Four: Young soul.

Sitting behind his counter, Jaejoong was trying to warm himself with a hot ceramic mug filled with a sweet rose-litchi tea in his hands, while not far from him, his lover was trying to repair the flood coming from one of the three radiators his diner had. And fortunately, by this cold, there was no costumers being very brave to walk through the snowy scenery to put their little behinds on those cold worn wooden chairs.

The beautiful man's eyes were set on the well built cast-iron in the corner of his diner since for a while. A frown was seen on his beautiful forehead as he was trying to decipher the meaning of this kind of suspended contemporary accessory doing here in his odd and timeless restaurant.

"Love? I have to go buy a new seal." Yunho said as the man was looking at the worn out seal in his hand. The man had cut off the warm water coming from the central heating of the small building, counting this small room serving as the cooking establishment of his lover and the two stories above them, which were used as Jaejoong's facilities and home. After that, he had drained out all the water from the apparel to see what happened to one of the two radiators in this main room.

"It's not urgent, right?" Jaejoong demanded while he was shivering under his red coat as he turned his attention to Yunho, shaking a bit as the small diner was still freezing since he had woken up for this new day.

"If you like serving your costumers in this cold atmosphere, sure. Not very urgent." Yunho chuckled. "But I don't want you to come down with something. So, I'm going to my shop and see if I have a seal first."

"But it's cold outside." The grownup adult whined with a pout, making his lover shake his head a bit at how adorable Jaejoong was at this moment, swaddling in his warm red coat and a soft baby blue woollen scarf wrapped around his neck and a black beanie on the top of his head while holding firmly onto the ceramic mug filled with hot beverage. At that, Yunho could not help remembering the child version of his angel years ago.

The little Jaejoongie, the boy of five, had looked up at him with his most adorable moue after putting all his efforts on building a snowman. However, it was so tiny that the beautiful boy was feeling sad and just asked him in silence to make it better while being draped on his very large floral printed coat, a hand-me-down clothe from his older sister. And of course, the little Yunho at that time never deny anything from his best friend. Even now, the man could not deny Jaejoong's every wish.

According to Changmin, he was doomed since the day he met Kim Jaejoong. And he could only be agreed with his friend. But, he wasn't going to think bad of their encounter, as they had ended together as a couple who will annoy the tall and sarcastic man for the rest of the latter's life.

"Don't worry. I won't be long." The other man nodded with a smile painting on his lips and walked towards his lover quietly. And Jaejoong gave him his mug of hot tea to warm his body a bit. Yunho drank the beverage without ado, not even using his hands. "I'm going to get a new seal from my shop. Okay? It will be better, right?" He said wanting to reassure his Jaejoong.

"...o-kay!" The faired man nodded as he helped Yunho to put on his warm coat and scarf. "If you don't have any, please, don't go to the nearby mart under this cold and snowy weather. We're going to find a way to repair that radiator anyway. And if I have to close the diner for a few days, I really don't care."

"And what about the night? Are you going to spend the night in this cold?" The wine merchant asked with a frown.

"Silly you big bear!" Jaejoong laughed softly, then he pecked his lover's lips. "This home isn't my only home."

Yunho nodded with a smile. Jaejoong was right. The home above his wine shop was also Jaejoong's home. And they could always stay there and enjoy their time together in his bed, under the soft and warm comforter away from any kind of hurdles life had in store for them. At least for now, the two of them lived a very peaceful life since they had settled everything between them and with their own family a few years ago.

Their parents had finally accepted their relationship, not trying to separate them because of the people's opinion and the society. The Kim family was more accepting than his family. But, the two of them did not matter from now on if something happened like last time when his father had stepped in into their relationship, they decided to ignore it for the best of their life together.

"You're right! Stupid me." Yunho chuckled softly as he pressed his lips against Jaejoong's plush ones.

"Right! Stupid you!" The faired man grinned against his lover's bow shaped lips.

"I won't be long."

"Okay."

"As for you, you stay near the stove. Turn on all the burners. It's very cold at this moment as I have to turn off the central heating." The taller man added as he rearranged the scarf around his lover's neck. "Don't even move from this corner."

"Nae appa!" The owner of the diner said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around the other's neck and kissed the wine merchant.

"It will be good if you call me like that tonight." Yunho replied with a smirk painting on his lips while Jaejoong burst into laughter as he snuggled against his lover's chest.

"Oww!! My eyes! I'm going blind. Really! I can't stand the two of you."

And the two lovers turned their attention to the only man they knew who could be this sarcastic, Shim Changmin. It was after all lunch time.

"And why do I have the impression on walking into a freezer and not into that usual shoddy old diner of yours?" Changmin asked with a frown as he was looking around the room.

"Disrespectful man!" Jaejoong muttered with a huff as he tightened his hold on his partner of life.

Yunho chuckled at Jaejoong's behaviour, squeezing his lover in his arms for a long moment, trying to get on their friend's nerves. Then, he rubbed the beautiful man's back with a loving expression before turning his attention to their childhood friend. The one who seemed to like living in his own sarcastic world for a while.

"One of the radiator flooded." Yunho let out quietly.

"And for your information, my diner is not shoddy and not old at all." Jaejoong corrected with a huff.

"Of course!" The clockmaker snorted as he closed the screen door completely, making sure that no more cold could get into this already cold room. Then, he walked to the stove behind the counter and pushed Yunho away in order to stand in front of those fire coming from the burners.

The wine merchant shook his head with a smile then he kissed Jaejoong before walking out from the small diner, making himself brave enough to fare the cold weather. His wine shop was not far from the diner. He only needed ten minutes or a little bit more in this snowy scenery to get into his own business.

"Where is he going?" Changmin asked as he was spreading his fingers above the fire.

"Get a new seal for the radiator."

"Aah! Really! Being in love s up all your senses. Not only one but the two of you." The clockmaker tsked. "You should call me before I walked away from my shop. I could give you a new seal." Changmin shook his head lightly. "And don't you have this suspended wood burning stoves somewhere here? The one your older sister has insisted to install this summer because it would be a very good thing for your odd diner. She said it will give this room a certain char-"

"Aaaaaaah!" Jaejoong shouted as he pointed out his right forefinger towards his friend, cutting Changmin before he finished his sentence. "You're right." The beautiful man added as he ran away from his place, omitting his lover's recommendation and stepped near the only modern equipment placed in the corner of his diner.

He didn't like it a bit from the start as it was out of place in his diner room. It was too modern for a place like this old cooking establishment of his. And for a while he did ask himself how did this kind of accessory had gotten its right place in his diner. Now, Jaejoong remembered hating on his older sister for forcing him to install one of this kind of modern chimney with the argument that it could be in help someday. She wasn't wrong.

Yes! Kim Jiwoo was the best.

"I like you Jiwoo noona!" He exclaimed while holding onto the aesthetic suspended cast-iron chimney. "Wood! I need woods!" Jaejoong said as he turned to Changmin excitedly.

"Firewood!" Changmin corrected as the tall man rolled up his eyes. "And before that, you should verify if the pipe is not obstructed." His friend let out quietly as he was still warming himself near the stove.

"Right! And how do you do that?" The faired and pretty man asked with a frown marred on his forehead.

"As I see, your man spoils you rotten until you became stupid." Changmin snorted with a smile painting on his lips. "As I know, you were more smarter than that dealer of wine of you!"

"He sells wine! Don't talk of my Yunnie as if he deals drugs!"

"Whatever!" The clockmaker waved his hand dismissing another argument from his friend.

Really! That lovesick couple!

Jung Yunho always did things for this ethereal man since they were little until now. A pout and a puppy-eyes coming from that little vixen, and he could see his friend split himself into two or more to make things right for the little girly boy Kim Jaejoong.

And what about him?

He was not different than Yunho. Even if he did not harbour some enamoured feelings towards the other, Changmin still felt a lot of affections towards the latter. No one could deny Kim Jaejoong after all. He was one of the kind. The kind of human being who knew how to see through the inner heart of all the people coming in contact with him.

This fairy man had some good magic in him to ease the pain of all the lost souls in this world. Including him.

After the death of his wife, the only friend who had stayed with him without complaining was this kind heart Kim Jaejoong. Of course, Jung Yunho was not far away as the man always stood behind the man like his shadow since they got together after their separation. But, their presences had made things more bearable for Changmin. And he did not know how he was going to pay them back for all the comfort, the affection and love they gave him since then.

Only by standing at their sides forever.

Finally, Changmin heaved a soft sigh and shook his head lightly with a soft smile painting on his lips at this clueless friend of him. Then, finally he pointed out his finger towards the floor above them. The man was there, this summer when Jaejoong had given in into his older sister's idea of installing a wooden heating to give some charm to this old and dull diner of her younger brother, making the diner close for a few weeks as the couple had decided to get some deserved vacations.

And if he wasn't wrong, the tub went up into the man's living room then bedroom on the second floor to end its path on the roof. Normally, there would be a small opening to see into the pipe.

"You're the best!" The beautiful and faired man smiled as he gave his friend two thumb ups. And Changmin knew very well that he did not have a choice but be the one to look at that pipe for this lazy .

"Aish! I want a full course of meal!"

"Deal!"

The clockmaker rolled up his eyes and walked towards the stairs quietly while Jaejoong was clapping his hands with a satisfied smile, knowing very well that his childhood friend would never refuse anything in exchange for food. The law of his stomach. Nothing had changed since then.

The owner of the small diner was humming happily with a nod. Then, he walked towards the counter and got behind it quietly. He warmed himself for a moment and started cooking something for his childhood friend the moment the screen door opened, making this soft rolling sound echoing around the room.

"Whoa... brrr.... It's cold even inside..."

"Oh! Taemin-ah!" Jaejoong let out as he turned to face the teenage boy who was shaking from head to toes from the cold weather. Not mentioning that his diner was more like a freezer than a warm cooking establishment. "It's been a while!"

"What happened here?" The teen asked as he took into his surrounding with a frown marred in his forehead, sagging on himself even more as he was trying to face this cold atmosphere with his warm and long parka.

"One of my radiators broke."

"Too bad." The boy nodded as he closed the screen door behind him. "Are you going to be okay doing business today in this cold?"

"I don't really know. And I don't have hope either. The weather is not on my sides." The faired man said quietly as he returned to chop some vegetables quietly. "Do you want something to eat? Tell me, I make it for you."

"Sure." The boy nodded. "Ham and eggs, please."

Jaejoong laughed softly.

It was a simple meal that they could have for breakfast more than for lunch. The pretty man suspected a story behind the boy favourite meal, relating to what was Taemin's family before the divorce of his parents. The teenager was still stuck on the beautiful past with the warm and loving family he still believed in, making things hard for the boy to move on like others. Like him.

His story was not so different as he had seen his parents going into their separate ways for the best of all of them. Jaejoong's parents had moved on with another family in hand. And he did accept their fates with no regrets.

How could he regret their separation when he saw his parents being more happy without each other and with their current partners?

The faired man could give the young boy some advices to bear what he never wanted to beginning with. However, every family's story was different. No one had the same tolerance of pain and no one had the same perspective of the future as each other.

"I see! You're a simple boy." The owner of the cold and odd diner chuckled softly.

"I am." Taemin said as he took place on the stool at the counter, putting his backpack on the stool next to his right, not even thinking of getting of his warm coat. He would be a fool to do that in this cold. The boy always skipped the cafeteria of his high school for this odd diner. He liked the owner's company than being with his friends. "Ooh! I'm frozen to death." He let out with a shaking voice as white steamed escaped from his mouth.

"Sorry! It will be warm soon."

"Hope so." The teenager nodded as he was looking at the broken radiator still being looked out for a reparation. "Is Yunho hyung going to repair that?" He asked as he pointed out the radiator in question.

"Yes. Now he is trying to get a new seal from his shop."

"Everything's good." Changmin said as the man entered the room quietly. "Oh! You still have a customer despite the cold weather." He nodded when he saw the teenage boy sitting at the counter. "Good for you! But I thought I would enjoy my lunch time without some annoying brat crying out loud about the unfairness of the world next to my poor ear."

"Good to see you too old man!" Taemin snorted at the clockmaker while rubbing his palms together in order to warm himself a bit. "It's a diner. And as a customer, I have the choice to be here. If you think you can't tolerate a kid like me, you have also the choice to walk away." The teenage boy retorted in the same sarcastic tone, making Jaejoong laugh softly at their banter. Those two would never admit it, but they seemed to be at ease with one another. This discord was only their way to bond together.

Changmin was this kind of person who liked to bully the people he liked the most since he was a child. And since Maki's death, he turned sarcastic and nonchalant better than closing himself up from his entourage.