A/N: So another update...Sorry I'm so late with this one... I went to Sizzler for dinner, it was daebek!!!!! I love going to Sizzler. It's awesome... I'm so happy to see people enjoying this story.... rest assured we've got plenty still to come and this chapter will probably tell you why I say that.... Enjoy everyone, and again sorry it's so late....

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Yunho had plugged the phone back in once Jaejoong had gone to university, knowing it needed to be put back in, but not daring to do it while the older boy was still there. The answering machine was separate, and so all of his mother's messages from the previous evening were still there.

Regretfully, he pressed the 'Play' button, preparing himself to listen to all 23 messages his mother had left before she realised she wasn't being answered again that evening. He nodded and shook his head as he ate his toast, listening to the messages, as though his mother could see him answering her questions. Even if she had, she would probably ignore them; her son's opinion didn't exactly rate very highly with her.

As much as he'd wanted Jaejoong to save him from the woman, and had appreciated him having done so, he knew it had been a very childish move. He couldn't just avoid his mother; he had to maintain a relationship with her, it was part of his duty as a son. For a few months more at least. He would have to call her again, and really the sudden escape he'd had the night before, would really cause him more harm than the initial conversation had.

Finally, he deleted all of the messages, and took a quick glance at the clock. He would have to go in a few hours, but if he did it that evening, Jaejoong would know that he'd caved in and would probably look down on him. He didn't want Jaejoong to look at him as weak for having given in to his mother's wishes. But he didn't want to ignore her either; he couldn't.

Now would be the only opportunity he would have to call his mother without Jaejoong's knowing eyes boring into him. He sighed, still not certain what he was going to say to his mother; the conversation hadn't exactly been about what he'd told Jaejoong it was the previous evening. And he still wasn't certain what sort of answers he should give her.

His mother was not only a very disapproving woman, but also a very perceptive one. If he was hiding something from her, she would probably pick up on it, and manage to drag it out of him. All the same he picked up the receiver, dialling his old phone number, half wishing his mother wouldn't be home.

“Hello?” that same, sharp voice he recalled from the previous evening floated through to him, and he almost had to repress a sigh knowing that he was about to get his ear chewed off. “Hi, mother!” he exclaimed cheerfully, hoping she might be in a better mood than she had been the previous evening.

He could almost hear the way her frown snapped into place on her features. “Yunho! What did you think you were doing last night? I asked you a simple question and you hang up and disappear for who knows how long?” she demanded.

Yunho cringed slightly, struggling not to choke on a bite of toast he still hadn't swallowed. “I know, I'm sorry mother, that... well...” he could feel his tongue rolling around awkwardly in his mouth. He could never manage to be coherent whenever his mother got that angry with him. Unfortunately she always seemed to be angry with him; it was part of the reason she seemed to think her son was much more stupid than he really was.

“Well? Where were you?” she demanded, scoffing in a way that told Yunho she had reminded herself that she needed to spell things out in small, simple sentences for her idiotic son. “While you were speaking, Jaejoong came home....we'd made plans to go out, and we were going to miss our reservation, so...I know I should have said goodbye and explained first, but we were already very late, we would have lost our table if we didn't leave right that minute, but I hadn't realised that it was so late, so that's why—” Yunho babbled, awkwardly trying to explain and construct a story that was fairly close to what had happened, but he was cut off by his mother.

“Jaejoong? That's who you're living with?” she hollered, critically. “Well, yeah mother.” Yunho answered, awkwardly, not sure he really understood where his mother was going with this comment.

“He was that little friend of yours back in high school, wasn't he? What is he doing at your apartment?” she questioned harshly. Yunho suspected she was about to accuse him of something, but just what it could be he had no idea. There was nothing wrong with Jaejoong, and he'd always though his mother had liked Jaejoong quite a lot when he was younger.

“Yes he was, but we also attend the same university. We even have a class together. He's at my apartment because he's staying with me.” Yunho answered simply, not seeing anything wrong with anything that he just said.

“Is he as girly as he was back then?” she persisted, and Yunho frowned slightly at the question. He may have thought Jaejoong was pretty but he would never have made the mistake of describing him as girly. That boy had muscles, and he was certainly a lot tougher than his delicate frame seemed to indicate.

“Ugh, I guess. I mean he's still delicate if that's what you mean?” he responded uncertainly.

He swore he heard his mother's eyes roll into her head at the comment. Of course that's what she had been referring to. Yunho felt his cheeks flame a little at embarrassing himself like that; stating the obvious.

“So then he was that boy at your apartment the other night then?” she continued, sounding almost relieved.

“Yes he was. Mother, how do you know he was here the other night?” he inquired, something about the comment making him feel very nervous all of a sudden.

“Why from Seohyun of course! She came round to see me the other day, such a sweet girl. She'll make such a lovely bride. She was so worried about you; all alone in the city like that.”

“I'm not alone, I have Jaejoong with me.” Yunho stated calmly.

“Yes, but she didn't know that, now did she? You never call or tell anyone what you're doing, how were we to know you were no longer alone? Anyway, seeing Jaejoong in your apartment gave her quite a fright. Honestly Yunho, why would you let someone who wanders around the apartment , stay with you?” she enquired, but he could tell the comment was rhetorical.

Even so, he couldn't resist the need to respond to what she was saying, “He was only half and that was because he'd just come out of the bathroom.”

He felt her narrow her eyes at him, and said nothing at the non-verbal chastisement. “She was so worried about you, she came to me in tears. She was afraid you'd become gay or something.”

“We've been over this before, mother. You don't become gay, you either are, or you aren't. And I told you I am gay several years ago. It's not going to change any time soon.” he sighed, raising another slice of his toast to his lips, though the food had long since lost it's flavour since he started talking with his mother.

“Yes, yes, Yunho. I haven't exactly forgotten you destroying all our hopes and dreams for your future, and nearly killing your father. But you only think you're gay. You're young; you're inexperienced. You have no idea what you are or what you like, once you get some experience with young ladies like Seohyun, I'm sure you'll see this was all just a phase you were going through in your youth. It's nothing to be ashamed about.” his mother informed him.

Yunho considered telling her that he'd already had more than enough experience for his liking, of both es, but decided a comment like that wasn't worth the minute amount of satisfaction it would bring him. Besides, his mother didn't need to know about his life; be it past or present.

“I see, so you were worried I was acting upon my 'youthful notions' and would become convinced of my homouality, and you just wanted to call and make sure that hadn't happened. Is that right?” Yunho pushed, getting a little tired of these sorts of conversations. He always seemed to end up getting into these sorts of discussions with his mother, and he'd long since learned that arguing with her would get him no where.. It was much easier just to be passive-aggressive about the whole thing; nod along with her, and then go straight back to doing what he wanted i.e. exactly the opposite.

“Pretty much. Ah I'm glad that it was just that Jaejoong boy. I'll never understand what you see in him.” his mother commented idly.

Yunho's gaze narrowed, though he couldn't see anything around him, too absorbed by that comment. For some reason he couldn't quite identify, the thought that Jaejoong staying with Yunho was in some way a relief, annoyed him. This was the boy he'd been fascinated by for over 10 years, the one he'd cherished so much, for longer than he cared to think about. Even after he'd stopped being with Jaejoong, he'd kept a watchful eye over the other boy. He even chose to come to the same university as the other boy, against his family's wishes, just so that he could be near him. How could it be a good thing that the two of them were living together? How could it be good for his relationship with Seohyun for him to be living with Jaejoong?

“Jaejoong is a lovely person, mother. I like him a lot, and I don't think you should talk so disparagingly of him to me.” he warned cautiously. His mother didn't need to know the particulars of his feelings towards the effeminate older boy; that was his business. She did need to have something messing up the careful plans she'd decided he would have to live up to.

This was the modern day and age, and he was his own person. He may have been a filial son, but that didn't mean he had to sacrifice every aspect of his life up to his parent's control. He could tolerate them doing this in so many areas of his life but not with this; not with his love life, and definitely not with Jaejoong.

“I know he's your friend, Yunho. All I'm saying is that Seohyun has much more appealing qualities to her, and she's definitely more attractive than Jaejoong. It's simple common sense; she's a girl and he's a boy.”

“Yeah, and your son is gay.” Yunho blurted out, a little frustrated by the brick wall of denial he was encountering, known as his mother. He just wanted to say something that would get to her; something that she couldn't reinterpret. He just wanted to shake things up; he wanted to do or say something that would finally stun her into backing off with this whole Seohyun matter.

He wanted to be like Jaejoong.

“This is all old ground, Yunho. You've already told me that a hundred times, you don't have to worry I haven't forgotten about this whole thing. But as you said, he's just staying with you. You told Seohyun he was your room mate. There's nothing for me to be concerned about is all that I'm saying.

“You think so? Well I'm sorry to inform you that Jaejoong also happens to be my boyfriend.” he spat, before hanging up the phone. He'd heard his mother falter, before he put down the phone. He smirked in triumph at finally having managed to one-up the woman. He took a pleased bite from his toast, but it was only then that the words he'd just said finally sunk in.

Oh .