2015, 24 May, Sacred Heart University Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

"Hey, Jung! Stop daydreaming and join us for lunch!" Amber called out to her colleague, who was currently standing at the top of the stairs, staring into space.

"Oh, yeah", Yunho replied, hurrying down the steps to join his colleagues.

"What're you thinking about anyway?" Henry asked.

"My first love." Yunho couldn't help but blush. The two surgeons were his best friends, and yet he rarely talked about Jaejoong with them. Not that he didn't want to talk about Jaejoong, it just never came up.

"Ooh, the one who got away", Amber teased.

"He didn't get away, we parted amicably", Yunho replied with a smile as he picked up a tray and placed it on the counter, trying to decide between chicken and salmon.

"So, did something happen for you to suddenly think about him like this? You weren't dumped again, were you?" Henry added with feigned horror.

"Heh, nah… I've just been remembering him a lot these days."

"Yeah, well, you know what they say about old age and nostalgia." Amber made a kissy face when Yunho jokingly stuck out his tongue at her.

"Careful, Liu, this ahjusshi is currently deciding who gets the honour of working with Professor Umbridge on the next 23 hour heart transplant", Yunho said, shovelling mash potatoes in his mouth. These on-call shifts made him hungry like a wolf.

Imogen Rosenberg was the leading surgeon in cardiology, and she was as unbearably domineering as she was obsessed with cats. This had caused her to be nicknamed after the Harry Potter character, with whom she shared too many traits for her own good.

"Ugh, she hates me, please don't make me do it", Amber groaned.

2015, 25th May, Seoul

Jaejoong proudly stepped into the main area of his life's work, his very own restaurant. Fallen Leaves was a family restaurant, serving both modern cuisine and traditional Korean food.

"Junsu-yah! Are you ready?" he called out to his brother, who was the barista at the restaurant.

"Let them come", Junsu smiled, assuming his position as Jaejoong went to officially open the front doors.

The opening night was a success, and at 11pm, the two brothers happily locked up, walking home to their shared apartment with their arms around each other's shoulders.

They clanked their wine glasses together as they sat back in the sofa, proud of a job well done.

"Ah, if Yunho could see me now", Jaejoong sighed contently, closing his eyes and listening to the soft music coming from the smartphone on the table. "He'd be so proud."

"I thought you two were done? I mean, it's been nine years. Right?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course. But it's not like we parted as enemies or anything."

"You know what you sound like? You sound like someone who still has feelings for his first love."

"Isn't that part of the deal? First is last, or something like that."

"I mean active feelings. Do you regret letting him go?"

"No. Yeah. I don't know. I just feel that we might have some unfinished business between us. Like what if we had stayed together, could it have been forever?"

"Of course it could. Or it could have been a disaster. No one knows. And that's the bitter beauty of it all. That's why they say love is pain."

"Damn, you're deep all of a sudden. Dry spell?"

"Yeah. Can you believe that I haven't had in almost seven months? Me, Kim Junsu, isn't getting laid for , how ridiculous is that?"

"And there is my limit for too much information. New topic, please. How are things going with that guy you're always talking about, that Park What's-his-face?"

"Yoochun. His name is Yoochun and he's just too cruel. I've been asking him out every day for the past six months and all it's got me so far is a cup of coffee. 'Later', is all he tells me."

"Maybe he wants to make sure you're serious about your feelings. You know, like an adult."

"Whatever, gramps. I'm going to bed."

"Don't forget to set your alarm! I don't want you to oversleep again."

"Yes boss!"

---

---

Jaejoong couldn't sleep that night. Thoughts were buzzing in his mind, and he made a pretty good impression of a torpedo as he twisted and turned in his sheets.

What if? whoever invented that phrase. What if Yunho and I stayed together? What if we got married? What if we had twenty daughters and five sons, like he wanted? What if we were forever and we didn't see it?

To distract himself, Jaejoong picked up his phone, wanting to scroll through Tumblr or something. When the screen unlocked, it was still on the call list. He closed the page, opening it again the very next second, tapping the icon for contacts.

What if?

He scrolled down and almost couldn't believe his eyes when he reached the names beginning with ㅇ. It was still there. 우리 윤호야<3. My beloved Yunho.

After nine years, the contact was still in his phone. He hadn't thought of removing it. It was just like everything else concerning Yunho. It had remained in a sort of status quo because Jaejoong hadn't thought of changing it.

Jaejoong chewed his bottom lip as his thumb hovered over the name for a while, before he made a decision.

What if?

He tapped the name and chose the Boston number, opting for a text message.

Jaejoong must have rewritten the message at least twenty times before he finally hit send.

Hi. I noticed that I still have your number on my phone, and I thought I'd see if it still works. How are things with you?

//Jaejoong

---

---

2015, 25th May, Boston

Yunho was out jogging, thoroughly enjoying his day off, when his phone buzzed, indicating a text message. His eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw the sender ID.

From: Boojae

Hi. I noticed that I still have your number on my phone, and I thought I'd see if it still works. How are things with you?

//Jaejoong

Yunho couldn't answer quickly enough. He wasn't sure why those simple words had such a big effect on him, but one thing was certain, ringing in his head like a mantra. Now or never.

From: 우리 윤호야<3

Great. I received an award last month. It's funny you texted me. You've been on my mind a lot lately. What about you? Are you a master chef yet?

//Yunho

From: Boojae

I opened my restaurant today. Or yesterday, I guess, it's 3 am here lol. It's called Fallen Leaves.

A second message came as Yunho was typing a reply. Jaejoong was always the quicker typer. Yunho preferred actually talking. It was one of the things they would squabble about.

From: Boojae

Ok so this is going to sound a bit overly attached girlfriend, but I kinda miss you lately. Weird, huh?

From: 우리 윤호야<3

Not at all. I'm happy you still feel for me. I'd love to meet up sometime.

From: Boojae

If you're ever in Seoul, why don't you give me a call? Or just come to the restaurant, if that's easier, it's near Namsan Tower.

From: 우리 윤호야<3

It's a deal ^_^