It was dark inside the stadium. And quiet. Deadly quiet. For ten long seconds, everything was still as everyone waited with bated breaths.

And then a tall figure emerged onto the stage.

Immediately, the stage, the stadium, even the fans' glowsticks all lit up as screams erupted from the audience. They went crazy as the music started and the figure stepped forward, doing the choreography he knew and did so well. And when the lyrics came out of his mouth, the fans sang along with him, matching every word. The camera zoomed over the audience before flying over to the stage, catching a close-up of the famous idol's face.

U-Know Yunho.

The crowd went wild.

One song after another, Yunho carried out to perfection. Not a step out of place, not a note out of range. He was perfect, the almight idol that hundreds of girls all over the world had fallen in love with.

And yet when the concert was over, Yunho's smile was immediately gone off his face.

Because while he was performing, he had spotted an empty seat in the VIP section. Admist all the screaming fans with their signs, Yunho had noticed a single seat was unoccupied.

If it was for any other reason, Yunho would shrug it off. One seat. So what? So one person didn't come.

Except it wasn't any one person.

It was the person Yunho had invited. The one person he had sent a ticket to.

The one person he'd truly wanted to see.

At this point, Yunho didn't even know why he bothered to be surprised. But he couldn't help it. Before every concert, every fanmeeting, every event where he would be required to make a presence, he would always send a ticket. One ticket. And before every event, Yunho's heart would hammer, not with nervousness or anxiety - he was way past that - but with hope. Hope that this time, the person would come. The person would show up to support Yunho.

And every time he stepped out onto that stage, Yunho's heart would crash in disappointment upon seeing that empty seat.

Honestly, why did he bother?

But Yunho knew why. It was because even after all these years - the fame, the glory, the fact that every girl in the world wanted him - there was only one person that had Yunho's heart.

A stunning boy. A beautiful boy. A boy that Yunho had known for so long and so well. A boy who was not only radiating on the outside but on the inside as well. So much so that he refused to hold Yunho back, despite knowing what it would inevitably mean.

That night, Kim Jaejoong had refused to hold Yunho back.

And back then, Yunho had been grateful to him for it. Because to him, being a star was his dream. It was the only thing he had ever wanted since he was a child, and the fact that he could leave his past behind without guilt nor regret had been so uplifting for Yunho. He had been able to throw himself into his training with fervor, knowing he was doing the right thing.

That is, until his first solo concert.

It had been a wild success with sold out seats and two encores. Unheard of for a rookie, a producer had told him with a hearty slap on the back. The whole night, Yunho had been unable to get rid of the high from the cheering, the chanting. He had gone to the after-party feeling good and proud of himself, and had called his parents to tell them the good news.

And then, still feeling as though he were on top of the world, Yunho dialed another number. The number he'd been saving for this moment. The number he'd been dying to call but couldn't because of his hectic schedule. The number he always called when he was upset or bored or just needed someone to talk to.

The number that belonged to Kim Jaejoong.

Only Kim Jaejoong hadn't picked up...

"Hello?" a unfamiliar voice said.

The smile faded from Yunho's face.

"Uh, h-hi," he said, checking the screen. The number seemed correct..."I'm, uh, I'm looking for Jaejoong..."

"Oh," the guy said. "Right. Hang on."

And then Yunho heard something that brought him crashing back down to earth.

"Hey, babe!" the voice shouted. "Your phone!"

On the other side, Yunho blanced.

Babe? Is that what the guy had said? Who was calling that? Surely, not who Yunho thought it was. No, it had to be a mistake. A misunderstanding. A wrong number, perhaps...

"Hello?"

Yunho's breath stopped at the new voice. This one, he knew.

He knew all too well.

"Hello?" Jaejoong asked again. "Who is this?"

Who is this? That's what he'd just asked. But Yunho hadn't changed his number. Which meant...

"Do you recognize the number?" the other voice asked.

A pause.

"No," Jaejoong answered. "I don't."

Yunho immediately hung up, having decided he'd heard enough.

He couldn't go to sleep that night, unable to stop thinking about what just happened. He tried to find a million explanations for what he'd just heard but in the end, he knew there was only one.

Kim Jaejoong had found someone else.

And the worst part was, Yunho couldn't be angry at him for it. Because when he'd left, they had made no promises, knowing it would be difficult. And while he was training, Yunho's schedule had gotten to the point where he would be too tired to call Jaejoong.

Actually, now that he thought about it...

This was the first time he'd called Jaejoong...in a really, really long time.

His slumber had night had been a fitful one.

After that, Yunho had thrown himself into his work. Everyone was impressed, believing this to be a result of his taste of success and they were grateful for that. But what they didn't know was that it wasn't for them. It was for someone else to hear, to see, to notice.

And that's when he began to send the tickets. Everytime he got word that he would be doing yet another event or appearing or another show, he would make sure to have a spot ready. And he would promptly send it that day, no matter how busy his schedule. And he would wait. And wait. And wait.

Now here he was, U-Know Yunho...

Still waiting.

Yunho sighed as he collapsed in his dressing room. Outside, he could hear the shouts and screaming of his backup dancers, congratulating themselves on yet another spectacular performance. He knew he would be expected ot join them, but right now, he could barely muster the energy to get up.

He hadn't come.

"Yunho!" a voice shouted as they barged into the room. It was his backup dancer, LJ. "Congratulations!"

Yunho forced out a smile. "It wasn't all me, you know that."

LJ waved his hand modestly.

"Well, just wanted to say good job," he said. "And congrats on your break. You deserve it."

This time, the smile was easier. Ah, yes, it was true. After years of missing sleep, skipping meals, and having barely enough time to himself, Yunho was finally receiving a long break. A whole week, they had promised. That's what happened when one became a senior idol - they were able to get more leeway. Such as more say in their songs, more artistic license, more time to do the things they really wante-

Suddenly, Yunho straightened up in his seat.

LJ drew back as Yunho practically sprinted up to him.

"Hey, LJ," Yunho said. "Can I borrow your car?"

LJ raised his eyebrows. What? Did Yunho really just ask to borrow his...

"Car," Yunho said, sticking his hand out. "Please? Just this once."

LJ looked down at Yunho's hand, still unable to comprehend the words he'd just heard.

"Hey, man, we're all going to the same place tonight," he chuckled awkwardly. "I doubt being in my car would make a differ-"

"I'm not going," Yunho cut in. "To the after-party, I mean. I'm going somewhere else."

LJ's jaw dropped. The main star not going to the after-party? Was he serious? Why?

"Dude, why?" he asked out loud. "Where else would you have to be?"

"Please," Yunho said. And this time, he sounded a tad desperate. "I need to do this."

"Do what?" LJ demanded. "Why?"

Why? Because that person hadn't come again. Because the seat was, once again, empty. Because Yunho now realized that instead of waiting for that person to come to him, he should've gone instead.

Because all of that -  the fame, the glory, the fact that every girl in the world wanted him  - was meaningless without that person.

It was meaningless without Kim Jaejoong.

That's why.

Those black eyes looked right at LJ, filled with something the dancer had never seen before.

Something no one had ever seen before.

Perhaps that was why LJ had finally handed over his keys. Honestly, he didn't know.

But he did know as he watched Yunho push through the group of people, ignoring those calling out to him, apologizing in advance for having to miss the after -party...LJ knew that whatever happened was going to either make or break Yunho.

And LJ hoped to dear god it was worth it.

**********

The drive was long and arduous, but Yunho kept going, keeping his hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. This was nothing compared to other drives he'd taken - the ones where at least twenty girls would be chasing after his car on foot while ten or more taxis were weaving in and out between them. Yunho congratulated himself on seeing the foresight to switch cars with his dancer, though he knew that it wouldn't be too long before the fans would notice and track him down again.

Which was why he was hurrying.

The place still looked the same when Yunho reached it, and when he got out of his car, it was like taking a step back to the past. The time when things were different. When Yunho was simply a boy with a dream.

And to his delight, he saw him in the distance. The person he'd been hoping to see after all this time. So he still came here...

He looked different. Skinnier, maybe? Taller even. The most noticeable was his hair - cut short. Really short. And set in a perm, it was dyed a luscious auburn color, though it only made his skin even more pure and white.

He looked beautiful.

Yunho took a step forward...

Only to quickly hide behind a tree when he saw someone else approaching the figure on the bench.

"Hey," Yunho heard the guy said. He jolted - it was him. That voice. That unfamiliar voice on the phone. The voice that had picked up.

The voice that had called Jaejoong "babe."

"I thought you'd be here," the guy chuckled. From his hiding spot, Yunho watched as the figure took a seat on the bench. Next to Jaejoong. "You weren't picking up my calls."

"I was just...thinking."

Yunho closed his eyes. That voice...

But his reverie was interrupted by that other voice again.

"Yeah, this is a great place to think," it said. "Think about you, that is."

"Yoochun," Jaejoong said. "God, you're so cheesy."

Yoochun. So the other voice had a name.

Yunho decided he didn't like that name.

"So how was the concert?" Yoochun asked. "Did you go in this time?"

Yunho straightened up at that. Concert? What concert?

Did that mean...

"I...I went," Jaejoong said. "I stood outside the arena. But...I decided not to go."

Next to him, Yoochun sighed.

"He still sends you tickets," he said. "He wants you to come, you know. What's there to be afraid of?"

"I just..." Jaejoong shrugged. "What's going to change if I see him?"

"But if he wants you to come," Yoochun said. "Then wouldn't that mean..."

An ugly look suddenly came over Jaejoong's face.

"Why do you care?" he snapped. "You're supposed to be in love with me! Why do you keep insisting  that I go, huh? Do you want me to see him? Do you want me to be reminded at how much I'm still in love with him? Even after all this time?"

"Are you?" Yoochun asked. "Still in love with him, I mean."

Jaejoong's eyes widened for a second before he looked away.

"No," he muttered. "I love you. You know that."

Deciding he'd heard enough, Yunho left - quietly, so that Jaejoong wouldn't know. Stupid, wasn't it? He came all this way to see that person...and in the end, he walked away like a coward. He got back into his car and began to drive to...anywhere.

For hours, he just drove around. By now, he knew the fans had figured out he was gone and was probably looking for him but he didn't give a crap. He just wanted to drive - to just forget everything he had done over the years. All the songs he'd sang, all the awards he had won...Jaejoong's face as he sat on the bench near the river.

Yunho just drove around for hours, not even caring about what he was doing. He paid no attention to the phone buzzing in his pocket, nor the time ticking by until it was well past midnight. He didn't even pay attention to where he was going - he could end up anywhere for all he cared.

In the end, anywhere turned out to be a park.

By now, it was the wee hours of the morning, so the playground was completely empty. Which meant nobody saw nor cared when Yunho claimed one of the swings, pushing back and forth with his feet on the ground.

It was then he finally allowed himself to remember what he'd just witnessed earlier.

Jaejoong had come to the concert tonight. From the sound of it, he had come to every event Yunho had sent a ticket of. He had come all the way, stood outside the arena, waiting to enter.

Why, then, couldn't Jaejoong get himself to go in?

Yet Yunho knew the answer to that.

Because you still love me, he realized silently. But instead of a sense of thrill, he only felt a sense of woe. He had done this to Jaejoong. He had broken the man, so much so that he was looking at others to fix him. He was forcing himself to love others in order to keep himself from falling apart.

And Yunho also knew that even if Jaejoong still loved him, at that moment, there would be nothing stopping the person from punching Yunho in the face were they to meet. Right here. Right now.

He remembered the old days - back when Jaejoong's face would light up when he saw Yunho. And to Yunho, it was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen because it meant that Jaejoong was happy to see him, as much as Yunho was happy to see Jaejoong.

Yunho wondered...

If Jaejoong were to see him now, would his eyes light up or would they go straight to indifferent contempt?

The thought made Yunho hang his head. It was a mistake to come. He should stop now. No more tickets. No more invites. He would let Jaejoong live on with his life and he would go on as U-Know Yunho, the man he'd wanted to be since he was a child-

So that's it? a new voice suddenly piped in. You're gonna give up? Just like that?

Yunho didn't respond...

You see him once after all these years, the voice continued. You know he still loves you. And you're gonna just give up? Why? Because you know he hates you?

True love doesn't mean a happy ending...

So you're not gonna try? it sneered. You're not even gonna try and rebuild what you once had? You're gonna give up on both of you guys? Just like that?

Just like that?

Was he not even gonna try?

The question made Yunho pause.

Was he really going to just give up? Could he really just forget what he and Jaejoong once had, and move on as if nothing had happened? Would he truly be able to forgive himself, knowing he could've done something and he hadn't? Could he?

Yunho knew the answer to that.

No.

Absolutely not.

Not when he knew Jaejoong still loved him.

And he loved Jaejoong back.

I'll get him back, Yunho decided. With his eyes set in determination, he looked up.

Through the trees, he could see the sky turning a dark shade of pink. Light began to fill the playground.

I'll get him back.

Behind the trees, the sun began to rise.

At first, I was considering making this a chapter but then I decided that was too ambitious. I knew it would be fat chance before I finished it when I still have two other stories to finish. And I didn't want to leave you guys hanging.

Plus, do we really need it spelled out for us in order to believe? We have what others can only dream of having - faith. Honestly, I have never seen such strong faith. Even with the recent news, we refuse to be broken. We still believe and we still keep the faith. Because that's all we really need.

The sun sets, sure.

But it always rises tomorrow.

Always Keep the Faith.

Cassie out.