Seeking Common Ground
Three Sides of A HeartThe sun shines brightly through Jae-joong's massive bedroom windows. The Rockstar deep in slumber but slowly coming to wake up from the sun. His brain waking up before his eyes opened. His body feels like an aching mess, his head pounding in one of his biggest hangovers yet, his tongue and body starved for a cigarette. He turns his body away from the window, his eyes finally opening. He rubs the sleepy crust out of them and gasps out in slight pain. The nape of his neck feeling sore, his lips unbearably dry, his skin feeling as though all the moisture was out of it. He grunts as he tries to remember the events of yesterday but they fail to come to him.
He pulls the covers off himself and gets out of bed. It doesn't bother him that he is . He figures that he probably hooked up with someone and they left early. He walks towards his bedroom door and down the hall casually. His body pausing as he hears the sound of two male voices. He recognizes Yoo-chun's voice instantly but the other one takes him a moment. He pauses at the end of the hall, his hands grasping onto the corner of the wall as he takes a peek around.
He can see Yoo-chun clear as day, his manager looking annoyed and frustrated. Jae-joong squints a bit as he makes out the build of Yun-ho. A rush of last night coming back to Jae-joong. His face heats up from the hazy memories. He recalls fighting with Yun-ho and being shoved into a cold shower, but the rest is a mess. He at his dry lower tier as he holds his breath to listen in on the conversation.
"He's not going to be fixed. I will not stay here and deal with that type of behavior." Yun-ho huffs out.
"I know he can be difficult but I promise that he will change. Everyone has given positive reviews about Chang-min's services. I've seen the guy fix some of the worst eating disorders and anxiety cases." Yoo-chun insists.
"Its not about Chang-min and what he can do! Jae-joong literally had a ing rage fit. I had to fight him off then subdue him like a child. He doesn't want to ing change, why is he being given so many chances?"
Yun-ho harshness causes Jae-joong to grimace. The Rockstar feels a bit of guilt at first, but then frustration builds up. Who is this guy? What the hell does he even know? Didn't he fail to debut? Jae-joong places a hand over his lips to hide his scoff, his eyes rolling.
"Look, I've been working with Jae-joong for years now. I know deep down under the ing mess, there is a guy there that wants to continue on and live life." Yoo-chun says his eyebrows furrowed as frustration radiates throughout his body.
Yun-ho lets out a sarcastic laugh, his eyes rolling as he shakes his head in disbelief. "He is far too old for his habits to change. If he really cared about his career and his fans then he wouldn't have let himself get to this point. If you really cared about him then you wouldn't have been such an inadequate manager to him!"
"Yah! What the do you even know?! You're just a song-writer! You don't even know the meaning of real work!" Yoo-chun shouts out.
Jae-joong launches himself out of the hallway. His feet pattering on the ground as he makes swift steps towards the two. The two men turning to look at Jae-joong. Both groaning at the sight of the Rockstar. Jae-joong shakes his head as he looks between the two and huffs.
"You know, its one thing to talk behind someone's back but to do it in their own ing home is pretty low." He spits out.
"I'm trying to defend you from this ing punk! I am defending your honor!" Yoo-chun huffs out, his eyes looking away from Jae-joong.
"Honor? What ing honor?" Yun-ho laughs out, his arms folding over his chest.
"You have a lot of ing nerve. I didn't ask for you to be here. You can leave!" Jae-joong rages.
"Oh! I would totally leave but apparently people think you need a babysitter because you're incapable of handling yourself!" Yun-ho huffs.
The tension burns intensely in the room. Yoo-chun's hands balled into fists at his sides, Yun-ho's nostrils flaring, and Jae-joong's head throbbing. The three men stand in a sort of triangle, their faces in heavy scowls and frowns. Yun-ho can feel a fire burning inside of himself. He wants to leave Jae-joong behind and have Yoo-chun handle the mess. He thought messaging Yoo-chun could be some sort of help but his thoughts were wrong. It is clear Yoo-chun enables Jae-joong's behavior. The thought of it makes Yun-ho want to laugh and spit at the both of their feet. He doesn't usually get this worked up but something about the two is making him angry.
Jae-joong feels his insides twisting and turning. His mouth filling with saliva from what he knows is a moment to vomit. He swallows down the wave of spit and tries to stand his ground even though his and exposed. His head nodding towards the door.
"There's the door. Leave." He says in a cool tone.
Yun-ho nods his head as he walks past Jae-joong. His eyes glaring at the rockstar then the manager. He angrily puts his shoes on without socks, still clad in pajamas. He unlocks the high-tech front door and swings it open. He then walks out, the door slamming so hard behind him, the walls shake a bit. Yoo-chun lets out a deep sigh of exasperation, his hand cradling his forehead as he looks down at the ground. Jae-joong can sense the disappointment that Yoo-chun is feeling. It causes the rockstar to step back and look down at his own feet. He shifts a bit as he cracks his knuckles and at his dry lips again.
"Do you even want this anymore?" Yoo-chun asks.
"What? What do you mean? Of course I want this, I worked my whole life for this. How are you going to let a failure change your mind on my goals and ambitions?!" Jae-joong cries out.
"Because you're doing everything to ruin yourself! You keep drinking like a fish and taking drugs as if they are perfectly fine and legal! I cannot keep passing the tests for you! I cannot keep covering for you. Why are you making everything so difficult?! Don't you want to be here?!"
Jae-joong feels slapped by Yoo-chun's words. He stumbles back on his bare feet, his face growing paler than what it already is as he tries to take deep breaths. He thought Yoo-chun knew more than anyone else how hard his life has been. How lonely he has felt and how he has tried to push himself to be better. How can one person suddenly change Yoo-chun's prospective on who Jae-joong is? Jae-joong can feel the stinging of tears in his eyes which causes him to kick at the ground. His arms flying into the air in frustration. He wants to hit something. He wants to slam something or break something. He wants to scream and shove Yun-ho off a cliff. The rockstar throat tightens from the anger. His energy being exerted even though he has just woken up for the day.
Yoo-chun can sense Jae-joong's pain but he feels pain himself. The manager really has tried everything to fix Jae-joong. He has offered him friendship and way more than any manager should. He has left his own home to spend the night with Jae-joong, he has covered for Jae-joong's absences, he has managed to pay officials to clear Jae-joong's drug tests, pay off different men and women who claimed Jae-joong has assaulted them. Yoo-chun has done so much for Jae-joong, that he has grown gray hairs from trying to protect him. Yoo-chun knows deep down that Yun-ho may be right. He knows deep down that all the things Yun-ho spoke of today were true. Jae-joong doesn't want to be fixed and he honestly can't be fixed.
There's a thick silence as the two breathed heavily. Their heart rates up from the fight that almost broke out. Yoo-chun doesn't have anything left to say. He knows there isn't anything left to say or do. He can feel the tears in his own eyes because he knows he will have to report this. He hopes Yun-ho hasn't driven
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