Now, the truth will finally be revealed >:D

Hmm. Who else misses the Sunbyung couple?

'Cause i know i do :B

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"I'm sorry," Jaejoong said, rubbing her shoulders fiercely. "Hyomin, I'm so sorry."

He sat back as she blinked up at him. Slowly her eyes took in her surroundings. They were sitting under some tall, thick trees, like oaks, soft green grass beneath them. To her left, a wide clear river babbled soothingly.

Hyomin was shaking, sitting up and trying to hug herself.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"Nissilum," said Jaejoong, watching her face. "My home."

"I don't remember getting here."

Jaejoong turned to sit beside her and rubbed his eyes. "You will remember, gradually. Something I'm not looking forward to."

"Why, what happened?" She frowned. A memory was edging in. The woods, Bobby was there .... and Jaejoong. She concentrated but nothing else was coming.

He fidgeted next to her. Hyomin noticed the colour in his face for the first time. He looked well. Healthy. She realised that it was warm here and she was beginning to bake in her coat. She shrugged it off.

"Jaejoong," she said seriously. "Tell me the truth. The whole truth."

He pursed his lips, closing his eyes for a second. As he opened them again, he started talking.

"I told you I was immortal," he began. "But that I am more or less. to all intents and appearances at least, human."

"Yes, and?"

"Well, there's something else. Something that I don't like, but i can't help it."

"What?" she said, her breath quickening.

"I am also a member of a breed of wolf. The Hunter Wolves." He sighed heavily. "We're werewolves."

And then, there it was, a picture in her head of Jaejoong, like an animal, writhing and wild in the woods.

She stopped breathing for a second. "I see," she said lamely. "It makes sense." She turned to him and it was then it dawned on her. "It was you. The night of the accident. You were the wolf."

Jaejoong nodded. "I was on mortal Earth when I realised it was too late, the moon was full and I had to turn. But the trees were so thick and my wolf form had to break free. I just ran and before I knew it, I was crossing that mountain road, and then I saw the car ..."

He paused, dropping his head. "But I was going so fast, I couldn't stop."

Hyomin stayed silent, still trying to take this in. Gentle Jaejoong, a vicious ... beast?

"Once a month I am unable to stop myself turning. It doesn't matter where I am, as long as it is the day of the full moon."

She stared, then laughed, frightened, wanting none of it to be true. "You're serious. This isn't a joke?"

"You didn't think my being immortal was a joke," he said quietly. "Why are you so surprised that I'm a werewolf?"

She looked at him, slightly hunched over, still in his black coat. "You're so serene .... and elegant. I suppose it's hard to believe you could be something so brutal."

"Brutality is not encouraged here," Jaejoong said. "This is a place where people like me, and the others that live on Nissilum, restrain our most violent impulses." He paused. "At least, we're supposed to."

"Others? Other wolves?"

"Other creatures from the dark worlds." He gave a short humourless laugh. "The kinds of creatures you mortals only read about in books."

"You mean vampires and wizards?" She blinked.

"And angels and witches." He said, utterly straight-faced.

"Wow," She said, because it was all she could come up with.

"I didn't think it through," said Jaejoong, apologetically. "That all this might be really frightening for you."

"Maybe it hasn't properly sunk in yet," she said carefully. "But I don't acutally feel that frightened. Not now anyway."

"Really?" He peered at her face.

"No. I mean. It just feels like one more layer of weirdness." She laughed. "And I've met scarier people than you."

"Oh?" He looked almost disappointed.

"There was somebody at school ..." She began.

"She hurt you," he abruptly finished for her.

She stared at him, not blinking. "How did you know that?"

"I told you, I'm very perceptive."

"You are." She held his faze a moment before looking away. They sat in comfortable silence.

"It's a peaceful place," he said at last. "Nissilum."

She glanced about her at the sharp greens and browns of the trees, hearing the birdsong and the soft bubble of the river, and a stillness that made her feel safe.

"Yes," she agreed." It is." She had so many questions she didn't know where to start. But Jaejoong, intuitively started talking.

"We live pretty much like you do," he began. "We work, we provide for our families. We socialise ..." He hesitated. "And we learned to live with our natural enemies.

"Vampires," she said, remembering from somewhere that werewolves and vampires were rivals. (a/n coughstwilightcoughs)

"Yes ... and the witch community." He laughed. "They are not violent but they are sly and insidious. They can do harm by just talking to you. The laws here state that any malevolent behaviour is severely punished, and most species abide by it. But there is the occasional renegade."

"But who's in charge? Who rules this world?"

"The angels." He smiled. "The Seraphim. They are a little self-righteous, as you might imagine. But they do a good job. Because they are made with no evil inherent in them, they are the natural governors."

"Do they have wings and, you know, harps?"

He laughed. "Wings I have never seen. And harps are something you mortals have made up I think. But they do have spectacular powers if they choose ot use them. Shapeshifting, telekinesis. Super-strength. All-seeing, all-knowing. But they are strict with themselves about that. Trust is a huge part of their philosophy. Trusting each other and all of us who live here on Nissilum, to behave. Not to abuse our gifts. They live in the Celestial Palace and its grounds."

"And what about your family?" She asked him.

"My immediate family is my parents and my younger sister and brother." He rubbed at his knees. "They are good people, and they abide by the laws of Nissilum. I wish I could do the same."

"You are a good person," she said softly. "I know that."

Jaejoong took her hand then and held it in his. His fingers were long, elegant and strong.

"This is my favorite place," he said, letting go and looking around them. "It's known as the Water Path. It's where I found the notebook."

"I read some of it. It made me sad." She puffed out her cheeks. "Who'd fall in love? It sounds so painful."

"When the love is taken away, it is." he said, streching his long arms. "Or if you fall in love with the wrong person."

"I suppose." She looked around them. "So how did I get here to the Water Path?

"I brought you." He smiled. "I didn't know whether it would work, but when I found you lying in the wood, I just picked you up and here you are." He hesitated before adding. "I think it was a joint effort, actually. You must have wished it too."

Beside them the water rippled and spat, and she saw a frog, its chest puffing and receding, watching them from a small rock. A breeze caused the tops of the trees lining the riverbed to sway gently. It was so calming.

"Hmm. Maybe." She shook her head slowly. "But I'm beginning to think Yoseob was right. You really are a superhero."

"Yoseob?" Jaejoong looked lost.

"Just a kid who works in the town shop." She smiled. "I made him feel like an idiot for even saying it. But he was right."

"I'm not a hero. Far from it. I caused the accident that put your dad in hospital."

"The truck was a death-trap. It was an accident waiting to happen."

"That's very gracious of you," Jaejoong said, sombre. "But I am to blame."

She turned to him and took hold of his hand. "Without your help my dad would have .... Well, I couldn't have done that on my own." She squeezed his fingers.

"You're embarrassing me." Jaejoong's lips twitched. He took off his coat, and for the first time she saw properly his lean lithe body in sweatshirt and jeans. She stared until she felt his eyes on her and she turned away quickly to look at the river.

"What's it like?" She asked, not looking at him. "Turning into a wolf?"

"Painful." Jaejoong grimaced. "As though every organ inside of me doubles in size." He put his hand on his chest. "And my heart literally feels like it will burst. It only lasts a few minutes, but my body changes shape and my human form has to adapt too quickly --- it carries risk of a heart attack."

"God." She put her hand where her own heart was beating. "It must be terrifying."

"Yes. Which is why it is only supposed to happen once a month." He paused. "Werewolves cease to exist if they abuse their power."

"Why would you want to turn any other time?"

"To protect loved ones. or if you are angered beyong human limits." Jaejoong shook his head. "Or in extreme situations."

"Poor you," she said.

"It has its advantages," he smiled. "The speed, for example. That is always there, even when I am human. And the strength." He lifted his arms. "It doesn't look much, but the power in this could destroy a brick wall in seconds."

It was such an umremarkable arm. It was long and lean, but it didn't look anything special. Without thinking she reached over with her fingertip  along the underside, where the veins ran down to his palm. She had never touched anyone like this. And a month ago, she would never have believed she would be doing something so intimate.  She took her hand away and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"You can heal too, can't you?" She said. "You touched my scratch and it disappeared soon after."

He nodded. "There are other things, too ... You'll learn about them in time. But I brought you here to show you that I am not delusional, that I was telling the truth," said Jaejoong eventually. "And so that you would be less afraid."

"I'm not all afraid. In fact, apart from my family, I feel safer with you than with anyone."

Jaejoong looked at her. "Even your boyfriend?"

Hyomin flushed. "How do you know about that?"

"I saw him," he said flatly. "The night we met on the track up to your house."

"Oh." She felt a twinge of disloyalty. Whether to Joon or Jaejoong, she wasn't sure.

"It's okay," said Jaejoong. "It's inevitable I suppose."

"Never was for me." She picked at some long grass, growing between the rocks. "And he's not even my boyfriend."

"What's he like?" asked Jaejoong, ignoring that.

"Older. Attentive. He's been living in Japan."

"So he's tanned and fit?" Jaejoong said wryly. "Good for him."

Her lips twitched. "But he can't break a brick wall with his hands." She looked half smiling at Jaejoong. "He's not a superhero."

He shrugged. "But he's mortal. He's not as complicated."

"Suppose not," she said, wondering if that was true. "I know nothing about him really."

A silence fell between them.

"Anyway," said Jaejoong at last. "it doesn't matter, you and I are friends."

"I hope so." She held on to one of his slender hands. "I'll never forget what you did for me."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," said Jaejoong, though he didn't look at her.

She swallowed, confused at how she felt. Feeling so close and peaceful and safe with the boy sitting next to her, but wanting Joon to want her too. Was that all it was? That she wanted a boy like Joon to want her?"

"You should pursue this Joon," said Jaejoong, reading her thoughts. "Mortal girls are nothing but trouble." He sighed. "And then there's the long-distance thing."

She laughed. "Now that's not really a problem, though, is it?"

"No." He grinned. "But it's what I'm going to tell myself."

The sound of footsteps startled them, and she quickly turned to see a long-limbed girl of about thirteen, short hair, something similar to Hwayoung's, just a little longer and brown, coming towards them. She kept her eyes on Hyomin as she came, then spoke to Jaejoong.

"I thought I'd find you here," she said. "Dongjun needs you to clear out the barn, Jaejoong ... Who is this?"

"This is Hyomin. Hyomin, this is my sister, Sunkyu."

"Is she a Hunter?" said Sunkyu, looking her up and down. She dropped on the grass next to us.

"She's .... a mortal," said Jaejoong cautiously.

Sunkyu's eyes widened. "You've been back to mortal Earth?" She shook her head, disapprovingly. "You're not supposed to --"

"No, and you won't tell anyone, Sunkyu." he said, sternly. "It's under control."

Hyomin looked from one to the other. "Under control?"

Sunkyu smiled impishly. "He means he won't fall in love with you." She looked almost triumphant. "He can't, or he'll --"

"That's enough." Jaejoong grasped her hand tightly. "Now be nice to Hyomin. She's my friend."

"Jaejoong hasn't got any friends," Sunkyu told her, flatly. "He's antisocial."

Hyomin bit her lip to hide a smile; Sunkyu and Hwayoung were like two peas in a pod. "Makes two of us. Jaejoong and I have a lot in common."

"He just reads all these mortal books that he took from Earth one time," she went on. "Huckleberry Finn and White Fang and Franny and --"

"Zoeyy," She finished. "I've read those too."

"How did you get here?" Jaejoong asked her. "You ran?"

"No, I came on Sabre." Sunkyu gestured behind her. Further in the trees a small black horse was tethered to one of the trunks. "I brought Dayla with me too, but I left her further back. She won't come through the trees."

Jaejoong looked at Hyomin. "I wanted to show you the Celestial Palace, but there's no time now."

Sunkyu hopped from one foot to the other. "That's what I came to tell you. Mother is on the commitee for the Great Ball. She said we all need to help with the arrangements. She's calling for a family meeting."

Jaejoong rolled his eyes. "I'd forgotten about that."

"What's the Great Ball?" Hyomin asked.

"The annual Nissilum celebration of peace," explained Jaejoong. "The angels host it at the Celestial Palace to keep good will amongst the species." He paused. "It's where angels, vampires, witches and wolves all meet and pretend they don't hate each other. It would be amusing, if one wasn't requiered to wear a suit and be polite for hours on end."

"Jaejoong always gets roped in to serve drinks and usher people about," Sunkyu told her. "It's because he never has anyone to take." She looked at Hyomin, her brown eyes bright and mischievous.

Jaejoong frowned. "Stop it, Sunkyu. The Great Ball is not for mortal girls."

"She could pretend. Mother would be overjoyed that you have a mate."

Hyomin raised an eyebrow.

"That's "girlfriend", in mortal terminology," said Jaejoong firmly, giving Sunkyu a gentle prod in  the arm.

Hyomin chewed her lip. "It sounds kind of ... interesting," She said slowly. "Fun, even."

"Really?" Jaejoong stared at her. "Are you saying you'd like to come?"

"I don't know ..." She threw up her hands. "I mean, it's no more weird and frightening than anything else right now."

"True." Jaejoong looked down at the grass.

"I'd have to wear a dress, right?" She said, warming to the idea. "Only I'm not a dressy kind of girl."

"That is the custom." He looked serious for a minute. "Hyomin, I don't think this is a good idea. If anyone found out that you were mortal ..."

"She could be one of our southern cousins," said Sunkyu excitedly. "There's so many of them, and nobody knows them very well."

"When is this ball?" Hyomin asked.

"A few weeks time," said Jaejoong.

There was a moment's silence before Hyomin spoke.

"I suppose I could come." She picked up a tiny stone and threw it into the water. "If you want me to. After all, in for a penny, in for a pound."

Brother and sister looked at her blankly.

"That's "What the hell!" in mortal terminology," Hyomin said, tongue in her cheek.

Jaejoong raised an eyebrow then turned to Sunkyu. "Well, if this one can keep shut long enough, then ... we'll see." He got to his feet. "Now it's time for you to go back to the land of pennies and pounds." He lifted his arms and stretched, his T-shirt rising to reveal a firm stomach. "You'll need to close your eyes and tell yourself to go home."

Like Dorothy, clicking her red shoes together.

"Is that all?" Hyomin asked.

"That's all." He picked up her parka. "Here. I'll help you with your coat."

Hyomin pushed her arms through while he held it. As she zipped it up, she felt the underside rip noisily.

Jaejoong and Sunkyu regarded her, amused.

"You need a new coat," said Jaejoong, laughing. "You've grown out of that one."

"What are you, my mother?" Hyomin grinned.

Sunkyu rolled her eyes impatiently. "Come on," she whined. "I want to watch her go."

"Close your eyes," said Jaejoong softly. "And give yourself the instruction."

Hyomin did as he said and pushed all thoughts out, except for one.

Take me home.

And the sounds of the water and the trees faded until there was nothing, except for the voice in her head.

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So, which side are you readers on?

Team Joon or Team Jaejoong? :P