i can't believe i just wrote a 5000 word chapter. enjoy!!!

                       I leaned against the classroom door deciding whether I should head to my lockers first or wait for Jaejoong and Yunho. I didn’t mean to pry into their businesses but Jaejoong was a very irrational person and even if Yunho were to fight against him (which I hope he didn’t), he would definitely be disadvantaged. I was really concerned for Yunho. 

            Eventually curiosity got the best of me, I peeped through the classroom window and saw that Yunho and Jaejoong were still at the front talking to each other. They seem to be in a simple conversation but I could see that mischievous smile on Jaejoong’s face and Yunho’s stern expression as if he was addressing something very important. I watched as Jaejoong’s smile grew wider and Yunho’s furrow deepen. And then Yunho extended his fist out ready to hit. I found myself swinging the door open and rushed to grab Yunho’s arm.

            “Yunho don’t hurt him.” I pleaded.

            “He was degrading you.” Yunho growled.

            “But you can’t hurt him.” I informed him.

            Yunho gave me a soft look. “He deserves it.”

            ‘I don’t deserve it.’ I remembered Jaejoong’s words on that Sunday when I had told him to start looking after himself. I shook my head; feeling a little disappointed with Yunho even though what he was doing was for me. “No one deserves to get hurt. The world is already cruel enough to us, we don’t need to push other people down.”

            Yunho sighed and put his hand down. “I love how your heart is purer than gold, Minni, but sometimes you have to stand up for yourself.”

            “And I will.” I reassured him.

            “Can you promise me that you will stand up for your rights?” Yunho made eye contact with me.

            “I will try my best. If I sense that I am in terrible danger, I promise to protect myself to best ability that I have.”  

            Jaejoong coughed. “Sometimes, I feel like I am forgotten.” He feigned a sad tone.

            Yunho gave him a serious face. “Jaejoong.”

            “I’m not making any promises with you.” Jaejoong protested and faked a pout. “I’m already so sullen that my girlfriend may have some feelings for you.”

            “Jaejoong, if she did love me, she wouldn’t be your girlfriend.” Yunho explained. My eyes widened as Jaejoong looked my way. “I’m not saying that she has feelings for you either.” Yunho continued. “I’m saying that she doesn’t have any special feelings for anyone, so don’t feel so special.” He eyed Jaejoong.

            “Why would I feel special having her as my girlfriend?” Jaejoong sneered.

            Yunho advanced on him and out of nowhere, I found myself wrapping my arms around Jaejoong shielding him. I felt my insides gasp at what I just did; wasn’t it natural for me to shield someone from getting hit though? I pulled back a little but kept myself between the two boys. Jaejoong’s soft expression was one of slight shock and it made the heart inside me pump faster. I hastily twisted my head to look at Yunho. “He’s only provoking you.” I told him. “Don’t take his words to heart.”

            Yunho’s lips thinned. Then he smiled and pinched my nose. “Thank you Minni.” He said. “I should’ve known how he is and I shouldn’t have acted so rash.” He looked back at Jaejoong. “I’m warning you. If you ever do anything to Minni, I will tell your father about this.” He warned and bid goodbye.

            “Wow, you really are an angel, aren’t you?” Jaejoong exhaled when Yunho left the room. I faced him and noticed that we were still intimately close; my arms were still around him. “You even go around protecting a jerk like me.”

            “Don’t say that. You’re not a jerk.”

            He ignored me and placed a strand of hair behind my ear. “You are able to protect others, when will you be able to protect yourself?” He wore his sly smirk again and I released my arms around him, feeling nervous. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and pull me to him. My arms instantly came between our chests before they could hit each other.

            “What are you doing?” I stuttered.

            “What I normally do.” He leaned in and I slammed my hands over his lips. He pulled back and looked a bit frustrated. “What are you doing?”

            “Protecting myself.” I said, pulling his arms apart and pushing him away as hard as possible. It worked. His arms were loose and I watched as he lost his balance, falling back. “Jaejoong!” My cry hinted concern. Regretting what I had just did, I reached to him as he fell to the floor and forgetting that he was much heavier than me. I couldn’t pull him up and fell with him.

            I scrunched my eyes ready for the impact. I knew that Jaejoong was again going to give me a soft landing but I was imagining the same pain he would be experiencing once again. His arms were wrapped securely around me as we hit the ground and my head was forced forward onto his face. My lips touched something strangely soft.

            My eyes flung open and widened when I was aware of what they were. Jaejoong’s eyes were even bigger than mine. I felt the familiar soft plump lips against mine and wanted to retreat but the look in Jaejoong’s eyes held me in position for some reason. It was when I could feel his smile that I pulled back.

            “Are you hurt?” I mumbled shyly, trying to divert him away from what had just happened.

            Jaejoong’s smile grew enormous showing all his teeth. “I felt like it didn’t hurt as much as the other times.” He chimed and added. “Seems like your lips can’t resist mine.”

            I blushed and quickly stood up. “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.” Without waiting for him, I stormed out of the classroom with deep mortification.

                        I remember running up a set of clean grey stairs. Being stubborn, I wanted to reach the eighth floor of the hospital using the stairs rather than waiting in the lift. I knew that the hospital contains at least ten stories, but my father’s office was only on the eighth floor. I could reach that easily. That’s what I thought until I slipped and fell down a flight of stairs.

            Feeling embarrassed lying flat faced on the floor, I started to wallow in pain. I wished there was a cloak to cover me so that I could be hidden. After some time, I tried to get up but a sharp pain hit me when I moved. Feeling so pathetic, my tears started to leak out again.

            “What are you doing like that? I can see your underpants.” I heard a voice from above me. I looked up to see a young boy towering over me. He looked quite adorable and had a slight tan to his skin. But I couldn’t help but glare at him while I tried to pull my skirt down.

            “Are you okay?” He asked when he saw my tears.

            I softened at his look of concern. “I can’t move.” I muttered just loud enough for him to hear.

            He sighed a little, then helped me up slowly, being ever so careful when he saw me wince. Then he knelt down and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Hold on tightly.” He instructed then secured my legs and stood up giving me a piggy-back ride.

            He headed to exit the stairway. “Wait.” I panicked. “I want to see my dad on the eighth floor.”

            “I need to take you to see the doctor first.” He retorted.

            “My dad is a doctor. This is his hospital.”

            “Are you Song Minji?”

            I was startled that he knew my name. I nodded but realizing that he couldn’t see me, I said, “Yes. Who are you?”

            “Gu Jungwoo.” He spluttered a little. “Do you mind loosening up your arms around me? You're choking me.”

            “Sorry.” I immediately did as he had said. “Thank you Jungwoo.”

            “No worries.” He turned his head a little and I could see a bright smile accompanying his side profile. My insides melted a little when I saw that.

                        When I woke up, my head was leaning against a familiar shoulder. Jaejoong tilted his head towards me, his eyes gleaming at me. My eyes adjusted to the light (it was still daytime) and I remembered where I was. I was on a mini bus heading to an accommodation near the seaside for our biology camp. I blinked a few times before deciding to look outside the window and I saw that the roads were slightly rockier than the suburban streets in our school area. Both sides of the roads were surrounded by tall pines and on the right, just through the trees I could distinctly make out the sand and seawater.

            “You were dreaming of me, weren’t you?” Jaejoong asked all of a sudden. I looked his way. “I heard you say Joong.” He continued. “As in Jaejoong.”

            Of course! He must have heard me say ‘Jung’. I removed my head and rubbed my eyes, still feeling a little disorientated. Then I cleared my throat and said, “I was thinking about Junsu and Hana at home. I am worried about them.” I hope that he believed me.

            Jaejoong shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

            I was quite surprised that he had accepted my excuse so easily. “Why are you being so tame today?” I asked suspiciously.

            Jaejoong shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe because I am so happy.”

            “Why are you so happy?”

            Another shrug came from Jaejoong but I could see his lips pull into a small smile. “I’d rather not tell you.”

            Still curious, I looked around to see the crowd of biology students breaking awkward glances from me. Kimmi, who was sitting in front of us with Yunho shifted her gaze away swiftly and rocked strangely on her seat when I turned to look at her. She was still ignoring me. Danseol was sitting on a seat just across a gap between her and Jaejoong. She was the only one glaring at me.

            Yunho faked a cough disguising a word within it. “Arms.” I looked to where my arms were and was flabbergasted to discover why everyone was watching us. My arms were looped around Jaejoong’s neck. I unwrapped them swiftly just as the vehicle stopped abruptly and my head plummeted onto the back of the seat in front of me.

            “Are you okay?” Jaejoong chuckled as he examined my head, rubbing it in the process to decrease the pain.

            “Why didn’t you tell me earlier what I was doing?” I sharply whispered.

            Jaejoong gave me a side smirk. “I told you that I’d rather not tell you.”

            “We’re stopping here for lunch break before we continue on.” Ms. Oh announced from the front. “Be back in one hour sharp.”

            Jaejoong’s eyes sparked up. “Let’s go grab some lunch.” He suggested.

            “Okay.” I replied very slowly.

            “Great.” He wore a gleaming smile and walked off with me following after him. I turned to Kimmi to see her looking nervously away from me and Yunho beside her, smiling encouragingly at me. And then my foot suddenly was caught by something and I stumbled forward a little.

            Jaejoong steadied me before I could fall. “Are you alright?” He asked with concern.

            “Yeah.” I replied and looked to Danseol who latently smirked with satisfaction. I got the feeling that it was her doing and now I was confident that it was.

            “No fun.” Jaejoong’s voice was abnormally loud as he faked a cute pout. “I wanted an excuse to carry you around.” I watched as he gave a searing glare at Danseol, who sank in her seat. The whole bus was looking at us again and I slowly sneaked past Jaejoong towards the exit to avoid embarrassment. “Hey babe, wait up.” Jaejoong cried merrily and jumped off the vehicle straight after I exited. “I know the perfect place for lunch.”

            “This is it?” I was astounded that Jaejoong had led me into a grocery store.

            Jaejoong nodded in response. “This is much cheaper than going to cafés and restaurants.” He wandered around while I reminisced my dream. It has been ten years since I have seen Jungwoo. I wondered how he is now. What was he doing now? Will I ever meet him again? I smiled at the memory of the day he had helped me and felt warmth coming from within me.

            “Earth to Minni.” Jaejoong broke through my thoughts. “I’m done.” He held a white plastic bag in one hand. He his lips and beamed at me. “You looked so cute before, I just wanted to kiss you.”

            He leaned in and I immediately backed away and tried to change the subject. “Let me help you carry the groceries.” I lunged for the bag.

            Jaejoong immediately hid it behind my back. “Now what kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you carry things?” I sighed and decided to obey his orders. “That a good girl.” He reached for my hand and walked towards the exit. “Thank you.” He cried to the shopkeeper who looked like she was in her 40s and gave her a wink. I lifted an eyebrow but didn’t question Jaejoong about it.

            Outside was freezing although the layer of snow was now very thin that you could see the ground beneath it. I shivered and scolded myself for not wearing enough layers. It wouldn’t be that bad right? Jaejoong led me to a park bench that was quite dry despite the cold weather and gestured for me to take a seat down. “Lunch time.” His smile grew and I grew more suspicious at what he had planned next. He opened the bag and I gaped at what he had bought. “I have been craving these for ages.” He exclaimed and took out a bag of refrigerated pickled radishes and opened it. “Do you want me to feed you again? Here take a bite.” He grabbed a disc and bit a part of it and motioned me to bite it as well, just like that day with his choc chip cookies.

            I shook my head declining the offer. “You paid for all these so I shouldn’t.”

            Jaejoong chewed and swallowed the whole disc and glared at me, chilling me to the bone. “Are you going to eat or do you want to be forced?” His voice was icy as well. “This time, I’ll be force feeding you with my mouth.” I trembled and reluctantly grabbed a radish disc and ate it. I didn’t know what was affecting me more, the cold weather or Jaejoong’s iciness. “I got this for you as well.” Jaejoong continued, bringing out a bottle of cold fruit juice. Why did everything have to be cold? “Drink it.” He urged. I did as I was told. The last item in his bag was an icy pole and I cringed, thinking that I would die of hypothermia.

            “Aren’t you eating?” I asked as I bit on the ice cream.

            “You ate it all.” Jaejoong smiled at me as if what he was saying was normal.

            “What? But,” I stuttered and then suddenly shivered from the weather. Somehow a strong gust of wind came my way as well. I was definitely going to freeze. Jaejoong laughed furiously, enjoying himself to the extent that he was crying out from stomach pains. “Were you torturing me?” My voice twitched from the arctic environment as I spoke.

            Jaejoong erupted, laying on the park bench from unstoppable laughter and I tried to glare at him. “You really love to hurt me, don’t you?” I didn’t wait for a response and poked his cheek with my ice cream. He froze in position. I giggled a little. “That’s right you should keep still.” As if the ice cream in my hand was a paintbrush, I swirled it all over his face. Although, it was really hard to see it on his face, I was pretty sure he felt discomforted by the stickiness.

            Jaejoong still smiled and I couldn’t help but wonder why. “Ah, so refreshing.” He sighed. “My girlfriend has showered me with such sweet kisses.” I suddenly remembered that I was halfway through my ice cream, therefore my ‘germs’ were still on it. I shuddered at how he had twisted the situation around. “Now it’s my turn.” He smirked and out of reflex, I got up and began to run away from him. “Hey, where are you going?” He cried from behind me.

            I couldn’t help but laugh. It had been a while since I played like this. I don’t even remember running for fun. I always ran when I needed to. But at this moment, it felt different. I was running away from a Jaejoong that had ice cream contents all over his face. It felt joyous and I felt light. I looked behind me to see that he was catching up. I shrieked and tried to accelerate but then I knocked hard into something. And that something felt alive.

            I orientated myself; aside from being a little sore from impact, I was okay. I looked around to see Danseol a distance away. I must’ve bumped into her. “Sorry.” I muttered as I saw Jaejoong catching up in the distance.

            Danseol ignored me and looked up at Jaejoong. “Minni knocked me down.” She whined.

            Jaejoong looked grimly from Danseol to me. He approached me and he looked very angry. “You’re hurt.” He said and lifted me up in his arms. Out of shock I wrapped my arms around him.

            “Jaejoong, I’m hurt too.” Danseol whined from behind him.

            “Yeah, but you’re at fault.” Jaejoong spoke monotonously. “Why would you be hiding behind this tree all this time and suddenly decide to come out when Minni starts running your way?” Danseol was silent. Jaejoong took that as a sign to walk away.

            “Jaejoong.” I looked up at him, the ice cream was beginning to get crusty on his face. “I’m fine.”

            “No you’re not.” He protested angrily. I didn’t want to get on his bad side so I stopped talking. He walked silently down the street that looked very familiar to me. I looked back to his dirty face and pitied him a little. I rolled out the sleeve of my shirt underneath my sweater, panning it over my hand and began wiping his face with it.

            Startled, Jaejoong looked down at me. “What are you doing?”

            “Just cleaning your face.”

            “How fortunate of me to have a girlfriend like you.” He sighed.

            “Fake girlfriend.” I corrected him.

            Jaejoong just smirked. “Even if it is fake it feels real, you treat me so well. Have you already fallen for me?”

            “I feel sorry for you.” I could feel my sleeve stick his face. Looks like we had to find a bathroom soon. “You’re carrying me for no reason. I told you that I was fine.”

            “I know that you’re fine.” He immediately said. “I just want to carry you.”

            I was horrified. “Put me down now.” I ordered.

            “No.”

            “Now.”

            “No.”

            “Now!”

            I felt his arms suddenly loosen a little below me and I shrieked at the fear of falling, securing my arms around his neck tightly. Jaejoong laughed. “Let’s be honest Minni,” he spoke between his chortles, “you don’t want me to put you down, don’t you?”

            I ‘hmphed’ and looked away but kept my arms around him, signaling that I couldn’t be bothered struggling against him. “Are you happy now?”

            “Very.”

            “Good.” I muttered with dissatisfaction.

            “My girlfriend is so obedient today.” Jaejoong leaned in and pecked me on the cheek unexpectedly. I decided not to say anything anymore, just in case it prompted him to do something funny.

            I started to talk again when we arrived at our final destination. “Why are we back at this grocery store?” I asked. Jaejoong ignored me and entered the store once again.

            “Jaejoong, what have you done to her?” The shopkeeper asked. “She’s shivering.”

            “You know her?” I turned to him in shock.

            “I was just having a little fun with her.” Jaejoong explained to the lady.

            The shopkeeper’s lip thinned. “Come this way.” She led us to the back of the shop. Hidden behind a shelf with dusty books, was a door that opened to a stairway. At the end of the stairway was another door, and when she opened it, I felt warmth in the room radiate out to me. It was so warm in here in comparison to the cold outside, I eagerly wanted to escape Jaejoong’s hold (he was still carrying me) and rush into the room. I think Jaejoong felt my urge to enter the room, so he carried me in and placed me on a comfortable brown sofa.

            “Ow!” He then bellowed

            I looked up to see the lady hitting Jaejoong. “I thought I taught you how to be a proper gentleman.” She scolded at him.

            “Ms. Gu, I was only playing around.” Jaejoong justified himself, and physically tried to defend himself.

            “And make her freeze to death?”

            Jaejoong got hold of the shopkeeper’s wrists and held them firmly in place. “I’m not going to kill my girlfriend. If I was, I wouldn’t bring her here.” He grinned playfully.

            Ms. Gu stopped talking and her lips thinned again, aware that Jaejoong had proven his point. She scrutinized him and realised something. “What’s that on your face?”

            “It’s just ice cream. Minni got smart and started retaliating.” Jaejoong explained and I blushed, aware of how immature I was earlier.

            “Serves you right.” The shopkeeper stuck a tongue at him and turned to me with a smile. “Minni, if this guy tries to do anything to you, feel free to give a shout. I can hear customers outside so I have to go now.” I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a woman that age, stick their tongue out like a kid.

            When the lady left, Jaejoong took his place next to me. “So what should we do now?” He famously raised an eyebrow.

            “Well, I think you should go wash your face.” I suggested.

            “Fine.” He muttered and marched towards the bathroom. It was so strange that he found it so quickly; I got the feeling that he has been here before. When he was out of sight, I decided to look for a bedroom to remove my sticky shirt underneath my sweater and fortunately found one with a lock. In the room, I slowly removed my shirt, being careful not to get my sweater sticky. I hung the shirt on the doorknob and pulled my sweater over my head. I began to hear the sound of the turning of the door handle and hastily squeezed my arms into the sleeves.

            Jaejoong walked in and paused astounded to see me in this room. Nothing but the droplets on his face and hair moved. “What are you doing here?” He asked after some time.

            “I’m supposed to ask you that. I thought I locked the door already?”

            Jaejoong sniveled. “This lock has been broken for as long as I can remember.” I in a breath at the realization. “So now are you going to tell me what you were doing in here?”

            “I was just changing out of my sticky shirt.”

            “Well you should have changed properly.” Jaejoong walked up to me and kneeled before me. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and his cheek pressed against my belly. Strangely it felt like skin-to-skin contact. I looked down and was horrified to see that I hadn’t worn my sweater properly and my abdomen was for all to see. “You were only wearing two layers?”

            “I’ve got a jacket in my bag.” I struggled to speak.

            He grabbed the hem of my sweater that was just below my and pulled it down. “But you don’t have one with you.” Jaejoong noted and shook his head in disapproval. He removed his black zip hoodie and handed it to me. “Wear it now.”

            “But what about you?”

            “I can ask Ms. Gu for something.” Jaejoong added. “You’re sweater looks very short, I can make out a streak of your skin still.” He poked my bare skin.

            Hearing that, I quickly dug my hands through the sleeves of the baggy hoodie. Jaejoong, still on his knees, zipped it up half way. “Must you do that?” I tried to pull him away. “It feels weird.”

            “Your figure is so petite.” Jaejoong looked up at me smiling mischievously. “I wonder how are you going to be the mother of my children?”

            “Don’t say that.” I scolded him. “The mother of your children should be someone that you love with all your heart; not someone that you despise.”

            “I don’t mind having you look after my children. You take good care of everyone.”

            I couldn’t help but smile a little. “I can tell that you’re going to be a great father.” I said. “You seem to care about your children so much already.”

            Jaejoong’s smile disappeared abruptly and he shoved me harshly onto the bed. His hands pinned my wrists down and he crouched his body over me, smirking darkly. “Why don’t you give me a child then?”

            “Jaejoong, please stop.” My voice trembled at his stare. “You’re scaring me.” His smile only widened as he leaned in.

            “Jaejoong!” The shopkeeper shrieked. From behind Jaejoong, she had a newspaper in her hand and was whacking him across the head. “Don’t do such disgusting things at my place, in fact, don’t do it anywhere at all.”

            Jaejoong stood upright quickly. “I didn’t do anything yet. All I did was pin her down and threaten to her.” He said casually.

            Ms. Gu directed a glare at him and I couldn’t help but see how scary they looked. “Leave us.” She ordered him. Jaejoong exhaled but did as he was told.

            Ms. Gu then took a seat beside me. “Are you alright?” She asked.

            I nodded but still felt a little shaky.

            “Jaejoong wouldn’t actually you, trust me.” She ensured me.

            I smiled a little as a sudden thought came to mind. “I knew he wouldn’t.” I said.

            “Then why are you so pale?” The shopkeeper questioned.

            “I guess it’s reflex. It’s naturally what would happen if you’re being told that you’re going to be , right?” I justified myself.

            “Funny you should say that.” She laughed a little. “Because it’s not naturally like that when it’s with Jaejoong.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Why don’t I tell you a story?” Ms. Gu began to narrate. “When I first met Jaejoong, I presumed that he was one of those drunkards that allowed their alcohol to take control and prey on any lady they met. He was dragging a young woman into a small alleyway and I couldn’t help but feel that I had to do something about it. Hiding behind a dumpster in that same alleyway, I watched as Jaejoong spoke aggressively to the lady, who was casually laughing and didn’t seem to be offended at all. I found it strange at first but I was more worried about her safety, so I was cautiously took my taser out of my purse and waited for the perfect opportunity. And then I heard it.”

            “ “If you want me so badly, you would have to go all the way.” He had shouted at that girl that night, pinning her against a brick wall and giving her a lustful glare. I was going to take my chances then because what he had said infuriated me. But that girl just cackled at his words and I kept myself hidden. “You think that’s a threat?” She had smiled at him. Her arms were around his neck and she pulled him in. That was when I saw the look on his face. He was utterly shocked. I knew straight away that he only intended to scare the girl away but she ended up offering herself to him.”

            “He pushed her away and glared at her with disgust. “You’re a disgrace to all the females in the world.” He spoke icily. The girl clung tightly to him and by this time, I knew that the true victim was him, not her. I emerged from my hiding spot and did the only thing that I could do. “My son will never marry a like you.” I shouted at the girl. Jaejoong quickly fell into plot and played along.”

            “So you helped him that day.” I started.

            “I took him in when he told me that he had been homeless for a while now.”

            “He was homeless!”

            “He wouldn’t tell me his full story, but he gave me a general idea of what was going on. He ran away from home 3 years ago.” She hinted.

            I suddenly felt sorry for him. My hands grabbed one of hers. “But still, I’m glad he met someone like you. You’re like a mother to him.”

            “But nothing can compare to a biological mother. In the year that he stayed with me, I constantly told him to return home.” Ms. Gu smiled sadly. “He said there was nothing to return to.” I squeezed her hand and she used her free hand to pat mine. “But now he’s got you. I trust you with him. You’re not like any other girl I’ve ever met.” She smiled at me and I could see the tears in her eyes that were trying not to escape. “You can see the goodness within him.”

            “I’m sure the others can see it too.” I assured her. “There’s a ton of girls who have fallen in love with him.”

            “They’ve fallen for his alluring façade but fail to see past his cold actions.” The shopkeeper clasped my hands tightly. “You, my dear, have fallen for the true self he tries to hide.”

            “I can see it because he occasionally shows it to me. I wish that he could let others see it too.” I muttered.

            “Then as his girlfriend, help him let his true colours shine.” Ms. Gu advised.

            I remembered the times when he saved me from death, when he gently helped me out of chemistry storeroom, when he nursed me several times, when he caught me as I fell, when I felt secure after hearing his soothing voice. I looked at Ms. Gu with a spark of determination. “I will.”

A/N:

i am so sorry for the very very very very very slow update. my organisation skills are totally down the drain. 

i am now trying to add more plot into the story now. 

and i'm trying to put myself into Minni's shoes. i think she's starting to get some feels for Jaejoong don't you guys think?? 

anyways, whose feeling sorry for Jaejoong out there?

i hope you guys will support me until the end. i intend to finish this story no matter what!!!

wait for me! <3