A:N/ Ah I noticed alot of people seem to....dislike what's happening in this story (i.e. the last chapter), but if I may I think I should take this chance to reassure everyone that in the end, yunjae will prevail! I know the relationship between Yunho and Mrs Park may be a little...extreme... But you've all seen just how caring and affectionate Yunho and Jaejoong are with one another, and were wondering what was keeping them apart... with how much Yunho cares for Jaejoong, there needed to be something extreme keeping them apart, or else you'd probably see their relationship as shallow (since they could be kept apart so easily, their feelings for one another must not be as genuine as they claim, that sort of thing)... at least that's how I thought of it anyway, so I'm sorry if it alarmed you, but I promise things will work out in the end (I love happy endings) but I wanted the story to have something...intense going on as well... something serious and dark to counteract all the fluffy feelings between Yunho and Jaejoong, to complicate things... I hope everyone can still find a way to enjoy the chapter, and maybe see the darkness of the relationship between Yunho and Mrs Park as a kind of counterpoint to the sweetness and innocence and genuine affections shared between Yunho and Jaejoong...something to rally against, while waiting for a happily ever after, maybe? At the very least, couldn't it count as an interesting plot twist? Sorry for rambling... This chapter is a little bit longer, to make up for it... Try to enjoy, ne? I'd hate to see people stop reading, stuck with the last chapter in their minds, never knowing (never reading) that everything worked out okay in the end. Yunjae forever!

- -

Jaejoong wasn't sure what to make of Yunho when he returned. His whole form seemed to radiate negative feelings. He'd known Yunho hadn't been looking forward to the evening; he knew he'd said it would be awful but that didn't quite seem to explain what Jaejoong was sensing from the other boy. He seemed almost deflated; like everything in his life served no purpose anymore.

He'd floated towards Jaejoong that evening, but he seemed to remain a little distant. As though he wanted to get close to him, but not too close for some reason. He would've liked to offer the younger man some sort of comfort, but he seemed so distant, he doubted he'd be able to make anything better without knowing what had happened. But the younger man was so distant, he suspected Yunho would refuse to tell him what was wrong, even if he were to ask.

Jaejoong was full of confused empathy for the younger man, over what had clearly been an awful evening, but then he spotted something. He wasn't sure the other man even realised it was there, but with his keen sense of eyesight, or else his obsessive attention to detail about Yunho, he caught sight of some details that just didn't quite make sense.

There was a slightly wrinkled appearance to the other man's clothes. Even if his mother had picked him up and shaken him like a rag doll, the marks wouldn't have looked the same. They were in the wrong places. Perhaps he'd had someone locked in a passionate embrace. That thought hurt him a little, but he tried to disregard it as irrational.

Yunho had said that he was going to a family dinner, not a date. He wouldn't have been intimately embracing anyone in his family, in such a way as to cause those sorts of creases; surely. But that pain, only doubled, as it was coupled with a sense of betrayal and an unidentifiable ache seemingly from deep within himself as he spied the very obvious marks that had been left on the other man's neck, just below his ear.

He wanted to tell himself he felt betrayed because Yunho had lied to him about where he was going. That it was because he was annoyed that Yunho was prepared to risk giving away their false relationship because he couldn't keep his hands off of some girl. But he knew such reasons would have been excuses. It just hurt that Yunho was with someone else, and there was nothing Jaejoong could really say to stop him from doing it.

That any excuses he managed to come up with for why Yunho shouldn't do it, wouldn't erase the fact that he wanted to. Wouldn't change the fact that Yunho desired some random girl; wanted them, in a way that he'd never want Jaejoong himself, despite pretending to be his boyfriend.

All of that hurt enough as it was, but why did Yunho have to be so secretive about it all? Why couldn't he tell Jaejoong the truth? Why did he feel the need to keep secrets from him like this? Why didn't he trust Jaejoong enough to be honest with him, about where he was going?

It took everything Jaejoong had not to give Yunho a smart remark, when the younger man told him he was going out for coffee with Changmin again; making sure to notify him so the older man wouldn't get jealous again. Except his earlier betrayal had stung too deeply for such simple concerns now.

Before, betrayal had only been a possibility, now it was a certainty.

- -

He had to jog into the coffee shop this time, not at all certain that Changmin would still be waiting for him, given how late he was.

Changmin's gaze flickered up to him as he approached him, this time apparently having purchased himself a slice of carrot cake, to taste it. Yunho eyed the harmless slice suspiciously as he passed, to get to his seat. “That's new.” he stated simply, flopping into his spot.

Changmin didn't even have to look up to know what Yunho was referring to. “I've heard it's nice to try new things.” was his easy response, bringing a forkful to his lips the moment after he spoke.

Yunho paused for a moment, observing his brother's face to see if he'd give any indications of how it tasted, but his face remained impassive. Clearly Changmin was in a serious mood today. “Well, is it nice?”

Changmin wrinkled his nose in thought, his lips after he swallowed the bite of cake. “Not particularly. But it prevented me from leaving you here. You're late again.”

Yunho rolled his eyes slightly, “I know, you don't need to remind me. It's just.... I've got a feeling today is not going to be a good day. The bit of it I've already experienced has , I think I'd prefer to skip it all.” before rolling his neck in an attempt to crack it. Yunho tended to do that after a bad sleep, in an attempt to keep himself awake. A cracked joint, felt like a shot of caffeine straight into his veins.

“Why is something telling me to expect that part of what's so bad about today has to do with you promising to explain what's going on with Mrs Park and what I missed last night?” he questioned idly, gaze boring into his older brother as he spoke.

“Because it is. This is bad enough without having to explain it piece by piece. Then as if last night wasn't bad enough, Jaejoong's been acting all weird ever since I got back...” he whined, slumping forward onto the cafe table. “Everything just....” he huffed.

“Would you prefer to take our discussion elsewhere then? This place is a bit... crowded.” Changmin offered sympathetically. “Please.” Yunho whimpered; melodramatic as always. Clearly he couldn't be that bad off, if he was able to act like this. The few times anything had gone really bad, Yunho always drew himself up, and acted like the mature adult Changmin knew he could be.

Melodrama was for less serious incidents.

In a way he'd been glad that Yunho had come late. It had given him enough time to finish his coffee before the older man arrived. Now he just picked up his slice of cake and he was good to go. He had to wonder if he was psychic or something, since he'd failed to order Yunho's coffee like usual; he'd just had a feeling that they wouldn't be staying long.

- -

The two boys ended up wandering along the streets, heading towards Yunho's university. He'd complained to Changmin about being made to go to university on a weekend, but he'd made no moves to change their direction. Changmin loved coming onto the university campus whenever Yunho bothered to take him, not that you could tell that from his appearance. Besides, it was the only place they were going to find where they could sit and talk privately on a weekend in the city.

The grounds were very pretty anyway. At the edge of the campus closest to the coffee shop they'd been in at the time, there was a large garden. The garden, as it was called, actually consisted of a large patch of green grass, with trees dotting the outside. It was open for anyone to enter, through a large, decorated iron gate, and there was a large pond complete with swans to break up the fairly boring image.

Usually, during the warmer days, there would be couples and the occasional group of friends all over the place, enjoying the warmth and the open space. But today there was almost no one around.

That suited the brothers fine, who took a seat on the lush green grass near the pond. They were both wearing jeans, so they would only be able to stay in that location for so long before they started getting hot, but at least the material protected them from the sharp spikes of the grass blades, and the possibility of being bitten by ants as they sat and talked.

They sat in silence for a moment, Yunho taking the opportunity to look around for a moment, before his gaze fell back on his younger brother, who had gotten out that slice of carrot cake once more, and had started nibbling on it, disinterestedly.

He shot his brother an amused glance, “I thought you said you didn't like that cake?”

Changmin gave his brother a cursory glance, before returning his sight to the lake. “I did.” he agreed, easily.

“Then why did you bring it with you, and start eating it?” Yunho demanded, clearly seeing his brother's words and actions to be inconsistent.

Changmin shrugged, not really putting too much thought into the matter. “Because I'm hungry.”

“We could go get you something else you do like if you're hungry.” Yunho objected, with a smile.

Changmin took the time to ponder that idea for only a second before he dismissed it with a wave. “But I already have cake.”

Yunho was about to respond to the comment, but a sharp look from his younger brother killed the words about to come forth. “You're stalling.” he considered trying to deny it, but it would have been pointless. “I am.” he admitted, the acknowledgement stealing some of his momentary good cheer.

“If you explain this whole Mrs Park thing to me, I think I could hazard a guess what's got Jaejoong so unhappy with you.” he suggested, the proposition intended to make the explanation Yunho had to give him seem a little less frustrating. Yunho wanted to glare at his brother, or rebuff the offer, for thinking that Jaejoong was his weak spot; that one mention of the other boy would be enough to make him give in to anything anyone else asked of him.

But Jaejoong was his weak spot. Him and Changmin of course.

“If I tell you, do you promise to save your whole 'I'm a big boy' speech?” Yunho asked, tone much smaller, and more hopeful than he'd wanted it to be. He hated to appear small in front of Changmin. He loved the younger boy, but he was doing all this in the first place to protect him. Protectors were supposed to be all big and strong; they didn't sound small and weak and pitiful.

Changmin disliked it when Yunho would try and get him to promise things before he had any idea what to expect. He was a man of his word, but as a result he liked knowing what he was giving his word about before he gave it to anyone. He sighed, suspecting his brother, who already clearly didn't want to talk about it with him, might be very stubborn about this point. “I make no promises, but you acknowledging that I may give you that speech, tells me that you don't need reminding, and as such might prevent me from repeating it.” he finally stated, taking another bite of his cake, while gesturing with his hands for his brother to start speaking already.

Yunho huffed, knowing that he couldn't hope for more from his younger brother. He had kind of hoped that Changmin would allow him to kill a little bit more time by enabling him to squabble with him over the relatively unimportant comment. He'd been keeping all of this a secret for years, and he'd done a very good job of it. He hadn't needed to mention any of it to anyone before now, and the only reason Changmin was asking was because of how protective he'd been of Jaejoong; because he'd been terrified of Jaejoong finding out about it all.

He loved Jaejoong. He knew he wasn't good enough for Jaejoong. He didn't need Jaejoong to hear the reason why as well. He didn't want to see the look of disappointment on his face when he'd discovered Yunho's dirty little secret, no matter the reasons behind it.

“She... Mrs Park has been blackmailing me...” he stated, haltingly. He wasn't sure how to phrase what was going on. This was the first time he was saying it to anyone, and he didn't want to express it wrong. He'd thought about it plenty of times. But he'd experienced it all; he couldn't misinterpret what was going on; what had been going on. Changmin didn't have the benefit of his experience, and so he had to be careful about the way he said everything, to ensure the younger boy would understand what had really been happening all these years.

Changmin's gaze didn't seem to change at his admission. His brother had the best poker-face he'd ever seen on someone their age, so it didn't come as a big surprise to him. His gaze moved from the lake, to settle on his older brother's form. He sighed, before asking, “How long?”

“A few years now. It started when I was 15 or 16.” He admitted. The years he was talking about, seemed so long ago now, but the numbers stung his throat as they passed his lips. Despite how much time had passed since then, the numbers themselves sounded so young to him. Too young.

“What does she want from you?” Changmin queried. Of course that would be the younger man's next concern, Yunho thought, slightly amused despite himself. Changmin was practical; always had been. But then, he might have asked to avoid the next question, that was undoubtedly blazing in his mind right now.

“.” he answered easily. He had thought the word would have been harder to get out. He cared about Changmin and they were about the same age, but they didn't really talk about it. It seemed too awkward; too intimate and private. In their home, where strict formality was to be adhered to at all times; such matters had no place. He supposed they were left quite sheltered by their home life.

That would change once they lived together; he would ensure he was there for Changmin, and that they would talk openly about everything. included. He didn't want his brother to end up in a bad situation because he'd never had anyone talk to him about the uncomfortable things before; just another way Yunho planned on protecting Changmin.

Changmin shuffled about slightly, though whether it was from the mention of the word or because of the idea of his older brother being blackmailed for by a family friend, he wasn't sure. Still he didn't say anything in response to Yunho's comment. Again Yunho was struck by how mature his baby brother was, and the unexpected question of whether or not Changmin had actually had yet entered his mind. He'd have to ask him, some time.

It seemed as though Changmin was struggling with whether or not he should say something, and Yunho knew what was coming. He shut his eyes, in order to brace himself for the question. He'd been so worried about the day Changmin found out about this, ever since it had started. He wasn't uninformed. He'd watched that movie “10 Things I Hate About You”. He'd seen the argument between the sisters. The elder sister had kept something secret from her younger sister, thinking she was protecting her, but it had only hurt the younger sibling to hear that her older sister didn't think she was mature enough to make her own decisions.

He didn't want Changmin to hate him for what he'd done, like the sister had.

“Did you give her what she wanted?” he enquired, the first traces of curiosity inflecting his tone. Yunho observed his brother, not having expected the question. His brother's impassive features met his eyes, but he could see how flustered Changmin was by all of this, in his eyes.

They were like a storm; swirling with various emotions. He couldn't blame his younger brother for not knowing what to do about a situation like this. He was the older brother, and had been dealing with it, for far longer, and he still didn't know how to deal with it. He nodded, unable to find his voice to give him the verbal answer, after meeting his brother's gaze.

Changmin was the only person whose opinion mattered to him in his whole family. Changmin was the only person he considered family. He wanted to protect him from all of this, but he knew Changmin wanted answers from him more than he wanted protection. He'd give Changmin anything he wanted, how could he deny him words?

Changmin's eyes slid closed, as he tilted his head up slightly, as though trying to use gravity to help prevent any tears from spilling down his soft cheeks. Yunho hadn't spied any trace of mistiness in his younger brother's eyes, so he doubted that he was actually going to cry, but with Changmin you could never be sure.

Finally the words tumbled from his lips; the ones Yunho had been expecting to be his last question. It was as though his new position had given Changmin the strength to ask, but he could see the way his younger brother was shaking. He was petrified to hear the answer. “What is she blackmailing you with?”

Yunho wished more than anything that there was a way he could mince his words here. He wished there was a way for the truth to be different; for him not to have to say what he was about to. But Changmin needed to hear the truth; he wanted it, and Yunho couldn't lie to his brother. He'd only managed this long, by avoiding it, but he'd promised himself the day Changmin asked him he would tell him; he didn't want to lie to Changmin. “You.”

Changmin seemed to have been expecting the answer, but it pained him all the same. “How? What did she threaten to do?” Yunho paused, hating the thought of repeating her words to Changmin. Despite everything, he still saw Changmin as his innocent little brother. He felt like he was polluting him just by allowing Changmin to hear about such dark matters. “That depends. The first, and far more common threat she gives me, is that she will, start... using you, like she uses me... I couldn't let her do that to you... I got involved in this mess on my own, but you wouldn't be...I couldn't... just.. no, Minnie...” he mumbled, losing his grasp over whatever he wanted to say. No words that came to mind had sounded right, and so he fumbled with his sentences instead, but Changmin understood him.

Changmin looked so shocked, so appalled that someone had designs on his person and he'd never known. It seemed inconceivable that someone he'd seen so often could have thought out such ideas, much less have wanted to enact them, and he'd never known. It was kind of jarring. Still, Yunho pushed on, knowing he hadn't finished answering his brother's question. “But, ever since I started university...ever since I stopped living with you... she's threatened to take you away from me permanently. She said that she'd tell mother some lie to make her take you away from me, so that I'll never see you again.” he revealed.

“I'll admit the woman's made me feel uneasy, but I didn't think...” Changmin admitted, seemingly blown away by what he'd missed. But he didn't sound angry with Yunho, for which he was grateful. He didn't know how he'd handle Changmin being angry with him for this. “You know, I kind of want to give you that speech, but after finding out what she's been thinking whenever I've seen her in the last 5 years, I'm not so sure I could take care of myself, even if I am a big boy.” Changmin admitted.

“And that's now, when you're a few months away from starting university. She started saying that to me when I was... back then you would have been what 13? 14? I...didn't know how else to protect you.” Yunho confessed.

Changmin nodded, knowing that his brother wasn't looking at him at the moment. He gave him a one-armed hug intended to reassure him, that his younger brother was still there for him. Yunho tried to shrug off the self-pity and the fear that threatened to overwhelm him with these thoughts. “It doesn't matter now. Just a few more months, and you'll move in with me, and we'll never have to worry about her again.” he stated, trying to reassure them both that everything would be okay.

“How is everything going on the university front, by the by?” Yunho queried, trying to move on from their current, heavy discussion. It felt ominous to leave a conversation on such a deep note. He might not have been about to leave yet, but they couldn't spend all day together. It still wasn't safe for them; they'd be able to spend all the time together they liked in a few months time. Currently, there was still the chance that their plans could be ruined if anyone else were to find out about them seeing each other like this.

Changmin took a moment, as though he wasn't quite certain he was prepared to let their previous topic of conversation drop just yet, but if he did think that he thought better of it. “Good. I got my board confirmation letter the other day. It's nothing particularly fantastic. Just says in big letters that my first pick is to come here. As is my second, third, fourth.” Changmin continued, knowing that Yunho got the gist of what he was saying.

Changmin had used up every slot he was allowed to in order to apply for his brother's university. All of his possible degree paths had been specialised sciences, filtering down to rest, lastly, on the shoulders of a plain science degree. The order having been determined by the grades required from the previous year.

Yunho frowned lightly, “I don't remember hearing anything about your entrance exams.” he stated, suspiciously. Changmin gave his brother a grin, “Well you wouldn't. I haven't sat them yet. My exams are in November.”

“Then when do you find out your overall grades?” he questioned, feeling a little foolish for not having been able to recall the dates of these things. He'd only sat his university entrance exams two years previous, so he didn't really have any excuse for having forgotten this stuff. “December.” Changmin answered simply.

“And when do you find out if you got into university?” Yunho questioned. “January.” Changmin finished with a laugh.

Yunho rubbed his head, giving his brother a slight glare. “I expect a message telling me the dates of all of these exams.” he responded sounding childishly annoyed at his brother making fun of him. Changmin had been laughing internally at all of his questions; he just knew it.

“Yah! You promised to tell me why Jaejoong's been acting strange since last night.” Yunho reminded his brother, determined to get his prize. It was only one of a number of his problems at the moment, but it had been weighing most heavily on his mind, despite everything. He could handle anything if he had Jaejoong, but now Jaejoong felt like he was distancing himself from Yunho. That had to be fixed, if he were to have any chance of tolerating any of his other problems, let alone solving them.

Changmin gave his brother a sympathetic look, as he responded “Ah, I'm afraid that might be Mrs Park's fault.” At Yunho's questioning look, he rubbed at a particular spot just below Yunho's right ear, “Haven't you looked in the mirror?” he questioned lightly, but he gave his brother a pat all the same.

Yunho groaned realising that she had clearly left a mark on his neck the previous evening. She'd bitten him far worse in the past, and though those bites had always left marks, he hadn't thought too much about them. They'd always been left in places he could hide by wearing clothing, and besides, that had been before he had Jaejoong.

He felt so guilty as he made his way back to the apartment. He couldn't decide if Jaejoong was acting strangely around him because he thought he had a secret girlfriend he hadn't introduced to him again, or if it was because he thought he'd lied about going to a family dinner the night before.

How was he going to sort this mess out, without having to tell Jaejoong everything?