The two-story house had never looked as imposing as it did at that moment. But, then again, the Kim family probably knew by now what he did to their youngest and only son. And that contributed to the knots in Yunho’s stomach.

He had arrived in Gwangju a little after noon and had been sitting on the hood of his car for the last half hour, just watching the home he had spent afternoons and weekends in with the love of his life. He had been trying to gather all the courage he had to walk up to that door, but he couldn’t do it.

God, he was so weak.

“Yunho?”

At the familiar voice, Yunho turned his head to come face-to-face with the three people he had not seen in months since he moved.

Yoochun, Junsu, and Changmin were standing in front of him, obviously surprised to see him there.

He smiled and stood up to his feet. “Hey guys,” he greeted.

Changmin, clutching a plastic bag of what appeared to be bottles of soju, only glared at him and, without a word, walked up to the front door of the house and opened it with a key – Jaejoong must have given it to him. Without looking back at them, he entered and shut the door.

Yunho couldn’t blame him. It had been Changmin, after all, who drove Jaejoong to Seoul and back. He probably already knew. And most likely, so did the rest of their friends.

He turned to look back at the other two. Junsu was shuffling his feet, looking down at the ground, anywhere but at Yunho. He was trembling, slightly. Yoochun’s face was unreadable, but he didn’t look angry like Changmin earlier.

Yunho sighed. “I guess you guys know what I did.”

Junsu coughed then cleared his throat. “Um, I’m gonna go ahead inside.” He turned to Yoochun. “You coming?"

The latter shook his head. “Tell Jae I’ll come by later tonight.”

Junsu nodded and with one last nod at Yunho, also headed into the Kim home.

As soon as the door shut, Yoochun turned to him with a hard frown, his hands slowly curling into fists. “What the hell did you do, Jung Yunho?”

Yunho swallowed. “I… I can explain.”

Yoochun took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “If you weren’t my friend, I’d have punched you by now. I’m surprised that Changmin didn’t.”

Yunho had no words for that. He knew that Changmin was fiercely protective of all of them.

“Come, have a drink with me,” Yoochun said.

Yunho raised an eyebrow. “It’s the afternoon.”

The other shrugged. “So? Come on. Looks like you need it. Besides, it’s not like Jaejoong will talk to you anytime soon. And Junsu may seem calm, but that dolphin was ready to explode and beat the out of you. And he’s a pacifist.” He tilted his head to the side. “In fact, I’m restraining myself right now. But, I want to hear your side. For Jae’s sake.”

Taking his words in, Yunho looked back at the house.

Yoochun was right. Of course he was. When it came to Jaejoong’s feelings, Yoochun knew the other man the most. They were best friends after all, a bond that was far different from the bond he shared with Yunho, but was just as deep, emotionally. If there was anyone he trusted to take care of Jaejoong in his carelessness, it would be Yoochun.

He couldn’t blame Jaejoong if he didn’t want to talk to him right now. The wounds were too fresh. He would try tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow.

Tomorrow, he would speak to Jaejoong. He would try to fix the mess he made. He would gain Jaejoong’s forgiveness and prove that he loved him.

With that promise to himself, he and Yoochun got into his car and drove away so that he may wallow his sorrows in alcohol.

There is no proper way to describe a broken heart. Some would say that it felt like someone stabbing you countless times through the heart until you bled out. Others would say that it felt like someone had thrown a rock at your heart and it shattered like glass, the pieces in shards at your feet.

But it didn’t feel like either of that to Jaejoong. No. It felt like more like Yunho took the heart that Jaejoong willingly gave him, held it in the palm of his hands, and slowly squeezed it, crushing it in the grip of his strong hands until all that was left were crumbs of dirt, blown away by the wind.

“He’s gone,” Junsu said, letting the curtain he had been holding fall over the window it covered. “Yoochun must have convinced him to go.”

“Good.” From his spot on the floor next to Jaejoong, Changmin seethed as he took out bottle after bottle of soju. “Didn’t think he’d actually show his face after what he pulled. He must be an idiot.”

Jaejoong remained frozen and unable to move on his spot, not even acknowledging the bottle that was placed in front of him.

They were in his bedroom. Changmin and Junsu had arrived just a few minutes before with soju and food made by Junsu’s mom.

“Well, Yoochun got him away,” said Junsu as he settled on Jaejoong’s other side. He looked worriedly at the male. “Hyung? If you need to cry… you can cry.”

That was all that was needed for Jaejoong to break down once again.

He couldn’t count the number of times he had done that in the last few hours alone. He had broken down in front of his parents when he arrived from Seoul and told them through tears what Yunho had done. He had broken down on the phone when he called Yoochun and the other spent a good fifteen minutes yelling obscenities at Yunho. He had broken down in various intervals after his parents left for work and Changmin went to get Yoochun and Junsu.

And now, here he was, once again, wreaked with sobs in his grief over Yunho’s betrayal.

Junsu allowed him to curl up on his side and cry on his shoulder, patting his hair in the most comforting manner he could.

When the tears finally ceased, Jaejoong believed that he had no more left to shed. His throat was dry. His eyes burned. His chest felt like a heavy weight was on it, pressing down on him. His limbs felt so boneless, that he didn’t even have the strength to pick up the bottle of soju Changmin had laid out for him.

“What’s wrong with me, guys?” he questioned in a soft tone. “Am I no longer enough for him? Did… did he finally realize that he wanted a woman and not a man? Was everything we had… a lie?”

Changmin and Junsu were silent. They didn’t have answers. Jaejoong couldn’t blame them. He had none either.

The only one with answers was Yunho. And he couldn’t bear to see him right now. Not in this state. Not when he still felt so utterly broken.

Yoochun could only really watch as Yunho downed shot after shot of soju. They were at a small bar and grill that the locals frequented. They had chosen a table at the very back, to avoid prying ears from hearing their conversation. It was a small town, word would get out fast, if they weren’t careful.

Yoochun wanted to punch him, beat him up until he was black and blue. He felt dirty just sitting in front of him, offering the gesture of friendship that was a listening ear.

But, he had always perceived himself to be the calmest and most logical out of the five of them. Jaejoong and Junsu were pretty emotional, ruled by their incredible empathy for others. Yunho was calculative but also impulsive, often making decisions based on his first instinct. And Changmin, although appearing to be mature for his age, had a petty side that he displayed so subtly that you wouldn’t notice if you didn’t know him well.

But, Yoochun’s calm demeanor was challenged by Jung Yunho today when a crying Jaejoong had called him and explained, through tears and hiccups, what his impulsive good-for-nothing fiancé had done.

Everybody was emotional that day, including Jaejoong’s parents. So, as the aspiring teacher’s best friend, it was up to him to be the calm one in the situation.

Even if all he wanted was to commit bloody murder.

“You gonna talk anytime soon?” he asked, allowing his irritation to show in the tone of his voice.

Yunho had the shame to look sheepish. Good.

“I ed up,” he simply said.

“We established that. Why?”

Sighing, Yunho ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more.

Growing up, girls and guys went gaga over Yunho. Admittedly, he was handsome and it was only logical that he would end up with the equally handsome-but-in-a-completely-different-way Jaejoong. Yoochun and their two other friends had rooted for them throughout childhood and into adolescence.

So, this whole cheating thing… made absolutely no sense.

“I was weak.”

Yoochun felt his irritation grow. “We established that too, Yunho. I need you to tell me, from the beginning, why you did what you did. Were you really that desperate for ? Or is everything you told and promised Jaejoong a lie?”

At that, Yunho’s eyes blazed, the very first sign of the man’s passionate strength evident all day. “I love Jaejoong,” he stated, fiercely. “Our relationship wasn’t a lie. I love him and I want to marry him. He’s everything to me.”

Yoochun frowned. “Then, why?”

The other man visibly deflated again and remained silent. Yoochun took a sip of his drink.

For sure, the other three were drinking too. He wished he was with them instead of this cheating bastard.

But, he had to do this. For Jaejoong.

Yunho sighed. “It was three months ago. She came to my place, crying.”

Yoochun pricked his ears, listening intently.

“Apparently, she saw her ex with a new girl. They had been broken up for less than a month and he was already with someone new. She wanted a drinking buddy. So, we drank. She told me about how lonely and crappy she had been feeling. She was stressed out from the breakup and from school. I talked about Jaejoong and how much I missed him. How I wish he had moved to Seoul with me…. We kept drinking and talking. The next thing I knew, she was on my lap. She felt… nice…”

Yunho flinched, closing his eyes, as if in pain. “I was lonely, Yoochun. Jae was really busy that entire week. We barely got to talk. I just missed him so much. And she was there. She… She kissed me first.”

He swallowed before taking a shot and downing it before slamming the glass onto the table. “I know that’s not an excuse. I was weak. My mind was just muddled and all I could think about was how nice it would be if it was Jaejoong with me. If it was Jaejoong in my arms. I was drunk, my mind played tricks on me and I believed, for a second, that it was Jaejoong with me.”

He slapped a hand to his forehead. “I barely remember what happened. But, the next day, I regretted it. I didn’t want it to happen again.”

Yoochun could only watch him, the gears in his head turning as he listened to the full story. “Did it happen again?” he asked, coldly.

When Yunho closed his eyes and didn’t say a word, he got his answer. Yoochun remained silent, not trusting his mouth to be nice.

“The second time it happened, we were both sober. She had begged me for one more night. I said ‘no’ at first, I couldn’t do that to Jaejoong. Not again. But, she kept begging. I… I was stupid… I agreed.”

Yoochun’s hands curled into fists and he resisted the urge to hit something… or someone.

“The next time it happened, it was me who was upset. Jaejoong and I had a fight through the phone. We said some ugly words to each other. I was angry. I was emotional. She was there. I took advantage of the fact that she was eager to please me. The next day, I felt sick. And what was more was that Jaejoong called me. He wanted to make up. He said we were already so far from each other, he didn’t want to make the distance grow bigger. He was so… so loving… and understanding…  My guilt was eating me and I kept telling myself no more. That I wasn’t going to betray him anymore. But it happened two more times. The last time was last night. I just wanted her to leave me alone, but I let her into my apartment anyway. I was weak. And this morning, Jaejoong…”

Gulping in large breaths of air, Yunho began to sob. “I’m stupid. I’m an idiot. I’m such a piece of , Yoochun.”

“Yeah, you are,” the other threw back at him. He wondered how he was still so calm on the inside when he was shaking with fury on the inside.

“That’s why I need to talk to Jaejoong,” Yunho continued. “I need to tell him how sorry I am. I need to tell him that I love him. I love him, no matter what.”

At that declaration, Yoochun could really not stay silent anymore. “Do you think this is what love is, Yunho?” he whispered, for if he used his regular voice, he knew he would be shouting. “And let’s say, I believe you. Jaejoong wouldn’t. You betrayed him.”

The other man let out a soft sob. “I… I know… But… Yoochun… I do love him… And I’ll do anything to make sure he knows that… And… I ended things with Jisoo… She knows I don’t have any feelings for her…” He bravely looked up to meet Yoochun’s cold gaze. “Jaejoong is the only one I have ever loved and will love. I don’t care how long it takes for him to forgive me, but I’ll work for it.”

Unfortunately for Yoochun, he knew Yunho well. And he could tell that the other was not lying to him. He had that look in his eyes, the fiery passion and determination that attracted many to him, including Jaejoong. He wanted to hate his friend some more, but found that Yunho was truly sincere in his feelings.

But, of course, that didn't mean that Yoochun could forgive him just as easily. As Jaejoong’s best friend, he, too, felt betrayed by Yunho.

“It won’t be easy,” he finally told the other. “And for once, I’m not going to help you and I highly doubt Junsu and Changmin would, either.”

Yunho nodded. “I know. I don’t expect you guys to. I hurt Jaejoong after all.”

Yoochun allowed himself a mischievous smirk. “You know that Changmin’s revenge will be petty.”

For the first time all day, Yunho cracked a smile and let out a soft chuckle. “I don’t expect any less. I’m surprised my car hasn’t been vandalized yet.”

Yoochun took a sip of soju. “Just wait ‘til tomorrow.”

The two spent the rest of the late afternoon finishing their food and drinks in silence. When they parted, Yunho headed for his childhood home whereas Yoochun went to see Jaejoong, as he promised.

He found the latter passed out in Junsu’s lap, both from exhaustion and drinking.

He met Changmin’s eyes that only looked back at him in sorrow.

“How was he?” he asked, settling in between the gap of Jaejoong’s feet and Changmin.

“Broken,” Junsu whispered. “Yunho broke him.”

Changmin turned to him. “What did you and the bastard talk about?”

Yoochun sighed. “He told me his side of the story.”

The younger blinked. “And?”

Yoochun chuckled without humor. “He’s a piece of . A piece of who also loves this guy to pieces.”

“Pfft, love? He hurt our Jaejoongie,” hissed Junsu, protectively holding the sleeping Jaejoong closer to him.

“I know.” Yoochun reached for the bottle of soju on the table in front of him. It was empty. There were many empty bottles on the table. He fiddled with the one in his hand. “But, the decision is Jaejoong's in the end if he wants to take him back. But, one thing’s for sure.” He turned his gaze to his best friend and patted his leg, affectionately. “Jung Yunho is going to suffer in the hands of our Jaejoongie.”

Ever since Yunho moved to Seoul, he hadn’t been back home once. He also rarely called his parents, though he was sure that Jaejoong often chatted with his mother whenever she and his father went to the Kims’ restaurant.

Unlike his father, his mother was a lot more receptive when he and Jaejoong came out. Sure, she mourned the loss of possible grandchildren, but there was still his little sister Jihye. Well, right now, she was still in her last year of high school, so they were going to have to wait a little longer.

But, his mother had watched Jaejoong grow up with him, knew what a great person he was and how he could hold out on his own and not rely so much on Yunho for the future. He was passionate about his music and teaching, and that was something his mother admired and approved of. His mother loved Jaejoong.

Which was why he was also deathly afraid to enter his own home.

After drinking with Yoochun, Yunho had walked around for a bit to sober up; he knew he couldn’t face his parents in a drunken state. And when he had felt better, he headed for home.

Of course, he chickened out at first. He couldn’t bear to face his mother’s disappointment.

But, in the end, he managed to work up the courage to ring the doorbell. Mrs. Jung, who frequently worked from home these days, opened the door and her eyes widened when she saw him standing there.

“Yunho! My baby boy!” She enveloped in a hug and if he wasn’t feeling so utterly miserable, he would have whined at the ‘baby boy’ sentiment. “You mean son! You haven’t visited even once! Come on in! I’m just getting started on dinner. You can tell me all about your internship!”

She led him into the house, excitedly. “By the way, did you come back with Jaejoong? I know he left early this morning to surprise you. I didn’t think you’d be coming home. He and I were talking about wedding venues last week. We were thinking of having the ceremony at the botanical garden, with Father William to officiate. He’s Western and much more open-minded, I'm sure he'll agree. And we can have the reception at the hotel across the street and…”

At his mother’s continued excited talk about the wedding, Yunho’s heart began to ache even more. Would there even still be a wedding? If Jaejoong never forgave him, then there would be no wedding.

He had never been more frightened in his entire life.

Mrs. Jung must have noticed his silence and turned back to see him idling still in the living room instead of following her to the kitchen.

“Yunho?” She moved closer to him and placed a hand on his forehead. “What’s wrong? Are you sick? You don’t look so good.”

Yunho lifted his eyes to look at his mother. His dear mother who loved him no matter what. Would she still love him after what he had done?

“Umma…” he said in a low voice. “I… I did something… something horrible.”

His mother’s eyes widened.

Sitting side-by-side on the living room couch, with a mug of tea in his hands, Yunho told her everything. He told her about Jisoo, about the sins he committed, about how Jaejoong found out about his betrayal that very morning.

Mrs. Jung listened, face tight (her lawyer face, Yunho noted), patting his hand now and then.

When he was done, he couldn’t look at her. He knew that he had disappointed her.

“Well, out of all the things I thought you could have done, this was not first on the list,” she simply stated. “I…” She sighed. “Yunho, you are my son and I will always love you. But, I am also your mother and if you are in the wrong, I would tell you.”

Yunho swallowed. “I know. And I know I was wrong, Umma. You don’t have to tell me. I was wrong. I was stupid and foolish and… a jerk.” He had called himself many names that day, and yet, there didn't seem to be enough negative words to describe him. He really was a bastard. “I want to make it up to Jaejoong. I need to tell him that I’m sorry.”

His mother cleared . “Well, it’s good that you’re aware.” She patted his arm. “I’m going to make dinner. You get settled.”

Without another word, she left him there. His mother’s coldness left him shivering.

Nonetheless, he took his things out of his car and headed up to his old childhood room.

It remained the same as ever. Awards and trophies on the shelves. Posters of the Gwangju Football Club. And photos of him and Jaejoong.

Childhood photos. Photos of them as teens. Photos with Yoochun, Junsu, and Changmin. Photos of his smiling Jaejoong. The smile that he may never see again.

Yunho could only sigh in regret.

This was his fault. There was no one else to blame but himself.

Dinner was a quiet affair. His sister had been happy to see him when she came home from a day out with her friends, but their mother’s quiet demeanor had caused her to be aware of the tense atmosphere. His father made small talk with him, asking him about his internship and about Seoul. Yunho half-heartedly answered his questions.

And when dinner was over and the dishes washed and put away, Mrs. Jung bid them good night as she had an early start the next morning. Jihye went into her room and did whatever it was that teenage girls did.

Meanwhile, Yunho’s father sat with him, watching the late night news.

It took some time before Mr. Jung finally acknowledged his solemn attitude.

“Anything you want to tell me?” he said, coolly.

Yunho didn’t want to beat around the bush so he went right into his explanation, repeating everything he had said to his mother and Yoochun. He found that talking about it many times had eased the weight in his chest a little, but it didn’t ease the guilt. If anything, the guilt multiplied tenfold. It made him even more desperate to fix his mistakes.

When he was done, he couldn’t read his father’s expression. Mr. Jung’s face was set, his eyes never leaving the television in front of them.

They remained in silence for a while, neither speaking, the only sounds coming from the television.

Yunho wondered if his father was thrilled. He had always insisted that Yunho wasn’t gay. Well, maybe he wasn’t. But, it didn’t change the fact that he loved Jaejoong. Always have. Always will.

After what felt like hours, Mr. Jung finally spoke.

“I’ll have to say that although I thought I would be happy, I’m not,” was what he said in a monotone.

Yunho didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure what to say.

“You know how I feel about you and Jaejoong and I had wished for years that you would come to your senses and be with a woman,” he continued. “But… I’m not.” His father sighed. “Maybe I’m at fault for pushing the idea onto you so much that you felt the need to be unfaithful.”

“It’s not like that!” Yunho defended. “Doing that… with her… it didn’t make me love Jaejoong any less. If…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “If he would still have me, I would still marry him, Appa.”

His father seemed to contemplate that for a moment. He fixed a firm gaze on Yunho. “You were still dishonorable. You weren’t fair. And not just to Jaejoong, but also to this girl.”

Yunho sighed again, miserably and looked away. “I know.”

“You need to choose.”

“I choose Jaejoong.”

“Is there really no changing your mind? You were clearly attracted to this girl. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have allowed it to get this far.”

“I…” Yunho could feel the sobs he had been holding beginning to re-surface but he refused to cry in front of his father. “Yes… I was attracted to her. She’s a lovely woman and she was a good friend to me when I was feeling lonely and missing home.” He made eye contact with his father. “But, I don’t love her.”

Mr. Jung stayed quiet, so he kept talking.

“It would be easy, wouldn’t it? If I just choose her and make you happy? You can finally have the grandchildren you so wanted from me. But, can’t you see, Appa? I don’t want to choose the easy way out. All my life, I’ve only been in love with Jaejoong. I don’t see that changing any time soon, no matter what I did. And I know I made a mistake. I want to fix it now and it won’t be easy. It wasn’t easy gaining your acceptance with Jaejoong in the first place but we persevered and worked for it. If I wanted things to be easy, I wouldn’t have even bothered. I didn’t give up on him then. What makes you think I would give up on him now?”

For the longest time, Mr. Jung didn’t respond. Yunho didn’t say a word either. He now had a giant headache in addition to his already aching heart. He just wanted to go to bed and sleep for a hundred years.

So, he politely excused himself from his father’s presence.

Before he headed upstairs to his room, Mr. Jung called his name. Yunho turned around to face him.

Mr. Jung had a look of defeat, the same look he held when he finally accepted Jaejoong as Yunho’s partner.

“Do what you need to do for Jaejoong,” he said. “And this time… do it right. Don’t hurt him a second time or you’ll lose him forever. I know you think I don’t know Jaejoong well, but I do. I watched you both grow up too. That boy… he loves you and only you. He’s strong, but when it comes to you… he’s fragile. If you don’t do this right, he’ll break even more, Yunho.”

Those words echoed in Yunho’s head all night until he fell into a restless sleep.

A/N: After reading the comments from the last chapter, I just want to make one thing clear: this is a YunJae fic.

For those who asked about JaeMin, the only JaeMin you will see in this fic is the brotherly kind. You'll see YooJae and JunJae too, but again, it's the BROTHERLY and FRIENDLY and PLATONIC kind. So if you were hoping for a JaeMin, I'm sorry, but this is not the fic for you. I have nothing against JaeMin, but there are other writers more suited to write the pairing, but that's not me.

I know, it was sweet what Changmin did to comfort Jaejoong... because they are FRIENDS. If your friend was cheated on and crying buckets, you'd be angry for their benefit too. You'd want to comfort them too. Does that mean you want to bang them? I don't know about you, but the last time I comforted a friend when she found out her ex cheated on her, I did it because I cared for her, not because I had romantic feelings for her. 

So, please, allow me to display acts of friendship and brotherhood without the need to turn it romantic. If I had planned on a love triangle, I would have said so in the first place. 

I guess you could say I got spoiled by my WooGyu readers; everyone shipped everyone so simple acts of hugging a friend wasn't perceived as romantic unless otherwise stated. But, I guess each fandom is its own and since I'm writing for YunJae for only the second time, I may have to adjust my usual styles and plotlines. 

Nonetheless, thank you for taking the time to read, as always! I appreciate it!