“Joong!” Yunho sat up immediately when he heard the door open.

 

“It’s me.”

 

“Oh…” Yunho laid back down, disappointed.

 

“Yah, can’t you hide a bit of your disappointment?! You look like you just lost a million dollars.” 

 

“I might have lost something more valuable than that…” 

 

“He… asked about your condition.”

 

Yunho sat up again, anxious, “What about it?”

 

“He knows that it’s serious… but I didn’t tell him how serious it is... I didn’t tell him anything this time!!” Chang min raised both his hands in defense. “But I think you should come clean… if you hide anything from him again, I think he will really resent you for that.” 

 

“I understand… I will tell him everything… if he comes back…” 

 

“Have some faith, hyung. The fact that he came back after finding out and asking about you means a lot isn’t it?”

 

“I don’t know… how can you be so sure?”

 

“Because he’s Jaejoong hyung~ he’s not that unforgiving… Other than that one time…” 

 

“Kim Jaejoong, you better open the door now!”

 

Yunho banged on the door continuously.

 

“HYUNG! Stop it!” 

 

“OPEN UPPPPPP!” 

 

“STOP IT!!! You think anyone would open the door for you when you’re acting like that?!”

 

“Didn’t you see and hear that?! That boy called him appa. APPA.”

 

“There must be a reason for---”

 

“I heard it loud and clear, alright. I have to get to the bottom of this.”

 

“Hyung!!”

 

“OPEN UP KIM JAEJOONG! How can you have a child?! Do you like women too?!”

 

“Shut it.” Jaejoong said coldly when he swung the door open. 

 

“Who is he?” 

 

“Appa… who is that…?” 

 

“YOU. Who are you?” Yunho charged into his house and knelt down in front of the little boy.

 

“My name is Kim Sang Wook.”

 

“Kim--- kim?! Kim Jaejoong you better explain yourself.”

 

“Go into the room, Wook.” 

 

Sang Wook nodded, bowed politely and ran into the room.

 

“Now can you---”

 

“Who am I to you, Jung Yunho?”

 

“Wha… my love, my soulmate, my partner?!”

 

“What is a partner?”

 

“Yah… you’re not answering my question.”

 

“Why can’t you trust me? Since I’m your love, your soulmate and your partner.”

 

“... what would you have done if you’re in my shoes now?!”

 

“Talk to you.”

 

“I tried to! But you refused to open the door!”

 

“Hyung… relax…”

 

“Stay back, Chang min.” Yunho shoved him aside.

 

“Fine fine…” he sighed, walking out, “don’t do anything you’ll regret…” 

 

“You messed up his parent-teacher meeting.”

 

“You’re still worried about him?! What about me?”

 

“If you have spoken to me like an adult, I would have told you the truth.”

 

“Like an adult?! If I didn’t follow you I wouldn’t even know about this! How much are you hiding from me?”

 

“I’m not you, Yunho! I’m not you. I don’t hide this kind of thing from you.”

 

Ouch… that again… Chang min thought as he eavesdrop behind the door. 

 

“Don’t change the topic now… Is he really your child?” Yunho could hear his voice cracking. His patience wearing thin. 

 

“He grew up in the same orphanage as me.”

 

“...” 

 

“He was left at the doorstep when he was an infant. He didn’t even have a name. I named him. I gave him my surname.”

 

Yunho felt his face grow red in embarrassment. 

 

Damn it… I made such a huge blunder… 

 

“S…”

 

“Just go, Yunho. I don’t feel like talking today.”

 

“I’m sorry!”

 

“Just go.” Jaejoong walked into the room without turning back or saying another word.

 

Yunho stood rooted to the ground… he wanted to find a deep hole to bury himself in.

 

WHY ARE YOU SO DUMB?! 

 

Yunho stormed out of the house, flaring up when he saw Chang min, “why didn’t you stop me?!”

 

“Wha---” Chang min looked at him, dumbfounded. 

 

“Don’t worry… he’ll forgive you~ just that it’ll take a couple of days…”

 

“How do you know?”

 

“Because it’s the two of you~” Chang min said simply. “You two have always been like that, no matter what happens, you’ll always have a soft spot for each other… even I envy that relationship you have with each other~”

 

“But this time it’s different…”

 

“He’ll understand~ because he’s Jaejoong hyung~”

 

Yunho smiled… “I remember… and it took weeks, not days for him to even speak to me again.” 

 

“You two are always like that~ you can be arguing but your eyes will still be on each other…” Chang min shuddered when he said that. “What a pair of lovebirds~”

 

“Oh don’t be jealous~” Yunho said, finally smiling. 

 

 “Yunho?” A lady’s voice called out as the door opened.

 

“M...mum?” Yunho stood up quickly and shot a stare at Chang min.

 

“Don’t blame him! I forced him to tell me.” Yunho’s mother walked in with a bundle of packed food. “You look so pale… come, sit down.”

 

“Sorry mum… I should have told you that I’m back and that I---”

 

“Don’t be… I should be the one saying sorry. We are your parents and yet you can’t turn to us when you needed support. Thank god you still have Chang min with you~” She patted Chang min on his head and smiled. “So, how was your trip to Prague?” 

 

“I…” Yunho paused, not knowing how to break the news to her. He looked over to Chang min for help.

 

Chang min seemed to catch the hint and tried to change the topic, “Ah… Uh… Is uncle here too? Thought he would come charging over once he heard that Yunho is back and hiding from you guys.”

 

“Oh him? He’s probably looking for a parking space. I actually had to spend some time persuading him to come.” She frowned as she recounted what happened, “I don’t know what’s wrong with him… A few days ago, he said that he was going back to Yunho’s place to take a look. I thought he probably missed him, so I ---” 

 

“He what?!” Yunho sensed something wrong. 

 

“He went to your house and---”

 

“What did he do there? Because I definitely wasn't home.”

 

“Yunho why are you so worked up?”

 

“Tell me mum. What did he say or do?”

 

“He said some weird things… he just kept muttering that he’s back and it’s not my fault… When I asked more, he just locked himself in the room and refused to speak about it again.”

 

“What--- so it means that…” He looked over to Chang min who seemed to be thinking about the same thing. 

 

“He saw him.” Chang min said what he was afraid to say. “That’s what jerked his memory…”

 

“What on earth did he say to him?!” Yunho could feel his heart pounding hard, he wanted to confront his dad right away but was stopped by his mum.

 

“What is going on?! The two of you are acting weird! Yunho dear, what’s wrong?” 

 

“M...mum, Jaejoong is alive. He’s alive! He lost his memories but dad seemed to have jolted his memories and made him remember everything again… he was crying so badly when he came to me mum… I want to know what dad said to him!!! And what did he mean by not his fault?! Was he involved in the accident?!?!” 

 

“Yunho dear… I… I don’t know what to say but I’m so so happy for you…” She brushed his hair slowly and smiled gently. “Let’s talk to your dad when he comes up okay? Don’t get too worked up, please…” 

 

“C...call Joong please.” Yunho gestured to Chang min, “I… I don’t want him to meet my dad here…”

 

Chang min nodded and quickly dialed his number. 

 

“Oh min ah, what is it?” 

 

“Oh hyung! I uh… where are you? Can you help me pick up some coffee and pastries on your way back?”

 

“Why do you suddenly want to eat---”

 

“Be...because I wanted to give my colleagues a treat but I don’t have time to go buy so…”

 

“Got it~ I’ll get them for you… I---”

 

“Hyung? Hyung???”

 

“Yah. I’m still here. Got it, but I might be late…”

 

“Sure! Late is good, I mean you don’t have to rush~ thanks!” Chang min turned to Yunho, “Whew, he bought it. At least we can prevent them from meeting this time round.”

 

Jaejoong hung up the phone and called out to the figure walking in front of him. 

 

“Abeoji?”

 

The figure froze and turned around slowly… 

 

“It really is you…” Jaejoong smiled faintly. 

 

“Y...you…” He started to tremble at the sight of him, his face turned white as if he saw a ghost… “A...are you…”

 

“Yes it’s me, abeoji…” Jaejoong reached out to help him but he brushed his hand away. 

 

“GET. AWAY. And don’t call me THAT.”

 

Jaejoong inched closer and grabbed onto his arm tightly this time, “Abeoji… you don’t want to cause a scene here… don’t you? Let’s find somewhere quiet to talk.” 

 

“I…”

 

“Come on now.” 

 

Yunho’s father looked around the lobby nervously and followed him reluctantly. 

 

“Why are you alive? Are you really him? Kim Jaejoong?”

 

“Yes. It’s me.” 

 

“What do you want, freak?”

 

“So many years passed, but you’re still the same.”

 

“What do you want?”

 

“The truth.”

 

“What truth?”

 

“As my memories came back to me, a scene flashed in my mind… I need to know if it is real or it’s just my imagination…” 

 

“...”

 

“I saw you. In the hospital, when I was… being pushed out of the hospital.”

 

Yunho’s father grabbed hold of his trembling hands and hid them under the table. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“We were in a dimly lit place, the car park probably? I was awake for a while, used the last ounce of my energy, pulled the cover off my face, and I… saw your face.”

 

“Don’t bulls---”

 

“I’m not the same person I was years ago. I can easily report this to the police and get them to investigate this whole incident. The only reason I’m not doing it is because of Yunho. So tell me. Was that you?”

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking ab--”

 

“Was. That. You?”

 

…

 

“Fine. If you’re not saying anything then I’ll---”

 

“... Yes.” 

 

Jaejoong took a deep breath, clenching his jaw tight as he tried to hold in the tears threatening to leave his eyes.

 

“... why?” He could hear his voice crack. 

 

“You should know why. I hated you. I always have. When I saw you… the doctor told me that he was bringing you to another hospital.” 

 

“Alone? And exiting through the car park?”

 

“Fine. You want the truth? Yes, I saw you. Of course I didn’t believe him when he told me that. But I let him take you away anyway. Because I thought that this would be the best for the both of you. If you’re away from each other then you will forget each other and live your own lives.”  

 

“No matter how much you hated me, what that guy was doing was a crime! How could you let him take me away?!”

 

“Like I said. You two were never meant to be.” 

 

 “You don’t have to resort to this.”

 

“I didn’t do the act. I just didn’t report it.”

 

“Wow, Mr Jung… I’m impressed. You said it as if you did nothing wrong.” 

 

“If I don’t do this, you two would never leave each other.”

 

“We could have talked things out. We’re not kids.”

 

“But he was acting like one! Yunho has never rebelled against us. But because of you, he… he changed. No matter what we said, he just wouldn’t leave you. He would just fly into a rage when we talk about the two of you. And worse still, he brought you to our house.”

 

“No matter what it is, I am still a human being…” 

 

“He is my son, I can do anything for him.”

 

“If you can do anything for me, you would have accepted him.”

 

Both of them turned and saw Yunho standing next to their table.

 

“What have you done, dad?!”  

 

“Yunho…” Jaejoong stood up quickly, holding on to his arm, as if he knew what was going to happen next.

 

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” He shouted again, throwing everything on the table flying to the ground. His hand on his collar now. “What the did you do?!”

 

“Yunho, please! Calm down.” Jaejoong pulled him back and looked into his eyes. “Stop it right now.”

 

“No. If this bastard don’t---”

 

“Stop it! Please.” 

 

“Stop the car. I said stop the car!!”

 

“I won’t.  I will not. If I stop the car you will leave.”

 

“Yunho please! You are putting both of us in danger!”

 

“I would rather both of us die together than to leave you!”

 

Stop the car.

Stop the car.

Stop the car.

 

“Yunho! Yunho!!” Jaejoong held on to him to break his fall. 

 

“Get away from him.” Jaejoong said coldly as he stopped Yunho’s father from coming forward. 

 

“I’m... sorry… I’m sorry… I should have listened… .” Yunho muttered between breaths before losing consciousness…