Chapter Six

Yoochun was sitting up in bed staring down at what passed for lunch.  He was desperate to be back with the members eating JaeJoong’s cooking – even if it was only ramen noodles without broth – uncooked.  The gelatinous globs of goop splattered on the tray elicited one response:  Chunface! And from the sensations in his lips and cheeks, it was of epic proportions.

He was saved from experimentally testing the fork’s ability to cleave the foodstuff when the doctor entered the room.  This startled Yoochun into nearly flipping the tray.

“Sorry,” the physician mumbled as he reviewed the chart at the end of the bed.  “I have bad news, good news and better news.  Which do you want to hear first?”

“Bad.”  The mere fact that the doctor was NOT solemnly approaching him eased Chun’s fears that he was potentially dying from cancer.  If that was the case, how bad could the bad news be?

After a few more pages being rustled, the physician looked at his patient and frowned.  “The bad news…well, I don’t want to appear incompetent, but we have no idea what caused your fever.  All of the tests came back clear.

“The better news is that the skin biopsies also came back negative – nothing there but skin and ink.”

Yoochun nodded in understanding.  So far the news was utterly wonderful as far as he was concerned.

“The best news is:  we’re sending you home.”

Once again the luncheon tray was nearly upturned as Yoochun couldn’t wait to vault out of bed and run far away from this place.

“Ah, ah, ah, not so fast.  You have to wait for someone to bring you some clothes and give you a ride home.”  The nurse put a restraining hand on his shoulder.  “And I have to fill out a mountain of paperwork before you can go, so get comfortable.  It’s going to take some time.”

It was three o’clock before the boys were given a full meal break.  Surprisingly another room had been set up with tables and chairs.  The table was set for four and adorned with grilled meats and banchan.  They sat down eating eagerly, not having realized just how hungry they were.

Yunho figured dancing was up next and chose to eat rather lightly.  He finished early and nonchalantly got up to stretch.  “I’m going to take a walk around,” he announced.

Once in the hallways it was eerily quiet.  Although Yunho usually tread lightly, he felt the need to practically tip-toe around as if he had bells on his shoes.  He tried opening doors that appeared to have a light source emanating from beneath, but most of them were locked.

Finally he reached a door that opened; however, he wasn’t expecting to find a group of people inside.  “Jae song hamnida” he bowed, trying not to make eye contact while backing out.

“Are you looking for something?”

“Aniyo.”

“Yogi itkkora, let’s talk.”

Yunho had no choice but to fully enter the room and bowed to his superiors.

 “Antta.”

He obeyed.

“Tell us how things are going?”

Think before you speak, he warned himself.  “As good as can be expected.”

“Are there any problems?”

“Aniyo.  We are getting along fine.”

“Liar.  Junsu is challenging you.”

Yunho smirked.  Of course they were aware of Junsu’s little outbursts.  “He’s a grown man with a mind of his own.  He’s not afraid to speak it.”

“You’re still their leader.  You don’t have to take any back talk.”

“I’ve grown up too,” he reminded them. “I know how to handle a lot more than you might think.”

“So you’ve proven time and time again.”

“What can we do for you,” another man piped up.

“We need some things.”

“Do you have the list?”

“Not on me.”  Yunho’s heart was racing. They knew about the list.  They probably also knew what was on it.

“You can give it to us later.”

“Anything else?”

“How’s Yoochun-ah?”

“He’ll be home before you get back tonight.”

“Jinja?”  Yunho sighed with relief. Two hurdles leaped, one more to go.  “One more thing.”

He had their undivided attention.

“We…the members, believe we should have creative control of this tour.  We want to be involved in concept, song sets, musical arrangements…everything.”

“Naturally.  You’re opinions matter.”

Daebak!

***

“Where have you been?”  Changmin dragged Yunho into the dance rehearsal room by his elbow.

“Let go of me, Min, before you dislocate something,” the leader pushed his maknae away.

Changmin let go but didn’t back off.  He looked over his hyung with great scrutiny.  Usually when Yunho disappeared by himself, he returned in a surly mood.  And sometimes his knuckles were raw. This time Yunho was smirking, almost as if he was hiding something.

He noticed Min watching him.  Yunho raised his eyebrows, flashed his pearly whites and clasped the younger man by the shoulders.  “Let’s dance!”

Changmin just stared at him dumbfounded while Junsu and JaeJoong exchanged confused looks.

Yoochun slowly walked into the house behind the manager.  He was unsure what lay ahead as the place was deathly quiet.  It would have been nice if his brothers were hiding in a room somewhere waiting to jump out and greet him, but the place was empty.  That overwhelming sense of loneliness he felt at the hospital was back.

“Gwenchana?”  The manager slung his arm around Yoochun’s shoulder guiding him towards the bedroom.

“Ne,” he responded, absently following the older man.

“Get some rest,” he suggested, “before the others come home and harass you for the rest of the night.”

Yoochun eased into bed and swaddled himself with the blankets.

“Dashi!”

Four bodies took their mark and waited for the music to start.  The opening beats of Mirotic boomed and JaeJoong stepped off late…for the third time.

“JaeJoong-ah, focus!” Yunho yelled in frustration.  Between Jae’s and Junsu’s false starts, he was getting truly annoyed.  It wasn’t that they didn’t remember the choreography.  Their timing was off and their stamina waning.  He wondered how they had gotten so ‘out of shape’.

“This is Yoochun-ah’s fault,” Junsu grumbled.

“He’s not even here!  How can it be his fault?”  Changmin playfully shoved Junsu.

Yunho broke out with a huge grin.  “I’ve always had my suspicions, but now I know it’s true.”

“What, hyung,” Changmin wondered what Yunho was talking about.  When the leader didn’t readily respond, he turned to JaeJoong and Junsu.  “What’s he talking about?”

Both boys blushed, looking away as if there was something dire to see out a non-existent window.

Yunho’s signature laugh pierced the room as he braced himself against Min’s shoulder.  “These guys started every performance of Mirotic with a cue from Chunnie.”

“But hyung, when we did it as two you always—“

Yunho clapped his hand over the maknae’s mouth.  “They don’t need to know that,” he said sweetly.

“Let’s get through this song at least once today; and preferably before I begin to hate it,” Yunho called over to the boys. He watched the two J’s frown.  “Don’t worry; I’ll give you the signal.”

What seemed like hours later…and actually was, the four members of Tohoshinki dropped to the floor with exhaustion.

“I’m tired,” JaeJoong whined.

“I’m hungry,” Changmin announced.

“I want my Yoochunnie.”

“Me too.”

“Me three.”

“Me four.”

They piled into the van wordlessly, too tired to think of anything except their missing member and their beds.  Yunho wanted to tell his brothers all of the good news.  He was torn between spoiling the surprise right there or having to repeat it in Yoochun’s presence.  Since it was much later and the roads were nearly clear of traffic, the ride home seemed to take a third of the time.  They were pulling into the driveway before he had made his decision.

As the first person in the door after the manager unlocked it, Yunho noted Yoochun’s shoes were neatly placed in the foyer.  He kicked off his sneakers and turned to the members, ‘shushing’ them.  “Keep your voices low,” he cautioned.

“Is this low enough,” Changmin boomed in his base tones.

Junsu nearly ‘eu kyang kyanged’, but squelched it, resulting in a squeak.

Yunho flipped on the living room lights before glaring at the two youngest members.

“Mianhae, hyung,” the hoobaes chorused.

“I’ll start dinner,” JaeJoong said softly as he pushed passed them and headed toward the kitchen.  “Hyung, if you have a headache, you should take some medicine.  I’ll make some tea.”

Yoochun heard his brothers arrive and decided to stay in bed.  He rolled over to face the wall, hoping he wouldn’t have to talk to anyone just yet.  If they thought he was sleeping, he might not have to. But a soft knock echoed off the door.  His body stiffened.  He expected JaeJoong or Junsu to enter and land next to him on the bed.

Instead, Yunho slowly opened the door.  He hesitated a few moments before saying anything.  “Yoochun-ah, are you sleeping,” he called softly.

Because it was his leader, Yoochun decided to answer.  Because it was his leader, he said: “Ani hyung, I’m practicing being dead.”

Yunho did not find this one bit funny.  Perhaps it was Yoochun’s tone of voice or the gravity of the situation.  He left the door ajar so that there was some light in the room and approached the bed slowly, easing himself down as not to burden his brother.

“Gwenchana?”  He put on a comforting hand on the younger man’s shoulder.

Yoochun didn’t respond right away.  He didn’t know how much Yunho knew.  He didn’t want to try to explain his situation until he could grasp it himself.

“Joongie’s cooking dinner.  Do you want to come eat, or should I bring you something?”

He was hungry but feeling antisocial at the moment.  “I’ll think about it.”

“Yah, you have to eat something,” he clucked his tongue.

Before Yoochun could respond, Junsu exploded through the door and dropped onto his bed.

Yunho and Yoochun froze, not wanting to attract any attention in their direction.

Junsu let out a sigh, turned his head and stared to where his hyungs were.  He squinted in the darkness trying to focus on the figure he hoped was the leader.

“Yunho hyung?”

“What, Junsu-yah?”

Su clutched at his chest.  “Oh thank god.  You scared me.”

Yunho stood.  “Get some rest before dinner.”

“Hyung…”Junsu wanted to know why Yunho was in his room.

“Go to sleep,” Yoochun threatened.  Before he could brace himself, Junsu was hugging him.

“Chunnie!”

Yunho heard Yoochun hiss in pain before Junsu registered the sound.  He pried the younger man off his brother quickly.

“Careful, Su.”

“Chun-ah?”  Junsu’s voice held sorrow.

“I’m tired.”  He didn’t want to talk anymore.

“Either take a nap before dinner or coming in the living room,” Yunho whispered to Junsu.  “Let him rest now.  You two can talk later.”

Reluctantly Junsu returned to his own bed.

“I’ll come get you when dinner is ready.” Yunho shut the door.

Junsu lay down, rolling on his side in order to watch over Yoochun.  Moments later Yoochun shifted to stare at Junsu.

“Gwenchana?” Junsu whispered.

“Not really.”

“Hyung?”

“Later, Su.  I need to think.”