“Hyung why aren't you sleeping yet?”

Yunho flinches the moment he steps out of his room and is being greeted by the sight of his brother standing only a few inches away from him.

“Goodness Su,what are you doing here?”

The student frowns.”You should answer to my question first.Don't be rude,hyung.”

Yunho sighs.”I'm just a little thirsty.”

He walks past Junsu and right into the kitchen where Yoochun is currently pouring some orange juice into a glass.

“Want some?” The younger male asks as he holds the carton up to show it to Yunho.

But the chaebol shakes his head in response before getting himself a bottle of water.He doesn't think that his stomach will be able to hold anything else but that at the moment.The dinner he ordered ended up remaining untouched and right inside the fridge where he is probably going to leave it until it's time to throw it away.He will neither have time nor the yearning to eat it tomorrow.

“Hyung,I bought you some medicine.” Junsu walks in and shows a small bag to his brother before giving it to the CEO.”Take three a day,one after each meal.”

“I don't think I'll be able to eat anything right now,Junsu.” Yunho answers truthfully.

The younger Jung pouts.”That's fine.”

He then takes the bag away from Yunho before taking one package out to give it to Yoochun.

“The other one I bought can be taken without eating food beforehand.” Junsu s the bag right back into his brother's hands.”I knew that you're going to behave this problematic when it comes to medicine.The ones you have right now are the least bitter ones they had and really good.”

It's really adorable how caring Junsu is while trying to take care of him,fussing over him like he is the older brother and not Yunho.Junsu knows how much he hates it to take medicine.The bitterniss of them covering his tongue is disgusting and whenever he could avoid taking any,he does.

But not today.

“I already took some medicine earlier.”

The frown on Junsu's face disappears as he stops wanting to reprimand his brother and starts to look at him in surprise before exchanging a glance with his boyfriend.

“You took some medicine already?”

The chaebol nods,smiling in slight amusement as he sees how shocked Yoochun and Junsu seem.”I took one before lunch and another one this evening.”

“You did it on your own will?” Junsu asks.

“Someone...” Yunho pauses as he thinks of Jaejoong.”Someone convinced me to.”

Junsu grins,still unaware of it that his brother got rejected by Jaejoong not long ago.”I see.”

He doesn't say anything else and walks out of the room with the grin still on his lips after Yoochun gives him the glass of orange juice he prepared for him earlier.

“Someone?” Yoochun inquires despite knowing the answer already.

“Jaejoong ssi.”

Yunho quickly drinks some water and looks out of the window to avoid his friend's stare and he knows that under different circumstances,Yoochun would be teasing him right now.But he is not.

Because he knows that he has to be careful about talking about Jaejoong at the moment.Yunho is far from being over his feelings for the assistant and Yoochun is pretty sure that his friend is actually about to fall even deeper in love if the certain sparkle present in Yunho's eyes when he said Jaejoong's name is anything to go by.

“He was taking care of me the whole day long.”

“I see.” He would've been happy for Yunho if things were different,but they aren't and Yoochun feels the urge to go and have a talk with Jaejoong.

“It's so hard to fall out of love with him.” Yunho mumbles,still refusing to look at Yoochun.”But so unbelievably easy to love him more.”

“Yunho.”

“It's okay,I will get over it really fast.” Not even Yunho himself believes his own words.”Things between us have not even started yet so it's going to be okay.I'm going to be okay.”

Yoochun doubts it,but he hopes to be wrong.

• ♔ •

The daily morning chatting of his colleagues is the first thing greeting Jaejoong once he steps out of the elevator and he makes sure to greet everyone he walks past before getting into the office where Hwangbo is currently organizing a few files.

“Good morning,Hwangbo ssi.”

“Good morning.” Hwangbo greets back,looking up to smile at him.”Mr. Jung would like to talk to you.”

“Oh...did he tell you about what?”

The secretary shakes her head.”No,but don't worry.I don't think that it's going to be anything negative.”

Jaejoong smiles at her before heading straight towards the office of his boss,but he barely gets the chance to knock twice when Yunho already calls out for him to get in.

Opening the door carefully,Jaejoong pokes his head into the room first before stepping in and walks towards Yunho who looks a lot better than yesterday although Jaejoong can tell that he is still sick.

“You wanted to talk to me,Sir?”

“Yes,please have a seat.” Yunho gestures towards the chair on the other side of the desk,his smile widening when Jaejoong does as asked of him.”First of all I want to thank you for taking care of me yesterday,I really appreciate everything you did for me.”

”It's nothing,Sir.Everyone would've done the same.”

“No,not everyone.” Yunho retorts with a smile and Jaejoong chooses to remain silent,seeing that the CEO has a hard time talking thanks to his slightly blocked nose even without him interrupting him.”That's why I'm sure that you are the right one for the favor I'm going to ask of you.”

“A favor?” Jaejoong looks at his boss questioningly.

“Yes.I'm sure that Hwangbo ssi already told you about the upcoming party on Friday.One of our most important clients is coming to Korea on that day and he will have his two children with him.He naturally doesn't want to leave them alone in the hotel.” Yunho pauses,eyes now locking with Jaejoong's.”So I thought about asking you to go and take care of them there.I think they are going to love spending time with someone as patient and kind as you.”

“So...” The assistant drawls,cheeks red.”You want me as a babysitter?”

“Only if you don't mind.The client will make sure to book a room for you as well so you will not have to go home in the middle of the night.”

Jaejoong smiles.”I don't mind at all.I love children.In which hotel will they be in and when shall I be there?”

“Hwangbo ssi will give you the needed information,she knows about the client and the room number will be told to you once the client has checked in on Friday.”

“Yes,Sir.” He replies before Yunho dismisses him.

“Done?” Hwangbo asks once she sees Jaejoong walking back towards his desk.

“Yes.” Jaejoong answers.”He wants me to babysit the children of a client who's coming to Korea on Friday and said that you got the information I need.”

“Like where and when?”

Jaejoong nods and smiles back when he sees Hwangbo's lips curving up.

“Since the party starts at 8 PM,I'd be there one hour earlier.” The secretary advices as she looks through her notes.”The client's name is Shouzou Akaike and he's going to stay in 'Golden Lily',it's-”

“I-I know where that is.” Jaejoong cuts her off sheepishly.”I'm sorry for interrupting.It's just...my boyfriend works there.”

“Your boyfriend?” Hwangbo raises her eyebrows in surprise.

“Yes.” The assitant smiles.”Yihan hyung.We got together recently.”

To say that Hwangbo is surprised does her true feelings no justice at all.She really expected something to start between Jaejoong and their boss,but given the fact that Jaejoong is much closer with Yihan...she knows that she should've seen this coming.

But she didn't.Because the closeness she witnessed between Yihan and Jaejoong was none of the sort she would've thought would lead to this.Not on Jaejoong's part.

But love is just that surprising sometimes.

She nods in recognition.”I see...congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

She smiles at the tinge of red on his cheeks,her smile not quite reaching her eyes.

• ♔ •

Yihan walks into the staff room and greets the team.Seungho and Minho are currently arranging the lunch for everyone on the dining table in the middle of the room and Yihan approaches them with a smile,seeing how Jihyo looks at the chair next to her expectantly but he chooses to sit down next to Dong Wook on the other side of the table instead,pretending to not have seen her indirect offer.

“Looks nice.” Yihan comments once Seungho and Minho are done,receiving nods of agreement from them in return.”I will eat well.”

“I will eat well.” The rest of the team chants before everyone starts to eat with smiles of contentment on their faces,except for one.

“Jihyo ssi,is everything alright?” Minho asks.”If you don't like the food we can order something else for you.”

But she shakes her head in response,lips now curved up into a smile once again.”No it's nothing.I'm just not really hungry at the moment although the food tastes great.”

Yihan knows that it's a lie.It's because of him.He doesn't really understand why she is acting like this now.So childish and unreasonable despite her rank as a very successful business woman.They are being civil towards each other already,so why is she being like this?

Something about her behavior upsets Yihan greatly,but he chooses to remain quiet and continues to eat in silence until Dong Wook starts a conversation with him and makes him stop thinking about Jihyo and her questionable doings for a while despite having his ex-girlfriend sitting right in front of him.

He can almost feel her eyes on him as she watches him from the other side of the table and whenever he decides to take a glance at her,he catches her looking away.It's rather bothersome but he doesn't want to talk to her about it in front of the others and decides to let it slide for now.

Yihan suppresses a sigh as he looks back at Dong Wook.

“There's going to be a concert of Fly To The Sky this Saturday,are you interested?” Dong Wook asks.”I'm going there with my brother and I could buy a ticket for you too.”

Yihan smiles.”Tempting,but I got plans for that day already.”

Dong Wook smirks at him,almost teasingly.”With your boyfriend?”

The older male nods.”It's going to be my first official date with Jaejoongie and I want to keep things as private and personal as possible without a large crowd there to witness it all.”

“I see.” Dong Wook hums.”Too bad,I'd ask you to bring Jaejoong ssi along but since you want to keep things private...”

Under different circumstances Yihan might've asked Jaejoong to go to the concert with him but a private day with Jaejoong is so much more meaningful than a concert at the moment and he can't postpone their picnic because the two of them only have time during the weekend and most Sunday evenings belong to the family for the Kims.It has to be this Saturday.

Smiling,Yihan continues to eat without having to answer another question from Dong Wook because the other is busy eating his own meal.Yihan catches Jihyo looking at him again but this time around,he can also see irritation inside her brown orbs.

“Okay,time to get back to work.” Dong Wook announces before getting up to place his empty plate and cutleries back onto the service cart.

Yihan finishes his own food right after and mimicks his friend's actions.”Time for my daily round.”

“See you later during the evening meeting then.” Dong Wook says with a smile before walking out of the room as Yihan hums in response.

The senior walks up to the two male hoobaes who are still eating.”Once you're done don't forget to bring the service cart down to the first floor and make sure to check the rooms on the second floor more critically than usual.An intern is part of the staff there today and you know how those can be.”

“Yes,Yihan ssi.” Seungho and Minho chant in unison.

“Good.” Yihan smiles and heads towards the door without really paying attention on Jihyo as he walks out until she follows him and takes a hold of his arm the moment the door closes and makes it impossible for Seungho and Minho to see them.

“You are dating Jaejoong?”

Yihan frees himself from her grip.”Yes I am.”

“I see.” Jihyo gulps.”It's just...surprising.”

“And why is that?”

Jihyo parts her lips but decides to press them into a thin line once again a moment after.She forces herself to smile and shakes her head.

“It's nothing,I'm sorry.”

She doesn't say anything else before walking right back into the staff room and leaves Yihan all alone and highly dumbfounded.Why would Jihyo find it surprising that he fell in love with Jaejoong?

Of course he never showed any interest in having Jaejoong as more than some kind of younger brother when him and Jihyo dated.He was taken at that time after all and Jaejoong was just a little boy,nothing more than the younger brother Yihan never had in Yihan's eyes.

But that was in the past.

Things have changed and Jaejoong grew up to be a beautiful young man,someone who started to catch Yihan's attention in a different way even before he graduated.But when Yihan started to notice himself feeling more and more attracted to Jaejoong,the younger one had been busy getting ready for his senior year and Yihan truly didn't want to distract him with things which were not related to school.That one year had been the most important one in Jaejoong's school career so Yihan waited for Jaejoong to graduate before he started to make his advances.

He has to admit that he started to panic when he saw the way Jaejoong's boss looked at Jaejoong and also wondered wether he had waited for too long.But luck had been on his side and Jaejoong's heart belongs to him now.

Maybe things are surprising for Jihyo because she had not been there to witness how their relationship developed.But what she thinks of everything is none of his concern.She could've been there to witness it all.She could've been there to keep her position by his side.

But she chose to leave.And he chose to move on.

• ♔ •

“Yoochun ssi.” Jaejoong calls out once he sees the person stepping into the office and immediately gets up to bow and greet the other male.”Annyeong haseyo.”

“Annyeong haseyo,Jaejoong ssi.” Yoochun smiles before taking a short glance at Hwangbo's unoccupied desk.”Are Yunho and Hwangbo ssi in a meeting?”

Jaejoong nods as he sits back down.”Yes,they won't be back until another 10 to 20 minutes.”

“That's fine.The one I want to talk to is you anyway.” Yoochun of course knows that his friend is stuck in a meeting,he made sure to ask him about his schedule beforehand after all.

He is yearning for a chance to talk to Jaejoong without Hwangbo or Yunho there to interrupt.

“Me?”

“Yes...” The older male confirms gently.”Can I have a few minutes with you?We don't even have to leave the room,I just really need to talk with you about something.”

“Sure.” Jaejoong really can't think of anything the other would need to talk with him about and is highly curious about whatever Yoochun has to say.

“Thank you.” Yoochun gestures towards the sitting area with a smile.”Shall we have a seat over there?I think it's more convenient to sit there for a proper conversation.”

Jaejoong nods in agreement before following Yoochun towards the couches where he waits for the older male to sit down first before settling down as well.He smiles at the other once they are facing each other and waits for Yoochun to start talking,still highly clueless about what's going on.

“Jaejoong ssi,I know that Yunho confessed to you.” Yoochun starts.”And I also know that you rejected him.”

Jaejoong lowers his head at the last part,nodding as if to confirm Yoochun's words although guilt is slowly starting to eat him up once again.To be reminded of how much he had hurt Yunho is making his heart ache.

“It might be cruel of me to say this,but please stop being so nice to Yunho.”

The assistant looks up at Yoochun in shock and confusion.

“Yunho...what he needs the most right now is some distance to you.Not necessarily physical distance but rather emotional one.If you continue being nice to him,he is going to keep hoping for things to eventually work out between you two although you're taken.You are rising his hopes and are crushing him every time he remembers that you already belong to someone else.It's cruel what you are doing.”

Jaejoong gulps,his heart burning as he repeats everything Yoochun had said in his mind.”I-I'm sorry,I didn't intend to...I'm sorry.”

He's trembling and his voice sounds oddly thin.And when he looks up at Yoochun with glassy eyes,Yoochun knows that he's hurting the other.But it's necessary for him to have this conversation with Jaejoong.

“I know that you don't intend to hurt him.But you do and you need to see it so you can stop.”

“I understand...” Jaejoong replies.”And I-I'm sorry.I never...”

Yoochun can see the guilt in the other's beautiful orbs,accompanied by sorrow.The other doesn't only feel flustered.No...he is obviously feeling sad and maybe even angry at himself.And to see him that way starts to make Yoochun feel upset about his own way of approaching things.He doesn't regret having told Jaejoong that his behavior towards Yunho is only going to bring more pain to Yunho later on.But he regrets not having chosen different words to do so.

He indirectly called him 'cruel' although that's far from being the right word to describe Kim Jaejoong.He is not cruel.He is sweet and caring,treating everyone well by nature because that's simply how he is.And Yoochun has no problems believing him that he never intended to hurt Yunho by behaving normal towards him even after the rejection.

But it's too late to take his words back now and Yoochun has a feeling that he is going to blame himself for calling such a nice person 'cruel' for quite a while.

“I just want you to be more cautious around him.Yunho may seem strong most of the time,but when it comes to matters of his heart and love,he is weak.” Yoochun sighs.”I'm sorry that I had to tell you this so crudely,but if I don't do it then no one will,especially not Yunho himself.”

Jaejoong can do nothing but nod in response,his heart racing and aching as he listens to every word Yoochun says,his mind being occupied by Yunho.

“Again,I know that you are not doing it on purpose.But now that you are aware of what's going on...I just hope that you are going to be more careful of how to behave around him.”

“Yes...” Jaejoong nods once again,his reply coming out as a soft whisper before the sound of the door being opened catches his attention.

Yunho and Hwangbo step in,surprised to see Yoochun and Jaejoong sitting there together engaged in a conversation.

“Yoochun,what are you doing here?”

Yoochun laughs at the question and gets up to approach his friend.”What a nice way to greet your dear friend.I just wanted to visit you and Jaejoong ssi kept me company.”

The two friends then look at Jaejoong who is smiling as he nods in response.”Yes.”

The assistant makes his way towards his desk and continues working on his task,not even daring to look at Yunho although he can see the CEO staring at him from the corner of his eyes before the two businessmen enter Yunho's office together.

“Jaejoong ssi are you okay?”

Jaejoong turns around to look at Hwangbo questioningly,surprised to see the worry in her eyes.

“You look pale,are you feeling sick?”

Of course she sees right through him.He has never been good in hiding his emotions.His brother once told him that he is simply too honest to lie and hide his true feelings.And Jaejoong has to agree.

“I-I just didn't get to sleep much last night.” It's a simple lie and the most convincing one he can come up with at the moment and although Hwangbo doesn't look like she actually believes him,she obviously chooses to not question his reasoning.

“Do you need anything?Maybe a sleeping aid for later on so you won't stay awake the whole night long?”

“No it's alright.I'll just go to bed early today.” Jaejoong smiles,trying and failing to seem alright.”I'm so sleepy I don't think a sleeping aid will be necessary.”

Hwangbo nods in response and offers him a timid smile before she turns around to tend to her tasks,leaving Jaejoong to continue with his own ones although he can barely concentrate on the matters at hand.He finds himself thinking about Yunho and tries to figure out how he should treat the CEO from now on.He can't even apologize to him because Yoochun obviously doesn't want Yunho to know about their conversation.

'Emotional distance.' Jaejoong chants in his mind,growing more frustrated with each passing second.'How...'

Jaejoong let out a soft sigh before he can see the screen of his cellphone flashing,showing him that an incoming call is waiting for him to accept.

“Go ahead.” Hwangbo says once she sees him halting and staring at his phone.

The young assistant smiles at her in gratitude before taking his phone to answer the call.”Yihan hyung.”

“Hey,I hope I'm not disturbing you.”

“N-No.You aren't.” He lies,not wanting to tell his boyfriend that he is currently not on a break but since Hwangbo kind of gave him permission to answer the call,he let it be.”Is something the matter?”

“I just wanted to ask whether I can come over later on.I talked to your brother just now and he told me he's going to come home late again and I just thought you'd prefer to have some company until he's back.”

“I'm not a child,hyung.” Jaejoong pouts.”I can stay at home alone.”

“I know.” Yihan chuckles.”I just thought that...we could spend some time together,as boyfriends.Kind of a preview of what's to come on Saturday.”

Jaejoong finds his lips curving upwards at those words and the thought of spending a relaxing evening with his boyfriend somehow comforts him.

“Alright.That would be nice.”

“Then see you later,Jaejoongie.”

“Yes,see you later,hyung.”

The couple hangs up right after and Jaejoong places the cellphone aside before starting to type again,determined to finish his work as soon as possible so he can leave the office in time this evening.He doesn't want to stay in the company longer than needed,not today.

He vaguely hears how the door of Yunho's office is being opened before Yoochun walks out and smiles at him and Hwangbo.

“Have a nice day.”

“Have a nice day,Yoochun ssi.”

Jaejoong catches Yoochun staring at him and forces himself to smile at him until the other male finally walks out.

It has never been this hard to pretend that everything is alright when it really isn't.

He is glad that Yunho and Hwangbo are going to be out for meetings most of the time today,leaving him alone to think about everything without having to interact with the CEO.

• ♔ •

Yihan grins once Jaejoong opens the door for him and steps in to hug the younger male right away.”Hey.”

“Hey,hyung.” Jaejoong whispers back at him,his thin arms wrapped around Yihan's body until they have to separate in order to walk into the kitchen together.

“I'll make us some fried noodles.” Jaejoong then announces while getting two glasses and some juices out to place them on a tray.

Yihan shakes his head in response.”No need to,I bought us some Thai food.You like the green chicken curry,right?”

It's touching that Yihan knows these kind of things about him,simple things which can easily be forgotten.Only people who really care would remember such irrelevant facts and Jaejoong smiles brightly as he nods in response before getting a hold of the tray to make his way into the living room.

“I'll get plates and cutlieries out in a bit.”

“No it's okay,I'll do that.You go ahead and sit down.”

Jaejoong hums in agreement before saying a swift 'thank you' to his boyfriend.Once he arrives in the living room,he immediately places the tray onto the couch table and sits down,waiting for Yihan like the other told him to.

Work had been better as he expected after his talk with Yoochun.Yunho and him barely had a chance to talk to each other and whenever they did talk,it was always a short question-and-ask kind of conversation.

But nevertheless,he never felt that uncomfortable at a place before.

“How was work?” Yihan asks once he's sitting next to his boyfriend,carefully placing the food down onto the table before he gives Jaejoong the cutleries.

“It was good.Like usual.” Jaejoong replies,trying to sound as normal as possible as he starts to eat and refuses to look Yihan's way.

“That's good.” The older male says and when Jaejoong turns his head to look at him,he notices that Yihan isn't even looking at him anymore,so unlike Hwangbo who had been skeptical whenever he assured her that he was fine.

Maybe he is a better liar than he thought.

“How about your work?”

He sees Yihan pausing for a few seconds before he nods in response,not meeting Jaejoong's gaze.

“Stressful as usual and not really eventlful.”

Jaejoong hums albeit finding his boyfriend's behavior a little odd.He doesn't exactly know why he feels that way,but something simply seems off.Did something happen at work that Yihan doesn't want him to know about?If yes then this is not the first time and Jaejoong decides to not question him further because he knows that Hyun Joong and Yihan sometimes don't tell him about bad things which happen to them during work to not worry him.

He of course wishes to hear about those things now that Yihan and him are dating,but how can he demand for Yihan to do something he himself doesn't do?

“Did Hyun Joong hyung say when he's going to be back?”

“No,he just said that he's going to come home late.” Yihan says.”And I guess it's nothing really surprising for you?”

Jaejoong shakes his head with a chuckle.”No,he is always late nowadays so I don't really expect him to be home early anymore.But it's nice to have company,thank you.”

Yihan smiles and places the cutleries aside before leaning in,his hands on Jaejoong's soulders as he presses a soft kiss onto the younger male's forehead,smiling against the soft skin there after he's done.”You're welcome.”

His boyfriend doesn't say anything because of the lack of right words to utter and chooses to smile at him instead.But that's more than enough for Yihan.He just wants to see Jaejoong smile like this every day and if he can be the reason for that smile to grace Jaejoong's lips,then he can't wish for more.

Jaejoong's happiness is his number one priority.

“Ah!” The younger one cries out all of a sudden.”I will sleep over at 'Golden Lily' tomorrow,my boss asked me to babysit a Japanese client's children there.”

Yihan's smiles.”Then maybe we'll be able to see each other before you have to babysit.”

Jaejoong nods.”I'll be there a little sooner so I think we can definitely meet if you aren't too busy.”

“I'll always have time for you.” Yihan replies.”But why do you have to stay there over night?Will he be gone all night long?”

“No but he will come back very late and he doesn't want me to drive all the way home in the middle of the night so he's booking a room for me.”

“How about me driving you home then?”

“But your shift ends at 8 PM.” Jaejoong frowns.

“Yes but I don't mind waiting and I'm sure that my colleagues will be thankful for every bit of extra help they can get tomorrow.An event is planned there and things are going to be very stressful.”

Jaejoong smiles before hugging the other male tightly.”That would be great,thank you.”

“You're welcome.Now let's start eating before the food gets cold.” Yihan says and pulls back a little to give his boyfriend his personal space back although he loves it to be close to Jaejoong.

Jaejoong nods in response to his words before the couple starts to eat,chatting about anything but work as they wait for Hyun Joong to come home.

• ♔ •

When Jaejoong steps into the office,he is rather surprised to find Hwangbo standing by her desk,looking through her notes frantically.

“Hwangbo ssi,is something wrong?”

The secretary looks at him with a weak smile.”Someone made a mistake and mailed the wrong documents to me and now I have to search for the address so I can get the documents myself before the next meeting starts.”

“If you tell me whose address you are searching for,I'll help.”

“It's-oh nevermind here it is.” She gets up with a smile and immediately gets a hold of her purse and cellphone.”You need to take care of things for a while.I'll be back as soon as possible.”

She's out of the office before Jaejoong can even reply,but he knows that every single minute is gold when it comes to things like these.And only when he sits down at his desk does he realize that he is now alone with Yunho.

He barely has time to let out a sigh when Yunho steps out of his office.

“Hwangbo ssi,can you please look through these-” Yunho's voice trails off as he notices that his secretary is not sitting at her desk.”Where is Hwangbo ssi?”

“She is currently getting the documents for the next meeting,Sir.”

“I see.” Yunho smiles,looking so unbelievably lovely that Jaejoong would've loved to flash him a bright smile of his own but chooses to answer with one of politeness instead as he remembers what Yoochun told him yesterday.

The CEO of course notices that there is something different about the way Jaejoong is smiling at him and looks at the assistant almost oddly,his smile fading.But he doesn't say anything,only going back into his office after watching Jaejoong for quite a while although the assistant refuses to look at him.

Only when he is sure that the door of Yunho's office is closed again does Jaejoong let out a sigh of defeat.

He feels horrible.

To see the smile on Yunho's lips dissappear because of the distant way he behaved towards him had been hard.He hurt him.But he prefers to hurt Yunho now and make the other man forget about him romantically than having to be responsible for leading someone on and then breaking that someone's heart twice.

He has to do this for Yunho's own good although he doesn't like what he's doing.To treat someone coldly has never been Jaejoong's forte.He prefers to be his outgoing self who loves it to treat everyone with respect and friendliness.But he knows that he can't be too friendly to Yunho right now,not until the other has moved on.

Jaejoong looks at the screen of his computer glumly,his eyes on the open office document shown there but not really being able to concentrate on actually reading what's written there.He doesn't even get the chance to do anything when Yunho's voice rings through the intercom.

“Jaejoong ssi,could you please come in for a minute?”

Jaejoong quickly presses the talk button to reply.”Yes,Mr. Jung.”

Getting up while fixing his shirt,Jaejoong swiftly walks towards the office of his boss and knocks on the door exactly three times,waiting for Yunho to reply before entering.

“Come in.”

The young assistant steps in cautiously before approaching the CEO.”Yes,Sir?”

“I wanted Hwangbo ssi to look through these,but since you are in charge of everything until she's back,I'd like to have you do it.” Yunho says as he hands Jaejoong a dark blue file.”They are documents from a potential new client.Just look through everything and confirm the most important facts stated there.”

“Yes,Sir.” Jaejoong bows and looks at the CEO as if waiting for the other to dismiss him,but Yunho merely stares at him.

“Do you need anything else,Mr. Jung?”

Yunho's lips part as if he wants to say something,but the CEO soon presses them together again and shakes his head,silently dismissing the assistant who excuses himself with a bow before leaving the office,his heart racing uncontrollably.

Yunho noticed what he's doing and it only makes Jaejoong feel even more horrible.But he reminds himself that it's all for the best.

• ♔ •

Yihan is currently making his daily round and much to his dismay,Jihyo is accompanying him because the manager is of the opinion that he would be the best to teach her how to handle things in a bigger hotel.Of course the manager is right,but Yihan is pretty sure that he would've decided to put Dong Wook by her side if he would know the truth about their relationship or their past together in general.

“It's important to check on everything during one round.You'll barely have time to make more than one on a busy day.For example when a group of tourists or businessmen and businesswomen check in or when an event takes place in the hotel.First comes the rooms.Dong Wook,Minho and Seungho each have their own areas and will report everything to you.Then you need to go to the spa area.Only the two of us are there to check on that area so be more cautious when checking things there.The lobby and the hotel's restaurant belong to Dong Wook's responsibilities.” Yihan pauses to greet an employee walking past them.”He is your number one counterpart once I'm not here and he will give you the reports of his areas right away when you ask him for those so no need to double check everything.”

Jihyo nods and steps into the staff elevator with him.

“We'll go and check the rooms first.”

The beautiful woman hums in response,silence surrounding them for quite a while as they refuse to look at each other.And truth to be told,Yihan likes it better that way.He doesn't really yearn talking to her,finding it hard to not let familiarity come up between them.

She reminds him of old times and he isn't really fond of reminiscing their past together,especially not the part which consists of the heartbreak he had to go through because of her.

“I never thought that you would fall in love with Jaejoong.” Jihyo then says and causes Yihan to look at her with a frown.

“Why not?”

“Because you always treated him as a brother and I never saw you looking at him in that certain way in which you used to look at me.”

“Things changed,Jihyo.” Yihan replies sternly.”Things changed while you were away and my feelings for Jaejoong changed as well.Just because you were not there to witness all the changes it doesn't mean that they never happened.”

“I-I know that things changed.I changed as well.” Jihyo retorts.”It's just...It seems odd to me that you suddenly fell in love with a...no I'm sorry,I shouldn't have started this.”

But it's too late to take things back now and Yihan knows very well what she wanted to say but stopped herself from blurting out a minute ago.He turns around to face her directly.

“It seems odd to you that I fell in love with a boy,is that what you wanted to say?” He actually doesn't need her to answer him.

He knows the answer already and the way she looks away in shame confirms his thoughts.

“I never denied that I could have a liking for men as well.My first love just happened to be a girl but now it's a boy who owns my heart.Accept it.” He is angry and she knows it.”And why is it any of your concern who I'm in love with?We're over and my love life is none of your business.”

Jihyo looks at him in slight shock,not having expected for her ex-boyfriend to lash out at her like this.He has never been one of the people to get angry easily,upset yes,but never to this extent.Rage flickered in his dark brown orbs,his frown displaying nothing but anger and provokes her to sport a frown of her own.She originally intended to keep things civil between them,but her fierce self refuses to remain hidden.

“Why are you so defensive?You used to just brush it off when someone accuses you of something you are not guilty of.Or did I hit a nerve?Do you even really love Jaejoong?”

Yihan's frown deepens and he is about to say something when the elevator stops,announcing that they have arrived at their destination.He throws her one last glance of anger before stepping out of the metallic box once the double doors open.She follows him swiftly but doesn't say anything when Dong Wook approaches them.

“Please tell her about everything she has to check in the hotel and make the daily round with her.I need to do something.” Yihan says,not giving Dong Wook any chance to ask for an explanation as he walks away from him and Jihyo.

She lets out a sigh as she watches her ex-boyfriend flee from her.She didn't intend on taking things this far.Everything she wanted was to know the reason behind Yihan's change of preference because although she had said something else,she does wish for them to reconcile as a couple.But she knows that she went too far and offended Yihan greatly,indirectly accusing him of not loving Jaejoong even.

• ♔ •

Yihan sighs as he steps back into the elevator,Jihyo's words still ringing inside his ears.Why is she doing this?Even going as far as to question he realness of his feelings.What is she aiming for?

And why does it bother him so much what she thinks?

• ♔ •

“Thank you for this,I've heard great things about you from Mr. Jung and I'm really thankful that you agreed on taking care of my sons.”

“I'm glad I can help,Mr. Akaike.” Jaejoong replies and smiles at the two boys,Takumi and Gii,as they follow their father to the door in order to bid him goodbye.

“Be good to Jaejoong ssi,alright?”

Jaejoong is really thankful that Mr. Akaike's late wife was Korean and taught her husband as well as her children how to spreak Korean.His Japanese is highly limited and he doubts that he would be able to get through the evening with the few words he knows.

“Yes,outousan.” The two boys answer in unison before giving their father a kiss on his cheeks.

The businessman smiles at his children before waving goodbye to Jaejoong who bows in response.

He didn't get to see Yihan today and also didn't get to talk to his boyfriend on the phone since yesterday.But he knows that his boyfriend is currently very busy and assumes that he had too many things to prepare for the event in the hotel today to call him.

Once Mr. Akaike is gone,the two boys turn around to look at Jaejoong and he adores the way Takumi hides himself behind Gii with a shy smile.Gii is one year older than Takumi and seems rather protective of his little brother.

“Do you want to play a game?”

“Game?” Takumi squeaks from behind Gii,highly interested.

Gii raises one eyebrow,his tiny arms crossed over his chest.”What game?”

“Whatever you want to play as long as we stay in the room.”

Gii and Takumi then look at each other before flashing a bright smile Jaejoong's way.”Hide and seek!”

• ♔ •

“Am I heavy?My wife always said that I'm heavy.” Mr. Akaike slurs as Yunho helps him out of the elevator,wanting to bring the drunk man back to his room safely.”My wife was a tiny woman.So beautiful and tiny.”

Yunho deosn't say anything,trying his hardest to keep the two of them upright as the older male threatens to fall down repeatedly.They are only a few feet away from Mr. Akaike's room when the man starts to move and crashes into a big vase which falls down and breaks into several pieces.The CEO curses his luck and leads the client past the broken ceramic.

“Your room is not far away right?I will go and get someone who can take care of this,you can make it to your room and wait for me there,right?”

“Of course!” Mr. Akaike says confidently,slowly starting to make his way towards his room as he leans against the wall,repeatedly looking at the number on his keycard before looking around searching for the identical number on one of the doors.

Yunho sighs and immediately heads off to the elevators,hoping that he didn't make the wrong decision to let the other make the few steps to his room all alone.And even if the other man won't be able to unlock the door by himself,Yunho knows that Jaejoong is there to handle everything until Yunho would be there to help.

• ♔ •

Jaejoong doesn't even know when he fell asleep,but when the knocking on the door wakes him up,he realizes that it's midnight already and the children are sound asleep.

The two angels fell asleep right after Jaejoong bathed them and helped them to put on their pajamas and Jaejoong himself had been so sleepy that he must've followed them into slumberland right after.

“Why does this door not open?Hello?”

Jaejoong looks towards the door and gets up before approaching the wooden barrier,soon looking through the spyhole only to see Mr. Akaike standing there,seeming rather drunk as he sways from left to right.

The assistant immediately opens the door for the businessman and is immediately greeted by the smell of alcohol coming from the other male.

“Mr. Akaike?”

• ♔ •

“One of my clients consumed a little too much alcohol and accidentally crashed into one of your decorations.” Yunho explains to the receptionist.”I need someone to go and take care of everything and help me out a little.My assistant is currently in the room of the client but I would prefer for someone else to look after him for the night.”

“Yes,I understand.I will call for someone right away.” The receptionist replies before she makes a call like announced,briefly talking to the person on the other line before she looks up at Yunho with a smile.”Help will be there in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.” Yunho utters and looks at his watch before looking around in the lobby,waiting patiently although that's the last thing he wants to do right now.

But much to his pleasure,it doesn't take long for the receptionist to announce that someone is here to help him.He turns his head towards where the receptionist gestures to and is rather surprised to see Yihan approaching him and judging by the look the other male gives him,Yihan is no less surprised than him.

“Mr. Jung?”

“Nice to see you again,Mr...”

“Jin.Jin Yihan.”

“Ah...yes.” Yunho clears his throat briefly.”You are here to help me I suppose?”

“Yes.” Yihan confirms.”And I assume the client you are having a problem with his the one Jaejoongie is babysitting for?”

Yunho nods in response and Yihan hums before motioning for Yunho to walk towards the elevators with him.But before the two men can get in,a woman approaches them.

“I'll go with you.Someone called me and said that there is a small problem on one of the VIP floors.”

“You don't need to go,Jihyo ssi.”

“Yes I do.I'm the one responsible for everything at the moment,remember?”

Yihan doesn't say anything and merely steps into the elevator with her and Yunho,heading straight for the 10th floor.

Neither of them talks during the elevator ride and Yunho can feel an awkward atmosphere surrounding them but much to his surprise,the atmosphere is not caused by him and Yihan but by Yihan and the woman accompanying them.He is not sure what,but he can feel that there is something odd going on between them.

Yihan hates the situation he is in.He doesn't want Jihyo to go with them and eventually get to meet Jaejoong.

He still didn't get to tell Jaejoong about Jihyo and fears his boyfriend's reaction once the other finds out that he has kept her presence in the hotel as his new colleague a secret from him all this while.

Once they arrive on the 10th floor,the three of them head towards the room of the guest with Yunho leading them and it only takes a few steps for them to stand in front of the broken vase.

“I assume it costs a lot.”

“This floor is for VIP guests,no decoration here costs less than 20.000 USD.”

Yunho sighs and massages his temple.”I will pay for it,no need to bother Mr. Akaike with it.”

Yihan merely nods before looking at Jihyo.

“We can take care of the financial matters later on,we should go and check on the client first.”

The two men agree and nod in response before they head towards Mr. Akaike's room together.

“The door is still open.” Yihan utters when they are only a few steps away from the room.

Yunho and Yihan both quicken their steps and stand there frozen as they take in the scene displayed in front of them.

Jaejoong is on Mr. Akaike's lap,their lips touching in an obvious kiss but before Yihan can even react,Yunho is already storming towards the two of them and pulls Jaejoong off the Japanese man's lap,forcing an obviously shocked assistant to stand behind him as he stares at the client.

“Mr. Akaike,what do you think you are doing?”

“Why did you take my wife away?” The other man slurs before a string of Japanese escapes from his lips,reaching out for Jaejoong who is now grasping the CEO's shoulders from behind.

“He mistook me for his wife,he can't think straight at the moment.” Jaejoong explains.”Please don't be angry at him.”

The CEO immediately turns around to face Jaejoong.”Why are you defending him?Did you enjoy it to have another man wrapped around your finger?”

Yunho regrets saying those words the moment they escape his lips,his frown now gone as he looks at Jaejoong guiltily.Those doe eyes are now filled with hurt and a hint of tears and it breaks Yunho's heart to know that he is the one responsible for Jaejoong's sorrow.He didn't mean to say those words.He didn't mean to hurt Jaejoong.

But he did.Because anger and jealousy got the better of him although he doesn't even have the right to be jealous.

To see Jaejoong being kissed by someone else and to witness that someone being defended by Jaejoong after the assistant had been acting so distant towards him for the past two days had been too much for Yunho.He is a human and gets hurt like every other person.And humans make mistakes when they are hurt.

And Yunho made a very big one just now.

If he had been more reasonable,he would've taken into account that Jaejoong had been trying to push Mr. Akaike away until Yunho himself stepped in and helped him escape from the Japanese businessman's grasp.

But he had been blind and he realizes it now.

“Jaejoong ssi,I'm sorry...I-”

Jaejoong doesn't let him talk further,storming right towards the door where he halts to look at Jihyo and Yihan who are standing right next to each other.

What is his boyfriend's ex-girlfriend doing here?Why is she with him?All kinds of questions are swirling around in his mind but he doesn't dare to actually voice these questions,dreading to hear the answers.

Yihan notices the way he stares at Jihyo.”Jaejoongie,let me explain.”

But Jaejoong merely shakes his head and runs away,wanting to forget the cruel words coming from Yunho's lips as well as what he realized when he saw Yihan and Jihyo together.His heart is aching so much.Too much.

His feet carry him into the elevator safely but before the double doors close,Yunho sprints in to join him.

“Jaejoong ssi-”

“Get out please.” He is crying,his body trembling as he refuses to look at his boss.

But Yunho doesn't get out.He approaches him calmly,carefully until he is standing right infront of Jaejoong.The young man doesn't want to look at Yunho at the moment.He doesn't want to see the look of anger and slight disgust in those brown,beautiful orbs again,reminding him of how horrible he is to play with men's heart like this albeit unintentionally.

“Please...don't.”

But Yunho doesn't listen.He wraps his arms around Jaejoong despite the other's protest,not letting go although Jaejoong is trying hard to push him away and free himself.But he is too scared to let go,fearing that he will never be able to hold the other like this once again when he does.

He doesn't say anything,only letting Jaejoong cry like he did the first time he had to comfort Jaejoong and he is glad that the other male is able to calm down a little albeit wanting to run away from him at first.

It doesn't take long for them to arrive on the first floor and Yunho slowly let go of Jaejoong before he leads Jaejoong out of the elevator and straight out of the hotel where they decide to stand not far away from the entrance.

Jaejoong is looking at the cars driving past,the many lights of Seoul's nightlife catching his attention as he tries his hardest to not look the CEO's way.Soft hands are being placed onto his shoulders from behind and Jaejoong feels guilty for enjoying the feeling of those long fingers on him more than he should.

So he steps forward in an attempt to escape from Yunho's grasp,but the CEO doesn't allow him to.His hold on Jaejoong gets more firm as he forces Jaejoong to turn around and face him.

“Please,Jaejoong ssi...I'm sorry.” Yunho mutters.”I'm sorry for saying those ugly words to you and accuse you of something so immoral.I know that you are not like that,but I was unable to control my jealousy.”

Jaejoong finally looks up at him,his eyes still red and tear-filled.”I didn't enjoy it.I was trying to push him away but he-”

“I know.” Yunho cuts him off,pulling Jaejoong into his arms once again.”I know.”

He closes his eyes and tightens his hold on Jaejoong,knowing that he is doing something utterly wrong right now.Jaejoong is a taken man and he shouldn't be like this,but he just can't bring himself to let go.He wants to be selfish for a little while.

Jaejoong knows that Yunho is trying to calm him down,but hugging him like this and making him realize that he doesn't mind being hugged by Yunho like this only makes him feel even worse.And although his mind is telling him to pull back,he finds himself unable to let go as his heart beats faster and faster,making him feel weak as if he is not able to control his own body anymore.

He hugs Yunho back with his eyes shut tightly,realizing things he should've realized sooner as his heart finally stops being confused about to whom it belongs to.But he is not brave enough to announce it to the world and the real owner of his heart.Because he doesn't want to be unfair to anyone,especially not Yihan and Yunho.

His foolish heart and too quick decision pulled all of them into the mess they are in now and he currently finds himself facing a man who is with him but belongs to someone else and a man who belongs to him but can't be with him because he does not want the other to feel like he has taken him for a fool to play with.

Unbeknownst to them,Yihan is watching them from the entrance with Jihyo right next to him.Yihan knows that he is supposed to feel jealous right now,but he's not.He simply feels relieved to see that Jaejoong is alright although he's in another man's arms.

“You were worried,but you were not jealous.” Jihyo tells him timidly and causes him to look at her.”When you saw Jaejoong being kissed by Mr. Akaike...you looked worried,but not even one bit of jealousy was seen in your eyes.But he was jealous.”

The two of them look back to where Yunho and Jaejoong are,the younger male still in the CEO's embrace.

“Every other lover would've seperated them by now.But you are still here watching them and you don't even seem to mind that another man is hugging your boyfriend like that.” She takes a deep breath and turns around to face him.”You don't feel jealous and possessive because your heart doesn't tell you to.You can lie about many things,but your heart is telling you something.Either face it or continue pretending.”

She walks away and leaves him alone to watch how Yunho and Jaejoong pull back to look at each other and although he sees the sparks in Jaejoong's eyes,he can't bring himself to be jealous.

Jihyo is right.

The moment he saw Jaejoong on Mr. Akaike's lap,he felt worried,not jealous.He felt protective,but not possessive.He reacted like a brother,not a lover.

Him and Jaejoong will have a lot to talk about today.

Taking a deep breath,Yihan slowly walks towards his boyfriend and the CEO,causing the two of them to pull apart in an instant.He can see the fear in their eyes,as if they got caught doing something wrong.But Yihan smiles.

“Let's go home.I got your bag.” Yihan says,receiving a firm nod from Jaejoong in return before the younger male bows to say goodbye to his boss.

Nods of recognition are then being exchanged between Yunho and Yihan before the couple walks away from the CEO and right towards Yihan's car.

“You came here by bus?”

“Yes...because you said that you would bring me home.”

Yihan hums in response and unlocks his car before getting in with Jaejoong.They don't talk.Yihan immediately turns the radio on after starting the engine and drives off to Jaejoong's and Hyun Joong's place,his eyes only on the street even when he feels Jaejoong's eyes on him from time to time.

He doesn't want to start talking just yet.

• ♔ •

“Thank you for bringing me home,hyung.” Jaejoong says,ready to leave the car when Yihan gets a hold of his wrist and forces him to stay.

“It's time for us to talk,Jaejoongie.”

Jaejoong doesn't say anything in response,only nodding in agreement.

“Jihyo is my new colleague and started working with me a few days ago.I..I didn't tell you about her because...to be honest I don't know why I kept it a secret that she's working with me now.”

“But I do.I know why.” Jaejoong retorts.”I saw you two standing there together and it's still there,hyung.That feeling that you are perfect for each other more than for anyone else.I had the same feeling I had years ago when the two of you were still dating.You belong together.That's what I felt.And I think you were feeling it too,that's why you decided to keep her presence a secret.”

“Jaejoongie,there is nothing between me and her,I didn't-”

“You didn't cheat on me,I know.” The younger male says with a smile.”But I also know that the two of us will never make someone else see us like I see the two of you.I'm not blaming you,especially because I...”

“Because your heart is not fully with me either.” Yihan continues for him.

Jaejoong nods.”I...rejected him for you,but...”

“Your heart never rejected him.”

The younger male finds himself unable to answer vocally,only nodding in response as Yihan stares at him.But the other isn't frowning.He is smiling at him.

“I don't plan to get together with him though.” Jaejoong clarifies.”How could I after playing with both of your hearts for so long?It would be simply unfair for both of you.”

“Jaejoongie-”

“No,please.It's a decision I have to make,not you.” Jaejoong lowers his head.”I don't want him to think that I really...”

Yihan frowns as he sees how much Jaejoong is struggling to hold back his tears.”Jaejoongie...did someone say something to you?Something along the lines of you toying with us?”

When Yihan sees the flash of hurt inside those dark,round orbs,he knows the answer even before Jaejoong nods in confirmation.

“Jaejoongie,listen to me.You are not a-”

“It's alright,hyung.I'm alright.” He lies.“And about you and Jihyo noona-”

“Jaejoongie-”

“No,please let me talk till the end.” Jaejoong pleads and receives a nod of agreement from Yihan in return.”I know that the two of you don't have anything going on,but I think that things between you two never ended fully.I always had that feeling and I know that I'm silly for thinking like this,but that she happens to come and work in the same hotel as you is like a sign.”

Yihan can't deny Jaejoong's words.Because he truthfully feels it too...like things between him and Jihyo never ended completey no matter how many times he told himself otherwise in the past.He remembers the way everything she did or said bothered him after she started working with him and bit by bit,he realizes that he wouldn't have reacted the way he did if he wouldn't care about her like he claimed.

And his relationship with Jaejoong had been nothing but their old relationship just with another name.They have been boyfriends by title,but never by heart.Yihan always chose to kiss Jaejoong on his forehead because he always felt a tug which told him not to do it whenever he intended on kissing Jaejoong's lips.And now he kows what that tug at his heart meant.

“I guess that we were both trying to make something work out that was bound to fail.We mistook the kind of love we had for each other for something beyond that and ended up hurting each other more than anything.” Yihan sighs.”We even kept things a secret from each other,something we never did before to this extent.The relationship brought out many faults.I feel regretful.”

Yihan turns around a little to look at Jaejoong more properly.”I wish our time together would've been marked by positive things only.”

Jaejoong shakes his head with a smile.”Don't feel regretful.I'll only take the good things of our relationship with me and you should too.”

The two of them look at each other,their lips curved upwards as they say goodbye to false feelings and welcome back the genuine adoration they feel for each other.

“Thank you,hyung.”

“I have to thank you,too.”

And when Jaejoong gets out of the car and walks towards his and Hyun Joong's house a few minutes later after they agree on having a picnic together as friends tomorrow,Yihan can't help but smile in contentment although something rather bothersome is clouding his mind.

There is still one thing he has to fix.

• ♔ •

Yihan smiles as rings the doorbell and waits for Jaejoong to get out,his eyes soon taking in the surrounding as birds chirp in utter glee as if they know that today is going to be a fantastic day.It's sunny and the weather couldn't be more ideal for a picnic 'date'.

“Hyung!” Jaejoong calls out once he yanks the door open and flashes Yihan one of his brightest smiles which soon disappears as Hyun Joong shoves Jaejoong aside to approach Yihan with a glare.

“How dare you.” Hyun Joong says and Yihan almost fears that his best friend is angry at him before a playful punch lands on his right shoulder.”How dare you to go on a picnic without me?”

Yihan stares at the other for a while before a soft laughter escapes his lips.”It was supposed to be for me and Jaejoongie only anyway.”

“Yeah but now you are not dating anymore so you should ask me to join!”

“Next time.” Yihan promises with a grin.

Hyun Joong huffs and only smiles shortly when his brother hugs him to say goodbye.

“Have a nice day,hyung.” Jaejoong chuckles,walking to Yihan who gestures towards the car parking in front of the house.

“Go ahead and wait in the car,I need to talk to your brother for a few minutes.”

Jaejoong nods in reponse before walking away with his bag,taking a short glance at the two best friends before he got into the vehicle parked not far away.

Hyun Joong looks at Yihan expectantly,waiting for him to say something although he actually knows what his best friend wants to talk about.

“I'm sorry that things with me and Jaejoongie didn't end happier.”

“Considering that your relationship was based on mistaken feelings I think it ended the best way possible.” Hyun Joong retorts with a faint smile on his lips.”When you and him spent time together for the first time after you started to date...I knew that things were going to end sooner or later.I truthfully hoped for sooner.”

Yihan raised an eyebrow at him,amusement flickering in his eyes.”Ouch?”

“No I mean if I wouldn't have noticed the emotional distance between you...I would've hoped for your relationship to last longer,but...the way you treated each other never really got to me and I just hoped for you to realize it as soon as possible before things may get more complicated and hurtful.”

Yihan nods in understanding as he meets the other's gaze and thanks the deities above that he could still call Hyun Joong his best friend.He knows that everything could've gotten utterly ugly for them if him and Jaejoong would've been more stubborn in keeping their relationship going.

“Thank you.” Yihan says.”For entrusting Jaejoongie to me nevertheless.”

Hyun Joong nods before gessturing towards his friend's car.”Go and have a nice picnic.”

• ♔ •

Once the two of them have settled down at a nice place in the park,Jaejoong gladly helps Yihan to arrange the many tupperwares full of food as well as beverages onto the picnic rug they are sitting on.

“You should've let me make at least half of these things.” Jaejoong says glumly,eyes filled with guilt as he thinks about how much time and effort Yihan must've put into preparing all these dishes.

“Absolutely not.” Yihan replies.”I promised to cook for you.Just think of it was one of my presents for you.”

“Presents?”

The older one nods in response.”The main present is coming soon.”

Jaejoong tilts his head with a slight frown.”Hyung,you didn't buy anything for me,right?”

“No.” Yihan assures.”My present for you is too valuable to put a price on it.”

Jaejoong doesn't really know what to make of Yihan's words and only looks at the other in wonder as his bottom lip is jutted out into a barely visible pout of confusion.

“I actually wanted to make pajeon,but your picnic partner is not really fond of scallions.”

This only manages to make Jaejoong even more confused than he is already.”Since when do you dislike scallions?We were eating pajeon together not long ago and you seemed to enjoy it a lot.”

Yihan grins in amusement,not answering as he opens the tupperwares to bare the food inside to Jaejoong's eyes.Everything looks absolutely delicious and if the food happens to taste just as good as it looks,Jaejoong swears to remind himself to make Yihan cook more often when they hang out together after this.

“Hyung,I'm more than impressed.”

“Well I needed perfect food for a perfect day so I put even more effort into cooking than usual.” Yihan says with a teasing grin that has Jaejoong raising his eyebrows in wonder.

Yihan is speaking in riddles and he can't seem to understand him or his supposedly hidden messages no matter how hard he thinks about.

“Wait here,I need to get something out of my car.”

Jaejoong nods as he watches how the older male gets up and jogs away.

Not wanting to start eating before Yihan is back,Jaejoong decides to take a few pictures of the nicely arranged food before he sends them to Hyun Joong with the expectation to receive messages of envy in response in a few minutes and as he waits,he can't help but look around in utter contentment.

The sun is being very generous today and many people are in the park to play,have a walk or have a picnic,the only sound able to compete against the birds' chirping being the melodious laughter of children.

It's not until five minutes later that he finally hears someone approaching him and causes him to look back with a smile,expecting to see Yihan there.But it's not Yihan and the smile on his lips subsides as he watches how Jung Yunho joins him on the picnic rug as if they have agreed to meet up.

And maybe there is some kind of agreement like that.Not between him and Yunho,but between the man who suddenly went missing and the man who appeared out of nowhere a few seconds ago.

Jaejoong looks around to search for Yihan,but he somehow knows that the other male is not going to return.This is not just a coincidence.Yihan planned all of this.When or how,Jaejoong doesn't know.But he knows that Yihan set him up.

“He went home and entrusted you to me.” Yunho speaks,immediately getting all of Jaejoong's attention as the other looks back at him.”So I hope you don't mind my company.”

Of course he doesn't mind,but this is not exactly going to help him keeping his distance to Yunho like planned.

“Shall we eat?He made all of this for us after all.”

Jaejoong nods timidly before giving Yunho one pair of chopsticks before he starts to eat without looking up at the CEO although he can't help but take a glance at the clothes the other is wearing from time to time.Yunho is not wearing a suit for a change,his muscular and slender body being covered by a casual shirt and dark blue jeans.And Jaejoong loves that look on him.Simple and y.

“He is great at cooking.” Yunho says after taking a bite from the dumplings Yihan made.”But I heard that you are way better than him.”

This causes Jaejoong to finally look up to meet the CEO's eyes,his cheeks turning red once he sees the way Yunho is his lips.”W-Who told you that?”

“Yihan ssi.” The CEO replies.”He told me quite interesting things yesterday.”

Truth to be told,Jaejoong fears that Yihan told Yunho way too many things or else the CEO wouldn't be here right now,sitting in front of him and having a meal with him like he was fated to be here all along.Here by Jaejoong's side.

“For example that you have sworn to not get together with me although you and Yihan ssi have ended things between the two of you already.For example that you are scared to admit that you loved me all along because I might think you were toying with me and Yihan ssi all this while.Or for example that someone – and I am pretty sure it's one of my friends – said something which made you feel guilty about something you should not feel guilty about.”

Jaejoong's breath hitches as he takes in every single word Yunho said to him,finding it hard to find the right words to answer with.He stares at the CEO,his lips parted as if he wants to say something,but nothing comes out.

“I don't know what my friends said,but I want you to know that I don't agree to what they told you because there is no way I would ever agree to something which only drives you farther away from me especially now that you are so near.” Yunho looks at him pleadingly.”You chose to play safe by deciding to be with him and I understand why.It hurt,but I understand and if given the chance,most people would've decided like you,especially because we barely know each other.But now that you've realized your feelings...please don't make another mistake and be brave enough choose what your heart clearly tells you to choose regardless of what others beside you and me say.”

Jaejoong wants to give in,goodness he really wants to.But what if his heart is lying to him once again and he ends up hurting his precious Yunho?

“No one is perfect.And no one makes the perfect choices all the time.” The CEO gets up and walks towards Jaejoong until he can kneel down right next to him,soon getting a hold of the other's soft hands.”Give yourself a chance.Give us a chance.”

Seeing how Jaejoong is still unable to give him a vocal answer,Yunho slowly let go of the other's fingers to cup Jaejoong's face with his hands before he leans in to press their foreheads together.”Please.”

The thin wall of resistance crumbles down and turns into dust as Jaejoong allows for Yunho to take him away from worries and fears.

He can feel Yunho's lips getting closer and Jaejoong doesn't have the power to resist.He allows for the kiss to happen and shivers at how perfect everything feels.This very moment is everything he needs to know that he will never be able to get far away from Jung Yunho.He needs him.

“You are so perfect.” Yunho whispers against his lips before kissing him again,like nothing else matters but them being connected like this.

Lips on lips.

Heart on heart.

Jaejoong now knows who he loves.

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