“Unnie! What are you doing?” Eunhee had been trying to get Ah Yeon’s attention for the last 10 minutes. After rudely waking her up, Ah Yeon had started going through her closet and throwing clothes on her bed. Eunhee finally gave up and watched Ah Yeon grab the clothes and stuff them in a luggage.

 

“You are going on vacation. Manager-oppa said you’re allowed to go for three days,” Ah Yeon said while packing away what she thought Eunhee would need. It’s been a few months and she was still ignoring Jaejoong. It was driving everyone insane. It was surprising the amount trouble a mopey Jaejoong and Eunhee was causing.

 

“Huh? Really? But we have –”

 

“You are off for the next three days … kind of. And we only have practice the next three days,” Ah Yeon cut her off as she finished packing and zipped up the suitcase. Throwing a set of clothes at Eunhee, Ah Yeon helped her get ready. After she was satisfied with how Eunhee looked, she called for the other girls. “Go. You’re too depressing to be around right now. Stop torturing yourself. Get some fresh air and clear your mind. We want our old Eunhee back.”

 

Out of nowhere, she was crowded by all of her team members who gathered for a group hug. Even they were affected and they wanted her back to normal.

 

“Yea, we want our happy unnie back,” Hani said as soon as they broke the hug. “Whatever you decide, we’ll support you. So think things through, okay?”

 

“Manager-oppa is waiting to take you to the airport. He has your ticket and passport. Hurry,” Min Hyo pulled Eunhee toward the door. Hani and Ah Yeon followed with her suitcase.

 

“Wait … do I have to go alone? Is manager-oppa coming with me?” as much as she needed and appreciated this break, she didn’t want to go alone.

 

“I don’t know. You are going on vacation. Ah, I forgot. You do have one thing to do while you’re there. But it’s really short and then you have the rest of the three days off,” Ah Yeon mentioned quickly getting a glare from Eunhee. “I’m sure manager-oppa will fill you in at the airport.”

 

“I knew it was too good to be true,” Eunhee pouted. Still, having a few days off was much appreciated.

 

“Don’t worry. At least you’re not going alone. Sayuri-unnie is going with you. She’s waiting for you at the airport,” Hani responded. Handing over her suitcase, the girls bid her good bye and pushed her out the door. “Don’t make unnie wait too long!”

 

Before long, she was already at the airport. Her manager had checked her in and brought her to the security gate.

 

“Oppa, you’re really not coming with me?” Eunhee was surprised when he handed over her passport and ticket. “What about my schedule?”

 

“Don’t worry. It’s all taken care of. Just go and have fun,” her manager patted her head and waved goodbye. Eunhee waved and entered the gates wondering how she would know what her activity was supposed to be.

 

“Eunhee!” as soon as she had entered through the gates, she saw Sayuri waving her over. She walked over to Sayuri.

 

“Coffee?” Sayuri offered her a cup of coffee which Eunhee happily took. She was still half asleep from being woken up by Ah Yeon.

 

“Come on. Let’s go find somewhere to sit,” she pulled Eunhee along. Finding a table nearby, they sat down and sipped on their coffee. Sayuri kept fidgeting on her cell phone every few minutes.

 

“Unnie, can I ask you something?” Eunhee had wanted to ask Sayuri this question for quite awhile but never found an appropriate time to ask. She wasn’t sure if Sayuri would even answer her. Sayuri had put her phone down and was giving Eunhee her full attention. “Are you going to confess to Yoochun-oppa?”

 

Sayuri was slightly surprised. She hadn’t expected Eunhee to ask her that. Staring at the table, she thought for a few minutes whether she would or not.  

 

“No,” Eunhee was surprised at the finality of her tone. “It’s too soon. And he already knows how I feel. It won’t change anything.”

 

“Is it because we were together?” though Jaejoong was the one that was constantly on her mind these days, Eunhee still deeply cared for Yoochun. Though Eunhee knew Yoochun was fully devoted to her in the past, Eunhee knew that Sayuri also had a special place in Yoochun’s heart. She wanted him to be happy too.

 

“Huh? No silly. Our timing has always been off. Missed chances,” Sayuri tried to explain but it was hard to explain the complicated situation they were in. Her phone buzzed and interrupted her train of thought. She watched as Eunhee drank her coffee deep in thought. Tapping a few more buttons, she put her phone face down. “Eunhee, don’t worry about me or Yoochun-ssi. Whatever is going on or not going on between us should not affect you. We’ll be okay. You on the other hand need to make a decision. It’s driving all of us insane. When are you going to accept him?”

 

“I don’t know …” Eunhee was still struggling with her feelings. “I think about him all the time but I’m scared.”

 

“Of what?”

 

“A lot of things. What people are going to think? His fans? People are going to object,” Eunhee said sadly. People were going to judge regardless of whether they knew her or not. It was unavoidable.

 

“Is that what you’re worried about?” Sayuri pulled Eunhee’s hand towards her. “Eunhee-ah … how should I say this … it shouldn’t matter what others think. You didn’t do anything wrong and there’s nothing you should be afraid of. Think about this. Even if you didn’t date Yoochun-ssi, there will people who object just because it’s Jae-oppa … I know you’re worried about what people will think since you dated Yoochun-ssi but you’re human. You’re allowed to make friends and date. You’re allowed to fall in love and make mistakes. It’s part of growing up. Do you understand me? You’re not a robot and you do not answer to the fans first. You answer to yourself first. If you keep trying to make other happy, then you’ll become miserable.”

 

“But .. why do I feel like I’m going to hurt others by chasing after my happiness?” Eunhee still couldn’t let go of this guilt.

 

“Are you talking about Yoochun-ssi?” Eunhee nodded her head. “Pabo-ya, he already gave you his blessings. If he was really against it, do you think he would still be talking to Jaejoong-ssi? Think about it. He’s been going crazy without you around.”

 

“I know. I really miss being around him too,” Eunhee said quietly. Sayuri smiled and patted her hand before going back to fiddling with her phone.

 

“Seriously though, I don’t think my body can handle any more alcohol if he keeps moping. You know how weak I am against alcohol,” Sayuri joked as she put her phone away getting a laugh from Eunhee. Checking her watch, Sayuri got up and grabbed her bags. Eunhee got up and did the same. “We should go. Almost boarding time.”

 

“Unnie, where are we going?” Up until now, Eunhee still hadn’t checked to see where she was going. Sayuri chuckled at how clueless Eunhee was.

 

“Tokyo,” Eunhee nodded as Sayuri took both of their tickets and handed it to the air stewardess. Going to their seats, Eunhee started to get situated when she realized Sayuri was looking around.

 

“Unnie, what’s wrong? Do you need something? Want me to press the button for the stewardess?” Eunhee started to reach for the button but Sayuri stopped her.

 

“Eunhee-ah,” Sayuri reached into her bag and grabbed a manila envelope out. “This is your schedule for today. Get some rest before then, arasso?”

 

“Eh? Unnie, why do you have this?” Eunhee opened it and was busy looking at it. Inside was a sheet of music and another piece of paper with an outline. Was it a PV that she was filming? Her eyes widened at who she was filming it with. “Unnie!”

 

Except when she looked up, Sayuri was no longer sitting next to her. Jaejoong smiled bashfully next to her.

 

“Hi!” he was grinning from ear to ear. She had been avoiding him the last few months and it was unbearable. Finally, he was able to spend some time with her. Granted, she was tricked onto the plane but he was ever so grateful to be next to her. Eunhee couldn’t help but blush at the intensity of his look.

 

“Oppa …” Eunhee quickly turned away and pretended to look at the papers in her hand. Jaejoong just smiled and got comfy in his seat. Even though the flight wasn’t too long, it was enough time to be with her.

 

 

Eunhee woke up slightly disoriented. Did she fall asleep? Feeling someone’s arms around her, she realized she had fallen asleep on Jaejoong. He had wrapped a blanket around her and held her so she wouldn’t keep nodding off and hitting the wall on the other side. She started to get up but Jaejoong held her in place.

 

“Get some rest. You need it,” he whispered pulling her closer to him. “We can talk later.”

 

Eunhee considered getting up but it was really comfortable. Leaning against his chest, she could hear his heartbeat slowly lulling her back to sleep. Jaejoong smiled seeing her fall back asleep and kissed her forehead. He was glad she wasn’t fighting him anymore. Making sure the blanket was securely tucked around her, he leaned his head against her head and slowly drifted off to sleep.

 

 

Jaejoong woke up feeling someone tapping him on the shoulder.

 

“Hyung, we’re landing soon. You might want to wake up,” Junsu whispered knowing Eunhee was still asleep. He thanked Junsu and tapped Eunhee to wake up. Looking around, he saw Yoochun who was sitting in front of them trying to wake up Sayuri who was sitting across the aisle from him and Junsu. He sighed wondering when they were going to confront their own emotions but knew better than to meddle. He could still hear Sayuri’s previous warning. Get your own crap together before you mess with mine.

 

“Oppa, are we landing soon?” Eunhee rubbed her eyes sleepy. He couldn’t help but smile watching her. He was tired of hiding his emotions. He wasn’t going to avoid it anymore. He was in love with her and he was going to show her how much.

 

“Mmhhmm,” he let her sit up and get ready for landing. After gathering his stuff, he looked over and waited for her to finish packing her stuff. As soon as she was done, he grabbed her hand cheekily. She was surprised but she didn’t withdraw her hand. Probably still half asleep, Eunhee looked at him curiously. Pulling her hand closer, he gave it a kiss before holding it close to his heart. She blushed and looked away. For the first time in months, he was happy. She stopped running away.

 

As they got off the airplane, Jaejoong watched as Eunhee jumped around excitedly. It was her first time flying to Japan and she was eager to see Toyko. Knowing there were fans outside waiting for them, the managers decided it would be easier to take the guys to the cars first. Unwilling to leave Eunhee, Jaejoong had to be dragged away by Junsu and Yoochun.

 

“Aish. Sometimes, I wonder how old he is,” Sayuri laughed and linked her arms with Eunhee. “Excited?”

 

“Unniee!!!! Can you teach me a few phrases?” Eunhee was happy. She didn’t know why but she couldn’t help but smile. Even though they hadn’t talked yet, she knew it would be okay. She was glad that they were filming in Japan. She had always wanted to visit but didn’t get a chance with her busy schedule. Looking around with wonderment, she let Sayuri lead her around the airport. Taking selcas with Sayuri, she sent the pictures to her band members to let them know she landed safely. As they waited for their luggage, she was surprised to see how many luggages Sayuri had brought. “Unnie, why do you have so many bags?”

 

Sayuri shrugged as she was busy counting all her bags to make sure it was there. “Come on. I think they got to the car and they’re waiting for you now.”

 

“Arasso,” Having only one bag, she pulled her luggage and followed behind Sayuri. She was surprised to find a few fans waiting outside for her. “Wow. Unnie .. I didn’t think I would have fans here.”

 

“Pabo, you girls have quite a lot of fans internationally. Don’t underestimate how popular you girls are,” Sayuri replied as they walked towards the boy’s manager. He was waiting for them. Grabbing Eunhee’s bag, he also offered to push Sayuri’s cart. 

 

“Eh? Unnie?” Eunhee looked at her surprised when Sayuri rejected his offer. “Aren’t you coming along?”

 

“I’m not here on vacation. It’s about time for me to come home,” Sayuri explained giving Eunhee a hug. She was moving back to Japan. “I have another project lined for me here too. We start filming in a few weeks.”

 

“Am I not going to see you again?” Eunhee asked sadly, not wanting to say goodbye.

 

“Silly girl. You can call me whenever you want. We’ll see each other again,” Sayuri reassured her. Hearing her phone buzz, she peeked at her messages and laughed. “You should go. I think Jae-oppa is getting impatient. I’m sure he’s driving the other two crazy. And my manager is here to pick me up. Bye Eunhee. Good luck. Hwaiting!”

 

“Unnie!! I don’t want to be miserable anymore! I’m going to give it a try … So please don’t give up either. And … Will you take me shopping?!” Eunhee suddenly yelled out as Sayuri walked away. Sayuri laughed as she turned around and nodded at Eunhee before she continued to where her manager was. After watching Sayuri leave, she followed the boy’s manager led her to a discreet car where the boys were waiting.

 

“Finally!” Jaejoong chirped. He patted the empty seat next to him. The other two boys rolled their eyes at how sappy their hyung was but didn’t say anything. They were just anxious to get going.

 

“Wait! Where is Sayu?” Junsu finally realized they were missing a person as they were pulling out of the parking lot.

 

“What do you mean? She’s going home. You guys should’ve told me she was moving back. I would’ve prepared something for her if I knew.” Eunhee was surprised when there were three pairs of eyes staring at her confused. They didn’t know? She thought they knew since they were the ones that planned everything. “She didn’t tell you guys?”

 

“No …” the boys looked at each other silently talking through their eyes. None of them knew she was actually leaving.

 

“It has been a few months since she’s returned home. And she did say she has another project that’s filming in a few weeks,” Eunhee offered.

 

“For now, we need to check in and get ready for shooting the PV,” Jaejoong watched as Yoochun tried to text her with no results. “We’ll try calling her after.”

 

  Look at my eyes

 

 

“And .. cut,” as soon as the director yelled cut, Eunhee moved away from Jaejoong shyly. Earlier, she had found out that they were to play a couple in the PV. There were quite a lot of close proximity scenes and Jaejoong was quite happy seeing her blush whenever he got close to her. Even though she moved away, he was glad she wasn’t running like before. They were filming on the beach in the middle of winter and it was quite cold. Grabbing the towel from the assistant came running, he wrapped it around her first to make sure she was warm. Rubbing her arms, he tried to warm her up as they went to check the recording.

 

“Hm …” Though the shot was good, the director felt there was something missing still. Contemplating over it, he finally looked at the two. “Let’s do one more take. Jaejoong-ssi, I want you to be a little more aggressive after the pause. Eunhee-ssi, I want you to respond to him more. Follow his lead.”

 

Jaejoong looked at Eunhee carefully knowing she was slightly uncomfortable with the situation. It was the first time for her to record such an intimate scenes. Pulling off the towel, Jaejoong grabbed her hand impulsively and shot her an impish smile.

 

“Action!” they waited a few seconds for the camera to get a quick shot of the beach waves before they ran towards the beach. Frolicking, Jaejoong playfully sprayed some water at her. Eunhee screamed from how cold the water was and tried to kick some water at Jaejoong in retaliation. Grabbing her from behind, he held her as they laughed. Towering over her, he turned her around slowly and stared intently at her as they waited for the camera to get a closer shot. Lost in her eyes, Jaejoong brushed away a stray hair and her cheek gently. And without a warning, he swept down and kissed her. Jaejoong could feel her stiffen up from surprise. Not giving her time to adjust, Jaejoong tilted her head up and deepened the kiss. He could feel her slowly relax against his arms as they kissed.

 

“And .. Cut!” he reluctantly loosened his hold on Eunhee, letting her catch her breath. Not letting her run off, he wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm as they walked towards the director. By now, Eunhee was beet red from all the attention they were getting.

 

“There are fans watching,” Eunhee tried to pull away but Jaejoong kept his grip on her.

 

“Let them watch. If they’re fans, they’ll support whoever I choose,” Jaejoong simply said. Bundling a thick towel around both of them, Jaejoong wiped the stray water droplets from her face. They waited as the director checked the film.

 

“Looks good. Good job Jaejoong,” the director patted him on the back as they started dismantling the equipment. They were moving locations to shoot the last scene.

 

 

 

Jaejoong smiled smugly when Eunhee let him hold her hands in the car. They were on their way back to the hotel where they were also filming their last scene. Even though they haven’t talked yet, he was happy that she was here right next to him. He hasn’t stopped grinning since the beach. Eunhee, on the other hand, was a slightly bothered by the looks they were getting earlier. Jaejoong squeezed her hand comfortingly. He knew she wasn’t used to people prying into her privacy. Even when she was with Yoochun, they had only let close family and friends know about their engagement. Granted, there were still a few fans that found out and they were sasaengs who stalked Yoochun. He knew Eunhee had a tough time with the sasaengs when she started out with Yoochun but this time, he was determined to protect her. He figured if he was more public about it, most of his fans would be supportive. Rather than hide, he wanted the world to know. That was the only way he could think of protecting her.

 

“Stop worrying,” Jaejoong whispered into her ears. The closer they got to the hotel, he could tell she was contemplating whether to let go or not. “I’m not letting go of your hand. You’re mine.”

 

“But oppa … you might lose a lot of fans,” Eunhee whispered back. He felt a swell of pride and love knowing she was worried because of him.

 

“Even if that happens, you are worth it,” he said staring into her eyes letting her know just how much she meant to him. “Besides, who am I? I’m JYJ’s Jaejoong. Just watch. It’ll be okay. I will protect you and stand by your side. Don’t worry.”

           

 

 

“I have to wear … that?” Eunhee looked at the t-shirt that the stylist-unnie held up. She was wondering where the rest of the outfit was. “Unnie … are you sure?”

 

The stylist couldn’t help but laugh at Eunhee’s horrified look. Eunhee kept looking at the stylist-unnie and then back at the shirt. She was hoping that this was a horrible prank.

 

“Come on. Let’s get you ready,” Eunhee could not do anything except let the stylist dress her and get her ready. After tugging at the shirt too many times, the stylist finally swatted her hand. “Stop pulling. It’s not that short. Alright, now go. You’re ready.”

 

“But unniieeee,” Eunhee resorted to whining, hoping she would give in. Instead, the stylist pushed her out of the room where Jaejoong was waiting. Like Eunhee, Jaejoong was dressed down in a plain wife beater and sweatpants. He beamed at her when he saw her enter the room. Seeing her tug the shirt, he could tell she was distressed by how short the t-shirt was. Looking around, he found a blanket and wrapped it around her.

 

“Better?” Jaejoong couldn’t help but stare at how cute she was all wrapped up. Eunhee nodded while trying to hide behind the blanket. Jaejoong laughed and wrapped his arms around her. They were content just standing there enjoying each other’s presence.

 

“Hey lovebirds. We’re starting,” the director called from the other side of the room. Calling them over, he went over what the scene was going to look like. “So we’re going to go for an intimate scene. I’ll be giving you directions as we film. For now, I want you guys to start off like you guys are cuddling on the bed.”

 

After getting in the bed with Eunhee, they had to wait for the lightening to be fixed. Jaejoong wrapped his arms around Eunhee and pulled her against him. He knew she was still shy and wasn’t too confident about shooting this scene. Rubbing circles on her hand, he could feel Eunhee relax slowly.

 

“Oh! Stay there,” the director was quite happy with the current scene and started recording. “Start off talking or something. Just pretend to be happy. In your own world.”

 

“Eunhee-ah,” Jaejoong started off, not quite sure what to say.

 

“Oppa?” Eunhee looked up at Jaejoong when Jaejoong didn’t say anything else. Jaejoong couldn’t help but stare right back at her.

 

“Good … hold that stare …” the director had the camera man get closer as they stayed in that position. Jaejoong could see a slight flush of colors appear on Eunhee’s cheek. Unable to help it, he pinched her cheeks playfully.

 

“Yah! Oppa!!” Eunhee whined trying to get away. The director smiled and had the camera back away. They kept recording though.

 

Even without directions, they were doing well on their own. They quietly filmed the two bickering and play fighting. Eunhee had tried to wedge the pillow between them to get away from Jaejoong. But Jaejoong just threw the pillow across the room cheekily. He kept trying to pinch her cheeks again when Eunhee retaliated with tickling Jaejoong. Jaejoong started to squirm underneath Eunhee and she looked quite satisfied with the turn of event. Except when she was least expecting it Jaejoong had suddenly flipped her on her back and pinned her arms to the bed. Both of them were breathing quite hard from playing around. Staring at her, Jaejoong noticed Eunhee looking right back at him with the same intensity. Releasing one of her hands, he brushed her hair away from her face. Gently and slowly, he dipped his head down and kissed her.

 

 

 

 

After finishing in one take, the director had commended the two for such good chemistry and dismissed them. Jaejoong had already finished changing and was waiting for Eunhee to finish changing. Not wanting to waste any time, he had already planned something for the two of them. Checking his phone, he noticed Sayuri had sent him an audio clip. Listening to it, he couldn’t help but smile. She had recorded their conversation and sent it to him. Sending her a quick text, he put his phone away just as Eunhee walked out.

 

“Oppa?” Eunhee was surprised to see him waiting again. “Don’t you have more activities?”

 

“Not today,” Jaejoong offered his hand to Eunhee. Eunhee hesitated for a moment before taking his hand. Jaejoong did a happy dance inwardly. “Come on. I want to show you something.”

 

He led her to another room. There was a mini-grand in the middle of the room. He pulled her towards the piano and had her sit down next to him. Placing his hand on the keys, he instinctively played a few chords. He started to sing the song he had written for her..

 

After playing the song, he kept playing random notes. Eunhee was deep in though next to Jaejoong. 

 

“Remember when we used to just play random notes and try to make music?” Jaejoong asked her while he kept playing. Eunhee nodded as she thought back of when Jaejoong first started writing songs for them. It was probably when she first fell for Jaejoong. In the practice room where they had written lots of songs. Where they had shared a few bottles of soju. Where they got to know each other. 

 

Jaejoong suddenly stopped playing and faced her. Pulling her hands into his lap, he looked at her seriously.

 

“Eunhee-ah,” he called her so tenderly. “Will you let me be the one to take care of you? I know you’re worried about what the fans and other people will think. But I promise I’ll protect and keep you safe. It doesn’t matter what they say or think. As long as you’re happy, that’s all I care about. So ... what do you say? Will you give me a chance to be with you?”

 

“Oppa,” He noticed she had tears in her eyes and he gently brushed them away.

 

“Don’t cry. You don’t have to answer now if you don’t want. I can wait,” Jaejoong couldn’t bear seeing her cry. Though he really wanted to know her answer, he didn’t want to make it more difficult for her. He was willing to wait forever for her if she wanted. “Aigoo … I made you cry.”

 

“Oppa!” Eunhee grabbed his hands to stop him from fussing over her. “Saranghae.”

 

Jaejoong couldn’t believe what he heard. He just stared at her in disbelief. Did she just accept him?

 

“Oppa!!” Eunhee tried shaking him but he didn’t budge. Laughing, she cupped his face with her hands and looked him straight in the eyes. “Oppa, saranghae!”

 

And this time, she kissed him.

 

 

---

---