신념을지키자

"No matter how far we're separated, we'll come back together one day."

- Jung Yunho

Staring at the door before him. Yunho's hands trembled in mid air as he reached for the doorknob that was waiting patiently for him. He did not know what would await him if the door was opened. He could not even imagine the bitterness or happiness it would bring. In fact, Yunho was surprised his hands were even reaching for the knob. The sudden turn of events had left him reeling in shock; a shock he had not yet recovered from. Closing his eyes, images of that fateful event flashed across his mind once more...

"I couldn't get a good look at 'Triangle' because I was preparing for this production. I was overseas and then I was preparing for 'The Night Watchman. Regardless, it's good to see [him] working hard as an actor. If ['Triangle'] has a positive effect on 'The Night Watchman,' it would be something to be even more grateful about. I think of it like that."

Yunho winced in recollection. It was obvious then that he was referring to his former band member, Kim Jaejoong. He found it difficult to lie in front of the media, especially when the question asked was so unexpected. Yunho could only speak the truth then and it was that truth that started this circle of events that led to this very day.

He could still remember his manager's face as his manager passed the morning newspapers to him. It was a face of masked disbelief. Flipping the newspapers that was delivered to him, Yunho's interest was piqued by his stoic manager's reaction. Even so, Yunho had never stopped to think that he would be taken aback by the news reported in the paper. He was confident that after many years of debut in the entertainment industry, he would not be easily affected by the news the reporters wrote on. He was solely mistaken. Upon seeing Jaejoong's face right next to his, his mouth gaped right open. He had not heard the name 'Yunho yah' in ages. No one ever called him that except for Jaejoong, and as he read the name printed on the paper, Jaejoong's voice played inside his mind while his eyes watered, glancing at the glass of water on the table before him.

Dehydration was a common problem he faced which arose due to his forgetfulness and negligence. When Changmin walked by the studio earlier and saw him looking through the drama script intently, Changmin did not say a word. However, it came as no surprise to him when he saw a glass of water placed on the table a few moments later. Although it was touching of Changmin to have remembered, it was not unexpected. Jaejoong, on the other hand, was a total different case. For Jaejoong to have remembered all the little details of him despite the gap of years between them was downright admirable. It showed him that Jaejoong cared. It showed him that Jaejoong still loves him. Clenching his fists, Yunho shut his eyes tight in an effort to keep his emotions at bay. Somehow, the thought of Jaejoong loving him brought tears to his eyes and he did not even know why.

It took a few days for the buzz of the newspaper article to die down and Yunho's life returned to normal, or as normal as a celebrity's life could be. Although he remained astonished that Jaejoong had expressed his concerns over his well being, Yunho was not shell-shocked. After all, caring for others selflessly had always been a part of Jaejoong's personality. They were close friends once and the long years that Yunho knew him aided him in his understanding of Jaejoong's personality. Jaejoong was just indefinitely kind to everyone he met. He was an angel, blessing everyone he knew with his warm generous heart. When Yunho read in the papers that Jaejoong had brought a homeless man home and allowed him to sleep on his couch, he was not even the slightest bit surprised. It was just him. Kim Jaejoong, the kindest man on the planet. It was so natural to think of him as such that Yunho neglected the blip of his tongue in his mind. Jaejoong was older than him and thus should be addressed by Yunho as 'Jaejoong hyung' instead of 'Jaejoong', but Yunho did not notice it. After all, his mind might know the term 'Jaejoong hyung' but his heart knew only one name for the man; Jaejoongie.

Then, just as Yunho got back into the groove of his normal news-free lifestyle, there came Yoochun's article.

It was published days after Jaejoong's article and it made a huge impact on both fans and idols worldwide. No one expected Yoochun to say anything regarding his former members. It was Junsu and Jaejoong that were well known for speaking about their past involvement with TVXQ, not Yoochun. Yoochun was always the secluded one. He was the silent one; seeing but not speaking, hearing but not voicing. It creeped Yunho out when he first met him, a quiet teenager in his flowery Hawaiian shirt and bermudas. Yunho sincerely thought that Yoochun was a serial murderer in hiding or an escaped convict on the run. However, years of interaction had since washed that unfounded belief away. Yunho now knew that Yoochun's silence was not due to his aloof nature but because Yoochun recognised the importance of silence and he knew the power words carried. Yoochun may be silent but it stood as a perfect contrast against Junsu's highly vocal nature and it kept Junsu's actions in check. That was what made their teamwork absolute. They all complement one another to form the band of perfection. (or so he thought) Sighing, Yunho was about to discard the news article away when what happened next threw him completely off guard. Rushing into his room and throwing Yoochun's article that he once held in his hands, Changmin watched on dispassionately as the news article landed in front of Yunho who was staring up at him in mute disbelief.

"So when are you available?"

Changmin demanded after a few bouts of silence, his pants forming puffs of breaths in the cold and frigid air that surrounded them. Yunho remained silent, his eyes showing no recognition for what Changmin had just said.

"Don't be daft, hyung," Changmin immediately reprimanded him, "Yoochun hyung clearly stated that he wished that we could come together and share drinks as five. What more do you need? Although the word 'wish' in this case is redundant in my opinion. It's not a wish. It's just a simple matter of time organisation, but I suppose he's just too lazy for that though that wouldn't come as a surprise to m..."

"Hyung, are you even listening to me?"

Yunho opened his mouth in shock, before shutting it at Changmin's incredulous look.

"Hyung! Honestly, one would think you're mute or something," Changmin grumbled, a look of annoyance crossing his face, "Fine. I'll take your schedule myself since you can't seem to comprehend language at the moment. Talk to me again when you've regained your cognitive functions. Good day to you."

Then, Changmin shut the door of Yunho's room after his abrupt arrival, leaving Yunho speechless as Yoochun's newspaper article still lay right before him. It took a few seconds for Yunho to recover but by the time he did, it was all too late. His table was missing a scheduler and Yunho knew in his heart that he would never see that scheduler again.

The days passed on with Changmin glaring at him and shooting him daggers with ire in his eyes. Yunho merely smiled in reply, the edges of his mouth stiff with displeasure. Ever since that day, Changmin had been vastly displeased with him, hollering at him for every minor mistake he made. It was odd, for Yunho had no idea what brought Changmin's fury on, yet it felt so strangely familiar that it brought a genuine smile to Yunho's face, transforming his smiles of displeasure to those of happiness. Maybe he was going mad, Yunho thought to himself, for surely that was not how a healthy psychological mind would think. Still, Yunho did not care. He relished in such simple pleasures, as wrong as their nature might be. Yunho frowned. Perhaps it was best he paid a long due visit to his psychiatrist after all. He sounded like a rambling lunatic. As such, his mind kindly supplied him with his psychiatrist's mobile number while his heart heaved a huge sigh at his utter idiocy and lack of emotional intelligence.

It was only when Changmin dragged him out of the dancing studio one day that Yunho finally understood what was going on. Punching him hard in the stomach, Changmin watched gleefully as Yunho fell to his knees upon the impact of Changmin's 'loving', gasping for breath as he looked to Changmin in shock.

"There's a reunion with them on Monday at our old hiding spot," Changmin announced as his lips curled in satisfaction at Yunho's pathetic state, "Be there or be killed. There's no other option."

Then, Changmin turned and walked away, with not a slightest concern given to his fallen hyung.

Staring at Changmin's retreating figure as he blended further into his distant surroundings, Yunho smiled as recognition dawned on him. So that was the reason Changmin dumped sheets of schedules on his desk all week! Changmin had intended for him to organise a reunion with the other three members but Yunho not noticing the names or number of schedules placed on his desk, had failed him terribly. Yunho laughed as he got off the floor and returned to his desk, counting the sheets of schedules Changmin had placed on his desk. There were exactly five of them. Changmin even went through the trouble to photocopy Yunho's schedule for him just so he would catch the hint of having five different schedules on his desk but Yunho was too much of an idiot to notice that fact.

Sighing, Yunho stretched his feet as he leaned his head against the padded headrest on his swivel chair. Five, he mused. How could he have forgotten the significance of that number so easily? He even once said that five was his favourite number as it was the number of members Tohoshinki had. How did those memories faded from his mind so swiftly? Sighing once more, Yunho sat in contemplative silence as the hours tick by. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration. For once, his mind was silent as his heart hummed with quiet contentment.

"The memories... they're all still there..." the faint voice echoed in the walls of his heart as Yunho closed his eyes, giving into the sudden fatigue that plagued him, "...you're just afraid to let them in..."

"Hyung! What are you doing out there?"

A sudden voice disrupted his thoughts and Yunho's mind shifted back to the present, looking blankly as four puzzled faces stared up right back at him. Blinking, Yunho realised his hand was still raised in mid air. Embarrassed, Yunho slowly let his hand down, having quickly realised that the previously closed door was now open.

"Erm..." Yunho scratched the back of his head in the awkward silence that enveloped them. The four sitting members were still staring up at him in confusion. Sighing, Yunho entered the room and shut the door behind him, resigned to his impending fate.

"I was just thinking of the sudden turn of events that sparked this reunion," he mumbled under his breath, praying that the other four would not hear him. Unfortunately, Yunho was not in luck. The moment of silence following his mumbles proved that the other four did indeed hear his words. Gradually, Jaejoong's, Yoochun's, Junsu's and Changmin's faces brightened as they let loose small trickles of laughter, struggling to hold their laughter in. However, it was not before long that the room exploded in cackles as the four men laughed their hearts out, clutching their stomachs in mock agony.

"You're still the same as ever, hyung. You're always overthinking situations," Yoochun commented as he wiped away the tears from his eyes, "When did you turn so old, Yunho hyung?"

"Old, old!" Junsu chanted, sticking his tongue out at Yunho teasingly, "Yunho hyung is an old old man!"

Changmin grinned maniacally, "I think it should be U Old Yunho instead of U Know Yunho from now on."

And so, the quintet burst into laughter once more as Yunho pouted, glaring at the four laughing men as he stood, towering over them menacingly.

"Yunho yah," Jaejoong called out amidst the rabid laughter and stretched his hand out to the sulking man, "Come here you silly fool."

And as Yunho reached out and clasped Jaejoong's fingers within his, a sense of warmth engulfed his heart as the pout on his face instantly vanished and was replaced with a smile...

"Yes, Jaejoongie~"

...and in that instant, his mind and heart were in sync.

"And so he finally lets them in once again."

The End.

Author's Note: I apologise if this one shot doesn't make sense. I'm really just exploring Yunho's feelings here and trying to capture as much of what I think is real in this fic. Apologies for my lack of update. Hopes this fic has been pleasant enough for you. :'( Thank you for reading this! ;))