Shuffling through the cold, windy, and crowded New York City streets, a thin figure wearing dark sunglasses and a hooded jacket tightly clutched his small bag of groceries and quickened his pace. Catching the glance of a female passerby, who flashed him a bright and sweet smile, the man seemed quite flustered and alarmed. Pulling down the hood of his jacket over his eyes and dropping his sight to the sidewalk below him, the man made his way down 32^nd street towards his hotel. Rarely glancing up to make eye-to-eye contact with the multitudes, the man felt not only quite paranoid but very anxious because he had ventured out into the city during the day. As his fear began to grow, the man hastened his pace and rounded the corner towards Korean town.

Within moments he found himself standing before his hotel and quickened his pace as he walked through the lobby doors. The hotel lobby, spacious and beautiful, was normally quite busy, but today it was unusually barren. The man had always loved this hotel. The décor, classic yet modern, reminded him of some romantic chalet or French château, but the floral décor and furnishings reminded him of his favorite places from his homeland. Making his way to the front desk, the young man tightened his grip on the small bag of groceries and gave the desk clerk a soft smile and a calm nod.

“Yes sir? May I help you?” asked the desk clerk with a strong Korean-American accent.

“Do I have any messages?” asked the man.

“Yes Mr. Kim. A large envelope arrived for you earlier.” said the desk clerk.

“Here you go sir.” added the man before he handed him the envelope.

“Thank you.” said Jaejoong as he turned and headed towards the elevators.

Jaejoong felt at ease that he would be going up alone. Since his arrival in the US two weeks ago, he had experienced a few close calls. Staying at a hotel near Korean Town was risky, but with his lacking English skills it was the best place for him right now. He knew that he would be able to communicate with the shop keepers and taxi drivers, and that if he needed anything, he would definitely be able to find it there. However the fact that he was staying in Korean town made it even more dangerous. All it would take is for one fan to recognize him, and the game would be over. Without a doubt, if he was recognized, the Chairman would soon find out where he was hiding.

Usually he wouldn’t have venture out during the day but this time he really had no choice. As the elevator doors opened on the top floor Jaejoong glanced at his watch, noticed the time, and sprinted down the hallway towards his room. When he reached the door he frantically pulled out his room key card and swiped it. Swinging the door open, Jaejoong tossed the envelope on the table and darted down the short hallway towards the back bedroom.

He opened the door and looked at the jumbled pile of blankets and pillows on the bed and sighed deeply. Jaejoong walked over to the side of the bed and put the bag he was carrying on the small bedside table, and reached up to open the blinds of the nearby window slightly. Afterwards, Jaejoong sat softly on the edge of the bed beside Yunho. Looking down at his sleeping friend he flashed a smile and then reached out and gently shook him.

“Yunnie?” whispered Jaejoong “Wake up.”

“Jae?” moaned Yunho before he slowly pulled the covers away from his eyes, revealing his face which looked quite pale.

“How are you feeling?” asked a concerned Jaejoong.

“I’m alright.” coughed Yunho.

“Liar.” teased Jaejoong “I went out and got you medicine and food. I’ll go heat it up.”

“You… You went out on your own and during the day? Are you insane?” questioned Yunho in a sickly voice “You know better!”

“You’re sick! You needed medicine. You haven’t eaten in two days. You need food!” retorted Jaejoong “I had no choice!”

“I can’t take you to the doctor so I had to do something.” sighed Jaejoong.

“But…You could have been recognized!” sighed a frustrated Yunho as he sat up and immediately began to cough again.

“I know but I had to. You know that.” whispered Jaejoong as he reached out patted Yunho’s back. “Breathe Yunnie”

“I’ll be right back so just rest here for a little bit.” smiled Jaejoong as he adjusted Yunho’s pillow and leaned him back. “Stay still and breathe slowly.”

Yunho gave Jaejoong a soft nod as he tried to catch his breath. As Jaejoong left the room he began to think about all that had happened to then lately. For him, the last two weeks had passed by in a haze, but a lot had happed. Even though there were still lingering doubts when it came to trusting Jaejoong, Yunho had followed him from the hospital rooftop and let him lead the way. Jaejoong told him that night that they were supposed to meet up at Junsu’s family home if anything went wrong with the plan. It was always their refuge any time they needed a place to hide. So, he was shocked when Jaejoong then told him that they weren’t going to go there. They got a hotel near Incheon International Airport that night and caught the first morning flight to New York. All that Jaejoong said was, “You have to trust me Yunnie.”

Throughout the entire flight, Jaejoong rarely spoke. His silence during the eighteen hour flight really made Yunho worried. Anytime he would ask a question, his brother would just give short answers like he was deliberately being cold for some reason. Jaejoong’s behavior was so odd for him that Yunho thought he was angry with him. After a while he realized that Jaejoong was being so curt because he himself was worried. He wasn’t mad at Yunho, he was formulating a plan. He was quietly stressing-out about what he was going to do next, to keep them safe and trying to figure out how they were going to fix their situation.

Lost in thought Yunho was surprised when he heard the bedroom door swing open. Jaejoong smiled when his eyes fell upon him. In his hands was a white tray that held a few bowls, a small tea pot, and a cup. Walking over to him, Jaejoong put the tray on the nearby table and grabbed the breakfast tray from the corner of the room. Placing it over Yunho’s lap carefully, he then turned, grabbed the tray of food and placed it in front of him.

“Eat up, but first take this.” smiled Jaejoong as he handed him the medicine.

Yunho took the medicine quickly and took a sip of tea.

“Jasmine?” questioned Yunho.

“Of course.” giggled Jaejoong.

“So what do we have here?” smiled Yunho as he reached up and removed the lid from the bowl in the middle of the tray “Oh, Kimchi stew!”

“It’s one of your favorite’s right?” coyly asked Jaejoong with a smile. “Eat up and then get some rest. I’ll come back and check on you a little later, ok?”

“Ok.” agreed Yunho with a nod.

With that, Jaejoong gave Yunho a wink and headed for the door. As the door closed behind him, Jaejoong let out a soft sigh, He made his way to the living  room, grabbed the envelope he had carelessly tossed on the table earlier, and clutched it to his chest for a moment. “Finally, It’s here.” whispered Jaejoong.

After several hours, Yunho stirred from his slumber. Opening his eyes and glancing out the nearby window, he noticed that the sun had gone down ages ago. Rubbing his eyes as he sat up, he thought about the last few days and sighed. “I made him take care of me again.” thought Yunho as he shook his head in disappointment of his weakened state. He always hated the fact that every time he got sick, Jaejoong would ignore everything and take care of him. It’s not that he wasn’t grateful for Jaejoong’s love and care, but more so the fact that he had to rely on him so often. Looking up at his closed bedroom door, Yunho thought “I wonder where Jae is.”

“I better go check on him.” whispered Yunho as he pulled the blanket away and placed his feet on the cold floor. Pulling himself to his feet, he slowly shuffled towards the door and down the hallway. Entering the living room to find it unusually dark and ominous, Yunho slowly scanned the room to look for Jaejoong. Sleeping across the dark leather sofa, illuminated by a small table lamp, was Jaejoong looking beyond exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept in months. Yunho sighed deeply and shook his head at the sight of his brother. “My poor Jae, he’s so tired.” whispered Yunho. He walked over to the sofa to get a better look and smiled at him. “He always looks like an angel when he sleeps.” he thought.

Reaching up and grabbing the small blanket folded delicately across the back of the sofa, Yunho gently covered up his sleeping brother and carefully sat down on the coffee table. “He’s been working so hard to protect all of us. Then I go do something as stupid as getting sick. Why did I have to do that?” thought Yunho. Jaejoong hadn’t been eating or sleeping much for a while and Yunho felt responsible.

“I’m so useless.” whispered Yunho as he tapped himself on the forehead in a sign of self-disappointment “I have to find a way to help him.”

Glancing down at the table, Yunho noticed a stack of papers sitting on top of an empty envelope. Picking them up, he quickly noticed the crest of their American Lawyers office on the first page, and realized that these papers were the ones Jaejoong had been waiting for. Jaejoong made Yunho promise not to get involved with his plan, to let him take care of everything on his own, however that promise made Yunho feel even more useless. He is their leader, their Hyung, and he was acting like a helpless child when he should be the one doing everything he could for his brothers. Placing the papers on his lap, Yunho laid his right hand on the stack and prayed that these documents would be the savior of them all.  His curiosity began to creep up on him. The internal struggle, on whether or not to continue to trust Jaejoong or allow his curiosity to take over, overwhelmed his mind and heart. He wanted to keep his promise but he also wanted to help. No matter what they may have endured the last four year, no matter how long they had been separated; they were still brothers, still family, and they wanted to protect one another. Yunho slowly began to run his finger over the top edge of the documents as his curiosity started to overcome his reason when he was startled.

“You promised you’d trust me Yunnie.” whispered Jaejoong quietly as he slowly opened his eyes.

“Why can’t I help?” asked Yunho.

“This is something I must do.” answered Jaejoong “Don’t let it worry you anymore.”

Yunho dropped his head and stared at the documents in his lap.

“But…” interjected Yunho.

“Trust me. The plan will work.” added Jaejoong.

“When are you going to tell Su, Minnie, and Chunnie?” asked Yunho after a long drawn-out sigh.

“Soon.” admitted Jaejoong.

“They must be so worried.” whined Yunho “And…after that phone call I’m sure Chunnie is even more worried about us. Do you think he told the others that you called him?”

“No, he wouldn’t dare.” answered Jaejoong “He would never do anything to make them worry more.”

“I’m sure he’s figured out that we have a plan and for now all he needs to do is wait.” he added.

“Are we almost ready?” questioned Yunho softly as he began tear up.

“Almost.” said Jaejoong as he reached out and gently patted Yunho on the knee “Don’t worry.”

“Go back to bed, you need your rest.” ordered Jaejoong “You’re still sick.”

“I’m alright.” defended Yunho.

“Yunnie…” scolded Jaejoong softly.

“Alright but you need to go to bed to.” retorted Yunho “Don’t sleep on the sofa.”

“I promise.” said Jaejoong “Now, go back to bed!”