Summary: It is just so difficult to remember the names of people sometimes. 

“Why are you here?”

Doe eyes landed on the speaker.

“I was bored.” A yawn was stifled.

“Then go home.”

“I was bored at home.” Jaejoong rolled his eyes. Orbs became unfocused as Jaejoong resumed his previous state of staring at the white ceiling from where he was lying on the sofa, before Yunho interrupted him. His legs were propped onto Changmin’s thighs, who was reclining at the other end of the sofa, buried deep within his book of sparkling vampires. When asked why he was suddenly interested in teen novels, the maknae would glare at the poor inquisitor and explained through gritted teeth, that this was a competition between Kyuhyun and him to see who would complete the book first and no, he was not interested in such shallow books. He even wanted to watch the movie to get more interested with the fantasy plot but twenty seconds into the trailer of the movie had him closing the entire browser. The book was much better, Changmin grudgingly admitted.

Jaejoong had flounced into their dorm that day, exclaiming that he was going to die of boredom if he were to stay in his house one second longer. The occupants of the dorm ignored the dramatic lead singer, each returning to their own task, not wanting to waste their free day on Jaejoong. Jaejoong did not mind the silent treatment for he had not expected them to entertain him either. He just wanted to escape from his claustrophobic house. This was the reason why he bought such a large house. But even 265 square metres felt stifling. Someone then said that the reason might be because he was lonely. So he bought a cat. The cat proved to be more elusive than the red striped man in Finding Waldo. Two cats and a puppy later, the situation did not improve at all. So Jaejoong went to find a sanctuary, a 105 square metre big sanctuary that includes Yunho and Changmin.

Jaejoong laid himself on the sofa, covering the entire length of the couch with his body. Naturally, the lead singer propped his feet on Changmin’s thighs who had dominated the couch space at the other end. At first, Changmin shoved Jaejoong’s feet away, irritated at Jaejoong’s careless action. But Jaejoong was unrelenting. Whenever his feet got pushed away, Jaejoong simply swing it back to its original position. In the end, the stubborn hyung won as Changmin grew tired of getting rid the annoying feet. Truth to be told, Changmin rather liked the light pressure on his lap. It made him feels secured, bounded and not floating around aimlessly.

With Yunho cooped in his room and Changmin reading his book, the hall of the dorm was quiet. But it was a comfortable kind of quiet. Accompanied with the occasional scrunch of flipping papers, Jaejoong was soon lulled to sleep.

“So he came here to sleep?” Yunho commented, having coming out of his room to find their uninvited guest sleeping away on the sofa.

Changmin shrugged, casting a glance at the snoring man.

The two men observed Jaejoong. It seemed as though Jaejoong was dreaming, his face a myriad of expressions. At a particular weird expression, Yunho and Changmin burst into silent chuckles. If Jaejoong were to know the glamourous facial expressions he does when he sleeps, the image conscious man would have died of embarrassment.

The shrill doorbell echoed throughout the door. Yunho immediately hurried over to deactivate the alarm. Jaejoong started tossing around as Changmin watched on worriedly, hoping that the alarm would not wake him up. But Jaejoong was a light sleeper and Changmin sighed when he opened his eyes. Like a lazy cat, Jaejoong stretched and moan appreciatively. He swung his feet off Changmin and sat straight on the couch, sated. Twisting his body to face the door, Jaejoong saw Yunho talking to somebody. Jaejoong rocked his body back and forth, trying to get a glimpse of the person. It was a lady.

“Who is she?” Jaejoong frowned, not recognizing the newcomer.

Changmin slid towards Jaejoong upon his question.

“Oh…. It’s Minjin noona.”

“Min…jin?”

“Yunho’s ex-girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?!?”

“EX-girlfriend. They broke up a year ago.”

Jaejoong was on the verge of hyperventilating. A year ago, he was still depressed over the separation incident. A year ago, he was still drowning his sorrows in alcohol. And a year ago, his other half was dating. Sure, after the separation, they avoided each other like how criminals avoided the police. But Jaejoong would be lying if he did not feel betrayed at all.

Unbeknownst to Jaejoong’s agony (or perhaps he knew but he was not called the sadistic maknae for nothing), Changmin carried on, “I thought they were a match made in heaven since they are both so long-winded. But as the saying goes, opposites attract. I guess they must have grown tired of each other’s long-windedness.”

“Match made in heaven?!?” Jaejoong echoed, eyes trained on the couple at the door.

“You really need to work on that selective hearing of yours. It may be the cause of your death one day,” Changmin grumbled.

“I do not have selective hearing, my dongsaeng.” Jaejoong whipped his head back to narrow his eyes at him.

“Remember Tiffany? She once proclaimed that she liked Yunho a lot for he was like the brother she never had. What was your response? Poor girl had to suffer the brunt of glares and cold shoulder for a year because you thought she liked Yunho in a boy-girl relationship kind of way.”

“Shut up!” Jaejoong buried his head into the sofa cushion. How could he not remember that! The embarrassment he faced when the misunderstanding finally cleared had him holed up in their dorm for days until Yunho forcibly dragged him out of the self-constructed jail.

“Are you going to sit here and stare at them until they finished talking? Since I am more mature than you, I shall be nice and advise you. Don’t, they are not going to end until hours later,” Changmin advised when he noticed Jaejoong had resumed his staring, with the intensity of an exam invigilator invigilating a notorious class.

Jaejoong remained silent. Whatever, Changmin rolled his eyes as he continued his book. He sighed when he realized he was not even half way through the book. When will he ever finish the book and free himself from the torment! He wailed mentally.

True to Changmin’s words, Yunho and Minjin were still conversing after an hour. And Jaejoong had been nothing but a rigid statue for the past hour. The only thing that changed was his mood. If Changmin were to relate moods to colours, Jaejoong would be surrounded by the most depressing colour one could find on a colour palette. The more Jaejoong observed, the more sour his mood got. It had gotten so bad that Changmin had totally given up his reading as the continuous negative waves emitted from the statue proved to be too distracting to ignore.

“Jaejoong, if it kills you so much to sit here, then go and join them!” Changmin was beyond exasperation. The only response he got was a sigh. Giving up, Changmin decided to seek help.

CallMeHyung: I need help.

CallMeHyung: Jaejoong is going to turn into the most depressing zombie ever.

Xiahtic: The zombie move marathon had started to infect your mental capacity now.

Xiahtic: Told you to go easy on those retarded movies.

6001: WHUT.

CallMeHyung: Yunho’s ex is here.

CallMeHyung: They have been talking for an hour and Jaejoong had been depressed for an equal amount of time.

6001: OH. MY. GOD.

Xiahtic: ohmygodsun!

CallMeHyung: Jaejoong’s depression is affecting me now.

CallMeHyung: Oh look, there’s a knife here. I think it would be fun to use it to slit my wrist!

Xiahtic: CHANGMINAH. NOOOOOOO. LOOK OUT OF THE WINDOW, THE BRIGHT SUN IS SHINING WARMLY, THE BIRDS ARE CHIRPING MERRILY. THERE’S SO MUCH IN LIFE! AND THERE’S ME TOO!

CallMeHyung: It’s raining heavily outside.

CallMeHyung: The box of panadols is looking so tempting right now.

Xiahtic: GET AWAY FROM THE EVIL BOX, CHANGMINAH. HYUNG IS COMING TO HELP YOU. RESIST THE TEMPTATION!

6001: Shut up, Changmin. I’m on my way too.

6001: And can’t you just drag Jaejoong hyung into a room first or something?

Changmin’s mouth formed a perfect O as he read Yoochun’s last message. Why did he not think of that, he questioned himself. Must be Jaejoong’s depression affecting him. The maknae nodded his head in confirmation, pushing the blame to the innocent troubled man. He put his phone aside and turned to his side, only to find it empty.

For a moment, Changmin’s heart stopped beating. He could hear nothing but the shrill ringing in his ears. Jaejoong was missing and he did not want to know what might happen to him. His eyes immediately darted to the windows around him. All the panes were closed and securely locked. The kitchen was empty too. Where could Jaejoong possible be! his chapped lips, Changmin scanned his surroundings only to find the skinny man at the door, with the couple.

Changmin let out a breath that he did not know that he was holding. He started to laugh at his actions. What was he thinking? Jaejoong  was not the kind of person who would commit suicide that easily. The resilient man was nothing but strong against the adversities in his life. The adoption incident and the lawsuit were living proof that Jaejoong was able to pull through the hardships. He wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead, shaking his head. His immature hyungs were always stirring troubles, making him worry about them incessantly. And they still had the guts to say that his face was old when they were the cause of the accelerated aging of his face. Crossing his ankles on the coffee table in front of him, Changmin looked on at the situation happening at the door, enjoying the real life drama unfolding before him.

“Yunho?” Jaejoong called out softly as he approached the couple. Changmin was right. It was useless sitting at the sofa, getting depressed. He needed to do something.

“Oh, Jaejoongie. You are awake.”

“Who is she?” Jaejoong asked, cocking his head to the side.

Yunho scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “This is Minjin, my.. friend.”

Jaejoong nodded slowly, as if satisfied with Yunho’s introduction.

“Hello, Minji.”

“Minjin’s the name, not Minji, Jaejoongie,” Yunho corrected, though a faint amused grin was hung on his lips.

“Sounds the same to me,” Jaejoong pouted as he rested his chin on Yunho’s shoulder. Yunho jerked his shoulders at the lead singer’s careless remarks.

“Why is she here then?”

Minjin was taken aback at the pair of cold doe eyes directed at her from the perch on Yunho’s shoulder.

“Oppa, let’s give each other another go, shall we. We will definitely make it work,” Minjin appealed to Yunho.

“Minjin, we had tried, haven’t we. It didn’t work. Love is not how much you work for it. Love comes naturally,” Yunho looked into Minjin’s eyes in earnest.

“Why, Oppa? You don’t love me anymore?” Lips quivered as Minjin finally got the picture.

“I had told you on our first date. I like you, Minjin. And I thought this fondness can grow into love. But it didn’t. Remember what I said that time? I said that I cannot promise that I will come to love you, but you assured me that it was okay, that we can still be as friends if we cannot become lovers. Your words, not mine.” Guilt was eating Yunho up. He did not have any intention of dating after the lawsuit. But Minjin was persistant. She would come up to Yunho everyday to ask him up only to face rejection for the leader was not confident in carrying out the relationship. Ultimately, despite his brain saying no, Yunho agreed to the date for his heart can no longer bear to reject the girl.  However, he had made it clear that he can make no promises to this relationship. Minjin blindly agreed to everything, only wanting for them to be together.

Things were going fine for the first few months as Yunho still had time for Minjin. But as the comeback day got nearer, his schedule got busier. Yunho could only meet up at twilight hours and Minjin was unhappy about it. The last straw was when Yunho could not make it to her birthday party. In a fit, Minjin exclaimed that she wanted to break up. Yunho could only agree for he knew what a terrible boyfriend he had been. The worst part was that the break up was done over the phone. Yunho was in the midst of his Japan tour then.

When he finally returned to Korea, Minjin went up to him and professed that she wanted them to be back again. This time, Yunho was adamant in rejecting, knowing full well that he could not be the man Minjin needed or wanted. The last arguments they had before they broke up were always revolving around his packed schedule and there was nothing Yunho could do about it. What could he do about it? Tell Manager hyung that he cannot attend this program or fly to Japan because his girlfriend needed him at those days? Not only will it be selfish on his part, but it will also be unfair to Changmin and Manager hyung. And thus, Minjin began her Operation Chase Yunho Back. However, it seemed pretty obvious that the operation was destined to fail.

“Are you trying to cry?” Jaejoong asked, still half hidden behind Yunho’s gigantic frame.

Minjin looked at Jaejoong in surprised, eyes reddening.

“Give me a moment,” Jaejoong excused himself before dashing towards the coffee table in the living room. Pushing Changmin’s ankles away, he pulled the drawer open and picked up a bottle.

“Tilt your head back,” Jaejoong ordered as he stood in front of the girl. Minjin was confused, but obeyed nonetheless. She shrieked when Jaejoong dripped eyedrops into her eyes unceremoniously. She tilted her head forth reflexively, eyes blinking furiously to get rid of the burning sensation. Excess eyedrops rolled down her cheeks.

“There! Tears!” The lead singer exclaimed with a wide smile, proud of his work.

“Jaejoongie…” Yunho warned. Like a meek kitten, Jaejoong hid behind Yunho again.

Minjin took a deep breath, resolving to ignore the man hanging around her boyfriend. She picked up the conversation before Jaejoong interrupted with his eyedrops. The conversation droned on and Jaejoong became bored. Knowing that Yunho had zero intention in continuing the relationship had put him in so much ease that he blocked out the words. His chin dug into Yunho’s shoulder sharply as he stoned. Yunho winced at the pain but did nothing to remove the man.

Jaejoong was contemplating the concept of his next album when he heard a strangely familiar “CHANGMINAH”. He jolted back to his senses and saw Junsu and Yoochun running towards them. Junsu was screaming Changmin’s name throughout and Jaejoong wondered what did their maknae do to Junsu for him to behave so terribly.

“CHANGMIN- Oh, who are you?” Junsu had wanted to barge into the dorm to make sure that Changmin was safe when he saw an unfamiliar woman hanging in front.

“Her name is Minjin.” Yunho replied, confused as to why Junsu and Yoochun suddenly appeared at their dorm.

“Hi Minjoo!” The bright musical singer sang out before pushing his way into the house, still screaming for Changmin.

Yoochun arrived next as he was strolling instead of running like what Junsu did. Before he could open his mouth, Jaejoong spoke, “Minji.”

Beaming a smile at his soulmate for reading his mind, Yoochun tipped his fedora at Minjin.

“Nice meeting you, Moonji,” Yoochun winked before entering the house. Jaejoong and Yunho rolled their eyes at Yoochun’s blatant flirting.

Minjin’s face was as black as Junsu’s manicured black nails. First it was Minji, then Minjoo, followed by Moonji. What was wrong with them! Minjin fumed. She shook her head, no, now was not the time to be bothered about the names. She was here to get Yunho to get back with her.

“Oppa-“

“Minjin, I’m a little occupied right now, so maybe we can continue next time?” Yunho interrupted her, gesturing towards the trio behind him who was waving and smiling a little too brightly to be considered as sincere at Minjin.

Jaejoong was on the verge of knocking Yunho’s head hard. He was pretty sure that the reason why it dragged on for a year was partly due to Yunho’s indecisiveness.

“Oh, you are leaving. I was just about to invite you in for lunch, Michael Jackson!” Yoochun shouted across the living hall when he saw Minjin about to leave the dorm.

“Her name is not Michael Jackson. And whoever in the right of their mind would name their daughter that!” The leader rubbed his face tiredly.

“Not Michael Jackson? Aw shucks, and here I was wanting to meet the famous parents for naming their daughter that! But are you sure it’s not Michael Jackson? I remember there’s a M and a J in her name…” Yoochun trailed as he tried to remember Minjin’s name. His face lit up as he managed to recall her name. Yunho sighed in relief.

“MICHAEL JORDANNNNNNNN!” And Yunho’s face fell instantly. Changmin and Junsu had their faces pressed against the sofa but their trembling bodies gave them away. Jaejoong could only hide behind Yunho as he rested his forehead on the broad back, trying hard to muffle the giggle.

“That’s the name of the basketballer, Park Yoochun! And Jaejoong, are you snorting?” The leader’s voice was filled with incredulity as snorts continued to sound from behind him.

“Umm… I think I’ll come back another time, Oppa,” Minjin spoke, not quite liking the situation.

“No, there’s no need to.” Jaejoong, who finally recovered from his laugh, replied.

“Jaejoong-“ The leader was silenced effectively with a glare.

“There is no need for you to be back again. Yunho had already made it clear that it was over between you guys and there is no point in you clinging onto him. He will not change his mind now, tomorrow, or ten years later. It was nice meeting you. I hope to never see you again. Goodbye.” Jaejoong shot her a smile and slammed the door in her face.

“That was rude,” Yunho breathed out as he looked at Jaejoong blankly.

“Well, it was the only way I could think of to get it into her dense brain.”

Yoochun was still standing with a constipated face when Yunho and Jaejoong turned around.

“Is her name Michael Buble?”

Jaejoong, Junsu and Changmin crumbled onto the floor, clutching onto their stomachs helplessly.

“What is with you and the name Michael!”

“There is no J in the name!”

“MINJIN! HER NAME IS MINJIN! How do you feel if I call you Yoomi?”

“Yoomi? I like it!”

And the winner of how can stand the longest went to Yoochun.