Yoochun POV

We fell into a bit of a silence after that, Yunho and I each in our own thoughts, while Dr. Kim busied himself with going whatever it was that a doctor does; scribbling notes, typing on the computer. All that .

After a while, his phone rang. He whipped it out and answer by the second ring. It was evident something was wrong by his facial expressions and tone of voice that gradually turned rougher and louder. The call lasted several minutes, with names of several medical conditions, symptoms and cures being thrown around, until Dr. Kim finally hung up on the phone and stood up.

'I'm sorry,' he began, 'but a patient is in need of my medical assistance, so I have to leave you two for a while. I hope you don't touch anything not meant to be touched.'

I raised an eyebrow at him. Like as if we were going to do that.

Dr. Kim smirked, I noticed he liked doing that a lot, and shrugged his shoulders. 'You'll never know.'

He bowed before leaving. Now Yunho and I were alone, with an unconscious Changmin.

I expected another lapse of silence, since Yunho didn't really talk much to begin with. So I was surprised when he up a conversation.

'Changmin is... Different.'

I looked up from my phone which I was fiddling with. 'Different...in a good way?'

Yunho tilted his head to consider for a while, before finally nodding. 'Different in a good way. Yet similar in a bad way.'

I nodded my head in understanding. Ahh... I got where this was going. 'His similarities to us is purely coincidental. We wouldn't have been able to know what happened in his past without Dr. Kim telling us, nor will we be able to change them. The scars of his past are his to hold, Yunho.'

Yunho nodded absent-mindedly, which was unlike him at all. My forehead creased as I looked at him, at his reactions.

'Yunho,' I said gently, 'What happened in his past will not determine his future. Where he goes will ultimately be his decision, and it is up to him which path he chooses to take.'

Yunho stayed quite for a while, before I heard him say in a very soft whisper. 'What if he turns out like us...like me?'

I softened greatly.

Yunho basically went through the same pain Changmin did, though in a different way. Where Changmin was given away, Yunho wasn't. But the suffering they both held was the same. Both were greatly abused by people they depended on, people they looked up to. Their parents.

And although the both of them looked fine on the outside, they were both greatly broken on the inside. What they lacked in their childhood was love and relationship. I think they both had it now, with Yunho having Jaejoong and I, while I had the distinct feeling Changmin was showered with love from both his current adoptive family and his doctor which he called on a first name basis.

Of course it should have been no big surprise that Yunho would naturally be protective of Changmin, of how the boy was going to grow up like, of how he would face the world. It wasn't something unlike love, but Yunho's love for Jaejoong would be totally different. Yunho had a basis of a romantical relationship with Jae, while I had a feeling his live for Changmin would be equally as strong, but as a hyung would be to his dongsaeng. Protective.

Yunho knew that he himself had suffered, and he knew of what he had become as an aftereffect of all that pain.

What I realised made my eyes wet with unshed tears.

Yunho didn't want Changmin to turn out like him. He didn't want the boy to went through the life he did.He wanted to protect him.

'He won't turn out like you,' I said softly, squeezing his knee in reassurance.

Yunho looked at me, pain evident in his eyes. 'How can you be so sure?'

I smiled wanely. 'We'll protect him, Yunho.'

Yunho's eyes softened. 'How are we supposed to do that?'

My smile turned into a grin as I looked at him cheekily. 'We're government officials! Protecting someone like him will be a peace of cake.'

I swear to God I saw Yunho's face soften to an expression I rarely ever saw on his face. It looked like... A smile.

A smile.

It hit me.

Yunho nearly...smiled. And the reason wasn't Jae Jae or me, but... Changmin.

Changmin. A boy Yunho had only ever met a few hours back. I was in awe.

It took me years for Yunho to completely open up to me, and Yunho was already growing feelings for someone he barely knew.

Did he see himself so clearly in Changmin? Was Changmin the 'little brother' that Yunho needed to protect?

Thoughts raced in my head, but by far the loudest was the idea that Yunho, THE Han Yunho, was opening up to someone again. The very thought of it pleased me greatly. If Yunho could open up again, then maybe Yunho was slowly healing as well. And then maybe, just maybe, Yunho might start smiling.

If Yunho started smiling...

Then that would be the happiest moment in my life.

If Changmin was the key to Yunho's healing, then... he must be a good thing, right?

I decided, right then and there, that I was going to protect Yunho's key with my life.

I would protect Changmin too.

Yunho suddenly got up, and I instinctively went to follow him.

We stepped out of the office, where Yunho quietly shut the door behind him. Yunho began walking away, and I followed from behind.

'Yunho?'

'Yeah?'

'I'm hungry. Can we stop by a convenience store somewhere?'

Yunho stopped walking to look behind him, at me. 'Okay.'

I grinned and skipped to his side. 'Thank you~'

We walked to the nearest 7-11 store and entered. I began choosing food for the both of us, since I knew Yunho was hungry too, just that he wouldn't admit it. Yunho was standing next to the counter, arms folded across his chest, looking like the epitome of cool, and as usual, unaware of the lovestruck gazes he was getting from the ladies.

Haha, too bad ladies. He's taken~

I was choosing between Chipsmore Cookies and Oreos when something caught my eye. I dropped the cookies and stared at it in disbelief.

Could it really be...?

I ran to where Yunho was standing. 'Yunho, Yunho, Yunho, look, look, look!' I yelled as I tugged insistently at his sleeve.

'What is it?' Yunho asked, his voice only slightly concerned. There wasn't really a situation he couldn't handle.

I tugged him along, leading him to the thing that caught my eye from before. Yunho followed along complacently.

'Look, look!' I exclaimed excitedly, pointing wildly.

What was it I was pointing at?

Ramen!

Not just any Ramen, but a whole SHELVE of it. A literal whole shelf! I have never seen something with so much variety! There was almost every flavour you could name, and they came in such cute packages! Some were made of plastic, some were made of Styrofoam, some were bowl-like in shape, some were even in cups!

I was awestruck by something so adorable. 'Yunho, Yunho, Yunho. Can we buy? Please, please, please? I want some more of the noodle thingssssss...' I hopped on the spot excitedly. Man, seriously, you would too. Someone like me, who rarely steps out of the confines of Nine's cage, appreciates every little thing the world has.

And right now the world has Ramen.

And I am appreciating the Ramen.

Yunho placed his hand on top of my head to stop the jumping. 'Okay,' he said simply.

I grinned and chose to my heart's desire. Of course, I never forgot about Yunho. After a few half-hearted nods from him, I chose Black Pepper Crab for him (which was, by the way, the most expensive flavour available. Man am I sweet...) and Chicken for me. I showed the flavours to Yunho, a grin on my face, and was only answered by a shrug by Yunho.

I puffed my cheeks with air.

'Come on, Yunho. Show some excitement for once! You like cup noodles don't you?'

Yunho raised an eyebrow at me. 'I don't see anything so excitable about some noodles, Yoochun.'

I sighed, giving up, and we proceeded to the counter pay for the noodles. As usual, Yunho paid for me.

Hey, its not like I'm being a spoilt brat or a leech or anything. Yunho never lets me pay for myself. I mean NEVER. Outside of college, I have never spent a penny of my own money. Ever.

I mean, its not like I'm without cash. Nine gives us credit cards for an infinite amount of spending. Its the government. You're never at a shortage of money.

But I guess its just one of the small things that make Yunho sweet.

I stood beside Yunho at the counter as he proceeded to pay. The cashier gave us a bright smile as she handed Yunho's credit card back to him.

'Would you like to cook that?' she asked, her smile literally blinding me.

'Excuse me?' I said, surprised that she would talk to us.

'Would you like to cook the Ramen here?'

My eyes widened in surprise. 'You offer cooking services here?'

She responded by laughing good-naturedly. 'Only for instant food,' she explained.

'Oh. Then yes please. I would like to cook it here.'

The cashier seemed to be amused at my naivity, as she laughed once more. 'Alright. Just wait here, and I'll be right back.'

I flashed a smile in return as she took the two bowls of Ramen and went to the back. Back to where I don't know, I just knew she was going to cook my Ramen!

She came back with two steaming bowls, one held precariously in each hand. 'Here you go,' she said as she placed them back on the counter.

'Thank you,' I replied.

I attempted to take the two bowls in my hands, but immediately withdrew them at the sudden heat. 'Ah! It's hot,' I exclaimed.

Beside me, Yunho sighed and took both bowls in his hands and walk out the store. I glanced at his retreating figure before flashing a smile to the cashier. 'I guess we'll be going now,' I said, bowing slightly.

She bowed back to me. 'Your boyfriend?' she asked, meaning Yunho.

I laughed. 'My brother,' I said.

She answered with a bashful smile. 'You two sure look different.'

I gave her a knowing smile. 'That's not the only thing different about us.' I waved to her as I ran to catch up with Yunho and saw her wave back.

Friendly cashier, I wondered unknowingly.

Yunho was outside, leaning against the wall as I searched for him.

'There you are,' I said, coming to him.

I took one of the noodle cups from him -- it wasn't so hot now -- and we went walking. I guess we came across the hospital garden, and since there were some benches there, we proceeded to sit down to eat.

The cashier was kind enough to provide us with chopsticks, so eating was no problem.

As soon as I started eating, I was in heaven.

These things taste better cooked!

Oh God, how could something so cheap taste so exquisite? I mean, the flavour, the texture, the aftertaste! Delicious. I couldn't really find a better word to describe it.

Simply delicious.

I glanced at Yunho, who was enjoying his Ramen one noodle at a time. He was an incredibly slow eater for some reason.

I finished waaaayyyy before he did, so I just sat back and studied our surroundings. A short distance away from us, some kids were playing ball with their nurses. Laughter rang in the surroundings. I glanced at my watch. It was almost seven. Curfew for Nine started at Eleven.

Yes, curfew. Outposts like us always had curfews that we had to follow strictly. Kangta was a VERY scary person, and big on discipline. Not just any sort of discipline, but the tortuous type. The type that beat you senseless if you were ever dumb enough to bend the rules.

Yeah, that type.

I remember one time, when I was about seventeen, I was caught watching a movie called Die Hard. As agents under a government based spy organization, we weren't allowed to be exposed to any outside elements that could 'influence' us in a way they couldn't control. Any act of rebellion was quickly beaten down before it got to grow. This was probably why acts of escape from Nine were incredibly rare. It was like we had accepted our fate.

But don't be fooled. The agents of Nine are not dumb, nor are we mindless zombies. We are allowed to develop our own personalities, since by law, we were still bound to go to school and interact with the outside world, although only to a certain limited extent. And let's face it, having a student with a personality of a blank wall would be a bit worrying won't it?

Our IQs are genetically enhanced to be way above normal, so we can figure out things quickly enough. Escape has always been something we have considered, but think about it. It's the government. How in the world are you supposed to run away from something as powerful as that? This was why most of us had succumbed to our fate. Going against it is just a waste of time and energy, you know?

Anyway, when I was caught watching the movie, I got landed in the biggest bit of trouble I had ever got myself into. An attendant caught me watching, and I was immediately brought to the Head Office. I had no idea that I was in trouble at that time. I mean, I had watched a lot of movies from before, like Herbey, Lion King and all that, and I never got scolded before, so I was expecting to be given another mission to do, like it usually was. So imagine my surprise when the attendant told Kangta what happened and I got slapped so hard I was later diagnosed with whiplash due to the speed and angle my head whipped back when I was slapped. Kangta then proceeded to whip me so hard the skin on my back broke, all the while screaming so many scoldings and profanities I barely caught what it was he was saying. And it was then that Yunho entered -- more like barged in -- and interrupted the beating by grabbing my hand and running.

And so we ran, with me crying and bleeding so heavily from the wounds I nearly fainted. Of course, with my condition, we never made it very far. We were caught, and I was sent to solitary confinement for a week, while Yunho was beaten senseless for the extreme act of rebellion. He had to be hospitalized for two whole weeks due to the beating on that day.

I never knew, nor understood, why they were so angry due to me watching that movie. I mean, if movies weren't allowed, why let me watch all those movies from before?

But I guess it was because Die Hard was a sort of spy movie, and so I presume they didn't want me getting any ideas on how to go against them.

'Hey, Yunho,' I said suddenly, interrupting my own train of thought, 'Don't forget to call Kangta to tell him where we are, okay? We might be staying here until way after curfew.'

Yunho looked up from his meal -- he still hadn't finished eating, for God's sake -- and nodded in my direction.
I stayed silent as I proceeded to watch those cute children playing. It was amazing to see such genuine and pure happiness on their faces despite playing with such a simple and cheap toy. I watched as a girl of about five kick the ball in our direction. She was totally bald and looked anorexic, but that didn't seem to stop her from enjoying her life. I found myself smiling at how cute she was.

It seemed she miscalculated the force of her kick, and she kicked too hard. The ball flew in our direction and I watched as it flew towards us, coming nearer and nearer. I calculated the speed the ball and predicted exactly where and how hard it was going to hit as I stared at it.

My brain works fast. It was going to hit Yunho right in the face. Since it was a cheap ball, it probably wouldn't leave a mark, or even hurt, for that matter.

As if our brains were connected and he knew what was going to happen, Yunho brought his right hand up and caught the ball in midair, all without even looking up. Yunho is cool like that.

He put the Ramen cup he was holding in his left hand down and held the ball in both hands as he glanced at me, then turned his head to look at the group of nurses and children who were now looking at him with wide eyes. The little bald girl seemed to know what to say, as she suddenly bowed in our direction.

'Ahjushi!' she yelled from a distance away. For some reason she hadn't moved to come towards us and take the ball. 'Chosonghamnida! I didn't mean to hit you. Could you please throw the ball back to me?'

Aww... She wasn't afraid of Yunho. How cute...

Yunho seemed to stare at her for a while, before he stared at the ball in his hands, and then finally he turned to look at me. I gave him a small smile. That seemed to help, as he threw the ball back at the girl, calculating the throw so it would land exactly at her feet. The girl got down to retrieve the ball, before standing up and bowing to us once again, a big smile on her face.

'Kamsahamnida~!' she yelled with aegyo, before turning away to continue playing the ball with her group of friends once more. I stared at them for a while before turning to Yunho.

'She's cute,' I said, leaning my shoulder against Yunho, a cute grin on my face.

Yunho turned to look at me. 'She's too young for you.'

'That's not what I meant!'

Yunho didn't seem to hear, or more accurately, chose to ignore me. So I chose to continue staring at the children. They were really cute. Along with the bald girl, there was a little boy of about eight in a wheel chair, another with a thick bandage around his head, among others. But the one that really caught my attention was the little girl.

She was very obviously suffering from a form of cancer, and judging from her very skinny state, I would conclude that the cancer was internal, affecting one of her organs, and that her cancer was yet to be in remission. She was still suffering from it.

But what struck me was how happy she was. How happy, and innocent, and all smiles, despite what she suffered from, despite the pain she had to go through during the chemotherapy sessions.

I knew how painful chemotherapy was. One of the Pain Limit Tests involved enduring radiation to a certain level. Man, those hurt like HELL. Of course the levels would never be high enough to kill us, but it didn't conceal the fact that they hurt a lot. It was literally like being boiled alive from the inside.

One of the Outposts, a girl named Sulli, had been deeply traumatised from the sessions and had to be put in solitary confinement to calm down. How being trapped in a room 10 feet by 10 feet for two whole days helped to calm her down I'll never know.

So I was in a sort of awe of how that little girl stayed so happy. I mean, Jae is bubbly too, but he's mentally unstable, so it doesn't really count.

'We're lucky,' I said suddenly.

Yunho looked up at me, curiosity in his eyes.

'We're lucky we're perfectly healthy, lucky we don't have to go through what that little girl goes through.'
Yunho tilted his head slightly. 'You mean that bald girl?'

I nodded my head. 'She must have gone through so much pain. And yet she still smiles. She's still happy. This kind of innocence... You just can't help but want to protect.'

Yunho frowned for a while, deep in thought.

'The pain of chemotherapy is something one won't be able to forget anytime soon. Sulli was fifteen when the radiation broke her. This little girl who looks barely eight is probably receiving chemotherapy on a regular basis. Yet she still smiles. Isn't it amazing? We're so lucky we don't have to go through what she does.'
Yunho was staring at the group of children once again, his head tilted to the side. 'I would consider her lucky that she doesn't have to go through what we go through.'

I turned my head to look at Yunho.

'At least that girl has freedom. She can still laugh, run and play. Do all the things a child her age is expected to do. She has the liberty of choice, something we don't have. If she chooses to endure the pain of chemotherapy and survive, then she can do so. If she chooses to spend the remainder of her time alive among her family and friends, then it is her choice as well. And she will grow with the knowledge that her family is with her, that she is loved, despite how sick she is. That no matter what, she has her family to depend on, that they will always be there for her no matter what. That is something I would die to have. Freedom of choice. Laughter and smiles. A family to be loved by.'

I fell into silence. Yunho, as always, was right. That girl had everything I yearned to have. Despite being sick, she had something to depend on, to keep her going.

My heart constricted painfully at the knowledge. I unconsciously clenched my hand into a fist.

I guess Yunho noticed the changes in me, and turned his head to look at me, concern etched on his usually passive face. I looked straight ahead. Yunho could read people like an open book, and I didn't want him to see my moment of weakness.

But Yunho could read me right away.

He seemed to sigh and look in front, a faraway look in his eyes.

'But I wouldn't change it.'

I turned my head to look at him, confused.

'Because the life I have now led me to Jaejoong and you.'

A short pause later, Yunho continued.

'Something I would not have found if I had lived a normal life.'

Yunho turned his head to look at me, a dead serious look in his eyes. 'You and Jaejoong are the best things that have ever happened to me, and I would gladly lose everything to find you again.'

I blinked, stunned into silence.

That was...the nicest thing Yunho had ever said to me.

Heck, that was the nicest thing ANYONE had ever said to me.

Before I knew what I was doing, a tear had fallen from my cheek to drop down to my lap. Then another. Then another.

Yunho frowned, evidently confused by the tears. He reached up and wiped the tears with his thumb -- a rare display of affection.

'Yoochun, don't cry,' he whispered.

Like hell I could stop myself. I was too busy being forever touched by his sweetness.

When my tears didn't stop, Yunho's face formed an unconscious pout.

'Yoochun, I'm sorry. Please stop crying.'

I laughed at his cuteness he did without realizing. I wiped my tears away.

'Thank you, Yunho,' I said, my voice dripping with sincerity and gratitude.

Yunho's face softened greatly and he ruffled my hair.

Woah it must be my lucky day. Two displays of affection from Yunho in one day.

Yunho, you will be one step closer to smiling!

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Oh Gaaaaaawd. it's been a long time since i updated this fic -.-" I'm so sorry for the delay! School has started and I've been EXTREMELY busy. Just got into Pre-University, where I'll be taking A levels. 

I'M STUDYING LAW (and Theology and Maths and Economics and Literature... among others) FOR GOD'S SAKE. IT'S HARD.

So... updates will be a little less often. I hope you won't leave me... I wanna continue this fic... Even if I'm busy, I wanna continue TT^TT

Although updates will be slower, please don't give up on me...

I hope this chapter was long enough to make up for my abscence.

Don't leave me, my beloved readers TT____TT

i love you all :')

For those of you who stayed, thank you for staying... For those of you who left/ are going to leave, bye~ and thanks for reading my fic...

I AM IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTION RIGHT NOW :'D