“Yah, this is too cold, my legs are freezing” Yunho jumps on the spot he is standing to fight the coldness.

Jaejoong hops out of the bus behind Yunho. “Aw come on ahjusshi, we won’t be long“ Jaejoong drags Yunho by the hand towards the steps of Namsan tower where they meet a man.

Yunho looks on as Jaejoong and the man exchange smiles and opens up the door for them to a building completely empty of people.

“How come it is so empty? Where is everyone? I thought we are using some secret door? Is this the part where you kill me? ” Yunho looks around confused.

“No, I need to you first before I kill you and the floor is simply too cold to do that right now” Jaejoong replies sarcastically and smacks him in the arm.

They step in to the elevator as Jaejoong explains “The tower is doing some construction and its monthly check up, they need to close it down early today” Jaejoong looks at his watch and promptly clings to Yunho’s arm  “and we have 3 hours before the construction team shows up”.

“Wow lucky us, the only one in the building. Thanks Jaejoongie. Anyway, were you really planning on inviting the boys? I mean, I thought it’s our date”.

Jaejoong lets out his unique airy laugh “No, not really. I know they won’t want to join us. I actually panicked when I saw Junsu so excited. I just wanted to make it look like it’s a group activity but they are the one bailing on us”.

“Poor Junsu” Yunho guffaws remembering how eager Junsu was yesterday. And the laugh immediately ends with a sigh “They figured out about us huh, and they never said a thing. I don’t know if I should feel worried or relieve”.

“Let’s give them time, we need the time”.

The elevator dings at their destination and opens up to a beautiful open roof terrace, surrounded by fences. Thousands of padlocks attached to the fence symbolizing couples’ undying affection. The spacious wooden viewing deck with romantic atmosphere gives an impressive view of Seoul. The beauty enhanced by the beautiful orange hue of sunset.

Quickly dismissing the somber mood that turns into awe, Jaejoong steps out of the elevator, clears his throat and announces in a deep voice imitating a chauffeur.

“Mr. Jung Yunho, I present to you, The Love Lock Terrace”

*****************

“Omg look at all these locks! Come on Yunho, lets laugh at their sappy confessions” Jaejoong enthusiastically drags Yunho along the fences.

They spent 1 hour just reading, laughing, and enjoying each other’s present till Yunho directs them to a bench.

 

 

“Here, write something” Yunho shoves a lock and a marker onto Jaejoong’s hand.

Jaejoong gasps “You brought a lock! I thought you think this is a waste of money” Jaejoong kisses Yunho on the cheek.

“I’m a hopeless romantic for you. Now go on, write something. I’ve wrote on the other side”.

Jaejoong reads what Yunho have written and felt his heart swell with utter love.

I never loved you any more than I do, right this second.
And I’ll never love you any less than I do, right this second.
I love you

“Awww baby, that’s beautiful” Jaejoong holds Yunho’s face and kiss him full on the lips. “Ok don’t look, I’m gonna put my genius composer brain to work” Jaejoong turns his body away from Yunho and scribbles on the padlock.

Yunho had to laugh at how cute his boyfriend is. After a couple of minutes, Jaejoong hands the lock to Yunho “Done. Don’t laugh ok”

If my love were an ocean, there would be no more land.
If my love were a desert, you would see only sand.
If my love were a star late at night, you would only see light.
And if my love could grow wings, I’d be soaring in flight.
I love you, Love.

Yunho beams at the romantic words and wonder what he did in the past for God to grant him Jaejoong’s love.  He turns to look at Jaejoong and cups his face.

“And I love you Kim Jaejoong” He kisses Jaejoong fervently and mutters their magic word between kisses

“Always”.

Jaejoong bear hugs him tight “We are so cheesy I feel like crying”.

Yunho cracks up at Jaejoong’s comment “Why do you have to ruin the mood”. He took the marker from Jaejoong’s hand and adds Yunjae at the end of the quote.

“That’s for fan service. Now let’s hang this at a place where it will be easier to locate it in the future”.

“Let’s put it at the very end corner of the fence! There would be no way we can’t find it then”.

“Ok let’s put it at the bottom corner” Yunho gets up and walk to the said place with Jaejoong following near.

They crouch down and secure the lock together. The lovers can’t help but giggle at themselves because just an hour ago they were making fun of the locks. They sat down on the wooden floor with arms all over each other as they gaze upon the skyline. A serene and content smile decorates their faces as a beautiful silence stretches between them despite the frosty wind biting the skin.

“Baby, we should go” Jaejoong looks up from the embrace.

“Yeah let’s go” he got up and reaches a hand for Jaejoong to take.

Jaejoong slips his hand onto Yunho’s and they walk slowly and silently towards the elevator, reluctant to leave behind the wonderful feeling of being free in love without the harms of judgemental eyes and back to the dreaded reality.

“Yunho” Jaejoong calls out as they wait for the elevator to arrive “Let’s come here every Yunjae Day”.

“Sure, that would be great. Let’s check out our baby every year” Yunho grins widely at Jaejoong and steps into the arrived elevator.

 “If someday -  ” Jaejoong hesitantly speaks while looking down at his shoes “we go on our separate ways and find the lock missing, we would know” .

Yunho furrows his brow and turns to look at Jaejoong  “Know what?”

“We don’t love each other anymore, and we have to move on. Believe me Yunho, I would never unlock that lock, I might as well throw away the key now”. Jaejoong’s eyes still on the floor.

“So you don’t trust me, is that it?” Yunho finds this sudden change of mood absolutely ridiculous.

Jaejoong now looks at Yunho intently with a determined voice. “I don’t trust the future. Just please promise me Yunho. If one day you stop loving me, you should just go here and throw the padlock away. I don’t think I can bear it if you say it to my face”.

Yunho swiftly grasps Jaejoong shoulders and spins him.

“Are you drunk Kim Jaejoong? I don’t think I will ever stop loving you and you are crazy if you thought I would. I can’t predict the future, but you must know whatever happens, you will always have me. For me, home isn't a place. It is a person. And I’m finally home” Yunho’s voice rings inside the metal box.

Seconds of dead silence ensues between them as they stare seriously at each other. That is until Jaejoong broke it with his burst of cackle and pecks Yunho on the lips before he shakes off Yunho’s hold. “Let’s go home, I feel like cooking”.

“You really ARE drunk” Yunho hollers incredulously as he struggles to keep his feet on the ground when Jaejoong pulls him into a run.

 

************************

Present time

Jaejoong’s legs have long gone asleep as he statically remain in his squatting position. The pins and needles sensation should have break him from his thoughts but he is so lost in it, he fail to realize he did not move for nearing 30 minutes.

The cold air is making it hard to breathe and each inhalation is starting to feel painful. He finally snaps out of his reverie and exhale loudly to form a white cloud over his face. Shaky hand reaches for the fence to hold to the sole purpose of him being there.

Just inches from the lock, his hand screech to a midair stop when he felt a presence next to him. He retracts his hand hurriedly and hides his face further under his scarf. The figure lowers itself and appears to have squatted down beside Jaejoong.

“Are you....unlocking it?” ask the familiar voice silently.

Jaejoong lets out a loud gasp at the voice but he remains still as if he would shatter if he moves even an inch. He knows who it is but he is too petrified to look. It has been so long. Hearing the voice he longed for every night in his sleep, so near and yet so far, is agonizing. Jaejoong felt a sudden pain in his chest as the voice sent shards of timbers to his heart. Tears start welling up to the brim of his eyes, the pain now unbearable.

Even so, he wants to hear it again.

“Jaejoong” the man breathes out his name.

This time Jaejoong turns to face the person. Years of pretending to be strong and unaffected by the separation come crumbling down on him. He is just too tired to hold on to that facade anymore. The b tears now waterfalls on to his cheeks, wetting the scarf covering his face. His emotion goes overdrive at seeing his love for the first time after 4 years. Jaejoong’s frenzied sobs quickly turns to wheezing as his ailing state now taking its full course effect, exacerbate by the long exposure to the cold.

“Jaejoong breathe, it’s ok, breathe” Yunho panics and brings Jaejoong to his chest. Setting his bum on to the wooden floor, he rubs Jaejoong’s back to calm the frantic breathing as he whispers assuring words to Jaejoong. “Everything is fine baby. You are alright, I’m here, deep breath Joongie”.

After several minutes, Jaejoong’s breathing starts to dwindle down and the wheezing began to subside, a quiet sobbing remains. Jaejoong taps Yunho’s back to signal for release from his tight embrace.

Yunho gives him one final squeeze before he lets go. “Are you okay baby?” comes the question effortlessly like the separation never happened. He cups Jaejoong’s face, pulls the scarf down and wipes the tears glistening on Jaejoong’s cheeks.

Busy checking on Jaejoong, Yunho failed to notice how Jaejoong stilled at his touch and is gaping at the sight of his face. Yunho’s haggard yet still handsome face is drenched with tears with his eyes bloodshot red.

Jaejoong puts his hands over Yunho’s and removes it. “How long have you been here?” Jaejoong’s ask in a clipped tone.

Yunho sighs and moves a fraction away from Jaejoong to allow some space between them. “Long enough”.

Yunho did not expect to see Jaejoong here. But as soon as he saw a crouch figure in front of the fence, his heart swells to his stomach. His feet unconsciously breaking into a run for Jaejoong just as fast as his brain halts it to a stop.  He ends up watching Jaejoong from afar, letting him decides what to do with the lock. But once he saw Jaejoong reaching for the lock he knew he had to say something. He had to let Jaejoong know how he feels. This has gone long enough and he wants a chance of happiness once again.

“What are you doing here?” Jaejoong asks in indignation.

“To look for the lock” Yunho decides he wants Jaejoong to lead the talk.

“And do what? Remove it?” Jaejoong questions curtly.

“No. Just checking. You?” Yunho rakes his eyes over Jaejoong’s face, the face he misses so much. He has grown so much thinner, yet the beauty that used to be painful for some people to watch still shone through.

“I told you I’ve thrown the key away Yunho” Jaejoong looks away from Yunho’s intense gaze.

“I did too”.  There is a lot he wants to say to Jaejoong but after witnessing his panic attack, Yunho is tiptoeing on thin ice with his choice of words.

Jejoong senses that Yunho is being careful and decides to bare it all for Yunho. It is not in his nature to conceal his feelings from Yunho and even after 4 years he doesn’t intend to change it. He needs to get the words out of his chest fast before he chickens out. Pride is irrelevant to the bearer of his heart.
 

“Yunho, I still love you, and will never move on. I’m also exhausted. I know I said, if you’ve fallen out of love from me, you should never tell it to my face. I changed my mind. I need to know and you will answer me. Do you still love me?” Jaejoong’s clear and steady voice contrasting the state he was in just now.

Yunho took Jaejoong’s hands in his.  

“Always”.

Jaejoong froze at the familiar one word answer. A meaningful habitual word for the both of them which years ago first started as a joke, then turns into a word that holds weighty love declaration.  Jaejoong closes his eyes as he feels warm tears gushing down his eyes again.

Yunho brought Jaejoong’s hand to his lips. “We have lots of explaining to do and we need to sort out a lot of things. But for now, can we just enjoy each other’s presence? I miss you so much” Yunho stares at Jaejoong expectantly.

Jaejoong cracks his eyes open and smile softly to the man. “Come on, let’s go inside. I think I might be coming down with Hypothermia”
 

Yunho quickly puts his arms around Jaejoong and rubs some warmth in to him. “Let’s go inside the building and have something warm to drink before someone noticed us”. He lifts Jaejoong to his feet except Jaejoong howls in pain at the sudden contact of his feet to the ground.

“Put your arm around me” Yunho pulls Jaejoong’s arm and place it around his neck and they walk slowly into the building.

Just as they reach the lift, a shout rings the quiet air.

“HONEY! Look at this. I found a YunJae Lovelock. Omona! Is this real?”

Yunho and Jaejoong snap their head in unison at the screech. How in the world someone would find their lock among thousands of its kind.

A boy presumably the girl’s boyfriend scoffs and smacks her head “Yah! Of course it’s fanmade. Look at how disgustingly cheesy the words are”.  The boy shivers in disgust to further prove his point.

Yunho and Jaejoong gawks at the scene happening before their eyes. Yunho blinks his eyes crazily in disbelief.

They turn to look at each other and burst out a loud laugh. Jaejoong doubles over and clutches on to his stomach.

“How dare those kids!” Yunho complains angrily but starts laughing again.

The elevator finally  arrives but both is  hesitant to take a step into the box as if not wanting to wake up from this amazing dream. Jaejoong can’t help but have a déjàvu moment at that instance. He enters as Yunho follows right after.

Jaejoong pinches Yunho’s arm out of the sudden.

“What was that for?!” Yunho rubs his aching arm.

Jaejoong grins widely at him, in his glassy puffy eyes and clogged red nose which breaks Yunho’s heart.

“Just checking if you are real” Jaejoong answers cheekily.

Unable to hold back, Yunho flings himself towards Jaejoong and wraps his arms around him. The overwhelming emotions envelopes him as the 4 years of separation seems to disperse into thin air. Powerful and muscular arms pull at Jaejoong’s waist till their bodies are pressed resolutely together. They kiss breathlessly with both eyes close as they feel their lips melt in to each other. Jaejoong’s knees went weak and a storm gathers in his stomach as he submits himself to the embrace.

 
“There are cameras” Jaejoong says between kisses.

Yunho ignores Jaejoong’s  half-hearted attempt of stopping them. Yunho continue to explore Jaejoong’s mouth, kisses the skin behind his ear, and caresses the nape of his neck with the smooth pads of his fingertips.

Then Yunho grabs his hand and brings it to his lips, kissing it. Their fingers entwine as they gaze into each other’s eyes.

“We are real” Yunho enfolds Jaejoong into a hug and nuzzles his hair “And I’m finally home again”.

 

*************************************************

“Yoochun aahhhh, have you checked twitter?”  Junsu shouts in to the phone.

“No, I’ve been busy. Why? What did Jaejoong hyung do?” Yoochun hurriedly turns on his laptop.

“You said he went to The Namsan Tower alone” Junsu’s voice a mix of concern and curiosity.

“Yes. He always went there alone. He never wants anyone to tag along. Not even us” suddenly Yoochun went quiet as he scrolls down Jaejoong’s twitter update.

“Oh....”

“Yes Oh!” Junsu exclaimed, nodding his head frantically as if Yoochun can see it “I wonder who took the pictures”.

“I wonder...... could it be?” Yoochun mutters into the phone and stares at his hyung’s face in the pictures.

 

 

 

The End

 

A/N: comments are appreciated :)