A/N: I loved everyone's reactions to the last chapter. You are all my kind of Cassies <3 Enjoy!

TOGETHER

Junsu whistled. “SM Entertainment. Way to pull out the big guns.”

Jaejoong just stared at him, at a loss for what to say. The rest of them had auditioned specifically at C&M and hadn't had that kind of opportunity thrown their way. What could he say to Yoochun? Don't do it, because you need to stay with us? It was selfish. Selfish, but how he honestly felt. Yoochun could make more money, have more fans, take more fame then all four of them, maybe even put together, but he didn't want to let him reach out for it. They had made it this far because they had dreamed and dreamed together; if Yoochun wasn't there, it felt like everything would lose its momentum. Like the finish line to their goal would be ripped away from them, and even if they continued running forward, it would amount to nothing.

“Hyung?” Yoochun said uncertainly. “I really... I really want to do this with all of you.”

“You shouldn't just say that blindly,” Junsu butted in. “At least think for two seconds what an offer from them means.”

“I know what it means.”

“It's a better opportunity. Even Starkiss can't touch their groups.”

“I know.”

“So yeah, why not seriously consider it?” Junsu said, his voice sounding unnaturally high. “You'd do well.”

Yoochun stared at Junsu, then turned to Jaejoong. “Hyung...?”

Jaejoong opened his mouth. He wanted to say something encouraging to Yoochun, to let him know that it would be okay either way, he would still support him, but the words didn't come out. He couldn't imagine not supporting Yoochun, but those still weren't his completely honest feelings. He didn't want to hide that from him. As his friend, he couldn't, even if it was incredibly selfish.

“I don't-” he started to say, but he was shut down by Junsu, who whacked his arm and shook his head.

“Yoochunnie,” Junsu said. “We're just thinking about you. You should do what's best for you, right?”

“Right...” Yoochun looked back and forth between the two of them. “I...”

Right then, his phone started going off again. He picked it up and answered. “Umma? Come on, even if I stay in the city for a few more hours, I'll make it home in time for Christmas. It's only the twenty-third!” He winced as his mother yelled at him from the other line. “OKAY! Okay, I get it! I'll leave! Just give me the time it actually takes to get back without calling, please!”

He hung up and grimaced. “I need to get back. About this whole thing-” he glanced at Junsu- “I'll think about it. All right? No decisions now.”

Junsu bobbed his head. “Do you want us to go to the bus stop with you?”

“Not really. I'll be fine.” His eyes shifted to Jaejoong. “Just...” He shook his head. “See you later, I guess. Have a nice Christmas.”

Jaejoong turned to glare at Junsu as soon as Yoochun was gone. “What the heck was that all about?”

Junsu shrugged. “It's just like I said. I'm thinking of him. I just want him to...” He darted his eyes away. To Jaejoong, they looked damp around the edges.

Jaejoong grabbed a pillow and whacked Junsu as hard as he could with it. “If you don't want him to go, just tell him! Now he's going to think you're throwing him out all over again, and you know what? This time he may just let you get away with it.”

“I was being serious!” Junsu yelped. “How awful would you feel if we held him back and he missed an opportunity that life-changing?”

“I would only feel awful if it made him unhappy! And I don't think that was the case, looking at him just now. He wanted to stay with us, and he wanted to hear that you wanted him to stay, too, but you wouldn't shut up about him leaving.”

“I just...” Junsu made a face and threw the pillow. “Yahhh, I just don't know what to do when it comes to Yoochunnie, okay? I can't find a balance between being selfish and letting him do what's best for him. How would you feel if this was Yunho hyung? You wouldn't want him to just throw all caution the wind, would you?”

“No,” Jaejoong said, thinking about the question honestly. “But I think I would always regret it if I couldn't be honest with him. Especially since I haven't had the best history of being upfront with him in the past...”

“Sure you might regret it, but you're not always thinking like that in the moment, hyung.” Junsu pursed his lips and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “But still... you may be right. I still want him to do what he thinks is right, but I shouldn't keep letting him think that I don't want him around, or something. I better call him, right?”

“You probably should.”

Junsu released a long sigh. “If there's any groveling involved in this, I'll kick him to the curb for real next time. Can I use your room for a minute?”

Jaejoong nodded, and Junsu scampered off. He rested his head against the back of the couch, exhaling tiredly. He was happy for Yoochun, in a complicated way. He had done such a good job, it was no wonder that multiple companies had noticed him. All the same, his entrance into the industry wouldn't be as seamless as he thought it would be. Even though Jaejoong was about 95% sure Yoochun wanted to stick with them and would choose to do so, there would always be that thought of what might have been had he chose differently. Like Junsu, part of him didn't want to hold Yoochun back, though the part of him that wanted to beg him not to even consider another option was much stronger.

His phone buzzed on the coffee table, and he grabbed it. Yunho.

“Why aren't Yoochun and Junsu picking up?” he asked. “Has his call back come through yet?”

“It did.” Jaejoong caught him up on the situation.

“Ah...” Yunho said. “Those two... well, if I know Yoochunnie at all, he'll stick to whatever he wants to do regardless of how badly Junsu expresses himself. Still, it would be better if Junsu clears it up. The last thing we need is the two of them at odds again.” He clicked his tongue. “SM Entertainment, though. Wouldn't that be something.”

“C&M could become just as good,” Jaejoong said defensively. “They only have one group out so far, so it's hard to say. But it's still one of the most popular girl groups out there!”

“I know, I know,” Yunho said quickly. “And if it's up to us to keep them on top, we'll definitely do it. But on paper, SM would still seem like the safer bet. Once again, though, Yoochunnie isn't the kind of guy at all who would play it safe just for the sake of doing it. You can trust in him.”

Jaejoong bit his lip. “Yunho?”

“Yeah?”

“If I was the one thinking about leaving you, what would you do?”

There was silence on the other line for a minute. “Please tell me you aren't trying to break up with me right now, Boojae,” Yunho said wearily.

“I'm not! Just wondering... I mean, you and I were in this situation before. You didn't know I'd sent in an audition tape for you, and you thought I would be leaving you at the end of the summer. Maybe for good.”

More silence, but he figured this time it was because Yunho was thinking. “At that point, yeah, I was worried about it. I didn't want to stop you from chasing your dream, but at the same time I couldn't help but wonder why I'd found you in the first place if I wasn't going to get to be together with you. I didn't want another relationship like the one with Minhee, you know? I didn't want to half- things, and I didn't feel like I could take care of you when you weren't there.” He paused. “But right before I found out about you submitting the tape of me, I thought something different. That even if you weren't here, if you were still in love with me wherever you were, it would be okay. That those feelings would connect us, and I wouldn't really be losing you.”

Jaejoong nodded, swallowing back the lump in his throat. “Yunho, that's-”

“Really cheesy?”

“Yeah.”

“I know. And I blame you for that, since I don't remember being like this before.” Yunho laughed. “Anyways, I don't know how true that was since we didn't wind up separated. At least not fully. And even though I can't always touch you or kiss you, getting to see you is still good. So don't you be getting any ideas about going anywhere, all right?”

“I won't,” Jaejoong whispered into the phone. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

By time he hung up on Yunho, Junsu was back downstairs looking a lot more relieved than he had when he'd gone up. “Yoochun's not mad,” he said, grinning. “Well, he was a little mad. He called me a dishonest twit and stuff, but that's about normal.”

“And his decision about who he wants to train with...?”

“He still says he'll think about. But he said it with a smile. I could hear it.”

0o0

Christmas, as always, was an overwhelming affair thanks to his sisters and their growing families, and for once, most of the attention seemed focused on him. Everyone wanted to know what being a part of an agency was like, and Jaejoong had to answer the barrage of questions, even though talking about it felt strange since Dayoung had invited Stan over. Luckily, Stan was upbeat about it, and even entertained the family with stories of Hyunsoo nim from before Jaejoong had met him.

After he'd eaten enough to knock him out, he sprawled out on the couch and let his nieces and nephews crawl all over him. He grabbed his cell phone and snapped a goofy picture of himself to send off to Yunho. He'd thought the day would feel a little lonely without him, but he had a feeling that they would be spending more Christmases together from here on out than with their families. He wondered where the two of them would be a year from now: in a dorm, on a stage, in a van taking them from one schedule to another?

He yawned and closed his eyes to doze a little bit before all the hoopla of presents started, but just as he was drifting off, his phone buzzed. He thought it would be Yunho, a response to the photo he'd just sent, but it was Yoochun's number on the screen.

“Yoochun ah?”

“Hyung. I've done a lot of thinking.” His voice sounded incredibly heavy, as if he was on the verge of saying something he knew Jaejoong didn't want to hear. Jaejoong's heart throbbed. He had been so sure Yoochun had wanted to stay with them, that he was doing this for them to perform together rather than for attention or money or anything else. He didn't want to be wrong. He didn't want the last spot in their group to be taken by anyone else but Yoochun.

“W-wait, aren't you supposed to be celebrating the holiday or something?” Jaejoog said, stalling for time.

“Hyung, I can't really think about Christmas at a time like this. I've been sitting around listening to albums from SM and from C&M, trying to decide which one I like better. Did I ever tell you that I used to be a huge H.O.T fan when I was younger? I have all of Shinhwa's albums, too.”

“I liked H.O.T., too,” Jaejoong said grudgingly. He used to have a Kangta poster in his room until one of his sisters had made fun of him for it. “But-”

“You know, it would be cool to sound like that, too. Not that Starkiss sounds bad, or anything. But having twice as much money on your side can buy you a perk or two.”

Since when have you cared so much about money, Park Yoochun?, Jaejoong thought angrily.

“But on the other hand, remember how it felt when H.O.T split up? I remember watching the TV, just wondering what the hell happened. Who was at fault? Was it them or...” He trailed off. “How about you, hyung? You were a fan, too.”

“I almost cried,” Jaejoong snapped. In fact, he had cried, but he didn't want to tell Yoochun that embarrassing detail.

“Yeah, something like that isn't good. I don't think being an idol is just a business deal, do you? You should be able to sing honestly to your fans, and be in a position where you can do that well. That's why I've been thinking so hard. This is hard to say, but I've thought so much-”

“Yoochun ah,” Jaejoong said weakly, his head demanding him to blank out the words he didn't want to hear.

“-and I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter what kind of label I'm signed to. It matters who I sing with. And there's no way anywhere I go is going to have anyone like you guys. So there's my answer.”

Jaejoong sat upright, nearly knocking over a niece he hadn't realized was climbing up onto his lap. “You're sure? 100% sure?”

“Yeah. I never cared about money or fame to begin with. I just wanted to sing with you guys, so why would anything else change that? Sorry for teasing you, but you guys should have gotten that yourself from the moment I decided to enter that contest.” He lowered his voice. “And I would have said that right after I got the phone call. I just wanted to make Junsu squirm. You should do what's best for you, my foot. If I went to another label, that guy would call me crying within days.”

“Er... whatever you say. Just... I'm glad you'll be with us.”

“You didn't have to doubt me, hyung. Why on earth would I want to do this apart from my four best friends?”

Jaejoong couldn't suppress his grin at those words. He was still a bit unused to hearing the word best friend used in regards to himself, but he could tell that Yoochun meant it sincerely.

“So when are you going to call in to make the arrangements?”

“As soon as the company is open again. Can't leave you guys waiting, can I?”

“You better not!”Jaejoong leaned back again and closed his eyes. “Merry Christmas, Yoochunnie.”

“To you, too,” the laughing voice on the other line said. “Hope you liked your gift.”

0o0

The night before the break in their schedules ended, Yunho made the bus trip up to see Jaejoong. “I brought the snow with me,” he said, smiling guiltily. Jaejoong shook it out of his hair before letting him inside. Yunho's face was a flushed red, so he he extended his hands to touch his cheeks and warm them up. He was cold to the touch, but the contact with Jaejoong's skin helped regulate their temperature. Yunho grinned gratefully, leaning down to give Jaejoong a kiss. He had a peppermint hard candy in his mouth, which Jaejoong could taste just slightly on his lips.

“My parents are here,” he said, trying to sound reproachful and failing.

“Don't they know that we're together now?”

“Yeah, but they still probably wouldn't want to catch me in the act of anything.”

“Good thing we'll probably be heading into dorm life soon.”

“As if Changmin ah would like it any more!”

“And who said we would have to do what Changminnie liked?”

Yunho took off his coat and scarf and let Jaejoong usher him into the sitting room, where they had a fire going. His parents greeted him warmly, though with a degree of formality of the “please take care of our son” variety. Jaejoong's mother politely asked if they wanted them to clear out while they exchanged their gifts, which Jaejoong was grateful for.

“So which one of us first?” Yunho asked.

“I'll go first,” Jaejoong said, ing a small package into Yunho's hands. They'd both agreed to stay to a budget with each other, since they weren't exactly rolling in money at the moment. He still didn't know if what he'd gotten was good enough, but once again, it was something he was new to, along with everything else that came along with being in a relationship with someone.

Yunho opened the package slowly, pulling out a silver box with a protruding handle. When he turned it, the notes of One Kiss started playing, slow and delicate like a lullaby. Yunho's eyes widened. “How...?”

“It's not as difficult as it seems like it would be,” Jaejoong said quickly. “There are these kits that help you punch the notes into the strip that goes into the box. As long as you can read music, it isn't ha-”

He was silenced by Yunho's lips pressing against his, the notes he had been spinning on the music box lingering in the air. With a shared breath, we share one kiss, I feel it with my closed eyes in this complicated feeling...

“Difficult or not, I love it,” Yunho said gently. “You know what that song means to me.”

“Mhmm,” Jaejoong said with a smile. “And me, too.”

“Now it's my turn?” Yunho placed a small gift bag into Jaejoong's hands. “Mine's not as creative.”

Jaejoong opened the bag and pulled out the bracelet buried under the green and red tissue paper. It was a simple design of thick black beads, but the clasp was unique-- a pair of silver hands the latched together. There was something written on them in small, barely noticeable characters. He leaned in to get a better look. Japanese. Sono te wo hanasanaide, it read. Don't let go of my hand.

“We can't wear our rings openly right now,” Yunho said softly. “But I still wanted you to have something that was from me. Is this good?”

“You didn't get one for yourself, too?”

Yunho shook his head. “That would defeat the purpose right now. Can't be too suspicious, right? So this is jewelry just for Boojae. Although the message...” He laced his fingers with Jaejoong's. “I'm not going to let go of this hand either.”

Jaejoong ducked his head and the embarrassed smile that most likely had appeared on it. Yunho laughed and eased his chin back up. “Can I put it on you?”

“... go ahead.”

Yunho hooked the bracelet around Jaejoong's wrist. The metal hands brushed against his pulse point. Sono te wo hanasanaide. He wasn't sure if Yunho was giving a promise or exacting one, but he also wouldn't be letting go either way.

Yunho kissed his hands when he'd finished putting the bracelet on, a sweet gesture, but their alone time was cut short when dinner finished cooking in the kitchen. They ate their leftovers from Christmas-- Yunho snapped a few pictures to torture Changmin with-- and Jaejoong's parents got their fill of asking Yunho about his family, which was a particular point of curiosity now that they knew he was dating their son. Even in a forbidden type relationship like theirs, family connections still counted the most, he supposed.

When bedtime rolled around, Yunho was directed to one of his sisters' rooms; now that Jaejoong's parents were aware of their relationship, they were stricter about the idea of Yunho crashing in his room. Jaejoong was a little bit regretful about it, but he it up since he needed a good night's sleep anyways. Vocal group three was scheduled to come in hours earlier than the other two groups, giving them their first opportunity to entirely miss all of their classes since coming into the agency, plus Yoochun had given the green light to come in, too. Jaejoong guessed that it had something to do with officially confirming their unit before introducing Yoochun to the others, so it wasn't exactly something he could be half-asleep and covered in kiss marks for.

In the morning, he and Yunho went over to the bus stop to meet up with Yoochun and Changmin. Junsu was already waiting there, performing one of their practice routines while he waited.

“Yunho hyung, Jaejoong hyung,” he said, smiling awkwardly. “Yoochun texted, and they're almost here. My heart feels like it's going to fall out. Is this really actually happening?”

Yunho reached out to give a sharp pinch on the cheek. “I don't know, you tell me.”

“Hyung!” He wiggled away. “It seriously doesn't feel real right now. What if Hyunsoo nim decides to throw one of us out of the group or something?”

“Hey, he's the one who wants to assemble a good group most of all,” Jaejoong reminded him. “I doubt that's what's going to happen.”

“But he could still change the line-up on us! No one's stopping him!”

Junsu was obviously in the mood to panic, so Jaejoong was relieved when the bus pulled up and shut him up. Yoochun and Changmin luckily looked much more optimistic.

“Well,” Yoochun said. “Ready to do this?”

One by one, they nodded. Finally, Jaejoong understood a little bit of how Junsu felt. They were still standing on the threshold of their dream, unsure fully of how it would feel to cross into it or of what would happen next. It was kind of terrifying. They had chosen to set something in motion because it was what they had wanted to do, but they had no idea what it would amount to or what the world would look like once they had a stage to stand on.

But Yunho's arms linked with his on one side, and Yoochun's on the other. It will be fine as long as we're still together, he reminded himself. Whatever was ahead, they could be strong if they didn't have to face it alone.

He thought they'd be directed back to the offices when they made it to the company, but Hyunsoo nim was waiting for them in the practice rooms, along with some of the other producers at C&M.

“I have to admit, this whole thing was rather unexpected,” he said once they were all lined up in front of him. “When I assembled Starkiss, it was a different experience. Our first round of auditions yielded Gaeun and Saehee, two girls who couldn't be more different, and then months later, Soorin came in like a lost little lamb and sang with enough strength for someone twice her size. Brie was last to turn up, practically fresh from the airport, willing to risk everything to perform in a country she'd barely even set foot in. None of them knew each other before they entered these doors, but their voices fit together perfectly. I admit, I was proud of myself for bringing them together and debuting them out of the many trainees in this country.”

He looked at them one by one. “But with you... you did my job for me. You found each other and pieced a group little by little. It began with two tapes passing through my desk, one of a dancer who moved as if every step came naturally to him-” he nodded at Yunho- “and one of a singer who wrote a beautiful song and sang it with his heart on his sleeve. And now here you all are, five people who know each other well enough to call each other friends, and I feel as if all I had to do was open the door for you. But still, I am proud. Or I will be soon, when you confirm my selection of all five of you by singing.”

“Is there anything in particular you'd like us to sing?” Yunho asked.

Hyunsoo nim's eyes fixed on Yoochun. “That song you sang for the second round of your audition was one I hadn't heard before. Is it one of Jaejoong's?”

Yoochun nodded.

“A Japanese original, then,” he said, looking at Jaejoong with a satisfied expression. “Do all of you know it? If you could, I'd like to hear it again.”

The five of them looked at each other and nodded. They were used to practicing it with Yunho on his guitar, but they wouldn't be proving anything if they couldn't do it acapella. Jaejoong closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had the first lines. It was up to him to lead them off just right. He pressed his wrist close to his heart, feeling the shape of silver hands against his chest, remembering the first time he sang this song for Yunho in his room. He remembered both his former fears of not being able to hold onto love and the words Yunho had given to him. Sono te wo hanasanaide. With both feelings in his heart, he began to sing. I sit on my bed and think of you...

He could hear when the others began to harmonize with him that all of their magic was still there. It was the first song they had sung together, and the song where they knew each other best. He was proud that not a single one of them sounded nervous, but took each of their parts confidently and owned up to everything their voices could do.

When they finished, Hyunsoo nim tented his hands and pressed them to his smiling lips. “Now there,” he said, “is a group where everyone sings like they're the best singer.”

They flushed with pleasure and bowed in thanks. For Yunho and Jaejoong in particular, since they had been there the longest, those had been the exact words they had been waiting to hear.

“Now,” Hyunsoo nim said, more solemnly. “I'm sure you are well aware that we would like to move ahead with a debut. Starkiss still needs more time before they can promote again, so there is no better opening for you to make your way in. But we cannot afford to rush this too much. You are all capable, undoubtedly, but there are still points you can be better at. Your dancing must improve to a higher level, as should your variety sense. Your harmonies are clearly where you excel, but since all of you are gifted, you must consider balance and not coming on too strongly with your sound and clashing with each other. The song you just performed indicates to me that you are candidates for a Japanese debut one day, but you must learn to speak it with fluency, as well as to express yourself as well as you can in Korean. There will be much expected of you, and much to do. We will have to discuss your schedule with your schools and parents as soon as possible, since your training will need to be put on a faster track. We will also need to consider a debut song.” He looked directly at Jaejoong. “A project that our producers are also beginning to brainstorm, and they hope to have your help.”

Jaejoong nodded.

“But of course, there is one other matter: your membership training.”

Junsu's eyes brightened. “We're going to have an MT?”

“As a matter of formality, since you five are lacking ice to break, so to speak. Take it as an opportunity to relax and build your strength before your training begins in earnest. If I were you, I'd think about the variety aspects in your interactions over the trip, since next time you go on one, it's likely cameras will be going with you.” He turned to the trainers who were focused on vocal groups one and two. “I'd also like for the other vocal groups to go with them. We're looking into a pension that comes with an adjoining cabin, where the other five trainees could stay. They're the younger bunch, so I'd like to do a singing boot camp for them. Build up some toughness and experience so when it comes time for them to enter into the industry, too, they'll keep up well with their sunbaes.”

Jaejoong smiled. Most of them would be thrilled, even if 'boot camp' training would be involved. Chansik in particular had been hounding for an MT since day one, and now they were finally getting one.

“We will try and solidify a training schedule as soon as possible and see what we can do about initial promotions,” Hyunsoo nim said. “I will put the debut song as a high priority for now, as well as your variety training, which, luckily, can start right this very minute since we have our trainers in house. I hope you're ready to jump right in, Yoochun goon?”

“I'll do my best, hyungnim,” Yoochun said, bowing.

“Good. Introduce yourself well to the other trainees when they come in this afternoon, and prove that you deserve to be a part of the debuting vocal group. You all have the potential to rise high, so let's see the work now to make that happen. Got it?”

“Got it!” they said back, bowing one more time as one. There was so much still ahead of them, but for a moment Jaejoong took the moment to enjoy the fact that they had made it this far, and were finally, finally heading down their chosen path together.

Let's get together as one heart
Let's get together