A/N: I apologize guys. This chapter and the last one were mostly acting as bridges for the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter, none-the-less.
 

SWEET MEMORIES
 

"Oooh Youngbae, Dara will be back tomorrow, are you excited?" Daesung teased his hyung. Minji could tell that he was slightly tipsy, but she couldn't exactly point fingers because she - herself - was now fairly drunk.

"Shut up Dae," Taeyang said as he blushed.

"If it helps, unnie feels the same way about you," Minji revealed and then slapped her hand over as she realized she had spilled Dara's secret. Her unnie was going to kill her.

"Really?" Taeyang asked suddenly and attempted to question her further but Minji shook her head, indicating that there was no way she was saying anything else.

"Come on Mingkki, you can't just leave me with only that....I need a little more to work with, what exactly did she say?"

"Nope, bad oppa, you're not getting anything else out of me," Minji said with a giggle as she hid behind Jiyong and peered out at Youngbae from behind his back.

"You are such a tease," Youngbae complained.

Minji just laughed at that before she leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder and watched Gummy and Dong-wook as they held a serious conversation across the flames from her.

"I'm drunk," Minji confessed and Jiyong laughed at her.

"I figured considering you're spilling all of your secrets to everyone," he said with another laugh as he kissed her.

"Hey," Minji slurred, "I didn't reveal anything private about our relationship, so you should just be thankful."

"Don't you dare," Jiyong warned as he pinched Minji's side playfully and she squealed loudly.

"Jiyong, you are just as bad as Youngbae oppa," Minji accused as she scooped some sand in her hand and threw it at him.

"I'm bad? You just attacked me with sand!" He said back to her as he started to give chase and the two ran around the beach. Minji shrieked every time Jiyong got close until finally he caught her and the two fell to the ground laughing.

"They're so cute," Gummy commented as she looked over at the couple.

"I know," Dong-wook agreed as he kissed the top of Gummy's hand lovingly.

"Remember when we first met?" Gummy asked with a sly smile as she looked over at him.

"How could I forget?" Dong-wook said as he looked around the beach, "This beach reminds me of the one where we met."

"Is that why you wanted to come here tonight?" Gummy asked sweetly.

"That, and I thought Minji deserved to be taken somewhere fun. Although she hasn't complained much yet, it's only a matter of time before she starts craving the things that made her human."

"True," Gummy said sadly, "I still haven't talked to her about not having children. I think on some level she already knows, but it's too difficult of a topic for me to bring up with her."

"Eventually you'll have to," Dong-wook said as he squeezed her hand, "She'll have to face it at some point."

"I know," Gummy agreed, "I just remember how hard it was for me, when I realized it myself."

At that, Dong-wook said nothing. Instead he pulled her closer and placed his head on top of hers.

Minji sighed contently as she and Jiyong laid together on the sand and looked up at the stars. She felt like she could stay like this with him forever.

"It's so beautiful," she commented as she looped her fingers through his.

"I know," he agreed with a smile, "Not as beautiful as you though," he said suddenly and kissed her cheek.

"You're just trying to get some of this," Minji accused as she gestured towards her body and Jiyong laughed loudly.

"I really mean it though," he said seriously and Minji just smiled.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a female voice call her name in the distance. Sitting upright, Minji watched as Bom ran towards her and she could clearly see tears cascading down the other woman's face.

"Bommie, what's wrong?" Minji asked as she immediately stood and braced herself as Bom launched her body into her arms and started sobbing. her hair, Minji whispered soothing words into her ear as Jiyong stood and awkwardly patted Bom's back.

"He broke up with me," Bom sobbed as her shoulders heaved and she squeezed Minji more tightly.

Minji felt starting to burn, but she ignored it and hugged Bom more tightly.

"I'm so sorry, unnie," she said as she continued to the older woman's hair, "Did he say why?"

"No...he didn't really give a clear explanation," Bom said in between sobs, "He said that he really loved me, and that he regretted what he was about to do, but he did it anyway."

Before Minji could respond to that, Bom continued to rant, "If he really loved me, then why would he break up with me?"

"I don't know, unnie, that's so bizarre," Minji said honestly as started to flare up. It felt like someone had lit on fire.

"We had only just gotten back together, too. Things were going so well. It felt like the last time," Bom sobbed, "He said it was better and safer if we broke up. What the hell did he mean by that?"

At that, Minji's eyes widened in surprise and her gaze snapped to Jiyong's, who also looked shocked by that revelation.

"Safer?" Minji asked again.

"Yes," Bom said as she pulled away from Minji and looked up at her, "Do you think, maybe...?" she let her question hang in the air, but both Minji and Jiyong instantly knew what she was referring to.

"I don't think so," Jiyong said honestly, "Didn't you say you ran into him while you were shopping yesterday afternoon?"

"Yeah," Bom agreed. She had seen Junsu yesterday at the mall and he hadn't turned into dust, "But maybe it just happened tonight?" she questioned curiously.

"No, he definitely would have attacked you if that were the case, noona. Something else must be going on," Jiyong suggested helpfully, "SM has been causing a lot of trouble lately," Jiyong stated as his eyes darkened, "Well....at least some of their artists have been, not all of them," he relented.

"What would that have to do with Junsu though?" Minji asked, "Doesn't JYJ work for C-JeS now?"

"Yes, but, like I said, SM has been causing a lot of trouble lately. They've been using their nightly activities to disrupt things in our world. Their targets have mainly been other companies. That being said, I'm sure they're going after C-JeS and JYJ pretty hard considering the fact that JYJ split from SM."

"But the other night Yunho seemed so peaceful," Minji said, not understanding.

"It doesn't matter," Jiyong said with a shrug, "SM's juniors...... well....the ones that are special anyway, aren't being properly trained by their elders and they're starting riots. I'm sure Yunho is trying to take care of the situation as much as he can, but he can't do everything."

"That's insane," Minji commented and watched as Bom wiped her eyes, her sobs becoming light sniffles.

"So you think it has something to do with him not wanting to put me in danger?"

"I really think so," Jiyong said with a nod, "I think he probably knows about the underground situation that's going on and feels that if he's seen with you by any SM artists, they might attack you and the rest of YGE. I really have to give him credit," Jiyong said as he folded his arms behind his head, "If what I think he's doing is right, then he's being really brave by trying to involve as little companies as possible in this craziness."

"It doesn't matter," Minji said suddenly with a sigh as the fire in continued to blaze with both Bom and Youngbae's scents drifting around her, "I've already put us in SM's warpath - if there really is one - by apparently rejecting Taemin."

"We'll figure that situation out," Jiyong promised as he pulled Minji into his chest.

"Aigo, everything is being ruined by this whole other situation," Bom snapped, referring to the vampires.

"Sorry noona," Jiyong said with a sympathetic smile, "Maybe if things calm down he'll call you back."

"Maybe," Bom agreed sadly.

"Hey guys! Mind if we join you?" a voice called from the distance and Minji broke away from Jiyong's embrace to see Lee Taemin smiling at them, flanked by Key and Minho.

"That depends....can you play nice? Last time I checked you were the hit-and-run type of guy," Dong-wook asked as he moved over to where the trio was standing and all at once they bowed to their senior.

"Relax, we're just here for the atmosphere," Taemin said nonchalantly as his gaze lingered on Minji's for a bit too long, "The view is really beautiful."

Jiyong growled possessively at him before Dong-wook placed a hand against his chest and warned him to calm down.

"You really ed up last time," Dong-wook said though his expression disguised his true feelings as he flashed the younger males a bright smile. They had no idea just how pissed Dong-wook was at Taemin for shooting his beloved maknae.

"Not really," Taemin said with a lazy shrug, "I did exactly as I intended so I would call that little outing a success."

"You're really lucky we have company right now," Dong-wook said through a tight-lipped smile, however, Jiyong could see that his hyung's knuckles were turning whiter and whiter as he clenched his hand into a fist.

"Are you sure you want to be making those kind of remarks?" Taemin said with a wicked smile, "Those are fighting words, hyung."

"I'm not your hyung," Dong-wook corrected him, "And I don't condone the type of actions that children like you take."

"We're just having fun," Taemin said with another shrug, "You can't really blame us."

"You're ruining relationships that have been years in the making," Dong-wook accused with the same smile plastered on his lips.

"Well you can thank Minji for that. Or at least for some of it," Taemin said with a smile as he looked at MInji and his lips appreciatively, "Are you sure you don't want to come back with us, Mingkki?"

"Don't call her that," Jiyong warned and turned slightly as he heard footsteps behind him to see that the others in their group had arrived to see what the commotion was all about.

"Why not? We're friends," Taemin said to Jiyong but was glaring scathingly at Minji.

"Why don't you guys just leave? We're trying to have a family outing, no offense," Gummy said as she stepped next to Dong-wook and looped her arm through his.

"Fine," Taemin finally relented, "We'll see you later," he finished with a laugh as he and s turned and walked away.

"What was that all about?" Youngbae asked curiously as he took another sip of his beer.

"Just a bunch of immature egos," Gummy said with a laugh as she wrapped her arm around Youngbae's neck and led him away, "So tell me about your crush on our Sandara Park!"

Minji's eyes snapped to Dong-wook's face as he released a loud sigh, "I really hate that kid."

"You're not the only one," Jiyong commented as he looked into the distance before he turned back to his girlfriend.

"And what brings you here?" Jiyong heard Dong-wook ask and he turned to his hyung in confusion before he saw another figure emerge out of the darkness and walk towards them. As the figure got closer, Jiyong could clearly see that it was Jaejoong of JYJ.

"Dong-wook," Jaejoong greeted as the two men bowed to each other and everyone else followed suit.

"I just wanted to chat with Park Bom for a bit," he said with a ghost of a smile before he eyed the woman in question expectantly.

At that, Dong-wook suddenly frowned. Putting his arm out to block Bom, Bom looked up at him in surprise before Dong-wook exchanged a meaningful look with Jaejoong and he lowered his arm.

"Stay within the area," Dong-wook said coldly as he ushered the rest of the group away from the duo.

"That was strange," Minji said as she folded her arms across her chest, "I wonder what Jaejoong - of all people - wants with unnie."

"He's a vampire," Dong-wook said darkly as he turned towards his maknae, "Which is why I need to keep an eye on them."

"He's a vampire?" Jiyong asked in surprise as he looked back towards the couple.

"Man you two really are newborns," Dong-wook said with a shake of his head as he smiled at Jiyong and Minji, "Eventually you'll be able to sense a vampire instantaneously."

"What does he want with Bommie, then?" Minji asked again, "Do you think he's speaking on Junsu's behalf?"

"Who knows," Dong-wook shrugged, "We won't know until Bom comes back," he said as he continued to watch the duo.

After about another fifteen minutes of conversation, Bom turned and started to walk back to the group as Jaejoong disappeared behind her.

"What was that all about?" Minji asked her unnie curiously.

"He said he was sorry that Junsu had to break up with me. He said that the only reason he had done it was because of him - meaning Jaejoong. Apparently SM was threatening to cut off C-JeS' blood supply unless JYJ returned to DBSK. When their threats were ignored, however, some of the juniors in SM started to attack JYJ personally and one of them had spotted me with Junsu, so he thought it was unsafe for us to be together."

"That's terrible," Minji said with a frown.

"He also said..." Bom stopped and blushed.

"What?" Dong-wook prodded.

"Jaejoong said that he would have to follow me around at night for the next couple of weeks, just to make sure I was safe."

"We can do that," Dong-wook said in annoyance, "Why does he think he has to do that?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe he feels obligated," Bom suggested as she shrugged, "Anyway, he said he would follow me at a safe distance so I didn't feel like I had a body guard."

"Idiot," Dong-wook snapped as he turned to look back at the darkness, "Maybe the reality is that he just has the hots for you."

"Aigo, don't say such things!" Bom blushed furiously as she lightly slapped Dong-wook's arm.

"Oh my god, unnie, you totally have a crush on him, don't you?" Minji accused, "Man you really move on fast."

"Shut up Mingkki!" Bom snapped as she pulled on Minji's arm and gently pushed her to the ground.

"Bom unnie and her many loves," Minji teased again as Bom planted her foot on Minji's stomach and demanded that she stop.

Dong-wook yawned loudly as he laughed at the antics of his juniors, "We should probably get home. Sunrise is soon."

At that, the group agreed and they moved to collect Taeyang, Daesung, and Gummy before they doused the bonfire and drove home for the night.

While they were safe for the moment, Minji had a horrible feeling that something terrible was just around the corner. What they had recently found out had only confirmed her feelings and she just hoped that whatever happened, they would all emerge from it in one piece.

If not, she wasn't sure she would be able to hold it together.