- Chapter Twenty six - "His comeback as one of the rising gods of the east."

Once the photobook was bounded with what SM Entertainment needed from the three members of Dong Bang Shin Ki, the printing was launched for more than a fifty thousand copies as the music label hoped to sell the same amount of copies from the first Korean repackage album of the group, the one Jung Yunho and Shim Changmin had recorded after almost a year on hiatus when the lawsuit began.

It was not much compared to what they sold for one album but it was a start as SM Entertainment was being careful. It was a try for them to see if Kim Jaejoong was still a good product for sell.

And with that, U-Know Yunho, Youngwoong Jaejoong and Choikang Changmin were juggling between practice and promotion - variety show, radio show and music show - with Yunho still acting in his drama series. The leader of the group was having a hard time to be on the shooting set and being with his two members promoting the repackage album for Keep Your Head Down. But, as professional he was, Yunho couldn't let down his two members, mostly with SM Entertainment watching them carefully. One faux pas and they could say goodbye to their dream of reunion. Something Yunho didn't want to give satisfaction to those vulture businessmen.

Even tired, the man was still present and thanks god Jaejoong was the one to nurse him with all the healthy food and concoctions he made.

"We have more than one hour before getting on the set." Jaejoong said quietly as he was opening the vacuum bottle filled with a fresh and healthy juice made with kale, celery stick, apple, lemon and a touch of green barley. The green mixture wasn't attractive but it was good for their body. "Take a nap. I will wake you up." He said as he poured the mixture into a glass making Changmin and Junsu who were sitting in another couch grimace at the sight of the green thick liquid. "Here."

Yunho didn't say anything as he took the glass in his hand. Then he drank the healthy smoothie without ado, earning a horrendous cry from the two other men sitting in another couch. Not even them, their back dancers and staff were holding their breath at the sight of the leader of Dong Bang Shin Ki drinking something they could not expected.

"Changmin-ah? Here yours!" Jaejoong got another glass for their maknae, making Yunho smirk at the horrid expression marring on the young idol's face.

"Hyung... I'm not okay to gulp that green mixture." Changmin said. "I was alright with the orange mixture last time. Because I could guess it was something with carrot. But not this... It's green!"

"Filled of chlorophyll. Good for your liver and intestines." Jaejoong added quietly.

"What I need is something that could boost my stamina. But..."

"I thought you were into those healthy thingy?" Junsu mocked as he was playing with baby Cap's fingers. The baby girl was sitting between Changmin and him in this lounge among several of the Music Core show. And baby Cap was behaving a bit clingy with him as she seemed tired of being dragged here and there by the three men. "Normally, you're the first one to get pills against cold." He laughed softly, recalling one of the Japanese shows they did as five where they had to eat a few dishes made with chili from different countries. And their hosts had given them a drink made with the most sour-tasting citrus fruit in the world. It was supposed to be healthy. And Changmin didn't hesitate to snatch away the glass filled with the sour juice from Jaejoong's hand to drink it in one go.

"I'm still into it. But..." The young man pressed his lips into thin line as he tilted his head on his right, not even certain that he had the guts to try it.

"Drink it." Yunho said quietly as he leaned back his head against the headrest of the sofa where he was sitting with Jaejoong. He closed his eyes and added, "...your hyung has taken time to prepare that drink for you. Don't waste his time. Because he could put that time into something more restful like sleep."

And Changmin rumbled under his chin before taking the glass filled with the green mixture. The young man knew that everything concerning Kim Jaejoong for Jung Yunho is a matter of prime importance. So, he should not defy the messiah. The maknae gulped the liquid with his eyes closed and two fingers pinching his nose as if the green liquid had a specific odor. The idol was expecting a bitter taste or even an awful one. But to his surprise, it was a bit plain, but refreshing and sweet and a little bit bitter at the end of his taste buds. Other than that, the drink was good.

"One more." He said as he tended his glass to his hyung.

Junsu burst into laughter at their maknae's behavior with his famous laughter, startling baby Cap a bit as she was looking up at the laughing man with a frown. Then she smashed her chubby palm on the man's face, making everyone laughed at her treating badly one of her uncles.

"His laugh is disturbing, right?" Changmin said as he chuckled softly. Then he put his palm to the baby girl who smashed her small palm against the adult's one.

"Really you." Jaejoong laughed softly as he poured another glass for Changmin. Then he drank his own glass in turn.

Suddenly, the door of their lounge opened at the sight of two young women from their music label who waved shyly to them as they just peeked through the ajar door. Tiffany and Seohyun were the two of the three hosts of the show today and they just wanted to say hi to them. And then the two female artists saw Jaejoong's daughter looking at them while holding her Sophie la giraffe, her Christmas present from Yunho's father and her favorite blanket together, they just squealed happily.

"Don't stay there." Yunho grunted at the disturbing sound, his eyes still closed. "If you want to see her, go. But don't block the way out."

"You look tired." Tiffany, one of the members of the Girls' Generation group, said as she entered the room, skipping a bit towards the baby girl who seemed to be the mascot of all the SM's artists.

"Are you going to be okay?" Seohyun, her other member, asked as she waved her hands towards the baby girl who felt shy being surrounded by all those people that she kept hiding her face against Junsu's arm, making the latter laughed softly at her behavior.

The two hosts were just passing by to say hello and playing with the little girl before returning to stand on stage in front of a few fans coming to cheer all the groups and solo artists presents in the music show.

"Don't worry. Just don't make too much noise. I need just five minutes of restful sleep before our turn to go on the set."

"I wasn't okay for this show." Jaejoong said.

"Me either." Changmin added.

"I know. But after that show, we're having a full month of rest. And you need that. Baby Cap needs that too." He said as he looked at the baby girl who was being too good in his own opinion. And mostly she looked tired from having the same schedule as her father. Waking up at the wee hours to get ready for dance practice, recording songs in the afternoon and going into shows here and there to promote their Korean repackage album. Of course, she had more time to sleep and relax than them. But, being walked around at this young age, it could be stressful.

Jaejoong nodded, understanding Yunho's priority. Even him, he was thinking that all of this didn't have any meaning anymore every time he set his eyes on his baby girl. If it was on the detriment of his daughter's health, he was ready to give up on being a member of Dong Bang Shin Ki and the dream to have them as a group of five again.

But, Changmin and Yunho did their best to make sure that this tight schedule will be no more after this one. And he was trying to give another try for all their efforts. However, if SM Entertainment was going to play dirty by using this same method to corner Jaejoong into stepping out from the group for the good of his daughter, Yunho had his own agenda and will take drastic decisions.

The man had warned Kim Young Min two days ago. If they thought of making things hard for Jaejoong as the man had to think of his daughter first, he was going to make sure that SM Entertainment would face another lawsuit from the members of Dong Bang Shin Ki. And people, this time, were going to believe that the music label was what the three others had claimed. Abusing employers who never saw their artists as human beings but only merchandising to earn more money.

Bad advertising was what no one wanted. Mostly if the music label wanted to continue producing groups and solo artists in the near future.

"It's honorable of you to think of me and my daughter. But you..." Jaejoong shook his head. "You still have to go filming tomorrow."

"Don't worry. I only have three days of shooting from now on. And we're going to have our little trip as promised." Yunho smiled, looking at Jaejoong. "I will have a good rest there. Don't worry."

Jaejoong could only heave a sigh and rested his head against the man's shoulder. Then, Yunho leaned his head on the mop of Jaejoong's hair, smiling at Capucine who was now poking the cheeks of her unnies - or aunties - as she rest her head on Junsu's thigh. She smiled and laughed softly every time one of them bit her fingers playfully.

"She seems to be used of all the people around her now." Yunho said in a low voice.

"Yes. Seeing her now... we would never think that she was being put into an incubator for almost five months. She was so tiny..." Jaejoong looked down on his palms as he discarded his fingers a bit before balling them into fists. "She was so pale... and all those tubs..." He took a breath as he closed his eyes, trying to erase the image of his daughter the first time he laid his eyes on her. "It was horrible..." He let out in a low voice.

"She's okay now." Changmin said with a smile.

"Hmm." The young father nodded.

Jaejoong wanted to think of her being healthy. But, he still feared of her developing the same illness as his Ha-chan. For now, her blood test said that she was a healthy baby. But what in two months... in a year... in two years... in three years...

From now until she reached three years old, they had to do every month a blood test to supervise her white blood cell. And if her results were still good it didn't mean that they could do without those blood tests. No. His daughter had to endure those horrible needles inserted into her baby's flesh once a year until she reached ten years old. And of course nothing was written. She was still exposed to that illness as she could develop it when she entered her adulthood.

"You think too much." Yunho said as he pinched his friend's nose softly. "She will be alright."

Jaejoong chuckled softly as he nodded. Yunho knew about her condition. And the other man was always very supportive when he felt down thinking at the future of his baby girl.

"We're going to be fine." The younger man added as he loomed his arms over Jaejoong's shoulders.

"Hi everyone!" Choi Minho, the third host of the Music Core show, said as he peeked from the ajar door in turn. It seemed that SM Entertainment had a hold on the music show as a few of their artists were being the hosts of this show for a long while. "I was wondering where you were. And I thought right to look after you here." The young idol added as he pointed his fingers towards his co-hosts. "Unfair! You spend more time with her than I. We're in need on stage. So hurry."

"God! I won't have time for a little nap." Yunho growled as Minho, the member of the SHInee group entered the room to take the two members of Girls' Generation with him.

"See you later!" Minho added as he waved his hand towards the baby girl who was drifting into slumber in Junsu's arms before walking out of the lounge with his co-hosts.

Not long after two members of Minho's group entered the room as they bowed to their sunbaes. And of course all of those people ran straight towards the baby girl, making Jaejoong laughed softly at how his daughter had won all their hearts. When Key leaned to kiss her, the little girl grunted and swatted away the male singer with her chubby palm. Then she whined uncomfortably.

At the sound of her distress, Junsu transferred her from his arms to her father's arms gently without ado not wanting to have her in tears.

Jaejoong had a tight hold on his daughter who buried her face on his chest, closing her eyes little by little. The man rubbed circles on her small back and rocked her softly. Then he pressed his lips against her temples and frowned. She was alright not long ago. And now she seemed to have a little fever. The man asked Changmin to get him her baby bag.

"What happens?" Yunho asked as he was looking at Jaejoong, while the young member of Dong Bang Shin Ki put the baby bag next to his hyung's feet. Everyone in the room remained silent as they were looking at the father and daughter carefully.

"She seems to have a little bit of fever." He said as he zipped off the baby bag. And without being asked, Changmin was searching for the baby frontal thermometer. When he found it, he turned the apparel on and proceeded to scan her forehead for a while until a number appeared on the small screen.

"So?" Yunho asked quietly.

"37.9" Changmin answered as he frowned while looking at the small digital screen.

"Slight fever." Jaejoong said as he kissed his baby girl soft hair. "We're now at the end of Winter. And a lot of virus are around us." He added quietly as he brushed his fingers all over his daughter's soft hair. Capucine was sleeping quietly against the warm of her father as she breathed in and out from slightly opened.

And Yunho sighed. "And we're going to be on stage soon."

"Don't worry. I look after her when you are on stage." Junsu said, quietly. "I will monitor her temperature to see if her slight fever levels up."

"Thanks." The young father nodded as Yunho gave him her baby blanket. He wrapped the small and light comforter around her.

"Once we're out of the stage, we're going to see a doctor." Yunho replied. And everyone knew that it was useless to argue as it was his final words.

No one was going to argue. Not with Capucine being like this, lifeless. Those past weeks she was so cheerful and laughed a lot as she blabbering nonstop, feeling happy by herself. It was a new side Jaejoong had witnessed from her as she was a quiet baby who only baby-talked here and there. He was happy. He was feeling that everything was going into the right direction. That his baby girl was growing normally.

But, now, she returned to her quiet mood. And it scared him a lot. A fever, it was nothing right? However, he could not shrug away the possibility of her entering the first phase of that same illness as her late mother.

"It could only be only a mere exhaustion." Yunho said, knowing what Jaejoong was thinking.

"I know." The young father replied as he was looking every part of his daughter, searching for bruises all over her small body. Fever, exhaustion, pale skin, hematoma and bleeding were a few of the symptoms of leukemia in children's case. And he didn't want to neglect anything.

"We're going to see her doctor after the show." The other man added as he put his hand over his ex-lover's hand. "For now, think only of our performance. We're going to sing and dance well. We're going to do our part like that no one will have something to say or to criticize. We're going to smile, to wave to our fans. I know. It's selfish to say that while Capucine isn't well. We do it not only for us but also her. After this show, we're going to take care of her. Right?"

"Hyung? Yoochun is going to be near soon." Junsu added as he showed his phone. The other man just texted him to say he was on his way to the MBC building as he had finished his part for the day. "We're going to look after her."

"I'm going to be here too." Key said.

"If something happens while we're on stage, our managers will be the ones to take the responsibility to end our performance before it end according to the schedule." Yunho replied. "We pay them for this kind of work."

At this moment, a man entered the room as he bowed to all the people presents. He hesitated to speak but once he got his courage, he informed the artists that it was about time for them to prepare. And Yunho's manager waved to the man as the only response of the group.

"Fifteen minutes." The staff said as he looked at his watch.

"They're going to be there soon."

Then the man just stepped out from the room and waited to lead them to the stage.

Meanwhile, Jaejoong gave his daughter to Junsu who had a tight hold onto the baby girl and hummed a soft lullaby when she seemed not to like being move from her father's arms to another's ones.

"Let's go." Yunho said quietly as he took Jaejoong's hand in his.

And the three members of Dong Bang Shin Ki left the room following by their dancers and managers. Jaejoong could not help but glance at his baby girl for the last time before walking toward the studio set with everyone, still holding Yunho's hand.

"Everything will be alright." Yunho whispered as he tightened his hold onto his friend's hand, while Changmin was squeezing Jaejoong's shoulder softly, his own form of comfort.

In their way to the studio set, they encountered Yoochun who was walking in a hurry with two bags of takeouts for them. Yunho informed the man about baby Cap's fever, giving him a few instructions for now until they returned from their performance. Yoochun nodded before he hurried his steps toward the lounge.

"How is she?" The actor asked as he entered the room.

"I don't know." Junsu shook his head as he was rocking the baby girl softly in his arms. "She looks tired and she has a slight fever."

Yoochun nodded as he put the bags on the table. He shook his hands with the two members of the SHInee group who were still with Junsu. Then the three men turned to look at Kim Junsu who was singing one of his songs as a solo artist to the baby girl.

"...geudae gyeote... meomulleoyo... sarangeul hal geoeyo... (I will stay by your side. And I will be in love. Only with you.) ...ojig geudaewa... hmm... saranghaeyo idaero nareul bwayo... nae ape dangsingwa na kkumeul kkudeusi yagsoghaeyo... (I love you, look at me just like this in front of me is you. Let’s promise like we are dreaming.)"

It was a love song writing by the man himself. And his soft voice suited him well. The people who were still in the lounge could not help but appreciate his soft voice.

"...sigani jinan dahaedo sewori byeonhae gado ttaseuhi neul ana juneun joheun saram doel geoeyo ahah ~... ahah ~... ahaha ah ~... ahah ~... ahah ~... ahaha ah ~ (Even if time passes, even if times change, I will be a good person who will always warmly hold you)"

"It's their turn." Jonghyun said when he set his eyes on the TV screen in the lounge as he saw the three men on the stage, preparing their section.

Junsu stopped singing as he looked at the screen with a smile. Yoochun clapped his hands together, linking his fingers as if he was praying that everything was going alright for the three of them. Everyone still in the lounge held their breath as they were hoping the best for them.

Fans stopped their scream as they looked at the three men in black leather clothes stood in the middle of the scene. No one could deny how good they were standing together on the stage. And the feeling of nostalgia gnawed the few fans of the formation of five as they missed the two others. Then the dancers surrounded them making them disappear from the view.

"Break a leg!" Key murmured