“It’s been awhile.” Sira said sarcastically as she stepped into the conference hall’s waiting room.

Never taking his gaze away from the floor, Yunho just nodded in response.

“Sira, you’re here.” acknowledged Junsu as he forced the best polite-looking smile he could muster.

“I’m sure you know my lawyer, Shim Chang Min.” smirked Sira as she glanced over her shoulder at the tall and intimidating young man standing behind her.

“Yes.” answered Junsu “It’s been a while Mr. Shim.”

“Hello.” said Changmin in a stern and almost disgusted tone.

“President Kim…” contemptuously said Changmin as he glared at Junsu “I am very aware, as is my client, that this situation has become a difficult time for your company and Mr. Jung. However, I would like to inform you that this situation will not be resolved with a mere diversionary tactic such as this press conference or playing to the whims of public opinion. I have no doubt that the only reason why your client is being so compliant, in regards to my client’s wishes, is simply to quell the media storm that her press conference and lawsuit has caused.”

“While my client is willing to accept the terms of our arrangement in lieu of continuing her legal actions against Mr. Jung, I sternly disagree with her decision and have advised against it.” added Changmin “However, since she is my client and I must abide by her decision, I will allow this arrangement to continue as long as Mr. Jung complies with any and all of my client’s demands.”

“Mr. Jung…” continued Changmin as he spitefully glared down at Yunho “You do understand that my client is trying to solve this peacefully for her child’s future. You would do well to remember that she is being far more lenient than most women in her position would be.”

“I understand.” answered Yunho with a defeated tone “I will abide by our agreement.”

“Mr. Shim, Ms. Park…” started Junsu “We fully understand that this situation is advantageous for Yunho and we sincerely appreciate your willingness to resolve this matter in a civil manner.”

As a gentle knocking echoed through the small room, Junsu glanced up to see his Managing Director, Ms. Lee, peaking in from around the edge of the door.

“What is it, Ms. Lee?” questioned Junsu.

“Mr. President, it is time.” answered Ms. Lee “We can start whenever you’re ready.”

“Very well, thank you.” nodded Junsu.

“Are you ready to go Yunho?” questioned Junsu as he looked back at his sulking friend “Sira? Mr. Shim?”

“Let’s go.” smiled Sira as she walked up to Yunho and interlocked her arm with his and tugged gently “Come on.”

Looking up at Sira, who looked as if she was having the time of her life, Yunho couldn’t help but wish he was somewhere else at that moment.  No matter how much he hated his life right now, he knew he had to comply. There was no way out of this now. He couldn’t turn back.

Gathering his courage Yunho stood up and flashed an apprehensive smile at Sira. “Alright” sighed Yunho.

 As four intimidating security guards escorted them out of the waiting room and down the empty hallway, towards the conference room, Yunho and Sira walked side-by-side. As they got closer and closer to the door that would soon be the gateway to his own personal hell, Yunho’s heart raced as all of his feelings of dread and fear consumed him.  

“I hate my life.” thought Yunho as he sank deeper into the depression that had been haunting him since a few days ago.

After a lengthy discussion between Sira’s lawyer and Lawyer Park, an official statement had been agreed upon by both parties. When Yunho read his official statement for the press conference, he immediately got angry and felt as if he was nothing but a puppet on a string. His outrage was so explosive that he had trashed his own office in a fit of rage and cursed the day he ever met Sira. After everything that Sira had put him through, from treating him as if she owned him body and soul to deliberately sleeping with anyone Yunho had ever trusted –just to make him jealous, all he wanted to do was wrap his hands around her neck and make her disappear forever. He wanted to walk into today’s press conference, stand in front of everyone, and proclaim to the world exactly what type of person she was but he knew, to save his image and to protect the people he loved most in this world, he couldn’t .He would have to recite that page of lies word for word.

“Jae…” thought Yunho as they reached the doors of the conference room “Please, forgive me.”

A few moments later, Junsu reached up and nodded as he opened the door to the sudden fluttering of camera shutters and machine-gun like questions being spurted out by over fifty reporters. As they forced their way through them and headed to the main stage, Yunho held his head down in embarrassment.

“Lighten up Yunnie, you’ll do fine.” whispered Sira coyly causing Yunho to cringe at the sound of her calling him by his nickname.

“No matter our agreement, you are never to call me that again!” grumbled Yunho through his teeth as he shot an angry look in Sira’s direction “Never.”

“Get over it.”  scoffed Sira as they slowly climbed the small steps that lead to the podium.

Making their way to the middle of the stage, Yunho played up his new role in Sira’s life by gently helping her find her seat. Sitting down beside her, Yunho forced a somewhat sincere looking smile at the reporters as he reached over and held Sira’s hand. The couple, smiling brightly, watched as a myriad of flashbulbs illuminated the room.

Walking up to the podium, Junsu gave a deep bow before starting the press conference.

“Hello, my name is Kim Junsu. I am the President, CEO, and owner of Midnight Music Entertainment Inc.” started Junsu in a very professional tone of voice “We are holding this press conference in regards to Ms. Park Sira’s statements last week.”

“As you can see,” continued Junsu “Ms. Park has willingly attended this event, as Mr. Jung’s personal guest, in support of the statements he will make today. First we will begin with Mr. Jung’s official statement and then proceed to answer a few questions –if time allows.”

“Mr. Jung, if you would please.” prompted Junsu as he stepped back from the podium and nodded at Yunho.  Nervously, Yunho released his grip on Sira’s hand, stood up and made his way to the podium. Giving a very deep bow to everyone in the room and then stepping up to the microphone, Yunho flashed another forced smile before he spoke.

“Hello everyone, my name is Jung Yunho.” he began “I’m here to make an official statement on the allegations Ms. Park made against me last week and explain the truth behind the matter. First of all, I would like to apologize to everyone that this controversy has affected. Through various media outlets and fan communities, people have voiced their outrage in response to this situation and have made wild allegations, threats, and assumptions about it and the people involved. These hateful and derogatory statements against me, my label, my family, and more importantly against Ms. Park, are without cause. Due to the outlandish behavior by parties not directly involved in this issue, the situation has cause unneeded and unwarranted stress on everyone involved and I would personally request that these behaviors cease as soon as possible.”

“As for Ms. Park’s statements in last week’s press conference, I will address them now. The claim that Ms. Park made about our personal relationship with one another is true.” stated Yunho flatly.

As his confession rang out across the conference room a wave of murmuring filled the air as reporters and onlookers stared in shock.

 “Up until ten months ago, we had been secretly dating for three years.” continued Yunho “While we didn’t always see eye-to-eye we had a very healthy relationship and spent a lot of time with one another –when our schedules would allow. However, near the end of our relationship, it became too difficult for us to meet because we feared that our relationship would be exposed to the public and we began to drift apart. Ultimately, we mutually decided to go our separate ways and broke up on good terms.”

“Unfortunately…” sighed Yunho as the taste of the lies he continued to spew festered in his mouth “due to a miscommunication between my staff and I, any contact that Ms. Park tried to make was instantly intercepted and kept from me. Believing that our relationship ended badly and that a scandal would erupt if we were seen in public together for any reason, members of my staff took it upon themselves to protect me and to protect my image. Until Ms. Park’s press conference, I was completely unaware of her attempts to contact me or about her pregnancy.”

“Consequently, due to the frustration Ms Park was feeling about being unable to reach me and the fear of having to raise the child on her own, she lashed out in the only way she could think of to get my attention. This was the reasoning behind the press conference held last week and the resulting civil lawsuit.” continued Yunho as Sira sat behind him nodding her head in agreement.

“While the actions of my staff were deplorable, I am in no way using them as an excuse for not being responsible when it comes to Ms. Park or her unborn child. Had the information not been kept from me, I would have been by her side from the very beginning.” continued Yunho as Sira immediately stood up and walked to his side with a smile “After a lengthy and private discussion between Ms. Park and I, we have decided, for the sake of the child, to once again revisit our relationship.”

“From now on, I will be by her side and will help her in any way I can. She will not have to go it alone.” said Yunho as he grabbed Sira’s hand and smiled at her “I will be by her side, protecting her, and I will do everything in my power to take care of her and my child.”

“I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone who was affected by this controversy and with a thankful heart I hope that you will wish us the best of luck in the future. Thank you.” concluded Yunho as Sira leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled.

“Does this mean that you two are officially a couple?” questioned a reporter bluntly.

“Yes.” answered Yunho as Sira nodded along.

“What punishment, if any, did your staff member receive from this debacle?” asked a second reporter.

“After an internal investigation into all who were involved, those employees were immediately terminated.” piped up Junsu “We have also implemented stricter rules for all of our artist managers and general support staff.”

“Will you be taking an active role in your child’s life?” questioned the first reporter.

“Yes.” answered Yunho as the bile in his stomach began to churn “Being a father means a great deal to me. I have always wanted children. I will support and protect my new family, faithfully.”

“Now that this situation has been resolved, the civil suit has been dropped, and the child is due any day now, do you two plan on getting married in the near future and when?” loudly asked a third reporter.

The bluntly asked question immediately caught Yunho off guard. As Sira shook her head acknowledging that marriage was possible, Junsu suddenly announced “I’m sorry but we don’t have any more time for questions.”

Junsu immediately grabbed Yunho by the arm and flashed him a get-the-hell-out-of-here look. Grabbing Sira’s arm, Yunho pulled her away from the podium in a not-so-obvious way and quickly made their way to the exit while Junsu announced that they were running behind schedule for Sira’s next doctor’s appointment. As the slew of reporters continued to spout off more and more questions towards the couple about the future of their relationship, Junsu’s only thought was that he had to get Yunho out of there before Sira said something they couldn’t recover from.

Exiting out into the deserted hallway, Yunho and Sira –with Junsu and Changmin close behind them, made their way back to the waiting room as fast as they could. Walking into the room, and just as Junsu slammed the door, Yunho immediately pulled his hand away from Sira with a disgusted look. Plopping back down on the chair he was sitting in earlier, he dropped his head and returned to staring at the floor in disbelief.  As Sira sat down across from him, she smirked sheepishly at the sight of Yunho looking so defeated.

“Let’s stay here for now.” said Junsu “We can leave once the reporters have cleared out.”

“Agreed.” said Changmin as he glared hatefully at Yunho.

“Sira…” started Junsu “I know this is a lot to process in one day, but I really do want to thank you for being so understanding with Yunho.”

“He’s stubborn.” laughed Sira in a playfully condescending tone “You just need to know how to coerce him.”

“Sira!” scolded Changmin in a disapproving manner “Not now.”

“Alright.” scoffed Sira as her playfulness was met with contempt.

As the minutes seemed to stretch on for days, Yunho kept eerily silent. While Junsu and Changmin discussed the upcoming plans for Yunho and Sira’s public appearances, the only thing Yunho could think about was how badly he wanted to run away and drown his sorrows in the nearest liquor bottle. He was never one to openly lie about anything, especially when it came to his real feelings, and having to do so for the entire world to see made him feel as if he had finally sold his soul to the devil. The pain and misery swelling in his heart and mind finally had become too much. He wanted to end it all. As he softly contemplated the idea of disappearing from this world, Jaejoong’s smiling face flashed in his mind.

“Jae?  What have I done?” he whispered softly

From the moment Jaejoong walked away earlier that day, Yunho felt as if his world had finally come to an end. Before their trip to the beach, he had never realized how much Jaejoong meant to him. Consciously, he had always seen Jaejoong as the best friend and brother he had never had and up until the morning after Jaejoong’s accident, he had never thought any different. Afterwards, and as time went on, he began to feel something for him that he never thought he would ever feel for anyone other than MinHee.  Even with all the chaos swarming around him, his heart seemed always at peace when he thought about Jaejoong and now that his life and career was in complete shambles, he feared that he would lose the most important person in his life. Now, for Yunho, life was incomplete without Jaejoong and to be without him, was destroying any sense of familiarity and serenity he had ever had.

The joyful and peaceful feelings he couldn’t live without had been replaced with fear, worry, and doubt.  He feared and doubted his own future but his worry was only for one person: Jaejoong. Did he catch his flight on time? Was he feeling alright? Would he ever understand Yunho’s decision to send him to the states? What would he say or do if he ever found out what was really going on? Would he leave him forever if he knew what he had just done?

 Junsu and Yoochun tried to convince Yunho that everything would work out in the end, but for Yunho there was no certainty.  The thought of losing Jaejoong had consumed his every waking moment and he truly believed that his love for Jaejoong wouldn’t be enough to convince him to never leave. He cursed himself for not confessing his feeling when he had the chance. He cursed himself for not asking Jaejoong how he really felt and despised himself for being such a coward.

“I miss you.” thought Yunho with a deep and painful sigh as the memory of Jaejoong smiling at him flashed across his mind once more.

Staring out the window and watching the full moon illuminate the cloud bank beneath his plane, Jaejoong sighed deeply as the sound of Yunho’s new ballad played gently from his headphones. The sky was so perfect and peaceful that he couldn’t help but admire its beauty. After leaving Yoochun’s side and going through airport security, Jaejoong had spent the next few hours listening to Yunho’s new unreleased album and marveled in the his best friend’s talent. Hearing Yunho sing, had always been a place of comfort for Jaejoong and to know that the person he admired most in this world, truly cared about him with all of his heart, made Jaejoong believe in the world once more.

 He had never told Yunho how much his music had affected him over the years and how it had truly saved his life. He never told him how, in his darkest hour, it was Yunho’s heartwarming voice that brought him back from the brink of oblivion. That nightmarish life was now banished to the distant past but his body, mind, and heart still carried the scars of his torment and imprisonment. He knew that no matter what he did in his life, he would never completely be free of all that he had endured.  All the pain, shame, and horrendous tragedies that had befell him, had tormented every moment of his existence and until that fateful day –the day he finally met his savior, Yunho. For the first time in his miserable life, Jaejoong finally felt blessed.

“I should tell him the truth.” Jaejoong thought as the crescendo of Yunho’s new ballad echoed in his ears.

Reaching up and touching that ever familiar spot on his chest, he whispered softly “I should tell him everything.”

Shaking his head, trying to rid himself of that overwhelming desire to be completely honest with Yunho, Jaejoong closed his eyes and shyly bit his lower lip.

“I can’t.” whimpered Jaejoong “He knows too much already.”