A/N: It's syllabus week, and the course work is still light, so I can sneak in a chapter today ^_^ Thank you all for your words of encouragement, and I hope you enjoy Part 3!!

TRI-ANGLE

Why was the sun so hot? Jaejoong lifted his hand to cover his face, beads of perspiration sliding down his arm. His shirt stuck uncomfortably to his skin, and his untrimmed hair plastered itself to his neck. His tennis shoes felt like they were going to melt into the hot asphalt beneath his feet. Hadn't he felt this feeling before? It was okay to let him body give in and sink into the ground. Someone would find him. A heavenly voice would call out to him and save his life.

He slumped to the ground, his body joining with the blistering heat of the asphalt. Any minute now, he told himself. He'll come for me. But there was no voice. He cracked open an eye, but no figure was waiting for him. His throat went dry. I'm going to die, he realized. I'm going to die without ever living. I'm never going to learn anything. I'm never going to change. I am never going to meet the person I love. A tear slid down his cheek and scorched his face. He tried to lift his arms and pull himself up, but his body felt weighted down. This was it. He couldn't go any further.

Suddenly, he felt something against his shoulders. He was shaking. No, he was being shaken. He cracked open his eyes, but there was still no one there. He could hear a voice, though, calling his name. His eyes closed again, more tears leaking from them. Yunho, Yunho, I'm here. He could hear him coming from everywhere, but where was he? Why couldn't he see him properly?

But still, he could feel his familiar arms wrapping him, pulling him up. Even if he couldn't see him, he was still there. He had to believe in that. He wasn't alone anymore; he'd already learned and changed and met the person he loved. Believing in anything else was a lie. He wasn't that person anymore.

He opened his eyes. The sun had dimmed, and the abandoned road had vanished beneath him. He was in his bed in the dorm, damp with sweat and tangled up in his sheets, his legs partially dangling off the mattress. Yunho was looking down at him, a look of concern marring his handsome features. “You wouldn't get up, Jae,” he said, not accusingly, but genuinely troubled. “Were you having a bad dream?”

That's it. A dream. “Not anymore,” Jaejoong said, lifting his head. “Am I running late?”

“Not really. You can't get into the shower right now, anyways. Yoochun's in it.” Yunho reached out and smoothed back Jaejoong's sweaty hair. “You're sure you're okay?”

“I'm just fine.” He glanced around the bedroom. Changmin and Junsu were apparently already up. “Do I get a good morning kiss?”

Yunho smiled, then thoroughly obliged him. “If we didn't have rehearsal today, I'd want to give you more than a good morning kiss.”

“Yeah? And how exactly would you get rid of the rest of our members?”

“Bribery? Locking them out of the house? Making the managers give them special schedules?” Yunho ran his thumb across Jaejoong's lips. “I'm getting a bit desperate here. I don't even want to think about how long it's been.”

“Mmm.” Their lives really had been a whirlwind since their debut a year ago. They'd released their first album and taken home enough newcomer awards to outfit a trophy case in their dorm. Their momentum had been so strong that as soon as their album promotions and award circuit had wrapped up, they'd immediately begun work on their second album, with plans for a tour and Japanese visit shortly after. Jaejoong had spent more time than he cared to remember wrapped up in meetings with the production and lyricist team, and whenever he wasn't writing, he was either training, filming MVs, or attending events and varieties with the rest of the group. When Starkiss had made their comeback, he'd had to promote all over again since he'd appeared on their album on a duet with Soorin on her self-written track “Same Old Story.” His time alone with Yunho was few and far between, and it would only be getting more sparse with their concert rehearsals beginning and the MV shoots for their newest album looming over them.

He wondered if that was what had caused him to have that dream. Part of him was still probably getting mopey and weak minded at the thought of not being able to be with his boyfriend properly. For the most part, he'd gotten better about beating himself up over it. He was having so much fun being a part of DBSK with Yunho that he could take having less of the romance if it meant they could shine up on stage together. All the same, the brief moments they had like this in the dorms made him realize how much he missed it. You could have love without any other sort of physical action, but that didn't mean you suddenly lost that longing for a deeper connection.

Sighing, he looped his arms around Yunho's neck and kissed him slowly. “Next time we have a free moment, I'll help you bribe them, all right?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Yunho glanced down at his watch. “Ah, we really need to get moving. These concert directors want us while we're still half asleep and grumpy, apparently.”

“Why are we even doing concert rehearsals this early, anyways? We haven't even finished recording our album, and Hyunsoo nim hasn't set a date for the filming for our title song.”

“They need a head start planning out the design and stage of our shows, apparently. And then there's the whole part where we'll have to come up with skits and dialogues for the shows.” Yunho shrugged. “Our variety's gotten better, but we've still never done very much in front of our entire fanbase yet.”

Jaejoong groaned, finally dragging himself out of bed. Much to Hyunsoo nim's delight, they'd all advanced quickly from their stiff and nervous appearances on television and now interacted with each other on camera as naturally as they did off it. Part of their charm, according to both the media and their fanbase, was that they knew each other so well and didn't put on airs around each other. Changmin and Yunho would resume old petty childhood fights randomly when they were talking to each other, and Junsu still berated Yoochun for looking like a fish store worker, while everyone else berated Junsu about anything and everything. And even though he didn't know them for near as long as they knew each other, Jaejoong still fit right in with their teasing and jokes. He tried to keep emotional distance from Yunho when they were being filmed, but every now and again, he let the side of himself that loved spoiling and being spoiled by him slip out.

“As long as the rehearsal doesn't last as long as an MV filming it doesn't matter,” he muttered. He still had flashbacks to the hell of shooting TRI-ANGLE for two days straight, completely caked in make-up and freezing cold on the set in the middle of winter. “I personally hope Hyunsoo nim puts off deciding on our title single filming date for a few more months.”

“Apparently there's going to be a lot of extras for this one,” Yunho said, tossing over Jaejoong's clothes. “They're still rounding up bit actors and everything.”

“That's too bad. I can only think of a few people I'd like to spend another two days on set with, and I'm already in the same group as most of them.”

“Mmmm, flattery.”

Yoochun popped in the room. “Shower's free. Looks like we'll be eating on the road again, so don't bother worrying about breakfast.”

“It feels like I haven't had to bother about breakfast for an entire year.”

“Leave being bothered about breakfast to Changmin. The poor kid is suffering.”

“As if he needs to eat more and grow even taller,” Yunho muttered. He'd given up trying to match their maknae in height, though it was still a point of bitterness that Changmin never put on weight, while Yunho plumped up in the face whenever he wasn't careful with his diet.

“He's seventeen. He's still got a few more years of growing left in him before he cuts it out.” Jaejoong tossed his sheets back onto his bed and picked up his clothes. “As long as he's still the baby and needs to obey his hyungs, it's fine by me.”

“You say that as if he hasn't been insolently rebelling us since day one,” Yoochun said, shaking his head.

“That's part of what makes him cute though, right?”

“I heard that!” Changmin called from the hallway.

Jaejoong grinned. All five of them were in a great place. Even putting their success and awards aside, it had been enjoyable to work hard and pursue his dreams with them professionally for the past years. He put the lingering desperation of his dream behind him. He didn't need to worry about what his life would be without Yunho. He had him whether he was always right in front of him or not. He wasn't that lonely person anymore. There was no reason for him to fear those emotions. It was just a dream. This was his reality.

0o0

“Oh my god,” Junsu said, his mouth falling open. “We're going to have a concert here?”

Jaejoong didn't blame him for his shock. The arena their manager had taken them too seemed more appropriate for a world cup game than a concert for a group that had only debuted a year ago. The Cassiopeia fandom was impressive in size considering how new it was, but even Jaejoong was skeptical that their current number of fans would be able to fill up every seat in the arena.

Still, they were ushered backstage to meet the staff who were working on putting on their first solo stage. They'd already gone over specifications with C&M, who had more say in the matter than DBSK did at the moment since they'd never put on a concert before and had no idea what they were doing. The first part of the day was spent going over sketches of the elements that were on the line-up: wires, laser, moving portions of the stage, and the overall layout of how the stage would be set and where they would be free to move.

Once they'd sorted through those details, their choreographer took them out onto the makeshift stage and had them run through some of the routines from their first album and the one they were learning for their new title single, Rising Sun. The set designers furiously scribbled down notes and discussed amongst themselves their strategies for giving the group the right amount of space and freedom to move.

While the staff was tied up with those concerns, Yongsoo manager joined them up on stage. “It's still early yet, but the five of you need to consider what kind of special skits you'll be having at your shows. We've come up with a basic script based on your variety strengths, but the surest bet is to pull on the natural chemistry the five of you have with each other. All the same, we can't completely wing it, since we'll need to account for props and potential audience participation.”

“As long as we don't have any aegyo battles like Starkiss does,” Changmin said, shuddering.

“You're just afraid of getting your kicked by Yoochunnie,” Yunho said.

“Says Yunho hyung as if he can't secretly do aegyo perfectly when he wants to,” Changmin quipped.

“Putting that aside,” Yongsoo said loudly, “you'll need to go over it with your trainers. We've collected some videos of some of the trends from recent tours through Korea, as well as a few from Japan, since we hope to have you touring there soon. The five of you have good sense, so I'm confident you'll understand what will work for you and what won't.”

“Good sense,” Changmin snorted. “Right. Lots of that here.”

Yongsoo ignored him. “There is something I want to run by you. A lot of the male idol groups have been doing that kind of fanservice with each other, which the fans seem to love. Perhaps a few of you could try that out, if it doesn't turn your stomach. Junsu, Yoochun, you've got the kind of close friend chemistry that could lend itself to that.”

Junsu blinked, looking completely thrown off, but Yoochun burst out laughing. “Junsu ah, all your dreams are coming true. You can now flirt with me completely worry free!”

“W-what?!” Junsu stammered. “Who wants to flirt with you?”

“I know it seems like it would be gross, but it's what the fangirls are into these days,” Yongsoo said with a shrug.

Yunho tensed beside Jaejoong. “Gross,” he echoed flatly. Jaejoong touched his wrist lightly. Not now.

“You don't think so? That's good, then. Your fans seem rather keen on your friendship with Jaejoong. They say that you match quite well together, and of course, it doesn't hurt that you lived together even before you became trainees. Perhaps you could take over fanservice in that department.”

“Like treating our rela- our friendship as a joke,” Yunho said sharply. “That kind of fanservice?”

“Not like that,” Yoochun said quickly. “Just acting like you normally do with a little bit more emphasis. Leave it up to the fans as an 'interpret it as you will' situation.”

“Exactly,” Yongsoo said, snapping his fingers.

“And if they actually interpret it?” Junsu hissed in an undertone to Yoochun. “In case you've forgotten, they're actually in a relationship.”

“If there are people who are convinced it's only fanservice, won't they be safer than ever?” Yoochun hissed back.

“I'd say yes, but if there are people who are suspicious enough, it'll give them an opening to get caught.”

“Is it really worth that much debate?” Yongsoo asked, cutting off their whispering. “It's just a silly little thing the fans like, right?”

Yunho scowled again at the word 'silly,' so Jaejoong stepped in quickly. “My relationship with Yunho is naturally close. I don't think we'll have to do anything too special for the fans to see that.”

“Yoochun and I will have to do all the hard work,” Junsu said, smiling innocently. “Since we secretly hate each other, and everything.”

“Whatever you say,” Yongsoo said. “Anyways, we should be heading back to C&M. Your Rising Sun routine needs to be better than what you showed today.”

Changmin raised his hand. “You never said if I had to flirt with anyone.”

“And cheat on the fridge?” Yoochun asked, looking appalled. “How dare you even think of it?”

“Good,” Changmin said, sighing in relief.

“Besides, everyone is going to throw all their love on you anyways without making a special point of it,” Jaejoong said, pinching his cheeks.

“You'll always be our cuddle baby,” Junsu said, throwing his arms around Changmin's waist.

Yongsoo looked up at them, impressed. “You guys are naturals at this. Have you really only been around for a year?”

“It's because it is natural,” Yunho said, hooking his finger around the bracelet Jaejoong still wore around his wrist. “And always will be.”

0o0

The five trainees were just wrapping up in the practice room when DBSK came in. They'd all done some growing in the past year. Haejin and Chaozhi, who were now closing in on sixteen, had shot up several inches, and Jongwoo, though he had unfortunately failed to grow any taller, still looked to be the most mature of the bunch with his devil-may-care good looks. Chansik was still nearly as tall as Changmin, though more gangly, and Shinwon was as beautiful as ever with his shampoo CF hair and sly smirk.

“DBSK sunbae!” Chaozhi said brightly. The slight tick in his accent had almost completely vanished over the past year. “Are you here for dance practice?”

“Yeah, apparently we're not doing any good,” Yoochun said, sticking out his tongue. “How about you guys?”

“Of course we're doing well, we have to get serious about the possibility of debuting next year,” Shinwon said. “Chansikkie's still the black hole.”

“I'm not a black hole!” Chansik yelled. Jaejoong sighed. The situation between the two of them had been progressing about the same as ever, namely because Shinwon seemed incapable of refraining from teasing him. If Chansik was going to fall in love with him, it would have to be for his trying personality, since Shinwon didn't seem any closer to changing.

“Chansik ah, we were both the dancing black holes of original trainees,” Jaejoong pointed out.

“Well, you're amazing now, so I can get better, too,” Chansik said stubbornly.

“Apparently, I'm not amazing enough if we have to run through this dance for the millionth time again.”

“By the way, we've been eavesdropping on the offices all day,” Jongwoo said. “Apparently, they had a big name actress actually volunteer to show up as an extra in your video.”

“Really?” Junsu asked. “Who?”

“Beats me.”

“Didn't you just say it was a big name actress?”

“Big name to anyone who cares about things other than the hip-hop scene.”

“It's Sung Dami,” Shinwon said.

“Sung Dami?” Yunho repeated. “The Sung Dami from Winter Lily?”

“The one, the only.”

“My Auntie Minjung never goes crazy over movies, but she took me to see that one three times. She'll flip if she hears that we're working with Sung Dami.”

“I'm about to flip from jealousy,” Haejin pouted. “She isn't even all that much older than you. Isn't she twenty-one, or something?”

“Not much older than Yunho hyung,” Chansik said. “I smell a pairing.”

“Which means she's also not much older than Jaejoong hyung,” Shinwon added. “And wouldn't it make sense if she was going out of her way to meet one of you? I mean, she's bringing in millions. Why on earth would she volunteer to be an extra for a rookie group?”

Jaejoong was wondering the same thing. Winter Lily had come out a few years ago, back when she was still a rising teen actress, and thanks to its popularity, she had launched as one of the biggest names in the acting industry. Companies were practically breaking down her door for the chance to work with her on endorsements, so how had an agency like C&M gotten her to volunteer for a role where she wasn't even going to be the focal point?

“I doubt that's it,” Yunho said lightly. “I mean, who debuts and one year later has one of the nation's top actresses after them?”

“Haven't you all been confessed to since debuting, though?”

They all looked at each other. Only Yunho and Yoochun had been confessed to by anyone famous-- in both cases, idols from rookie girl groups-- but they'd all been approached by minor personalities in the industry, usually young CF actresses or models. Even Jaejoong hadn't gotten particularly jealous over those instances. Those kinds of people acted based on an initial fervor rather than any feelings of real love. If Sung Dami was the same way, it wouldn't be any different. Other than the fact that she was Sung Dami, but still.

“Well, let's just be flattered that she's showing an interest in our group for now,” Yunho said finally. “So we should put the attention our company is getting to good use by actually mastering our dance routine.”

“Yeah, yeah, let's get it over with then,” Yoochun said tiredly.

They ran through Rising Sun a few more times, and finally by the last attempt they managed to get through it without any major mistakes. Jaejoong's feet were throbbing, but he loved the moment when Yunho would look at them and finally approve the work they had done. As their leader, he was determined to have them do their best, even if it meant extra practices when they were falling behind. Though Jaejoong's body wanted to protest sometimes and insist he was too tired, but he was always grateful for the extra work Yunho put into perfecting their performances. He never pushed them too far, and only made sure they were working to the best of their abilities.

“Jae,” Yunho said once they were back in the break room. “About what Yongsoo hyung said-”

“Look, don't go off on him for all his bad phrasing,” Jaejoong said quickly. “Most people have that opinion. We're in the minority here.”

“I'm not mad about that. Well, maybe a little. But I get that it's like that, and most people would say something like that without even thinking. It's just...” He shifted on his feet. “Regarding the suggestion of doing deliberate fanservice at our shows... I agree with Junsu. It's too risky for the two of us not to be careful.”

Jaejoong nodded. He figured Yunho would feel that way from rehearsal. He felt the same way, to a certain extent, but at the same time, he wanted the freedom of hiding in plain sight. He'd done his job of being a regular member to Yunho onscreen for a year now, but even that was exhausting in its way. Living in constant fear of letting slip through the cracks was too much for him. Even if people thought it was a ploy, wasn't it just better to set themselves free a little? “Yongsoo hyung already said that the fans have an interest in us,” Jaejoong reminded him.

“An interest is fine. But what if it becomes more than that? I said I was going to protect you. How am I supposed to do that when I'm requested to do something that would cause trouble for you?”

“But what if Yoochun is right? If enough people think we're the way we are for fanservice, won't their opinion win out? People believe what they want to believe.”

“That doesn't mean it's impossible to convince them otherwise.”

Jaejoong folded his arms across his chest. “Yunho. I don't know about you, but being around you and not being able to show how much I love you is difficult for me. I don't know how long I'll long I'll be able to act around you as if I just love you as a friend and nothing more than that. Even if I do nothing, they'll be able to pick up on that. I keep telling myself that I'll hide it better and they'll never know, but I've given it away so many times. Yoochun found out, Chansik found out, Shinwon found out, Soorin found out, my mother found out. If they're going to guess, isn't it better if they do it on our terms?”

Yunho studied him, his gaze conflicted. “We'll be walking a very thin line our entire career,” he warned. “This isn't going to be us fooling around and then getting girlfriends somewhere down the line. People aren't stupid, there's only so long they can be fooled.”

Jaejoong nodded. “I know. But we'll be fooling them one way or the other. I'd rather do it in a way where we can at least be partially honest.”

Yunho sighed. “Well, we'll see. If Yoochun and Junsu are doing it too, maybe it won't be such a big deal. It still seems like something we can't afford to be too careless about.”

“Who said we'd be being careless?”

“You didn't. But even though we've been dating for two years now, I still don't quite feel like I've got my head on completely straight around you.” He swept his hand though Jaejoong's hair. “But I'll think about it.”

“It'll make me feel better after hearing about these female ideal types you keep coming up with.”

“You have to do it, too!”

“Yes, but I'm nowhere near as convincing.”

“You...” Yunho made a face at him. “Anyways, before we worry about doing anything with the concert, let's just get the album wrapped up. Sung Dami. My friends back home are never going to believe me when I tell them.”

“Is she really that big of a deal?” Jaejoong pouted, though he knew she was.

Yunho smiled. “We'll be a bigger deal, though.”

“Not just a bigger deal. The biggest.”

Look at the eyes of the one you love
Can't you see their happiness?
Tell them that this world is filled with valuable things