Piggy backing Jaejoong down the steps since the lift isn’t coming up no matter how long the couple waited Yunho ensured that his angel is as comfortable as possible. Cautious with his descend, the man smiled to himself when he hears a sigh and feels a soft cheek resting against his back.

“Am I doing the right thing for Suie? I feel like umma should know…” Whispering softly as tears starts to flow down his pallid cheeks Jaejoong did not bother to avoid wetting Yunho’s shirt. He was too tired to care either ways. Yunho did not mind.

“I want to go home…” Jaejoong mumbled again under his breath, directing his speech at Yunho. The man chuckled and responded. “That’s where we are headed.” Jaejoong rolls his eyes at Yunho’s rather insensitive answer.

By now, Jaejoong is fully aware that it has been two days since he was last supposed to report back to his mother. He had also promised Yoochun back in the police department that he will reunite with her and the detective even sent him to the hotel she was residing in. Only he never did go up, choosing to head off in a cab as soon as Yoochun is gone.

Imagining how his mother will look like, looking and waiting for him, be it during the cold day or night, the young man is guilt ridden. He knows the woman is not good at dealing with her emotions and he is afraid of keeping her in the dark for too long. Being awfully conflicted about how he wants to coordinate everything until Junsu recovers, Jaejoong decided that he could at least let the woman know he is alright.

“May I borrow your phone?” Jaejoong whispered hopefully this time. Yunho immediately dismisses him firmly by shaking his head. “I will take your calls for you.” Rolling his eyes even more dramatically, the younger person can’t be bothered to talk to the self-conceited bastard anymore.

Lost in thoughts, Jaejoong does not notice that they are already at the car until he hears the beep to unlocking the car doors. He knows that once the engines start, he will be transported back to his prison. Where he will be unable to make any decisions for himself, locked up far away from humanity, and definitely nowhere near contacting his mother. An idea then pops up in his mind like a light bulb.

“Yunho sshi…” Grabbing a whole of Yunho’s sleeve as the man is about to leave after putting him down in the passenger seat, Jaejoong attacked the man with the biggest puppy eyes he can summon. “I lost my shoe…” The younger person lied. He had in truth, kicked his sneaker off and rolled it under the limited space beneath the car seat while the man wasn’t looking.

“I think I dropped it along the way…” He put up the best act he could.

“Tsk.” “We will just get you a new pair.” The taller man sulked a little after taking a good long look around the vehicle and immediate parking lot.

“But that’s my favourite pair!” Jaejoong told another lie though it’s half true. Jaejoong has many pairs of shoes that he treasures but this one is the only one he owns that matches Junsu’s. It’s their ‘brother’ shoes much like the couple apparel, except they are siblings. Junsu was growing out of his and the matching theme would be obsolete soon anyway. Jaejoong can risk losing it.

“Aish…” Retracing their steps as he walks off a couple of metres, the older man does not notice Jaejoong sneaking out of the car, brisk walking with only one shoe on.

Caught up in the moment, Yunho wouldn’t stop till he finds the shoe. He is competitive and needs to complete all the tasks he sets out to do and somehow, looking for a lost shoe became one of them.

By the time he reaches the staircase, Jaejoong is nearing the main roads behind the apartment building. It is almost dark so Jaejoong has to reach the trees by the car park for sufficient cover from the streetlights. However, his speed is greatly affected by his mobility status and he could only curse at his own inability to run.

At the very moment, Yunho, who had coincidentally looked out of the window by the staircase, notices a shadow darting off into the trees nearby. Swearing loudly as he realises his car is empty, the man springs into action. Like a cheetah, running at full speed, Jaejoong is lucky that Yunho does not run on all fours, and that there is a good distance between them.

A quick calculation told him that he will not be catching up with Jaejoong since he can already see the latter boarding a cab from the distance by the main road. Darting back into his sports car, he raved the engines violently, swerving the vehicle out of the narrow lot. With the tires screeching against the tar roads, Yunho drove like a F1 driver, smashing the paddle with all his might, hands crushing the steering wheels.

Hitting the main roads, lady luck favours the raging man and there is only one cab around to follow. Yellow and striking as it speeds off down the relatively empty highway, the man doubled his speed and ‘burnt up the tracks’ with his terribly reckless driving.

A note previously stuck between the storage compartment doors then somehow dislodges itself and ‘attaches’ itself onto Yunho face while he swerves to overtake another car. Cursing as he tears at it, he flared up again after reading the brief message written on top. “I am not running away. I will be back for my shoe...” He is mad even though that note meant that the escapee would return. He is infuriated because of the fact that he was tricked and his kindness was taken advantage of. He hates that the most and the fact that it is Jaejoong doing so only made him angrier.

Plus, there right beside him, is the ‘missing’ shoe. Jaejoong had planned it all along and Yunho is mighty pissed. No one plays around with Yunho like that and gets away scot free. Jaejoong knows he can’t escape Yunho since he still needed the man’s help, so his mini escapade was for the sole purpose of contacting his mother.

The latter was initially just planning to get some alone time with Yunho’s phone but the man had brought it along. So, in a desperate attempt to speak to and assure the woman that everything will be fine soon he takes off and was only planning on finding the public phone. Only there was none. One thing led to another and he ended up in a cab.

On the other side of the chase, Jaejoong can feel his heart palpitating non-stop as he holds his hands together tightly. Praying that Yunho would eventually forgive him like he always does, Jaejoong cannot be bothered about the consequences as of now. He might as well go all out with it and apologise later if he is going to need to apologise anyway.

Thinking fast, he then borrows the cab driver’s mobile phone and dialled Hyun Joong’s number hurriedly. “YEOBOSEYO!! Hyun Joong ah!” “It’s me!!” Crying out into the phone, he can hear the man gasp loudly into the receiver. The man is hysterical, screaming, so Jaejoong had to hold the phone a few centimetres away from his ear.

“Hyun Joong ah!” “I’m on my way to the hotel now!! Can you bring umma down I want to meet her!!” The person at the other end of the line responds to his request with more blustering. “YAH!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!? Do you know how worried auntie is?!! She’s out looking for you since this afternoon and hasn’t returned yet!!!” “We need to talk when you arrive!! CRAZY BRAT!!”

Before Jaejoong can explain his situation, Hyun Joong had hung up on him. Quickly peering out of the window, Jaejoong does not spot any familiar flashy sports car since it is already dark by now. Hence, heaving a premature sigh of relief as he assumes Yunho probably isn’t out chasing him, he gives the taxi driver an address, unaware of a sports car manoeuvring into the space behind the cab he is in and tailing the yellow vehicle steadily.

Arriving at the hotel, Jaejoong asked for the cab driver to wait for him after paying the man whatever he had on him and made his way into the lobby. Seeing Hyun Joong squatting by the information counter, Jaejoong could not contain his excitement and waddled over as naturally as he could.

He is already sweating buckets after only covering that short distance and Hyun Joong almost believed he had run all the way. Jaejoong does not disclose the physical ailments plaguing him but grabs the man by the shoulder to support himself as he pants. His best friend sees him out of breath and had to half carry him over to the comfortable hotel seats, much to the displeasure of the tall man standing by the rotating door.

Hyun Joong is over all Jaejoong in an instant, holding his shoulders and caressing the teary eyed latter. Upon sighting tears, the friend even held the smaller person close in a gentle embrace. This caused the ‘stalker’ to blow his top.

Rushing back outside, the man paid the cab driver the remaining sum and sent him packing. Then, reversing his car into the empty lot by the entrance, the man dashed into the lobby. Walking silently, he takes a seat some metres away from the two and stationed himself there.

Jaejoong is obviously too touched to notice the murderous aura lingering nearby, hugging Hyun Joong and babbling non-stop. This made the man crush the newspaper he had picked up in a bid to cover part of his face. Yunho is degraded to becoming a creepy stalker and that has never happened before.

After a brief moment of catching up, Jaejoong tried to make himself scarce. Looking at the clocks on the wall, the younger one is reminded that he would have a lot of explaining to do when he returns to Yunho’s side. The less time he spends away, the more likely the man will let him off the hook. As much as he did like to meet his mother, he can no longer wait for her. The friend can be the messenger for now.

However, Hyun Joong isn’t planning on allowing him to leave. Holding Jaejoong’s hands stubbornly and pulling him towards the lift, his friend is adamant on bringing him back to his room. Yunho did not take this move kindly.

Standing up abruptly, he stomps over, taps Hyun Joong on the shoulder and issues him a punch to the face. The blow was so forceful that the poor latter ended up falling onto the couch nearby, dazed.

Then, seizing the horrified Jaejoong by the back of his neck and twisting his head upwards painfully, the latter almost collapsed at the sight of a maddened Yunho staring him down. Gulping down the lump at his throat, Jaejoong does not resist when Yunho lifts him up and exits the hotel.

Throwing open the car door, the man pinned Jaejoong down onto the passenger seat, tied both the latter’s hands to the interior grab bar with his spare tie while glowering menacingly before shutting the door and entering the driver’s seat. Speeding out of the narrow road and onto the main roads, Yunho refused to listen to any of Jaejoong’s explanation.

Shoving a handkerchief into Jaejoong’s mouth forcefully after slapping him, the younger person could do nothing more than shy away, eyes moist and red. Yunho’s jealousy knows no bounds and he even made sure to place a hand on his property while the other hand rests on the steering panel, reminding Jaejoong not to forget his position. If there was a bed, he would have screwed Jaejoong senseless.

The image of Hyun Joong holding his angel and the way the other reciprocates so naturally is driving him over the edge. Yunho would unknowingly squeeze and knead at Jaejoong’s thighs mercilessly with a big palm when more images flashes past him, causing the younger person to squirm and cry out in pain, sounds muffled.

Seeing that they are nearing the mansion, Jaejoong can’t help but let out a loud sob. He hadn’t thought much about the possibility of Yunho losing his temper earlier and regret always comes too late. After all, the normally cool Yunho had never lost his temper in front of Jaejoong before and the latter is regretting ever taking the man’s good moods for granted.

Upon arriving, Yunho pulled the gag out, slapped him again before leaning in for a suffocating French kiss, choking Jaejoong as he subconsciously wraps his hands around the thin neck. “YOU TOYED AROUND WITH ME!! NOW YOU PAY!!” Ripping the silk material holding Jaejoong’s hands tightly bound throughout the journey back, Yunho ignored more appeals for forgiveness and drags the terrified young man out of his seat.

Yanking Jaejoong by the hair, Yunho wrenches Jaejoong’s bicep forcefully and finally hauls him out. Flung out of his seat and crying out in agony when he lands painfully on the neatly trimmed carpet grass, Jaejoong could not get up no matter how hard Yunho was tugging. The big man assumes he is pretending and grabs him by the collar.

“I’m sorry!!” “Don’t!!! Please!!” Pleading for Yunho to stop with his crazed assaults, Jaejoong ended up hugging Yunho’s thigh as the man roars at him. “STAND!!! STAND UP!!!” Finally pulling Jaejoong up to his feet with a single heave, Yunho slapped him hard across the face again and the smaller person stumbled back a little, slumping to the ground.

Even after realising that his lower lip is now chapped and bleeding, Jaejoong can’t bring himself to retaliate. He is no doubt angry at Yunho, but there are still too many strings attached. Plus, he is getting weaker and weaker by the minute, slowly breaking under the man’s abusive temper.

Allowing the man to haul him into the brightly lit living room by the armpits, Jaejoong is forced to scale the stairs. Lifting his legs slowly, he can feel something warm trickling down his inner thighs and though he didn’t think much about it, assuming that he had sat on wet grass earlier, the persistent pain with every step is enough to set off an alarm in his brain.

Looking down gingerly as Yunho heaves him up the next step, Jaejoong gasps upon realisation that the ground they have just past is stained with droplets of red substances. They are dull red and Jaejoong quickly assumed again that he had probably sat on ketchup. His mind is too hazy to do any inferring at the moment and he simply moved in sync with Yunho as the man dictates his movement by force.

By the time they reach the floor their room is on, Yunho had calmed down a fair bit. Noticing that Jaejoong is puffing and panting unusually loudly, the taller man stops and allows the other to sit and rest for a while. Glaring at Jaejoong angrily while the other returns his stare helplessly, Yunho felt a pang of guilt take over.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to trick you!” Speaking in a weak airier than usual voice, Jaejoong tightened his grip on Yunho’s hand. The older person does not swat his hand off this time. “I just wanted to make sure my mother is fine.” Explaining slowly, Jaejoong reached up and hung onto Yunho’s shirt at the chest, looking at him imploringly.

Looking away, the simmering Yunho finally notices the small trail of blood. It ends below Jaejoong and the man is alarmed. “Are you bleeding?!” Lifting Jaejoong off the ground and finding a small crimson pool beneath him, the bigger man gasped loudly.

“Please I promise I won’t do it again!!” Refusing to let go, Jaejoong interrupted Yunho’s physical examination by hugging the man’s waist.