Life has always been this complicated. Jaejoong knew that at least. No matter what step he decided to take, he knew there would be consequences awaiting him at the end, be it good or bad. Most of his decisions had turned out positively, allowing him to move further and forward. However, obstacles too existed for a reason. Jaejoong hadn’t been too lucky to win over fate a few years back. And because of one mistake he didn’t make, his world has now changed. But no, it wasn’t just a mistake. It was a clear offense, a crime that involved another person’s innocent life. And he was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.

But time has served as a medicine for him. He was able to forgive and let go. He has learned to put that certain event behind him and forced himself to move forward. It won’t do him any good dwindling over matters that didn’t want to be solved. It will remain within him as a bitter memory and nothing more. It was better this way.

However, as much as he wanted to keep it behind him, fate clearly didn’t want the same. An influential person came up to him one day offering a bargain that tempted him in a way, leaving him no room to decline. Maybe previously, he rejected the idea of pursuing his wish to catch the real killer because of his lack in resources and proper connections. After all, he did just got out of prison with an ‘ex-convict’ clearly printed on his forehead. But with this person’s offer, he might just get his wish after all, a chance to clean his name finally, even though he might not be as hopeful and as determined as he was before. In the end, he said yes to the man in the hope that this will give a positive impact to his life, and not worsen it. He also hoped that committing to be the man’s bodyguard for the rest of his life in exchange to this was worth it.

It was just another day at work for him as he followed the man around everywhere he went. He didn’t have to give much effort to perform in his task since the name Shim Changmin itself seemed to scare people off. But Jaejoong knew that there was a certain organization that wants his employer dead. Even if he was serving as a back up, his presence was still essential for Changmin. There must be a perfectly good reason for Changmin to get himself involved in Jaejoong’s past. If this is the price that Changmin was willing to pay just to have the best-trained military officer to protect him, the situation must’ve been really serious than what Jaejoong would have thought.

Jaejoong stood at the corner with his hands loosely holding onto each other in front of him, watching and taking in every detail that was served in the private room before him. Changmin is currently on a business meeting and was discussing some matters over a huge table with a few other old men. He pretended not to listen into the details of their discussion although he had to be honest; he can hear every single word of it. Jaejoong was the only exception that Changmin has allowed, and all his business partners have learned to deal with Jaejoong being there with them. After all, Jaejoong was forced to sign a confidentiality agreement on his very first day at work after the longest five years in prison. He wouldn’t want to spend even another second in that dreadful place. He would rather play deaf and stupid.

When it finally ended, and all those old men stood up to leave, Jaejoong immediately bowed down in respect, but received no returning gesture from either of them. He felt annoyed inside but he kept with his flat expression as long as he could.

“One of them knows who you are,” Changmin told him when they were finally alone in the room. “He warned me to get rid of you because of your history.”

“Then maybe you should get rid of me. I might be dangerous after all.”

Changmin’s chuckled echoed. “I’m not stupid, Kim Jaejoong. As keen as you were, I hate to see the real bad guy get away with such a horrible crime. We’re mutually benefiting each other now.”

“And are we done here?” Jaejoong asked, diverting the issue at hand. “We should leave now. It’s nearly lunch hour and it won’t be easy not to get spotted then.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Jaejoong escorted the tall man out of the building and safely into the back of his car. The driver nodded at his signal and they left the restaurant towards their next destination.

“And by the way,” Changmin began after a moment of silence. “The man that wants you out of my circle is none other than your best friend’s father. Or should I say, ex-best friend?”

He flinched at the mention of a person who hasn’t contacted him in the longest time. After he was sentenced for the crime that he didn’t commit, Park Yoochun simply disappeared from his world. Jaejoong was a very loyal friend, and to see that his own best friend turned his back on him just because he messed up at work was very disheartening. He was extremely disappointed.

Kim Jaejoong and Park Yoochun had known each other even before they entered military. It was a coincidence that they got in together, and it could even be fate that they became partners later. The long years that they spent with each other and the hardships that they got through together had blossomed to become a very close friendship. They were inseparable and nearly invincible when being on duty together. The amount of trust that they had for each other was indescribable that they made such a good and the most envied team.

Because of their continuous success and reliably increasing work performance, and on top of them being listed as the best-trained officers in the military squad, they were chosen to serve a unique task that required them to protect a specific client from any forms of danger. Usually the police would be called up for such tasks, but since the client is a police officer himself, they needed to provide him a better protection. At least one that doesn’t have direct contact with the client’s workstation, because no one can be trusted. And besides, this client isn’t any ordinary citizen of the nation. Jung Yunho was the son of the current mayor at that time, so only the military was qualified to provide such protection.

Both Jaejoong and Yoochun became ecstatic as soon as they found out that they were the chosen ones. Not only will they get the extra allowances for the job, they’d also be able to expand their horizons and work in a different atmosphere. Jaejoong could still remember the night they had celebrated after being told the good news. This could only mean that the higher departments are in favour of them. Their future ahead was bright and wide. And Jaejoong was grateful that he had someone to share his contentment with, a companion that understands that feeling, because he should be feeling the exact same way too.

They became great teammates while performing their duty. Since they already understood each other, it was easier for them to come up with brilliant strategies. They were efficient, and Jung Yunho was pleased to have them as his protectors. While being trained under the same squad, Jaejoong and Yoochun specialized under different aspects of combat and surviving. Jaejoong was more of the mastermind and he liked to work behind the covers, whereas Yoochun was an open-field specialist, and he liked to dirty his hands on everything. It was a perfect match and it helped Jung Yunho to survive in this world much longer.

“I heard that Yoochun had fled the country a few years ago,” Changmin spoke again, cutting Jaejoong’s thoughts short. “Is he really that much of a sissy to run away from the truth?” He laughed, but in an unpleasant way.

“You have no right to downgrade a person to such an extent,” Jaejoong retorted.

“Still loyal I see?” Changmin smirked. “Boy, you really need to open your eyes. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, Kim Jaejoong. Open your eyes and grow up.”

“Even if your world is similar to that, it doesn’t mean that mine have to be,” Jaejoong spoke bitterly. “Remind me again why I agreed to stick with you like this,” he said, totally annoyed.

“It’s because you still hold grudge for the one who framed you,” Changmin said simply. “You’re a good man, Jaejoong. I’m just here to look out for you while I can get you to look out for me too. And you should thank me soon because I’ve found out what really happened five years ago.”

Jaejoong’s eyes bulged at the last statement. His eyes scanned the other man’s face to read the truth out of him, and he wasn’t lying, but his lips blurted otherwise. “You’re kidding me.”

“I’ll brief it to you later. We’re here. Bring my briefcase along. I need the whole stack of documents for this one.”

Jaejoong nodded and went to fetch the metal bag. He followed Changmin closely into the building and never once lifted his face that was hidden behind his shades. His knew well that his senses and instincts were much quicker and sharper than his eyesight. He just didn’t want other people to recognise who he was. He didn’t want rumours to float around again, especially not the negative ones. He was keen on keeping a low profile from then on.

After it was said, Jaejoong couldn’t get his mind off the matter. Changmin did promise to help him find the real killer, but he didn’t expect him to be this fast. It seemed that the right connections could really bring you where you wanted to be. Jaejoong became anxious inside, and more alert of his surroundings. To know that he was one step closer to redeeming his good name was putting him at the edge of his seat.

When the day has finally ended, they returned to Changmin’s home feeling worn out and exhausted. It was normal for Changmin to feel exhausted after a long day at work since he needed to use a lot of brain power in all those meeting he had attended. It shouldn’t be as bad for Jaejoong since all he had to do is stand around and focus. With all the trainings he once received from the military, he should be able to last days without food, but the five years he spent in prison had taken its toll on his initial ability. He gets tired more easily these days. Maybe everything else in him was deteriorating too, he wasn’t sure. But he hoped that he would regain all of them back by the time he comes face-to-face with his mortal enemy, the one who dared to accuse him of the crime he did not commit. He swore to crush that person to dust until he can see daylight no more.

“They say you were the closest to Jung Yunho, is that true?” Changmin asked while he was loosening his tie and took it off before throwing it to one of his maids. He took off his jacket next, and ed his shirt revealing a line of skin going down to his navel.

“I won’t say that I was the closest to him in that way. But he preferred me to be the one to protect him at a close proximity. So Yoochun ended up taking charge of everything around us. It was like creating a double barrier. If people could get pass Yoochun, then I need to be even more alert of the situation.”

“And that was the stupidest thing for you to do, did you know?” Changmin mocked and smirked.

“Was it?”

“You were played right under your nose, soldier,” he laughed. “But we can’t really blame you there, can we? He was your best friend, and your partner. It looks like you have been betrayed by the one who you’ve trusted the most.”

“Why are you dragging Yoochun into this mess? He has done nothing but become a great partner that I could ever ask for.”

Changmin shook his head to the sides in sympathy. “Then why is he not here now when you’re finally a free man. Why did he leave this country the day you were supposed to be sentenced to death? Why wasn’t he there to back you up and insist that you’re innocent? Why, Jaejoong? Huh? Why?”

Jaejoong was tongue-tied.

“You’ve put your trust in the wrong person, Jaejoong, because believe it or not, my sources concluded that he’s the one you’ve been looking for.”

“You’re lying,” Jaejoong barked, even though he saw no signs of it on Changmin’s face. In fact, Changmin had never lied to him.

“Why would I lie? I still need you as my bodyguard for as long as I live, so I need to make this worth it for the both of us. We’re helping one another here, are we not?”

“You’re lying,” Jaejoong insisted between gritted teeth, but the truth was slowly sinking in. “Show me the proof. How could you be so sure? You have no right to accuse an innocent person of a crime he did not commit!”

“Oh, he did it alright. And it’s such a long story. But I’m so tired. I’m going to bed now,” Changmin said and left the room to go upstairs.

The night was too silent for Jaejoong and he found himself unable to sleep despite his effort of counting the sheep to thousands. The words of Shim Changmin was bothering his mind so much, but even more than that, he felt that there was something very wrong with the house tonight.

Following his instincts, he got out of bed wearing only his wife-beater and grey sweatpants. He walked to several parts of the house to make sure that everything was still in place. The alarm hasn’t gone off, so it wouldn’t be that someone did break in. But his guts were telling him otherwise. It was almost as if he could smell a wolf from another pack roaming around in his territory. Jaejoong hissed.

He made a run upstairs to check on the one who he was supposed to be guarding. He pushed open the door to Changmin’s bedroom slowly, only to be greeted by angry whispers and groans.

“,” he immediately made a dive inside and attacked the stranger who had his arm locked around Changmin’s neck, attempting to block the air from getting to his lungs. But the stranger noticed his grand entrance beforehand and lunged backwards, reflexively avoiding his attack, pulling his hostage with him and nearly breaking Changmin’s neck.

“Yoochun?!!” Jaejoog’s heart jolted in surprise as soon as he saw the face of the stranger. “What are you doing, release him!”

“Hi there, old friend,” Yoochun bid and let his lips curve up into a smirk. “You look good.”

“What does that supposed to mean? Let him go.”

“I told you, Jaejoong. You wouldn’t lis--” Changmin tried to speak but the grip around his neck was tightened and he felt like fainting. Yoochun had put all his strength into the grip, and he’s a really strong man at that.

“Shut up,” Yoochun hissed and turned his gaze upon Jaejoong once again. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Jae. How have you been?”

“Cut the crap and get to the point, Yoochun. What’s going on?”

“This?” Yoochun pointed at the obvious. “Well, consider this as our unique bonding time.”

“A**hole,” Changmin squeaked with the voice that he had left.

“Let him go, Yoochun. You’re suffocating him,” Jaejoong warned him. He prepared himself into a fighting position and wished that he had brought some sort of weapon with him when he decided to get out of bed just now.

“That is, however, the exact point of why I’m holding him like this,” Yoochun smirked.

“Why are you behaving this way, huh? What happened to the Yoochun that I once knew?”

“That Yoochun is gone now, alright? I need to get rid of witnesses and so I’m here to eliminate him for what he now knows,” Yoochun said referring to Changmin and the fact that his secret has leaked. “And with you being here with us, isn’t it just ironic? Don’t it remind you of a particular event of our past?”

Jaejoong hissed and grunted. It took all of his self-control not to jump onto Yoochun and twist his neck, because he was more capable of doing so if he wants to. Jaejoong was quicker than Yoochun, although Yoochun was stronger despite his frail-looking body.

“How did you even get in here?” Jaejoong asked angrily.

“I used my head, silly. It’s not hard at all to break the security code. Or perhaps, it was too easy for me to break the annoying alarm box.”

Changmin groaned at the insult, but managed to speak nothing more. He was slowly fainting.

“Yoochun, please. You don’t have to do this.”

“And what? Risk the both of you taking me to face justice. There’s no way in hell I’m going to allow that,” Yoochun spat. He now reached to his back and pulled out a blade that twinkled under the moonlight. He harshly placed it under Changmin’s defined jaw. “Any last words, Shim?”

Changmin managed to mouth out a ‘Go.To.Hell.’ at Yoochun before struggling to break free one last time. Seeing the danger before him, Jaejoong forced his mind to work at top speed. So it was true that Yoochun played a huge role in getting his name dirtied during their last mission together. As much as he didn’t want to believe, the proof was right there in front of him. He was torn between saving his best friend and bringing him back into the light, or just fight him right then and there and leave it to God to decide on who was more worthy to live on.

After inhaling a very deep breathe, Jaejoong dashed forward and aimed to kick the blade off Yoochun’s hand first. He then jumped behind Yoochun, pulled his hair and gripped around the man’s neck just as tight. Yoochun was stunned at Jaejoong’s renewed speed.

“Let him go or I swear I will kill you with my own bare hands,” Jaejoong threatened into his ear.

Yoochun managed to laugh at this. “You’re only adding more kills into your resume, my friend.”

“I don’t care. There’s enough evidence at my disposal this time. Release him.”

Slowly, Yoochun loosened his grip on Changmin’s neck. But Changmin was already too weak from the lack of oxygen and his body fell limply to the floor, half-conscious.

“Now it’s between you and me,” Jaejoong declared and let go of his hold on Yoochun’s neck. Yoochun immediately took advantage and attempted to knock Jaejoong’s head with his elbow, only to have him dive under it. Yoochun grunted and released a few punches onto Jaejoong’s abdomen, which Jaejoong missed to evade this time. He coughed out blood. “Damn it.”

Yoochun smiled, pleased. Jaejoong didn’t stop to react and released a few solid punches at Yoochun as well. He made sure to hit all the weak points he knew on Yoochun’s body, and finished his combo with a powerful side-kick onto his face. But Yoochun managed to hold it back with his left arm. “Damn, you’re faster than you were before. You never failed to surprise me, Jae.”

Jaejoong chuckled and went back to his defensive stance. “I guess being locked up between four walls can heighten your senses to lengths unimaginable. You should try it; it’s a new type of training mode,” Jaejoong muttered sarcastically.

Both of them were running out of breathe from the fight. Both were equally matched and neither party seemed to be able to get on top of the other. There might be no winner for tonight, and even if there was, it will be at the price of the other’s life.

“Let’s stop this nonsense, Yoochun,” Jaejoong suddenly suggested in the middle of their action. His chest went up and down rapidly as he was heaving as much air as possible to recover his breath. Yoochun was just as exhausted. Sweat trickled down their faces, but neither of them was going to give in. “I know there’s more good in you. Don’t destroy yourself like this. How long are you going to be this way, killing every person that finds out what you’ve done five years ago?”

“I can keep this up for however long I want.”

“I’m your best friend, Yoochun. I still care for you despite the lie you have told the world about me.”

“I told you I’m not that Yoochun anymore!” he screamed and dived behind Jaejoong’s back to retrieve something that had just re-entered his sight. It was the blade that Jaejoong had kicked away. Jaejoong instinctively ducked, but the sharp blade managed to leave a cut on his face. Yoochun wasn’t stopping and continued to stab aimlessly.

“It was such a perfect plan!” Yoochun shouted in frustration. “All I needed to do was kill Jung Yunho,” he stabbed. “They would give me the money,” he stabbed again. “And make all the evidence point towards you!” he continued to stab with each sentence, while Jaejoong continued to evade it. “If only that damned Kim Junsu didn’t in and spared you from the death sentence,” he made another stab attempt, “the truth would’ve died along with you!”

Jaejoong involuntarily recalled the day when it all happened. And Yoochun took this opportunity to attack, and the blade finally pierced through his skin, and into his lungs.

“Aha!” Yoochun shouted. “Beg me not to twist the blade, dear friend,” Yoochun chuckled in triumph.

“If you twist yours, I will twist mine,” another voice appeared between them, and Yoochun turned around only to be greeted by a solid punch and something else that painfully sipped through his flesh. Changmin has awakened.

Amidst the momentary confusion, Yoochun’s body started to limp and his hand accidentally twisted the blade that was inside Jaejoong’s chest, causing the man to hiss in pain. However, Jaejoong’s focus was on his friend, who had been stabbed with a pocketknife, which went right through his artery. He felt his breath hitched.

“I’m sorry, Jae. I had to protect your life first,” Changmin told him. “I value my life more than Yoochun’s, and so you have to live to protect me. Don’t you dare die on me,” Changmin hastily said while punching on the speed dial.

“How did you know it was him?” Jaejoong managed to ask while trying to keep awake.

“He wasn’t as smart as you think. The rifle that you happen to be using that day was one of the custom made military weapon. Even if the bullet used is the same, the impact of the shooting will still be different. If it had been you who shot him, the bullet would’ve went through Yunho’s skull. Bit it didn’t come out the other end, so clearly it had been shot using another ordinary rifle. I made your weapons, so I should know the details. And besides, the only other person who had direct access to the arsenal back then was Yoochun, so it just had to be him. You’ve seen it yourself, he admitted to it like it was nothing.”

“You could’ve let me take his life using my own hands,” Jaejoong spoke bitterly. “That is if need be. He had been a good friend to me.”

“Tch.. You’re still defending him now? You should be grateful that he’s dead.”

“You have no idea how much I value another person’s life.”

“Stop talking,” Changmin insisted and helped Jaejoong to lie down more comfortably while waiting for the right persons to fix him. “I won’t let you die on me.”

Jaejoong managed to chuckle. “It’s only fair this way. I killed my best friend, and Jung Yunho.”

“Nonsense! You’re the best soldier I’ve ever seen working for the military in years. Now get a grip and focus on living!”

Jaejoong smiled despite the pain. He soon found it difficult to breathe, and Changmin was starting to freak out. They didn’t dare to remove the blade because it will only worsen the bleeding. Jaejoong wished that he could surrender his life right then, but the overly concerned look on Changmin’s face was making him decide otherwise. Changmin had done this much for him, and the least he could do was to give something worthy in return. He made the promise to protect him until the end of his life, and so he should. He decided to close his eyes and rest for a moment. He didn’t realize when all the conscious left him, but he soon fainted and never quite saw the light again.

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Sorry for the delay. This might not have turned out the way I wanted it to be, but I hope it's still good, in some ways at least. Hope you enjoyed this one-shot, and thanks for waiting! :)