“Let me get this straight. You somehow manipulated your dad to cut you off by inciting his temper for you to get the freedom you need to find and be in contact with Jaejoong and Binnie?” Boa asked the driving boy.

“Pretty much…” the boy replied.

Boa groaned. “Do you have any idea how dangerous this is, Yoonoh? You’re bringing the two back into the world that they had been staying away from for years.” she lectured. “And how are you going to move forward with this? Will you ever tell them who you are, or will you just leave them after a few months?” she interrogated.

Jaehyun thought to himself for a moment before answering, “All I wanted to do was to see Appa and Moonbin again. At least before someone tries to kill me again.” He sighed deeply and continued, “And as for what I want to do...if they are even close to finding out who I am, then I’ll leave.”

Boa’s eyes softened at the young man. Even at the age of twenty, he was still the little boy who always secretly wished to see his Appa and his little brother. Boa had seen Yunho worry every time someone asks him what he wants for his birthday or for Christmas, fearing that he may still ask to see them again, but being the smart boy that he is, he didn’t mention it outwardly.

“Thirteen years and you still wish for the same thing, but this time, you made it come true yourself.” she commented.

“If Dad had anything to say about it, he would stop me from the beginning out of guilt and fear.” Jaehyun told her. “Even now, he’s still scared to try to see him in fear of finding out that he’s already moved on.”

Boa snorted at the fear, “Well, it was his fault to begin with.”

Jaehyun hummed and asked, “I never really knew the full story of how they divorced. Was the fact that Dad hid the family business from Appa the only reason for that?” he asked her.

The woman sighed. “That’s a story that I can’t tell you, Yoonoh. It’s not my place to tell.” she told him.

“Then will you at least please go along with this?” Jaehyun pleaded. “I’ve waited thirteen years to see them again and at least to be part of their lives...even if it’s just as an outsider. At least until I’m almost caught.”

Silence reigned in the car as Jaehyun was waiting for his godmother's response. Frankly, for Boa, the entire divorce because of a single revelation was completely stupid, but she knew that there was more to it, and his eight sisters had said so as well. .

She glanced at the worried eyes of her godson. She was not going to lie when she thought that Jaehyun had been waiting almost his entire life to get at least a glimpse of his Appa and younger brother after all these years. The fact that he is posing as a part-timer to get close to them is already a miracle to the young man.

And she couldn’t deny the young man his family’s other half.

Heaving a deep sigh, she nodded. “Fine. I’ll keep it a secret.” she agreed. “I understand more than anyone that you wanted to see them again and you have every right to, so I’ll play along.”

It brought a smile to Boa’s face when Jaehyun’s eyes brightened at her response, “Thanks Aunt Boa. I won’t disappoint you.”

“There’s nothing to be disappointed at. I’m quite jealous that you were able to manipulate Yunho that much for your plans to progress.” she replied. “By the way, you might want to tell me why you changed your name from Yoonoh to Jaehyun. No one mentioned anything to me, and I see you every other month.”

Jaehyun nodded and answered, “After the attempt when I was ten, Dad took me off the spotlight and didn’t let me attend any social functions related to the mafia and the legal company. The name change was my idea. I figured that if the public knew me as Yoonoh and not as Jaehyun, people will leave me alone and let me live my life without being in constant scrutiny. Everything has been legalized.”

“And now you’re using your second identity to your advantage.” Boa concluded. “You spend too much time with Changmin.”

“That I do, but it works to my advantage.” Jaehyun said as he caught sight of the ceremony venue and parked the car accordingly. “Well, here we are. Should I wait for you here or…?”

Boa shook her head, “This will just take fifteen minutes, so wait here. I’d rather you not see me acting in rage.”

Jaehyun nodded in agreement as he shut off the car and pulled out his phone as he waited for his godmother to be done with whatever it was her employee had screwed up so much that it needed her immediate attention.

For the past few days, Jaejoong and the rest of the part-timers had explained a lot of their duties when it comes to being wedding florists. Jaehyun took them all to heart, and was kind of happy that he was learning something new other than how to shoot a gun and fight for survival both intellectually and physically.

The mundane life of Jung Jaehyun sounded so much better than the life of Jung Yoonoh, the heir of a prominent mafia family that spans generations of power and money. If he wants, he could even prolong his feud with his father at least until he graduates to savor the normal life he has right now, but that will make him at odds with his friends and boyfriend who, like him, had been born and raised in their world.

At this time, Jaehyun could understand a little more about the reason for the divorce.

In the five days that he had spent in their penthouse, Jaehyun could see from the photos and the furniture in the penthouse that his Appa was more than just a parent who is raising a teenager. The grand stories by Moonbin about his Appa at each chance he gets pretty much filled in a lot of blanks about what he didn’t know about his Appa because of the separation.

Kim Jaejoong was a model when he met his father in Paris, and at the time, he was a model who was so in-demand for his angelic looks. Jaehyun couldn’t deny that his Appa had such beauty that no one could compare to anyone lightly. Even in his forties, the man didn’t even look anything over thirty-five. That was where their parents met each other through their mutual connection with his Aunt Boa. She was Jaejoong’s college friend and Yunho’s childhood friend made possible due to her being the grandniece of the leader of the Gyeonggi Kwon Group.

He was a man who valued his freedom, especially in the creative side of things. So when he got married to his dad without him disclosing that he was leading a double life that could spell trouble and would restrict his freedom and safety, he decided that the best course of action was to divorce.

But if that was the only reason why they did that, then why does it feel like Jaehyun was missing something? The two, according to the adults, were very madly in love that one could not live without the other. Their children were the living proof of their love and devotion, so why is it that a single revelation is the tipping point of the relationship they had been proud to present as something so strong?

Jaehyun kept being told that he was too young to understand, but as he was growing up, he could tell that it was just an adult code word for ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

He understood that the divorce is still painful to his dad, and maybe even to his Appa, considering that there were no photos of him or his dad in the penthouse. There were only pictures of Moonbin and Jaejoong, and on occasion, his uncles Junsu and Yoochun whom he hadn’t seen since he was ten.

He couldn’t help but think that his Appa and Moonbin had forgotten about them, or maybe decided to pass them off as a thing of the past. That alone tugged something in Jaehyun that may or may not reduce him to tears.

Aunt Boa was right too. He has every right to yearn for the parent and brother that he hadn’t seen in thirteen years, no matter what his Dad says.

In all of this taken into account, Jaehyun can guarantee that he will not be back at the Jung residence anytime soon.

…

NCT College

Everyone was scared of Lee Taeyong.

Not to say that no one feared him before, he was one of the most attractive students on campus and was equally dangerous (thanks to the overprotective Jung Jaehyun), but this time, he was practically fuming.

Everyone had been treading on eggshells with the Veterinary Sciences student for the past few days, and only the closest of friends knew the specific reason why.

To Kim Doyoung, his best friend, he simply sees his rage as a tantrum of the highest kind.

Looking at his friend who is now in a kickboxing match with Johnny, he could see that even the tall American was having a tough time and is still processing how he could muster such strength in such a small frame. Doyoung looked at his watch and saw that they only have thirty minutes to head to their next class and they still need a shower.

“Taeyong, enough. We still have classes.” he called out to them.

With one last punch at Johnny that ended in a tie, Taeyong huffed and looked at Doyoung with a nod of recognition before turning around and heading to the showers, leaving Doyoung and Johnny watching him depart.

“He’s really mad.” Johnny commented.

Doyoung raised a brow at him, “You think? Ever since Changmin-sshi told us not to contact Jaehyun for the meantime, even meeting up with him, he’s been like that.”

Tilting his head, Johnny asked, “As a group, we saw him two weeks ago. When was the last time they saw each other on a date setting?”

“Last week after his work.” Doyoung replied. “They were planning on spending the next weekend together, but because of what Changmin-sshi told us regarding him being endangered if we keep on seeing him with the situation the family is in, those plans have been cancelled at least until after winter break.”

“Ah. I understand now.” Johnny stretched and sighed. “Well, I’ll hit the showers too. You take care of Yong in the meantime.”

“I planned to.” Doyoung said with a sigh as he watched Johnny hop off the boxing ring and went to the direction of the locker room.

It only took a few minutes before he could see Taeyong exiting fully showered and ready for the next class, but he could also see that his annoyance hadn't been emptied despite sparring with Johnny for a long period of time.

Shaking his head, Doyoung spoke as Taeyong went to him. “I see your fire is still not tamed after all that.”

Taeyong growled in response. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh don’t give me that, Yong. You’re the one who has been annoyed for a while ever since Changmin-sshi’s orders to cease our meetups with Jaehyun came up.” when Taeyong huffed in response, Doyoung knew that he had to be the voice of reason for their main voice of reason. “Yong. It’s dangerous for Jaehyun to be exposed when he has been cut off from all types of security that he normally has. He’s safer for him that way.”

“But why does he have to be off-limits for contact, even for me?” Taeyong complained.

“Because you’re the boyfriend and anyone would use that to their advantage to get to Jaehyun. Changmin-sshi is just trying to prevent another nearly-successful aassassination attempt on him as much as possible.” Doyoung explained. “For now, our job is to keep our team safe, as well as keep Yuta and Shotaro protected and informed of the happenings on their clans so that our friends won’t be compromised for power. You know that.”

Taeyong sighed. “Things are much easier when Jaehyun is here.”

“At this time, I doubt that.” Doyoung told him. “He’s safer out of our radars. If we don’t even have any tabs on him, what makes the enemies think they can find him? No one has seen him in public for the past ten years, and even then, they know him as Jung Yoonoh.”

“I guess you’re right.” Taeyong’s brows furrowed at the thought, but above all else, Jaehyun’s safety comes first. The only one who knew his current location is Changmin, as he never invited anyone to his new apartment or to his part-time job that he does to get by and be independent. It would always be meet-ups on certain restaurants or their usual hangout spots, but nowhere far from that.

“I always am.” Doyoung said proudly, “Now let’s go, I don’t want to miss the class because Yuta might screw me over with the report.”

“The report is not the only one he’s screwing, that’s for sure.”

“Taeyong! Your mouth!”

Just as they were about to enter their building, Doyoung and Taeyong noticed someone who should be on the other side of the campus.

There stood Mark, one of their younger members, seemingly waiting for them. When he caught sight of the older boys, he immediately ran towards their direction.

Wondering what happened, Taeyong asked, “Mark. You’re supposed to be at your history lecture. Why are you here in the science building?”

Mark caught his breath before answering, “We...I mean...Jeno and Jaemin…”

Now growing concerned about their younger members, Doyoung pressed him for details, “What happened to the two?”

“They were patrolling a few hours ago and they detected someone loitering around our shared house.” he told them. “Renjun subdued him, and when Chenle and Jisung interrogated him, it seems that they were looking for Jaehyun-hyung.”

“A stalker?” Taeyong hissed, remembering the numerous stalkers Jaehyun had ranging from lovesick harlots to jealous bastards.

Shaking his head, Mark answered, “No. He’s got a phone with his mission briefing and Jaehyun-hyung’s profile and weapons.”

Doyung and Mark expected Taeyong to be angry, but they were equally shocked when he growled, which meant that his anger was beyond what they had seen before. “Where is he now?”

“Sungchan and Shotaro had transported him to the underground cellar in our shared house. We hit him with a sleeping sedative for now.” Mark informed them.

Taeyong’s brows furrowed. “Contact everyone and inform them to skip club activities. After their last classes, head to the house. We’re going to find out who sent this assassin to Jaehyun.”

“You got it.” Mark said as he went on his way to his own class with the order of Taeyong.

This was not going to end well for the invader.

…

Jung Residence

“Changmin?”

“Yes Hyung?” Changmin looked up from his desk to Yunho, who was neglecting his paperwork and was gazing at something on his phone.

“Have you…” he tried to ask, but Changmin beat him to it.

“No, I never managed to raise a kid of my own, Hyung, but I do know a lot about how teenagers like Jaehyun can hold a grudge that can span months or even years.” He could tell that he was asking about his son. They hadn’t spoken in four months, and it was taking a toll on Yunho and his conscience.

No one but Changmin knew where he went, where he stays, and what he does outside of his school activities, and he was not divulging information unless he was asked (or begged) by someone.

His response made Yunho twitch and his eyes showed a pang of guilt. Typical of his Hyung who ran his mouth without thinking. Then again, that was the idea.

“Have I been a bad father all these years?”

Shaking his head in slight amusement, he replied. “No, you’re not a bad father. If that was the case, Jaehyun would have left years ago.”

“Then why is he not contacting me?” Yunho wondered.

“Because both of you are stubborn people, and stubborn people do not yield easily lest it be seen as an act of surrender. Right now, I can tell that Jaehyun has no thoughts of doing so anytime soon.” Changmin replied.

Yunho was silent for a while before he sighed. “I wish Jaejoong was here. He’s more in-tune with kids than me…”

This was the first time in months that Yunho has brought up Jaejoong again. It was something that tends to do when he doesn’t know how to deal with Jaehyun’s tantrums and puberty for the past thirteen years. This time though, he can’t help but chuckle because right now, Jaehyun was with Jaejoong, albeit as a stranger.

“Well, having eight older sisters and a gaggle of nieces and nephews can do that to you.” he stated. “But still, even if Jaejoong-hyung was here, he’d still point out that you’re in the wrong.”

“And he’d say that Jaehyun’s stubbornness was all because of me.” Yunho mused. “That he takes after me most of the time when it comes to attitude…”

“He’s on the mark then, if he ever does. Not after giving you an earful once he discovers that you cut him off because of that.”

With a groan, Yunho whined at him. “Can we not stress that out? I’m feeling guilty here already.” he muttered.

“Then why not call him and surrender?” Changmin wondered.

Yunho sighed and went back to looking at his phone, and when Changmin stood and leaned to see what was so interesting about it, he saw that he was looking at his photo with Jaehyun during his last birthday party. They held the party at the family beach house and the particular photo was taken in one of the balconies that held the best view of the sea and the moon.

“I want to, but with the things that are happening right now, it’s best not to risk Jaehyun returning and get himself in danger because of my past mistakes.” Yunho said with a sigh. “It’s better for him to think right now that I’m still mad and not yielding.”

Changmin understood what he wanted to do. With what is happening right now in their group conflicts, getting Jaehyun to return to their world when he is possibly being targeted was something that they do not want at all. Not only was he the only heir, if anything were to happen to Jaehyun, no one who caused it will be left alive. He could still remember the time when Yunho was pissed off that he obliterated a medium-sized gang with his own hands with just a handful of men.

It was not a pretty sight for the targets, that was for sure.

“I agree that it’s what’s best for Jaehyun as well.” Changmin told him. “Which is why I-”

They were interrupted when Changmin’s phone buzzed with a message sent to him. Fishing out his phone, he saw a familiar sender. When he read the message though, he frowned. “Hyung, I think that you cutting off Jaehyun at this time is the greatest timing we have had.”

“What?” Yunho urged him to continue.

Changmin showed him Taeyong’s message and the information of their recent captive. “The Dream Unit caught a lurker with Jaehyun’s information as Yoonoh. They managed to infiltrate the college property and into their shared house there. Taeyong said that they will interrogate them later after their classes end.”

As expected, the information earned a frown and a growl at the Jung family head. “Give me all the information that Taeyong will manage to squeeze out of him. If he’s from the group that I think is the perpetrator, we will have no choice but to retaliate.”

Changmin nodded. “You got it.”

…

Hotel Ballroom

Four hours after Jaehyun returned with Boa at the reception hall of the hotel, Jaehyun and the rest had the pleasure to stay and watch Boa do her thing in facilitating the wedding reception, with her at the forefront of the arrangements and the management of the bridesmaids, emcees and the family, she was in her alley in making sure that all is well and that there are no fighting, tipsy guests, and old relatives who were crying uncontrollably.

One could see that the bride did not look bothered and was just smiling happily while doing PDA with her new husband. Jaehyun would be pitying her after the honeymoon once she sees the final bill that will be brought up after they come back from wherever they booked the trip, because Boa told him that they were way in over their budget because of the florist issue.

But for now, he was with JinJin and Moonbin making sure that nothing was wrong. Boa had appointed them as one of her temporary staff who could actually do something about the shenanigans the guests were up to on the dance floor and in the cocktail bar since she knew that the three of them could pack a punch and subdue anyone who might get a little too violent. It pays to be careful. Jaejoong, who was also a mutual friend of one of the guests, mingled as he went on networking, something that he tends to do whenever he is hired as the florist.

Moonbin had shared that he had done that a lot of times that he got used to people calling and telling him that they met at a certain place and was given a business card and the like. What he didn’t like though, were the single men and women trying to flirt their way to him because he was handsome and single.

JinJin shared that there was one time someone was particularly handsy and Moonbin, in his anger, cut in the two of them and called him Appa, indicating that he has a grown- son that can beat up anyone who tries to hit on him. Amusingly, they ran with their tails between their legs within three minutes.

“-and I would like to thank Boa-sshi and her team for making this wedding a dream come true~!” he heard the bride speak at the end of their reception.

Boa bowed with a smile at the recognition, but the closest people to her could see in her eyes that she was fuming.

Apparently, the reason why Boa had to head to the church earlier was because the bride had slapped one of her staff members for a petty reason and her secretary was cursed at, saying that she does not want to speak to anyone but Boa.

When she got back to the car, Boa simply said that she had to ‘straighten someone’s ego out’ before telling him to floor it and return to the hotel. Jaehyun didn’t really want to ask the specifics of whatever reigned the bridezilla in.

Once the reception was done, everyone cleared out to their booked hotel rooms for the night until all that was left were Boa’s and the hotel staff, caterers, and the florists.

Tired as hell, Boa sat down on one of the empty tables with Jaehyun’s guidance and downed a flute of champagne with a sigh. “This is one of the most stressful weddings I have ever planned in my life.”

Jaehyun laughed, “You always say that every other month when I ask how your work has been, Auntie.”

“No, but this time, this bride takes the cake.” she mumbled. “I wish all brides and grooms like your parents sometimes. They let me arrange everything and they just made a choice and that’s that.”

At the mention of his parents’ wedding, Jaehyun smiled sadly. “I wish that wedding lasted though.”

Boa smiled, “Let me tell you something, Jaehyun. You could prepare for the grandest wedding of your life, but you can’t tell if this marriage will last for a lifetime or just a few years. Your parents got married out of love, but in the end, they couldn’t make it work a few years down. But that does not mean that their story ends there, alright?”

At the possibility, Jaehyun looked at her with a thinly veiled hope. “You really think they have a chance?”

The woman nodded. “I do. They just need to get over what is stopping them from making things work. Trust me when I say that they’re almost there.”

With renewed hope for the future, Jaehyun nodded with a smile.

Just as Boa was about to say something else, Moonbin approached them. “Jaehyun-hyung, everyone’s already in the car. You want a ride to your apartment?”

Jaehyun nodded. “That would be great, thanks.” he said and bowed towards Boa, “Thank you for your words today, Boa-sshi. I really learned a lot.”

Smiling and keeping up appearances in front of Moonbin, Boa nodded in appreciation, “I’m glad you learned a lot, Jaehyun. I look forward to seeing you again if Jaejoong will be roping you guys in for another wedding venue of mine.”

“Likewise. Have a nice evening.” Jaehyun bid.

“You two as well.” Boa said and stood up and pinched Moonbin’s cheeks, “See you later as well, Puppycat.” she said and kissed his cheek for good embarrassment.

“Auntie!” Moonbin whined, making Jaehyun laugh.

“Now run along,” Boa said as she shooed both boys out of the ballroom, smiling fondly at the brothers who are once again reunited, but only one of them was aware of the fact. For now.

At their walk to the parking lot, Moonbin looked at Jaehyun, “You seemed to have become close with Auntie Boa within the past few hours, Hyung.”

Jaehyun laughed, “Well, I listened to her rage about the wedding the entire drive to and from the church, and told me if I ever plan to become a wedding planner, I should be careful with this kind of bridezilla.”

“But it is strange. Auntie Boa is not that close with the others, but she seems to have taken an instant liking to you.”

“Maybe she fell for my charms?” Jaehyun jokes, but internally, he was a bit scared. Moonbin did have a sharp perception when it came to people.

“Maybe a little too charming.” Moonbin replied as they saw the car waiting for them. Jaehyun went to the backseat while Moonbin walked towards the passenger seat with his Appa, still thinking about the way Boa had looked at Jaehyun earlier.

She was definitely not a cradle robber, but the way she looked at Jaehyun, it was as if…

‘It’s as if she has known him far longer than a few hours…’

With that thought, the car engine roared and they all drove back to carpool JinJin and Jaehyun home before returning to thiers for the day.

But still, throughout the night, the interaction still bothered Moonbin.

He was missing something, he knows it.

TBC