Trust (Kim Jaejoong and Shim Changmin) - not a

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.

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