Prologue

"What does that girl have that I don't?"

"A brain. Smarts..."

"A smile that lights up any room she sets foot into."

"A gentle stride."

"A kinder than kind soul."

"A big heart."

"Beautiful hair and gorgeous eyes."

They obviously don't know what they're saying.

I am so going to prove that everyone who loves her is incredibly wrong.

There's nothing this Beautiful Freak can't do.


Chapter One

September 9, 9:10 pm
School starts tomorrow. I'm psyched; literally! This school year is going to be the absolutely best ever. Know why? 'Cause yours truly is going to be...never mind. You'll find out later.
Watch out, Westbury High! Park Mi Young is coming!

Love, PMY

Ear buds carefully placed into my ears, I begin my walk to school. It's not that I don't own a chauffeur; what's the point of getting a ride or driving when Westbury High School is only a few blocks from my house? Besides, I had gained five pounds these past months. The summer sure allows plenty of time for me to eat. It was probably all those pizzas my mother had ordered. Now she, on the other hand, does not gain any weight from eating junk food. And don't even lecture me about exercise; we freakin' work out together!

"Hey, Mi Young!" I hear someone call out to me. They must have shouted really loudly because I could hear them even though my music was blasting in my ears.

I take a quick glance and immediately sigh. It's not who I was expecting it to be. Dissatisfied, I continue my stroll into the school building. I can feel a few pairs of eyes watching me, but I can care less. If they don't know how to come and speak to me, then so be it. I don't have to do the dirty work.

I stop by my locker and exchange material from my backpack for stuff in my locker. As I shut the locker closed, I feel a hand on my shoulder. A gentle yet firm grip. I know who it belongs to. I put my iPod away and hesitantly turn around to face him.

"Mi Young-ah," he begins, but I cut him off.

"You think I feel like talking to you right now?" I ask. "I already told you, I'm not ready for a new relationship. Why don't you understand that?" I start to push his hand off my shoulder, but he won't let go.

He looks at me for a split second without saying anything, then shifts his gaze and stares at the row of lockers behind me instead. "Of course I understand that. I know you need some space for the time being. But what you don't get is that...the person who doesn't understand is you."

Now I am confused. "What in the world do you mean, Jong Hyun?"

"I mean that..."

The bell for first period rings and drowns him out. I pull away from him and rush to class. He calls after me, but I ignore him. He may be hot, okay, extremely hot, but if he wants me, he isn't going to get me easily. He'll have to show me what he's made of first.


I enter my first period classroom with my head up high and a small smile on my face. Yeah, looking like a nice person is one of my tactics for this year. Now everyone, no matter how abnormal, will receive my dazzling smile and kindness. It's not until I see a new face does the grin fade away.

Honestly, this girl sure looks cute. I can’t deny that. But instead of looking at me, the guys are staring at her! What’s a girl like me supposed to do in such a situation? For a fleeting moment, I feel like I should just sit there and take it like a woman. I immediately shake that thought away. I am NOT going to let a new girl take my spot and steal all the guys! Yes, new people deserve kindness…but not when they’re like this.

Quickly cooking up a plan, I saunter over to her and before she can say anything to me, I pull out the empty seat next to her and sit down. “Hey, I’m Mi-Young. What’s your name?” I politely ask, looking her in the eye.

She blinks at me with her big brown eyes instead of replying and I can’t help but notice all the pores on her face as I wait for an answer. After I inspect her entire head, she says, “I’m Noh-Ra. Nice to meet you, Mi Young.” She smiles, and it’s hard to tell whether it’s a genuine smile or a fake one.

Just then the teacher enters the classroom and instead of just closing the door, he locks it shut. A few students in the room start freaking out and immediately grab their cell phones to text their friends, most likely to report to them that this new teacher’s a bastard, and not to bother to come to class if they’re going to be late.

I turn slightly and glance at Noh-Ra to see how she’s reacting. If she’s freaking out, no one can tell. She’s sitting incredibly calm. Behind me, I hear whispers and laughter. I place my bag onto my temporary desk and reach into it, pretending to look as if I wasn’t up to anything. “Do you mind giving me your number?” I ask Noh-Ra softly.

Her eyes narrow a little and instead of giving me her number, she questions, “Why would you want it?” in a suspicious tone.

“There’s no reason, really. I mean, you’re new so…wouldn’t you like to make some friends here?” I say.

I know that I didn’t make any sense, but Noh-Ra somehow understands me. She nods her head and writes her number down on a tiny sheet of paper she’d torn out of her notebook. She slides the paper over to me once she finishes, and I put it in my pocket, thanking her. Wholeheartedly.

“So we’re friends now?” she asks, seeming somewhat desperate.

I smile. “Yep, we’re friends now,” I reply. In my mind, I’m thinking, Yeah right, bitch.

The teacher, Mr. Kim, starts taking roll and I sit back to listen to all the names. When he calls “Kim Jong Hyun,” my eyes widen, and even though I’m curious, I try my best to be subtle as I turn to see where he’s sitting. I see him all the way in the back, near a window. I turn back around just before he catches me looking.

Immediately after the teacher calls out “Park Mi Young,” and I holler a short “Here,” a paper airplane lands on my desk. I stare at it for a moment, wondering how in the world guys in their senior year could be so childish. I pick the airplane up, and slowly open it as Noh-Ra watches me. Inside a short scribbled message says: We need to talk. Meet me after class. Even though there’s not a signature, I already know who wrote it. I crumple it up and aim for the recycle bin. The paper ball lands in perfectly.

Noh-Ra gives me a weird look but I just shrug like it was nothing special. Because really: it wasn’t. I wait until the teacher gets class started and Noh-Ra is distracted, then I pretend to pop my back by turning my body in my seat. Doing this I am able to catch a glimpse of Jong Hyun, who’s animatedly talking to the friend sitting next to him. I can’t help but wonder if he had been looking at me just a moment ago and seen me thrown his note away.

Pulling my notebook out of my bag, I ask Noh-Ra, “What are we doing?”

Noh-Ra laughs. “Stop daydreaming and open the textbook under your desk to page fifteen. We’re taking notes, so you’d better stay alert,” she snides.

I open my mouth to fire a comeback that is just dying to be spoken, but I remember how we are supposedly “friends” now and lightly bite my sharp tongue. A quick “thanks” comes out instead.

I flip to page fifteen in the textbook and open my notebook to the first blank page. Noh-Ra glances over and picks up my pen case, admiring or maybe fadmiring, how cute it looks. I roll my eyes but tell her I got it as a present from my last boyfriend.

She smirks, asking, "And what was he, like your twentieth one as well?"

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. What is wrong with this new girl? If this is how she wants to play it, sure. I'll participate.

"No," I begin, shaking my head for emphasis. "He was actually my first one as well. I'm not a slut, sorry."

Noh-Ra writes some stuff down onto her notebook. "I didn't say that you're one," she whispers, seeing the teacher pass by.

"Your tone really indicated it, though," I inform. "But we should stop and get to work, right?"

She nods. "Right. I'm sorry," she says.

I don't bother to ask her what she apologized for. Instead I begin reading the text and taking notes. By the time class ends, I'm completely finished, while Noh-Ra isn't. I smile to myself as I gather up my things.

"What class do you have next?" I ask Noh-Ra just as someone asks me from behind. I choose to ignore the voice and keep my eyes on Noh-Ra.

Noh-Ra pauses for a second, then answers, "AP English."

"Aaah, too bad. I'm heading off in the opposite direction. Do you know how to get there?"

"I'll manage," she replies, but the voice from behind me states, "I'll help you."

Noh-Ra's eyes widen and her face lits up. "Will you really?" she asks all excitedly.

"Yeah, I have AP English too, so I might as well lead the way," the guy says. Then I feel a tap on my shoulder, but I refuse to turn around. Noh-Ra glances at me, then slowly exits the classroom, Jong Hyun following behind her.

So much for the "We need to talk. Meet me after class" message he sent me. I stare after them and stick out my tongue at their backs when no one's looking.


“Eeek, Mi Young!” I hear a familiar voice squeal behind me just as I arrive at my second period class.

I whip around to see the girl. My eyes immediately light up. “Omg, it’s Sage!” Sage Doucet, my best friend since forever. She’s half-French, but considers herself a hundred percent White due to the fact that she has an awful (French) dad.

I rush toward her and she vice versa. We hug each other tightly and step back to inspect each other’s outfit. She’s decked in blue, and it looks amazing on her pale skin. Wait a minute. Pale skin? I remember her telling me over the summer that she’s going to Hawaii with her older siblings!

Forgetting what she probably thinks about my attire, I question about her vacation. She replies, “Oh, we changed our plans, at like, the last moment. Instead of Hawaii we went to…England.” She finishes with a smile.

“You have this class now, right?” I ask, pulling her into the classroom. She nods. “You must tell me all about your trip then!”

Once we’re settled inside the classroom in desks right next to each other, Sage begins gushing about how much fun she had in England and, of course, the handsome guy she met over there. But just after she finishes, her smile abruptly fades.

“What’s wrong, Sage?” I ask, worried. She doesn’t look up, but I follow the finger she points at something behind me. I slowly turn my head, trying not to be obvious. When I see him, I turn back around to face her.

Sage already has tears in her eyes. I can feel her pain like it’s my own. I grab her hands and hold them tight. “Oh Sage, have you still not gotten over him?” I question as a tear flows down her cheek. Then another. I begin to feel guilty, as if my question has caused her to cry. However, Sage lifts up one hand to quickly wipe her tears away and finally looks up.

“I haven’t gotten over him, Mi Young,” she whispers, shaking her head a little. “I’ve tried many tactics and none of them have worked.” She pauses, laughs, then says, “I’m such a loser, aren’t I.”

I frown and lightly slap her hand. “How can you say such a thing? Of course you aren’t a loser! If I hear you say that one more time, I’m going to tell him you still have feelings for him,” I threaten, crossing my arms to let her know I mean it.

“Okay, okay. I won’t say that anymore.” She manages to give me a smile. When she reaches down for her purse, I turn to sneak a peek at her ex-boyfriend. He’s now texting on his cell phone so he doesn’t see me. I stop looking before Sage can catch me.

I quickly glance at her. I know how she feels, and I just want to cry seeing her like this. I mean, Jeremy is hotter than hot, and he’s perfect for Sage. They were THE couple last school year. Everyone was envious—including me. Seriously, they were so cute together! Too bad for Sage, though, because he cheated on her with some bitch.

Right after the bell rings, the teacher stands up from her desk chair and announces, “Why don’t everyone gather your belongings and move to the sides. We’re going to start off with seating arrangements.”

Seating arrangements?! Sage and I both look at each other in shock. Hopefully she’s not going to put us in alphabetical order!


Chapter Two

Everyone gathers their stuff and moves to the sides of the classroom, looking at the teacher anxiously. To their surprise, she doesn’t inform them of how they’re being seated. She simply begins calling out names and pointing to desks.

But it doesn’t take long for the quick-minded to realize that she is putting them in alphabetical order.

“Dang it,” Sage whispers into my ear. We both know how this is going to turn out. I roll my eyes and sigh but grab Sage’s hand and squeeze it, just before Sage picks up her bag and maneuvers to her seat…right behind her ex.

Labels: beautiful freaks

Prologue

The weekend was over, so school had began again for the week. Jaejoong hadn't had enough sleep last night, so as he sat in first period and pretended to listen to his teacher, he dozed off. His head was still upright and he was still sitting up, so his teacher didn't notice. He just lectured on without stopping by Jaejoong to wake him up.

But in life, fate never cooperates with you. The same goes for Jaejoong. He was sleeping peacefully, until he felt a paperball hit the back of his head. His head jolted back as his eyes opened quickly. He slowly turned his head around to see who had rudely interrupted his sleep.

Yunho, who sat in the next column, two seats down, looked at Jaejoong and smirked at him. Jaejoong could feel his cheeks burning, and his heart was also aflame. He actually wanted to whisper something witty but Yunho looked away, so Jaejoong turned his head back around to face the front of the classroom.

Jaejoong didn't know it, but his heart sank when Yunho looked away from him. But he also didn't know that Yunho had turned away from him only because the teacher was looking at Yunho.

What if the teacher hadn't looked at Yunho? Would he still have had his gaze on Jaejoong? No one knew the answer. Even Yunho didn't have a clue.

Chapter One

"Hey lazybutt! Wake up!" Yunho shouted. He had stopped by Jaejoong's room to wake him up, since Jaejoong could never get up on his own. But it wasn't only Jaejoong that Yunho had to wake up every morning.

Yunho went over to the next room and pounded on the door. "Rise and shine, Junsu!"

He could hear Junsu say behind the door, "I'm already awake, you idiot."

Yunho pretended he hadn't heard what Junsu had just said. He walked back to his room and retrieved his backpack off of his bed. He checked his reflection in the mirror one last time, then he locked his door and started on his short walk to the school building. Seoul University was only a block away.

He was just about to pass through the school gates when he heard someone shout, "Yunho, hold up!"

Yunho turned around and saw Jaejoong trying to catch up to him. He decided to wait for him. He leaned against the wall and pulled out his lighter and a cigarette. He put the cigarette between his lips and lit it with the lighter. He stuck his lighter back into his pocket and started his daily routine of smoking. It helped him relax and keep his head calm.

Jaejoong caught up to Yunho just then and, unsurprisingly, grabbed the cigarette and threw it onto the ground. He stamped on it with one foot and said to Yunho, "How many times have I told you to quit smoking? Why won't you listen to me?"

Yunho shrugged. Jaejoong noticed that Yunho had developed a pissed-off look on his face. Yunho turned around and walked past the school gates. Jaejoong followed him, since he had to enter the school also. Once Yunho had reached the front steps of the school building, he paused and turned his head around to face Jaejoong. "Just to let you know, that was my last cigarette."

x . x . x . x . x

It was now lunchtime, but Yunho had something else to do, so he didn't show up at the cafeteria. Jaejoong and Junsu were both curious of where Yunho was, but of course Jaejoong was the one who was actually worried. He hadn't sat down and enjoyed his lunch yet. He was too busy standing by the cafeteria entrance to keep on the watch for Yunho.

Junsu sighed. "Hey, Jaejoong! Come back in here and eat your lunch! If you don't, I'm gonna eat it!" he shouted toward Jaejoong.

Jaejoong turned around and nodded his head. "Go ahead and eat it!" he shouted back at Junsu. In his mind, he thought, What a pig.

"Boo!"

Jaejoong gasped. He whipped around and saw Kim Hee Chul, his worst enemy. "What are you doing here, bastard?" Jaejoong asked.

Hee Chul smirked. "I scared you, didn't I?"

"You wish. Now get lost," Jaejoong said demandingly.

"Ha. Who are you to tell me what to do? We're not going out yet," Hee Chul said with a grin. He wiggled his eyebrows when Jaejoong looked at him threateningly.

"Get. The fuck. Away. From me." Jaejoong lifted up his fist, ready to give Hee Chul the best punch he'll ever receive in his life.

Hee Chul squirmed and said, "I'm not scared of you. I'll come back and mess with you later." He did that eyebrow thing again, which made Jaejoong just about ready to puke. But instead, he gave Hee Chul the finger. Hee Chul just laughed and walked away.

That jerk, Jaejoong thought. Doesn't he understand that I don't like him? I don't even like him as a friend, let alone as something more.

Jaejoong felt a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Jaejoong," Junsu said. "The bell just rang."

"It did?" Jaejoong was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even heard the bell ring.

Junsu nodded. "Didn't you hear it?" he asked, a bit surprised.

"Haha, no. I mean, yeah, I did." Jaejoong scratched his neck innocently. I don't even know why I'm lying, he thought as he looked at Junsu worriedly. Junsu can tell when I'm not telling the truth.

And Jaejoong was right. "Why are you lying to me, Jaejoong?" Junsu asked him. "We tell each other everything, remember?" Junsu sighed. "There's no reason for you to lie to me."

Jaejoong nodded his head. "I know, I know..." he said as they began to walk to class.

Thankfully, Junsu changed the subject. "Hey, I saw Hee Chul messing with you again," he pointed out. "Does he like you THAT much?" he asked Jaejoong with wide eyes.

"I don't know. Ask him," Jaejoong replied. He really didn't know the answer to Junsu's question. But even if he did, he would try to hide the fact that he knew. Junsu's nickname, was, of course, the "Gossip King".

Who was the "Gossip Queen"??? This was a question that Jaejoong had been wondering about ever since Junsu was named the "Gossip King".

Junsu wanted to know who his wife was too.

x . x . x . x . x

The class had already started 10 minutes ago when Yunho finally showed up. He walked into the classroom like he wasn't late, and even smiled at the teacher when he passed by him. The teacher didn't smile back, Jaejoong noticed, but he did look like he understood why Yunho was late. It made Jaejoong mad that he didn't know where Yunho had been until now.

Yunho sat down at his desk, and saw Jaejoong looking at him. He waved jokingly and laughed, which made Jaejoong felt like he was about to die. He laughed at Yunho's silliness to hide the fact that his cheeks were warming up.

"Mr. Kim and Mr. Jung," the teacher said threateningly.

"Sorry, sir," the guys both said at the same time.

Jaejoong looked back down at his textbook and smiled. If this isn't love, then what is it? he wondered.

"Mr. Kim, do you find something funny in the textbook that you would like to share about with the whole class?" the teacher asked from the front of the classroom. Jaejoong lifted his head up. The teacher was standing in front of his desk with his arms crossed, and he was looking right at Jaejoong. So were half of the students in the class; they all had their eyes on him. Jaejoong felt naked, but he had no idea why.

He shook his head at the teacher. "No, sir," he said.

"Then do your work and stop flirting," the teacher commanded. "Not everyone likes you, you know."

Jaejoong did not say anything back, even though he felt like he needed to. The teacher was being a total bastard. If he was Jaejoong's age...man. He would've received a big and bloody lesson from Jaejoong.

He was just glad that the teacher didn't say who he was flirting with. If the teacher had, Jaejoong would have left the classroom right then and there.

Jaejoong focused on his textbook and tried to do his work. But it was hard when he kept hearing someone whisper his name. He tried to figure out which direction it was coming from, but he was never good at that. He then felt something pointy hit his leg. He looked under his desk and saw a folded piece of paper. It was folded into the shape of an airplane, simple and easy.

Jaejoong opened up the piece of paper and read it. It said: Call me when you get home! If you don't, I'll call you myself! And you'll be sorry!
Much love xoxoxo

Jaejoong crumpled up the sheet of paper and tossed it into the nearby trashcan. He didn't care who the fuck the person who wrote the note was...he wasn't going to call anyone, except for Yunho, of course. Yunho was his, and Jaejoong wouldn't be able to survive if he didn't call Yunho at least once a day.

"Come on, bird brain, let's go." Jaejoong was shaken out of his thoughts into reality. Now who just said that? How dare they call him a "bird brain".

"Oh hi, Yunho..."




Chapter Two

"Let's go. It's time for art," Yunho said to Jaejoong. He wondered why Jaejoong had been out of this world until just now.

Jaejoong had scrambled out of his seat and was picking up his stuff until he heard what Yunho had said. He looked up at Yunho and said in horror, "It's time for art?! Oh no!!" He grabbed Yunho's shoulders and shook them. "I left my canvas at home, Yunho! What can I do?"

"Tell Ms. Kang that you left it at home. What else?" Yunho said with impatience. "Let's GO, Jaejoong. I don't wanna be late."

Jaejoong could not believe the next words that came out of his mouth. "Then go ahead and go." He bent down and pretended to fix his backpack in order to hide his face, which resembled something like a rotten tomato.

Yunho's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What?" he asked Jaejoong. He had heard him, but Yunho wanted to make sure his ears weren't playing tricks on him again.

"Go ahead and go. I'll meet you there," Jaejoong replied. He was still fussing with his backpack, not wanting to look up and allow Yunho to see his weird-looking face. Jaejoong didn't really know that his face was being weird, but he could feel his face burning and rotting at the same time. It was a horrible feeling, and Jaejoong was having a hard time coping with it. He had a big urge to go to the bathroom and puke.

Yunho nodded his head slowly, still unsure of what he should do. "I'll go to art now, but if I don't see you enter the classroom five minutes after the bell, I'm gonna go look for you." He sighed. "Okay, Jaejoong?"

"Okay," Jaejoong said as he walked out of the classroom. Yunho hadn't even noticed Jaejoong walking to the doorway. Was Yunho out of it today, too?

x . x . x . x . x

Jaejoong didn't have a clue what was wrong with him. He hurriedly walked to the bathroom and once he got inside, he tossed his backpack onto the counter and ran into a stall. He peered into the toilet as the contents of his breakfast came streaming out of his mouth. He didn't feel good at all.

Was it because of the canvas? he wondered just as he stopped puking. He was still standing there after he flushed the toilet, peering into it; his head swirling and his breathing heavy. It can't be. I cannot THROW UP over something like that. I've left stuff at home before; it's not that big of a deal.

After his breathing slowed down, he went out of the stall and walked over to a sink. He washed his mouth and wiped everything clean. He even popped a Tic-Tac into his mouth, just for good measure. He had to be careful anyway. Hee Chul liked to lay kisses onto him, and he didn't want a rumor going around that he, Kim Jaejoong, had horrible breath. He would never be able to live if that happened.

Why am I even thinking about Hee Chul at a time like this? Jaejoong asked himself. He shook his head lightly to clear his mind a bit. He lifted his arm up and looked at the time on his watch. It was three minutes after the bell. He still had time to go to class and not worry Yunho.

Jaejoong checked his reflection in the mirror one last time and rushed to art. When he arrived to class, he turned the doorknob and entered the classroom. It wasn't until he sat down did he notice that no one was in there.

Where is everyone? Jaejoong wondered. He looked around the classroom. His eyes landed onto the kite on the teacher's desk. His kite. "No wonder," he said out loud. Today was Kite day and he had forgotten all about it. He had been too distracted by other things that were more important.

Jaejoong got out of his seat and walked up to the front of the classroom to retrieve his kite off of the teacher's desk. He felt stupid for forgetting about Kite day, but as he left the classroom and went on his way to the nearest exit door, something occured to him. Yunho didn't remind him about this. How could Yunho be so careless? Jaejoong shook his head. No way. Yunho's not careless. He just forgot, Jaejoong told himself.

Once he exited the school building, he walked out to the soccer field, where he was sure that the rest of the art class was at at the moment. Jaejoong was right. As soon as he stepped onto the soccer field, he saw Yunho and his other classmates flying their kites. He walked over to Yunho as he looked up at Yunho's kite. It was in the shape of an orange skateboard and had the word VENOM written down on the side.

Jaejoong didn't know that Yunho was into skateboarding.

He took a look at his own kite. It was a gunther butterfly, filled with yellow, orange, two different shades of blue, and green colors. Jaejoong felt childish for having such a kite. It was actually made for beginners, and he wasn't a beginner at all.

He had almost reached Yunho when the art teacher, Ms. Kang, called him over. Jaejoong sighed and ran over to her. He smiled at her and said, "Yes, Ms. Kang?"

"Where were you this whole time, Mr. Kim?" Ms. Kang asked him with concern.

"I...I was in the classroom," Jaejoong replied, totally embarrassed. He looked down at the ground.

Ms. Kang laughed; not in a mean way, but in an I-understand-what-you're-talking-about way. Jaejoong looked up. Ms. Kang smiled at him. "It's okay, Mr. Kim. You can go fly your kite now. Mr. Jung has been pretty lonely during your absence. Go make him happy."

Jaejoong's cheeks flashed a bright shade of pink. He quickly turned around and headed to where Yunho was standing. I can't believe she just said that, he thought. Does she know I like him?

"Hey, Jaejoong. Where were you until now?" Yunho asked when Jaejoong joined him.

"I was in the classroom," Jaejoong said. "I didn't know that we were supposed to go out here."

Yunho smirked. "Are you that stupid? Today's Kite Day, of course we're supposed to go out here." He shook his head at Jaejoong. Jaejoong wanted to run away right then. He was too embarrassed!

He sighed and said, "You could have reminded me, you know. You always remind me things so that I don't forget. Why didn't you remind me this time?" He looked straight at Yunho.

"I forgot," Yunho simply replied. He unrolled his kite string some more and watched it go up even higher. "Besides," he began with a sideward glance at Jaejoong, "I can't remind you about everything. What are you gonna do when I get married? Who's gonna be there for you to remind you?"

Jaejoong felt his heart starting to crack. "What...what did you just say?" he asked Yunho. He had heard him, of course, but he wanted to make sure he heard correctly.

Yunho looked at Jaejoong worriedly. "Did you not hear what I said? I asked what you're gonna do when I get married...who's gonna be there for you to remind you things?" He shifted his gaze back to his kite.

"I don't know," Jaejoong said truthfully. So he had heard Yunho correctly. Jaejoong scratched his head. He wondered, Why can't Yunho just feel the same way I do? That would make everything so much easier.

He suddenly felt a presence behind him. "Baby, I was waiting for you over there! What are you doing over here with...what's-his-name?" Jaejoong knew that voice. It was Hee Chul.

He turned around. Yes, he was right, unfortunately. Jaejoong rolled his eyes and exhaled a deep and bitter sigh. He looked at Hee Chul. "What do you want?" he asked.

"What do I want?" Hee Chul laughed. "What I want, is YOU. So come over to my spot and we can have eternal bliss." Hee Chul made a really stupid-looking face, and Jaejoong wanted to punch him right in his retarded face, but he controlled his anger.

"Just shut the fuck up and go away, bastard," Jaejoong told Hee Chul. When Hee Chul didn't move a muscle, he added, "NOW."

Hee Chul harumphed and said, "Fine. I'll go. But you haven't seen the last of me." Then he stomped away.

Jaejoong shook his head at Hee Chul's retrieving back, then turned around to face Yunho again.

"Why don't you fly your kite, Jaejoong?" Yunho asked him when he saw Jaejoong admiring his kite.

"I don't want to," Jaejoong answered. "It's too embarrassing." He pointed up to Yunho's kite. "I like your kite. It's awesome."

"Really? Thanks," Yunho said. He smiled.

Suddenly, something occured to Jaejoong. "What about the canvases that were due today?" he questioned Yunho worriedly.

Yunho laughed. "They weren't due today, Jaejoong. They're due tomorrow."

Jaejoong felt like slapping Yunho right across the butt face.




Chapter Three

The sky outside was dark and looked like it was going to rain anytime soon, but school had ended for the day, so Yunho and Jaejoong walked back home together. Actually, Yunho was walking ahead, and Jaejoong was trailing behind him. A few minutes ago, Yunho had to drag Jaejoong out of the school building, since Jaejoong didn't want to go home. He was scared of getting a phone call from whoever that wrote the note to him. He had a clue of who it was, but he didn't want to think about it.

Jaejoong looked down at his hand. Yunho's had held it only a few moments ago. He brought his hand up and caressed it with his other hand. He could still feel Yunho's grip as if Yunho was still holding onto his hand. Ahh...

Yunho suddenly turned around and saw Jaejoong walking about ten feet behind him. "Hurry up, Jae!" he called out to Jaejoong, who seemed to be daydreaming. Yunho sighed and shook his head. If Jaejoong didn't stop daydreaming, he would make him stop.

The sky got darker and started thundering loudly, but Jaejoong didn't even notice. Yunho got anxious to get home before it started raining, so he ran back to Jaejoong and pulled his arm, which got Jaejoong out of his dreaming state. "COME ON, Jaejoong! We have to get home before it rains!!" Yunho shouted.

"It's okay, Yunho...what's a little bit of rain gonna do to you?" Jaejoong asked.

"Nothing, but...shit, let's just go home!" Yunho broke into a run. He was too tired and stressed out to wait for Jaejoong any longer.

Jaejoong stood frozen to the spot as he stared after Yunho, who was getting smaller and smaller the farther away he got from Jaejoong. He sighed dreamily. "Yunho's got a cute butt," he said softly. The rain started to pour right at that moment. Jaejoong smiled to himself and walked home, all the while thinking about Yunho's hand grabbing his.

x . x . x . x . x

"What a little biatch."

Kim Hee Chul had been standing behind a large tree, watching Yunho and Jaejoong the whole time. Once Jaejoong had left, Hee Chul crept out from behind the tree and cackled at his genius idea. "But oh well. It's alright with me. He's MY biatch, after all."

He took a look at Jaejoong's back and said, "Bye, Jae, my love. I'll see you soon." Then he turned around and began his walk home.

x . x . x . x . x

Jaejoong reached home and raised his hand up to press the doorbell. The tall, metal gates slid open and he walked in. He got to the door step and Junsu greeted him at the front door. "Hey, Jaejoong!" Junsu pulled him into a friendly guy hug. "How are you, dude? You don't look okay."

The words "I'm fine" slipped through his mouth, but in truth, Jaejoong wasn't feeling fine at all. He had the feeling people called "in love."

Jaejoong looked over Junsu's shoulder to try to find Yunho, but he couldn't spot him anywhere. His voice lowered down to a whisper when he asked Junsu where Yunho was. "He's in his room," Junsu whispered back with a slight smile.

"Okay, thanks, Junsu," Jaejoong said in his normal voice volume before heading off to Yunho's bedroom.

"Good luck," Junsu said to Jaejoong's retreating back.

Jaejoong laughed silently to himself. Junsu's too sweet, he thought. It was a good thing that Junsu knew how to keep certain secrets that they shared. If he didn't, everyone in the world would have known about Jaejoong's (supposedly) unrequited love for Yunho.

"Yunho?" Jaejoong stood outside the other's room, knocking twice and waiting for a reply.

But no reply came. "Yunho?" Jaejoong asked again. "May I come in?" he added, just in case.

Still there was no reply. Jaejoong decided to walk in without permission. He opened the door slowly, and saw to his surprise, an empty bedroom. He went in and looked around, but Yunho wasn't there. Jaejoong even checked the closet: no Yunho in sight. Where is he? Jaejoong wondered. His eyes then flickered to Yunho's window.

It was wide open.

Jaejoong ran over to it, and poked his head out. It had stopped raining, he noticed. He looked down onto the lawn, but no one was there except for the hired gardener.

He poked his head back in and scratched his neck nervously. He ran out of the bedroom and down to the living room, where Junsu was sitting on the couch with a magazine in his hands. "Junsu?" Jaejoong said.

"Yes, Jaejoong?" Junsu looked up from the magazine. Jaejoong was then able to see that Junsu had been reading Playboy Shojo Beat.

Jaejoong jumped right to the main problem. "Yunho's not in his room," he told Junsu.

"WHAT?!" Junsu jumped up from the couch right onto his feet, so that he was standing face to face with Jaejoong. "You must be kidding me, Jae! He was in there when I went to check up on him!" Junsu was totally not believing Jaejoong.

"I AM SERIOUS, Junsu. He's not in there. You can go check if you want," Jaejoong said.

Junsu waved his right hand as if to make Jaejoong forget about what he said. "Okay, so how did he escape?" he asked Jaejoong.

"He went right out the window," Jaejoong simply answered.

Junsu's mouth dropped open. "No way," he said. "Yunho is not that smart. He wouldn't know to use the window as his escape route."

"Of course Yunho's smart," Jaejoong quickly retorted in Yunho's defense.

"Yeah, you should know," Junsu said with a laugh. Was he being sarcastic? Or not? "How'd he even get out of the house? He can't fly," Junsu pointed out. "Did he use a rope?"

Jaejoong shook his head. "I don't know, I didn't see a rope or anything. Could he have jumped out the window?"

Suddenly, before Junsu could say something, the phone rang. "I'll get it!" Junsu said as he hurried his way over to the phone. He picked up the receiver and placed it against his right ear. "Hello?" he asked. "Oh, it's you...You want to talk to Jae? Sorry, but he's busy right now...Taking a shower...Of course not, are you crazy?...He doesn't like you. Bye." Junsu slammed the receiver down.

"Was it Hee Chul?" Jaejoong asked Junsu when he walked back into the living room.

Junsu sighed. "You bet it was. He wanted to talk to you, so I said you were busy, and he asked what you were doing, so I said you were taking a shower, then he asked if he could join you, and I said of course not, so he asked why, and I said that you don't like him, then I hung up." Junsu sat down at the couch and slid back so that his head was lying against it.

"Woah, that was a mouthful...Thanks for saving me," Jaejoong said. He wasn't surprised that Junsu wasn't breathing heavily after saying all of that. After all, Junsu WAS the "Gossip King." He could talk for hours, starting from one person to another person, and never get tired.

Jaejoong thought for a bit, then asked, "Do you want to go look for him?"

Junsu turned his head to look at Jaejoong. "For who?"

"For Yunho, of course. Who else?"

"Good." Junsu sat up and grabbed his keys out of his pocket. "I thought you were talking about Hee Chul."

"Hell no." Jaejoong shook his head at Junsu in shock. "I can't believe you would even think that, Junsu."

They exited the house and walked out to Junsu's car. Jaejoong felt excited as Junsu turned on the car's ignition. This was the start of their most adventurous quest today! Trying to find Yunho was always fun. They've done it plenty of times before...but always came home empty-handed.




Chapter Four

"Jaejoong, where do you think he is right now?" Junsu asked as the two guys were driving down a busy street. Junsu glanced at Jaejoong and noticed that the latter was too caught up in his own thoughts, while staring out the window, that he hadn't heard what Junsu had said.

Junsu thought about dropping the question, but he changed his mind. "Yah, Jaejoong," he said, louder this time. He still kept his gaze out on the road as he questioned Jaejoong again. "Where do you think Yunho is right now?"

"Oh, uh, huh?" Jaejoong seemed to snap back into reality. He looked over at Junsu with confusion written on his face.

Junsu rolled his eyes. "Did you seriously not hear a single word I said?" he asked Jaejoong, annoyed.

Jaejoong laughed nervously. "I mean, uh, of course I did...I don't know where he is right now, Junsu. Maybe partying at a club?"

"He doesn't go to those things," Junsu pointed out. "You know that, don't you?"

"No, unfortunately I don't," Jaejoong replied as he shook his head sadly. "Am I supposed to?"

Junsu didn't answer. He continued looking out of the window as he drove on. He stopped the car beside a curb and looked at Jaejoong. "Is he here?"

Jaejoong looked up at the building they were parked in front of. The neon sign at the top bared the words "The Lonely Man's Bar." He turned to Junsu. "What is this place? A bar?"

"What do you think, Jae?" Junsu said sarcastically. He was getting impatient and was also annoyed at Jaejoong. When Jaejoong didn't say anything back, Junsu took the initiative. He opened his door and got out of his car. He started walking toward the building, leaving Jaejoong behind.

"Yah! Junsu! You can't just leave me here!" Jaejoong shouted to Junsu's back. Unfortunately, Junsu didn't turn around. "Ugh..." Jaejoong whispered to himself as three girls on the sidewalk passed by him. "Stupid, little bitches. Struttin' around in barely any clothes with their teeny-tiny waists and high stiletto pumps..."

The last girl that walked by somehow happened to hear every word Jaejoong said, so she turned her head around and gave him a dirty look. Jaejoong glared right back at her. You think you're prettier than me? he mouthed. Psh, what-ev-er.

The girl couldn't believe this guy, mouthing off at her. "Bastard," she tossed in his face, and quickly walked away to join her groupees.

Ah! Jaejoong thought. How dare she cuss at me like that! He sighed. Oh well. I've been called worse, he reminded himself. He got out of Junsu's car and decided to walk into the bar. His mission was, after all, to find Yunho.

x . x . x . x . x

"Hey Junsu!" Jaejoong had just spotted Junsu in the big and crowded bar, and he was now waving wildly at him from the doorway. Junsu sighed, but he ignored the weird looks from the people around him and waved Jaejoong over.

Jaejoong tried to take in his surroundings as he made his way over to Junsu. To tell the truth, he had never been to a bar before. He had been to a club once...but he had end up regretting it. Badly. But then he also had to remind himself that it wasn't his idea in the first place. It was all because of Yunho.

I don't get it, Jaejoong thought. How can I always do whatever when it comes to Yunho? I sacrifice my feelings, my likes, and my dislikes, just so that I can be with him. Jaejoong shook his head to clear out his mind. He had already arrived to where Junsu was standing, so it would've been better to forget about his own feelings for Yunho to focus on the mission at hand.

Junsu downed the rest of his drink (whatever it was) before speaking to Jaejoong. "Have you seen Yunho at all yet?" he asked.

"No, I haven't." Jaejoong shook his head. He didn't show any signs of sadness, which made Junsu worry a bit.

"Are you okay, Jaejoong?" Junsu questioned curiously. "You don't look like your usual self."

Jaejoong's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Really? If I don't look like my usual self, then who do you think I look like?" He smiled at Junsu secreetly. "Do I look like BoA?" he asked softly.

The two of them burst into laughter. They haven't had a good laugh for a very long time. Ever since Jaejoong started realizing that he felt different when he was around Yunho, and also when he was without him, the three guys have had trouble acting like their old selves. Especially Jaejoong. Back then, they were very friendly with each other, and Jaejoong had no problem with it. But starting when he began to develop feelings for Yunho, he couldn't stand it when all three of them joked around with each other like regular friends would. It gave him the "heebie-jeebies."

"Ha, whatever, Jaejoong," Junsu said when they had stopped laughing. "BoA can beat you any day. What made you think you look like her, eh? You're far from it."

When Jaejoong didn't say anything, Junsu added, "Very far," which earned him a punch in the arm from Jaejoong.

"Yah, shut up already. Just forget about what I said. Let's go find Yunho," Jaejoong told Junsu.

"Okay, okay." Junsu jumped off from the stool he was sitting on and followed Jaejoong to wherever he was leading.




Chapter Five

In only a few minutes, Jaejoong and Junsu spotted Yunho. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Yunho was sitting in a sofa chair, totally relaxed, with a girl on his lap. Not only was she sitting there, she was also snuggling against him and he was holding her against him. Jaejoong took a glance at Junsu. Based on the expression on his face, Junsu thought the girl was as fine as the sunshine. But Jaejoong's opinion was totally different. He thought the girl was a damn whore.

Junsu called out Yunho's name. When Yunho didn't show any sign of having heard him, Junsu called out a second time, but louder. Yunho turned his head this way and that, trying to find his pursuer. His eyes landed onto Jaejoong and Junsu. He realized that Junsu was the one who had called out, and Junsu was now walking quickly over to Yunho. But Jaejoong, on the otherhand...he wasn't even looking at Yunho. Yunho decided to take a note of that.

"Yunho, what are you doing here?" Junsu asked once he reached him. "And who's this fine, young lady?" Junsu just HAD to ask. How could he not?

Yunho smiled nervously. He didn't want to answer Junsu's questions, especially the first one. So he answered the second question instead. "This is Park Han Li, you guys." He included Jaejoong as to not exclude him from the conversation. However, Jaejoong still kept his gaze anywhere but at Yunho. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"Hello Han Li," Junsu said, and stuck his hand out for a shake. "I'm Junsu."

"Hi." Han Li shook Junsu's hand, making him almost flip out from shock. I can't believe this beautiful girl shook my hand! he thought after the shake. Wait until the other guys hear about this! He was already excited to tell his schoolmates.

Jaejoong glanced at Junsu in disbelief. He leaned over to whisper into Junsu's ear. "Wipe that stupid smile off of your face," he advised.

Junsu only turned and raised his eyebrows at Jaejoong, not saying anything. It wasn't like Jaejoong was expecting him to say something anyway, so he wasn't surprised.

Suddenly, Han Li turned to Yunho and asked, "You wanna go for a smoke?"

Yunho shook his head, which surprised not only Jaejoong, but also Junsu and Han Li. "You sure?" Han Li questioned him.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Yunho replied. He nodded his head for effect.

Han Li shrugged. "Okaay. I'll go by myself then." She got off of Yunho's lap and started to dig in her jeans for something. Once she got it out, Jaejoong saw that it was a pack of cigarettes. Han Li walked pass the guys and headed toward the front of the bar. It was then that Jaejoong realized that she hadn't even said ONE WORD to him. Oh well. It wasn't like he cared or anything. He didn't even want to talk to her.

Junsu faced Yunho. "Yo, who IS she? How come you never tell us anything? Spill it all out NOW!" he practically shouted at him. Other people in the bar looked at them weirdly, but all turned back around eventually.

"She's my...girlfriend," Yunho said slowly, once the people stopped looking at them. "We...we met at..." He had trouble speaking since he could feel Jaejoong staring at him intensely. Yunho's cheeks started to warm up and the hottness was making him very uncomfortable.

"Where did y'all meet?!" Junsu asked impatiently.

"Shut up, Junsu." Jaejoong finally spoke up. He had been quiet the whole time. "Stop interogatting him."

Junsu scowled. "Are you serious? He's taking forever to answer. I want to know what's going on and what HAD happened but he won't just freakin' tell me!"

Yunho stood up abruptly and grabbed Junsu's shoulders. "I tell you what I want to tell you," he said in a threatening voice. Then he practically stomped away and ran out the door. Jaejoong and Junsu could hear a loud slam as the door shut.

"What's wrong with him?" Junsu scratched his neck nervously. "Did I do something to offend him?"

"I doubt it," Jaejoong answered with confidence. "He's probably mad that Han Li actually left him here... alone."

Junsu laughed sarcastically. "Yeah. Of course. He only cares about her, because she's his girlfriend. He doesn't care about his best friends who he has been friends with since we were babies." Junsu rolled his eyes, but he knew that he and Jaejoong were right.

Yunho had changed so quickly...and all because of a girl.

x . x . x . x . x

Junsu decided to sneak out and snoop on Yunho and his girlfriend. However, Jaejoong had his worries. "What if they catch us, Junsu? We'll be doomed," he told the other.

"Don't worry, Jaejoong! 'Cause you're making ME worried too!" Junsu whispered loudly.

They reached the front of the bar and quietly opened the door. "Be very very quiet," Junsu reminded Jaejoong for the hundredth time.

"I know, I know." Jaejoong followed Junsu out the door and they proceded onto their next mission.




Chapter Six

"Look! They're over there!" Junsu whispered to Jaejoong, who was standing right behind him. Yunho and his girlfriend were standing in front of the bar talking and smoking, but they weren't alone. Hee Chul was there with them, too.

Jaejoong bopped Junsu on the head. "How can I look when you're in my way?" he whispered back. He pushed Junsu behind him gently and peeked over the wall. He gasped in shock and turned around to face Junsu. "Why's Hee Chul with them?" he asked softly. "Don't tell me Yunho doesn't hate him..."

"I don't know," Junsu said. "Maybe he doesn't MIND Hee Chul?"

"Huh." Jaejoong scowled. "I knew for a fact that he never liked Hee Chul...but, whatever."

Junsu pulled Jaejoong behind him and said, "It's time for me to look," when Jaejoong gave him a dirty look. Junsu kept his eyes and ears open as he tried to spy and eavesdrop on the three people standing in front of the bar. As for Jaejoong, he stood himself against the wall and layed his head back. What had happened inside the bar and what he'd seen earlier had caused his heart to break in two. Yunho snuggling with the girl on his lap, Yunho admitting that she was his girlfriend, Yunho not telling Junsu and him anything, and now Yunho laying his arm over the girl's shoulder and looking fairly happy while smoking and chatting. It was all too much for Jaejoong to bear. Tears sprung to his eyes, even though he had tried to hold them back. He quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand.

"Jaejoong," Junsu whispered. He poked Jaejoong on his side, but still kept peeking out from behind the wall.

"What, Junsu?" Jaejoong asked Junsu's back.

Junsu turned back around to face Jaejoong, and that was when he noticed Jaejoong's pink eyes. "Are you okay?" he questioned worriedly.

Jaejoong nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. So what were you gonna say?" He had to change the subject.

"Oh, right. You know how I was eavesdropping on them? I heard almost everything," Junsu said.

Jaejoong's eyes widened. "What'd you hear?"

"Well, I'm not sure that I should tell you..."

"Just spill it, Junsu!" Jaejoong whispered loudly.

Junsu sighed. "Okay then. Han Li and Hee Chul know each other, because somehow they are in the same "gang." So they were talking about it, how great it was and all this other crap...they were obviously trying to brainwash Yunho. All I heard about it was that this "gang" is known for their stealthy actions: they can steal anything anytime they want and never get caught. Since he looked interested, Han Li asked Yunho if he wanted to join..." Junsu looked away. "And he said yes."

x . x . x . x . x

As Jaejoong lied in bed that night, he knew that he had to do something. He had to stop Yunho from joining this so-called "gang." Which made Jaejoong start to wonder. Why did Yunho say yes? he asked himself. Has he always been interested in gangs and stuff and I just never knew?

Jaejoong sighed. Whatever, he thought. I'm getting too sleepy to think anymore. He pulled his blanket up and drifted off into a deep slumber.

x . x . x . x . x

"Jaejoong, wake up!" Jaejoong opened his eyes to see Junsu frantically shaking him. Huh? Where's Yunho?

That was exactly what Jaejoong asked Junsu. "I don't know, but he's not here AND he forgot to wake us up. Look at the clock, Jae."

Jaejoong turned his gaze toward the clock hanging on his wall. It was freakin' 9:30! Sh-t! Junsu left his bedroom to go back to his, and Jaejoong quickly jumped off of his bed. He arranged his bed neatly and started getting ready for school.

After he had gotten everything together, he and Junsu grabbed their backpacks and headed out the door. They weren't looking forward to the detention slips they'll be getting, but it was better to go to school than to miss out on anything.

It wasn't until they reached the school that it started to rain. Which was a very good thing for them, of course. Going to school drenched from head to toe was never fun...not that the guys had ever experienced anything like that, though.

"Junsu," Jaejoong began as they walked down a hallway, "do you think Yunho's here right now?"

Junsu shook his head. "I can totally bet you he isn't."

"Yeah? How much?" Jaejoong asked seriously.

"I was kidding, you loser," Junsu replied, smacking Jaejoong on the back of his head. The two of them burst out laughing.

Suddenly a teacher appeared in front of them. "Why aren't you kids in class?" the lady snarled. "Do you know what time it is?"

Jaejoong nodded his head and said, "Yes, Ma'am, we do," while Junsu plastered a toothy smile on his face and blinked his innocent eyes.

"Go to class NOW," the teacher commanded. It seemed like their little acts had helped them get away without detentions or anything from this teacher. Jaejoong and Junsu quickly bowed their heads to the lady and both ran off.

They got to the door of their classroom at the same time and almost crashed into each other. Junsu decided to walk in first and he pulled the door open. Jaejoong followed him into the room.

About twenty pairs of eyes stared at them. But the teacher was the only one who snapped. "Kim Junsu and Kim Jaejoong!" he shouted from the back of the classroom, where he was helping another student. "I thought you two weren't coming today!"

Fake astonishment, Jaejoong thought.

And he was right. "What took y'all so long? Were y'all BUSY doing something else? Something inappropriate?"

He deserves to DIE, Junsu silently fumed.

"No, sir." It wasn't Jaejoong who said this, and it wasn't Junsu either. Who had stood up to the teacher for them? Everyone in the classroom looked around, and realized that it was Yunho who had spoken. He shook his head. "I forgot to wake them up," he admitted to the whole class.

Junsu and Jaejoong turned to look at each other, as if to say, "So he is here."

"Well, I hope you remember to wake them up tomorrow," the teacher said, obviously embarrassed. He had just been "told" by a student AND he had ran out of horrible things to say.

He kept his mouth shut for the rest of the class period. He even forgot to give Jaejoong and Junsu their detention slips.

x . x . x . x . x

Once the bell rang for lunch, Yunho quickly clambered out of the classroom without even saying a simple "bye" to Jaejoong and Junsu. Jaejoong watched Yunho rush out as he pulled his backpack onto his shoulders. He felt a sense of worry as he remembered the fact that Yunho was now in a gang. He really wanted to do something to change Yunho's mind. But what could he do?

Junsu walked over to Jaejoong and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about him," Junsu said. "He's a big boy now. He can take care of himself... He knows what's right and what's wrong."

"How are you so sure of that?" Jaejoong asked Junsu as they went on their way to lunch. "You seem like you don't care about him anymore."

"Of course I care about him," Junsu retorted. "But he's older than me, and I'm not his father. Speaking of 'father,' mine gave me a call yesterday and..."

Junsu rambled on and on about how his father had told him on the phone all about the big money he was making in the movie business. Jaejoong toned Junsu out and kept his mind fixated on what Yunho was doing at that very moment.




YUNHO'S SIDESTORY - Chapter One

I felt guilty for leaving the classroom so quickly like that. But I HAD to. Jaejoong and Junsu will never understand what I'm going through, even if I try to explain it to them. I know that we have been friends since we were babies, but that doesn't mean that we can comprehend each other's problems and issues. Mine are just too complicated.

I checked my watch as I hurriedly walked through the parking lot. 11:00. I still had ten minutes to get there. I climbed onto my motorcycle and turned on the ignition. It's time to roll, I said to myself silently. I rode out of the parking lot and zoomed into the wide, open street that bordered the front of the school.

The headquarters wasn't very far, so I arrived pretty quickly. The trick about this place was that it was a normal-looking house. It was actually the house of the gangleader, as I was told.

"Hey, my man!" someone said while I got off of my motorcycle. I turned my head around to see who it was. Kim Hee Chul.

"Yo, what's up?" I said to him. We did a little handshake and he led me into the headquarters.

Once we had entered the house, Hee Chul grabbed my wrist lightly. "Dude, be careful of what you do here. All of the officers will be watching your every move," he warned.

I nodded my head. "Okay, thanks for telling me."

"My my, who do we have here?" a loud voice boomed from nowhere. I looked up and saw a tall guy dressed in a suit stepping out from inside a hallway. "Who're you?" he asked, once he was standing right before me.

I stuttered. "I...I'm...J-J-Jung Y-Y-Yunho." Somehow this guy scared the living daylights out of me. No one has ever made me stutter before. No one.

The guy stuck his hand out for a shake. "Park Jae Hwan. Nice to meet you, Jung Yunho," he said.

I grabbed his hand lightly and shook it, but he had a very firm grip. Our handshake was tighter than I wanted it to be. Jae Hwan released my hand and stuck his hand into his pocket. He got out a pack of cigarettes and offered me one. I didn't know if I should get it or not. I glanced at Hee Chul and he nodded his head at me. So I said "thanks" and took the cigarette from Jae Hwan. I placed it in my mouth and he lit it up for me.

Jae Hwan asked Hee Chul if he wanted a cigarette, but Hee Chul shook his head. "I don't smoke much," he told Jae Hwan.

Liar, I thought. You smoke even more than I do.

Hee Chul turned to me and flashed me a threatening look as if to say, "Don't you DARE say anything."

I smirked at him. Jae Hwan had no clue what was going on, so he cleared his throat loudly to get our attention. "Do you know that I can kill you two for not taking this gang seriously?" he asked us.

I tensed up at what he said, but Hee Chul laughed bitterly. "You're not even the gangleader," he pointed out. "You're only a mere--"

"Vice President," Jae Hwan interrupted.

Hee Chul's eyes widened. "When did you become VP?" he questioned curiously. "You were 'only a mere' officer yesterday."

Jae Hwan smiled and waved his arm toward the couches in the living room. "Let's grab a seat first, and then I'll explain." He turned to me. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Yes, please. Anything will do," I replied. I tried to sound as polite as possible.

"Even beer?" Jae Hwan asked. I must have seem shocked, because Jae Hwan laughed and said, "I won't get you beer, I promise." He disappeared into the kitchen while we were settling down on the couches, and came back out with two bottles of flavored water and a can of Root Beer. He handed Hee Chul and I the bottles and he opened the can of Root Beer for himself. We all gulped down the drinks like we had been deprived of them for ages.

I swiped the back of my hand across my mouth. I don't usually do that (I have better manners) but there weren't any napkins to use.

Jae Hwan turned to Hee Chul and started his explanation with a serious look on his face. "Yong Suk stepped down from the VP spot yesterday. He told Oni-sama that he wanted to change his life. So Oni-sama let him quit, then chose me as the new VP."

I watched Jae Hwan talk but I was totally confused. Once he finished, I asked, "Who are those people?"

"Yong Suk is the old VP, obviously. You don't have to worry about knowing who he is," Jae Hwan said. "Oni-sama is the gangleader, or President, whichever you want to call him."

I was still confused. "Why is his name 'Oni-sama'? Isn't that Japanese?"

Jae Hwan nodded his head. "Yeah, it is. He's half-Japanese, so that's why he has that name. His folks named him Yoshida Oni when he was born." Jae Hwan laughed. "That name doesn't really fit him, but he has kept it. Do you get why we add '-sama' at the end?"

"Is it to show respect?"

"Yup," Jae Hwan replied. See? I'm not as stupid as Junsu thinks.

I didn't understand why I thought of Junsu at a time like this. I couldn't let my mind wander here. We're supposed to take this gang seriously.

Hee Chul broke into my thoughts. "Yunho," he said.

"Huh? Oh, I mean, yes?" I asked.

"Jae Hwan asked you a question," Hee Chul informed.

I turned to Jae Hwan, and he said to me, "Why don't we go meet Oni-sama now? You've met the VP, and I suppose it's time for you to meet the gangleader now." He saw the pained expression on my face, and he laughed. "It's okay. He doesn't bite even though he may look like he does."

Was that a joke or not? Oh well, I guess it's better to laugh. "Heh heh," I faked, not very convincingly.

Jae Hwan stood up and Hee Chul and I followed suit. We trailed after him as he led us to one of the rooms in the house. When we got there, I realized that this room was special--it had fancy double doors made of glass and wood.

My gaze lingered on the glass. It wasn't the clear kind; it was colored. There was a pattern made by the colored glass pieces. I studied the pattern hard, and even put my hand up to touch it. The pattern made a picture on the glass, and the picture was of a red flower burning in flames. Which could only mean one thing...




Chapter Seven

"Do you wanna buy lunch today or do I do it?" Junsu asked Jaejoong nervously. They had arrived at the cafeteria, and were now deciding which of the two was forking up his money today as they walked over to their usual lunch table.

Jaejoong sighed. "Let me see if I have any money on me." He grabbed his backpack off of his shoulders and flung it onto the lunch table. The backpack landed with a loud THUD. Ignoring the looks and stares of the people in the cafeteria, he reached his hand into one of his pockets and pulled out his wallet. Junsu stood beside him, silently praying that Jaejoong had some cash for both of them. It wasn't that Junsu was selfish; he actually didn't bring any money to school with him today. He had forgotten because they were in a rush in the morning. They were late because someone didn't wake them up, remember?

"Well?" Junsu questioned Jaejoong, as the latter looked at him with a sad expression on his face. "Don't tell me you didn't bring any money with you."

"I didn't," Jaejoong simply said. Junsu felt as if Jaejoong had slapped him instead of answering him. Instead of saying anything, Junsu turned away from Jaejoong so that his back was facing the other. Junsu decided that it was best he didn't tell Jaejoong off since he didn't bring any money either. He crossed his arms over his chest.

Jaejoong saw Junsu's weird and sudden behavior, and laughed as realization hit him. "You didn't bring any cash either...right, Junsu?"

Junsu mumbled a reply, but Jaejoong didn't understand him. "What?" he asked.

"You're right," Junsu said, louder this time. He felt embarrassed all of a sudden. It probably was because he was the one who never forgot his money. And now today, of all days...he had forgotten it. He had left his money at home, back in his room, under his bed, and in his little pink piggy-bank.

Fine. It's a very big pink piggy-bank. But it's not as if he has enough money to fill it to the brim. His father only sends him money once a month. That dirty, rotten, cheap, selfish...

"Hey, are you listening to me, Junsu?" Jaejoong asked, interrupting Junsu's train of thought.

Junsu laughed nervously. "You bet," he answered Jaejoong. But he didn't say it very convincingly, and Jaejoong immediately caught the fact that he was lying.

Jaejoong pulled a chair out for his friend. "Here, let's sit down for a minute," he said.

Junsu obeyed him. He shrugged his backpack off and sat down in the chair. He left his backpack lying on the ground.

"What's wrong?" Jaejoong asked Junsu after he had grabbed a chair for himself.

Nothing came out of Junsu's mouth. He only continued to look facedown at the ground as his mind was having a battle. To tell Jaejoong what's going on...or to not tell him?

"Junsu...you know you can tell me anything..." Jaejoong prodded. He knew that Junsu was an easily-persuaded person. He couldn't persuade other people very well, but anyone could persuade him. Almost anyone.

"It's nothing, Jaejoong," Junsu said, trying his best to sound convincing. "I just forgot to bring money today and I feel bad, that's all."

"But--" Jaejoong began.

"Thank you for your concern, though," Junsu interrupted before Jaejoong could finish his sentence. What Junsu had just said was very important: it meant that the conversation was over. Jaejoong didn't badger him any longer about why he was acting like that earlier, and Junsu felt very much relieved.

Jaejoong looked at his watch, and said, "We still have time to go outside and grab some food for free."

"So why don't we go? Come on, Jaejoong!" Junsu exclaimed. They grabbed their backpacks and quickly ran out of the cafeteria.

x . x . x . x . x

"Ahh, this is sooo good," Junsu said with a mouth full of bread and other contents. He chewed crazily like a hungry wolf and took another bite out of the sub sandwich.

Jaejoong's eyes widened. "Calm down, Junsu. I know you're starving, but still...chew and swallow before you eat some more."

"Are you serious? This stuff is like heaven, dude!" He pointed to Jaejoong's sandwich. "If you don't want yours, I'll eat it," he said with a cheesy smile after he had swallowed his food down.

Jaejoong stepped away from Junsu and took a bite out of his sandwich. "It's mine so I'm eating it," he confirmed.

As Jaejoong ate, he watched Junsu down his sandwich like he hadn't eaten for days. He wondered why Junsu was so hungry like this. But then he shoved that thought away. Junsu was just hungry like he always was. No big deal.

"You done yet, Jae?" Junsu asked. He had just returned from the same lady they had gotten the subs from, but he now had a water bottle in his hands.

"Yeah, I'm done." Jaejoong pressed a napkin onto his lips and wiped his mouth clean. Junsu watched him and rolled his eyes at how girly Jaejoong was.

Jaejoong tossed the napkin into a nearby trashcan. Junsu offered him the water bottle, and he gladly took it. He opened it and took a quick swig. He handed the bottle back to Junsu and said 'thanks,' in which he got a 'you're welcome' in return.

"Let's go back inside," Jaejoong told Junsu. The two guys ran as fast as their legs could carry them back into the school building, their backpacks jumping up and down against their backs.

Once they had gotten inside, they almost ran into some guy standing right at the doorway of the school. After they had said their apologies and looked up, they saw who the guy was: Yunho.

"Yunho?" Jaejoong and Junsu said at the same time. They were both shocked to see Yunho at such a weird time and place.

"Yeah," Yunho replied with a small smile. "Did you two miss me?"




YUNHO'S SIDESTORY - Chapter Two

This gang was the HanaBi* gang...the most feared gang in the city! They were a mix of Korean and Japanese, which made them twice as powerful as a regular gang. So who wouldn't fear them?

I couldn't help but feel a little scared. I mean, if this gang was the most feared gang in the city, and I was standing right inside their headquarters, why shouldn't I be scared? And the next horrible thought I had was that I had agreed to join this gang yesterday. What the hell was I thinking?

Even though I suddenly felt as if I needed to quit this gang right away before things got out of hand, I decided to keep my mouth shut until later. When Jae Hwan came back out into the hall from the room in front of us, he didn't seem to be in the mood to hear anything upsetting. Actually, he didn't seem to be in the mood to hear anything from anyone at all.

"Oni-sama is being way too cranky today," he whispered to us as he led us back to the living room. He had a pained expression on his face, like Oni-sama had said hurtful things to him or something of the sort. "Yunho, I'm afraid that you can't meet him today," Jae Hwan said, facing me.

I nodded my head but I was sort of disappointed. I had wanted to see the gangleader at least once before quitting the gang, you know? And now I can't. This makes me want to stay in the gang until I can finally see Oni-sama.

I guess I will do that.

"It's okay," I told Jae Hwan. "I'll get to see him another day, so it's not a problem."

Jae Hwan slowly nodded his head, but he was very hesitant. He had opened his mouth to say something to me, but he had closed it and only nodded his head. I wonder what he had decided not to tell me.

"Should we get going then?" Hee Chul asked.

At first, I wasn't sure who he was talking to. He had been quiet this whole time, and now, he had suddenly spoken up. It wasn't until he grabbed the sleeve of my shirt that I realized he was talking to me.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, let's go." We all headed out to the front porch of the headquarters. I turned around to face Jae Hwan to bid him goodbye, but when I saw what Hee Chul was doing, I copied him. I bowed my head to Jae Hwan like Hee Chul did and Jae Hwan bowed his head back to us. And that was it. No exchange of words or anything.

Hee Chul went over to his car, and I went over to my motorcycle. We both zoomed out of there and headed back to school.

x . x . x . x . x

I was on motorcycle, but somehow I reached the school building first. I went inside and noticed that lunchtime wasn't over yet. I wandered into the cafeteria, hoping to see Jaejoong and Junsu still eating lunch in there. But they weren't in there. I scratched my head, wondering. Where could they be?

Then suddenly an idea hit me. They were obviously outside! I ignored my growling stomach and left the cafeteria, but not soon after I had convinced myself I wasn't hungry, my stomach started to growl even more. It growled so loudly that people in the hallway were giving me looks. I sighed, and quickly headed back into the cafeteria.

I got in the lunch line and waited. It wasn't that long, so I got my food pretty quickly. Quicker than usual, anyway. I paid for the sandwich and the drink and headed out toward the front of the school building.

I was about to open the door and head outside, when I saw something that made me stop in my tracks.

Jaejoong and Junsu sharing the same water bottle.

The feeling of jealousy took over me. I had no clue why. I mean, come on. I'm not in love with neither of them. So what's this crazy, new feeling of being jealous? More exactly, being jealous of two guys. Two guys that are both my best friends.

I bit into my sandwich and suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. I tossed it into the nearest trash can and opened up my drink. I gulped it all down...to wash away this weird feeling called jealousy.

It was at that moment that Jaejoong and Junsu started to run back into the building. They were heading right towards me, but I didn't move. I stayed put and stared at them. I watched their faces. Jaejoong looked surprised to see me even before he opened the door. Junsu didn't even realize it was me yet.

They pulled the door open, and since I was standing right behind it, they crashed into me. It wasn't a hard crash, just a bump. But it doesn't hurt to exaggerate sometimes.

"Yunho?" they both said at the same time. Jaejoong's eyes and mouth were opened wide, and Junsu's eyebrows were scrunched in confusion.

"Yeah," I told them. And trying to be funny, I added, "Did you two miss me?"

I don't think they thought it was funny at all.

*HanaBi is Japanese for FireFlower.




Chapter Eight
WARNING: Weird behavior. (That's all I'm telling! :P)

Jaejoong stared at Yunho. He couldn't believe what the other had just said. Was he trying to be funny? Well, he didn't succeed. Jaejoong wasn't laughing, and neither was Junsu. Jaejoong scratched his neck and looked down at the ground. Of course I had missed you, Jaejoong thought.

Junsu opened his mouth to say something, but it was then that the bell decided to ring, so he shut his mouth and decided to keep quiet. What he wanted to ask Yunho could wait until later.

"Let's go to class, yeah?" Yunho asked them as they all stood around looking stupid. They were also blocking other people's path from entering the school. For example, Hee Chul. He had just only opened the front door and ran in when he crashed right into Jaejoong's back. His arms immediately grabbed around Jaejoong's waist and held on tight.

Jaejoong felt himself falling because of Hee Chul's impact, but he tried his best to keep his stance as he struggled to get Hee Chul off of him. When Jaejoong finally loosened Hee Chul's grasp, he turned around and shoved Hee Chul hard on the shoulders. Hee Chul smacked right into the school's front door.

"You bastard," Jaejoong said with menace. "What have I told you time after time? I don't fuckin' like you, so get the hell away from me."

Hee Chul looked at Jaejoong dead-on with puppy-dog eyes. This trick of his worked on everyone that he had done it to before. Would it work on Jaejoong?

Of course not. "Stop going all puppy-eyed, bastard. It doesn't work on me," Jaejoong informed, scowling. "Besides, it makes you look like a pit bull."

He started to walk off to class, and motioned a hand for Yunho and Junsu to follow him. The two guys obeyed him without saying a word.

Only Junsu tossed Hee Chul a dirty look before trailing off behind Yunho.

x . x . x . x . x

The rest of the school day passed by in a blur. Jaejoong actually paid attention in his classes, but in truth, his mind was thinking about something else. He was cooking up a plan...a plan that could possibly make Yunho change his mind about being in the gang.

As he gathered his stuff and neatly put them into his backpack, he had a second thought about the plan. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Yunho could possibly HATE his guts after the plan came out.

Oh well, he told himself silently, pushing the second thought away and out of his mind. It's the best plan I've ever came up with.

x . x . x . x . x

"Finally, a day without rain!" Junsu exclaimed as the three guys walked home. He stuck his arms out and looked up at the sky. "I feel so free when it doesn't rain," he said dreamily. He closed his eyes and inhaled the wonderful smell of clean air.

"Junsu, watch out!" he heard someone warn. The voice sounded exactly like Jaejoong's. He felt something hard hit right against his chin. He opened his eyes. It was a stupid pole! He started rubbing his chin, trying to make it feel better.

Jaejoong and Yunho walked over to him. Jaejoong examined Junsu's chin as Yunho patted Junsu's back. "I told you to watch out," Jaejoong said, just as Yunho told Junsu, "Congratulations."

Junsu was surprised. "Congratulations? What for? Can't you see that I'm hurt, Yunho?"

Yunho laughed. "Congratulations for finally experiencing real pain without crying," he explained with a comforting smile.

Junsu looked away. He felt sudden dread. You don't know what I have experienced, he told Yunho silently. I've experienced much worse than this. Hitting a pole is not real pain. What happens back home is.

If only he could open up to his friends about his problems. But even if he could, they wouldn't be able to understand. His problems were too personal, anyway.

"Uh, Junsu...are you okay?" Jaejoong asked worriedly. He had seen Junsu looking away and the faraway look in his eyes. Junsu didn't look like he was here, even though his body was.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Junsu replied with a bright smile. He rubbed his chin. "My chin feels better too."

"Oh, okay," Jaejoong said, but he was feeling doubtful. He just knew that something was wrong with Junsu. He wasn't a mind-reader, but he had intuition, no matter how weird that sounds. You know, like why would a guy have intuition? Jaejoong wasn't a normal guy, though. Remember that.

Yunho grabbed Jaejoong's and Junsu's shoulders. "Let's go home," he told them. They started walking the rest of the way home, with Yunho in the middle and his arms over the other guys' shoulders.

x . x . x . x . x

"It's almost time for my plan to take action," Jaejoong said to himself as he laid in bed that evening. "It's such a risky plan...I don't even know if I should do it anymore."

It was then that he heard footsteps coming down the hall, and they were heading toward his room. "Oh crap, he's here!" Jaejoong whispered out loud. He started to fix his bed and straightened his clothes. He sat on his bed, waiting.

"Jae?" Yunho called, walking into Jaejoong's room. "It's time for--"

"Time for what?" Jaejoong asked in the sexiest voice he could speak in without sounding hoarse. Without looking at him, he pulled Yunho's arms into the room and led a stiff Yunho over to a wall. Jaejoong closed his arms around Yunho's muscular body and laid his head on Yunho's shoulder.

He took a great sniff. "You smell good," he said. Then the next thing he knew, he was kissing Yunho all over.

No matter how totally ridiculous and weird Yunho thought it was, he didn't even try to stop Jaejoong. To him, it felt good to be kissed by Jaejoong. And he let go of the prodding thought that he had a girlfriend. Who cared about Han Li? She doesn't have to know about this, and he could go right back to her tomorrow.

He would have to act like nothing had happened between him and Jaejoong. Which would be quite a challenge, but Yunho knew that he could overcome it.




Chapter Nine
WARNING: Weird behavior (again). Read at your own risk.

Once Jaejoong felt like he was torturing Yunho enough, he stopped kissing him. He pushed himself away from Yunho even though he secretly didn't want to.

But, to Jaejoong's surprise, Yunho gently took his arms and pulled him back. Huh? Jaejoong thought. He was really surprised. What's Yunho doing?

"Jae," Yunho said as he wrapped his arms around Jaejoong's skinny body. "Th-Thank you." Why the hell was he stuttering?

Jaejoong felt himself being suffocated by Yunho's embrace, but he could care less. "What do you mean?" he asked the other curiously. "Why are you thanking me?"

Yunho lifted a hand and used it to raise up Jaejoong's chin, so that they were staring into each other's deep, brown eyes. Yunho looked down at Jaejoong's set of twinkling eyes, and tried to tell the latter what he had meant when he told him thank you. But somehow, he just couldn't. The sorrowful eyes staring back at him were telling him to lie.

"I..." Yunho began hesitantly, but was quickly interrupted by Jaejoong.

"No, it's okay," he said. "You don't have to tell me." He paused for a second, and then said, "It might be too sad for me to hear."

Yunho silently exhaled a sigh of relief. "If that's alright with you, then...I won't tell you." The same hand that had touched Jaejoong's chin suddenly started ruffling Jaejoong's hair. Then Yunho's face inched closer to Jaejoong's. "You don't know how beautiful you are," Yunho whispered into Jaejoong's ear.

"Yun...Ho," Jaejoong protested as the other's face got closer and closer. But then his mouth was blocked by Yunho's, and he couldn't make any other sound.

"Er, Yunho?! Where are you?" they both heard Junsu call out. His footsteps got closer to Jaejoong's room. "Jaejoong? Is Yunho in your room?" He knocked on Jaejoong's door.

The two guys quickly unattached themselves from each other and straightened their clothing. "Yes," Jaejoong replied to Junsu, staring at the door. He hoped, with all of his heart, that Junsu wouldn't come in.

"Okay. I see," Junsu said, more happier than ever. He turned around and walked back to the living room to eat ramen and read more of his ShojoBeat magazine. As he sat down at the dining table, he thought, I'll give them peace and they'll give me peace.

Back in Jaejoong's room, the two guys looked at each other michieviously. They were getting more into the "game" now. But only to Yunho was this a game. To Jaejoong, this was love.

"Hey, you wanna...?" Yunho asked Jaejoong without finishing his question. He had a feeling that Jaejoong already knew what he was talking about.

Jaejoong smiled. "Sure," he said softly. He couldn't believe it. Yunho had actually asked him first! He had thought earlier that he would have to be the one who asked. He felt relieved, but not totally relieved. How could he if what he was about to do was his first step into manhood? He reached for the hem of his shirt, nervous as anything.

Yunho had already slipped out of his shirt and was about to unzip his pants when the doorbell rang. "Shit." He put his top back on as fast as he could, while Jaejoong pulled his own shirt back on him and quietly opened his bedroom door. He sneaked out and rushed into the bathroom.

He left the door open so that he could hear what was going on out front. As Jaejoong perked his ears and listened, Yunho strolled by and casually walked out to the living room. Jaejoong wished that he could be a great actor like Yunho.

"Ah, Yunho," Jaejoong could hear Junsu say. "Han Li's here to see you."

She's here?! Jaejoong wondered. What's she coming here at a time like this for? He didn't know what time it was, but he knew that it was quite late.

It suddenly got awfully quiet in the living room. Jaejoong strained his ears to listen but he couldn't hear anything. This made him mad. He had to go find out what was happening. He slipped out of the bathroom and tried to enter the living room as casually as Yunho had.

"Junsu, where are they?" Jaejoong asked. The living room was empty except for Junsu, who was sitting at the dining table enjoying a bowl of ramen and sifting through some magazine.

"I don't know," Junsu answered. "They just stepped out onto the porch, but now I don't see them anymore." He looked at Jaejoong, and he could see the worry that was creeping onto the other's face.

Jaejoong decided to open the front door and see for himself. He couldn't stand the suspense. He walked over to the door and pulled it open.

What he saw made him gasp.

Yunho and Han Li, both in Han Li's car, were full-on making out. Yunho was sitting in the backseat, while Han Li was hanging all over him. It was a disgusting sight.

"You shithead!" Jaejoong told Yunho telepathically. He ran back into the house, since he felt like he had to barf.

Junsu saw him run in with his hand over his mouth and gasped. "Jaejoong!" he shouted. He left his ramen and his magazine and quickly followed Jaejoong into the bathroom.

"Are you okay, Jaejoong?" he asked worriedly.

Jaejoong nodded his head, but let go of his hand so that puke could be released from his mouth. Junsu rolled his eyes and sighed. "Are you pregnant already?" he asked.




Chapter Ten

YUNHO'S POV

I knew that it was wrong to play with Jaejoong like that. I had led him on to think that I liked him back, even though I don't like him in that way at all. We are just friends. We have been friends since we were babies and nothing can change that. Not even the fact that Jaejoong likes me.

From the start, I had known that there was something wrong with Jaejoong. I had noticed it in the way that he looked at me, and the way he acted towards me. He was also worried about me, even more than Junsu was.

The only thing I didn't know was that he is very fiesty, and flirty too.

The way he had said "Time for what?"...sounded really flirty to me. And the way he had pulled me into his room and backed me up against a wall...was very bossy of him, but it was probably because he was getting really hyped up. Then finally, the way he had put his arms around me, sniffed me, and started laying kisses on me...told me that he'd been waiting to do this for a long time.

I gave him a chance; I fulfilled his longing. I even told him that he was beautiful and kissed him back. But that doesn't mean that I feel the same way he does.

You know how I had asked him, "Do you wanna...?" It was only because I felt like being nice to him. And, I was feeling a bit hyped up too. I couldn't help but suggest that we "get in contact." However, I knew that Jaejoong had a desire to do this. Me, I was just...like I had said, feeling a bit hyped up.

It was a good thing that we didn't actually do anything. Even though I had cursed and made it seemed like I was upset that someone had ruined our moment, I was actually very glad.

Because once I had finished with Jaejoong, Han Li wanted to be with me. And it made me feel so much more relieved to be making out with a girl again. A girl I really do love, and she also loves me back.

Once we had stopped kissing, Han Li gave me a beautiful smile. It was so beautiful, it melted my heart. It made me forget all about Jaejoong.

END OF YUNHO'S POV

x . x . x . x . x

Jaejoong didn't feel good at all. But here Junsu was, cracking jokes. Maybe he just didn't know how it felt to see the person you loved making out with someone else.

"I'm not okay, Junsu," Jaejoong said sincerely, "so stop joking around."

Junsu turned serious and got down to business. "Do you need aspirin or anything?" he asked Jaejoong. "Or, how about a glass of water?"

Jaejoong nodded his head. "A glass of water," he said as he tried to calm down his breathing. It was awfully fast.

"Okay, I'll go get it." Junsu quickly went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Jaejoong could hear Junsu fumbling around, breaking the vast silence. He straightened up from the toilet and flushed it. Then he walked over to the sink to wash his hands. Just as he finished wiping his hands dry on his towel, he turned to leave the bathroom, when he ran smack into someone standing right at the bathroom's doorway.

He looked up, and immediately looked away. "Move, Yunho."

Yunho didn't budge. "What's wrong?"

Jaejoong sighed. "I told you to move," he said, more commanding this time. He didn't feel like talking to Yunho at a time like this. He didn't even want to see him anymore. He wanted Yunho to leave him alone.

"What's wrong, Jaejoong?" Yunho asked again.

Jaejoong shoved his way past Yunho and went out to the kitchen without saying a word. If Yunho wanted to know what was wrong, well too bad for him...because Jaejoong had decided he will never tell him.




Chapter Eleven

"Jaejoong, I've got your water!" Junsu exclaimed, as he held the glass high up and walked as fast as he could to the bathroom. He didn't know that Jaejoong was on his way out.

"Aaah!" the guys both shouted. They had crashed into each other and the water from the glass had splashed on the both of them. The glass had fallen onto the floor, but at least it was plastic, so it didn't break.

Jaejoong looked down at his wet shirt and scowled. He raised his head and looked at Junsu. "Don't you ever watch where you're going?" he asked him.

"Of course I do!" Junsu shouted. "What about you?! I was holding a freakin' glass of water, and I was gonna bring it to YOU!" Junsu was mad, very mad. He was burning with anger over something so little. At least, that's what Jaejoong was thinking.

Junsu gazed down at his shirt, which was splattered with water. This shirt was a brand-new shirt. His mother had given it to him for his birthday, and he had never worn it until now. She had told him herself, "Don't wear it 'til I die, Junsu." He felt a sudden sorrowness overcome him. He pushed back the tears that were threatening to spill out of his eyes.

Jaejoong stared at Junsu with confusement. All he saw was Junsu blinking rapidly. "Junsu, do you have something in your eyes?" he asked. He inched his face closer to Junsu's and lifted his hand up to the other's face.

"No, I don't have anything in my eyes," Junsu said as he watted Jaejoong's hand away. He grabbed the glass and stood up. He quickly went back to the kitchen to refill the cup.

Jaejoong stared at Junsu's back. What's wrong with him? Jaejoong wondered. There's gotta be something he's hiding from me. Jaejoong scratched his head in thought. I'll try to find out when he goes to sleep. Jaejoong got up from the floor and went in search for paper towels.

Yunho, who was standing in the hallway, had seen everything. He saw the way Jaejoong had reached his hand over to Junsu's face. He saw the worried look on Jaejoong's face. He noticed how Jaejoong cared for Junsu so much. But none of those things made him feel jealous...he wasn't feeling jealous of them two anymore...and he knew exactly why.

x . x . x . x . x

After Junsu went to sleep, Jaejoong waited a few minutes outside his door, then opened the door as quietly as he could and sneeked in. Just as he had taken a few steps into the room, he stepped on something that sent a jolt of pain up his foot. He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth to stop from cursing out loud.

Since it was dark, he had to squint his eyes and try to see the object that had stabbed him. There, he'd spotted it: a thumbtack. What was Junsu doing with thumbtacks on the floor? Jaejoong picked it up and stuck it onto the thumb-tack board. Just so that I don't step on it again, he thought.

He closed Junsu's bedroom door and crept over to Junsu's bed. He looked at Junsu worriedly. What if he was still awake? "Junsu," Jaejoong said as he leaned over the other's body. If Junsu was still awake, then he would open his eyes or something. To Jaejoong's relief, Junsu was fast asleep.

Jaejoong crouched down and sat on his knees as he leaned in close to Junsu's innocent face. It was time to start asking questions.

"What's going on at home, Junsu?" Jaejoong whispered.

Junsu opened his mouth to answer. He seemed to be in a hypnotic state, and Jaejoong didn't even do anything to him. "My...my father's being a...a bast--I mean, a jerk." Here Junsu paused, then talked some more. "He...he's been acting differently... ever since...my mother...p-passed away." A tear trickled down the side of his face.

Jaejoong felt incredibly sorry for Junsu, and he couldn't bear to see the latter crying, but he had to keep asking questions. If he stopped, he wouldn't be able to find out what was wrong with Junsu.

"How does he act, and how does he treat you?"

"He...he acts like he doesn't care anymore. He doesn't care...about me. All he cares about...is his job. He earns money...from his job...and m-money means the w-world to him," Junsu answered.

Jaejoong continued on. "Is that why he barely ever sends you money?" he questioned Junsu slowly.

"Y-yes," Junsu confessed after a bit of silence. Another tear dropped from his closed eyes.

Jaejoong had opened his mouth to ask more questions, but suddenly he couldn't think of anything else to ask. It was like he had found out everything he needed to know already. Junsu had told him things that he would never had if he was awake.

"Goodnight, Junsu," Jaejoong said as he pulled up Junsu's blanket. He quietly walked out of Junsu's room and went into his own. He tried to make no noise as he climbed onto his bed and pulled up his covers. Before he knew it, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

x . x . x . x . x

As Yunho layed in bed that night, he couldn't bring himself to sleep. He tried counting sheeps, quietly whispering the bottles-of-beer-on-the-wall song, listening to calm music...but nothing worked. It was like he had too much caffeine in his body or something; he just couldn't go to sleep.

Just then, his cellphone rang. He grabbed it from his bedside drawer, and pulled the lid up. "Hello?" he asked into his phone.

"I love you, Yunho," Han Li's voice breathed into his ear.

"I love you too, Han Li," Yunho told her. But inside, he was feeling a bit uneasy. As they said their "good-night"s and hung up their phones, Yunho felt a sense of restlessness. He wondered why. Han Li's the reason why I'm not jealous of Jaejoong and Junsu anymore, he thought. But why do I feel as if something unexpected is going to happen?

He was worried to death.




YUNHO'S SIDESTORY - Chapter Three

"Jaejoong, Junsu, wake up!" I shouted as I banged on their doors. The next morning had arrived, and it was once again time to go to school.

I got ready before them and headed out the door. The outside air felt wonderful today. I began my walk to school as I let the breeze blow my hair. It felt extremely nice.

Just as I had almost reached the school gate, I saw Hee Chul walking towards me from the opposite direction. He held up a hand as if to say "Stop" and nodded his head. His face had a very serious expression on it. I wondered what was up.

"Hee Chul, what's with the serious face?" I asked him when he caught up to me.

Hee Chul sighed deeply. "Oni-sama wants to see you," he said softly. "I think..." he paused for a bit, then said, "I think he wants to start your initiation process."

My eyebrows gathered in confusion. "Initiation process?" I repeated. "What's that? I've never heard of anything like it."

It was a few seconds until Hee Chul finally answered my question. "That's what it is. An initiation process." I scratched my head, still confused. His answer didn't explain anything at all!

"Let's just go to the headquarters, Yunho," Hee Chul persuaded. "Then you'll find out what exactly I am talking about."

I nodded my head in agreement, but then I thought about Han Li. I asked Hee Chul, "What about Han Li? Shouldn't she come too?"

Hee Chul smirked. "She didn't want to."

x . x . x . x . x

We walked all the way to the headquarters, and when we arrived, my legs were so tired. I felt as if I couldn't walk anymore. Hee Chul, on the otherhand, was alright. He wasn't in pain. And even if he was, he wasn't showing it.

Jae Hwan was standing at the front waiting for us. We bowed to him, and we all said our greetings. Then Jae Hwan opened the front door, and we followed him inside.

We entered the living room and Jae Hwan turned to face us. "Yunho, come with me. Hee Chul, stay here," he commanded.

I trailed after Jae Hwan obeyingly. "Good luck," I heard Hee Chul whisper.

Good luck? I thought as I followed Jae Hwan into the hallway. Why would I need it?

We stopped in front of Oni-sama's door. "Go in, Yunho," Jae Hwan said without looking at me. "Oni-sama's waiting for you."

"What do I say to him?" I asked. "I mean--"

Jae Hwan nodded his head. "I know what you mean. Just talk to him like you do to me. Just be careful of what you say. Oni-sama doesn't like people who disrespect him. He never forgives them, so really watch your use of words."

"Thank you," I said, "for warning me."

A small smile crept on Jae Hwan's face, and he looked at me. "It's okay. You don't have to thank me." He sighed slowly. "In you go," he said after he opened the door for me. "Good luck."

Once again, good luck, I thought. Oni-sama must be a tough guy.

I entered Oni-sama's room, and Jae Hwan closed the door behind me. My eyes scanned the dark space surrounding me. This room was poorly lit. Maybe Oni-sama didn't like light. But even through the darkness, I could see fancy furniture and modern technology.

Suddenly, a door opened from the back of the room, and in came a tall guy with loose clothing on. He had medium-length hair and looked about my age. It felt kind of weird that I had to call him Oni-sama and give him full respect like he was many years older than me. I felt like I had been tricked.

He stuck his hand out for a shake. "I'm Yoshida Oni," he said. "It's nice to finally meet you, Jung Yunho."

I shook his hand; he had a really firm grip. "It's n-nice to meet you, t-too," I stuttered. I felt intimidated by this guy. I mean, I am tall (6'1") but this guy was even taller.

"Do you know why you're here today, Yunho?" Oni-sama asked me after we had released our hands from the handshake.

"No, I don't know why, Oni-sama," I answered politely and sincerely.

Okay, I was partially lying because Hee Chul had already told me what I was going to do at the headquarters today, but he didn't tell me what it was about. I was hoping that if I lied, Oni-sama would tell me himself.

Oni-sama scowled. "Did no one tell you? You're here for your initiation process." He paused for a bit, then explained, "You'll be fighting against us for us to test your strength and fighting abilities."

My eyes widened. I would have to fight more than one person? "Who's 'us'?" I questioned.

As if on cue, another door from the back opened. A guy that looked freakishly alike Oni-sama entered the huge room. He even wore the exact same clothing, bared the same haircut. My jaw dropped open. Did Oni-sama have a twin?

And as if he read my mind, Oni-sama answered, "Yes, I have a twin. But who do you think is the real Oni-sama? What if you had been talking to Oki-sama, the twin, all along?" It sounded like he was teasing me.

The twin that had just came into the room looked at me and smirked. "You will have to duel with us to find out who's the real Oni-sama, the gangleader."

I sighed silently. This was going to be hard. This gang's initiation process was incredibly unique; I've never heard of anything like a duel with two twin brothers. I have always heard that Oni-sama's a good fighter, but what about Oki-sama? Since they're twins, they're probably on the same level of fighting...right?

What can I do? I think I'm doomed...




Chapter Twelve

As Jaejoong and Junsu went on their way to school, Jaejoong felt extremely worried. He had many things on his mind that made him mentally sweat. For one, Junsu. What if he had been awake yesterday night when Jaejoong questioned him? Jaejoong took a quick glance at Junsu and averted his eyes again.

Jaejoong's next concern was Yunho. Why in the world did he leave the house before them? Had he been in a hurry? If so, for what? Did it have anything to do with the gang?

When Junsu let out a sigh, Jaejoong was finally out of his reverie. "Uh, Jae...," Junsu began, "do you know that we have a test today in math?"

"WHAT?!" Jaejoong exclaimed as his eyes widened. He turned to look at Junsu. "You are not fuckin' serious!"

Junsu nodded his head solemnly. "I'm serious, Jaejoong," he said. He looked down at the ground. "I'm so mad that I didn't remember to study."

Jaejoong rolled his eyes, and patted Junsu's back. "I can totally bet you'll pass without studying, Junsu." He paused, then admitted slowly, "It's me that you and I need to worry about."

"Why?" Junsu mumbled, still looking down at the cemented sidewalk.

"Heh, I..." Jaejoong started, but he was rudely interrupted by his cellphone. He reached into the pocket of his sweater and pulled his cellphone out. He placed it to his ear. "Hello?" he said into it.

Junsu was eager to hear the conversation, so he inched his ear as close to Jaejoong's phone as possible. Jaejoong pushed him away but he still returned to the same spot. He needed to know what the phone call was about!

Therefore, he strained his ear to hear the convo. It went something like this:

Jaejoong: "Hello?" (second time)
The other person: "Jaejoong, Yunho's in trouble."
Jaejoong: "What? What are you talking about?"
The other person: "Just go to XXXXX TaeHanGo Street* and you'll find out exactly what I'm talking about."

The conversation ended there. Jaejoong stashed his cellphone into his sweater pocket and furrowed his eyebrows. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"What should we do, Jae?" Junsu asked quietly from the side.

A small smile appeared on Jaejoong's face, making him look like an evil genius that just came up with a plan. "We should go there, of course," he replied.

Junsu's eyes widened. "What about the math test?"

"Yunho's more important," Jaejoong simply said, and the two guys began on their way to the aforementioned address.

x . x . x . x . x

YUNHO'S POV

It was five minutes into the initiation process. At first, the twins seemed to be going easy on me. But then their punches turned into blows and I felt seriously knocked out. I wasn't bad at fighting...heck, I was the best among my small group of friends. But when you are good at something, there is always someone better than you. I could see that right at this very moment.

The whole time we were fighting, I struggled to figure out who was who. It was even harder than I had thought.

Just then, one twin pummeled me in the stomach. As I gripped on to my hurting abdomen and coughed up blood, I took a close look at this twin's face. There was something about it that made him look different from the other twin...

"You giving up yet?" he taunted while shoving me hard on the shoulder. He smirked when I tossed him the dirtiest look ever. "I ain't scared of you," he said.

I shook my head, and released my hands from my stomach. I lunged straight at him and delivered a punch right into his stomach. Even though I was in pain, I could not give up. Giving up would make me an instant loser.

It was then that I saw the small birthmark on his face. I racked in my brain for something I had overheard before, many years ago. It was also at that period that I didn't believe that Oni-sama had a twin. (Boy, was I wrong.) Did they say Oni-sama or Oki-sama has a birthmark on his face? I wondered. Hmm...I think it was Oki-sama.

Suddenly, the other twin (maybe Oni-sama) grabbed onto my shoulders from behind and slammed me into the opposite wall. I slowly slid down until I was sitting on the floor, just like some people in action movies.

"You figured it out now, huh?" the twin that had just attacked me asked. The two of them loomed before me, making me feel like an ant being stared down at by human beings.

I coughed, and more blood flowed into my mouth. Some drops managed to escape, but I held the rest of the blood in. One droplet slid down the side of my mouth. I looked up at the twins, and could feel the blood inside me moving. It was that weird.

"Yes, I figured it out," I answered. "You're"--I pointed at the one without a birthmark on his face--"Oni-sama." He was also the same one that had slammed me into the wall. I pointed to the other twin. "And you're Oki-sama."

Oni-sama nodded his head. "Good. Now let's get you cleaned up." He held out a hand for me to grab.

I hesitantly took it, and he helped me get up. They led me to the headquarter's bathroom and left me there. I couldn't help but think, They're not too bad after all.

*not a real street or address




Chapter Thirteen

Jaejoong and Junsu arrived to the address that the person on the phone had given them. A huge but old building loomed above their heads in a vacant area. The breeze from the air was chilly so goosebumps formed on Junsu's arms. He turned to Jaejoong as he rubbed his arms and said, "You know what...I feel really cold."

"Psh, you don't think I do?" Jaejoong sarcastically asked. He hated it when it was cold. Stupid weather.

Junsu rolled his eyes and decided not to answer Jaejoong. "So. What do we do now?"

Jaejoong shrugged. "I don't know--how about we go inside?" he suggested.

"Uh..." Junsu shook his head, disagreeing. "I don't think we should." The old building seemed really intimidating. He didn't want to admit it, but yes, it scared him. There was something about it that gave him the creeps.

"Why not? What are you so freaked about? It's just a huge, old building. Nothing that can harm you," Jaejoong pointed out.

Junsu sighed. "Fine," he said hesitantly. He didn't find another reason to argue with Jaejoong.

They walked toward the building slowly and Jaejoong pulled the door open. It creaked like it hadn't been touched for years, but opened wide enough for them to get through. Junsu felt the chills coming to him again. He shuddered.

Just after they had entered the building, the door slammed shut behind them. They were left in the vast darkness. With no light, no electricity, no way to escape. They both gasped.

Jaejoong had a bad feeling about this. He wondered if the person on the phone had given them the right address...or if this was all a trap.

"I hope you're scared," a voice from somewhere in the pitch darkness suddenly said.

What the hell? Jaejoong wondered. He looked around to figure out where the voice had come from; he couldn't see anything since it was so dark. He then felt a nervous hand grasp onto his. Oh, it's Junsu. He felt relieved...

Until the voice spoke up again. "I hope you're BOTH scared," it boomed.

To Jaejoong, it sounded exactly like they were talking into a microphone and connecting it to a PA system; that was why it was so loud and a bit static-y.

Then all of a sudden, he heard Junsu gasp and start making choking noises. The grasp Junsu had on Jaejoong's hand tightened so much that Jaejoong's hand burned with pain. He used his free hand to smack Junsu's back. Maybe he was choking on his own saliva or something.

Jaejoong was the next person to gasp. He felt another hand grab his free hand and tie it around his back with his other hand. Then what he assumed was a piece of cloth was placed on his mouth and tied around his head. He tried to protest but couldn't make any noise. He felt like a useless slumbag.

Junsu was the only one able to give him comfort now. He turned his head to where he thought Junsu was standing: right by him. He could still walk, so he scooted over to his right and decided to elbow Junsu. But to his surprise, he elbowed air.

Junsu was gone.

x . x . x . x . x

YUNHO'S POV

I left the headquarter's bathroom after washing myself, and almost bumped into someone standing in the hallway. I looked up. Han Li.

What is she doing here?

She sidled up closer to me and lightly grabbed my shirt collar. She gave me a look as if to say, "Heyyy, babe," and started playing with my collar. Before I even knew it, she had pulled me into an empty room and messed with me even more in there.

I don't want to go into details, but I felt tired after all she did.

Labels: the truth about our love

What you will see below are graphics that I've made in the past. (I haven't had PSP in awhile.) Please do not take any of them without crediting me--you can either do a link back to this page or just simply credit DeadRomance/don'tpan!c/Lucky-Se7en. Any of those names will work.
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(I colorized her eyes and made it look like contact lenses)

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(I was going to add text but I changed my mind)

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(A bit messy since I was trying to make it a bit different from my other blend)

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(I used the pictures for one of my fics and came up with this)

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(Se7en's pictures were irresistible!)


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