I'm sorry for the veeery late update. As an apology, I made a longer chapter. I hope you don't mind. Happy reading!

Last part of Downfall:

“Oh, and congratulations, Jaejoong-ssi. You’ll be a great father,” she smiled and exited the room, leaving him shattered to pieces.

Jessica shed tears as she looked at the test result. Standing next to her, Jaejoong tried his utmost to smile. She looked up to him and pulled him in to an embrace, sharing her joy. Rather reluctant, he put his arms around her and patted her back instinctively. His face turned emotionless, as the chaos in his mind suddenly died down.

After the supposedly happy news broke, Jessica stayed in The Safe House, or in JYJ’s mansion to be exact. She was staying in the guest room which every mansion was provided with. The chief had suggested her to book another one, but Jessica didn’t want to separate from Jaejoong. Scratch that, she said she didn’t want to separate from her baby’s father.

At first, she and Jaejoong would have their breakfast at the mansion, not joining the others in the main house. But on the next evening, a warm invitation came from the one everybody least expected, Park Haejin.

“You should join us on breakfast and dinner, Jessica-ssi. Well, it may not be that much of help to your appetite, but eating together is always better than alone,” Haejin offered with a sincere smile while checking on Jessica’s blood pressure.

And that was how the days forward went. There was a slight change, though. It was the seat. Haejin had personally asked Yoochun to sit on the other end of the table, so Jessica could sit next to her and Jaejoong took Yoochun’s former seat—next to Jessica. As much as Jaejoong dreaded it, he couldn’t do much.

The chief grew more worried each day, for Haejin looked fine—or strangely fine, he thought. It’d be totally natural if she cried to sleep every night, or if dark circles appeared on her eyes. Much to his concern, Haejin still smiled like she always did, not to mention she even regularly checked up on Jessica.

Time crawled under everyone’s awareness, as it silently brought them closer to the end of the tunnel. They were entering the fourth week already, which meant JYJ would be leaving in matter of days.

♦♦♦

“Okay, I guess we’re done. You are dismissed,” Chief ended the daily evaluation. The three girls in front of him nodded and left the room, without forgetting to say good night to their father-like Chief.

On their way upstairs where their bedrooms were, Jaeyeon’s cell phone rang. “I just finished. Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute. See you, hon,” they heard her speak, to which Siyoung rolled her eyes upon hearing.

“Date?” Siyoung asked casually.

“Yeah. We’re having late night snacks at the center lounge, wanna join?” Jaeyeon asked rather rhetorically, though she really meant it. She laughed when Siyoung snorted. “Thought so,” she stuck her tongue out at her leader.

“What about you, Haejin-ah?” she looked at the youngest who had been quiet. Haejin ruffled Jaeyeon’s jet-black bangs as she jokingly said, “Just tell Ed I miss his gin tonic.”

Jaeyeon giggled. She rushed in to her room only to grab a coat and of course, applied some touch-ups here and there. Blowing a kiss to the other two, she went down in quick steps. Siyoung chuckled while shaking her head, while Haejin couldn’t hold her grin.

“I think I need a warm bath. It’s getting chilly around here. Or is it just me?” Siyoung muttered more to herself, but she let Haejin heard it anyway, earning another grin from the latter.

In her room, Haejin threw herself on the bed as a long sigh slipped through her lips. She stared at the ceiling, trying to find another thing to do for the night. Well, since her plan on going to the lounge had just been canceled, she needed plan B—which she unfortunately didn’t have. She wasn’t all joking when she said she missed Ed’s gin tonic. Having him as the bartender of the center lounge for 3 years, Ed was one she considered a close friend.

After 15 minutes of thinking, she came up with a rather insane idea. She decided to tire herself out by… swimming. Yes, at half-an-hour after midnight. Not having another minute to re-think, she got up and packed things. She went out and made sure everyone was in their rooms already. Soundlessly, she left the house and headed to the pool at the Sport Unit.

Haejin took five minutes to change into her asymmetrical one-piece swimsuit and ten more to warm up. Before jumping into the water, she dipped her feet first to adjust to the temperature. It wasn’t too cold despite the windy weather, as the water temperature of every pool in the residence was always kept at certain degree. Enjoying the chill on her skin, she plunged her half bared body into the water. She found herself already doing laps that she didn’t bother to count. Feeling like challenging, she kept increasing her speed and checked the time on her watch every now and then.

♦♦♦

“Argh,” Jaejoong growled as he made the last pull before releasing the handle from his grip. He almost couldn’t feel his arms and it was only natural, considering the weight he put for an hour of pulldown exercise—and two hours of hard exercise before it. Exercising to death was always his getaway on hard times. His thin upper piece was completely soaked in sweat, accenting his perfect shape. As he went out of the gym, he checked his phone and noticed it was 02.52 AM.

Having no intention to pace up, he walked lazily toward the entrance of Sport Unit. He needed to pass the tennis court and pool to get to the door. Suddenly, his steps stopped halfway at the tennis court when he heard water splashing. Not believing his ears—well, it was 3 AM which wasn’t even dawn yet—he focused on his surroundings. As soon as another splash reached his eardrum, he was sure he wasn’t hearing things from the exhaustion. Rather alerted, he strode toward the pool with a perplexed mind, for it didn’t occur to him as to why in the world someone in their right mind would swim at this hour and this weather.

A slender female figure in black was in speed, hence the splashes. The swift movements caught his attention for a brief moment as he watched her arms cutting through the water, one after the other. But that moment of captivation didn’t last long. Her head emerged to the surface as she caught some air, and that was also when he got a clear view of her face.

Thousands jolts of electricity stung him back to his senses. His body reacted faster than his mind, for he just threw himself into the pool without thinking. The next moment he knew, he was already swimming with all his might towards her.

Haejin gasped when something wrapped around her waist and pulled her body. A thought of kidnapping crossed her mind in a flash which made her muscles defensively stiffened in respond. She directed her eyes to the kidnapper to memorize his look, but she only found a very familiar one instead—sending her into another shock.

“Jaejoong-ssi!” she gasped. Jaejoong didn’t respond except for the glare he’d been giving her for three seconds by then. He was furious, and hardly trying to suppress it. Without a single word, he swam back to the edge, pulling her along. She pried his arms to no avail, as they were firmly locked around her.

“Please let me go, Jaejoong-ssi. I can get there by myself,” she asked. He didn’t budge.

She sighed desperately. “Jaejoong-ssi, please let go. I won’t run or anything,” she pleaded, but Jaejoong was still silent as they were nearing the edge.

“Kim Jaejoong!” she eventually blew up, but before she could yell another word, Jaejoong lifted her out of the water to the poolside—effectively shutting her up. She let out a small gasp as she flinched when the cold breeze hit her bare skin.

Jaejoong effortlessly pushed himself out of the water and grabbed two large towels on the deckchair. Squatting in front of her, he put them around her shivering body, covering most of it. He locked her gaze intensely.

“What were you doing?” his husky voice was low, but nothing near calming. Haejin knew he was on the verge of exploding, so she wasn’t going to push it.

“I can’t sleep. I was going to have a shot or two at the lounge, but Junsu and Jaeyeon were there too. I didn’t want to disturb them, so I decided to do something else to help me sleep,” she told him the truth. Well, at least part of it.

“And hypothermia is your choice? I thought you said you wanted to sleep, not die. Did I hear it wrong?” he scolded almost cynically, as if she just did the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. Maybe it was after all. She didn’t respond.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm the chaotic storm inside. When he opened them, defeat and regret were unmistakable. His voice was agonizing when he spoke.

“Next time you want to tire yourself out, do it in the gym or tennis court. I know I can’t tell you what to do, and you probably won’t listen either, but…” emotions started to well up. “Just stay safe, Haejin-ah. Please.”

Haejin was still stunned by the palpable vulnerability shown in his tired, dimmed eyes. Even so, she didn’t let it reflected on her face. Besides, she almost couldn’t feel anything on it for the breeze had gotten her skin numb. He was still waiting for her answer to his demand, to which she gave only a casual nod. Helpless yet a little relieved that she’d promised, Jaejoong sighed as he still hadn’t gotten used to the pang in his heart lately.

“You should get back,” he said with a forced smile. Agreeing, Haejin stood up and quickly tidied her things up. Just when she was about to turn around, Jaejoong swiftly scooped her weight up in his arms—totally not anticipated on her side. Straight-faced, he started walking toward the door as if nothing happened. Haejin, who had recovered from her state of shock, tried to get off of him. It was useless, of course, as his arms were firm on their places.

“Jaejoong-ssi, put me down. I can walk on my own,” she demanded while still prying his hands. He kept walking without saying a word—and it agitated her.

“Gosh, I’m only freezing, not handicapped! And it’s not like you found me dying either, so just put me down already!” she burst in frustration. She made one strong attempt to , but it wasn’t an equal match to his well-built figure, not to mention his excellent reflex. Regardless, her abrupt action did startle him.

“Stop it, Park Haejin!” he growled, stopping her movements and at the same time putting her into silence.

“I’m not letting you off, so save your strength. If you still insist and jerk like that again, then I have no choice but to strengthen my grip. And that won’t feel nice. I don’t want to hurt you more than I already did, so please Haejin-ah, stay still,” he pressed every word with his orbs set firmly on hers. Even though he did say 'please', she knew he wasn’t asking. Silently complying, she locked her arms across her chest as if solidifying her form.

Jaejoong carried on to the main house. No words were shared between them along the way, though his casual steps gave them a while. Entering the lobby, a night-shift receptionist smiled confusedly at the two. He gave an assured smile so the lady wouldn’t worry. Walking inside the house, he realized he’d never been to Haejin's room before.

He looked down at motionless Haejin. “Where is your room?”

She lifted her head. “Can I walk on my own, now?”

“No. That’s why I’m asking where your room is,” he said as if it was only natural.

She sighed. “Over there,” she pointed the stairs on the left wing. Jaejoong carried her up easily, not sweating even a bead. She led him all the way to her room which was on the left side of the corridor. Slightly leaning forward, Haejin punched the codes and opened the door since both of his arms were occupied. He stepped in and went straight to the bed. Carefully, he put down her weight on the bed.

“Take a quick shower and change. I’ll be right back,” he stated, if not ordered, and left the room. He was gone before she could even open . After another long sigh, she went to the bathroom for a quick, freezing shower.

Jaejoong was back with a tray on his hands when she finished changing. “Hey, finished?” he said when he noticed her presence. She smiled briefly as a respond.

“Here, I brought you a cup of milk tea,” he put the cup on the nightstand next to the bed. Haejin had literally lost all energy from the freezing shower a moment ago, so she just nodded and whispered ‘thank you’.

She was still standing, waiting for him to leave. Ignoring the message she sent through her gesture, Jaejoong reached for her and motioned her to sit. She reluctantly climbed on to bed while he put the covers over her. Before he could voice another demand, Haejin already took the cup and sipped it.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Jaejoong-ssi. It’s supposed to be my job, but I let you do it instead. I apologize,” she slightly bowed her head. Jaejoong was taken aback.

“I’m fine now, you should go back and have some rest. Jessica would probably be looking for you too at this hours,” she briefly glanced at the clock. “Good night then, Jaejoong-ssi.”

Jaejoong was speechless. He only stared at her in disbelief for a few seconds. Still in lost of words, he headed to the door with his head hung low. He stopped in front of it and turned around.

“You know, about what happened between us, no matter how you see it, regardless whose point of view you use, I’ll still be the one who hurts you. No one will say differently, and I won’t deny it either. But do you know what pains me the most?” he smiled bitterly.

Haejin didn’t say anything, her silence signaled him to go on.

“You’re not hurt at all. That pains me the most,” his voice broke. From where she was sitting, Haejin could see tears started forming in his agonized eyes, glistening as the light fell upon them. His side figure—grim look, clenched jaw, cold shoulder—disappearing behind the door was the sight she had to sleep through the night.

Haejin stayed in the silence for a few seconds after he left. Then, she pulled out her left hand under the cover, formed in a fist. She slowly opened her palm, loosening the grip of her fingers. A bitter smile appeared as she saw the deep marks from her own nails, almost tearing the skin. Well, she needed physical pain to keep her head together as well as her expression. Clenching fist and letting her nails dug in to her palm was the only option she could think of.

The overly forced swimming and freezing shower took its toll on her for she felt as if her bones crumbled into pieces. She was too tired to think—which was why she didn’t see it coming. A sharp pain throbbed inside her left chest all of sudden, causing her to jolt up as she gasped. Wincing, she instinctively reached the aching area and gently patted it.

Once again, a bitter smile was on her face, darkening it while it wasn’t so colored to begin with. The twinge struck again and she felt her eyelid got warmer. She cursed under her breath as she realized tears were near.

Barely audible, she mumbled. “This is exactly why I prefer gin and tonic. You don’t get numb when you’re sober.”

Thank you for reading and still keeping up with this story! I hope we'll see it to the end ^^

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