you just left house as soon as you arrived home to search for me?”

Junsu knows he has to come clean sooner or later about that one bad impulsive slip but he chooses not to confess it to Changmin. He would be honest to Yoochun. Changmin has no right to interrogate him.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“You don’t have to.” Changmin repeats. “But I need to know how you found me. I never brought anyone else there but one person. Either this person guided you to find me there or you hid something from me.”

This is not what Junsu wants. He can’t allow Changmin cornering him that might lead him bringing up their past.

“Tell me, Junsu.” Changmin inquires. “Just answer me that one question and I’m not going to bother you anymore.” His steady yet soft tone is regaining confidence. “We aren’t that close of an acquaintance, let alone friend. Yoochun knows nothing about my secret pool. Who told you?”

Junsu can’t answer. How would he explain that he knows that old abandoned pool from their past dates?

“I assume you met this person.” Changmin takes another step forward. “This precious person who won my trust and peace. You know what? I’ve been looking for him. I lost him somewhere last year. If you would be so kind sparing me a chance to-

“Stop!” Junsu cuts in. His hand nearly lands on Changmin, asking Changmin to stop. “I don’t wanna hear about your private life. If you come here to tell me you broke up with Yoochun, I got it. I got it, okay?”

“You didn’t respect my private life.” Changmin flips Junsu’s words. “You barged in my place out of nowhere telling me what to do with my engagement.”

“I was out of my sense!” Junsu is half yelling. “Was just.. being illogical. I’m sorry, alright? It’s your private business I shouldn’t say a thing about it.”

“Isn’t it too late for that?” Changmin demands. “Too late to apologize, don’t you think? We broke up now thanks to you.”

“Me?” Junsu breathes fire. The pain in his head starts to tap. “What did I do? What did I do?”

“You meddled in our engagement.” Changmin calmly accuses. “You always took Yoochun’s side. You never saw it from my point of view.”

“Well, I’m sorry I care about Yoochun more.” Junsu’s eyes are now clashing against Changmin’s daring orbs. “I know how much he loves you. He makes mistakes like everybody else but shouldn’t he get a fair try for showing his sincerity?”

“How about me?” Changmin sees through the beady eyes. “How about my fair try to show my sincerity? You don’t think it matters to you, do you? You don’t ask me whether I love him enough to take him as my fiancé or not.”

“That’s ridiculous. You love him!”

“Ridiculous.” Changmin grits his teeth. “I love you more, Kim Junsu.”

The changes on Junsu’s face is incredibly upside down. His eyes are showing the ongoing shock that slowly turns into denial and rejection.

“You..

“You never asked me.” Changmin moves closer. “You just asked that one time what I thought about Park Yoochun. I told you I liked him because he’s a good person and because he’s your best friend. I told you I liked Jaejoong too, remember?”

Junsu shakes his head. What the hell is going on? Why does Chan