While the early morning sun slowly crept across the dark walnut floor of Yunho’s Seoul apartment, the sound of the neighborhood softly echoed through the large opened window near his bed. The sounds from the busy street below, gently began to pull Yunho out of his dreamless sleep as he slowly began to stir among the soft white bedding of his ever-so comfortable bed. Slowly opening his eyes and adjusting to the brightness of the room, Yunho sighed heavily. Yawning deeply, he casually rolled over and glanced at the antique brass table clock on the bedside table.

“It’s only nine.” he grumbled as he pulled the blanket over his head and tried to go back to sleep.

“Yunnie?’ questioned Yoochun as he opened the door and peeked in “Are you awake?”

“No.” answered Yunho with a heavy sigh “Let me sleep.”

“It’s late.” answered Yoochun “You have a meeting at the PR firm today.”

“You have to get up.” scolded Yoochun.

“Reschedule it! I only got three hours of sleep last night.” whined Yunho.

“We’ve already cancelled on them three times.” grumbled Yoochun “You need this contract. We can’t put this off any more.”

“Besides, isn’t the CEO a friend of yours?” asked Yoochun.

“Yeah.” said Yunho as his guilty conscious started to flare up “Alright, Alright.”

Pulling the covers from his face, Yunho looked up to see his best friend of twenty years staring down at him with a bright smile. Always in tune with each other’s feelings and thoughts, they had developed a lifelong friendship since the age of ten and carried a brotherly love like no other. When Yunho was fourteen, Yoochun’s parents sent him away to America to study and Yunho felt his whole world disintegrate in an instant. Although he was devastated at the loss of his best friend and brother, Yunho managed to carry on without him, picking up a few friends here and there and eventually meeting the girl of his dreams. Eventually, Yunho accepted that Yoochun would most likely never return to Korea and tried to move on with his life but the loss of his friend left a huge hole in his heart that no one could fill.

When Yoochun unexpectedly returned to Korea four years later, he immediately searched for his brother. Afraid that Yunho wouldn’t remember him; Yoochun hadn’t slept a wink on the fourteen hour flight from the US to Seoul and was completely exhausted. He never let his fear deter him from finding Yunho and only a few short hours since he returned to his precious homeland, Yoochun found Yunho at a local bar. The surprise in Yunho’s face the moment they saw one another again was a sight that Yoochun would never forget. Their love for each other had never faded and they immediately picked up where they left off all those years ago. Since Yoochun was the only person in this world that Yunho truly trusted, he immediately offered Yoochun a job as his personal assistant, to which Yoochun gladly accepted.

"Have you heard anything back from the US branch yet?" questioned Yunho "Does Manager Yoon have any new information?"

"Nothing." answered Yoochun "It's been six months since your accident. I don't think we'll ever find the man that saved you."

"You're probably right." acknowleged Yunho "But I still want to find him."

"I know. We'll keep looking." answered Yoochun.

Sitting up in bed, Yunho yawned deeply once more as he dropped his legs over the side and slipped on his slippers. As a chilly breeze from the nearby open window crawled across his shoulders, Yunho reached up and rubbed his arms gently as he slightly shivered. 

"Could you close the window?" asked Yunho "It's chilly in here."

"Sure." said Yoochun as he walked over and began to close it "Oh, I guess I should tell you..."

“Tell me what?” questioned Yunho as he rubbed his eyes gently.

“Sira called again this morning.” sighed Yoochun.

“Again?” grumbled Yunho “Stupid girl.”

“What do you want me to do about her?” questioned Yoochun.

“You deal with her.” growled Yunho.

“How do you get mixed up with girls like her anyway?” said Yoochun as he shook his head “Why is it always the clingy ones?”

“I don’t know. It must be a talent or something.” laughed Yunho “You'd figure with my reputation, they’d all get the hint that I don’t want a relationship, but I guess I haven’t proven it enough yet.”

“You really shouldn’t live like that you know.” advised Yoochun “One of these days you may pass up the love of your life because of Min.”

“Don’t bring her into this.” growled Yunho “Drop it.”

“Alright.” sighed Yoochun “Sorry.”

“We need to get going soon. Get cleaned up and dressed.” ordered Yoochun as he quickly changed the subject “Your clothes are already set out in your changing room.”

After a half an hour, Yunho emerged from his bedroom dressed in a dark blue three piece suit with a soft lavender tie and black patent leather dress shoes. Dressed to the nines and looking quite suave, Yunho walked into the kitchen and smiled at Yoochun.

“I’m ready.” said Yunho “Let’s go.”

“Ok.” nodded Yoochun. “The car is already waiting outside.”

Yunho and Yoochun made their way outside and climbed into the waiting black sedan. As the driver pulled away from the curb, Yunho looked out the window and thought about today’s meeting. What Yoochun said about him cancelling this meeting three times before was true, but no one really knew the real reasons why he kept putting it off. Kim Junsu, the CEO of the Midnight Music PR Firm, was one of Yunho’s dearest friends –up until three years ago. Yunho and Junsu became estranged after an incident involving Yunho and a girl who ended up being a close personal friend of Junsu’s. Had Yunho known that the girl he met that night at Club Seoul was so close with Junsu, he would have never crossed that line.

Because of his mistake, Junsu and Yunho had a huge falling out and hadn’t spoken since. No matter how much he apologized to Junsu for his mistake, he knew that Junsu would never forgive him. When Junsu’s office contacted Yunho’s entertainment company three months ago, Yunho was quite shocked. Worrying what it was really about, and feeling ashamed because of his actions towards Junsu’s friend, Yunho tried everything he could to avoid meeting him.  He had resounded himself to putting off meeting Junsu permanently but his label was getting antsy. Yunho needed this contract and they were continually pressuring him to do everything he could to make it work.

As their car pulled up in front of the PR firm's main offices, Yunho started feeling nervous. He missed Junsu’s friendship but he was apprehensive about seeing him again.  “Is he still mad at me?” thought Yunho as Yoochun opened his door. Walking across the veranda and through the front door, Yunho’s sense of fear began to increase. As thoughts of fantastical revenge scenarios and epic fight scenes flashed through his head, he worried if this meeting was on the level or some plot for Junsu to exact his revenge for what he had done. Shaking the silly notions from his head, Yunho softly scoffed “Su isn’t that hateful.” just as they were greeted by Junsu’s secretary.

“Please wait in here.” said the secretary as she opened the door to Junsu’s office “The President is in another meeting. He should be back shortly.”

“Can I get you anything to drink?” questioned the young lady as Yoochun and Yunho sat down on the black leather sofa in the middle of the room.

“No thank you.” answered Yunho.

“You have to handle this well Yunnie.” said Yoochun softly as the secretary walked out of the room “This is business, remember that.”

“I know.” nodded Yunho.

A few minutes later, Junsu dressed in a finely tailored gray suit and soft blue tie, opened the door and looked at Yunho and Yoochun with a smile on his face.

“Hello, Yunho.” said Junsu “How have you been?”

“Ok.” sighed Yunho “Have you been well?”

“Of course!” smiled Junsu “Business is going well and I’m having fun as always.”

“That’s a relief.” thought Yunho.

“I’m sure you’re well aware of why I asked for this meeting.” started Junsu as he sat down “The project’s details have all been verified by your entertainment company. We just need your authorization to go ahead and implement the new PR strategy for your upcoming album and tour.”

“Was it really necessary for Yunho to come in today?” questioned Yoochun “You could have simply sent the documents over by courier to be signed.”

“No.” informed Junsu flatly “With a project of this magnitude; we require an in-person confirmation to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings.”

“Yunho, do you understand everything that this project entails and what my firm will be doing on your behalf?” questioned Junsu in a very serious tone.

“I understand.” answered Yunho as he reached out and grabbed the pen on the table.

“Very well, then we’ll proceed as planned.” said Junsu as he watched Yunho sign the documents on the table in front of him.

“You can go now.” informed Junsu “But before you leave, Yunnie I need to talk to you in private.”

Hearing Junsu call him by his nickname after everything that had transpired between them, made Yunho feel a bit uneasy but he knew if Junsu was willing to talk to him, he had to try and settle the bad blood between them. Agreeing to talk with him alone, Yunho asked Yoochun to wait for him downstairs. As Yoochun left the room and closed the door behind him, Yunho looked at Junsu with a puzzled look and then quickly dropped his eyes to the floor. Junsu sat down in the black leather bound chair across from him, rested his elbow on its arm rest, and gently rubbed his chin as he looked at Yunho. As the moments of silence raced on, the tension in the room began to build leaving Yunho feeling more and more uncomfortable. As Junsu opened his mouth to speak, Yunho interrupted.

“Su… I’m sorry.” sighed Yunho regretfully “Had I known…”

“Are you still on about that?” laughed Junsu in surprise “After three years, it can’t still be bothering you.”

“Of course it does.” retorted Yunho “I lost a dear friend because of my stupidity.”

“You never lost Me.” replied Junsu “I stayed away only so that you could deal with your own guilt.”

“I never hated you Yunnie.” added Junsu “I hated the situation you put me in.”

“I’m really sorry.” apologized Yunho.

“Forget it.” reassured Junsu “It’s done and over with.”

“Rehashing the past isn’t the reason why I asked for you stay and talk with me.” started Junsu “I have a personal favor to ask.”

“A favor?” questioned Yunho “What kind of favor?”

“I have a close friend, whose birthday is coming up…” started Junsu “and I want to give him an amazing gift that I know he’ll love. But to do that, I need your help.”

“What could I possibly do?” questioned Yunho “Who’s this friend?”

“His name is Jae.” continued Junsu “He’s a really big fan of yours. He’s actually been a fan for a very long time.”

“Oh really?” laughed Yunho.

“He’s been living in the states for a long while now and finally came back to Korea two weeks ago.” said Junsu “ I was wondering if you might be able to meet him this Friday for a one-on-one fan meeting.”

“Even though he’s a big fan, he’s never had the opportunity to attend one of your concerts.” added Junsu “I know he would love to finally meet you in person. Besides, the two of you have a lot in common. I think you will become great friends.”

“Why do you want this for him?” questioned Yunho coyly “You must really like this guy.”

“Of course I do.” laughed Junsu “He’s been my right hand man for almost five years and we are really close. He’s like a brother to me.”

“So, can you grant my request?” questioned Junsu eagerly.

“Sure.” agreed Yunho “Send Yoochun the details and I’ll be there.”

“Great.” cheered Junsu “Jae is going to be so happy.”

“I should warn you though…” added Junsu softly “Jae is… well he tends to be very open about everything.”

“Meaning?” questioned Yunho.

“He’s not as conservative as most Korean’s are.” informed Junsu “He acts more American and tends to be very honest –if even to a fault.”

“Thanks for the warning.” laughed Yunho “I think we’ll get along just fine.”

Two days later, Yunho woke up to the sound of Yoochun calling his name from the living room. “I’m going to be so late!” he thought as he looked at the clock and immediately got out of bed. He grabbed a quick shower and changed into his street clothes before bolting out the bedroom door towards the living room.

“I’m sorry.” apologized Yunho as his eyes fell upon Yoochun who immediate scowled at him.

“You have a packed schedule today, and you decide to oversleep.” grumbled Yoochun “Let’s get going. We’re already late for your TV recording.”

“And remember…” said Yoochun as he stopped to open the door “You have your fan meeting with Junsu’s friend at five.”

“You’ll have to drive yourself though, I have another meeting across town.” he added.

“Ok.” acknowledged Yunho.

The rest of Yunho’s morning went well. He finished his television recording around nine and immediately headed over to his album cover photo shoot. As the photo shoot progressed smoothly, Yunho found himself getting more and more excited about meeting Jae. Over the last two days, Junsu and Yunho had talked often and he had learned a great deal about Jae. Besides Yoochun and Junsu, Yunho really didn’t have a lot of friends that he really trusted and after everything Junsu had told him about Jae, he had a really good feeling about him. The only thing that puzzled him was the fact that every time he questioned Junsu about Jae’s looks, Junsu would avoid the question like the plague. “What is it about his appearance that makes Su clam up?” he thought as he readjusted his pose and flashed a dashing smile at the camera.

 Around four o’clock, the manager of the photo shoot informed Yunho that they would be running late and wouldn’t be finished until well after seven.

“But I have an appointment at five that I can’t miss.” he thought as he grabbed his cell phone from his bag.

“Su, it’s me.” said Yunho when Junsu answered his call “The shoot’s running late.”

“It’s alright.” informed Junsu “Jae made it perfectly clear that he will wait as long as you need him to. Just get here when you can.”

“Are you sure it’s alright?” asked Yunho “We might not get out of here until way past seven or eight tonight.”

“He’ll wait.” reassured Junsu.

“Jae said he has been waiting for this moment for years, what’s a couple more hours?” laughed Junsu.

“Alright.” sighed Yunho “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Three and a half hours later, Yunho finally finished his photo shoot and before the manager could even congratulate him on all his hard work, Yunho grabbed his bag and darted for the door. Running down to the parking garage, he quickly jumped into his black sports car and sped off to meet Jae. Weaving through the busy streets of Seoul, Yunho felt a sense of urgency wash over him. “The office is over thirty minutes away!” he mumbled as he narrowly ran a red light “He’s been waiting so long. I have to get there fast.” Arriving at the office as fast as he could, Yunho glanced up into his rearview mirror and fixed his hair quickly before he headed towards the main entrance. Hurriedly walking across the large ornate lobby, he quickly got into the elevator and headed for the fifteenth  floor. Exiting the elevator a few moments later, he ran down the hallway till he met Junsu waiting for him outside the office door. Stopping to catch his breath, he looked up at Junsu and smiled.

“Sorry.” panted Yunho “I got here as fast as I could. Where is he?”

“He’s waiting for you inside.” answered Junsu as he reached up and dusted off Yunho’s jacket “Remember to be yourself. He doesn’t want to meet the idol version of you, but the real you.”

“Ok.” nodded Yunho.

“I’ll leave you to it then.” smiled Junsu as he turned and walked away.

Taking in a deep breath and exhaling it gently, Yunho reached out for the door and opened it slowly.  

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