It’s probably something that Yunho’s driver can’t fully understand. Yunho is strong. He knows it because he also took part on training his little boss. He was one of those ex-military that Yunho hired to train him, but then after find out his possession on car and speed, Yunho hired him as driver and bodyguard. He doubts that last part, thought. Yunho can protect himself well so it’s more as driver rather than bodyguard. He also becomes Yunho’s informant. It’s not weird at all. The weird thing is how this kid has problem on dealing with public transportation and crowded area. He hates mass.

The driver already guessed for longtime ago that Yunho ever , probably not only once. He’s not going to ask. But hey, Yunho is more than available to protecting himself. Not that every people he met wanted to do bad things to him, right? Conclusion : even after all of those hard train he got, Yunho can’t push away his scare.

And so he must drive for hours because Yunho avoids public transportation although it will be faster. “So… this is it? Like in the picture” Yunho looks at a home, well, quite big. He compares it to the picture he got earlier.

“He is not in home yet.” His driver says. He knows the schedule of this particular one. “I have time to see that woman, right?”

Oh, so that’s why Yunho insisted they come at this time. Yunho is probably curious. “You don’t look nervous”

“For?” Yunho gives him a challenging look.

This is why he thinks his boss has a complex personality. “It’s THAT family” he reminds him. Sometimes his boss can be a monster. He must admit that he anticipate if Yunho does bad things to this woman, like torturing or killing perhaps. Those, if Yunho loses his control. Will he mad?

“It’s someone family. Stranger” He pauses then continues “I hate stranger” Yunho makes a disgust look. Imagining what will he faces a moment later.

His driver nods and makes understanding voices. “I’m so want to hear how that ex-room mate of your no longer stranger”

“You have answered it. Ex-room mate. It’s not a short time” The phrase ‘ex-room mate’ is the things he keep repeats every time he confused about his and Changmin’s relation

“Want to bring weapon? Just in case. I’ve less lethal” Who knows if the woman has some weapon?

“I don’t want to kill peoples”. Yunho gets out of his car.

 

Yunho push the buzzer and greets by a woman face from the intercom. Yunho knows this woman, he has read the file. This woman information included. How lucky the house mistress herself greets him. “Yes? Can I help you?”

Yunho is in his nice guy mode; wears posh style unlike his usual. He even wears rimmed glasses, can’t give bad impression to this woman. “Is it Jungs house?” he even gives her a slight smile.

“Are you… Yonghwa’s friend?” She guesses. Yunho is around her son age. And to her, Yunho is looks like a son every mother wants; polite, handsome, and neat.

“No. I’m looking for Mr. Jung” She looks at Yunho with suspicious. Why a boy around her own son looking for his husband. His face reminds her to someone. “And you are?”

“My mother is Mr. Jung sister”

“Oh?” She looks excited now. “Come in! My husband will back soon”

 

Yunho looks at photos on the wall when she comes with two cups of tea. “Happy family” he comments. He looks at so called Mr. Jung face more. Indeed, a happy family. He tries to put him and his mother together with this Mr. Jung. It somehow turns out gloomy in his mind. His cousin’s family is the best, he thinks. He really needs to do this, right?

“Yes. Yonghwa is around your age. He is at university now. Business. What about you?” She is extremely excited that she has problem to hide it.

“I enter chemical last year”

“Chemical?” It’s not something that she expected to hear.

“Yes. I quit before first semester end”

“Oh” She doesn’t look apologize at all, in fact she looks proud. Her son is not drop out and she believe he has a good future “And now? What are you doing?”

“Well, lots of things. It will be bored for you to hear details. But I work” in the end it more like one sided conversation because Yunho has to hear this woman talks about his precious and only son. They wait for this Mr. Jung. And Yunho hopes that man can go home quickly. He bored by this conversation, already reads about this Yonghwa. But he can conclude something from this; this woman has a big ambition to live in wealthy, no, richness, full with money. She probably doesn’t love her husband.

 

Time passes slowly for the waiting driver. Yunho quits from that house after more than an hour, and the driver see another man. He is Yunho’s biological father who just came back home 20 minutes ago. Seeing the face, he bets that the owner of that home doesn’t know yet who he faces. That older man seems happy yet calm; maybe Yunho uses his cousin name so that the family accepts him like this.

He knows that grandfather Jung is no longer accepts him. That old man is mad and upset to his only son, not only because he abandoned his wife but some other things. He wonders what kind of expression that Yunho’s father have if he knows this is his son? Sadly, he probably doesn’t know that he has a son from his legal wife.

They go with Mr. Jung’s car. Yunho’s driver follows quietly from a good distance while he keep thinking what kind of scenario that Yunho used to make the target leave from his house and agrees to talk in a public space. After drive for 10 minutes in silence, they enter a café.

“This place seems nice. Order anything! My treat” the older starts, there are not many peoples around. “Why not buy the present?” He still can’t understand. Yunho says earlier that he has problem with his parent’s upcoming wedding anniversary. He told him last year he (and his cousin-but Yunho didn’t says this) gave them an album full with their photos during college. And this year he wants to gather idea by talking to someone that both his mother and father know. Yunho made it sounds so serious, even if it still 3 months and 26 days later.

“I want to make it special rather make it expensive. I want Americano, with ice, black”

Ah, make sense now. He wishes that his son will doing the same. “You like bitter drink? Hot coffee latte”

“It’s only habit”

“So… what you want to hear?” Because when they still in his house, Yunho said that he wants to hear story of his parents or maybe their childhood. And with that excuse he successfully pulls out his biological father from his home. The older just fulfill his wishes because he thinks it must be a chance for him to be forgiven by his father; Jung grandfather if Yunho calls him.

Yunho looks at the older face. He looks like him. They’re alike. In less than a minute of their meeting, he’s been praised that he looks like his mom, in this case, Yunho’s father means his sister. Yunho knows about this earlier. When he looks at the cold pictures in his grandfather’s home, there is a boy that looks like his Mom. He asked about it when he was so young, he thought his Mom has a twin too, like him and his cousin. He’s not, the male one is older. This is why peoples don’t really asking why he and his cousin are not alike. Yunho is practically looks like his aunt and his cousin much looks like his uncle. “Happy family… You love them?” Yunho is not answering the question; it’s not the point now. He has talked to his cousin about their parent’s present.

“My wife and son? Sure” The older just answers it. If his suspicion is right that his father send this young man to test him, he’s willing to answer anything without questioning. Yunho takes a file from his bag “What is it?” Yunho smiles at him. He takes photos from the file and passes them to the older. Mr. Jung shakes by that photos. “What does it means?”

A silly question, Yunho thinks. He should know better. “Your legal wife. But maybe you forgot” Yunho leans on his chair, relaxing and enjoying the nervousness that floating on the face in front him.

“… I don’t” Need almost a minute for him to mouthed that words, even in low voice, Yunho can hear it clearly.

“Good to hear. So can we get in to the business?” He is act mean by quicken the pace. He knows he is torturing this person mentally but he can’t do anything about it.

“You are not my nephew!” He looks at the young man sharply. “Do you kidnap her?” Yunho ever face scarier things in his life, this man sharp gaze is nothing to fear about.

“Do you worry? Why? You no longer love her”

“Maybe. But she was my friend. Don’t play with me kid! I can call police” Their order comes and the worker is blushed by seeing Yunho smiles at her. Not that he smiles to her, it’s because he want to show the older that he’s holding Aces; can’t help, must looks confident and rude.

“Sure you can but what for? Lying?” Yunho pauses and smile then continue. “I’m not kidnapping her. She is not good, yes. Depression, mental problem, names it. Because of one person, you”

“We’re over” He confidently says. Why would he lose to a boy at his son age? He hates the fact that this boy that he thought is his cousin looks controlling and hard to defeat.

“It’s you left her for someone but you still legally married her. Unfortunately I found that you marriage document with the woman in your home is illegal, crime. It’s South Korea, polygamy is illegal here. How much you paid for that document?”

Color faded from his face, pale. This young man knows about that too? “Just tell me what you want! Money?”

Yunho’s turn to order. “You tell me what you want! You want to live with your family now… or you can go back to your previous wife” His voice is so calm.

“What is it?” he doesn’t understand with that statement.

“I don’t care with whatever your decision. But if you leave your previous wife, make it legal. Divorce. Simple, right?” Yunho takes a sip from his bitter drink.

“After that? What’s gonna happen?” He knows it will ends on threatening.

“She can be single and marry again” It was unexpected answer

“Just that?” He can’t trust this person especially because he smiles quite a lot. It’s sweet at charming but scared him; no longer handsome smile for him.

“You don’t know how many people want to marry her” He finds the coffee is nice so he keeps clutch it on his hand, means to drink from it again.

“So you only want it? Nothing else? You are not going to threatening me or else?”

He’s not the type that likes to threaten someone. “I can destroy your life but I’m not interested.” It’s his grandfather authority. “So, here’s the document. Sign here” He lets go of his drink and take another document.

His eyes widen a bit. A divorce paper, like Yunho already guessed what he’s going to choose. “You even prepared this?”

“I’m busy just so you know. There are too many things I have to take care more than you. I don’t want to go back with nothing” His voice sound rude but it’s not something to concern about.

The older keeps quiet for a moment, his eyes still fixes on the document “… Is she okay?”

“Maybe you can pay her a visit… if you want. But don’t bring your woman. It won’t be good for her emotion.” He then sips his coffee.

Something that the older can’t understand is that even he shows this aura that can makes him sweats under his clothes, he care a lot towards his legal wife. Maybe he is not lying. “So you are really my nephew?”

Yunho shrugged. “Sadly you already lose contact to Mom, she’s mad at you, right? I can’t divine our relation if my Mom can’t” He doesn’t want to freak this man out about telling him the truth. Saying, I am your son from your legal wife. It’s our first meeting. Maybe this man can get heart attack? Businessman tends to have potential on that disease, right?

The older takes that answers as a yes. His sister has stopped talk and contacted him since almost 20 years ago. He just thought that his nephew will looks like his brother in law more. Even his son is not alike to him.

 

Yunho gets out from café with a slight bright face which makes his driver feels something is crippling. “So? It means an end?” Yunho just ignore his question and starts searching a name on his contact. Feeling his driver’s gaze burning hole on his face, Yunho looks at him. “What?”

“Don’t you feel a little… uneasy?” he meant to say sad, for the zero percent of family unity.

“Why?”

“They are your parents after all.”

Yunho looks back at his phone “Mmm… since when they become ‘parents’ to me?”

“I asked the wrong question” he mumbles but Yunho hear it.

“Ssh… I’m calling someone right now” which is his biological mother’s lawyer.

 

 

Meanwhile, Changmin is not facing good things when Yunho away. He gets a call from his sister during lunch. “Oppa… they come again…” his sister says. And Changmin is sorry. His sister just informs him and no pressure at all. He already has too much pressure for his sister to add more. As sibling sometimes they protect each other from their parents, like not telling their parents about each other mistakes and faults; keep it secret. There’s only one ‘They’ that her sister meant. His younger sister still in high school and lived with his mother. His other sister lived in her college dorm.

This ‘They’ means a bad news; terror by debt collector is so unpleasant. But moreover, he is afraid if his parents finally give in to an offer; an offer that sounds so generous but killed him in same time. there is an offer from a family he knows that willing to help his father, without any specific condition. Too generous? Sure. He knows his father company was doing good but not that big. Not even 1% of that Choi corporation he worked at and not as big as the company of that family who willing to help.

Changmin knows there is nothing free, especially in business. Even if it sounds free, it doesn’t. he doesn’t want to owe them and has to engage with the heir. He can’t sacrifice his sister for this, definitely. He doesn’t want his sisters marry someone they don’t like. But again, he doesn’t want to sacrifice himself. Right. That family wants him, not his sister. It’s never been speaking by the family representative but Changmin knows. He knows exactly what they want and he has told his parents about it. His parents didn’t push him, yet. By the time, the pressure will appear. Of course he can’t, especially now when he has Yunho lay besides him at night. He’ll be egoist but he has done whatever his parents wanted; from having good marks in school to enter business in college. He wants Yunho; at least something he really loves and doesn’t give up on that.

 

He worries about his parents; in this case maybe to his father more. It’s been two month and half since last time he saw him. When he goes back today from work, there is someone calls him. He is searching the source. A shadow-male shape near abandoned building he passes after get out from bus. He steps closer, sweeps with his eyes carefully. “Son”

“Dad?” it’s his father. Looks dirty and skinny. “Come on! Let’s go to my place!” they’s in hurry, don’t want is any of the debt collector see them. Changmin cooks for his father, thanks for Yunho who always filled his fridge, while his father take a nice long bath. Changmin prepares clean clothes. It’s his father clothes that he kept, in case his father come.

They seated. In usual day, it will be Yunho take that side. He has dinner alone for few days. Yunho is not appearing yet but he cooks him dinner yesterday and left before Changmin comes back. “You okay?” His father asks although the older is worse than his son

“Yes” Changmin answers shortly. He doesn’t feel good with this visit.

“You gain weight?”

“A little”

“How’s your work?”

“Okay” he lies. It’s okay except that scandal things. And silent. Like always. They are not that close. His father never praised him even after what he achieved these ears. His father used to be this discipline and stern father. They rarely talk, but once they start, it mostly serious. Spending more of his young time with study and his father was busy. Changmin grow with a small aount of his father love and attention.

After bankruptcy, his father has more time to think about his children. He build the company when Changmin in 5th grade. It’s for them, for their life but now he realizes how the children get small attention. Changmin grow without proper guidance from him. It’s too late, replacing old days is impossible to do. “I heard from your mother you often stay overnight. Don’t push yourself!”

Changmin should spoon the rice, but ends up stick the spoon to the rice only. “I have to” They both know how much burden he has. Changmin father wants to talk about this specific thing seriously. Something that he knows can change his small family life. He’ll able to live in the same home with his children and wife. Changmin will not need to suffer from saving to pay debt.

“I call your mother yesterday” The younger knows it’s time to being stubborn.

“Oh…” He answers, doesn’t surprised.

“She’s not well. Pay her a visit”

“I’m busy” He uses the line that Yunho seems to like a lot.

The father knows he must careful with words, only it’s a bit hard for not asking this. “You mad at us? Ur parents?” Changmin looks at his father slightly, only 2 seconds. “No” he felt that too but soon realized it will not change anything. He remembers how Yunho told him that they wouldn’t met if Yunho didn’t pick chemical. At least Yunho wouldn’t cook for him if he still lived with his family

“Changmin-ah… I got an offer”

“Old story”

“Yesterday they come again… I can hear your mom just cried” Changmin also worries about it. He knows his mother is a strong woman and it makes her hides her tears. She need to so that she can always comfort the children. It’s hard time for all.

“Dad, it’s not an easy time for all”

“I remember that offer” He suspected this.

“Are you really just remember or that he came to you?” This ‘he’ that Changmin always avoids.

“Both! He also came to see your mom. Listen. It’s probably the only escapades” He doesn’t need to explain.

Changmin closes his eyes; his mouth pressed to thin line and shakes his head before saying, “Don’t! Don’t take the offer. I beg you”

He never heard his son begged to him. “Months ago I thought we can exceed this”

“… And lately you think we can’t? Are you giving up now? I’m saving and I hope we can start a business so we can pay the debt”

“If we take the offer you’re not only need not to saving. You can quit from the company.”

“I’m not going to myself”

“It’s not! He’s a friend” Their voices slowly raised.

Changmin almost voices his anger. “Yes he is. It just happened that I know he wants something in return. Like a scene in drama about forced marriage. I’m not interested at all. If you want and can’t take this suffer longer, just take it, but I’ll never fulfill his wish”

The father hit the table to suppress his anger. “Why? You always are good kid. Never once you disappoint us or rebelling”

“I didn’t and this is the first time. I’ve enough. I’m tired, dad! For always had no option but to do what you want. I take courses, rejected the offer from that talent agent. I even enrolled to business. It’s not what I want. Never. So now. No matter what you want me to do this time. I can’t. At least I want to spend the rest of my life with someone I choose. No more discussion for this” Changmin stands up, then walk to the door. “If you take that offer, I’ll never responsible for that. You may think you lose your only son.” His voice is dark and full of anger.

Changmin gets out and straightly go to rooftop. He probably too harsh, and he must assures himself that he’s still young that sometimes it’s hard to control his rage even towards his father. Not that he wants to lose his family and picks Yunho now. It is too early for he doesn’t know what Yunho feels for him. He believes he has chance. God, he misses him…

When Changmin comes back to his room after spends an hour or so at rooftop, his father is nowhere to seen. It’s first time he opposes his father. Rebel? Maybe. But it’s not only for Yunho. It’s also for him to control his life from now on.

 

 

These days Changmin is extremely stressed out. Looking for enough evidence of his company scandal is tiring. That and his father just visited three days ago. He can’t let anyone knows although some peoples has suspicious him. And the worse he hasn’t meet Yunho for days. He knows that Yunho has back from wherever he meant. He’s back two days ago since the younger always prepared dinner for him but he had leaved before Changmin reaches his apartment.

He wants to see Yunho badly because he loves him and seeing his smile is like a power charge for him. The problem is he still hasn’t have Yunho’s contact number. He was suddenly popped out in front of his apartment without contacted him first. And so he uses something less-high technology; he leaves a messages on his refrigerator door (he pushed aside the thought of putting it on stove. But still he uses A5 size paper and writes his message using thick marker). “Can we meet up?”

 

Yunho reads the message and decide to fulfill that wish. He stays there, not forget to text his driver that he won’t come home. Changmin stays late on his office and he feels so much tired. He opens the door and when he sees a pair of sneakers he only looks at it blankly and then straightens his gaze and sees the person he longing, no other than Yunho. He is proceeding to prepare the food on a plate.

Changmin put off his shoes and almost throws his bag. He circling his hand on Yunho’s waist hugs him from behind. He even leans his head on Yunho’s shoulder. Yunho stops for 3 seconds before continue doing his food prepared. He is afraid if Changmin smells his nervousness and hears his thumping heartbeat. He never let anyone outside close relatives (which only consider his cousin and his parents- because they are his parents too) to hug him. In normal circumstances, there should be someone hurt right now but Yunho suppress his reflex things maybe because it’s Changmin; someone who he half trust that he able to do it.

He breathes slowly, calming himself. “Are you okay?” Yunho manages to ask, with so calm tone too.

Changmin is quite aware if Yunho would shoves him “Let me stay like this for a while” Changmin pleads.

And Yunho let him even when Changmin tightened his grip. The older closes his eyes, feels half of the weight he carries being lifted up. Just by smelling Yunho’s scent, a mixture of citrus and some other spices he hard to figure is enough to sooth him. This is what he need. He is the person he need.

After minutes passes and Yunho start getting tired, “Dinner?” he suggest. Changmin naturally releases his grip. Yunho turns and face Changmin, they’re so close now till they can feel each other breath. “Takes a bath first” Changmin looks at Yunho and gives a weak smile “Okay”

 

“So? How’s thing when I’m away?” Yunho starts conversation. He’s been stressed out too and hearing story from Changmin is what he need. He likes to hear things from his ex-roommate.

Changmin does want to tell Yunho. He is what Changmin has now; someone to share, and he hopes Yunho will does the same too. “My father visited” Yunho knows that Changmin’s father is hiding from debt collector. “We quarrel” Changmin adds.

It raised sympathy from Yunho. He used to have some debates to his family member but not last long and nothing serious. And Changmin has a sad face when he mentioned about quarrel. So it’s serious. “Why?” he asks it in low tone like he hesitates to ask.

“The debt collector came to my mother’s house, and they terror my mother. My sister told me she cried.” He starts with his mother. Yunho listens to him with full attention. “My dad happened to call her after she cried and it wrecks him.”

It understandable, but it’s not the point yet. “And?”

“Months before, after bankruptcy, there is a family friend that offered a help. You know, monetary. My dad rejected that by saying that we can pass this. It’s about pride.” Changmin looks at kimchi, he misses Yunho’s frown. He frowns for good reason; he never heard about it. He informed that Jaejoong used his family power to create chaos on Changmin’s life but he never heard about that family which wants to help. “But after months and hears my mother cried, my dad start thinking about that offer. They say they don’t want anything in return. Do you believe that?”

“No” it comes instantly. He knows there is a hidden thing they want in exchange but doesn’t know what.

Changmin chuckles bitterly. “My dad keep assures me to pushes that thought away. But I can’t believe something that too generous. They want a marriage, and it’s not my sister that they want, but me” Yunho unconsciously tightening his grip to his chopsticks. “I’ve told my dad about this and I’m opposed him, for the first time… I do that. I don’t want to marry someone I don’t like. I made my family suffer but I really can’t do that. They always controlled my life.” Changmin looks at Yunho, they’re gazes meet. He feels relieved after tells Yunho about it. “So? Where did you go?” Changmin tries to change the topic, he curious about Yunho.

“Out of town. I need to see someone” Yunho look like his usual and even the tired Changmin affected by that.

“Who?” Changmin is screaming in his head now; warn him for not starting feeling jealous, only he can’t help it.

“My biological father”

Changmin feels relieve. Wait, did he say biological father? “What’s with him?” it’s hard for not asking.

Yunho sighs, “Nothing”

“I… never heard about him”

Yunho looks at him in the eyes, he knows he usually ends up tell Changmin to the limit he decides. “… I don’t know him either”

“What?” Changmin looks puzzled and Yunho reads it clearly. “I’m not lived with him, never, so I don’t know him” He said. “He left my biological mother before I born.” Yunho says while chop a potato. Changmin still looks at Yunho hopes for another explanation. “I only ever see him from photograph and when he saw me he didn’t notice me as his son. One of my aunts told me that he doesn’t know he has a child”

Changmin drops his chopsticks and Yunho takes it without complaining and changes it to the clean ones. Changmin can’t even mouthed thank you instead “I’m sorry”

“What? No! Don’t sorry for that. It is just that my parents are not legally divorce yet, and I’ve to take care about that now. Sadly my biological mother is not mentally health; the document can’t be processed yet.”

If Changmin grips the chopsticks right now, it will fall again. Yunho notices the shock on other man face. He regrets it a bit. “Don’t think about it seriously. Hey! Try this one!” Yunho chop the fish and brings it in front of Changmin’s lips. It makes him startled and back off a bit. He hesitates should he take it or not. In the end Yunho just put it on Changmin’s bowl, makes the taller regrets for not opens his mouth.

 

Yunho sleeps at Changmin’s place that night. They have laid their bodies for an hour but Yunho feels that Changmin is not sleeping yet. He thinks maybe it’s because their conversation earlier about their parents. He forgot to add that he raised by his uncle and aunt so there is nothing to worried about. Yunho must tell that to Changmin next time or not he will stay misunderstand.

Yunho lay on his back today not on his side like usual, his mouth slightly open. Changmin sees the form and sure that Yunho is sleeping. He supports his head with one hand, looks at the one lay besides him. He whispers although Yunho will not answer. “Do you know why I insisted to reject that offer? I’m not only sick of my parents who always control me. I also have someone I love. That’s you, Yunho. I love you. I hope I can confess when you conscious. But I’ve kept this feeling for a year or so, I’m… afraid if you don’t like me and will go away when I’m not sure about your feeling.” Changmin ends it and lean to kiss Yunho, on his lips like he used to do back in college days, only this one is longer than he used to do. He missed doing that. After that he rolled to the opposite side and sleep with smile.

Yunho opens his eyes. He is not sleeping yet and hears every bit of Changmin’s words.

I’m so dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geez… I keep repeating here. I hope you don’t get bored with this chap. So… comment please ^^

Next chap will be… I don’t know… lol… haven’t started typing… but old character will appear… who?