Yunho hadn’t slept, and he was starting to feel the effects of it. The early morning light irritated his tired eyes as he stepped out the door. 

After his desperate plea, Jaejoong had agreed to help him revive his failing restaurant. But while it was what he wanted, he now found himself not knowing how to act when he’d eventually meet the other again. 

The last time he’d seen Jaejoong, he was just a careless eighteen-year-old boy, who was completely unaware of the harsh realities of the world. He couldn’t remember much — as he’d spent so much of his life trying to erase those memories — but he remembered the smaller boy who always seemed so indifferent towards him. 

Looking back at his high school years was always hard for him. Mainly because it brought back a lot of unpleasant memories of his relationship with his father. They were always arguing; whether it was about his poor grades, his friends being a ‘bad influence’, or sometimes they didn’t even know what they were arguing about. 

As the view of the restaurant became clearer, Yunho noticed a man was stood outside by the doors. He squinted slightly and soon recognised the slim figure, light hair, and cold expression. “You’re here early?!” He said jokingly as he walked towards him. 

Jaejoong looked at him unimpressed. “I’m on time. You’re ten minutes late” he replied bluntly. 

An abrupt laugh escaped Yunho’s lips, but he stopped when the other didn’t seem amused. “Ah…” he started awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, “I mean we don’t expect customers so early, so we’re slightly relaxed in the morning…”. 

He let out a deep sigh as stepped aside from the doors. “That’s going to have to change from now on” Jaejoong stated. 

“Right…” Yunho said as he fumbled for the keys, “so… can I ask you a question?” he asked, keys now in hand. When he other gave him a small nod in response, he continued “why didn’t you tell me?”.

Those large dark eyes widened slightly with surprise. “Tell you what?” Jaejoong replied as he averted his gaze. 

“When you first came… you could’ve just told me that we went to school together. Why didn’t you?” Yunho probed. Since they spoke, the thought had been gnawing away at him. He recalled that they were classmates, and even study partners during his final year. So he couldn’t understand, why Jaejoong didn’t say anything. 

Jaejoong felt agitated, “It wasn’t relevant” he answered. But when he looked at Yunho, he could tell he wasn’t convinced by his answer. “What does it matter? You didn’t seem to remember, so I didn’t think it was necessary to bring up” Jaejoong said plainly.

“It… it just would’ve been good to know. That’s all” Yunho shrugged, finally opening the door. 

Once inside, Jaejoong surveyed the space, his eyes taking in every detail. Instantly, he felt Yunho’s presence, as he stood beside him. 

“For the record, I pretty much buried all my memories of high school. So don’t take it personally” Yunho chuckled as he gently patted Jaejoong’s shoulder. 

“I didn’t” Jaejoong scoffed, as he shoved past Yunho and made his way towards the kitchen. He heard the other’s faint laugh as he walked through the door and instantly began regretting his decision. And yet, a small part of him was glad. 

He recalled the day that Yunho didn’t show up to class. It seemed odd to Jaejoong, but he didn’t take much note of it. That was until their teacher announced:

“As you may or may not be aware of, Jung Yunho will no longer be part of our class. We’ve been informed that he has withdrawn from our school and will not be returning to complete the final year” 

The entire class erupted into a sea of whispers. Jaejoong even caught snippets of the frivolous rumours the students had already come up with: 

“I heard he ran away to join a gang”

“I thought it was because he was failing classes, so his father took him out of school” 

“No way! He got some girl in the lower year pregnant and was forced out of the school because of it” 

Lies. All of them were lies. But what bothered Jaejoong, even more, was that the people indulging in these rumours were supposedly Yunho’s friends. 

He had often wondered what had become of Yunho, and even after he’d graduated he caught himself loitering near his father’s restaurant in hopes of seeing him. But he never did. 

The kitchen door swung open as Yunho strolled in. “Just got a text from Changmin, the rest of the staff should be on their way shortly” he informed, leaning against the counter near Jaejoong. 

Still lost in his thoughts, Jaejoong merely nodded in response. He could sense the Yunho’s uneasiness as he paced around the kitchen, eagerly waiting for his staff to turn up. It was only then that Jaejoong noticed how much the other had aged. Not that he looked necessarily bad, but rather, he seemed tired. Dark bags had made his eyes look sunken in, and where his baby fat use to be had only left his face looking slightly gaunt. 

For so long he’d often wondered… why… why did he leave? He felt himself gradually inch closer toward the other as he tried to muster up the courage to ask, but he was interrupted. 

“Yo, hyung!” A loud voice called out from the front room. 

“And that would be Changmin” Yunho smirked, relieved that he would no longer have to come up with things to fill in the silence. 

Jaejoong shuffled awkwardly out of the way, as Yunho walked past to greet his staff. He could hear snippets of muffled conversation and tried to listen out for when would be the best time to make his presence be known. 

“Wait… as if in THE Hero?! Holy sh*t! How the hell did you manage that hyung?!” Changmin exclaimed in shock. 

It was then that a nervous Junsu reared his head from behind the tall waiter. “Se-seriously?! Oh gosh, I’m so nervous. What is he like? Nice? Mean? Should I be-” he started, only to be cut off by Changmin, who knew all too well that he’d work himself into a panic attack. 

“He’s…” Yunho began but struggled to find an apt description for the other. “It doesn’t matter… he’s here to help. So let’s take this as a sign from the Gods and listen to him, okay?”. 

The staff discussed amongst themselves in hushed tones, until Junsu piped up “we won’t let you down hyung!”. 

Yunho looked at his staff and for the first time, he felt a small sense of pride. He was ready, ready for a change. 

The door swung open and immediately the room fell silent. All eyes were on the slim figure stood at the doorway. He slowly walked towards them, his lips pursed and eyes judgemental. “Hello all, I’m -”

“Hero-sshi!” Junsu squealed as he lunged forward towards him. 

Jaejoong’s entire body shook from the other’s strong handshake and had lost his composure from the overzealous welcome. “And yo-you are?” he asked, struggling to free himself from the smaller man’s grasp. 

That was when Yunho stepped in and eased the eager man away from him. “This is Junsu… our temporary head chef. He’s a… big fan” he explained, slightly embarrassed. He heard Junsu breathe heavily whilst stood behind him, and gently pushed him back further to avoid another embarrassing episode. He then gestured the remaining staff members to step up and introduce themselves. 

One after the other, Jaejoong watched them bow politely and greet him. All except one. 

Changmin remained where he was. “Shim Changmin, waiter. Believe we already met” he said casually. He was still sceptical of the food critic and refused to be easily swayed as his co-workers.  

Jaejoong smirked at the younger man’s insolence but decided he’d humour him, “Yes. I believe we did” he replied. 

“Min-ah, don’t be rude!” Yunho hissed, and then awkwardly laughed it off. He glanced at Jaejoong, who appeared to be unfazed. “S-so what now?” He queried. 

A moments silence passed, Jaejoong simply shrugged and pulled over a nearby chair and sat himself down. “Now, show me how you run things. I want to see what a regular day at Jung’s Seoul Pizzeria looks like. Just pretend like I’m not here” he answered. 

Yunho noticed the worried exchanges between his staff, but he couldn’t buckle under the pressure. Once he’d dismissed them to begin preparations for the day, he joined Jaejoong. “So… what do you think?” He asked timidly. 

“Of what?” Jaejoong said in his direct tone.

“Of… of my staff” Yunho asked again, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically insecure.

Jaejoong pondered over the question for a while, before he turned to face the other, “ah… well, I can’t comment until I see them at work. But a lot of them seem quite young. How experienced are they?”. 

It was a question Yunho had been avoided until now. “Not very… to be honest, I was low on staff and they needed the work” he admitted, unable to look Jaejoong in the eye. “It’s bad… I know…but I didn’t know what to do” he sighed. 

He had figured that they were lacking inexperience. When he first saw them, Jaejoong had refrained from showing his initial surprise to see such young staff. “I see… what happened to your head chef? He worked here whilst your father ran the business, am I correct?” He asked, even though he was aware that he’d been dismissed. 

“Yoochun” Yunho uttered, still feeling guilty about how it ended between them. He continued “I-I fired him. Junsu has taken over until I find a replacement”. 

Jaejoong sensed that there was more to the story and said: “And may I ask, on what grounds did you fire him?”. 

“We…er…we had a disagreement” Yunho answered, rubbing his neck anxiously. In truth, he had hoped that the two would reconcile, but after his confrontation with Jaejoong, he couldn’t face anyone else back at the restaurant. When he arrived the next morning, he saw that Yoochun had already taken his belongings and turned in his keys. 

Despite not being entirely convinced by Yunho’s explanation, Jaejoong decided he wouldn’t probe any further. “Right… well, I’ll be monitoring Chef Junsu throughout the day to discern his capabilities” he informed. 

“O-okay” Yunho replied hesitantly. 

Service had begun later that day, and everyone felt the pressure under Jaejoong’s close observation. 

He stood by as a spectator, carefully overlooking every single member of staff. He caught some of the waiters, Changmin in particular, mouthing off the customers on their way to the kitchen. Jaejoong shook his head in disapproval. When he looked over to Yunho, he noticed his attempts to schmooze the customers but was oblivious to their discomfort. “Just let them eat in peace” he muttered under his breath. 

This is what the owner had failed to see during Jaejoong’s first visit. Whether it was the clear lack of enthusiasm displayed by his waiters or the overwhelmed customers who were being pestered by Yunho at every single moment. And things weren’t any better in the kitchen. 

Jaejoong walked in to see a flustered Junsu, already behind on orders, and completely ignored by the rest of the kitchen staff. It was clear that Junsu had no idea what he was doing and had no control over the junior cooks. “Chef Junsu. Talk me through what you’re doing?” He queried, now hovering behind him. 

What followed was a load of drivel, in Jaejoong’s opinion. The young chef was frantically following the recipes of his predecessor but seemed to lack any love or pride for the food he was making. He was uninspired. But Jaejoong knew that Junsu wasn’t to blame. The food was dated, it lacked creativity and passion. Food was being pumped out of the kitchen, but no-one bothered to check if it was quality food they were serving. 

When he inspected the food himself, Jaejoong noticed the doughy texture of the pizza and knew that it hadn’t been properly baked. “This one isn’t ready yet” he insisted and swiped the dish off the waiter about to walk out of the kitchen. “Chef Junsu, please come here” he ordered and watched as the small man ambled towards him. 

“I-is there a problem, Hero-sshi?” Junsu asked anxiously. 

Jaejoong slid the plate towards him. “You tell me. Look at this” he said, pointing at the half-baked dish. “It isn’t cooked properly, the crust should be golden, not this yellowish colour. It’s not entirely cooked” he pointed out.

“I-I…” Junsu was lost for words. He wasn’t a bad chef, he knew he wasn’t. And yet, Jaejoong’s scrutinising glare made him feel completely incompetent. “I’ll start on it again…” he said, taking the dish with him. 

“See that you do, chef” Jaejoong sighed disapprovingly. 

Once the last order had been sorted, and the final customer had paid their bill and left seemingly unsatisfied, Jaejoong had everyone gather in the front room. 

Yunho felt his palms get clammy as he awaited on Jaejoong’s verdict. Service had gone surprisingly well in his opinion, but he could sense that the other didn’t share his contentment.  

“Today was… disappointing” Jaejoong started, his strict tone caused the staff to shift about nervously. “Have you all just given up? Chef Junsu, the food you served today… did you have any pride in it?” He berated. 

Junsu fell silent and hung his head low. He felt Changmin gently squeeze his shoulder in an attempt to console him, but it didn’t ease the shame he felt. “I’m sorry chef… you caught me on a bad day…” he confessed, unable to look Jaejoong in the eye. 

“It’s no use saying ‘sorry’ to me. You can’t afford to have a bad day. You are the head chef now. You need to take control. But you seem to not have the slightest clue about running a kitchen” Jaejoong said, not holding back. 

It was then that Changmin stepped forward. “Hey, we get it. Don’t need to be a prick about” He retorted. 

Jaejoong’s head snapped towards the young waiter, his eyes were cold and unforgiving. “You shouldn’t be talking. The way you and all the other waiters carry yourself in front of customers is appalling. It’s unprofessional. Some of you really shouldn’t be working in the hospitality business” he replied bluntly. 

“Okay…” Yunho interrupted, stepping in-between the two of them. “How about we all call it a night and regroup tomorrow morning” he added. He saw them out, hushing any spiteful remarks he heard amongst them. 

After the staff had left, Yunho let out an exasperated sigh. He still had to face a now furious Jaejoong. 

“What are you doing?!” Jaejoong growled, his face now flushed with anger, “how could you undermine me like that?”.

Yunho threw his hands up defensively, “whoa! I didn’t think you were going to annihilate them like that?! I asked for your help, not for you to upset my staff”. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want me to tell them ‘job well done’ instead?” Jaejoong scoffed sarcastically. 

“You know that’s not what I meant. You didn’t have to be so harsh…” Yunho sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with irritation. 

Jaejoong could feel the words on the tip of his tongue. He felt the blood rush to his head and without thinking he uttered “You were the one who asked for my help. I will not sugarcoat it for them, you or anyone. I can’t tell if you’re in denial or just dumb at this point. Is this the restaurant your father would’ve been proud of?!”. 

It was as if everything he had been feeling for the past week, months - heck- year, had come down on him at that moment. “Right…” Yunho mumbled weakly. He was tired. So tired. 

“Yunho I-” Jaejoong bit his lip, instantly regretting his words. He always ends up saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. 

“I just… need a moment” Yunho said quietly before he stepped outside. 

The cold air felt soothing against his skin and was needed after his heated conversation with Jaejoong. 

He was right, Yunho knew. There was no point in denying it any longer. But a part of him still didn’t want to believe it. Had he failed him… again? 

The door creaked faintly and he could hear Jaejoong’s footsteps behind him. 

“Look…” Jaejoong said softly, “I’m not… great at the whole ‘nice’ thing. I just tell people how it is…” he sighed. When the other didn’t respond, he continued “But I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry…”. 

Yunho always liked the cold night air, it always gave him a feeling of comfort. He turned to face Jaejoong and smiled warmly, “No… you were right…about everything. They have stopped caring and honestly… so have I. I never wanted to take over this place. I hated it. I thought I would amount to something great after high school, and would never have to see this place again. But here I am” he chuckled softly. 

Jaejoong noticed Yunho’s sad eyes glisten in the moonlight, and then a single tear rolled down his cheek. Was he crying? Jaejoong thought and instantly felt himself move closer. He stopped in his tracks when he realised what he was doing.

Not noticing the other, Yunho continued to speak absently “I’m failure… I am. I wanted to be somebody and instead, I ended up a nobody” he said as he gently wiped the tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry…” he laughed and looked at a dumbfounded Jaejoong. “It’s just been building up for a while and I guess I couldn’t keep it in anymore” he explained. 

They stood silently, with nothing but the whistling wind. 

“You’re not a failure…” Jaejoong said finally. When he felt Yunho’s eyes on him, he added “You weren’t a failure then… and you’re not one now. You can make it work. I said I would help you… and I meant it. You just need to trust me”. 

“I do…” Yunho smiled. I do trust you. 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hello! Apologies on the delay on the chapter, but I hope you enjoy this one! Thanks again for all your comments, I really appreciate your thoughts and theories on what is to come and can't wait for you to see the story unfold.