The money his father had saved for a new car was finally put to good use - Yunho doubted he could have done anything better with it. It was enough to start his own small business.

He spent the remaining twenty-six days of his army leave studying literature and articles on all sorts of business strategies, even attending lectures for aspiring entrepreneurs. The only problem was that he had not thought of the very thing he wanted to do.

Some suggested opening a gift or toy store because the kids loved it, others said a coffee shop would be better, but Yunho himself doubted that any of these things were right for him.

But once a fellow soldier told him about how his friends had organized a farewell party for him before he left for military service - not just a restaurant, not a meeting at someone's house, but instead hiring an event planning agency. And he described that day so vividly, with so much emotion in his words, that Yunho thought, "Ah, this is it". To make people happy, to make them remember a special day for a long time, and not to be lonely.

The decision was made quickly.

His other friend from the army, who had heard about the plans, offered to open an agency together - he received money as a birthday present from his parents. Well, actually it was the car he didn't like - the quirks of the rich, Yunho thought as he listened to the story - so he soon sold it. The office they rented at first was far away from the crowded part of town, but it didn't cost much.

The first clients were family friends of the same friend, Heechul, and the first employee was an old acquaintance who had been pining for him since high school. No wonder, Heechul was the owner of a mesmerizing personality and charisma that he was well able to use without remorse. He had his eye on Yunho, who was distant and aloof, and didn't give him a chance to stay away. So Yunho had a second friend in his life after Junsu who could be considered a true friend.

"You're crazy... To take on a case like this!" Heechul slapped him on the shoulder as soon as he walked in, grinning and falling into a chair on the other side of the table. "Respect to you."

"You're not the one to talk about crazy," Yunho replied with a smile, not taking his eyes off his notebook. "It would be better if you helped instead of talking for nothing and teasing Haewon unnecessarily."

"Who, me, teasing? Never in my life!" he pretended to be outraged and fixed his styled hair, which had grown back quite a bit since the army. "You'd better tell me, how are we going to settle your ambitions? A day and a half to organize..."

"No ambitions, but to help a friend. And a day and a half... There are no excuses, so why don't you get to work? I've already emailed you the details."

Rolling his eyes, Heechul defiantly pushed back his chair and stood up, stomping loudly towards his desk.

If it hadn't been for Yunho's request to come over right away and help with an order that had appeared out of nowhere, he would have continued to relax in the salon while getting a massage and planning a vacation on the islands. Maybe sipping some of the cool champagne on offer.

"I actually have a day—"

"You get a day off every day of the week, buddy," Yunho interrupted him with a sideways glance.

"That's true."

Chuckling, Heechul finally opened the laptop.

 

*

 

Jaejoong's eyes went dark for a moment.

"Now, drink some of this," Yoochun offered his friend the tea he had thoughtfully brought and took him by the shoulders."And let's sit down. Jae? Do you hear me?"

He didn't respond.

Yoochun sighed and pushed his friend's shoulders back into the chair, giving him time to realize what was happening. Jaejoong took the cup slowly, as if in slow motion, with shaking hands.

Still stunned, he stared at the light green tea as if it could tell him what to think. Inside, the emptiness rang hollow, not a single glimmer of emotion.

His cheeks, already pale, became a few shades whiter, his lips twitching as he tried to formulate something, to ask, but only opened and closed his mouth in silence. Finally, something quiet came out:

"Who?"

His voice sounded weak; it was hard to get a word out.

"Jae, I'm telling you, this is just a guess, maybe it's not really—"

"Who?" he repeated louder, taking his eyes off the cup and looking at Yoochun.

"A friend of Junsu's who..." he glanced at the blonde-haired guy standing next to him - he looked just as confused, slowly tying together the strands of information he'd heard now and before. Toadstool, huh? "The one who owns the event planning agency. That... that one."

There was a tense silence in the kitchen, broken only by the rustle of clothes as Jaejoong sipped his calming tea, and an agitated cook a few feet away. Stunned by the news, Jae tried to calm himself down as Yoochun had asked, but he barely remembered to breathe.

"His name is Yunho," his friend continued after a short pause. "Jung Yunho. You saw him at my birthday party a few years ago. Tall guy with a..."

"A mole like my..." Person had, Jaejoong swallowed.

Like a mosaic, the pieces of memories began to fall into place in his head. He remembered this guy. All this time, he remembered unintentionally, pushing the thoughts away, thinking that his wistful imagination was wishful thinking. Besides, Yunho, who was sick at the time, had lost his voice and couldn't speak, and the voice was the second thing Jaejoong remembered after the mole.

"Jae, he lost his memory. Back when you first came here as a boss. Junsu-ya, right?"

"Eh?" the younger man said. "Y-yeah, I don't remember exactly, but somewhere in October. In the middle of it."

Jaejoong nodded slowly. His gaze became clearer, but there was still confusion in his eyes. He remembered the day he woke up, the moment he realized he was alone and no one would come to the house. Yunho appeared before him - the expression on his face - as he stood in the crowd at the party and smiled at Junsu.

He remembered him very well. Every little detail, even the small whitish scar under his eye that wasn't even noticeable.

"Yunho..." Jaejoong whispered, whether to ask or to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating and that he had actually heard and understood correctly.

His Person...

"I have to see him," Jaejoong jumped up from his seat, barely able to contain his excitement. The speed with which he stood up made him stagger, and Yoochun caught him under the elbow and pulled him back to his seat.

"You're not going anywhere," the man cut him off gently. With a snort Yoochun shook his head and added, more to himself, "We should have waited until tonight with such news... Jae, he'll be at the event tomorrow. But Yunho-hyung doesn't remember you, if it's even him."

"It is him," a quietly confident exhale.

It really was him. He should have listened to the quiet inner voice that tried to draw his owner's attention to itself.

"Don't be too hasty. Give yourself time to think about it, Jaejoong-ah. You know you can't just show up at his door and tell him everything, right? That wouldn't work."

Even though his feelings were stirring inside, he let the realization sink in, Jaejoong nodded: he really wouldn't get anywhere if he ran off right now and distracted Yunho, who didn't know about him, and himself, because the cake was still unfinished. Besides, there was only a small chance that upon hearing his story, the person who had lost his memory wouldn't think he was crazy.

"I'm going to go wash my face," he whispered distantly and stood up. Yoochun nodded and watched his friend leave.

As soon as Jaejoong left the room, Yoochun sighed, realizing the complexity of the situation. He shouldn't have been in such a hurry. He should have told him later, but now he had alarmed himself and poor Jaejoong, who couldn't get any rest as it was, and with such an important order on the table.

Not to mention Junsu, who would give him a thorough interrogation as soon as he got the chance.

 

*

 

Jaejoong stood in front of the mirror, his fingers twitching as he tried to tie his tie. Doubts and fears that Yunho would not want to get to know him again, that he would not be able to keep him, that he would not be such an interesting person to talk to, all these were dark sparks in his lungs and they had been accumulating all day yesterday and this morning. Completely lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice that he had finished the cake.

The fact that Yunho wouldn't remember him, wouldn't recognize him, wouldn't feel the connection they shared before - or that Jaejoong had made up for himself - was also frightening, or rather upsetting, although it was completely understandable. It was something he had prepared himself for. It was just...

"You once asked life for a chance to find out who this person was," he said to himself, trying to arrange the dark strands on his head that did not want to look neat before the important event. "And today you'll not only see him, but you'll get to know him and even make contact with him... You will, because you're working together on the order. You got more than you asked for. It doesn't matter if he remembers you now or not."

Jaejoong sighed, trying to control himself, but his heart refused to slow to normal speed.

He took a critical look at himself after he'd done with his hair. The suit was nice, and everything else was fine, but his hands were itching to fix something. Exhaling, he turned away from the mirror, his nervousness controlling his every action, and it was time to get on with it. It was also time to go.

The event they had organized with such adventures was very important for both the cafe and his primary goal, but because of the upcoming meeting, it took on even more importance for Jaejoong. As for the preparations, everything seemed to be finished on time, from the banquet table that he and his hired cooks had been working on since the morning before, to the offtheir place - Yoochun and Junsu, who had arrived there earlier, had told him about it. Jaejoong himself, drenched in sweat after cooking, had to take a shower and change into something formal before meeting his clients.

And Yunho.

Yunho.

"I'm so afraid to believe it's all true..."

Gathering his last remnants of determination, he walked out of the house, closing the door behind him. He walked stiffly to the taxi, each step bringing him closer to the unknown he was about to face. He felt the emotions boiling inside of him: hope, replaced by fear, flowing smoothly into excitement, and then back into a circle. The closer the moment of encounter came, the clearer the joy broke through the pile of sensations.

His Person had been found.

 

*

 

"...of course we've heard about it. In fact, Director Kim, we doubted that this event would be organized under such conditions, but we decided to trust you, and look: everything looks great! Cozy, stylish, I'm sure the banquet later will be first class, knowing your skills.

"Oh, thank you," Jaejoong humbly lowered his head and bowed in gratitude. A cost of Korean etiquette, but inside he felt nothing but an itchy desire to finish the conversation with the admiring clients - fortunately everything about them was clear enough - and to find his Person. He was here somewhere, wasn't he? " Luckily, we were able to find new partners quickly."

"Ah, we've already had a chance to meet them! They are charming young faces, I'm sure they have a great future ahead of them, just like you!" the woman sighed in awe as she looked around. "Where did they go?... I hope we'll see each other again later. Director Kim, you must be good friends if you were able to organize the preparations and coordinate the details so quickly?"

"Yes... One of my employees knows the management of this agency... Well, I'm glad you're satisfied," Jaejoong replied politely, trying to change the subject. "If there are any organizational problems, I'll be around. Have a nice evening!"

The happy customer smiled and patted him on the shoulder, then wished him the same and went to greet the arriving guests.

Jaejoong looked around.

He hadn't seen the area decorated before, trusting the word of his friends. And the place was indeed... exquisite. Even more so for an agency whose target audience had previously been children's birthday parties. Fresh flowers, lots of wood elements and greenery, all mixed with creamy white fabrics and expertly placed spot lights.

Two days? They had enough time to organize all this in two days?

Shaking his head, Jaejoong turned to the crowd, looking for familiar faces. He himself had been intercepted by today's birthday person, who seemed to be turning fifty, so he hadn't even seen his friends yet, let alone someone who had kept his heart at rest for several years.

"Jae!" came from behind him and he turned around to see Yoochun walking towards him. "There you are at last."

"Yeah, where's..."

"Yunho?" the guy smiled mischievously. "Don't worry, he was here somewhere. I'm sorry, but right now the waiters need you: they don't know which one to serve first."

Jaejoong sighed tensely and shrugged. Work... Work, goal, all that has to come first. That's true. But why did he want so badly to drop everything and go in search of his Person?

He grinned - the answer was obvious.

While Jae gave the waiters their tasks again, he checked the dishes, replaced mint leaves with fresher ones, adjusted appetizers that were not properly on the plate. He sighed again, wondering who and what would distract him when he went to find Yunho.

And if no one distracted him, wouldn't he get chicken out himself? After all, there was no Jaejoong in Yunho's memory, not even the nameless boy he had called Toadstool. Nothing to give a new acquaintance a positive start.

And... yes, of course he'd chicken out.

After finishing his business, Jaejoong went back out to the guests, caught a glimpse of Junsu's blonde head chatting with the lead singer of the guest band, Yoochun was also talking to some girl, and in the corner...

Oh, he was there.

So tall, glowing in the sunset sunlight in his loose white shirt and dark, baggy pants... it took his breath away. The person he was talking to had his back to Jae and seemed subtly familiar, but he pushed those thoughts aside and watched Yunho from the sidelines - this was the most important thing. Even though they had only met once, Jaejoong remembered him.

The long fingers of his hands caught his attention - aristocratically long, the gestures seemed so smooth and restrained, and the whole image of him... Jae couldn't bring himself to take a step towards him, hypnotized. And he would have stayed there if Yunho's companion hadn't turned around and noticed Jaejoong.

Tired of the emotional swings, Director Kim's heart did another somersault.

The wide grin on the other man's lips wasn't just familiar - Jaejoong had seen it hundreds of times before. Whispering something to Yunho, the person turned cheerfully and walked towards him.

Someone from a past life. Someone he hadn't seen in a long time.

"I thought I was imagining things," he said shortly afterward, as familiar arms embraced Jaejoong and a joyous laugh rang in his ear. "I thought I would never see you again, Princess, and you... what are you doing here? And where have you been?"

Jaejoong had to exhale and forced a smile as he glanced behind his old friend - Yunho still standing in the distance watching them with a sideways glance.

"Hyung... it's good to see you," he murmured. "It's a long story. After what happened back then..."

"I remember. Is it still like that?"

Jaejoong nodded and hung his head. Wow, it was so easy to dive into memories he wanted to forget when a person from their shared past showed up.

Under different circumstances, he would have been happy to meet him. Heechul, three years older than him, had always been the most open and straightforward of all the wealthy acquaintances in his mother's circle, never dirtying his hands with flattery and telling it like it was, which was especially valuable. In those terrible times, Heechul had been the only one who had tried to support him, but in the current situation...

"What about your—"

"I don't know," Jaejoong interrupted, not even wanting to think about it. "I'm still trying to create the conditions to make the process work, but... there's no proof yet, and..."

"I wasn't thinking, I'm sorry," the older one said guiltily, "maybe we should discuss this somewhere else. What about... oh, Yunho!"

Jae immediately froze and looked up.

Yunho had approached him unnoticed while bad thoughts were trying to take over his mind, so he didn't even have time to prepare. He inhaled with his nose, almost lost his balance because of the sharpness of his head and didn't even see the surprised and interested half-smile of Heechul, from whom the sudden change of mood could not be hidden.

"My friends," he began solemnly, addressing both of them, but staring at the stunned Jaejoong, "you haven't met yet, have you? That's great, because I have to leave and I don't want to leave either of you alone. You two talk for a while, okay?"

With a wave of his hand, Heechul smiled cheekily and winked at Jae before retreating. Having come to his conclusions, whether they were true or not, he had done the right thing either way, even if his longtime younger friend could feel his legs getting weak and shaky right now.

Yunho... his mere presence enveloped him with a sense of home, despite the abundance of sounds that had recently cut through his ears. The first words required a summoning of all his inner reserves of determination.

"My... my name is Kim Jaejoong,"" the young man lowered his eyes in embarrassment and clasped his hands in a fist. "Nice to meet you..."

"Oh, so you're that Director Kim!" the man smiled back, looking curiously at his new acquaintance. "Same. Jung Yunho."

He held out his hand, which sent electric charges through Jae's skin as soon as he dared to shake it. And that voice... When he heard it, everything fell into place. Yoochun feared that he had jumped to the wrong conclusion, but this was his Person, there could be no mistakes. It was the voice he still heard in his dreams.

There was no doubt anymore.

"Yeah, I know..." he exhaled happily. "I mean, the guys have been telling me a lot about you these days. You really helped us out, no agency would agree to get involved in such an adventure, but you..."

"Adventure or not, it was fun," Yunho shrugged and smiled slightly.

An uncomfortable silence hung between them for a few seconds. Jaejoong had longed to see him so close for so long, wanted to ask him so much and tell him so much, but all the words slipped out of his mind, giving way to a shiver of excitement.

"Rumor has it that you're famous in culinary circles. What was that... 'Rising star in the restaurant business', that's what they say about you."

"Oh, well, the rumors are exaggerated. I inherited an unprofitable cafe from my mother, and as time went on..." the guy shuffled from foot to foot, losing all the determination and self-confidence he already had with each passing minute. "But it's not that interesting..."

This person, after so much time apart, was now standing a few steps away, more alive than ever, and Jae had no idea how to behave, and this aura around Yunho did not even let him take his eyes off the ground, not to mention the days of long ago. Was it a good idea to meet him? Would he remember something? Would he understand him, so addicted to him? Shaking his head, Jaejoong tried to make it look like a normal conversation between people who had just met.

"And you...?"

"And I wanted to do something I would never get bored of. That's how the agency was created," Yunho replied thoughtfully, still smiling warmly. He actually remembered this guy, Jaejoong, from the Yoochun's birthday. He'd looked at his friends with bright eyes, mumbled congratulations and even sang a song with Yoochun, but then he'd cowered in a corner and sat quietly for the rest of the evening. Strange... Strangely charming in his quirks - Yunho could hardly take his eyes off him that night. And that word that had popped into his head again when Jaejoong had appeared nearby - toadstool - confused him with its inexplicable warmth. "Can we not be so formal? I mean, we're about the same age."

"Yeah, yeah, sure..."

Jae looked up at his companion. He remembered the voice so clearly that he would never forget it. He remembered the way those hands had tucked him into bed, gently running through his hair. He remembered the mole above his lip, the way Yunho had fed him. The memories slipped away in fragments, but what remained in his mind was clear. There was a different Jung Yunho standing in front of him now. A bit older, fancy dressed and seemingly... different.

The other was a disheveled boy with an open heart. No preening, no glittering. No stateliness. So simple... This one, on the other hand, was somehow... strange. The new version of Yunho wasn't peaceful, but it sent shivers down his body.

Maybe he really shouldn't have tried to meet him?

Should he just end this conversation right now and go back to his normal life?

This Yunho wouldn't remember him. He wouldn't remember anything that once seemed to bind their souls together.

"You said it wasn't interesting, but I'd be curious to hear how a small, unprofitable cafe turned into a promising establishment," Yunho caught his attention again, and Jaejoong looked up to meet his eyes. Could this be just an appearance? Because Yunho looked at him with the kind of warmth that a stranger couldn't have. Or was it imagination again? "Only if you don't mind staying with me. You know, organizing parties is one thing, but being a part of all that... not for me. That's too noisy. Shall we take a walk?"

As if bewitched, Jaejoong could only nod.

They walked out into the cool night, filled with the distant sounds of merriment. While Yunho talked about Heechul, with whom he had opened an agency and served in the army, Jae just nodded and threw in a word or two, furtively scrutinizing every millimeter of the person next to him. Unconsciously, he wanted to remember as much as possible, because the fear that Yunho would disappear again and Jae wouldn't have anything new to remember was unrelenting.

In any case, as obvious as the differences were, this Yunho seemed to talk just as much as the one from the memories. As they walked along the illuminated streets, he shared his thoughts and Jaejoong even dared to ask his first question:

"What made you start organizing the celebrations?"

Yunho smiled and shrugged.

"I've always liked helping people," Jaejoong swallowed and nodded - he knew that from his own experience. "Oh, and then it's a kind of art, only in a more social form. We paint pictures in people's memories. Isn't that great?"

Jae nodded in surprise and thought about it - such an interpretation had never occurred to him before.

Then it was his turn to tell his story, but he told it crumpled up, leaving out most of the details. Yunho listened without interrupting, clarifying unclear points and wondering how they were going to turn the cafe into a restaurant. He praised the food he had tasted at the banquet and Jae blushed immediately when he heard the compliments.

When the moment came to say goodbye, he felt an invisible hand grab his throat - the evening was over quickly, even though hours had passed. It wasn't that they had talked much, to be honest, even the silence, the view over the busy city had been nice. Jae caught Yunho's gaze, a little wistful, as if he too realized that the moment of parting was near, and sighed sadly.

"Thanks for the company," the corners of Yunho's lips lifted as he opened the car doors. "You saved me from a lot of useless conversations with a bunch of people."

Jaejoong smiled back.

"Thank you too... I hope we'll work together again," he replied, trying to keep his voice light while every word came out hard.

As Yunho drove off, Jaejoong stood on the street and watched the taxi drive away. He didn't want to say goodbye. His chest was filled with dozens of feelings, like a shrunken plant that had smelled the water, spread its leaves and gained strength. He didn't remember the way home; he didn't even seem to say goodbye to his friends.

Jaejoong was so deep in thought that he stumbled twice and even accidentally pinched his finger on the door. The air in the room felt thick and it was hard to breathe, so he opened the windows to let in the cool night air. Thoughts swirled around the meeting with Yunho, pecking at his head from the inside out.

He had found him. The one whose concern had saved his life. The one he remembered every day when he woke up, the one he mentally wished good dreams and a good day to.

Found.

But did that make it any easier?