When Junho and Ahyoung reached the airport, they had to learn that the plane was about to leave. Ahyoung, who’d panicked all the way there, grabbed Junho’s arm and clenched her jaw. “What should we do?” She asked, but Junho seemed no to be worried at all. He studied the board for a while and finally nodded.

“The next flight is in two hours. Let’s book and follow them.” In that moment, he shined like a god for Ahyoung. It was an easy solution, but the last one she would’ve thought of. She nodded and followed him to the counter, where he easily bought two tickets for the next flight. And then, they had to wait. Two incredible long hours.

When the plane was ready for departure, Ahyoung was the first one to hurry inside. As if she could fasten things like this. Junho took his time, just like the others. When he sat down next to the woman, he saw that she’d nibbled her lips bloody already and that her hands were shivering like crazy. He cleared his throat and avoided her gaze while asking: “May I ask you something?”

Ahyoung looked up, eyebrows raised curiously. “Why are you worrying about Jaejoong so much? You’re just his doctor.” Junho asked and glanced at her. Ahyoung froze and looked like she remembered something. Something far away. When she returned, she blinked a few times and looked out of the window. The plane was speeding for taking off already.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Her voice was quiet, yet he could understand her perfectly fine. He frowned and tried to get a look at her face, but she wouldn’t turn it.

“Why not?” He went on asking. She turned her head, smile on her pretty face, and shrugged. It was obvious that for her, the topic was over- but Junho was too curious to stop like that. Plus, if his worries were true, he had to convince her of moving on.

“You know…”, he started, and she looked at him, waiting for more, “Junsu really loves Jaejoong. And I know he likes you but I’ve been there when Jaejoong sent him away and… kept you by his side-”

“NO!” She called out, causing the people to look at them. One of the stewardesses looked through the curtain to make sure everything was alright. Ahyoung hid behind the seat in front of her and glared at Junho. “Are you crazy? It’s not because I have feelings for him, Idiot!” She answered, voice lowered.

“What is it, then?” Junho asked, eyebrows raised. Ahyoung clicked her tongue and averted her gaze. When she raised it again, she gave him a sad look- making Junho wonder where that had come from so suddenly.

“I’m his sister…” She muttered. Junho shook his head. “Jaejoong’s family is dead.” He simply answered, and Ahyoung nodded. She looked out of the window again and pressed her lips together. “… And I bet he still thinks it’s because of him.” She whispered, but it was too quiet for Junho to hear.

***

Yoochun had offered to sit between Junsu and Jaejoong, but Junsu had refused. He wasn’t a child anymore, he could sit next to Jaejoong without killing him. That was what Junsu felt at that moment. If he could, and if he hadn’t spent so much time saving Jaejoong, he would’ve killed him right there and then. They’d already made half the way, when Jaejoong grabbed Junsu’s hand. As if something had just burned him, Junsu quickly took his hand away and glared at Jaejoong.

“Let me explain… Susu-ya…” He begged, but Junsu raised a hand and shook his head. He really did not want to talk that out on a plane. He worried about the other passengers; he didn’t want them to hear that silly couple fight.

“Shut up, please. I don’t want to discuss that now.” He hissed, and Jaejoong nodded sadly. He looked at the ground, hands lying on his knees. He’d often seen Jaejoong doing that when feeling guilty.

“I love you…” He whispered and Junsu closed his eyes. Why was he doing that, ripping his heart apart in million pieces and not stopping, no matter what Junsu said?

“Yeah, sure you do. That’s why you trust me so much.” He answered calmly and looked straight at the seat in front of him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to be so rude if he looked at Jaejoong’s hurt face. Yoochun, next to him, squeezed his knee a little to calm him, but Junsu wasn’t in the mood to be calm- or nice- at the moment.

“I trust you, Junsu-ya!” Jaejoong protested, but seeing at how the people in front of them turned their heads, he cleared his throat, bowed his head and muttered an apology. Right after that, voice lowered, he added: “There just are things I can’t talk about… Not to you.”

Junsu turned his head, an eyebrow raised. Yoochun had started counting the seconds, awaiting the moment when they’d be free and he could flee that stupid fight. “You know, there was another time you thought that… Let me think about it… Ah, right, with Changmin and Yunho around. Remember? You pushed me away and I came crawling back, because I didn’t want to give up on you. And in the end, it had been me being right. And I thought you learned out of it. But nope: You had to call him and jump in his boat.”

“That was, because he had a boat. All we were swimming on was this small door Jack had forced Rose to stay on. There was no space for the two of us. One of us would’ve eventually died.” He finished Junsu’s metaphor. Junsu’s jaw dropped open. That was enough for Jaejoong to grab his hands, not allow him to take them away, and look him straight into the eyes while saying: “I love you, Junsu-ya. I love you with all my heart. You’re my life, my family, my everything. The thing is just, I can’t be all that to you- not until I’ve overcome that Monster within me. It’ll kill either me, or you. And you have to understand that there is no other way than returning-”

“Ahyoung said there is.” Junsu contradicted and took his hands away once again. Jaejoong sighed and leaned his head back. “Once we land,” Junsu went on, “I will call Junho and ask him what she said.”

“Trust me-” Jaejoong started, but Junsu cut him off with a hand. “No, I don’t.” He simply answered, making Jaejoong’s heart feel heavy all of a sudden.

“What did you say?” He asked, fighting tears. He’d never thought he would cry after leaving the North. After all, he’d done that to be happy. That was, when he realized one thing: Nothing would’ve happened if he never escaped. If he never met Junsu. He looked at his one and only love, remembering his bright, red hair and the taste of his lips when he’d kissed them for the first time.  Jaejoong heaved another sigh.

“That I don’t trust you anymore, Kim Jaejoong. And that it’ll be hard to prove that you’re trustworthy.” Junsu said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Jaejoong thought about it for a while, and finally mumbled: “Then, right now, are you in a state where you don’t care about me staying or leaving?”

Junsu turned his head and looked at Jaejoong as if he’d gone crazy. And then he slapped him. Hard.

***

Jaejoong and Yunho were nowhere to be found. But Junsu still hoped that Jaejoong would return with Yunho- after all, Jaejoong wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, would he? After he’d slapped him, they’d stayed silent- Junsu still hadn’t apologized and felt miserable about that.

“That was too much,” Yoochun said after some time. They were waiting for two hours already. Junho had texted him that they’d taken the next flight and that he should make Jaejoong stay until they came. But he hadn’t seen him since they’d landed in Seoul. He didn’t know where he did. He just hoped he would return.

Right when he thought that, he could see Jaejoong and Yunho coming out of the men’s room, Jaejoong holding a wet tissue against his cheek, Yunho comforting him by resting a hand on his shoulder. Well, to anyone else it looked like comfort, but to Junsu it looked more like Yunho controlling Jaejoong’s move. When they reached the other two men, Jaejoong avoided Junsu’s gaze, and the younger wanted to tell him that he was sorry, but didn’t get to: Ahyoung and Junho were coming out of the gate- Ahyoung looking awful, Junho looking as always. He greeted his brother with a hug and the others with a shy wave. Ahyoung blinked at Jaejoong, who was cursing quietly whilst touching his cheek.

“I need to talk to you,” she declared and didn’t even give Jaejoong the time to answer as she took his hand and dragged him away from the group.

“What is her plan?” Junsu asked Junho, but his twin just shrugged, looking away in thoughts. Junsu knew that Junho knew something- why wasn’t he telling it?

***

Jaejoong shook Ahyoung’s hand off and glared at her: He really wasn’t in the mood to play around. “What?” He hissed, feeling his cheek aching while talking. He cursed and shook his head.

“You don’t have to go to the North.” She said and took a piece of paper out of her bag. Jaejoong raised an eyebrow and took it. As he read what was standing there, he furrowed his brows.

“What if it doesn’t work?” He wondered, but Ahyoung simply shrugged.

“Then you can still go back to the North. But if it works, then you’ll be able to safely return to the South and be with Junsu.” She answered, eyes sparkling.

“But I still have to leave him here.” He said thoughtfully, causing Ahyoung to give him her typical ‘are-you-kidding-me?’ look. Jaejoong sighed and nodded.

“Fine, I’ll try it.” Ahyoung clapped and hugged him. Jaejoong hugged her back, feeling awkward and misplaced. “Ahyoung?” He asked and parted, looking at her. She made a ‘mmh?’ sound and looked up at him. “Why are you doing that for me?” He asked and she would’ve told him- if it wasn’t for the e-mail to strictly say there shouldn’t be anything that could distract him. She smiled and shrugged.

“Because I see you as a friend, and I think that’s what friends should do for each other.” She nodded. Finally, she pointed at the group of people that was waiting for them.

“Don’t you want to tell Junsu?” She asked, and Jaejoong looked at them. He slightly nodded, but wasn’t so sure about that- should he tell Junsu? Would that actually make things better? Or would it just worsen them? He sighed and followed Ahyoung to the others.