arrow 12: oh hell no, mrs. lee!

"Donghae! Are you home?" Jessica would bet money on the fact that the speaker was Donghae's mom. She really would.

She heard Yuhan let out a little squeak (in happiness or shock, she was unsure) from a couple doors down, and then two pairs of footsteps coming up the stairs.

Donghae started to pace the room wildly, resisting the urge to run to Yuhan's room, scoop up the little boy in question, run again, and get away as fast as possible.

Jessica looked on in mild curiousity. "Why are you pacing around so much? Your parents came home, not bloodthirsty mass murderers." She watched him ignore her and pace past her for the umpteenth time; she stopped him abruptly by putting her foot out, effectively tripping him.

He glared and pouted at her, while she looked back at him innocently, if not a bit blankly. "Don't ignore me, buffoon." He just continued to pout at her. "Really though, what's the big deal about your parents coming home?"

Donghae puffed his cheeks in slight irritation at the girl who stood before him, but answered her question as best (and vague) as he knew how. "Yuhan and my parents don't exactly get along well. They're usually never in the same area for long."

"But Yuhan is such a sweetie...to not get along with him, your parents would have to be total-" Jessica stopped short and her eyes widened in shock. She immediately quieted and looked down to the floor. She was about to say something completely out of line about his parents, and she felt a little guilty about that.

Donghae just shrugged and flippantly replied, "My parents probably are whatever you were going to call them~"

Jessica stared blankly for a moment and flatly responded with, "I was going to call them douche bags." Her eyes widened again, and she comically covered and stepped back. She didn't mean to say that, it just came out! It was like her speech had no filter around Lee Donghae. Jessica didn't like that very much.

Donghae quirked a little smile at the the funny face Jessica was making and just shrugged again. "Whatever."

"...that was not the reaction I expected." She raised an eyebrow at him, prompting for a better reply.

Clearly though, he did not want to give her a better reply. Donghae just shrugged again. "Whatever."

Jessica rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Whatever is such a stupid word."

Donghae probably wouldn't ever say this out loud to Jessica in fear of getting bodily harm inflicted into his person, but he liked that he could annoy her so easily. "...whatever." It was...fun. In fact, it was hard to keep a smile off of his face as he continued to give her vague responses.

At this point, Jessica was starting to get annoyed at Donghae's passivity. And she really did think that 'whatever' was a stupid word.

And then the screaming started. "NO! I DON'T WANT TO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! NOOO!" It was so out of nowhere, angry sounding, and shocking that Jessica almost fell over from the noise.

Before Jessica could make any sense of what was going on, Donghae decided to unknowingly enlighten her. "Aw crap, Yuhan!" Donghae cursed under his breath as he ran across the hall, hoping to amend the situation as much as possible.

She stared blankly at his retreating figure for a moment, almost spacing out. And then she realized that the little boy that called her "Goddess Jessica noona" was in trouble.

Jessica followed Donghae without hesitation, heading towards the angry screaming.

That was probably the worst thing she could have done.

--

"Now that we're actually trying to break in, I'm not so sure that this is a good idea." Minho said this matter-of-factly as he tried climbing over the Jung fence.

"Now's not the time to think about whether or not it's a good idea or not, Minho hyung." reprimanded Taemin.

"Says the person still on the other side of the house." huffed Minho. He spared a glance backwards and saw Taemin's smiling face, still happy and at ease on the ground. What's more, he was still outside Jung property and allowed to be there. Minho just looked like a creep, staying on the fence and all.

"Just hurry up, Minho hyung!" Taemin poked at Minho's foot in mild irritation. "Jessica noona could come at any minute!"

"Give me a minute, Taem!" Minho huffed, lifting himself over the fence. Now all he needed to do was swing over!

Taemin suddenly gasped, saying, "Oh my god, Minho hyung! I think I see the police!" Minho proceded to fall off the fence in an ungraceful heap and Taemin just laughed. "Just kidding, hyung."

Minho sat up with a scowl on his face. "Hey Taem?"

"What, hyung?" he asked, tone and smile innocent.

He beckoned the younger one closer. "Come here and let me hit your face."

--

"Who the hell does Junsu think he is? What does he mean by not being able to act oblivious anymore?" Leeteuk paced around angrily, thinking back on TaeSu's departure from his home.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Leeteuk, obviously confused. A more appropriate word would probably be flabbergasted. Yes. Leeteuk was feeling flabbergasted.

"...I might just like her too, Leeteuk hyung." Junsu said this slowly, almost as if he was weighing his words as he said them.

Leeteuk suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.

He felt his chances with Taeyeon dwindling to a mere nothing. If a fiancee was the only obstacle, then he would find some way around it if Taeyeon was willing to give him a chance. He would beg his father, agree to not inherit, be on the social blacklist for a while- anything.

But if Junsu reciprocated Taeyeon's feelings, then there was no chance in hell for Leeteuk.

He could almost swear that he was suffocating.

And then Taeyeon came back, pouting and oblivious to the tension in the air. "Junsu oppa, I couldn't find your phone."

He laughed slightly and said, "I probably just forgot it at home then, and thought I brought it with me. Sorry, Taeng." He patted her head lightly and she beamed up at him.

Leeteuk never felt like starting a fight so much in his life.

Junsu looked carefully at Leeteuk before saying to Taeyeon, "I'm done talking with hyung. Did you want to go anywhere after this?"

She nodded excitedly, automatically going into "omg this is like a date" mode and chirped, "I want ice cream~" Taeyeon completely forgot that she came here to talk to Leeteuk as well.

"Then ice cream is what we will get~" said Junsu, smiling at her. She nodded again and waved goodbye to Leeteuk, skipping back to the car.

In that moment, Leeteuk felt frozen. He never realized just how easily Junsu could take Taeyeon away at any given moment.

Junsu turned to Leeteuk, offering a handshake. Leeteuk didn't take that hand. Junsu didn't expect anything else. He just sighed and looked at Leeteuk warily. "Hyung, it took me confessing for you to realize that you don't have all the time in the world to fawn over Taeyeon. Now it's all fair game." He clasped Leeteuk's shoulder before leaving quietly.

Junsu left with his parting words echoing in Leeteuk's brain.

Leeteuk huffed at the memory and then grabbed his jacket, wallet, and car keys.

He had a date to ruin.

--

Jessica entered what looked to be Yuhan's room unsurely. She felt like she shouldn't be here- and she was right. She was about to insert herself into someone else's family problem.

"Donghae, who is this?"

Jessica was never formally introduced, but she was pretty sure that the pretty and sophisticated middle-aged that just talked lady was Donghae's mom. She was also pretty sure that Donghae's mom just hissed at them.

His father was nowhere to be seen.

But that wasn't the important thing.

The important thing was that Yuhan was sitting in his wheelchair, obviously upset and holding back tears.

She pushed past both Donghae and his mom, cooing lightly to Yuhan. "Why are you so upset, Yuhan?"

He sniffled, still holding back tears, and proceeded to continue screaming. "NO! NO! I HATE THIS! NO!"

"What do you hate, Yuhan?" Jessica tried to reason with the little boy again, while Mrs. Lee looked shellshocked at the fact that there was a random intruder in her home.

Unfortunately for Jessica, Mrs. Lee quickly recovered. "Who do you think you are, barging into my home and acting like you own the place?"

"I'm not acting like I am owning anything. I'm just trying to make a little boy stop crying." Jessica looked defiantly into Mrs. Lee's eyes until she remembered that it was not her place to glare like that. She bowed stiffly as a greeting, and then turned back to Yuhan.

Donghae watched his mother carefully, cautious of how things would play out. He stepped over to Jessica and Yuhan, placing a placating hand on both people.

"Listen girl, Yuhan is my son, not yours. Step away from him. Donghae, you too." Donghae's mom glared scathingly at all three of them. No one moved an inch. "Donghae, I will ask one more time, who is this?"

Donghae, for the first time in all of Jessica's memories of him, looked experssionless. He looked uncaring, jaded. "Just someone from school."

Jessica wondered what type of life he had, if the normally bumbling and bright buffon was reduced to a cheap, expressionless imitation.

"Donghae? Are you okay?" Jessica poked him lightly, concerned with his 180 degree change in personality.

He shot her a weak smile, waving her off. He focused on his mother, watching her closely. His mother was not amused.

Mrs. Lee scoffed at the sight of Jessica's concern for Donghae and said to her oldest son, "Take your ugly little girlfriend out. And take Yuhan out too. Clients are coming over, and I don't want them seeing either of the trash."

Donghae's expression hardened in anger and it was obvious that Yuhan was going to start screaming again very soon.

And then Jessica said something that she couldn't help. She had no word filter near Donghae anyway, and she wasn't going to take Yuhan being called trash lightly. She was also pretty pissed that this lady dared to judge her without even knowing her. "You're a horrible mother. Your youngest son throws tantrums because of you and your oldest can't be himself around you." She paused for a second before deciding to continue. "And if anyone is trash, it's you. It's not me, it's definitely not Yuhan, and it's not even Donghae. It's you."

Donghae felt a strange sense of appreciation and affection from hearing those words come out of Jessica's mouth. Because of that appreciation and affection, Donghae barely sensed the impending doom that was to come. "Wait, mom-"

But it was already too late.

A loud sound silenced the whole room. It was such an ugly, crackling sound.

It was the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Mrs. Lee slapped Jessica across the face, leaving a stinging mark, an infuriated Jessica, a shocked Donghae, and a crying Yuhan.

"MOM!"

--chapter end.

*Poor Jessi. :( I don't like Mrs. Lee very much! This chapter is actually really short, but I needed to write the sidestory too lol. I wouldn't like Taemin if I was Minho. xD 

Junsu/Taeyeon/Leeteuk gets some action next chapter! ;D 2MINSTAL happens as well! And don't forget about Jaejoong! He'll show up again later. Not to mention, some major HaeSica (+Yuhan) bonding ;) I am going to start setting up Yoona's storyline soon as well ;D Yay, the story is picking up now!

COMMENT REPLIES WILL BE UP ON THE NEXT CHAPTER/THE SUNSUN SIDESTORY.