There was absolutely no sound in the hotel room. Not even the sound of an air conditioner. It was pretty heated in the room, as well as blank and empty. Two beds. One window. A twenty-inch plasma screen television. Soft carpeting. White walls. There was almost literally nothing inhabiting the hotel room. At some point as Yunho looked around it seemed like even the air was from the room, leaving no life. It was depressing. Yunho wondered why Junsu and Yoochun were still decently content with life.

Yunho entered the small bathroom. Clothes were strewn across the floor in every which way. The toilet seemed a little too dirty for a pleasant stay. It must’ve recently been used. By who, Yunho didn’t know, but he guessed it was either Yoochun or Junsu since Yoochun said Jaejoong didn’t really eat or drink a lot anymore.

The next thing Yunho knew, he was tripping over something. His hands shot out in front of him to soften his fall slightly. Not exactly soften, but stop his face from smacking the wall with full force. His luck was on his side during this little game of Catch the Falling Leader, and he hit the wall instead of the floor. Yunho picked his feet up and stepped over the figure. Then it struck him: Jaejoong.

“Jaejoong,” Yunho breathed. He bent down to touch his precious best friend. His skin was pale, cold, dry, and in no way was it what Yunho remembered it as. His skin was always unusually pale, but this was absurd. He needed some warmth, and not to mention food. The poor man’s stomach looked like it would cave in any moment. Yunho was careful to pick him up. He wasn’t sure what would happen to Jaejoong’s bony body if he handled it the wrong way. He didn’t want to break his best friend.

Yunho stepped over small piles of clothes as he left the somewhat spacious bathroom with Jaejoong in his arms. He instinctively maneuvered over to the two beds. He suspected the one with the sheets all messed up was Yoochun and Junsu’s. He set Jaejoong’s limp body down on the other bed, and waiting by his side. He wouldn’t leave. No, he couldn’t leave. Jaejoong needed someone with him at all times so he wouldn’t get and feel so lonely. He had to make sure Jaejoong would be safe, and that he wouldn’t try to leave this world.

The older man’s eyes slowly opened. He blocked them from the fluorescent light of the room. It was such a sudden light. He didn’t remember when he last saw the lights, but he knew it was before Yoochun and Junsu left. They told him to be careful, to take care of himself and not do anything too dangerous. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He just passed out from hunger. How long had it been since then? He looked for the clock.

Jaejoong’s heart nearly stopped altogether. Yunho’s limp body was on the bed next to him. His chest heaved up and down calmly, signaling his life and easy rest. He’s probably been here for hours waiting for me… But why would he do that? He doesn’t care about me. Even if he does, he doesn’t show it, and he never did when we were in Dong Bang Shin Ki…

At the thought of DBSK, Jaejoong got teary-eyed for the hundredth time since the Split. It hurt to know that such a simple thing Lee Soo Man caused broke him and his best friend up, friendship-wise. They were best friends for nine years, and nothing could fix it and make it the way it once was.

Wiping the tears, Jaejoong lay down next to Yunho, taking his opportunity to stare right at his handsome facial features. To be honest, Jaejoong was always wary when around Yunho. Yunho gave off a manly aura, and whenever he smiled—this is when they were younger—it dispersed completely. It was one of Jaejoong’s favorite things about Yunho, that cute smile of his. Then Lee Soo Man made Yunho get his teeth fixed so he’d be “more photogenic.” Jaejoong didn’t object, but he was dying to speak his mind. He wanted Yunho to keep his innocent smile. It was the one thing that made him realize he actually liked his best friend more than a friend should.

If he had taken the initiative to let Yunho know that he was falling for him, Jaejoong probably would’ve been in worse shape than he is now since it would’ve meant leaving his boyfriend behind. That is, if Yunho would’ve liked him back and wouldn’t have been afraid to date his best friend. That was the other thing that held Jaejoong back. He doubted Yunho would think being homoual was normal, and he’d think of Jaejoong of an outcast and never talk to him. So instead of risking heartbreak, Jaejoong kept his feelings to his self—or so he thought. He didn’t know it, but anytime he looked at Yunho, there would be a certain feeling that was portrayed through his eyes and smile. He made as much skin contact as possible unconsciously. But the other members still couldn’t see it because that’s how he always acted around Yunho, even before debut. So it was normal to them.

The mere possibility of Yunho liking him back, even if just a small ounce of feeling, sent Jaejoong’s heart fluttering. He bit his lip hard enough that he could taste the metallic blood seeping through his skin. Jaejoong couldn’t tell what it was now that made Yunho so special to him. Maybe it was his dance skills, the one he’s always had his whole life, or if could’ve been the extensive knowledge of the world he had. Either way, Jaejoong was extremely attracted to his best friend of nine years in a scary way. Couldn’t he have fallen in love with a girl before he felt this about his best friend? No, he couldn’t. He just had to love Yunho’s eyes, voice, and practically everything about him. He was the whole package: talent, brains, kind, funny, courageous, gentle, and the best—a love for life.

But did he still love life? The Split must’ve done something to his heart, like break it in two because he was separated from Yoochun, Junsu, and Jaejoong. Jaejoong couldn’t be sure. He wasn’t Yunho. But he knew that he himself was very depressed. It wasn’t normal for him to be this way, but he couldn’t help it. He was with Changmin for seven years—debut days and as an actual group—and with Yunho nine. Nobody could just brush that off like it was nothing. If they didn’t have any hurt or bruised feelings from being separated from some of their closest friends then they must’ve been inhuman and animalistic. Humans care and get hurt, and Jaejoong definitely felt something stronger than that.

He gulped, inhaled deeply, and let out a small sigh. It was some of the only noise he’d made in a long time.

The bed shifted. Jaejoong looked over and came face-to-face with Yunho’s dark eyes. They contained a sad feel, and Jaejoong sensed that it was because of him.

“Jaejoong,” Yunho whispered. Even after just waking up, Yunho’s voice was perfectly clear and as y as ever. But it had a hint of pain in it. It was time to talk to Yunho about his problems.

Back at the dorm where Changmin was…

“Chunnie, hurry up! I don’t know if any fans are following us!” the dolphin-voiced singer called out to his boyfriend.

Neither of the men showed it, but they were nervous. They were about to enter their old dorm that Changmin was in without Yunho or Jaejoong there. They had been with their maknae countless times before, but that was when they were still one band and not broken up. What Lee Soo Man told Changmin and Yunho was that the three outcasts were the ones who suggested leaving. Truth is, he was the one to kick them out of the band. He thought they were “trouble makers” and they didn’t know how to act right. They always “got in the way” and were “bad influences.” It was never up to Junsu, Yoochun, or Jaejoong. It was Soo Man’s fault.

Yoochun built up the courage to knock on the door. He expected to wait, but the door opened in a flash. Changmin was standing there with a happy smile on his face, tears streaming down his face. “Hyungs,” he managed to choke out.

Junsu, being the soft, emotional man he was, attacked Changmin in one of his lethal bear hugs. Yoochun always got them, so he only laughed as Junsu almost squeezed the life out of the poor maknae.

Changmin buried his face into Junsu’s neck. He cried into it. He couldn’t ignore the fact that he missed his hyung more than necessary, but he couldn’t help it. If you’re away from someone who you’ve been with for seven years, it’s hard to not bring them as close to yourself as you can.

This was only the first of what led to the biggest scandal in SM Entertainment history.

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A/N: So... bad ending, I know. But I'm trying to get this done for you guys since I didn't this morning. Plus I'm still grounded from the computer, so I'm trying to hurry because of that. >_<

Love you~