Jaejoong stares in utter fascination as Yunho fluidly glides across the dance floor, moving his body like the waves of an ocean gently lapping at the sand.

Yoochun appears beside Jaejoong and pushes up on Jaejoong's chin, effectively closing his jaw.

"Be a little more discreet, okay hyung?"

Jaejoong becomes flustered and begins stumbling over his words.

"Discreet, what? Yah Y-Yoochun what are you even saying?"

Yoochun smirks at Jaejoong and lifts his body up from the bamboo floor.

"And Jaejoong, don't try to shy away from what you feel is right."

Jaejoong groans and puts his head between his knees. When he looks up, Yunho's sitting beside him, beads of sweat running down his face and thin white shirt clinging tightly to his body.

Jaejoong hands Yunho a bottle of water. "Aren't you tired?"

Yunho shakes his head. "Not yet." He ruffles Jaejoong's hair as he rises to his feet, sending a feeling comparable to a shock of electricity shooting through Jaejoong's body.

Jaejoong bites his lips as he ascends a step closer to love.

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Jaejoong deftly slices up a carrot as he attempts to whip up a quick meal for a famished group of four men. 

Yunho appears behind him, snaking his arm around Jaejoong's waist and resting his chin on the shorter man's shoulders. 

"Do you need help?"

Jaejoong's brain becomes hazy at the close proximity of Yunho's body to his and accidentally slices his finger open. Blood spurts out and Yunho quickly squeezes his finger, containing the blood.

He guides Jaejoong to the couch and sets to work tending to Jaejoong's wound. Jaejoong watches as the lead dancer carefully concentrates on the gash, and a shot of warmth races through his veins as Yunho carefully blows on the wound to dry the Neosporin he applied.

Yunho wraps Jaejoong's finger in a band-aid and softly kisses the injury, a small smile playing at his lips.

Jaejoong's heart leaps and he moves up another step on the stairway of love.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Junsu is down with the flu and Jaejoong carefully keeps a close eye on him everyday. The younger man complains of not being able to watch television, so Jaejoong relocates the Junsu to the couch. He gingerly lays the sick man in his lap and Junsu's hair until he falls asleep. Jaejoong's eyelids droop and soon enough, sleep has claimed him and he dozes off. 

Yunho, Changmin and Yoochun come home from recording a variety show and the leader smiles lovingly at the two men in front of him. Yoochun piggybacks Junsu to his bed, while Yunho gently lifts Jaejoong and heads off to the lead singer's bedroom.

Jaejoong's eyes flutter open halfway down the hallway. "Yunho?"

"Shh," Yunho whispers. "Go back to sleep."

"I can walk," Jaejoong mutters groggily. 

Yunho hums under his breath and Jaejoong's asleep on him. He sets the sleeping man on the cool white sheets and pulls the comforter up to Jaejoong's chin. He sweeps the chesnut-colored hair off of Jaejoong's forehead and presses his lips ever so lightly onto the exposed skin.

"Sleep well," he sighs before closing the door.

Though asleep, Jaejoong climbs another step as the top of the stairs come closer to sight.

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"He loves you," Yoochun informs Yunho.

"Don't we all love each other?"

"More than that, Yunho."

Yunho stares blankly in front of him as he attempts to comprehend Yoochun's words. "What?"

"Hyung, you know very well what."

Yunho doesn't respond.

"Well, what do you think?" Yoochun asks, prodding the confused man.

"No."

"No, what?"

Yunho stares at Yoochun. "No. I don't go that way. I was simply being kind to Jaejoong and he just has to take it all the wrong way. No. That's disgusting. Why would he throw away our friendship like that?"

And from that day on, Yunho transforms into a completely different person, his mind set to destroy.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Tell me, Joongie. What are you hiding in your phone?"

"Yunho, give it back," Jaejoong wheezes out. He's out of breath from laughter and yelps as Yunho digs his fingers into his sides. 

Yunho's tongue pokes out and he winks flirtatiously at Jaejoong as he holds the lead singer's cellphone high over his head.

Jaejoong leaps up and attempts to grab his phone, but no jumps are enough for the leader's immense height.

"Give it to me," he whines.

Yunho laughs and trips Jaejoong, causing the older man to fall and drag the dancer down with him. They fall on top of each other, Yunho's lips on top of Jaejoong.

Jaejoong struggles underneath Yunho, unsure of what the other man's reaction would be. To his surprise, Yunho doesn't budge, instead deepening the kiss.

Jaejoong flies up the remaining flight of stairs, and Yunho awaits at the top of the stairs.

I've got you, Kim Jaejoong.

--------------------------------------------------------

Yunho's on the balcony, upper body leaning slightly over the edge as a cigarette dangles from the ends of his fingertips. He vaguely hears a door being opened and closed, and Jaejoong wordlessly joins Yunho.

Yunho pulls out a box of cigarettes from the back of his jeans and offers Jaejoong one. The man accepts and inhales deeply.

"Yunho, that kiss..."

"Didn't mean anything."

"But Yunho, I..."

"Love you."

Jaejoong's eyes widen and he struggles to find the right words. "You love me?"

Yunho laughs bitterly. "No, I was only finishing your sentence for you."

Jaejoong takes another whiff. "So you do know."

Yunho shrugs, and an uncomfortable silence settles between them.

"Do...you feel the same?"

"No," Yunho answers stonily. 

Jaejoong's mouth opens and closes, but can't find any words.

"Can we just pretend this never happened then?"

Yunho shakes his head. "No. You can't expect to say something like this and think there are no consequences. You threw away eight years of friendship, Jaejoong."

Yunho turns on his heels and slams the door shut, leaving Jaejoong out on the balcony alone. 

Jaejoong plunges down the stairs and lands on the floor, his glass heart he'd been carrying with him up the stairs smashed into smithereens. 

----------------------------------------------------

Yunho does not acknowledge Jaejoong's the next day. The sole time he does is when he brings a group of friends over and leans in to whisper something to them as Jaejoong walks past to get a drink of water. They laugh and all glare at Jaejoong, who shrinks at their deadly eyes and retires to his room.

He quietly packs a small duffel bag filled with basic living necessities and scribes a note to his beloved members. He quietly shuffles to the front door, turning once to look at his sleeping members stretched out on the living room floor for the last time and shuts the door, careful to muffle the noise.

Goodbye.

----------------------------------------------------

"He's gone," Changmin yells as he runs through the house, trying to get his message across to anyone who'd listen. "Jaejoong hyung is gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Yoochun asks. He can still feel the tendrils of sleep and his mind still isn't very coherent.

"I don't know, he left his note behind." Changmin can feel the tears stinging his eyes and threatening to spill over. Yunho appears behind Changmin and snatches the note away, eyes showing no emotion as he reads through the contents.

"Okay," Yunho commands as he rips up the paper. "We're going to start a new chapter in life, in Dong Bang Shin Ki, without Kim Jaejoong."

The three boys stare at the leader, astonished at how he can discard someone so important so easily. But they voice no protest when they see the cold, determined look in his eyes and retreat to their rooms to grieve.

------------------------------------------------------

It's hard and the members have a difficult time adjusting to Jaejoong's departure, as does Cassiopeia. Yunho becomes heartless and brutal, punishing the members whenever they show any signs of weakness or mention Kim Jaejoong in any form.

People have different ways of dealing with pain, and although the members don't say it out loud, they know Yunho is hurting.

He's so damaged he's put up a shield around him, trying to convince himself he's perfectly fine without Kim Jaejoong.

They agonize through a year in Japan together, when a small package appears at their doorstep. At first, they disregard it as another fangift but frantically opens it when they see the handwriting on the cardboard box.

A little sloppy but with an edge of precision, letters written in a bold black Sharpie.

So incredibly Jaejoong.

Inside is a tupperware of kimchi jjigae, with a little blue Post-it note.

Take care of yourselves.