- Chapter Seventeen - "The press conference."

Jaejoong was looking at his reflection on the mirror. He held out his trembling hand toward his own image before his eyes. Putting his palm on his reflection, he could not prevent a tear rolling down from his right eye.

His black hair was gone. The black hair his Ha-chan loved so much was gone. He should have known better that they would never hold onto their promises. They said that they will not dye his hair but only do a hair care to soften them which seemed a bit dry in their opinion.

He should have never trusted anyone working with SM Entertainment.

"Hyung..." Changmin, who was busy with baby Cap as he was calling Yunho to update the other man about their meeting with the CEO of SM Entertainment had let the professional hairdresser and his assistants do their work on his hyung, couldn't finish his sentence at the sight of Jaejoong in front of him when he walked to see the man by pushing baby Cap in her stroller. He should have known better to trust those stupid people.

"Changmin-ah..." Jaejoong turned to look at his dongsaeng. And the young idol felt his heart constrict painfully at the sound of the broken voice of his hyung. The man before his eyes was at lost and wounded. "It's gone..." He smiled sadly.

"What did you do to him?" Changmin could not stay calm but never rose his voice fearing to make baby Cap cry.

The young idol had asked them to only trim Jaejoong's hair, sure the professional man had trimmed it because his hyung's hair wasn't long anymore. His hair was trimmed in the same way he sported them in 2008. Perhaps a bit longer than that stylish haircut but still good on the man. However, that ing hairdresser did more than cutting his hair. Profiting of his absence to do the dyeing.

"How could you do something he didn't want?" The young man hissed. "He didn't want to dye his hair. So why tricking him...? Not only him but also me? What are we to you? Dolls that you could do whatever you want? I would like to see you under my hands! Oh! I will make sure that no hair will grow on your head! ing !" He grunted.

"Changmin!" The young man's manager called him out. "They had instructions. And Jaejoong-ssi has to be matched with Yunho and you." He added trying to calm his charge a bit.

"I. don't. care." The young man said word by word in a stern voice as he looked at all of them with so much anger.

"What is his problem? It's not the end of the world with his hair dyed like this." An assistant said in whispering tone but Changmin could hear her.

"You! You think that going against a costumer's wish is something good for your work?! Well, I will tell you this. You will have to go find another job!" The young idol said sternly at the stupid woman. "You!" He pointed at all of those people who were standing still and only looking down at Jaejoong since they stepped in this ing hairdressing salon working under SM Entertainment. Of course he wasn't surprised to see some people who had a grudge on the other man. However, Kim Jaejoong had never done something against them. So their anger towards the man wasn't justified. "I make sure that you're going to find another job!" Changmin added out loud.

"What's going on?"

Everyone turned their eyes to the newcomer who wasn't pleased at what he witnessed at this instant. Jung Yunho glanced at the love of his life who was trying to hide his crying face and the man could guess why Changmin was angry with all those people of this hairdressing salon.

"Lee-ssi?" He called out Changmin's manager coldly. "Why is Jaejoong's hair isn't black anymore?" Yunho asked firmly.

"Jaejoong-ssi has to be matched with you two."

"He can be matched with us with his hair still black." Yunho added sternly. And no one was going to say anything at this angry Jung Yunho. A side they never saw often. The man was the epitome of a nice man. The best they could see in this world. But, at this moment, the man wasn't going to let them go without a word or two. "Could you turn his hair back to its original color?" The man was trying to remain polite.

"I'm sorry Yunho-ssi. We should wait two weeks minimum to dye his hair again." The professional hairdresser said quietly.

Shaking his head slightly, Yunho chuckled sarcastically at the man's response while crossing his arms over his chest with his sharp eyes locked onto the professional hairdresser. The idol now actor wasn't going to let anything get away without saying a piece of his mind. Not when those people were trying to hurt his Jaejoong.

"It was not difficult when you dyed our hair before. Not even a day, we turned blond from brown or black." Yunho replied grimly and held his hand midair to stop the hairdresser to say anything which could anger him more. "I will have a few words with Kim Young Min about your ty work. That ing man has a lot to explain about how he educates his people working under his hands." The man paused for a while and looked sharply at everyone excepted s. He heaved an angry sigh and said, "...I'm a bit baffled at the importance which you grant to my words. I had you on the other line an hour ago. I did tell you to only trim his hair not dying them. Right? And I thought that after all those years working together my words would be as important as theirs. But I was wrong. Sad reality."

"Yunho-ssi! Chocolate brown hair isn't an outrageous color. And it suit him very well." The hairdresser said for his defense. "An official from SM has said that I can do anything to match him with the concept they put on Changmin-ssi and you. Of course Jaejoong-ssi asked to not change his hair color. However, SM's instructions were to be executed. So I did a compromise."

"I don't care what you are trying to say for your defense. I don't even care if what you did will put an end to the conflict between south and north Korea. What I know is that I said to you to let his hair black. But you disregarded my words by a mere wave of your hand. So, I should not even wonder why you didn't take into account Jaejoong's own wish." Yunho said grimly. "Listen well, very well. What Jaejoong wants you all have to make sure he will get it the second after. If he wants the moon, I hope that you all are going to build a rocket at this instant to get that ing moon for him." He added angrily. "Now, Get out of my sight! I don't want to see your faces right now." He shouted to all of them.

All the people were stunned to see Jung Yunho angry and raising his voice like that. The man wasn't someone they could mess up with at this moment. And the only thing they should do was to walk away from the room for their safety.

Yunho heaved a sigh and turned to Jaejoong who had taken his daughter in his arms, holding her tight against him hoping to calm her as he hummed a song softly. She had wailed at his scolding voice. The man didn't wanted to scare her. But he couldn't take the way those people was behaving towards Jaejoong. Really, those people can hold a grudge. And ironically, the man did not do anything to deserve their anger, but they all stood on the side of SM. Really, those money-hungry people.

"Changmin look after her for a while. I need to talk with Jaejoong."

Changmin nodded. The young man walked towards his hyung and stretched out his arms to take baby Cap from Jaejoong's arms. The older man pressed his lips into a thin line as he looked at Yunho who nodded to him with a smile. Jaejoong took a deep breath as he gave his baby girl to Changmin.

"I will look after her carefully." Changmin said before walking away from the private room with the baby girl in his arms, rocking her from left to right as he was baby-talking to her. "What?" The young man asked angrily to the few people who were looking at him when he left the room in turn. "Never saw Jung Yunho like that?" He snickered with an amused smile painting on his lips. "Behave yourself from now on. Mostly don't do the same mistake when it comes to Kim Jaejoong. And I won't forgive you either."

Everyone looked away from the young idol who seemed not really in the mood to be friendly with them.

Meanwhile, in the room, Yunho had dragged Jaejoong to sit on one of the comfy armchairs while he took a seat on the coffee table filled with magazines in front of his friend. He tugged a strand of Jaejoong's hair behind his ear with a small smile and his cheek tenderly.

"Sorry for not keeping onto my promise." He said in a low voice.

"It's not your fault..." Jaejoong said while shaking his head slightly. "I shouldn't be so emotional... It's just... these are just hair..." He pressed his lips together, trying not to cry again.

"But Hana loves your hair black..." Yunho smiled at Jaejoong who nodded at his words. "Could you bear with this brown color for a while? Or should I do the dyeing for you?" He asked with a soft laugh.

"I... I can..." He nodded with an amused smile on his lips.

"Good decision. I don't know if I would do a good job." Yunho said pressing his lips on Jaejoong's back hand.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't be like that... It's just... I fear the day I will forget her... that's why I still want to keep everything as it is... my hair... cooking the dishes she likes..." He paused and bit his lower lip for a while before adding, "...singing the songs she hums... wearing the clothes she likes me to have on me..." Jaejoong felt that he owed Yunho an explanation. He never wanted to hurt the man yesterday night. "I... Sometimes, I will say or do things that will hurt you... and I just want you to know that..."

"I know..." Yunho smiled sadly. "You heard me yesterday night... right?" Jaejoong nodded. "I... I didn't want to be so weak..." The younger man said quietly.

"I'm sorry for hurting you..."

"No! Baby, don't apologize." Yunho cupped the older man's face between his hands and pressed their forehead together. "Never apologize when it comes to her..."

"But..."

"I won't deny it... It hurts... hurts a lot when you think of her or talk about her. But I was the one who pushed you away. I did it because I wanted to protect you..." Yunho laughed softly. "And I failed..."

"Yunho..."

"I'm okay... Don't worry... I can't expect you to open your arms for me at your return... as if nothing happened between you and me... Right?" Jaejoong could only shake his head from right to left with a sad smile. "I'm okay with that."

The older man rose his right hand and drabbed his thin and pale fingers around the younger man's wrist. "Even though you say that you're okay with all of this... I will still apologize to you..."

"Baby..."

"Yunho..." Jaejoong pressed his other free hand on the younger man's lips. "I know that a thousand apologies won't ease the pain you feel... but I still do it... because I'm a selfish bastard who can't even think of a life without you..."

"So I am." Yunho followed. "I can't live without you not now when I finally have you in my life again."

"I won't go anywhere without you..."

"Hope so." The younger man sketched a smile as he thumbed Jaejoong's cheek. "I won't let anyone hurt you like this again. You believe me right?" Jaejoong nodded. "Sorry for your hair." Yunho took a strand of Jaejoong's hair between his thumb and index finger.

"I... I'm okay now..."

"You have the right not to like what they did to your hair. You can even throw a tantrum to all of them." And Jaejoong let out a soft scoff at Yunho's words. "Hey! Being a diva is not so bad! Do as Key from SHInee does. The boy loves his image so much that... eww... You can only want to hurl all your guts while watching him play his role as if he was born like that." Yunho said with a grimace. "God! He is a boy. But he behaves like a real girl when it comes to clothes and makeup."

Jaejoong laughed softly as he hid his mouth with his right hand and said with an amused voice, "...want me to be like him?"

"You don't have to be extreme but you will be the most lovable and beautiful diva among all of them."

"Hey?! I'm a man." Jaejoong hit Yunho's shoulder lightly.

"I know it very well." The younger man said as he wagged his eyebrows playfully.

"Jung Yunho!" The older man scolded the younger man with a smile painting on his lips.

"Yes Kim Jaejoong?" The man replied with a playful smile painting on his bow shaped lips.

"Aish!" Jaejoong said as he bumped their foreheads against each other.

"Hey! If we look back at our debut, we did have some..." Yunho grimaced at the memories of their debut. "It was bad. Really bad. Changmin with his hair looked like a character from a Japanese anime. They even dolled you into a girl with long hair same with Junsu. God! You were so beautiful... and you're still beautiful." He added quickly. "Me... I don't want to talk. But I had this salt and pepper lion hair. Put me wrinkles and I looked like an old man."

"Don't forget with crooked teeth." Jaejoong added with a smile while looking at Yunho lovingly.

"Oh! God! Don't talk about my teens years. I wasn't in my best side." Yunho grimaced and laughed softly. He didn't care if Jaejoong about the way they were at their debut. The only thing he wanted was to see his Jaejoongie smiling with the kind of smile he was having right now.

"But it didn't prevent me not to fall in love with you..." The older man said quietly.

"Yeah... I just hope that me being a mature man is going to have the same effect as the me with crooked teeth did to you." The younger man replied with a smile.

"You grew old beautifully." The young father said in a low voice.

"Said manly please." Yunho reprimanded the other man playfully as he took Jaejoong's hands in his. "But you, you're still beautiful like before."

"Well, beautiful people can only attract their kind." Jaejoong replied playfully.

"You're right." Yunho nodded before adding softly as he looked straight into Jaejoong's eyes, "...why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You know what I am talking about."

Jaejoong heaved a sigh. "You know..."

"Yes! Changmin did update me a bit about your meeting with Kim Young Min. And..."

"Are you disappointed with me?" The older man cut his friend off.

"Why would I be disappointed with you?"

"I don't know..." Jaejoong said quietly, lowering his head a bit as he was focusing onto their interlaced fingers. "It's just that... as the leader of Dong Bang Shin Ki you should want to be our hero, saving all of us from SM..."

"Hey?! I'm only U-Know Yunho. I'm supposed to know everything about you. So, that's why I know about the deal you did with Kim Young Min. And tell me who is Hero Jaejoong?" The man said with a sweet smile. "Contrary to you, I was not in the situation to deal something like that with them. I could only make sure that no one will hurt you at your return as having a better contract with them. But you, you can do it all." Yunho added, brushing the pad of his fingers on Jaejoong's eyebrow.

"I... I'm horrible... I used my daughter..." Jaejoong wailed, freeing his hands from Yunho's hold and hiding his face in his palms.

"You couldn't help but do whatever you thought was best for all of us facing the man." Yunho took Jaejoong's hands in his again. "Afraid that she will think bad of you one day?" He asked quietly and Jaejoong nodded. "Don't worry baby. We will do everything to never let her be disappointed with you or with us. We will have to stick together for our happiness. For her happiness. She has only you. Only me. Only us. And what kind of parents we will be if we neglect her?"

Jaejoong pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded, not wanting to contradict the younger man seeing himself as his baby girl's other parent. It would be so good if things between them weren't so complicated. If they could love without restraints.

"I hate to say that. But for our safety, we need the media on our side." Yunho added looking at Jaejoong seriously. "Not only the media but also Korean citizens. We have to make them cry about your story."

"Will I not be pitiful in their eyes?"

"You're not. No one will think of you as a weak man."

"But..." Jaejoong was trying to say something but Yunho cut him off by putting a finger on his lips as he shushed him not to say anything.

"Of course, there will be people who will think of you as a pathetic man after all Junsu, Yoochun and you did to break Dong Bang Shin Ki apart. But, those people don't know anything. They aren't you. They aren't me. They aren't Changmin. They aren't Junsu as well as Yoochun. No one has to misjudge us because of something we didn't control at that time. People don't know what all of us have gone through those past years." Yunho said quietly. "Jaejoong, I know... I know, you don't want your daughter's life to be perturbed by those people who only see her as a way to do business because she's the daughter of Kim Jaejoong. And I don't want it either. However, with the fact that she was born prematurely and have a frail physical condition for now, we can use it to make sure to have all their sympathy..."

"Their sympathy..."

"Yes. In order to have what we want the most."

"And what we want the most?" Jaejoong dared to ask, but the man knew well what they all wanted in the end of this long and surely painful road.

"All the rights of Dong Bang Shin Ki in our hands." Yunho said with a smile.

"So, you're okay with the deal I did with Kim Young Min..."

"Hmm." Yunho grimaced a bit. "I'm not okay with you doing solo for them. Because knowing them, they will wear off all your straight. And I don't want it a bit. But if we have to go through it to have what belongs to us, I will put myself in the front line as a solo artist too. They won't say no. It means money for them. However, a little sacrifice won't hurt us right?" The younger man smiled. "But we have to think for the better of all of us. Think hard. Really hard. This time we won't let them toy with us like the brats we were at our debut. We have to protect each other. Our words mustn't harm anyone of us. This time, we will follow the same path. I don't want to lose anyone along the way."

"So... I have to play the crying widower in front of everyone to gain sympathy from our fans and the people of our country." Jaejoong said quietly.

"You can do it."

"Don't you think we're cheating on them?"

"No! It's not a lie. My baby is still mourning the loss of his wife. And my baby is trying to adjust his life with his baby girl who needs all his attention."

"I have to talk about my life with Ha-chan to all of them..."

"Just say something tearing that could make them shed a few tears it will be enough."

"I don't have to... to tell them everything right?" Jaejoong demanded as he watched carefully Yunho.

"No. But if one day... when you're ready to tell your love story with her then... tell them." Yunho said in a low voice.

Jaejoong nodded and leaned forward to bury his face on the crook of Yunho's neck as he wounded his arms around the other man's torso. And Yunho didn't waste his time to wrap his arms around the beautiful man.

"Everything will be alright." Yunho murmured in Jaejoong's ear. "I won't let them hurt you. And Changmin will make sure to kick and punch all those ing s who see in you the brat who messed up the best male group for a bit of money."

"Who's the brat?"

"You."

"Hey!"

"I'm right, no?"

"You're the brat one!"

"Hmm, hmm! Sorry to disturb you." Changmin had pecked on them behind the door with baby Cap still in his arms. "The seller of slaves from SM is here to see all of us before parting to the press conference."

"Seller of slaves?" Yunho smirked as he rose a brow at Changmin's innuendo for the CEO of SM Entertainment.

"Yeah! He was the one who described himself as one so don't scold me." The young man entered the room when he saw Yunho releasing Jaejoong from his arms. Better be careful for now until the day those two were ready to start anew as lovers. And Changmin gave baby Cap to Jaejoong who was taking the sleeping baby carefully in his arms. He smiled seeing his hyung taking care of his daughter as if she was holding his life in her small body. "Are you okay?" Changmin asked quietly with a smile.

"Better."

"You're good with this haircut and color, you know. Black, brown or blond. Everything is good with you." Changmin was trying to cheer up his hyung. "And why for the next time we go wild and have red hair? Oh! I know, better than red. Pink!" The younger man said with a soft laugh. "Imagine Yunho hyung with pink hair?" He added in a whispering tone.

"Hey! I heard you." Yunho snorted at Changmin's words.

"Don't make that offended face. You're going to do whatever Jaejoong hyung wants. You were the one who said that. Don't forget!" The young idol argued back with a smirk on his lips.

Yunho rolled up his eyes annoyingly but he knew that Changmin wasn't wrong either.

"Good. Smiling is your better weapon against all of us." Changmin said when he saw Jaejoong smiling at their bickering. He ruffled his hyung's hair as the soul fighter he was for Kim Jaejoong.

"So what do you want to discuss?" Yunho asked Kim Young Min who had followed Changmin into the room with a few members of the man's staff on his heels.

Kim Young Min watched the three men standing before his eyes and sketched a small smile. They seemed so determined and this time nothing was going to falter their determination to have the rights they always wanted since years ag