Forewords

Note: BOYxBOY Fic. Please Exit if Offended.

■■■■■

"When he could not see me, I asked him to tell me what he thinks I look like. He described a very beautiful guy...and it made me feel beautiful. Now he has his sight back and...I want him to remember me as the beautiful imagination, not the ugly reality."

■

"The one who closed the windows to my mind is the same one who opened the door to my heart."

■■■■■

Main Cast:

Park Yoochun

Kim Junsu

Genre:

Comedy

Angst

Rating:

PG13

■■■■■

"How old are you?"

"I am 23," Park Yoochun answered, then quickly added, "But I have a lot of experience in taking care of other people. I grew up with five younger siblings."

"You are quite young. I don't think you understand what you're getting yourself into," his interviewer, a woman with pepper-salt hair, frowned.

"I can cook, clean, and..."

"Those are the least of my concerns. You see...," the older woman began, trying her best to look into the young man's eyes so she would not rudely stare at Yoochun's...less than perfect attributes. "Mr. Kim was in a vehicle accident. A blood clot formed and has caused him to lose his sight. He has chosen to stay in his home on an isolated island and demands to be alone. Only you and he will be there for the months to come until he recovers."

"I am aware," Yoochun nodded politely. His hands were fidgeting and wished he had his hat on. Unfortunately, a hat was unprofessional for a job interview.

"I am afraid you are not aware that he is paying such a high salary for a caretaker because he has a history of scaring off thirteen of them already."

Yoochun nodded again, "I am also aware of his...unusual temper."

"Yes, 'unusual'," the woman pushed her glasses up on her nose and looked down at the file in her hand. There was only one piece of paper in it: Yoochun's application.

"I will be able to handle this job," Yoochun tried to assure.

"Very well," she sighed. "It seems I have no other candidate for this job. Be at the airport at six tomorrow morning and there will be a private jet that will take you to the island."

"Thank you!" Yoochun grinned.

The woman raised her head from his application form to look at him because she was surprised by his relieved tone. Like all others, he noticed that her eyes automatically landed on the left side of his face.

Yoochun consciously raised a hand to cover the left side of his face (pretending to fix his tidy hair) and lowered his head, pretending to bow as he repeated, "Thank you."

The older woman was obviously feeling guilty, but Yoochun didn't blame her. She kindly explained that she had a meeting to attend so Yoochun followed her out of the office.

Since the interview was over, he uncovered his hat from his pocket and skillfully adjusted it over his head, making sure to bring his long hair forward to cover as much of his face as possible.

■■■■■

Chapter 1

A/N: Two things-

(One) This story is basically in two parts, separated by 'before' and 'after' Junsu regains his sight. Before he regains his sight, the story is mostly (if not all) in Yoochun's POV.

(Two) This story is cliche and a typical love story so it doesn't require much thinking on my part (especially since half of it was already written a long time ago). Therefore it should be completed in no time. I just hope posting so much at once won't confuse you guys because it's so much 'information'. xD

Thanks and hope you like! ^__^

■■■■■

"Find the brat and make sure he ends up in jail!" Kim Junsu demanded, eyes opened only to see darkness. He closed his eyes, unable to believe that he had become so weak.

"It was an accident," Jung Yunho's voice came from the other line.

"He caused it and then left me there to die! The brat's stupidity didn't just cost me my sight! He caused me to lose the woman I love!"

"I am trying my best to find him, but what other information can you provide..."

"He's ugly."

"...besides the fact that he's ugly."

"No, you don't understand. He. Is. Ugly."

"Junsu, how many people in this world are worthy of you calling them 'pretty'?" his best friend mocked.

"But he is not average looking, he is ugly. He has messy long hair, he's probably about my height, and as thin as a stick," the blind man recalled. "And a scar. There's a huge scar on the left side of his face.

Yunho sighed, "I suppose the scar makes it easier. I'll keep searching."

"I don't care how much money is used, I am going to put him in jail for the pain he's caused me," Junsu clenched his fist tightly around the phone. Then the doorbell rang and it irritated him even more. "My new housekeeper is here. Call me when you find anything new."

"Until then, take care, Junsu. Don't throw too many tantrums; they're bad for your health."

"Not throwing tantrums is dangerous to my sanity."

"And we all know you won't sacrifice your sanity for the sake of others," Yunho drawled in a sarcastic tone.

"You'll know something is wrong when I'm not throwing tantrums."

■■■■■

Yoochun sneezed a third time as he rung the doorbell. Someone must be talking about him.

When the door opened, he saw an old man with graying hair near his temples. He eyed Yoochun up and down. Gliding past the old sneakers, faded jeans, and plain T-shirt; Yoochun knew that the older man paid the most attention to the mark on the left side of his face.

Yoochun consciously twined his fingers into his shoulder-length hair and brushed strands forward to cover as much of his cheek as possible. "I'm...the new housekeeper."

The older man nodded without smiling and motioned for Yoochun to enter the beach house. "Mr. Kim is in his office at the moment. Since you have arrived, then I will be leaving."

"May I ask who you are?" Yoochun requested politely.

"I am his butler, but I must return to Seoul to resolve some personal problems. He will be in your hands for the next few months. I will return to help you as soon as I can..." he paused for a second too long before finishing, "...that is, if you are able to last for more than a week."

■■■■■

Yoochun walked into the office. It was huge, luxurious, professional, messy.

Yoochun saw the man sitting behind the desk. He was composed, handsome, beautiful, blind.

His expensive and stylish outfit was a contrast to Yoochun's jeans and T-shirt.

"Who is it?" he demanded, having heard Yoochun's footsteps.

"Mr. Kim, I'm your new employee." Yoochun stood a safe distant away. Mr. Kim was frowning and didn't seem to like the sound of Yoochun's voice.

"Come over here," he ordered. Yoochun did as told and walked over to stand next to him. "Give me your arm."

"What are you doing?" Yoochun inquired as Mr. Kim started feeling his arm up and down. He wasn't a pervert was he?

"Your arm is as thin as a toothpick and I'm going to bet your legs are the size of my arm."

"I may be a bit thin, but I am quite strong."

"You aren't thin; you're scrawny. What's your name?"

"Micky," he lied. It was safer to keep his true identity a secret.

"As in the Mouse?" Mr. Kim's eyebrow lifted.

"No, mine is spelt without the 'e'," Yoochun countered.

"How old are you?"

"The interviewer already asked me all this before she hired me."

"She's not the one paying you, now is she?" Mr. Kim frowned, clearly disliking Yoochun's attitude.

"Twenty-three," Yoochun surrendered.

"I would have guessed just as much by the sound of your voice. Why the hell did they send someone so scrawny and immature? You'd think those idiots would be smart enough to hire someone who is old enough to have experience!"

"Apparently, they're desperate after you injured and scared the last housekeeper," Yoochun answered rudely, evidently annoyed. Mr. Kim was calling him measly and weak. Yoochun didn't like that.

"If you want to last longer than the previous guy then learn to keep your mouth shut, Mouse."

"It's Micky," Yoochun frowned.

"Close enough."

Yoochun frowned even more. He wanted to call the guy 'Jerk' and then say 'Close enough', but it was his first day. He had talked back enough and should feel lucky that he hadn't been fired.

"Go cook me my dinner. I want steak tonight."

"I've never made steak."

"Tough."

Yoochun felt the urge to smack him and turn his lips right-side up; just like in the picture he had on his desk.

It was a picture of him and a beautiful girl. He had a charming smile while her face glowed with a grin. Her head was on his shoulder and his arm was around her waist.

A beautiful girl and a handsome man: a perfect couple.

■■■■■

The kitchen had everything he needed; all the food to last a lifetime and the necessary items to keep the food fresh for a good while. Yoochun had never seen such a luxurious kitchen in his entire life.

Too bad he had to suffer the process of making steak in it.

Several hours (and two ruined steaks) later, Yoochun went to the office to retrieve him. "Dinner is ready."

Mr. Kim stood up and casually kept his left hand on the huge mahogany desk to guide himself.

Yoochun waited until he no longer had anything to hold onto before taking his hand. His employer tensed and showed off his famous frown. Yoochun guessed that he didn't want to be helped; it made him feel weak and being weak was bad for the pride.

Yoochun quickly switched tactics and instead of just taking his arm, he circled his arm with Mr. Kim's arm to make it seem like he was formally guiding Yoochun.

Mr. Kim seemed to like it better because he stopped frowning and allowed Yoochun to lead him out of the office.

"Are you taller than me?"

"Just a little," Yoochun replied with indifference as his eyes remained on their feet, afraid the other man would miraculously trip on air.

Mr. Kim didn't seem to like that because he was frowning again.

"I smelt something burning," he said.

"That would be the first steak," Yoochun wasn't afraid to answer truthfully. From the corner of his eye, he saw the slight movement of Mr. Kim's pink lips and thought the slightly shorter man wanted to smile.

But the smile never came.

■■■■■

"I can't believe they hired someone who can't even cook a good steak!"

"I'm a vegetarian! It's a miracle I can cook up a decent steak on my third try!"

Yoochun glared as Mr. Kim opened his mouth to say something and then shut it. He realized that he had just yelled at his employer so he quickly said, "Sorry, I'll try again."

"Forget it; there's no cure for stupidity."

He was calling Yoochun stupid after Yoochun had tried so hard to make a decent steak! If Yoochun wouldn't hate himself for hurting a disabled person, he would have slapped his employer right there and then...then shove the steak down his throat!

"Okay," Yoochun swallowed his anger and hoped it didn't illustrate in his voice. "Then should I help you get to bed?"

"I guess I have no other choice. Staying awake will only remind me of how hungry I am and how my dim-witted employees had hired me a vegetarian when I can't live without beef."

Yoochun clenched his fist and counted backwards starting from ten. When he was done, he calmly led Mr. Kim towards the master bedroom. However, this time, he purposely walked fast to make it difficult for the shorter man to follow.

Leaving him at the entrance of his bedroom, Yoochun went through his closet for a pair of pajamas. By the time he had retrieved a set from the walk-in closet, Mr. Kim had already felt his way into the bathroom.

Yoochun's mouth nearly dropped open when he walked in to find his employer shirtless and the button of his pants unbuttoned (just the button, not yet the zipper).

Stepping backwards and covering his eyes with the pajamas, Yoochun quickly stammered, "Sorry, my mistake. Here are your clothes. I'll just set them on the counter and you can feel for them. Don't slip or trip. I'll be right in your room waiting in case you need anything, but you should know your way around the bathroom. Don't cry for help when you're completely naked or I'll leave you in there to die. I will NOT walk in and see you..."

Chapter 2

Don't cry for help when you're completely naked or I'll leave you in there to die. I will NOT walk in and see you..."

"Are you a girl disguising as a guy?"

"What?"

"It's not like I have anything you don't have."

Yoochun was thankful that Mr. Kim couldn't see him blush. "That's not...I mean...your..."

Instead of finishing (or beginning) his sentence, he decided to just place the clothes where he said he would and quickly walked out. He made sure to close the door behind him.

Throughout the next sixty minutes, he prayed that Mr. Kim wouldn't die in the bathroom...or call for help.

An hour later, Mr. Kim walked out shirtless. Specks of water decorated his smooth skin and a droplet rolled down his chest to his stomach, showing off a six-pack that Yoochun (and any other guy) would have been jealous of...if he wasn't so busy staring.

"I hate the button up shirts. Just get me a white T," the shorter man demanded angrily.

Yoochun blinked and looked away. He scrambled to find a button-less shirt to hand to the half-naked man.

■■■■■

Yoochun threw himself onto the big, comfy bed in the guest room. The butler had led him to this room and helped him carry his luggage in before leaving. Such a nice man; so unlike the employer.

Before falling asleep, he wondered how long he would be able to take this. Maybe he would rather suffer guilt than have to live with Mr. Kim and his friend, Mr. Temper.

Heck, the guy would rather fumble with buttons in the bathroom for half an hour (or so) than call Yoochun in to button his shirt for him. Then again, maybe that was for the best.

Yoochun sighed and fluffed the pillow he was lying on.

Mr. Kim was so handsome and perfect in every way...every way that mattered anyway. He was good looking from head to toe. People wouldn't care if he had a bad temper because he was so good looking.

People wouldn't care if Yoochun had a good heart because he was so bad looking.

Sighing again, he punched the pillow several more times. Then he plopped his head back down and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow would be another day, another long tiring day. He'll need all the sleep he can get.

Eyes closed, he suddenly saw an image of Mr. Kim frowning at him. Even frowning, he looked so cute: a devil in disguise.

Yoochun frowned and buried his face into the pillow. He needed sleep, but thinking about that bad tempered jerk was not helping!

■■■■■

Yoochun grumbled as he mopped the floor. He finally found sleep at three in the morning, but was pulled out of his dreams at six in the morning by the sound of loud music from the master bedroom.

He took it as a message from Mr. Kim that he was supposed to wake up. How the guy found his way to the stereo, Yoochun didn't know. Yoochun considered taking the machine and hiding it so he won't have to wake up to loud music every morning.

After cooking the jerk some scrambled eggs and sausage, Yoochun left him to eat in the dining room while he went about with his chores.

As he mopped the beautiful tiles in the living room, he heard the sound of fork clattering with plate (almost like how he clattered with the jerk). Mr. Kim must have been trying to find the food on the plate, but was having too much trouble without his sight. Yet he still wasn't asking for Yoochun's help.

The relationship between a man and his pride were probably stronger than a relationship between a man and his lover (well, in Mr. Kim's case anyway).

As he continued to mop, Yoochun heard the sound of the fork being thrown on the table. Mr. Temper was back.

"That was a disgusting breakfast!" Mr. Kim exclaimed as he felt his way into the living room.

"Did you even get anything into your mouth?" Yoochun retorted. That was a mistake because he could almost see steam coming out of his employer's ears.

"You..." Mr. Kim began as he took several huge steps forward. Yoochun silently complimented Mr. Kim for being able to follow his voice as he walked towards his housekeeper.

At least his ears were keen.

Then Yoochun realized, "Wait, the floor is wet!"

Too late, because Mr. Kim shouted a curse before gliding towards Yoochun on the wet floor.

Yoochun quickly dropped the mop and ran to catch the blind man before he would fall. Unfortunately, Yoochun slipped and the two collided into each other; chest to chest, forehead to forehead.

Yoochun felt himself fall backwards just as he got a hold on the front of Mr. Kim's shirt. Seconds later, he was flat on his back and his wide eyes saw the other man falling towards him.

A scene in a movie flashed through his mind, the one in which lips would meet lips when a couple would trip and fall on each other!

Yoochun gasped and quickly turned his face so that his lips won't meet Mr. Kim's lips. Unfortunately, he was too freaked out to think and had turned his head to the right. Those plump lips met the scar on his left cheek.

Yoochun froze and forgot how to breathe.

Mr. Kim lifted his head a little and his lips were only centimeters from Yoochun's cheek.

His famous frown reappeared. "I didn't kiss your lips, did I?"

"No," Yoochun peeped. He didn't know he could reach such a high note.

"Then what..."

"I can't breathe! Get off me!" Yoochun interrupted before he could ask about the scar.

"Fine," Mr. Kim grumbled as he planted his palms on the ground to push himself off. Yoochun turned his face back up at him just as he lifted his upper body off.

Unluckily, the jerk's hands slipped on the shiny, wet tiles and his arms gave up from under him.

This happened before Yoochun could react and as Mr. Kim fell again, his lips landed right on Yoochun's lips. The skinnier man's eyes went wide and his whole body went tense.

He was in too much shock to move, but he didn't know why Mr. Kim wasn't moving.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Mr. Kim spoke, his lips brushing lightly against Yoochun's lips with every word, "It is your lips this time, right?"

"Y...yeah," Yoochun stammered, trying to not move his lips in the process of developing that one word.

"Well," Mr. Kim began, rolling off and lying on the floor next to Yoochun. At least he didn't sound angry. "At least I can still tell the difference between lips and...what did I kiss the first time?"

Yoochun quickly pushed himself up and nearly fell a second time on the wet floor. "I'll go get something to dry the floor."

He practically glided out of the living room and ran straight for the guest room. He fell down on the bed and looked over at the large mirror on the table. He didn't have a large mirror in his room back home; he didn't have any mirrors at all back home.

Yoochun closed his eyes and looked away from the mirror, unable to look at himself.

■■■■■

"What was that?" Mr. Kim demanded, ears perking.

"Sorry, that was just me burping," Yoochun replied sheepishly. He tried to control it, but failed.

At least he succeeded in not acting awkward because of yesterday's accidental kiss. Mr. Kim had obviously forgotten about it...or thought nothing of it.

"I have soda in this house? Who the hell bought soda? I've banned soda from here!"

Yoochun rolled his eye. Mr. Temper was visiting again. He remembered the butler telling him that there isn't soda in the house because Mr. Kim's girlfriend did not like soda.

"There is no soda in this house. I burped because I was drinking orange juice," he clarified.

The frown left and a raised eyebrow took over. After a moment of silence, Mr. Kim finally said, "It's orange juice."

"That's what I said," Yoochun threw sarcasm back at him.

"Who the hell burps after drinking orange juice?"

"Obviously me! Is that as bad as murdering someone?" he exclaimed. If the crime was the same then he might as well take chances and murder his annoying employer.

Mr. Kim didn't reply. He just said, "Pour me a glass of orange juice."

"Am I allowed to put poison in it?"

"It's your choice. God knows you'll kill me one day, if not today."

"Glad you know," Yoochun retorted before walking into the kitchen to pour a glass of orange juice.

He smiled a little as he recalled Mr. Kim's reply. He didn't put poison in the orange juice.

■■■■■

"I'm bored."

"I was hired to take care of you, not entertain you."

"I'll pay you an extra thousand won an hour to entertain me."

"Well, can't say 'no' to money," Yoochun sighed. "What's your favorite book?"

"If it's my favorite book, then I'd have read it several times already before I went blind," Mr. Kim retorted bitterly. Again, Yoochun felt the urge to hit the jerk over the head with a frying pan, but refrained because, at the same time, he felt bad for the man who had lost his sight.

Maybe hitting his head will bring his sight back and then Yoochun would be able to leave without guilt.

Chapter 3

Maybe hitting his head will bring his sight back and then Yoochun would be able to leave without guilt.

Yoochun made a mental note to himself to never hit Mr. Kim on his head.

"Then how about music? Do you have a song you like?" Yoochun inquired as he shuffled through the rack of CDs.

"What song do you know?"

Yoochun didn't like the meaning behind his question. "I don't sing."

"I'm not asking you to sing, I'm ordering you to sing. However, feel grateful that I am willing to let you pick the song."

"I don't know any songs," Yoochun lied.

"I've heard you sing while you cook."

Yoochun frowned (those frowns were rubbing off on him). He remembered when he had wanted to become a singer. Unfortunately, no one would tolerate an ugly celebrity.

"I do have a favorite song..."

"Then sing it, and for once, don't argue with me. I woke up with a huge headache," Mr. Kim grumbled.

"Do you want me to call a doctor?"

"Don't try to change the subject. Sing."

"I said I have a favorite song, but it's been a long time since I've sung it. I can't remember the lyrics. I remember the melody."

"Fine, hum it," he ordered rudely.

Taking a deep breath, Yoochun began to hum, staring at Mr. Kim's expression the whole time. His eyes were open, but they were hollow. He had no emotion on his face that Yoochun could read, but at least his body seemed less tense.

When he finished the song, Mr. Kim inquired, "What song is that?"

"The title is 'Rising Sun'," Yoochun said with a smile. It was his favorite song.

It clearly was not a song Mr. Kim liked because he scowled at the title as he quietly hissed, "Idiot."

"What?" Yoochun was confused. It didn't confuse him that Mr. Kim was using an insulting term. It confused him because Mr. Kim was mumbling it, rather than shouting it...meaning he wasn't intending on calling Yoochun the 'idiot'. Then was he calling himself an 'idiot'?

"Do you notice that I am blind? I may never see another sunrise again in my life!" he threw the mug that he was holding onto the ground.

The shattering glass frightened Yoochun. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Mr. Kim looked like he was actually trying to control his anger. This was new.

"Forget it," he mumbled. "This...being blind and helpless...it irritates me. It irritates me that I cannot see, that I no longer have control of my life, that..."

He stopped talking and Yoochun looked at his blank eyes. Then he looked lower at the blind man's closed lips. It was as if he had so much to say, but did not know how.

"I'm sorry," Yoochun repeated.

Mr. Kim sighed. "It's not your fault. You shouldn't be sorry. The person who should be sorry is the one who caused my accident. I'll find him and when I do, I'll make sure he's put in jail for the rest of his life."

■■■■■

"I've cleaned every inch of your beach house in just three days; I feel so proud of myself!" Yoochun cheered.

"Stupid Mouse," Mr. Kim grumbled in reply.

"It's Micky."

"Mouse," he spoke with finality.

Yoochun rolled his eyes. "Sure, call me whatever you want, you're the boss," he retorted in a rude tone.

"What kind of person finds satisfaction in cleaning a house? Am I wrong in calling you stupid?"

"So what if I find satisfaction in completing 'little' tasks? It sure makes my life happier than yours."

"You have no idea what 'happy' is."

"I suppose you do?" Yoochun countered. Mr. Kim remained silent so the skinnier man continued, "I know you've been unhappy about losing your sight, but can't you look on the bright side?"

"'Look on the bright side'?" his employer cocked a sarcastic eyebrow as he turned towards Yoochun's voice.

"Okay, wrong choice of words. But...you lost your sight. It's a lot better than losing an arm or a leg. There are people in this world who are starving or suffering in ways that are worse than you."

"At least they can see!"

"What good are eyes when you don't have friends, family, or just food? Don't think you're the most miserable person on earth," Yoochun nearly shouted. "I'm sick of you always sitting there feeling sorry for yourself."

"I'm sick of your bickering," the other man exclaimed.

"Very well, I shall not speak another word," Yoochun declared, mimicking Mr. Kim's tone of finality.

■■■■■

For the next week, Yoochun did not say a word to Mr. Kim. He enjoyed knowing that after three days, it was beginning to annoy the jerk.

Too bad he was too hard headed to admit...until a whole week later.

"Where is my breakfast?" he demanded loudly.

Yoochun made sure he could hear the sound of the plate landing on the table in front of him. He loudly placed the utensils in a convenient position along with a glass of orange juice. Everything was positioned in the exact spot just like every morning so that he would know where to reach.

Then Yoochun turned away to leave, but Mr. Kim spoke, "Have they delivered the newspaper yet?"

Yoochun walked out to the porch and picked up the newspaper. Walking back in, he slammed it loudly onto the table and turned to walk away.

"You expect me to read the newspaper?" Mr. Kim's voice dripped venom.

Purposely walking so his employer could hear his footsteps, Yoochun turned on the stereo and tuned it to the news channel. He heard Mr. Kim cuss and smiled happily to himself.

"Damn it, come back here!" he finally shouted. Yoochun picked up the broom and swept it across the floor loudly. "Forget the sweeping! Turn off the radio! Sit down here and read me the news!"

Yoochun tapped a finger on the tip of the broom and wondered how he could tell the other man to 'Go to hell' without speaking.

"Okay, I'm sorry! Now would you please speak?"

His face was red and he looked dangerously angry. It didn't match his soft features and Yoochun had to wonder if it was possible to pull off 'cute,' 'beautiful,' and 'handsome' all at once.

Yoochun made a, "Hmm..." sound and wondered if it was considered speaking.

"I don't ever apologize to anyone! Don't push me to the edge!" he spoke through gritted teeth; perfectly straight and white teeth.

Yoochun smiled and walked back over to him. He opened up the newspaper and sat down in the chair next to the jerk. "Let's see...oh, look, our country's soccer team just won another match!"

"Read me the financial section."

"I like the Sports section though," Yoochun said.

Mr. Kim looked like he wanted to fire Yoochun right on the spot. Then he calmed himself and simply grumbled, "Fine."

■■■■■

"What are you doing now?"

"The doors on the cabinets are a bit loose. I'm going to fix them. Where do you keep the tool box?"

"Don't touch them," Mr. Kim spoke in a cold voice.

"What?"

"I'll fix them myself," he retorted, frowning again.

Yoochun couldn't understand. "But..."

"If I never get my sight back then those doors are going to stay loose forever. Don't you dare fix them, got it?"

Yoochun sighed in defeat. "Fine."

■■■■■

When he walked out to the living this morning, he found Mr. Kim sitting on the sofa staring at nothing. He was really good at making his way around the house without any help.

The television was on and he was randomly clicking on the remote control. Yoochun wondered how long it took him to find the controller.

"Good morning."

"It is already seven and you say 'Good morning'?"

Yoochun glanced at the T.V. and guessed that he had been watching the six o'clock news and the one hour program was just now ending.

"Am I supposed to say 'Good night'?" he retorted. He liked waking up early, but that didn't mean Yoochun did.

Chapter 4

"Am I supposed to say 'Good night'?" he retorted. He liked waking up early, but that didn't mean Yoochun did.

Yoochun still couldn't figure out why he hadn't been fired already.

He walked into the kitchen to make breakfast, but when Mr. Kim switched to another news channel, he walked back into the living room.

He felt his mouth go dry and his throat clogged. Unable to speak, he could only run to grab the remote control when Mr. Kim raised it again to change the channel.

Mr. Kim refused to release the controller, using his other hand to pry at Yoochun's grabby hands in order to defend his property. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Don't change the channel," Yoochun managed to say.

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

Yoochun used more force and stole the remote control from his employer's hands. He turned his attention back to the T.V. It was talking about a man who was put in jail for abusing his children. It showed some pictures of wounds that had been inflicted on the children and their mother.

Yoochun felt his stomach turn. He was too engrossed to see Mr. Kim's unconscious gesture: he was just sitting there with his hands raised and head lowered, hoping he was staring at his own hands. His hands felt kind of tingly.

The man sitting on the couch raised his head in shock when Yoochun dropped the remote and ran to the guest room. The door slammed and he barely heard Mr. Kim yell, "What is wrong with that measly brain of yours?"

■■■■■

That night, Yoochun practically ignored Mr. Kim. He didn't do any chores, except for cooking and placing everything in the usual spot.

He went to bed early, but did not sleep until two. At three in the morning, Yoochun woke up screaming. He was drenched in sweat, yet at the same time, he felt so cold. The memories were back to haunt him.

They replayed in his mind as he unconsciously raised his hand to touch the scar on his left cheek.

All of a sudden, he heard thumping footsteps and a bunch of banging. The door to the guest room burst opened (Yoochun didn't lock it in case of emergencies) and after two long strides, Mr. Kim came tumbling into the room. He landed face first on the bed.

Yoochun watched him with an open mouth as Mr. Kim pushed himself onto a sitting position on the bed. It was obvious that he was embarrassed, but still tried so hard to look suave.

"Am I in the right room?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Okay, lucky guess. Was that you screaming like a pig about to be killed?"

Yoochun rolled his eyes at how insensitive the guy was. "Yes, now get off my bed."

"Why were you squealing?"

"That was NOT squealing! Now get out of my room!"

"That's not a way to treat a blind man," he frowned. Yoochun wanted to throw an insult at him, but noticed for once that he was JOKING about his disability. He wasn't smiling, but it was proof that he was beginning to 'look on the bright side'.

"Fine, I'll help you back to your room."

Instead of getting up, Mr. Kim felt his way around the bed and climbed his way to the upper section. Yoochun shrunk away when Mr. Kim touched his foot (that was under the blanket). The blind man managed to get himself to one side of the bed.

"Actually, I plan to stay here until you tell me why you were squealing."

"I'm a housekeeper, not a slave. I have my rights."

"Then good night," he bid as he felt for a pillow and lied down to sleep.

"Mr. Kim!" Yoochun exclaimed.

"THAT was definitely a squeal," he murmured in a sleepy voice. "Are you sure you're not really a girl in disguise?"

Yoochun frowned and knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight (or was it 'today'?). "Fine, I'll tell you!"

"Okay," the other man sat back up.

"You know that part of the news I saw this morning, the one that I wouldn't let you change the channel on?"

"Something about child abuse," Mr. Kim recalled.

"Yeah..."

When Yoochun didn't say anymore, it dawned. "You mean..."

"Yeah..."

"Sorry," the man in the classy pajamas murmured.

Yoochun looked down at his own Hamtaro pajamas and sighed. He didn't want pity. He wanted to change the subject. "I thought you never say 'Sorry'."

"Don't try to change the subject."

Yoochun sighed again. "My father was abusive. He always got drunk and would hit my mother, my brother, and me for no reason. My brother was seven. My mother always tried to protect us. When he gambled all of our belongings away, he planned to...sell my brother and me into an illegal market. I...did something to ruin his plans and he beat me until I nearly died. My mother couldn't stand it anymore so she forced me to take my brother and run away."

His voice cracked as the memories flooded his mind, but he held the tears in. He wouldn't allow himself to cry.

"I remember. I took his hand and I ran and ran. I refused to let him turn around, but I turned back once to see my mother begging at the bastard's feet. He hit her and all she did was cry for us to run. I...ran to an orphanage. They asked me questions, but I was too scared to talk. I just asked them for a place to sleep."

Yoochun was too trapped in sorrow to realize that Mr. Kim had scooted himself closer to the skinnier man, using Yoochun's shaking voice as a guide.

"I remember that night; I'd tucked my brother in. I snuck out to go back. I had to go find my mother and convince her to run away with us."

"How...how old were you?"

"Ten, but that was okay. I didn't mind having to start working. We lived in a bad area where rules were always broken, but that was okay. It was easy to find someone to hire a kid my age and pay me under the table."

"Did you...convince your mother?"

Yoochun released a bitter chuckle. "Like I said, it was a bad area. The authorities cared for money and relations. My father's friend was a policeman and he would always close one eye for his 'gambling buddy'. When I went back that night, I saw him beating her again. I fought back."

"You were ten," Mr. Kim whispered as he scooted closer.

Yoochun closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. "The fight still happened. I was thrown around, broke a few ribs, coughed blood. Then...then it happened. He knocked over a candle. We were too poor to pay for electricity. He knocked over the candle and it set the small house on fire."

Mr. Kim's hand found Yoochun's arm and slowly made his way to wrapping an arm around the skinnier man's shoulders.

"It's okay."

Yoochun felt the familiar coldness of his skin. It was the type of coldness that hurt. His whole body began to shake.

He quickly wiped away the bit of moisture in his eyes. No tears. No more tears.

"No, it wasn't okay. The house was on fire and all the drunken bastard could do was continued to beat us! I tried to pull Mother out of the house, out of the fire. By the time the drunk realized that the fire was a serious problem, he pushed us into a closet and tried to lock us in!"

Yoochun voice was rising as his sorrow was replaced with anger. At least he found comfort in the arm that was around his shoulders...

...arm around his shoulders...

Definite not his own arm.

Without another thought, Yoochun pushed Mr. Kim away and the other man nearly fell off the bed.

"What in the world was that?" he exclaimed, his head turning to find Yoochun's voice.

"That was for putting your arm around me!" Yoochun retorted, rubbing his shoulder as if he was wiping off cooties...or a contagious tingle that made his heart flutter.

"That didn't make sense. You should be thanking me for comforting you."

"You were the one who forced me to remember the past. Now you've got what you want. Go make your way back to your room."

Mr. Kim opened his mouth to speak and Yoochun wondered if he wanted to point out that the story wasn't finished. But his employer was kind enough to not ask further, understanding that the memories hurt.

"How are you feeling?" he suddenly asked, catching Yoochun off guard.

"Uh...good?" he was unsure of the answer.

"Good," Mr. Kim spoke satisfyingly as he carefully got off the bed. Unsure of which side of the bed he was on, he inquired, "Do I turn right or left?"

"If you turn right, you're going to walk towards the window and hopefully fall out."

"That's nice," he replied sarcastically as he extended both arms and turned to his left.

Yoochun stayed in the corner of his bed until Mr. Kim was about to make his way out of the room. "Wait."

"What?"

"I answered your question. I think you owe me an explanation as well."

"You 'think' wrong. I don't take orders from anyone and I don't have to explain anything to anyone."

Yoochun ignored the statement. "How did you find your way from the master bedroom to this room?"

Chapter 5

"How did you find your way from the master bedroom to this room?"

Mr. Kim looked upset by the question. "This house was personally designed by my girlfriend and me. I know the place by heart."

"Your girlfriend?" Yoochun inquired, remembering the picture that he had seen in Mr. Kim's office.

The slight humor and ease that had been on his employer's handsome face evaporated within seconds. He was frowning again as his hands gripped hard on the doorknob. "She's gone. She left after she found out that I would be blind."

"I'm sorry," Yoochun murmured.

"Why should you be sorry?" Mr. Kim scoffed. "I was blinded in a car accident. I was driving up the mountains to a cabin I own and all of a sudden, this ugly guy came running out from nowhere. I couldn't brake in time so I turned the wheel and my car collided with the rocks. He left me there to die while he just ran off."

Yoochun gulped. "Maybe...he was in a hurry?"

"He was worried that I would sue him," Mr. Kim assured.

Yoochun wanted to tell him, 'You wouldn't have been able to think about that part when you're frantically racing down the mountains because your brother was near death.'

"When the doctor told me I wouldn't be able to see, I decided to move to this beach house with my girlfriend to heal. We designed every inch of this place together so I most, if not all, of it memorized. At the least, I could make my way around the place without bother her. But..." he paused and sighed, "But I was wrong in believing that she would be here with me."

"I'm sorry," Yoochun murmured again. He didn't know what else he could say.

"For the last time, stop apologizing. It's not your fault. Now go to sleep."

Yoochun strained his eyes to watch as Mr. Kim made his way out of the room. He climbed off the bed and silently followed his employer until he saw that the slightly shorter man had walked back into his own room.

Mr. Kim had obviously heard Yoochun's footsteps because he mumbled another, 'Go to sleep,' before closing the door to his own room.

Yoochun felt fatigue wash over him as he dragged himself back to the guest room.

Two words rung in his ear, 'Ugly guy.'

■■■■■

Yoochun was busy reading a sports magazine while Mr. Kim was in the office.

His cell phone vibrated and he quickly uncovered it, already knowing who the other person was. There weren't many (or even a few) people who were in his address book...or had him in their address book.

It was a text message from his brother, just to say 'Hi' and 'I love you'. Attached to the message was a picture of his brother smiling at the camera, his way of saying that he was doing well.

Yoochun smiled and pressed the necessary buttons to save the picture in his memory; another picture added to the folder that only had pictures of the brother he loved so much.

Then he stood up to walk into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of orange juice. The cell phone was in his right hand and the glass in his left. He stood in the kitchen and stared at the cabinet doors. They looked like they were about to fall off any minute now.

Mr. Kim wouldn't allow Yoochun to fix it. This house was special to Mr. Kim and his girlfriend. It was their 'home'. He wanted to be the one in charge of fixing the stuff, to fix this broken home, this broken relationship.

Yoochun sighed and he couldn't determine if the feeling inside him was jealousy or guilt.

But he knew it was 'fear' when he heard Mr. Kim's voice saying, "Want to hear something funny?"

Yoochun's eyes went wide at the sudden appearance and he nearly jumped out of his skin. His body took a sharp 180 degree turn to look at the other man and his right hand bumped into the corner of the counter. The pain in his hand caused him to drop the cell phone.

It scattered, broken, onto the kitchen tiles.

Yoochun frowned. Why had he been so scared anyway?

Because he felt like Mr. Kim was catching him thinking about his employer as...well, as more than an employer!

"What was that?"

"My cell phone," Yoochun grumbled. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"It's your fault for not hearing me walk in. Are you turning deaf?"

"No, I was just...thinking."

"About what?" Mr. Kim asked, and then noticed that he sounded too eager to know so he frowned.

Yoochun knew it wasn't the time for it, but he released a small burp.

"Are you drinking orange juice again?" Mr. Kim guessed.

"Yes," the slightly taller man replied, wanting to smile because his employer remembered.

"Pour me a glass. I'll buy you a new phone."

"No, that's okay. I don't get many calls anyway. So what's so funny?" he said while pouring another glass of juice and placing it in the other man's hand.

"What?" Mr. Kim asked before downing the glass of orange juice and looking ever so sexy in the process. Yoochun tried to push the thought (and the image) away as he retrieved the empty glass and placed it on the counter.

"You asked me if I wanted to hear something funny," Yoochun reminded as he knelt down to pick up the pieces of his phone. The back had fallen off and pieces on the inside had fallen out. Even the chip was ruined.

Cheap phone.

It only hurt that he had so many pictures of his brother in that chip.

"I just got off the phone with my friend. After telling me some news, he told me that I've changed."

"How?" Yoochun stood back up, curious.

"In the past, when he told me bad news, I would get angry. Then when he told me good news, I would simply say it wasn't good enough. According to him, I no longer do that."

"I think your temper is more tolerable now than it was when I first started working for you. You were a real son of a gun. I would have silently murdered and chopped you up to make buns that I could sell."

"Thanks for being so frank," Mr. Kim said sarcastically.

"You even joke, which is a good thing. I hear being happier helps you heal faster too."

"I'm not seeing any progress with my eyes. Pun intended," he drawled.

"Look on the bright side," Yoochun reminded, then realized that he was using the wrong words again so he quickly added, "I mean, think of the good stuff."

"Do you always say 'Look on the bright side'?"

"It's my favorite phrase."

"Are you sure you're not a girl in disguise?"

"Is that your favorite phrase?"

Mr. Kim decided to ignore the attitude and returned to the intended topic, "My temper was especially bad after the accident because of two reasons. One, I've always been in control of my life. Losing my sight was like having everything taken out of my hands. I hate not being able to be in control of my life. Two, it was because my girlfriend left me. It...really hurt."

"Did you really love her?" Yoochun inquired as he walked over to Mr. Kim to guide him towards the dining table to sit down.

"Yes."

Yoochun found that he was afraid to ask, 'Do you still love her?'

"I don't know why you would when it seems that she was with you for your money."

"Little Mouse," he said as he raised his hand. Yoochun understood what he wanted to do so he guided the hand to the top of his own head, ducking slightly to make it easier. He patted Yoochun's head as if he was a kid and continued, "You don't live to find the person who loves you, you live to find the person you love. You'll understand when you experience it."

"It's funny that you're telling me this about something cheesy like love. I didn't think powerful tycoons like you know anything about love," Yoochun pointed out.

Was Mr. Kim playing with his hair?

"That's a stereotype," he answered. "Don't run your life based on stereotypes and assumptions."

Yoochun frowned at the way he was treating him. "I'm not a kid. You can stop with the hair."

"How old are you again?"

"Twenty-three."

"That's five years younger than me. I keep thinking you're younger."

Yoochun's mouth dropped. Mr. Kim was twenty-eight? Unbelievable! He looked so...so young, almost younger than Yoochun! No way! Was there a mistake on his birth certificate?

"What are you thinking?" his voice interrupted Yoochun's thoughts. Even his voice sounded young. Not husky or hoarse or deep. As a matter of fact, it was slightly on the high side and would make an awesome voice for a singer.

This man with a baby face really didn't look like he was twenty-eight. But then, he didn't look like a powerful, rich business man with a mean temper either.

Never judge a book by its cover.

"Why would you think that I'm younger than my age? Because you think I'm immature?"

"You seem to talk without thinking and seem too stupid to realize that employees don't talk to employers the way you talk to me. At one point, I thought this was your first job and you had jumped into it for the money. And no, I don't think you're immature. I know you're immature."

Chapter 6

"Some people don't act their age, others don't look their age. Age is just a number, not a rule," Yoochun retorted.

"Good point. Do you think I look too old for my age?"

Yoochun made a "Pfft" sound and Mr. Kim almost looked like he wanted to smile.

"That was immature," the business man pointed out. "But I'll take it as a compliment."

"It's the only compliment you'll ever get," Yoochun mumbled. "I hate being called immature because I really am not! At least...I'm not as immature as you make me sound."

"I'll believe that. After the talk we had last night, I felt an urge to protect you," Mr. Kim suddenly confessed. "I assume it's because you're so young and I have a side of me that likes to protect little kids."

"First off," Yoochun made a weak attempt to whack Mr. Kim's hand away from his hair, but the other man wouldn't stop. "I'm not a kid. Secondly, you said not to make assumptions."

Yoochun was about to walk away so Mr. Kim would stop playing with his hair, but remained seated when he saw the side of Mr. Kim's lips quirk up. Was that a smile?

Then he suddenly asked, "What do you look like anyway?"

Yoochun felt the hand move down to his face and his body jerked backwards. He fell off the chair and was so freaked out that he almost missed the shock on Mr. Kim's face. His eyes were wide open to stare at nothing and he looked confused.

"I...I...need to go...toilet...use toilet...I mean, clean the toilet. Excuse me."

Yoochun scurried out of the kitchen and ran his fingers through his hair, brushing strands forwards to cover the left side of his face.

■■■■■

"I only caught a glimpse of him when he ran out in front of my car!" Mr. Kim exclaimed into the phone. "The ugly brat has messy shoulder-length hair, about my height, skinny, and has a scar on the left side of his face. That's all I know. I don't care what those idiots you hired do, but they better find him!"

Yoochun jumped when he slammed the phone onto the desk. He was just passing by the office and didn't know if he was fortunate to be able to walk in on this particular conversation.

"Come in," his voice came from the office just as Yoochun was about to walk away. His ears have gotten keen since he lost his sight.

"I was just passing by."

"Sit down," he ordered. Yoochun did as told and watched as Mr. Kim rubbed his temples in frustration. "Do you think it's wrong for me to want to find the brat and put him where he belongs?"

What was he supposed to answer?

"I...don't now. Accidents happen."

"This accident cost me the woman I love and possibly the rest of my life. I could be blind forever!"

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry when it isn't your fault!" he roared, and then took deep breaths to calm down. "Forget it. Say something to make me laugh."

"I have chores..."

"Let's go walk on the beach," Mr. Kim suddenly suggested, although it sounded nothing like a suggestion.

"I have chores," Yoochun repeated.

"I have to watch my blood level! If you get me angry again, my veins will blow and you'll be wiping up the blood. Now let's go!" he extended his hand.

Sighing, Yoochun surrendered and began to lead him out of the office. At first, he held onto Mr. Kim's wrist, but the older (yes, unbelievable older) man twisted his arm until Yoochun held onto his hand instead.

Without a word, they walked out of the house.

■■■■■

"So you like to sing?'

"Huh?" Yoochun stopped looking around and turned his attention to Mr. Kim. He had been checking to see if anyone saw them on the beach. He felt so...paranoid.

It was a good thing he'd managed to grab his hat before walking out of the house.

"You're not enjoying the walk."

"I am," he lied.

"You're not watching where you're walking and you clearly aren't listening to what I'm saying."

"I..." Yoochun tried to explain, but how was he supposed to tell Mr. Kim that he was AFRAID? He was afraid that someone would see them together and wonder why someone so handsome and pretty would be walking hand in hand with someone so...ugly.

"Let's find a place to sit."

Quietly, Yoochun led him to a big rock. While he sat on the rock, Yoochun sat in the sand next to the rock. They sat in silence and Yoochun tried not to glance around like a paranoid criminal. He was lucky that this island was so isolated.

"I feel some heat. Is the sun setting?" Mr. Kim interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah," Yoochun stared ahead and smiled at the sunset. "It's a beautiful egg yolk."

He heard Mr. Kim chuckle bitterly. He wished Mr. Kim would laugh from the heart.

"I can't see the sun, so why don't you make up for it and tell me what you look like?"

That caught him off guard. "I just look like an ordinary scrawny guy."

"Wrong answer, try again."

Yoochun felt his palm begin to sweat. "What do you think I look like?"

Mr. Kim just stared ahead at nothing for a little bit before he answered with a smile; and what a beautiful smile it was. He had an amazing smile, more amazing than the sunset, so breathtaking that Yoochun felt his heart clench.

"I imagine you have bright beautiful eyes that can always 'look on the bright side,' a perfect nose, milky smooth skin, soft shoulder-length hair, and of course, kissable lips," he teased.

Yoochun bit his lips and touched his hair. Shoot, he wasn't supposed to let Mr. Kim know what he looked like, but he had been stupid enough to let the guy touch his hair the other day.

He knew he should be freaking out about the possibility of Mr. Kim finding out his true identity, but at this moment, he had something else (more attention grabbing) to think about.

Mr. Kim was describing such a beautiful, attractive person.

"You make me sound like a girl," he murmured.

"Maybe you really are a girl in disguise."

"I would know," Yoochun sighed, unable to bring up the humor in his voice. Then he had to ask, "What would you say if I told you that I'm the complete opposite of what you just described?"

"I'd say you're too modest."

Silence. Yoochun didn't know what to say.

Mr. Kim broke the silence, "I've been having constant headaches lately. Can you drive? I need to go into town to see my doctor."

"Town?"

"Yeah, this is an island. Driving for three hours will get you to a little market place and you can find the necessary buildings around it. The clinic is quite close to a bookstore. Maybe you can pick up a cookbook on how to make a good steak."

■■■■■

Yoochun excused himself immediately after making dinner. He went through his belongings to find a small make-up kit that his best friend had bought him. Yoochun remembered exclaiming that he was a guy and would not wear make-up. His best friend had insisted that the kit consisted of the necessary items to make his scar look less visible.

His best friend was trying to help him, but Yoochun just didn't want to use the make-up. Still, he kept the kit because it was a gift.

Thinking of his best friend reminded Yoochun of Mr. Kim.

Yoochun remembered the day when he had been up in the mountains. He was barely getting any reception for his phone, but thankfully, he was able to receive a call from his best friend. His best friend was freaking out over the phone and telling Yoochun that his brother was in the hospital.

The way he had bawled made Yoochun think that his brother was near death!

Thankfully, his brother had ended up in a coma for a week and finally woke up. After the tears of happiness, Yoochun had picked up an old newspaper that reminded him about the man who had experienced a vehicle accident in the mountains.

[F.l.a.s.h.b.a.ck.]

Yoochun tightened his grip on the cell phone and fear chewed at his heart.

He'd gotten used to jogging every morning in the mountains. If he couldn't change the ugliness of his face, he wanted to at least build a decent figure.

At that moment, he was not thankful for the good that jogging had done for his body, he was thankful that he had the energy to run as fast as he could down the mountains.

As he ran, he decided to take a shortcut. He ended up on the roads and was dizzy from running; he barely saw the car that was coming towards him. It served to avoid him so Yoochun kept on running, only able to think about his brother's life.

When he heard a loud crash, he turned around to see the car smash into the rocks. Yoochun's legs froze in shock for a second and watched as the man in the car stepped out. The driver was rubbing his head, but he was still standing.

Seeing that he was okay, Yoochun turned around and continued to run. Only...he didn't know that once he'd turned his back on the driver, the man fell unconscious onto the ground.

[E.n.d.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k.]

Yoochun remembered that the newspaper had stated that a couple hiking in the mountains had discovered him. Thankfully they had or Yoochun would have become a murderer!

He was alive and safe now, and that was what mattered the most.

Turning his attention back to the make-up kit, Yoochun spent the night practicing the art of artificial beauty.

Chapter 7

"Mouse, are you ready yet?"

Yoochun woke up to the pounding on the door. The room was a mess with all the tissues he had used and containers of make-up were all over the place. He had failed and given up at around three in the morning, which was only three hours ago.

Grouchily, he dragged himself to the door and opened it. At least Mr. Kim had the courtesy to not just walk in (since the door was never locked).

"Why are you up so early?" he grumbled in a sleep-heavy voice.

"It's already six. Go cook me my breakfast and then drive me into town."

"You're the human form of a devil. I only got three hours of sleep! This is torture! And it's not 'Mouse'! It's 'Micky'!" he burst out on impulse. Besides being extremely tired, he was angry that he could not use make-up to cover his scar.

Yoochun glared at Mr. Kim to see him blink confusingly, in the cutest way and the anger faded immediately. Yoochun was about to apologize when the slightly shorter man said, "Okay, go back to sleep. We can go into town after lunch...or dinner, depending on when you wake up."

He was being nice. He was evidently changing his schedule to suit Yoochun, an employee. That wasn't normal.

"No, no, give me five minutes and I'll be ready."

"No, go back to sleep. I have a lot of phone calls to make today anyway."

He turned around; with one hand on the wall, he began walking towards his office. Yoochun felt a pang of guilt for yelling at him when he was actually angry at himself.

■■■■■

"The car should be on the far right," Mr. Kim informed as they walked towards the parking lot. There were five cars there and Mr. Kim was directing him towards the silver compact.

But something else caught Yoochun's eyes.

"Holy Blue Dolphins! Is this the latest SUV model?"

He had released Mr. Kim's hand and ran over to the red vehicle on the far left of the lot. He began blurting out information about the car while his employer stood there wondering about 'Holy Blue Dolphins'.

"Do you want to drive that one instead?" he suddenly offered, still standing in the same spot because he wasn't as familiar with the parking lot as he was with the house.

Yoochun was shocked and stopped checking out the car. "Oh, no, that's okay. It must have been so expensive. I couldn't..."

"I want to ride in it. Now lead me to the car."

Yoochun wondered if Mr. Kim was just saying that because he wanted to let Yoochun drive his dream car. It felt too good to be true.

He helped his employer into the passenger seat and quickly ran to the other side to settle in the driver's seat. He adjusted the chair and the mirrors, touching the wheel as if it was gold. He couldn't stop grinning!

"This is so amazing! I never thought I'd be able to drive a SUV. I'm almost scared! But don't worry, I'll be really careful. And..."

"Mouse, just drive."

Yoochun shut his mouth, but his lip still smiled. He wasn't even going to bother to correct the 'Mouse'.

■■■■■

Yoochun skillfully parked the SUV into a lot and got out of the car. He made sure his hat was on and his hair covered most of his face. To other people, he probably looked like a beggar with hair covering most, if not all, of his face.

Glancing at the expressions of people around them, he could tell they were wondering why someone as handsome and rich as Kim Junsu was with someone as ugly and poor as Park Yoochun.

Head down, he walked over to the passenger side and helped Mr. Kim out of the car. They walked into the clinic and a nurse (after giving Yoochun a weird look) walked them into a room to wait for the doctor.

After seating, Mr. Kim, Yoochun glanced around. He saw one of the masks that people wore then they had a cold and quickly took one to put on. He brushed most of the hair out of his face and tied it into a ponytail that rested on his nape. It was extremely hot today.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Kim asked, hearing the movement.

"Nothing, just tying my hair up."

"Are you sure you're not a girl in disguise?"

"I'd tell you to 'shut up' if you weren't my employer."

"You sound funny."

Yoochun remembered that the mask was causing him to muffle. "I have one of those flu masks on. I was feeling sick when I woke up this morning."

"Are you okay?" he asked with an emotion of concern that surprised Yoochun. From the frown on his face, Yoochun concluded that it surprised him as well. Rudely, he ordered, "Have the doctor take a look at you. My treat."

"People treat other people to meals, not check ups," Yoochun pointed out.

"Don't be a smart-aleck."

Yoochun smiled behind the mask at his words and cute frown. It wasn't like his other frown. It was more of a playful frown.

"Junsu, how nice to see you again!" the doctor suddenly burst into the room. Yoochun remembered that his last name was 'Shim,' according to all the certificates hanging on the walls, around the clinic.

"I can't say the same to you," Mr. Kim replied sarcastically.

The doctor laughed and looked at Yoochun. He raised his eyebrow. Yoochun quickly explained, "Sorry for taking the mask without permission. I'm not feeling too well."

Yoochun saw the doctor looked him up and down, from the old tennis shoes to faded jeans and the black T-shirt.

"Don't worry about it," Doctor Shim smiled. He was tall, a little tanned, and almost as handsome as Mr. Kim (in Yoochun's opinion). "No offense and know that this is a compliment: with the ponytail, large T-shirt and thin legs, I thought you were a girl. I was going to ask you if you're his new girlfriend, since Junsu likes to go for tall...."

"No! Definitely not!" Yoochun shook out of his shock and immediately protested. He looked over at Mr. Kim, whose frown had deepened (no longer playful), probably because he didn't like the thought of Yoochun being anything but his employee. "I'm being paid to take care of him."

"Oh," the doctor said, amused by the outburst.

"I'll wait outside," Yoochun looked down and raced out of the room.

■■■■■

Yoochun sat down on the chair right outside the room. The nurse was too busy to pay attention to him.

As he waited, he realized that he could hear what the two friends were saying in the room. He couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"He's cute," the doctor chuckled. "You think I can get him into my bed before you get your eyes back?"

"You think I can beat the life out of you before I get my eyes back?" Mr. Kim retorted.

What did that mean?

Dr. Shim laughed. "Wow, and here I thought you'd never let go."

'Let go'. They must be talking about his gorgeous girlfriend.

"Changmin, I never said that I've let go," Mr. Kim assured, seriousness in every word.

"You don't have to voice something for it to be true, buddy. Just forget about her and try out this guy. He's really cute. It's 2009. It's okay to fall in love with someone of the same gender."

"He's immature and argues with me about every little thing," Mr. Kim exclaimed. Yoochun made a note to act more mature around him.

"At least SOMEONE is brave enough to argue with you when you're throwing one of your tantrums."

"Shut up and tell me when I'll get my sight back."

"Hard to say, you told me over the phone that you've been getting really bad headaches?"

"Extremely painful ones; I took four painkillers this morning."

"You don't need painkillers, you have the cutie sitting out there," the tall doctor chuckled.

Yoochun lowered his head sadly. If only the doctor saw him without the flu mask...

Yoochun felt bad for eavesdropping (and was afraid of what else he'd hear). He was about to move to a farther seat when he heard Mr. Kim say, "You should try to get Micky to get rid of the mask so you can see what he looks like."

"Why?"

"So you can tell me, Genius."

"Why does it matter?"

"I want to know what he looks like. He refuses to let me touch his face or even tell me."

"You have your sexy girlfriend," Doctor Shim mocked.

"Changmin, if I weren't blind, you wouldn't be breathing."

The doctor laughed. "I respect the guy. If he doesn't let me see what he looks like, I'm not going to force him to do it."

Chapter 8

"Pretend you're trying to treat that flu of his."

"Stop being so superficial; you just want to see if he's good looking and worthy enough of your time."

Yoochun felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. Mr. Kim really cared about looks.

He didn't want to hear anymore so he moved to a chair on the farthest end of the clinic.

Fifteen minutes later, the door opened and the two men walked out. Standing at the door, the doctor informed, "I've actually heard of some patients who had constant headaches as a sign of recovery, so don't worry about it too much. I'll give you some medication for it, but don't take any if you don't really need it."

'Sign of recovery.'

Yoochun looked down at the magazine in his hand and realized that it was upside down. He closed it and put it down on the little table. Standing up, he stood at the entrance of the clinic like a butler.

The doctor turned to look at him. "You sure you don't want me to look at the flu of yours?"

"No, thank you," Yoochun murmured. He glanced at Mr. Kim and noticed the look of disappointment.

"Okay, then, give me a call if he passes out from the headaches. Although I can tell you that for Junsu, a kiss from a cutie is better than a pill," he winked and Yoochun blushed from embarrassment.

"Will a kiss from me cure your stupidity?" Mr. Kim cocked an eyebrow as he looked straight ahead.

Doctor Shim played stupid and replied, "You're not looking at me; you're staring at a wall. Stop threatening to kiss my walls."

Mr. Kim looked like he wanted to hit the doctor. Yoochun wanted to laugh at his silliness.

"Okay, let's get home. I can't stand this guy," Mr. Kim stuffed his hands into his pockets and waited for Yoochun to escort him out of the clinic.

Before leaving, Yoochun turned back to see the doctor wink at him. He finally let out a chuckle and wished he could be friends with such a charming man.

■■■■■

It was mostly silent throughout the drive home until Mr. Kim decided to speak, "Was that you giggling when we walked out of the clinic?"

"It was a 'chuckle,' not a 'giggle'."

"Same difference," he brushed off.

"No, 'giggle' makes me sound like a girl."

"Maybe you're a girl in disguise."

Yoochun rolled his eyes and just replied, "No."

"'No' what? That you're a girl in disguise or that you giggled when we were leaving?"

"No, I'm not a girl in disguise. Yes, I was the one who chuckled when we were leaving."

"Why?"

"He winked at me. He's pretty charming and..."

Mr. Kim had interrupted him with an angry voice, "He doesn't have a bad temper and he isn't..."

When he didn't finish his statement, Yoochun went back to concentrating on the road.

■■■■■

"How's your search going?" Mr. Kim spoke into the phone. Yoochun was surprised that he was calling his friend while sitting in the dining room (rather than his office). He always did it in his office because he wanted privacy.

Yoochun knew he was calling the friend who was helping him find the guy that had caused his accident.

For a moment, Yoochun wondered if he was purposely making the call right in front of Yoochun because he knew that Yoochun was the criminal.

"What did your buddy find?" he spoke into the phone while Yoochun prepared dinner. "What do you mean nothing? Go back to the mountains! Send out a team to search the whole place! Look under every rock!"

Yoochun felt his gut twist.

Maybe he should leave now while he still could. The doctor said that Mr. Kim might be recovering. Staying with him would be too dangerous. He had his passport and money; he could take a plane off this island anytime he wanted.

But he didn't want to. The thought of leaving him was...upsetting.

"Mouse, is dinner done yet?" Yoochun didn't miss the anger in Mr. Kim's voice.

He quickly brought the food to the table. Placing the bowl and chopstick in front of him, Yoochun took another pair of chopsticks and sat down next to him.

As the older (but younger looking, and better looking) man age, Yoochun picked up pieces of entrees to put in the bowl. After his third bite, he asked, "Are you eating?"

"No, I'll eat later," Yoochun replied, ready to place another piece of kimchi into his bowl.

"You always eat after me...or you don't even eat dinner at all," he pointed out. Yoochun was surprised that he even noticed.

"It's okay."

"Go get yourself a bowl of rice and eat with me," he ordered.

"I don't..."

"I'm already pissed off at Yunho for not being able to find that brat. Don't push anymore of my buttons," he warned. Yoochun silently went to get himself a small bowl of rice.

"Do you want more rice?" he asked when Mr. Kim's bowl was nearly empty.

"I'd rather sit here and listen to you eat. You're awfully quiet today," he paused. "You sound like you don't have the mask on anymore. Are you suddenly better now?"

Yoochun knew that he was suspicious of the mask.

"I have other things on my mind," he replied truthfully, ignoring the comment about the mask.

"Like what?"

"Nothing that will interrupt my work so it's not something you need to know," Yoochun retorted. "I'm not going to be so distracted that I'll poison your food."

That seemed to make Mr. Kim angrier. "Fine, then I'll go to my room by myself. If I spend anymore time with annoying people, I might commit suicide."

Why was he so angry?

■■■■■

In the middle of the night, Yoochun still could not sleep. He decided to go warm up a glass of milk.

When he passed by Mr. Kim's room, he heard a lot of shuffle and even a muffled groan. He quickly rushed in and was thankful that the door wasn't locked.

When he stepped in, he saw Mr. Kim suffocating himself with a pillow. The blanket had been kicked onto the floor. Yoochun automatically ran to his side and struggled to pull the pillow off.

"Mr. Kim! Stop it! I thought you were joking about committing suicide! Give me the pillow!"

"Get out of my room," he practically growled.

Yoochun tugged harder to uncover his face from under the pillow. The pillow ripped, feathers flew all over the room.

Mr. Kim released the pillow case and clutched his head. Yoochun got a better view of his face and the pain was evident. "Junsu! Are you okay? I'll...I'll go call Doctor Shim!"

"No!" he roared. "Get me the pills! Now!"

Yoochun nearly tripped as he rushed to find the pills. He finally found them on top of the drawer and placed the small bottle in Mr. Kim's hand. Just as he was about to run out to get some water, he saw the other man pour out more than ten pills from the container.

"What do you think you're doing?" he shouted as he pushed all the pills out of his employer's hands. Mr. Kim almost fell off the bed in attempt to retrieve the pills (leaping towards a random direction), but Yoochun got in the way and held him down on the bed. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Give me the damn pills! Out of my way before I break your bones!"

"No! You don't need the pills! Just relax and breathe! Listen to me!" he shouted over the struggles. "Breathe!"

He was sitting upright on the bed. Yoochun sat on the edge of the mattress to prevent him from falling. Looking into his eyes, Yoochun saw that it was hollow, yet the pain was etched in his creased lips.

As the pain eased, his body felt weak and he stopped struggling. His upper body fell forward and his head rested on Yoochun's shoulder, face buried against Yoochun's neck. Yoochun felt the urge to hug him. He wrapped his arms around the weak man and stayed silent.

Yoochun could only hear the other man's heavy breathing (after struggling with the pain) and felt the hot breath against his skin.

"Do you feel better?"

He nodded. "I...it's...it's bad enough that you have to see me blind. I...I didn't want you to see me...weak."

"Why not? You hired me to take care of you. If your head ached, you should have told me. I'm responsible for your health," he paused and added sadly, "I'm getting paid for it."

Yoochun waited for him to say something, something like, 'People don't like letting their lover see them in a weak state,' or 'People can't show their weak side because they want to give their other half a sense of security.'

He didn't say any such thing. Instead, he said, "Was that the first time you called me by my first name?"

Yoochun felt the confusion hit him like ice water on a cold day. "What?"

"Right after you ripped my pillow and right before you said you'd go call Changmin."

Chapter 9

"Right after you ripped my pillow and right before you said you'd go call Changmin."

The light bulb clicked on and Yoochun remembered that he had indeed called Mr. Kim by his first name. "Sorry, Mr. Kim, I was freaking out."

"I find it odd that you're calling me 'Mr. Kim' when we're in this position."

Yoochun noticed that his hand was unconsciously playing with the other man's hair. He quickly pushed his employer away and stood up from the bed. The blood was running to his head and he placed a hand over his thumping heart.

"S...sorry for...uh..." he stammered, not knowing which word was more appropriate, "...for...uh...hugging your head?"

Mr. Kim chuckled. He actually chuckled! Something humorous would never make him laugh, but now he was laughing at this awkward, awful situation!

"You should be sorry for letting go. I was actually getting comfy," he grinned cheekily. While his head was turned towards where Yoochun stood, Yoochun silently scooted around to reach for his other pillow.

He smacked the pillow into the other man's face and ran out yelling, "Good night!"

■■■■■

Yoochun opened his eyes and shrieked (like a little girl) when he saw Junsu...er...Mr. Kim standing next to the bed. Even though he wore a regular pair of pajamas, he still felt the need to pull the blanket all the way to his neck and shouted, "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd listen to you sleep. Did you know that you snore, really soft though?"

"I do not! How did you get in here?"

"I felt my way here. It was harder to walk from the door to your bed, but you sleep like a log. You didn't even hear when I knocked over some stuff."

"I didn't sleep until five this morning," Yoochun defended as he glanced at the clock. "It's only seven!"

Mr. Kim ignored the complaint and turned his head towards the window where he felt the breeze coming in. "Changmin said he's seen patients who suffer these bad headaches and end up recovering pretty soon afterwards. I hope I'm one of those lucky ones."

Yoochun looked down sadly. If he got lucky, then Yoochun would be the unlucky one.

He had to get out of here, off this island, out of his life...or end up in jail.

It hurt him to even THINK about leaving the handsome, beautiful man. What would happen to his heart if he really did leave?

It didn't matter. He would have to leave. He didn't want Junsu to see what he looked like, but he wanted to do something special for him before leaving.

"Mr. Kim..."

"Junsu," he corrected.

Yoochun sighed; this wasn't the time to start getting close (or closer) with him. "I call all of my employers by their last name, Mr. Kim."

The other man suddenly frowned and Yoochun felt guilty. "I'd prefer my friends to call me by my first name."

'Friends' was just as hurtful as 'Employee'.

'Friend' was better than 'Boyfriend'. It wouldn't hurt as much...not that 'Boyfriend' would ever be possible.

Yoochun decided not to say either name at all. "You want steak tonight?"

He didn't seem to like changing the subject, but he made a funny (cute) cringe at the question. "Are you cooking it?"

"It'll be good this time; I promise."

His handsome smile took over the cute frown. "Do you keep your promises, Mouse?"

"Micky."

"Mouse."

Yoochun sighed. "Of course."

"Can you promise to be there when I regain my sight?" he flashed a hopeful grin.

Yoochun opened his mouth and nothing came out. He unconsciously shifted farther to the other side of the bed. It was as if Mr. Kim felt the movement (or heard it), because he reached out for Yoochun, who quickly pulled farther away.

"Why can't you promise me that?" he demanded. The cute frown was back.

Yoochun felt the urge to cry, but he told himself that he was stronger than that. He had to be strong for the day when he would leave...which would be soon.

"I'm going to drive into town for some ingredients. I think I ruined any of the steak that was in your fridge last time I tried to cook the dish," he spoke rapidly as he flipped the blanket off and stood up so he could run off the bed without coming in arm's reach of Mr. Kim.

"Micky!" he exclaimed angrily. "I came in this morning because I was hoping my vision would come back any minute and I could see what you look like. I could have eventually followed the sound of your breathing and reached for your face to see...to feel your facial features, but I didn't! I respect you so I didn't. Now I'm asking nicely: will you promise to be there when I regain my sight?"

Yoochun gripped tightly onto the edge of the door. Sadly, he whispered, "I can't...because I have a policy of keeping all of my promises."

This was a promise that he would not, could not keep.

■■■■■

Yoochun tried to balance the groceries in his arms as he walked into the beach house. He found all the lights off and Mr. Kim was sitting in the living room with no television or radio on. Yoochun was sure that he knew how to locate the remote control for both machines.

He placed the groceries on the dining table and turned on the lights. Then he walked over to the huge sofa where Mr. Kim sat stiffly. "Are you okay?"

"What time is it?" he inquired in a calm voice that scared Yoochun.

Yoochun glanced at the clock. "It's seven."

"When I asked you the same question before you left this morning, you told me ten," he reminded in the same calm tone. Then in a sudden roar, he exclaimed, "It took you nine hours to shop for food?"

Yoochun was annoyed by his temper. Yoochun wouldn't be with him for much longer and he really didn't want to put up with his temper during their remaining time.

"It takes six hours just to drive back and forth! So what if I spent the whole day in town? I asked you if I could take today off and you said I could! What I do on my day off is my business!"

Mr. Kim was blinking confusingly, probably shocked by the outburst. He whispered, "Sorry."

Yoochun felt the anger disappear immediately, recalling that Mr. Kim didn't like saying 'Sorry'.

"No, it's my fault. I'm sorry. I should have called, but...my cell phone is broken."

Yoochun watched as he opened those plump lips to say something and then closed them again. It was as if he didn't know if he wanted to say it. Finally, he voiced, "I was just...worried about you and...I'm only good at expressing my feelings through anger."

Yoochun felt his heart melt. He was so prideful and egotistic, but he was admitting his wrongs to Yoochun. "That's okay. I think you're getting better."

A small smile appeared on his kissable lips and his hand moved to reach into his pant pockets. "Take my cell phone so at least I can call you when you go out."

"Oh, no, that's fine," he protested.

"I have two other cell phones that I can use. This one..." he paused and smiled sadly. "It was specially made for my girlfriend. She complained that I was always too busy with my business so we both went out to get matching cell phones in which only we know the numbers of. I bet she's already thrown hers away so no one should be calling this one."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Yoochun tried again. He was feeling rather envious of Mr. Kim's girlfriend.

"Just take it so I can contact you the next time you go out to the market. After you left, I remembered that I had something I wanted you to buy for me, but I couldn't reach you."

It would be more convenient. He would just return it when he leaves.

Yoochun took the phone from him, careful not to touch his hand. "Thank you."

He smiled, that handsomely heart-wrenching smile. "When's dinner?"

Yoochun laughed at his cuteness, the childish way that he asked the question. "Real soon; I even picked up a book especially on making the perfect steak!"

"Then hurry! I'm hungry!"

"You didn't eat lunch? I prepared it all on the table. It's not something that needs heating up."

"I didn't feel like eating."

"Why not?" he demanded. This reminded him of the times he had lectured his brother and his best friend (the people that he loved so much) about eating meals on time.

"You weren't here to eat with me?"

Yoochun was shocked by his statement. It sounded like he was testing Yoochun's feelings towards him.

"I...I'm going to go marinate the steaks."

He shuffled into the kitchen, leaving his employer in the living room.

Chapter 10

"Guess what."

"Chicken butt," Yoochun replied in a dull tone. He was flipping through a sports magazine while Mr. Kim was listening to the radio.

"Very funny," he drawled sarcastically. "Anyway, my birthday is just around the corner."

"No one shamelessly reminds people of their birthday like that."

"I do," he retorted. "So what am I going to get? Bake me a cake, grill me another steak?"

"You're how old and yet you're acting so childish?"

"Good, I'm feeling younger every day. Haven't felt this immature since...never."

"What were you like as a child?" he was curious.

"I'm an orphan. I grew up taking care of myself with some help from the sisters at the orphanage. I can't say I had a normal childhood...or one at all. Still, I guess I had it better than a lot of other people since I was able to go to school and even start my own business."

Yoochun smiled because it really felt like Mr. Kim was 'looking on the bright side' about his childhood. But at the same time, he felt guilty for asking, telling himself that it shouldn't be any of his business.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For asking."

"I asked about your past. Now we're even," he answered easily. "But I'm not kidding. I'm blind, but I feel so much more relaxed and...happy?"

Yoochun smiled again. At least he admitted to being happy when he was around Yoochun. "I'll sneak off to town again tomorrow morning to see what gift I can get."

Mr. Kim grinned in the cutest childish way. He really had lightened up these past weeks. Yoochun really wanted to share his joys with him, but at the same time, he was too busy drowning in his own sorrow.

In the past few days, Yoochun was plotting a way to quit this job and leave, but he needed a good explanation. He didn't want Mr. Kim to come looking for him and see him for the ugly reality that he really was.

■■■■■

The next morning, Yoochun forced himself to wake up extra early to drive out to town. He remembered to bring the cell phone that Mr. Kim had lent him, just in case he suddenly remembered that he needed to buy something.

As he drove (Mr. Kim had allowed him to take the SUV again!), he wondered what gift he should get.

He needed a gift that said 'Good Friends,' not something that said 'I love you.'

I love you.

He loved him.

Holy Blue Dolphins, he was in love with Kim Junsu! Kim Junsu, the last person that he should be in love with!

Yoochun pushed the thought away and tried to concentrate on driving. He turned the radio up high so that the music was the only thing going through his mind. It beat hearing his own heart thump against his chest.

When he finally reached the marketplace (remember his hat and a flu mask he had picked up the last time he was in town), he walked through two gift shops before he found the perfect gift in the third shop.

It was a ceramic figure of a dolphin leaping out of the water. The wave of water added to the beauty of it, with perfect coloring and sculpting. On the bottom was a golden, rectangular piece with words engraved on it: 'Look on the bright side.'

He remembered the first time he had told Mr. Kim to 'look on the bright side' and the beautiful man had frankly reminded Yoochun that he was blind. A smile graced Yoochun's lips, behind the mask.

After he paid for the figurine and a birthday card, he left the store. The cell phone in the pocket of his khakis pants rang with a very girly ringtone.

As he searched for the phone, he wondered what Mr. Kim needed him to buy.

Then he wondered if it may be Mr. Kim's girlfriend (ex-girlfriend?) calling because she wanted to take Mr. Kim away from Yoochun. Wait, he was never Yoochun's in the first place.

Pushing all the thoughts away, he found the phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Micky, come back as soon as possible! If you're still in town, bring Changmin with you! I can see again! I don't know if it's temporary, but bring Changmin! If you can't find him then don't bother. Just make sure YOU come back as soon as possible!"

He rambled on and on, but all Yoochun could hear was 'I can see again.'

His eye sight was back...and before Yoochun could even spend one birthday with him. He had to leave.

"Micky, are you listening? Can you hear me?"

"Y...yeah, I'll go get Doctor Shim right now."

"Okay, drive carefully! Remember, it's more important that you make it back here!"

Yoochun murmured, "Okay," before quickly hanging up. He couldn't stand listening to the cheerfulness in his voice. Yoochun knew he should be happy for Junsu, but instead, he wanted to cry.

People around him were beginning to look at the strange man who stood rudely at the entrance of the gift shop. With the flu mask, no one had stared at him. They just assumed he was ill and Yoochun would fake a cough every once in a while if someone did stare for too long.

Why did it matter? Junsu had his sight back and he'd make Yoochun take the mask off to reveal his face. He'd recognize Yoochun and put Yoochun in jail.

But that wasn't what scared Yoochun the most.

Junsu would see how ugly Yoochun was and he would never spare Yoochun a second glance. He didn't want Junsu to remember him as the ugly reality.

Some people were glaring at him for blocking the entrance so he quickly walked off. He didn't like it when strangers glared at him. If Junsu...Mr. Kim glared at him, he might die on the spot.

He was going to leave. He had to, but before that, he had some unfinished business to take care of.

Running to Doctor Shim's clinic, he found that the doctor was busy with a patient. Yoochun informed the nurse of Mr. Kim's condition and told her to have the doctor drive to Mr. Kim's beach house as soon as possible.

Next, he ran back to the car and found a pen in the compartment. He carefully placed the gift wrapped ceramic figure on the passenger seat and made room to write on the card.

As he wrote his last words to Mr. Kim...Junsu, he was careful not to let any tears fall onto the card. He tried not to cry, he really did. But damn it, why was he such a wimp?

When he finished, he just sat there. He just sat there, recalling all the happy memories that he would take with him.

Mr. Kim would become Yoochun's past and never his future. He was leaving the handsome, beautiful, cute man behind, just as he would leave his heart behind.

■■■■■

Meanwhile, Junsu was pacing around his home, even walking into Micky's room to see if he could find any clues of what the younger man looked like. He noted that he only brought a couple pairs of clothing, a make-up kit and no pictures. There was the shattered cell phone lying on the drawer, but nothing else.

But that didn't matter. He'd see Micky when he came back. He'd see him. He would SEE him.

The doorbell rang and Junsu practically sprang for it like a child. He'd never acted like this before, until Micky...

"Hey, hyung, glad to see me?" Changmin was grinning at him when he opened the door. Junsu looked past his best friend to search for his love.

"Where's Micky?"

"He only left a message for me to come as soon as possible. I thought he had rushed back to see you first," Changmin informed. Then he lifted a gift wrapped box and a card to Junsu's face. "By the way, I found this on your doorstep."

"Give it to me!" Junsu reached out to grab for the gift.

"Let me check your eyes first!" Changmin pulled the gift out of reach.

"Did you see my SUV in the lot?"

"I haven't been to the lot. Now let me check your eyes!"

"Give me the present!"

"Stop being such a baby!"

Junsu slapped Changmin's hand away from his face. "I'm going to go check the lot."

He ran off before Changmin could stop him. Junsu walked back into the living room looking devastated. "The SUV isn't there."

"That means he's still in town?" Changmin wondered. He took the gift card from the coffee table and handed it to Junsu. "Here, maybe this'll explain everything."

Junsu quickly ripped the envelope apart and flipped open the card. He tried to concentrate on the words, but all he could read was the large, 'Happy Birthday.' He looked up at Changmin with fear in his eyes, "I can't read his writing! Why?"

"It's nothing to worry about. You should regain full vision in a couple of days. You can't expect to be completely recovered just like that," he snapped his fingers.

"I don't have a couple of days! What if someone kidnapped Micky?"

"Give it to me, I'll read it to you," Changmin grabbed the card from Junsu. Looking over it, he didn't know if he wanted to read the contents to his best friend.

"What does it say?" Junsu demanded. His temper was becoming visible again, but that didn't frighten Changmin. He would rather see anger on Junsu's face than sorrow once he read the card out loud.

"He was just an employee so it doesn't matter. Just know that he's safe," Changmin replied.

"Changmin, read me the card or I'll punch the air out of you," Junsu threatened.

Changmin sighed before reading, "'Mr. Kim, Happy Birthday. I am sorry that I won't be able to celebrate with you. On a short notice, my fiancé has arrived to take me back home. We're getting married! Do not worry about giving me my paycheck and simply have someone throw out my belongings that are currently in your home. I'm glad you have your vision back. I've found the love of my life and I hope you find yours. Good wishes and happiness to you. Good-bye."

Not 'See you later' or 'See you next time.' Simply, 'Good-bye.' Never to be seen again...

Chapter 11

Changmin closed the card and kept his eyes on Junsu's façade. He looked like he was struggling to cover his pain with anger, with a smile, with anything, but pain. He failed.

"He's...getting married. He had a fiancé. I..." he laughed hysterically, bitterly. "I never asked and I assumed that he didn't...have someone and I went ahead and..."

"You went ahead and fell in love with him."

Junsu laughed bitterly. "Here I thought he returned my feelings and yet in this card, he writes that his fiancé is the love of his life. Stupid, stupid, stupid. How can I be such a fool?"

"Junsu..." Changmin wanted to comfort him, but didn't know how.

"I...maybe I should pretend to stay blind, then maybe he'd come back to take care of me...as an employee," Junsu murmured. It hurt to label Micky as just an 'employee.' "It...I don't...no, I can't do that. Kim Junsu doesn't beg for anything or anyone. I'm not going to beg him to stay with me or love me or...or...just, no begging."

"Junsu, you just recovered. Stress and depression are the last things you need right now."

"The only thing I need is for Micky to be here!" Junsu blasted at the taller man and immediately felt bad for it.

He used to never feel bad about throwing a tantrum at anyone (especially Changmin, because he knew that Changmin didn't feel frightened or hurt by it), but after Micky, Junsu had changed. He'd changed Junsu for the better. He'd given Junsu true happiness...and then he took it away.

■■■■■

"Don't tell him though. He's graduating in several months. I don't want my problems to disrupt his studies."

"Yoochun, why are you doing this to yourself?"

"Why can't you ask why God decided to do this to me?"

Kim Jaejoong sighed as he watched Yoochun cover his left cheek with his hand. "What are you going to do now? Where are you going to go from here?"

"I have nowhere to go. I'll try to find another job and concentrate on taking care of my brother. That's how it's always been and that's how it'll always be. I'm happy with that."

"You used to be happy with the simplicity of life. 'Used to be'," Jaejoong murmured.

"I told you everything because I wanted to vent. I didn't intend for you to try to change my mind and talk me into running back to him."

"You really didn't intend for that?"

"No," Yoochun lied. His best friend knew. "It doesn't matter. You can persuade, you can push. I can find him, run back to him, but it won't matter. He'll see me and...it hurts more to know that he won't just NOT look at me. He'll look at me and see a monster. I'd prefer it if he'd just completely ignore me."

"Yoochun, you're beautiful," Jaejoong forced the other man to look into his eyes, to see the truth of his words.

Yoochun smiled, "Thank you. I will never understand why you decided to be friends with me."

"I'm surprised you were willing to be my friend! Everyone else thought I was a freak."

"It's your fault for being so weird, with your randomness and out-of-this-world ideas."

"That was back in the old days," Jaejoong defended.

"They thought you were weird, but at least they still liked you and were willing to befriend you," Yoochun lowered his head.

"Yoochun..."

"I know, I'm sorry. This self-pity thing gets annoying. I'll stop."

"You stopped long ago, but now, because of that son of a..."

"Jaejoong, don't you need to go to work?"

Jaejoong glanced at his watch and frowned. His frown reminded Yoochun of Junsu...er...Mr. Kim's frown. It was beautiful.

"Yeah, I should get going."

"Thank you for listening to me vent."

"What are friends for?" Jaejoong smiled sweetly at him. "Don't think too much, Yoochun. Rest and don't worry too much about finding another job so soon. I'm sure the paychecks from the last couple of months will last you two for a while."

"Which reminds me; I opened an account in Se7en's name to cash in those checks. I should go take out all the money and then close the account, huh?"

"If you believe that your ex-boss will try to find you then yes, you should," Jaejoong paused. "Do you think he'll come looking for you?"

Yoochun couldn't look into Jaejoong's challenging eyes. "He has a girlfriend that he loves very much, even if she was with him for his money."

"I have to go, Yoochun. Don't think or do anything stupid while I'm at work and Se7en is at school. People with broken hearts tend to do stupid things."

"Go to work, Jaejoong."

■■■■■

"We still have people keeping an eye on the road up the mountains to see if the guy will show up again. Also..." Jung Yunho stopped talking when he noticed that his friend wasn't even listening. "Junsu?"

Junsu blinked and looked over at Yunho. "Huh?"

"Are you okay? You're spacing out."

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about someone."

"'Someone'?" Yunho cocked an eyebrow at the term.

"I mean, 'something'."

"'Something'?" Yunho now had a suspicious expression on his pretty face.

"Tell me what you've found," Junsu frowned, obviously frustrated.

"My men are keeping a close eye on the path..."

"Want to go grocery shopping?"

Yunho blinked. "What?"

"Grocery shopping. I feel like going grocery shopping," Junsu repeated.

"Are you sure your brain is fully recovered?"

Yes, but his heart hadn't fully recovered, or rather, had not recovered at all.

"Do you know which grocery store sells the best steak?"

"I don't know, but I would expect Changmin to know. He even knows the best place to buy steak in America."

"He's not in Seoul."

"No, he called me this morning and said that he's coming to stay in Seoul for a little bit. He says he found someone to take over his clinic on the island and wants to vacation here for a couple of months to watch over you. I'm not so sure why he'd need to watch over you though," Yunho explained, hinting that he knew that there was a secret he didn't know about.

Changmin was probably more concerned with Junsu's broken heart than his recovered brain.

"Then call him. Let's go buy steak and I'll cook tonight."

Yunho's jaw dropped for the nth time since he'd walked into Junsu's office that day. "What?"

"I'll explain over steak and red wine tonight," Junsu sighed.

■■■■■

"You're sure this is the best place to buy steak?"

"Look at who you're asking!" Changmin retorted, having rushed to meet up with his friends as soon as he got off the plane. "Why do you want steak all of a sudden? Is it because...?"

"Yes," Junsu grumbled with a frown as he walked into the grocery store.

Changmin saw Yunho giving him a questioning look. He told the older, but slightly shorter man, "He'll explain over burnt steak and red wine tonight."

Yunho was always a patient person. He could wait.

They followed Junsu around the large market, picking up some things for themselves in the process. Two hours later, it got tiring.

"We've been walking around the same aisles for the past two hours," Yunho pointed out.

"I still don't have all the ingredients," Junsu retorted, looking angry. His temper didn't bother Yunho.

Changmin knew that Junsu was enjoying the process because he'd once mentioned something about Micky going grocery shopping in order to make Junsu the perfect steak. At times, it almost seemed like Junsu was wishing to turn a corner and see Micky standing there, shopping for steak and ingredients too.

Changmin sighed, pitying his good friend. Then he turned his head towards the produce section of the store and had to wonder if he was dreaming. He saw a man wearing faded jeans and a white T under a brown jacket. He wore a cap and a flu mask, with long hair tied back into a ponytail. He looked so much like the housekeeper who had walked Junsu into Changmin's clinic just weeks ago!

"Junsu, look over there," he tugged Junsu's sleeve and made both of his friends stop in their tracks.

"What?" Junsu's eyes wandered the produce section. He did notice the man wearing a hat and a flu mask.

Junsu raised his head to meet Changmin's eyes, as if asking for a confirmation.

"I think he's about that height too..."

Before Changmin could say anymore, Junsu released the shopping cart and ran towards the produce section.

"Junsu!" Yunho called after him, confused by everything that was going on.

Changmin kept his eyes on the man with the flu mask. When he heard Yunho call Junsu's name, the man's head shot up. Behind the bangs, Changmin could see his eyes widen. He saw Junsu running towards him. So he ran.

"Pay for everything and meet us back at Junsu's house," Changmin told Yunho before running after Junsu, who was running after Micky (Changmin was sure that he was Micky, especially since he was running away).

A/N:

As some may know, I'm open to requests when it's Min pairing. Right after .S.t.u.c.k., a certain someone requested for Changmin/Se7en so here it is.

Coincidentally, another friend requested for Changmin/Kyuhyun pairing over at LiveJournal. So if you're more comfortable with Changmin/Kyuhyun, then I'd suggest going here to read: http://micah88.livejournal.com/

After this story (if no other requests are made) then I'll go back to the default, which is Changmin/Kibum.

Thank you!

Chapter 12

"Se7en! Are you done?"

"Hyung? Are you okay? Why are you breathing hard?"

"Are you done?" Yoochun shouted into his new (old model) cell phone.

"I'm done. I'm walking out of the bookstore right now. Are you done with the grocery shopping? Hyung, what's wrong?"

Yoochun looked and saw his brother walking out of the bookstore. It was routine for Se7en to go to the bookstore across the street while Yoochun went grocery shopping.

Ignoring the green light, Yoochun ran across the street and reached his brother. Drivers were braking and shouting words that would be replaced with a 'BEEP' if life was a horrible reality show.

"Hyung! That was dangerous! You always taught me to..."

"Come with me," Yoochun tried to catch his breath as he pushed Se7en back into the bookstore. He turned back for a quick second to see Mr. Kim and Doctor Shim running out of the grocery store.

Unfortunately, they saw Yoochun and were now running towards the bookstore (thankfully, a crowd of people walking in and out of the bookstore made it not so obvious that Yoochun was gripping Se7en's arm).

"Hyung, what's wrong?" Se7en exclaimed.

Yoochun pushed his younger brother into the bathroom (already familiar with the whole store because this was Se7en's favorite place to shop). Then he pulled his brother into one of the stalls and locked the door.

"Take off your jacket and your shirt!"

"What?"

"Se7en!" Yoochun exclaimed, and that was all it took.

Se7en took off his blue jacket and his stripe shirt. Yoochun did the same and the two brothers exchanged shirts and jackets. Yoochun was thankful that their jeans were of similar color.

He reached into his pocket for a new flu mask (he kept these handy now) and put it on Se7en. Then he put the hat on his baby brother's head and told him, "Stay here and don't come out no matter what. Got it? No matter what!"

■■■■■

"Did you see a guy wearing a flu mask run in here?" Junsu asked the clerk.

"I saw someone wearing a flu mask running into the bathroom," the person replied.

Junsu ran for the bathroom. Changmin quickly bowed and thanked the informant before following Junsu.

They had seen Micky running into this bookstore and it looked like he was dragging another guy with him (Changmin wasn't sure since there were so many people around them). Junsu may not have noticed the other guy since he was close to losing his sanity.

They barged into the bathroom and someone was just walking out of a stall.

Changmin nearly ran into Junsu, who was standing frozen near the entrance of the bathroom. He was staring wide-eyed at the person who had just walked out of the stall.

Changmin looked ahead as well to see the person. He wore faded jeans, a stripe shirt under a blue jacket, and had a large scar on the left side of his face. He seemed to be the only one in the bathroom. So where was Micky? Did the clerk make a mistake?

"You!" Junsu exclaimed angrily. Micky was nowhere in sight so Junsu's attention was on this stranger...with the scar.

The man looked frightened.

"Junsu, what...?" Changmin began.

"He's the one who caused my accident!" Junsu shouted. He took a long stride towards the frightened man and landed a punch on his right cheek.

Changmin watched the stranger fall backwards, but did not fight back. He didn't even try to defend himself when Junsu angrily grabbed his shirt and dragged him onto his feet.

"Help me take him to the police! I'm making sure he pays for what he did!"

■■■■■

Se7en covered his mouth with both hands and just listened. He stood with bent knees on the toilet so that the people outside could not see his feet, to see that he was in the bathroom stall. Yoochun had made sure that the door was closed when he walked out of the stall.

Se7en heard another sound and knew that his brother had been punched. He wanted so desperately to walk out, to help his brother.

But he didn't know what was going on.

And Yoochun had made him promise to stay silent, no matter what.

"I'm making sure he pays for what he did!" Se7en heard one of the attackers shout. His heart clenched.

But his brother's words rung in his ear. Yoochun never made Se7en do anything without reason.

When he heard the bathroom door close and finally removed his hands. He was breathing hard, from the anxiety, the hysteria.

What was going on?

Jaejoong would know!

■■■■■

"I can't believe this! I can't believe this!" Jaejoong mumbled a curse as he paced back and forth in the living room.

"Jaejoong hyung, what do we do? What did Yoochun hyung do? Why did he let the other men take him to the police?" Se7en sat there watching Jaejoong pace. He was still wearing his brother's shirt, jacket, and hat.

Jaejoong stopped pacing when he finally came up with a plan. "I'll explain later. Do me a favor now and go over to your apartment and put on a pair of shoes that will make you look taller."

"What?"

"I'll explain later. After you get those shoes on, meet me in the parking lot and I'll drive us to the police station."

Se7en nodded and did as told. Jaejoong ran into his storage room to dig up a wig from his high school, musical theatre days. Sometimes, it just really pays off to have a weird mind.

He gathered whatever else he needed and ran out to meet Se7en in the parking lot. The younger man was wearing the shoes that made him look slightly taller, just enough to match Yoochun's height.

They got into the car and Jaejoong began to drive.

"Listen to me carefully. You're going to pretend to be your brother. Put this wig on and put Yoochun's hat over it; it should be the same length as Yoochun's hair. Remember when you used to imitate his voice to play pranks on me?"

"Yes," Se7en stammered as he adjusted the wig on his head.

"Can you still do that?"

"Yes," Se7en replied, with a bit of confidence in his voice this time.

"Good. This is the only way we can get your brother out of the rut. God knows he won't save his own ass."

Jaejoong spent the rest of the drive telling Se7en everything that Yoochun had told him about the time he had spent working for Kim Junsu.

■■■■■

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Kim," the policeman bowed politely to Junsu as they walked out of the office. "We will have your case taken care of as soon as possible."

They walked pass the department in which another officer was interrogating the man with the 'unsightly' face. Junsu walked in to give the man a disgusted look. The man wouldn't look at him.

"How are you doing?" the head of the department asked his team member.

"He's not talking," the officer informed.

Junsu glared down at the ugly man. "It doesn't matter if you talk or not. You're going to end up in jail no matter what."

The man's head was still low as he slouched in the seat. He looked so defeated.

At this moment, Changmin and Yunho had gotten back from the canteen (having gone down for a drink while Junsu was giving his testimony) and joined them in the department. They looked at the poor man sitting in the chair (hair covering his face) and felt pity towards him.

"Junsu, you have your sight back. Maybe..." Changmin began.

"No! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have gone blind! I wouldn't have lost the one I love! He won't ever be able to pay for what he caused me to lose! Besides, locking him up will do the world good. Just looking at him makes me sick," Junsu scoffed with disgust in his tone.

Changmin and Yunho knew of Junsu's harsh ways. They'd known him since forever and this man wasn't the first person he'd ever publicly insulted. The police wouldn't say a word either because Kim Junsu was rich and powerful in this society.

This society...where people saw with their eyes and not their hearts.

"Shut up!"

Everyone turned their heads to see two other men walk into the department. A female officer followed them, explaining to her co-worker, "They said that they're looking for the man who was taken in from the bookstore."

Nearly the whole station knew because of some blabber mouths in the building and because Junsu had caused a scene when he dragged the 'criminal' in. And of course, they paid extra attention because of the man's...distorted feature.

Changmin and Junsu stared at the one wearing the faded jeans and white T-shirt under the familiar brown jacket. Yunho was staring at the shorter man who had shouted, 'Shut up.'

Chapter 13

Se7en ran to his brother and knelt down next to the chair. He touched his brother's cheek, where a bruise was beginning to form (from Junsu's punch in the bathroom).

"Hyung, are you okay?"

"'Hyung'?" Junsu murmured.

Yoochun's eyes were wide when he saw the wig and hat his brother was wearing (and Se7en's voice sounded just like his own). Then it dawned on him and he raised his head to look at Jaejoong.

Jaejoong ignored his eyes and began to yell at the whole world, "What the hell do you think you're doing? He has the right to a lawyer! And you, don't you dare insult him!"

"Sir," Yunho stepped in between Jaejoong and Junsu to try to calm the shouting man. Although Jaejoong had (before Yunho stepped in) a finger jabbing at Junsu's chest, Junsu wasn't paying attention. His eyes were on Se7en.

"Micky?" Junsu murmured.

Yoochun's eyes showed fear as he looked up at Junsu. Junsu wasn't looking at him.

"You said we were friends! Why are you treating my brother like this?" Se7en stood up to level with Junsu's eyes. His shoes made him slightly taller.

"He's your brother?" Junsu inquired.

Yoochun gripped onto Se7en's hand and begged him to stop.

"Yes, I'm Micky. Yes, he's my brother. He didn't mean to cause your accident! He was rushing down the mountains that day because I had been hospitalized and he was worried to death! He's the best brother in the world and has the kindest heart you'll ever find!"

"I'm..." Junsu began.

"Just let him go! I applied to work for you to help you recover. Can that not make up for everything?" Se7en continued, ignoring Yoochun's silent signals. "If you want then I'll even give you back all the salary money!"

"This is the police station! If you continue to yell..." the policeman tried to interrupt, obviously trying to defend Mr. Kim.

"We're out of here," Jaejoong moved pass Yunho (who kept standing in front of him) to grab Yoochun's other hand.

"Wait," Junsu exclaimed.

Se7en and Jaejoong turned back to glare at him. Se7en continued to imitate Yoochun's voice and retorted, "If you put him in jail then put me in there with him! We'll no longer be friends and don't you dare speak another word to me!"

"No, I'm sorry. I won't sue him. I won't," Junsu promised. "But...can we talk? I want to talk to you, Micky. Please?"

Yoochun's eyes shifted nervously from Jaejoong to Se7en; then to the tall Doctor Shim who had been silent this whole time as well as the other tall man who kept staring at Jaejoong. He squeezed Se7en and Jaejoong's hands.

"Fine, but not here," Jaejoong spoke anyway. Se7en nodded in agreement.

"Okay, anywhere is fine, as long as you're willing to talk to me," Junsu spoke to Se7en in a soft tone. His lips showed a grateful smile that made Yoochun's heart hurt.

■■■■■

Yoochun saw that Jaejoong was driving back home while Junsu's car followed behind.

"What are you doing? Don't show them where we live!" he hissed.

"Don't worry, I have this all planned out." Jaejoong had spoken this statement numerous times in the past and it made Yoochun wary every single time.

"How? By making my brother pretend to be me? Are you insane?"

"We saved your butt, didn't we? You certainly weren't going to save yourself!" Jaejoong retorted.

"Hyung, please, we're just trying to help you," Se7en (who sat in the backseat) tried to persuade.

"This isn't going to work!" Yoochun protested.

"I didn't see you talking so much back at the station," Jaejoong drawled as he drove.

"I..." Yoochun didn't know what to say.

"It's your choice, Yoochun. Either you confess to him or we plot to push him away."

"Hyung, maybe..." Se7en wanted to say that maybe it was best to tell Kim Junsu the truth. Yoochun knew better.

"No, he'll never be able to accept it. I can't. Park Yoochun is a monster in his eyes, but Micky isn't. Micky is a beautiful imagination. I don't want to ruin that beauty."

"Yoochun..." Jaejoong sighed.

"Plot to push him away."

"I'll respect your decision. For now, we just need to make him promise not to put you in jail."

"Then what? Se7en can't pretend to be me forever."

"He only needs to pretend to be you until Kim Junsu gives up."

"Will he give up?"

Part of Yoochun wanted Junsu to give up. Another part of him didn't.

"Didn't you use marriage as an excuse to quit your job?"

The light bulb clicked on. "Yes."

"Perfect."

■■■■■

The five (Yoochun, Se7en, Changmin, Junsu, and Yunho) sat in the living room of Jaejoong's apartment. It was slightly bigger than Yoochun and Se7en's living room. Besides, letting Kim Junsu into the Park resident today (when they were unprepared) risked giving him clues.

"Can we talk in private?" Junsu finally spoke after a moment too long of silence.

Se7en cleared his throat, remembering to imitate his brother's voice, "There's nothing for us to talk about that will require privacy."

Junsu frowned. Yoochun missed that frown, but he didn't stare for too long. He sat in the one-seat sofa, silent and head lowered.

Silence happened again as Jaejoong finally appeared with the beverages. He placed a variety of soda and juice cans in the middle of the coffee table.

"Take your pick," he announced. "I make it a habit to take care of any guests who come to my house...even if I hate their guts."

Junsu ignored Jaejoong's glare.

"Sit down, Joongie" Se7en patted the empty seat next to him. Junsu didn't like that and he was sure that 'Joongie' wasn't the beautiful man's real name; it was an intimate nickname.

"I guess my manners are one of the reasons you love me so much," Jaejoong grinned charmingly at Se7en, wrapping an arm around the younger man.

Yunho and Changmin suddenly felt disappointed, but remained silent. Junsu didn't bother to hide his own disappointment.

"So this guy is your fiancé?" he spoke in a voice, so pain-filled that Yoochun had to look at him. He didn't look at Yoochun.

"Yes, we're getting married soon. I believe I made that clear in the birthday card," Se7en spoke. He had to bring up things from the previous times so that Junsu would believe that he was really 'Micky'.

"You two...really match," Junsu forced himself to compliment. "A great looking pair."

Se7en and Jaejoong exchanged glances; they felt themselves hurting for Yoochun because of Junsu's words.

"I really appreciate that you will forgive my brother. His freedom is the best wedding gift I could ask for," Se7en spoke in Yoochun's voice.

Junsu still wouldn't look at Yoochun.

"Your gift was the best gift I'd ever received as well," he smiled. He looked like he was trying really hard to remind Se7en (or 'Micky') of their happy moments. It was as if he believed that those happy moments may make 'Micky' realize that he was actually in love with Junsu and not the beautiful man that he would marry.

"I'm glad you like it," Se7en replied, trying to remember what the gift was. Jaejoong and Yoochun had stuffed so much information into his brain in such short time that it was hard to remember every little thing.

"Yes, I'll always be reminded to 'look on the bright side'. It's nice to be able to see again. I'm...happy to be able to see you," Junsu rambled. He just wanted to keep talking because he didn't want to leave. He didn't want to leave Micky.

"Junsu, it's getting late," Changmin suddenly spoke.

"You haven't been sleeping well for the past week. Let's get you home to rest," Yunho placed a hand on his shoulder.

Changmin glanced over to see that Se7en wasn't showing any concern that Junsu had not slept well in the past week. Meanwhile, the silent man with the scar looked saddened by the information.

Reluctantly, Junsu nodded. His eyes were always on Se7en. "Good night, Micky."

"Good bye, Mr. Kim," Se7en replied; politely, like a stranger.

Junsu was hurt that Micky was suddenly treating him like a stranger. He was probably angry at the way Junsu had treated his brother.

"I'll visit you tomorrow," Junsu smiled, a hopeful smile.

Yoochun had to look away because it hurt. It hurt to see the egotistic, self-confident tycoon suddenly look like a lost child, begging to be accepted.

"There's no need. I'll be busy planning for the wedding," Se7en said, again with no compassion in his voice.

"Now if you'll all leave, my baby needs to sleep," Jaejoong wrapped his arms around Se7en. The gesture was meant to tell Junsu that Se7en (or rather, 'Micky') belonged to Jaejoong, and only Jaejoong.

Junsu got the message. He looked away because it hurt too much. With one last glance at the hugging couple, he walked out of the apartment. Yunho and Changmin looked at each of the three (the couple and the mute man in the corner) before following Junsu out.

Se7en noticed that the tallest man stared at him for a moment too long and felt slightly uncomfortable. Did he know?

Chapter 14

"You're sure he's Micky?"

"Why don't you tell me? You were blessed to be able to see him when I couldn't."

Changmin looked into the rear-view mirror to see Junsu's frown. Yunho had his eyes on the road.

"The height seems right and he's skinny, although he seemed skinnier back on the island."

"You haven't seen him in a week. Maybe his fiancé fattened him up for the wedding," Yunho pointed out. "His fiancé looks capable of cooking a mean meal."

"You'd know. You were staring at him the whole time," Junsu drawled.

"I was not!" Yunho defended.

"He wore a hat and the flu mask when I saw him too," Changmin reminded, getting back on topic.

"Don't you recognize his eyes?"

"So what if I do? His eyes look like his brother's eyes. You want me to tell you that his brother is your Micky?"

"Hell no! That's not possible!" Junsu exclaimed.

"You don't have to react like that," Yunho murmured.

"The guy is mute and...has that scar. He can't be Micky."

"Then it's confirmed? Micky's brother had caused your accident so he went ahead and applied for the housekeeping job to make up for his brother's mistake?" Changmin clarified.

"Yes."

"So what if he's Micky? He's getting married," Yunho reminded as he turned into the driveway.

"What do you plan to do, Junsu?" Changmin inquired.

Junsu was silent for a moment before answering, "I'm going to give them the biggest wedding of the year!"

"What? Why?" the two taller men chorused.

Junsu sighed tiredly. "I obviously fell in love with Micky when we were on that island, but he clearly doesn't return my feelings."

Changmin and Yunho exchanged eye contact, not knowing how to react. They'd never seen Junsu like this. He usually used his temper to cover up this...depressing reaction.

"How does helping them with the wedding fix that?"

Leaning back against the car seat, Junsu ran a hand through his hair. "Give me a break. I'm trying to crush my own heart here. Micky didn't break it thoroughly enough so I might as well take it into my own hands."

■■■■■

Yoochun ruffled his hair and dragged his tired body to the door. He'd been unable to sleep last night, finally finding sleep at six in the morning. It was now eight. Jaejoong was at work and Se7en was at school. Yoochun was too tired and sleepy to look through the peephole before opening the door.

He became wide awake when he saw the person standing at the door. The person's smile faded when he saw Yoochun.

In a serious, polite manner, the visitor spoke, "Is Micky here?"

Yoochun shook his head left and right. His hands unconsciously rose to fix his hair (and brush some strands forward to cover as much of the scar as possible).

"Can you tell me where he is?" Junsu didn't acknowledge Yoochun's effort.

Yoochun quickly searched for paper and pen. Jaejoong had said that it's best if Yoochun pretended to be mute. They didn't say anything, but the other three probably already made their own assumptions.

He found one of Se7en's notebooks and wrote [He went out to breakfast with Jaejoong.]

Junsu kept his eyes on the notebook, standing (too) far from Yoochun. He was even willing to strain his neck to read upside down rather then step closer. Yoochun didn't bother to step closer either.

"Do you know when he'll...they'll be back?" the slightly shorter man inquired. He turned his head to look around the small living room so that he wasn't looking at Yoochun.

He waited until he heard the sound of scribbling before looking back down at the notebook.

[He'll be back when you leave.]

Junsu grew angry. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He was looking at Yoochun now, finally. But not in the good way. His eyes were uncontrollably shifting to the scar. Yoochun turned his face slightly so that Junsu could only see the right side of his face.

[It means you should leave him alone. He's happy with Jaejoong.]

Junsu read the words and frowned some more. Yoochun missed the frown.

Then the frown faded and Junsu threw Yoochun a challenging look, "That means you know I'm in love with your brother."

Yoochun felt like someone had knocked the air out of his lungs. He hadn't...he didn't...think about...or realized that.

Talk about being blind...

...or maybe it wasn't that he was blind. He was just in denial.

[Please leave.]

Junsu suavely looked away, eyes avoiding. Then he simply said, "I'll come back later," and left.

■■■■■

"I'm going to help you set up your wedding!"

Se7en and Jaejoong's mouths dropped open.

"Don't you have a huge company to run or something? We just plan on having a small party with close friends. There's no need..."

"I insist. We're friends, right? I owe you for being there for me when I was blind. I know my temper isn't easy to handle."

Yoochun, who was sitting silently next to Se7en, reached behind his baby brother to tug the sleeve of the shirt that Jaejoong (who sat on the other side of Se7en) was wearing.

"No, I don't..."

"Why not? He has too much money. It's about time he does something good with it," Changmin cut in, eyes on Se7en.

Se7en felt uncomfortable because of his suspicious eyes. "I don't..."

"Unless you two aren't actually getting married, then I don't see a reason why you wouldn't let Junsu get involved," the tallest man pointed out.

Se7en glanced at Jaejoong. He played with the ends of the wig he was wearing so that his hand covered his mouth. Silently, his lips moved to silently say, "Now what?"

"Well, can't say 'no' to free money," Jaejoong shrugged. Se7en and Yoochun stared at him with wide eyes.

Junsu frowned, wondering if this pretty man was a money craving fiend. It would be nice if he was. Junsu had spent too much time trying to find a flaw in the man, hopefully a flaw that would make Micky dump him.

"It's set then!"

"Jaejoong..." Se7en tried to protest.

"It's okay, baby. Let him do what he wants. The only thing that matters in the end is that the one you're marrying is me."

Yoochun silently performed a face-palm and shook his head. This was getting out of hand.

■■■■■

"He agreed?" Yunho exclaimed. He'd been at work all day and was now joining Changmin and Junsu in a bar.

Junsu ignored his surprise and brought up another topic, "Do you know someone who's good at fixing phones? I need this one fixed."

Changmin and Yunho looked at the small zip-lock bag that Junsu pulled out of his pocket. Inside were scattered pieces of a broken phone. It wasn't even the latest model.

"Can't you just buy a new one? It's such an old model," Yunho pointed out.

"It belonged to Micky. Don't you think it'll be more special if I get this phone fixed for him? It'll make him remember our time on the island and hopefully..."

"I thought the point of helping them with the marriage was to make you let go of him!" Changmin interrupted.

"Yeah, but until then, I can keep trying."

Changmin rolled his eyes. "You've changed. You're pathetic...and confusing."

Junsu chose to ignore him. A waitress in a skimpy outfit walked over to their table. "Hello, Handsomes. Can I get you guys something to drink?"

Changmin and Yunho ordered alcohol (it was a bar after all). When it was Junsu's turn, he said, "Orange juice."

Yunho, Changmin, and the waitress looked at him like he'd grown a third eye.

"Orange juice?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

Changmin spoke to Yunho, "You want to bet me fifty bucks that Micky's favorite drink is orange juice?"

"I'm not stupid, Changmin," Yunho drawled.

"Being stupid is better than being confused," the young doctor replied, his eyes sliding towards Junsu. Junsu ignored him and thanked the waitress who was quick to bring the cute man a glass of orange juice.

Chapter 15

"Maybe we should stop this. It's interrupting his studies."

"Don't worry, Hyung. I can handle it," Se7en smiled at his older brother.

"Isn't there an easier, faster way to make him go away?" Yoochun sighed.

"The best way was to break his heart, but that obviously didn't work on the guy. He's more stubborn than an ox," Jaejoong grumbled.

"I want this to be over with too. It gives me goosebumps when Jaejoong hyung hugs me," Se7en spoke.

"Then I'll do more than hug you the next time they're around," Jaejoong countered.

"Don't corrupt my brother," Yoochun warned.

"He corrupts me," Jaejoong retorted.

They remained silent long enough to finish the last few bites of dinner. Se7en helped Yoochun with the dishes while Jaejoong lazed in the chair.

"Now what do we do?" Yoochun inquired, referring to Junsu's proposal to help with the false wedding.

"Se7en and I get married. We're not even putting in a cent for it."

"Are you serious? I can't marry you!" the youngest cried.

"Don't worry, we'll divorce afterwards. But you'll be the one paying my alimony."

"You make more money than me! I don't make much from tutoring."

"Who knows? After you finish college, you may find a high paying job, especially with your math talents."

Yoochun smiled proudly. He was always proud of his baby brother. Se7en loved seeing that smile on his hyung's face.

"Even if I do make a lot of money, it's all going to go to my brother," Se7en finished drying the dishes and wrapped an arm around Yoochun's shoulders.

"I'm jealous," Jaejoong pouted.

"Because Yoochun hyung has such an awesome brother like me?" the youngest smirked. Yoochun chuckled and tilted his head to lightly bump heads with his baby brother.

"No, because you have such a loving brother like Yoochun. Now shut up."

■■■■■

Yoochun silently sat in the chair, head low and hat covering his face. He was flipping through a wedding magazine and growing envious by the page.

Junsu sat on the other side of the sofa flipping through his own magazine. They were both completely ignoring each other.

Jaejoong and Se7en were putting on their suits.

"How do I look?" Jaejoong twirled happily as he modeled the suit. Se7en stood next to him tugging at the collar and making a disgusted face.

Junsu automatically dropped his magazine and walked over to Se7en to help him fix his tie. "What do you think, Micky? Do you like Armani?"

"I should be the last one you ask. I used to think Armani was a city in Europe," Se7en drawled, remembering to imitate his brother's voice.

Yoochun sat there rolling his eyes behind his bangs.

Junsu chuckled and Yoochun wished he was the one to have made Junsu laugh. Well, technically, he was...right? It'd become so confusing.

"I think you look really good in this one," Junsu said as he picked invisible lint off Se7en's shoulder. "You look so handsome; I can't believe I used to think you were a girl in disguise."

Yoochun remembered how Junsu always asked him if he was a girl in disguise. Were happy memories supposed to hurt?

"Hello? I need compliments too!" Jaejoong interrupted, stepping in between the two men. Junsu clearly didn't like that. Nor did he like seeing Se7en cling to Jaejoong's arm.

"You look okay," Junsu spoke in a dull voice.

Jaejoong didn't like that. He turned to Se7en to ask, "Micky, sweetie, how do I look?"

"The most handsome in this world," Se7en grinned cheekily.

"Oh, boo, you're so honest!" Jaejoong puckered his lips and pinched Se7en's cheeks.

Se7en reached up to pinch Jaejoong's cheeks for revenge, even though it looked like he was doing it out of love. Yoochun faked a cough.

"Hyung, how do I look?" Se7en ran over to his brother. Yoochun smiled and gave him two thumbs up.

"I wish you'd say the same about yourself," Se7en sighed as he brushed lightly at his brother's bangs. Yoochun whacked his hand away.

Yoochun pointed at his watch and then the door. Se7en understood so he asked, "Are we done yet?"

It was getting late and Se7en needed to go home to study.

"If you're satisfied with these suits then we're done. Along with the previously picked suits, these will be sent to the photography place. I scheduled the photo session for tomorrow, by the way," Junsu spoke with a smile, his eyes on Se7en the whole time.

Yoochun tugged on Se7en's hand and shook his head from left to right. Jaejoong understood.

"Tomorrow won't work," Jaejoong voiced.

"Why not?" Junsu raised a rude eyebrow at Jaejoong. He only smiled when he spoke to Se7en...because he thought Se7en was 'Micky'.

"Micky and I are going on an anniversary date," he lied. Se7en and Yoochun nodded in agreement.

Junsu didn't like that. "Okay, fine. I'll call to reschedule it."

"Why don't you just have one of your employees call?" Se7en was curious.

"I'm making all the calls and doing everything by myself," Junsu smiled at him, wanting him to know how much this wedding meant to him, how much Micky meant to him.

Se7en smiled uncomfortably. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yoochun lower his head sadly.

■■■■■

Se7en glanced impatiently at his watch, and then stretched his neck to find a taxi. He tried to flag one down, but the vehicle was already occupied. He was starving to death and his brain was fried from the exam he'd just taken. He wanted to go home and chow down on his brother's wonderful cooking.

A blue compact pulled up. He couldn't recognize the car's model. Yoochun was the one obsessed with cars, Se7en grew up collecting bugs.

"Jump in," the driver invited.

"Mr. Kim?"

"I was just about to drive to your apartment," the older man smiled. The school was along the way to his apartment. Thank goodness his school didn't require uniforms so besides the backpack, Junsu couldn't tell that Se7en was a student.

He couldn't know that Se7en was still in school, which was why Jaejoong lied about the anniversary date (instead of telling him that Se7en had an exam tonight). He couldn't be a student and have gone to work for Junsu on the island at the same time. The timing didn't work out.

"Thanks," Se7en got into the car.

"Did you cut your hair?" Junsu inquired.

Se7en's palms sweat. He didn't wear the wig to school. His classmates would have laughed until all their teeth fell out of their mouths.

"Just this morning," he lied, touching the ends of his hair because he was nervous. Then he quickly added, "I found a part-time job at this college. I help with the night classes so Jaejoong dropped me off here after our anniversary date."

"What's it like dealing with all the college students?" Junsu was making conversation as he drove.

"Better than high school students," Se7en shrugged, remembering to imitate his brother's voice with every word he spoke.

"Have you eaten? Want to go out for steak? I mean..." Junsu was about to correct himself, because for a moment there, he'd forgotten that Micky was a vegetarian.

"Steak sounds delicious, but my brother made food at home."

Junsu blinked. Didn't Micky once say that he was a vegetarian? Or was Junsu remembering wrong?

"Oh," he murmured. "May I join?"

"I guess so," Se7en murmured. Something told him that Yoochun would want to see more of Junsu.

"Thank you!" Junsu grinned.

His grin; he looked so beautiful and handsome. Was that why his brother had fallen in love with this man?

Se7en still couldn't understand.

Chapter 16

"Why did you invite him?" Yoochun hissed after pulling his baby brother into his room. It was safe to leave Junsu in the living room because they were sure that nothing would give him a clue about their lies.

"Don't you want to see more of him while he's still around?"

"No!"

"Oh, sorry." Se7en didn't sound sorry.

Yoochun frowned. "You better not eat any meat at tonight's meal then."

"What? Why not?"

"I'm a vegetarian!"

"No! Oh, man! Don't do this to me! I'm a growing boy!" Se7en pulled on Yoochun's sleeve like a little kid.

"It's your fault!" Yoochun smirked. "Now change into more comfortable clothes and then come out right away. I'll text Jaejoong to have him come over and help eat the non-vegetarian dishes."

"Um...there's something else I should tell you."

"What?"

"On the drive home, I made a compliment about steak being delicious."

"Se7en!" Yoochun exclaimed.

"Maybe he won't notice!"

"He's not stupid! I keep sensing that there's something else we've messed up on too, but I just can't remember! We don't need to drop more clues for him to suspect!"

"He'll start suspecting if we're in here for too long."

Yoochun released a growl of frustration and glared at his brother one last time before walking out of the room.

Se7en sighed in relief. He changed into more comfortable clothes and was about to walk out of his room. But before leaving, he walked to the calendar hanging on the wall and drew an X on today's date.

Then he walked out to the awkward silence between Junsu and Yoochun. Junsu sat in the living room reading a magazine while Yoochun was setting the table. It was like the other person didn't exist.

At least Junsu didn't try to tour the house. As long as he stayed in the living room or the kitchen, then he shouldn't find any clues to make him suspicious.

"Micky!" Junsu dropped the magazine when he saw Se7en walk out. "You look good in that outfit."

Se7en looked down at the sweats and plain shirt. Smiling uncomfortably, he said, "Thanks."

The doorbell rang and Yoochun walked out to answer it. Junsu usually avoided looking at Yoochun, but this time, he allowed his eyes to settle on the apron that Yoochun was now wearing. The words imprinted on the apron were: 'Look on the bright side.'

Junsu concluded that Micky must have bought it for his older brother.

Older brother...

A certain memory suddenly came back to him. Didn't Micky say that he had a younger brother? Was it 'younger' brother?

"Jaejoongie!" Se7en ran to hug the person who had just arrived.

Junsu looked at them hug each other and wondered why he was less jealous today than he was yesterday (but still jealous, nonetheless). Maybe he was just too tired today.

"Micky, baby!" Jaejoong embraced Se7en and cradled him. Yoochun rolled his eyes at the two terrible actors.

Yoochun glanced over to see Junsu looking confused. Did he remember something? Was he suspecting?

"Let's eat," Se7en suggested as he swung hands with Jaejoong and walked to the dining table. He and Jaejoong sat next to each other, so Junsu was left to sit next to Yoochun (but across from Se7en).

Throughout the meal, Yoochun kept picking meat to put into Jaejoong's bowl. Se7en tried very hard to refrain from the plate of meat.

Halfway through the meal, Junsu asked, "Are both of you vegetarians?"

Se7en and Yoochun exchanged eye contact. Yoochun reached his chopsticks over to grab a piece of meat to place in his own bowl. He'd wait for a chance to throw it into Jaejoong's bowl when Junsu wasn't looking (hopefully that opportunity would come).

"Everything is really good," Junsu complimented, sparing Yoochun a quick glance to be polite. Then he immediately turned back to Se7en, "Do you help your brother cook too?"

"I can't c..."

Yoochun grabbed a piece of broccoli and stuffed it into his baby brother's mouth. Jaejoong understood.

"He can't cook as well as Yoochun," the best friend immediately explained. "But I love him anyway."

Junsu ignored the last statement. "Really? But this meal is really good and as I recall, your cooking is just as tasty as tonight's meal."

Se7en and Jaejoong saw Yoochun smile at the compliment. Junsu didn't see.

"Sorry that I didn't compliment your cooking like I should have back on the island," Junsu was smiling at Se7en.

"You really liked the meals?" Se7en inquired, feeling like his brother would want to know.

"Yes, better than restaurants or professionals that I've ever hired."

Se7en smiled when he saw Yoochun's touched smile. He spoke for his brother, "Thank you."

"And I apologize for being an insensitive jerk back on the island. I owe you many words of gratitude. I really appreciate you for everything and am very glad that you applied for the job. While I was blind, I really felt that your presence was a gift from Heaven."

Se7en saw the sincerity and love in Junsu's eyes and wished that his brother could see it. But his brother was only slouching back in his seat and listening with his head lowered.

"I'm glad to have been able to help. It was my...brother's fault after all," Se7en murmured. In his tone, it was obvious that he was blaming himself...because it had been his fault that Yoochun had to rush down the mountains.

"It's okay, all is forgiven now," Junsu turned to his left to look at Yoochun. He was without a hat now and because Junsu sat on his right side, Junsu couldn't see the scar. "All is forgiven, right?"

Yoochun blinked and realized that Junsu was talking to him. When he turned to look at Junsu, the scar came into view again and he saw Junsu's eyes land on the slightly visible scar. Yoochun turned to his side again to hide the scar. Then he just nodded.

Junsu turned back to Se7en. "See? Your brother agrees too."

Se7en forced a smile, suddenly hating Junsu. "Let's finish eating so you can get home. It's getting late. It's dangerous to be driving around when it's this late."

Junsu nodded, obviously happy that Se7en was caring.

Half an hour later, Junsu left. Se7en and Jaejoong pretended to cuddle on the sofa so that Yoochun could walk him out. At least he spared Yoochun a quick glance when he said good-bye.

As soon as the door closed...

"Next time he comes to dinner, I'm poisoning his rice!" Jaejoong exclaimed.

"I'll be in charge of poisoning his drink!" Se7en announced.

"What the heck are you two talking about?" Yoochun frowned.

"Don't worry, we won't kill him. That's too nice," Jaejoong clarified.

"We'll just give him diarrhea for a couple of days!" Se7en and Jaejoong performed a duet of frightening laughter and Yoochun wondered if they needed a whack to the head.

"Why?" Yoochun wasn't sure he should even ask.

"We saw the way he looked at your scar! We saw the way you had to turn away! That superficial bast..."

"Jaejoong, everyone stares at my scar," Yoochun sighed as he took a seat.

"Yeah, but it hurts you more when he does it!"

"Look, I've been stressed enough these past days. I keep feeling like we're forgetting something and I'm worried that he'll find out that Se7en isn't me."

"Do you realize that you're trying so hard to push him away because you know that he's in love with you too?" Jaejoong inquired.

Of course Yoochun knew. Junsu had confessed his love for Micky to Yoochun, hadn't he? Only he thought he was confessing to 'the older brother' instead of 'the real one'.

"He'll get over it."

"Will he?" Se7en sat next to his brother and started to massage his tense shoulders.

"Yes," Yoochun whispered, lacking confidence in his words. Or perhaps it was because he was afraid that his words would be true. It hurt either way.

"Will you eventually get over him?" Jaejoong tested.

"Yes," Yoochun replied in the same, weak tone.

Silence stretched between the three of them.

Then Jaejoong decided to ask, "What are you thinking about?"

Yoochun closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "I'm wondering why I fell in love with him in the first place. He's ill-tempered, superficial, selfish, arrogant..."

"You really don't know?"

"Maybe because of his looks," Yoochun tried to grasp onto any excuse he could think of, "which is a good thing, because if a person falls in love with another person for his/her appearance then the love won't last."

"Then that means his love for you WILL last...," Jaejoong pointed out.

"What?"

"...since he didn't even know what you looked like when he fell in love with you. I'm pretty sure he fell in love with you during the time that he was blind," the older man reminded.

Speechless, Yoochun buried his face in his hands.

Se7en continued to rub his brother's shoulders while mumbling, "Man, I hope I never fall in love. It's such a pain in the butt."

Chapter 17

"Where are you heading after lunch?"

"I'm going to run some errands and then get to Junsu's house to give him this old cell phone. He's should be back from the photo studio by then."

"You got it fixed?"

"No, my friend could only recover some stuff from the chip."

"Like what?"

"Pictures and maybe half of the numbers in the phone book," Yunho shrugged. "I tried putting the chip into my own phone, but only the pictures and some numbers will pull up."

"What pictures?"

Yunho placed his mug of coffee onto the plate and reached into his pockets. Changmin sipped his own coffee as he watched Yunho replaced the chip in his phone with the one Junsu had given him.

"Just pictures of Micky," Yunho informed. "But I did find something funny about the pictures."

"What is it?" Changmin was really curious now.

Yunho handed his phone to Changmin. "Micky's hair is so short in these pictures compared to his current shoulder-length."

Changmin held the phone at a good distant and examined the pictures. The person grinning at the camera looked so cute and handsome that Changmin could feel the rate of his heartbeat quicken.

"Maybe they're old pictures," Changmin tried to concentrate on the conversation.

"That's what I thought too, but I had some of the pictures enlarged. Check this out," Yunho uncovered a regular size photo from the pocket of his jacket.

Changmin took the picture and analyzed it. He wanted to coo at the charming grin and beautifully squinted eyes.

"You don't see it, do you?" Yunho interrupted the younger man's thoughts because Changmin was obviously lost in his own world.

"See what?" Changmin blinked.

"The way you look at the guy in the picture makes me worry. He's Junsu's love interest, Changmin."

Changmin frowned. "Am I that obvious?"

"Not as obvious as me, I suppose," Yunho sighed.

"What is this; some kind of movie? How can I suddenly be attracted to Micky after seeing him without the flu mask? How can you suddenly be attracted to Micky's fiancé, of all people?" the younger man exclaimed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. The people who sat around them were giving them weird looks.

"Do you think Junsu notices?"

"He noticed you staring at Jaejoong."

"But the important question is does he notice you staring at Micky."

"Maybe he thinks I'm helping him observe Micky. I'll stop staring," Changmin paused. "I'll try."

"'Try' may not be good enough."

Changmin's brows furrowed. "Back on topic. Why did you enlarge this picture?"

"I had it enlarged and had this particular corner sharpened; it's still blurry, but you can see the calendar hanging behind him," Yunho pointed to the corner on the photo.

Changmin got a better look, forcing himself to not be distracted by Micky's charm. He saw the calendar and the large X on each box in the first two rows. The X's ended on the twentieth date.

"He crosses out each box as the days pass. The crossing stops on the twentieth so does it mean that the picture was taken on that day? Doesn't the phone have information like date and time on pictures?"

"The phone was shattered. That part of the pictures wasn't recoverable," Yunho informed.

Changmin looked at his watch and noted today's date. "I don't think it's possible for his hair to grow out that much in such short time."

"That's what I thought."

Changmin thought about it. Then he said, "Do you think he isn't the real Micky?"

"Possible," Yunho shrugged.

"But...why?"

"I'm still figuring that out. I have several other cases to follow too, you know? Unlike you, I still need to work."

"Hey, I didn't work my butt off to graduate early and become a doctor for nothing. I'm enjoying it now while you suffer because you always ditched school."

Yunho rolled his eyes, and then grabbed Changmin's watch. "I need to get going. Junsu will throw another one of his tantrums if I'm late. I'm not paid to put up with it."

"He's still throwing random tantrums? I thought those stopped a while ago."

Yunho sighed as he stood up, "Only for Micky."

■■■■■

"Micky!"

Se7en turned around to see who had shouted the name. He saw the owner of the voice and was thankful that his classmates had just turned the corner.

"Doctor Shim, hi," Se7en changed his voice immediately.

"I'm your age. You can just call me Changmin," the taller man grinned.

Did Junsu tell Changmin how old Yoochun was?

Se7en raised his head and his eyes glowed with admiration, "Really? You're that young, but you're a doctor already?"

"I got lucky," he was being modest and Se7en couldn't help but admire him even more.

"I wish I was that smart," the younger man said as they began to walk away from the school (before any professors or classmates saw Se7en).

"Junsu told me that you work part-time at this college," Changmin eyed his backpack. Se7en told himself that it's normal for anyone (who isn't a student) to be carrying a backpack.

"Yeah."

It was best to say as little as possible around this genius.

"I like your new hair cut," Changmin tried to start another conversation. He also noted that Micky's current haircut looked about the same length as it was in the pictures Yunho had shown him earlier today. This reminded him of WHY he had come looking for Micky in the first place (certainly not just because Changmin wanted to see him).

"Thank you," Se7en grinned nervously as he touched his hair. The difference (between now and when Junsu made a comment about his hair) was that Se7en was unconsciously fixing his hair and hoping it didn't look like he just woke up.

"So what does your brother do?" It was another topic to cover the silence.

"He's looking for a job right now."

"It must be hard for him," Changmin murmured.

Se7en always got sensitive when talking about his brother. "Yeah, those stupid people are so superficial; so many have denied him a job because of his...appearance. It's not his fault."

Changmin didn't miss the bitterness in the other man's voice. "Sorry."

Se7en blinked and looked up at Changmin. "For what?"

"For being superficial," he replied, meaning he had been discriminate towards Yoochun too (although he didn't make it obvious like Junsu had).

Se7en sighed as he looked ahead, "It's okay. We've learned to accept it. We can't change other people. At least most people are nice enough to not say anything. It's worst when we encounter the people who make disgusted faces or give their unwanted input."

"One disgusted face or one unwanted input causes a bigger blow to his self-esteem than ten people who pretend to ignore the scar."

"You really can't blame them. They're not in our position so they don't realize how much it hurts," Se7en looked down and kicked a pebble that was in his way. "Hyung once said that we'd probably be as superficial as them if he didn't have that scar on his face or if I didn't have a brother like him. But the world isn't all bad, you know? Cause there is also people like Jaejoong!"

He almost looked too childish to be the one who had taken such good care of Junsu back on the island, who had patiently waited outside the doctor's office and carefully took Junsu's hand to walk him out.

"I'll try to change my views from now on," Changmin felt the need to make that promise.

Se7en looked at him and grinned happily. Changmin forgot to breathe.

"Thank you!" Then he stopped smiling and Changmin regretted not having a camera in hand. With a frown, Se7en added, "If only other people could be like you."

Chapter 18

"If only other people could be like you."

Changmin got the feeling that he was talking about Junsu.

Was Micky in love with Junsu? Maybe not.

But Junsu was in love with Micky!

Either way, Changmin couldn't...shouldn't...wouldn't be the third wheel.

"So where are you heading?"

"Photo shoot," Se7en pointed at the building across the street. Had they walked that far? Changmin didn't notice. He just followed. The walk almost seemed too short.

"There's your fiancé and your brother about to walk into the studio. Let's go," Changmin suggested. If he watched Micky taking wedding pictures with his fiancé, then that should help break the spell.

"Hyung!" Se7en waved as he shouted for the two men who were about to enter the shop. He ran across the street and didn't see the car coming his way (the light had just barely turned red and the driver was choosing to run a red light).

"Micky!" Changmin shouted as he reached out to grab Se7en's arm. He tugged too hard and the younger man fell backwards into his arms. He wrapped his arms protectively around Se7en's waist as he glared at the vehicle that was already speeding away.

Jaejoong and Yoochun ran across the street to get to them. Yoochun pulled the stunned Se7en out of Changmin's arms and hugged him tightly. Jaejoong wrapped his arms around the both of them.

Changmin looked at the three and smiled a little at how loving they were to each other.

His smile faded when he looked across the street at the photo studio. Through the glass door, he saw Junsu looking...no, glaring at him. Junsu had seen everything.

Everything.

■■■■■

"Why were you with him? How many times have you gone to him behind my back?" Junsu demanded angrily, both of his fists grippingly tightly onto the front of Changmin's shirt.

"Junsu, calm down," Yunho tried to pry Junsu away from Changmin.

Junsu ignored Yunho's words. Changmin didn't try to fight back.

"Are you attracted to Micky? You kept calling him cute when you first met him at the clinic! Are you trying to take him away from me?"

Changmin wanted to say that Micky wasn't Junsu's in the first place. He belonged to Jaejoong. Not Junsu...and certainly not Changmin.

"Junsu..." Yunho tried again.

"I'm not blind! I saw you and him walking towards the studio. I saw the way you were looking at him! You had your arms around him too! I'm not blind, Changmin!" Junsu spoke through gritted teeth. "Are you trying to take him away from me?"

Changmin weakly turned away, unable to look at his good friend. He sighed, "Do you want the truth or the lie?"

Junsu's grip loosened and he whispered (almost begging, begging his best friend to lie), "Tell me the truth."

Yunho felt a stab at his heart as he watched the two best friends. It always hurts the bystander to see friendship being destroyed because of love.

"No," Changmin murmured. "I'm not trying to take Micky away from you."

And that was the truth. He wouldn't steal love from his best friend.

Junsu felt the anger leave his body, but relief didn't replace the emotion. Confusion made him weak and he fell backwards onto the sofa in his living room.

Changmin's head was low (as if ashamed) as he walked towards the door, needing to leave.

"Wait," Junsu's word stopped him. "Have you fallen for Micky?"

Changmin had the door opened and all he needed to do was walk out and run. But that didn't matter because running away would be the same answer.

With his back still towards Junsu and Yunho, he asked, "Truth or lie?"

"Lie."

"No."

And that was the lie.

He walked out and the door closed behind him. The clicking of the closed door was soft to the ears, but it sounded like an explosion to the heart.

"Junsu..." Yunho whispered, unsure of what to say.

"He can't steal Micky from me, can he?" Junsu murmured.

"He wouldn't..."

"He can't," Junsu corrected, "because Micky doesn't even belong to me."

"Don't let this hurt your friendship with him. Friendship is too precious."

"What am I trying to prove? What am I trying to do? I'm working on the wedding to break my own heart, but at the same time, I keep trying to remember our memories on the island and bringing it up to him...to make him remember. I want him to remember because I want him to realize that he's in love with me. What am I doing, Yunho? What am I trying to do?"

"You're confused. It's the first time you've ever truly been in love," Yunho sat down next to Junsu and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Am I in love with Micky? Am I really?"

"Junsu..." Yunho tried to comfort.

"I mean...I...I got angry at Changmin, but I'm not sure why."

"Jealousy?"

"I find myself wanting to punch Changmin more than I would want to punch Micky's fiancé."

Yunho silently hoped that Junsu would never punch Micky's beautiful fiancé.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Give me a minute," Junsu murmured as he rubbed his temples. He tried to clear his thoughts and fifteen minutes of silence later, he eventually spoke, "Yunho, it's correct for me to be jealous, right?"

"It's...expected," Yunho replied.

"Now that I've had time to think about it, am I supposed to feel bad for being jealous, for wanting to hurt Changmin?"

"You'd feel bad because Changmin is your best friend."

"I also feel bad because I wasn't being jealous for the correct...or the expected reason."

Yunho blinked, "What do you mean?"

"I feel like...I was obligated to be jealous because I'm in love with Micky. I was jealous out of fear. I was afraid that if I wasn't jealous...it would mean that I'm not in love with Micky. But a part of me, a big part of my heart, doesn't want to stop loving Micky."

"You can't control that, Junsu. How do you know you're not in love with him?"

"I...I can't explain. I want to believe that I'm still in love with him, because the feeling was so good, so real and so powerful. But now, when I see him, the feeling just...isn't there."

"Have you thought a lot about this?"

"No, I was in denial the whole time. But after Changmin...I'm really thinking about it. I can't let denial or infatuation destroy my friendship with him."

Yunho patted his shoulder. He was proud of Junsu for this. He may seem heartless at times, but he cared when it came to friends. He obviously cared when it came to love too.

"It's okay, Junsu. When people are in a relationship, they always believe that the other person is their true love. That doesn't mean it's always true. False love happens."

"So I'm really not in love with Micky?"

Yunho thought about it for a moment. Then he remembered his purpose for being at Junsu's house in the first place.

"Maybe you're still in love with Micky and you just think you're not...because he isn't Micky."

Junsu turned his head to look at the man sitting next to him. "Are you speaking Korean?"

"Let me explain."

Yunho uncovered the broken cell phone and picture from his pocket to repeat everything he'd said to Changmin earlier at lunch.

"You're saying that Micky isn't Micky?"

"I think so and Changmin hopes so," Yunho said. "But I guess basing it on his hair is a bit...illogical."

Junsu recalled what else he'd noticed in the past days. "Micky said that he was a vegetarian back on the island, but the other day, he made a comment about steak being delicious. And...I could have sworn that when he told me about his family, he said that he had a younger sibling. I wish I could remember every little detail about our time together, I really do. But..."

"You're only human, Junsu," Yunho patted his back.

"So he isn't Micky? But...why? And how? He seems to know when I talk to him about our memories together...like the birthday card!"

Yunho didn't know if he should voice his thoughts. "Junsu, I realize that I haven't been around enough to observe them, but...do you think...I mean..."

"Yunho, say it."

"Maybe he's pretending to be Micky...for Micky."

"For Micky?"

Chapter 19

"For Micky?"

"Memories can be recalled in words. Words can be memorized. Maybe the real Micky told him all that information."

Junsu turned his whole body so that he was facing Yunho. "Who's the real Micky, Yunho? Who?"

Yunho sighed. "I think you know. You just don't want to admit it. You've regained your sight, but you're still blind."

Junsu turned away again. "No! Impossible!"

"They're brothers. They have the same eyes."

"He's mute!" Junsu exclaimed, standing up because sitting made him restless.

"Anyone can pretend to be mute!" Yunho retorted, standing up as well.

"Then why don't you give it a try? Pretend to be mute, Yunho. Micky is Micky, okay? He's the real Micky! The real Micky isn't his brother!"

Junsu wanted to walk away, but Yunho grabbed his arm. "Denial can only last so long."

"You're wrong. Denial can last a hell lot longer."

Junsu angrily freed his arm from Yunho's hand and walked upstairs. He locked himself in his room and curled up into a ball in the dark corner.

'Denial can last a hell lot longer.'

It just can't last 'forever'.

■■■■■

"Micky?"

Junsu heard the person on the other line clear his throat before replying, "Yes?"

'Are you the real Micky?'

'Are you the one I fell in love with?'

'Please be the one I fell in love with.'

Junsu took in a deep breath and finally voiced, "Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Um...okay. I need to go now."

"Bye."

Junsu waited until the other man hung up before removing the cell phone from against his own ear. He continued to wander the streets.

A person was composed of so many things: a voice, a body, a face, a personality. Which one were you supposed to fall in love with? Which one would mean that it's True Love?

He walked, walked, and kept walking. Yet he didn't know where he was going.

He'd suspected before, but he didn't want to suspect for too long. His Micky...couldn't really be...

[F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

"I can't see the sun, so why don't you make up for it and tell me what you look like?"

"I just look like an ordinary scrawny guy."

"Wrong answer, try again."

"What do you think I look like?"

"I imagine you have bright beautiful eyes that can always 'look on the bright side,' a perfect nose, milky smooth skin, soft shoulder-length hair, and of course, kissable lips."

[E.n.d.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

Junsu reached into his pocket to uncover the enlarged cell phone picture that Yunho had given him last night. Micky looked as beautiful as he had imagined, minus the soft shoulder-length hair.

The hair again! His hair made Yunho and Changmin suspect!

Junsu didn't want to suspect.

"Junsu!" a high pitch voice interrupted his thoughts.

Junsu turned his head to see the girl in expensive, brand label clothes waving as she ran over to him. Her high heels were expensive too. Junsu knew because he'd bought it for her, along with the matching accessories. Of course, all those expensive clothes weren't the only things that made her look like a beautiful Goddess. She was born with that gift.

"Heebon," Junsu murmured tiredly as his greeting.

She threw herself on him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck like old times. "I miss you so much! I'm sorry for running off on you like that! My grandmother was in the hospital and she was deathly ill."

They (or rather, he) had made plans for her and him to go stay on the island after the car accident. On the day that they were supposed to meet at the airport and take his private jet to the island, she didn't show up. She never showed up at all after that day.

She showed up now.

That's not True Love.

Junsu untangled her arms from around him and felt the urge to just push her away. Too bad he'd changed and manners became a problem. He just held her at arm's length for now.

"It's okay, Heebon. I survived it without you," he spoke in a cold tone.

She didn't like it at all, but she'd continue to act like she didn't notice it. "Is your sight back? I can come back to take care of you now! I'll take really good care of you. I promise."

Junsu recalled the time he had wanted Micky to make a promise to him, the promise to be there when Junsu regained his sight. Micky had refused.

"I don't need to be taken care of anymore, Heebon. Go home," he spoke in that same dull tone.

'Go home.'

'Go away.'

"But Junsu! You can't be angry at me! I just..."

"You just left me when I needed you the most. That's more disgusting than staying to take care of me because you're getting a salary out of it. It's over, Heebon."

"No! Junsu! You can't do this! You love me!" she tugged onto his coat and was hanging on for dear life.

Junsu frowned and tried to pry her away. "And you love yourself! You only loved yourself!"

"No! I love you! I really do!"

"Correction: you only love yourself and my money. That can't last you forever. Now let go, Heebon," he grabbed her wrists and tried to remove her hands from his jacket.

"No! Please! Give me another chance!"

They were causing a scene and Junsu hated it. He didn't want to deal with Heebon right now (or ever). He was in a bad mood already and it was a miracle he hadn't thrown one of his tantrums (he was too tired). But if she pushed him to it...

"Let go!" Junsu ordered, tugging hard and finally removed her grip on his jacket. She fell backwards and onto the cold, cement (courtesy of the expensive high heels). She was in tears, but still managed to look beautiful.

There was a circle of crowds around them. There were probably at least a handful of people recording all this on their cell phones in order to post it online too. Disgusting.

Junsu was about to walk away, but he saw another person pushing through the crowd.

Micky...Micky's brother. Not Micky. He was Micky's brother.

Junsu watched as the man with the shoulder-length hair and the hat knelt down next to Heebon. He kindly examined her ankle and knew that a bruise would form by the end of today. She allowed him to help her stand, because her fake tears blurred her vision of his face and because his hair covered his scar.

Junsu could only watch, not knowing what else to do...or what the hell the other man was doing.

He watched Micky...Micky's brother uncover a small notebook and a pen from his pocket. He quickly scribbled and showed Heebon: [Don't do this. You can find someone better than him.]

Heebon wiped away the rest of her tears. She quickly turned to Junsu and tried to limp over to him, "Junsu, I only love you!"

Junsu casually blinked and turned his eyes away. His hands were in his pockets and he looked indifferent.

Heebon cared more about money than her injured foot. She took a step to bypass Yoochun and reach Junsu. She fell.

Yoochun immediately dropped his notebook and pen to try to catch her. Her flailing arm swung an inch too high and knocked off Yoochun's hat. Junsu's eyes went wide and felt the fear in his stomach.

The hat came off and in that horrible moment, the wind had to blow. Yoochun's hair was blown away from his face and even though he feared, he still used both hands to keep Heebon standing. Heebon stared in shock and pushed away. She'd rather fall than be helped by this ugly...

Junsu got pissed off. She's rather fall than appreciate Yoochun's effort to help her!

With both of his hands finally freed, Yoochun picked up his hat and tried to cover as much of his scar as possible. The people around him were pointing, gasping, insulting, hurting (him).

"What is that? I can't believe you touched me! If I get infected then I'll sue you!" Heebon mouth went off like an annoying fly.

Yoochun's head lowered, and lowered some more. He couldn't look up and it almost looked like he would suffocate from these superficial eyes.

Junsu saw each of the people in the crowd, their reaction, their lips moving, and those awful recording cameras/cell phones. Who would stand out to help? Even the ones who weren't murmuring insults were not helping. Even the ones who pitied Yoochun were not helping. Who would stand out to help?

Chapter 20

Pissed off, Junsu took a hold of Yoochun's hand. Eyes on Heebon, he spoke through gritted teeth, "He can sue you for being discriminate. He tried to help you! That's not how you treat a kind heart. If you can learn that then maybe, one day, you'll be able to be beautiful like him."

Heebon's jaws dropped in shock. The crowd shut up and Junsu pulled Yoochun away.

Yoochun silently followed. He reminded himself that he was mute. He couldn't talk. No matter how much he wanted to speak. No matter how much he wanted to ask Junsu, 'Did you mean that? Do you really not care anymore?'

He was afraid to ask. He was afraid of the answer.

But he still got the answer anyway.

When they stood alone in an isolated area of a park, Junsu stopped walking and released Yoochun's hand.

"I appreciate your help," the slightly shorter man finally spoke after an eternity of stretched silence. His back was towards Yoochun.

Yoochun had dropped his notebook and pen back at the scene. But then, what was there to say?

"Now you just go home and tell Micky that I defended you," was the second time he spoke. Then he walked away.

Yoochun's heart broke again. Every falling piece matched every step that Junsu took. Yoochun didn't run after him, it would be useless; you can't stop a heart from breaking.

'Tell Micky that I defended you.'

To get on Micky's good side. To let Micky know that Junsu was good to his brother. To make Micky forgive Junsu for nearly sending his brother to jail.

Did Junsu still think that 'Micky' was distant from him because 'Micky' was still angry about having his brother dragged to the police station?

Yoochun chuckled bitterly.

Junsu was wrong.

And Yoochun wanted so much to tell him.

■■■■■

"I've never seen Hyung cry before...not after Umma died," Se7en murmured sadly as they walked away from Yoochun's closed door.

They knew he tried to hold it in, but even through the doors, they could hear his sobs.

"He's hurting," Jaejoong sighed.

"He's hurting because he loves Kim Junsu. He's hurting because he can't tell Kim Junsu. He'll hurt if Kim Junsu rejects him. If he's going to hurt either way..."

"He wants to stay beautiful in Kim Junsu's heart," Jaejoong murmured.

"I can't understand."

"It's difficult to understand."

"I just know that I don't want to see him like this," Se7en mumbled.

"There's a way."

"Do you have another one of your weird ideas again?" the younger man frowned.

"Do you want to keep seeing him suffer like this? Listen, what we have right now is a wound stabbed by a dagger. The dagger is still in and it'll keep hurting, bleeding. If we pull the dagger out-force him to talk to Kim Junsu-then it'll be like...like pulling the dagger out."

"That'll hurt too," Se7en protested.

"It'll hurt, but once the dagger is out, then the wound can heal. You want to give him the chance to heal, don't you? It's better to have a recovered scar than a forever hurting wound."

The younger man closed his eyes and tried to think. He would have to betray his older brother.

He remembered all the sad expressions and pain that his brother had been carrying around for the past weeks. It hurt so much to see, especially in recent days when his brother couldn't even fake a smile anymore.

His brother never used to be like this. He'd learn to fight back, to tell a crowd of people to 'Shut the hell up' when they insulted his scar. But because of Kim Junsu, his brother had lost that courage. Because of Kim Junsu, shallowness mattered again.

"Okay, fine, what do we have to do?"

Jaejoong patted his back and gave him an encouraging smile. "We push him to the edge and hope he won't jump off."

■■■■■

The photo shoot was moved to today. Last time, everyone had been too rattled by seeing Se7en nearly get hit by a car and was in no mood to take pictures. And last time, Junsu was too pissed off and too busy thinking he should be jealous/angry towards Changmin.

"Okay, the set is done. Let's get started!" the photographer clapped.

The three men were in the changing room getting their suits on. Junsu was sitting outside waiting. He saw Yunho walk in to join the photo shoot. Changmin was nowhere in sight.

"What are you doing here?" Jaejoong was first to walk out of the changing room.

"That's rude," Yunho pointed out, because the question was directed towards him.

"It's hard for me to be nice to you when I don't like your friend," Jaejoong directed a glance towards Junsu.

Junsu ignored him and walked over to Se7en and Yoochun. He ignored Yoochun, but pretended to fix Se7en's bowtie. As if the touch would spark something, to give him a hint that this really was his Micky (or give him a hint that he was no longer in love with Micky).

No sparks.

"You look very handsome," he complimented.

Se7en was looking pass Junsu to see Yunho. "Hey, your detective friend is here too. Where's your doctor friend?"

Junsu didn't exactly feel jealous as he replied, "I wish I knew."

"Hello, I bought drinks for everyone," Yunho greeted as he held up a bag of drinks. "I invited Changmin. He claims to be busy."

"Oh," Se7en murmured with a little too much disappointment in his eyes and Yoochun had to pinch his arm. "Ouch!"

"What's wrong?" Jaejoong and Junsu chorused.

Se7en cleared his throat as he glared at his older brother, "Nothing. A bug bit me."

They each picked out drinks from the bag. Jaejoong handed Yoochun his favorite: orange juice.

"Oh, oops, I only bought one orange juice," Yunho apologized.

"That's okay," Jaejoong smiled at him and Yunho looked like he'd won the lottery.

"Did anyone else want orange juice?" Se7en asked, because Yoochun had signaled for him to do so.

"No," Junsu replied and everyone else followed.

Yoochun went ahead and drank the orange juice, releasing a small burp right after. That was when it hit him: Junsu knew that Micky would burp from drinking orange juice!

With horrified eyes, Yoochun looked up at Junsu. Junsu was casually talking to Yunho.

Did he not hear the burp? Did he not remember this habit about Micky?

Or maybe...he was pretending to not notice, to not know?

"Is everyone ready?" the photographer shouted.

"Yes!" Jaejoong replied just as loud. He linked arms with Se7en and Yoochun and then ran towards the set. "Let's get started!"

Jaejoong and Se7en were posing for picture after picture. Yoochun stood to one side, hair covering his face and wearing a cap that didn't quite match his tux. Junsu and Yunho stood to the other side. Yunho was observing the other three carefully while Junsu was just too tired (lack of sleep) and too confused (still) to notice much.

"Join us!" Jaejoong suddenly shouted as he ran to tug Yoochun in.

"This hat doesn't match, Hyung. Take it off, please?" Se7en begged.

Yoochun shook his head and made some hand gestures that only Se7en and Jaejoong could understand.

Yunho whispered to Junsu, "I've learned sign language before. That's not sign language."

Junsu blinked as he watched the three interact.

The two eventually convinced Yoochun to take off the hat, ignoring when other people stared in shock at the distortion of his cheek. One particular pose caught Junsu's eyes.

Se7en and Jaejoong were silently scheming for this particular pose. Junsu saw their eye contacts. Before Yoochun could even react (and with the photographer just snapping away), the two brushed his hair out of the way and made kissing faces. Se7en stood to his left and Jaejoong to his right.

They each planted a kiss on Yoochun's cheeks and it looked like the most natural thing in the world. Jaejoong's lips touched his scar, but only the superficial people would notice. They switched sides and did the same thing.

The two continued to put Yoochun through weird poses and it no longer seemed like they were taking wedding pictures. They were just taking pictures for the fun of it.

But as Jaejoong said, they weren't paying a cent for it so why not?

Eventually, Yoochun (being most mature) stopped them. He waved his hands 'No' and pointed at his watch. They didn't have all day.

"Okay, fine, we'll stop," Jaejoong grumbled. Se7en stood next to him looking just as disappointed.

"Aren't you going to take a picture with him?" Yunho spoke to Junsu, but loud enough for the others to hear.

"Oh, yeah! You two can join us! You're paying, after all," Jaejoong grinned cheekily. Yoochun was tugging at his sleeve again, but he ignored it.

Chapter 21

Junsu came from a meeting so he was already in an expensive tuxedo. Yunho wasn't, so he didn't walk onto the set with Junsu.

"Come on," Jaejoong waved him over.

"I'm not dressed properly," he pointed out.

"All you need is a smile. Come on," he walked over to drag Yunho in. Yunho felt his heart race.

Yunho ended up standing on the far right. Jaejoong stood next to him and Se7en was next. Junsu noticed Se7en (or to him, 'Micky') pushing Yoochun ('Micky's' own older brother) away so that Junsu could stand next to him. Then when Junsu was next to him, Se7en reached around Junsu to pull Yoochun in. Junsu stood right in between Se7en (or 'Micky') and Yoochun.

Junsu wondered why 'Micky' directed the order as such. Wasn't he close to his brother? So why did he put Junsu between him and his brother?

"Ready!" Jaejoong announced.

Yoochun and Junsu stood stiffly. Se7en leaned towards Jaejoong to put a distance between him and Junsu. Jaejoong (being pushed by Se7en), leaned back closer against Yunho.

The photographer snapped the photo.

■■■■■

"Look at this! You guys are standing so far away! Jaejoong looks like he's about to knock Yunho out of the picture!"

"The point of this picture was to zoom it in, crop it, and create a picture of just you and Kim Junsu," Jaejoong pointed out.

"Why?" Yoochun exclaimed. It felt good to shout.

"You don't want a picture with him? Although it'd look better if your hair wasn't in your face and he didn't look so stiff," Se7en observed.

"You!" Yoochun was close to strangling his little brother.

"Jaejoong taught me! He corrupts me!" Se7en defended.

Yoochun glared at his sibling and jinxed, "I hope you fall in love."

"What? No! That's worse than cursing me with life of poverty...or just life without meat!" Se7en cried.

"Calm down," Jaejoong patted Yoochun's shoulder.

"Calm down? You said that if I requested to have him pushed away, then you'll do it for me!"

"Did we promise that we won't try to get you to confess to him while helping you get rid of him?" Jaejoong widened his eyes to look cute. Yoochun wanted to punch him.

"Hyung, he's in love with you! Maybe..."

"No!" Yoochun cut in.

"I swear, we were set on helping you get rid of him in the beginning. But you have to understand! We've seen you mope around and hurt because of him! You need closure and the only way you'll get it is to confront him!" Jaejoong tried.

"He may think he loves me, but he won't be able to accept me! Love isn't just about love! There are other aspects that you have to consider!"

"But..." Se7en tried.

"Don't argue with me! I'm your older brother! I know more..." Yoochun lost his words when the memory finally dawned on him. He stood there, shock on his face.

"Yoochun?" Jaejoong poked his arm.

"Hyung, are you okay?" Se7en began to worry.

"I just...I remember now. I once told him that I have a younger brother," Yoochun gasped. It was almost hard to breathe.

"Do you think he remembers?" Jaejoong was afraid to ask.

"I don't know," Yoochun murmured. "But if he doesn't remember now, he'll remember eventually."

But that wasn't what hurt the most.

Se7en and Jaejoong watched as Yoochun buried his face in his palms, as if wanting to block out all emotions.

No, Kim Junsu finding out Micky's true identity wasn't the biggest problem, wasn't the most hurtful conclusion.

"He probably knows," Yoochun's voice was muffled by his hands. "He's smart. He'll know eventually, but that won't matter. He'll just keep denying it even if he knows because he can't...he won't accept that Micky is so...so..."

"Yoochun," Jaejoong moved to hug Yoochun, almost like cradling a baby.

"Hyung, don't say it," Se7en wrapped his arms around the both of them.

"...ugly," Yoochun finished bitterly. His eyes were moist. "What's wrong with being ugly? Why do people have to care so much? Can a beautiful heart not make up for an ugly façade? I try to be a good person..."

"It's not your fault," Jaejoong murmured softly. "It's not."

"Why is life so unfair?" Yoochun suddenly shouted, head raised and face angry. "If the Heavens were going to give me this scar, then why let me meet him? Why make me fall in love with someone who is so out of my reach?"

"Yoochun..." Jaejoong gasped, but lost his words when Yoochun grabbed the front of his shirt and looked like he wanted to hurt Jaejoong.

"Why are you people allowed to be born so beautiful? Why can't I be like you? Why can't I be you?" Yoochun shouted, needing to be angry.

This was it. Push him to the edge and hope he won't jump off.

"Because if you were me, Kim Junsu wouldn't be in love with you!" Jaejoong yelled back, just as loud and angry. "Listen to yourself! You've let this scar hurt you for so long already! You've been hiding behind these heavy bangs and a hat for this long already! How much longer before you've reached 'enough'?"

"Never! There never is an 'enough'! I'm plagued with this! It's so much easier for you to say! It's so easy for everyone to say! But who really means it? Who really doesn't mind?"

"Stop it!" Se7en tried to pull them away from each other before a fist fight could start.

"No, he's been holding it in for too long. He needs this excuse," Jaejoong pushed Se7en away and punched Yoochun square in the jaw.

"Hyung!" Se7en tried to catch his falling brother.

Yoochun managed to balance himself and pushed Se7en away. He ran towards Jaejoong and punched the older man back.

Se7en stood there watching the fist fight in the living room. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

Forget it.

Se7en plopped down on the sofa and just watched the two, hoping Jaejoong would be able to beat the denial out of his hyung.

Five minutes later, the doorbell rang and Se7en went to get it. The other two were wrestling each other on the long couch by now.

Se7en remembered to change his voice when he saw the people at the door, "Hello!"

The two people at the door allowed their mouths to drop open. There was this man, 'Micky' opening the door to greet them with a smile; while in the background, Yoochun and Jaejoong were beating the crap out of each other.

Meanwhile, Yoochun did not hear the doorbell. Jaejoong had punched him so hard that he thought the ringing was in his own head. Now he was on top of Jaejoong on the couch, one hand on his best friend's chest and the other hand raised to prepare a punch. Yoochun's back was to the door.

Jaejoong was lying flat on the couch and facing the door. He saw the visitors, so he shouted, "Have I knocked all the denial out of you yet?"

"Shut your pretty face," Yoochun hissed, ready to punch.

His fist was just an inch from Jaejoong's cheek when he heard, "You're not mute."

Yoochun felt his heart stop and went pale. He turned his head around to see Junsu and Yunho (looking shocked) at the door. Se7en was innocently shrugging his shoulders.

Yoochun turned back around to see Jaejoong smirking and failing to look 'innocent'. He punched his best friend in the eye.

■■■■■

Se7en was dragging himself around the living room cleaning up the mess that Yoochun and Jaejoong had created. He peeked over at the couch to see Junsu and Yunho sitting (in chairs) next to each other on one side of the coffee table. On the other side of the coffee table, Jaejoong and Yoochun (sitting on the couch) were rubbing each other's faces with hard boiled eggs.

"Not so hard!" Jaejoong whined.

Yoochun pressed the egg harder against his forehead. Jaejoong extracted revenge by doing the same to the bruise on Yoochun's jaw.

"Traitor!" Yoochun shushed. He'd spent all this time trying to prevent Junsu from finding out, never thinking that his best friend and brother would be the ones to betray him. Oddly, he wasn't as pissed off as he expected to be.

"I betray out of love," Jaejoong defended. "Besides, I love you."

Out of nowhere, Yunho peeped in, "Do you really?"

Jaejoong looked over at Yunho. He took a quick glance to see Junsu's unreadable expression.

"As a brother," Jaejoong replied, his eyes back on Yunho.

"What about him?" Yunho pointed towards Se7en, who was scooping up broken glass.

"As a brother," Jaejoong repeated. Then he wiggled his eyebrows (or tried to). "Why do you want to know?"

"Just making sure you're single before I ask you out," Yunho spoke casually.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Junsu stood up from the chair and shouted angrily.

Chapter 22

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Junsu stood up from the chair and shouted angrily. "We're in this awkward situation and you're trying to hit on the guy?"

"Just taking advantage of time. I'm released for vacation today so I might as well use the time wisely. You know I rarely have time off from work," Yunho answered innocently. Se7en's laughter was heard from the other side of the living room.

"Pathetic," Junsu grumbled as he dropped back down into the chair. "I can't believe I'm even friends with you! You're..."

"You're pathetic!" Yoochun interrupted his words. "You're in shock and pissed off, but you shouldn't be taking it out on your friend!"

"It's okay, I'm used to it," Yunho peeped in.

"You took your anger out on me earlier," Jaejoong reminded. He smirked, but shut up, when Yoochun glared at him.

Yoochun angrily threw the egg onto the coffee table and turned his eyes back to Junsu. The adrenaline and anger was still running through his system, so he might as well make use of it.

"Since we all know that the truth is made known to you, since Jaejoong has punched the denial out of me, then we'll get this over with right now!"

"What?" Junsu felt like the weak one.

"You, me, talk. Now!" Yoochun ordered.

"It's easier to do things when you have someone to blame for it later," Jaejoong grinned proudly. "Feel free to blame me!"

Yoochun kept his threatening eyes on Junsu. Junsu's eyes shifted from one person to the other.

"My demanding, mean Hyung is back. I'm so proud," Se7en sniffled with a smile. Then he turned to Jaejoong, "Let's go get ice cream."

"I'll deal with you two later," Yoochun promised.

"Let's go get lots and lots of ice cream," Se7en decided. At least he'd get a nice treat before having his brother rip him a new one.

Yoochun kept his eyes on Junsu. Junsu glanced nervously at the other three as they began to leave the apartment, Jaejoong mumbling something about, 'He was close to giving up soon anyway. We just needed to give him a little more pushing.'

They heard the click of the closed door. The sound gave Junsu a headache. He'd never felt more like a coward in his life.

"I..."

"Let me talk," Yoochun interrupted. His voice sounded more tired than angry now. His hand was playing with his hair, bringing strands forward. "You knew. You knew all along, but you denied..."

"I..."

"Don't deny anymore. It's okay," Yoochun sighed.

Junsu lowered his head and suddenly felt cold. His left hand rubbed his right arm. He peeked at the door, wanting to run.

Coward.

Yoochun could feel himself chickening out. He spoke fast, "It hurts to know that you were in denial, but I understand. I understand. You can't accept that someone that you're in love with is...ugly. I understand."

"I'm sorry," Junsu whispered, eyes still looking down at his own hands.

Yoochun cleared his throat, "I always wondered why I fell in love with you. I finally figured it out. It's your looks. A perfect nose, milky smooth skin, soft hair, kissable lips..."

Junsu was afraid to look up. He was afraid to remember that those were the words he had used when he had described what he thought Yoochun looked like...when he was still blind. God, it must have hurt Yoochun so much at that moment.

"You lack the beautiful eyes that can always 'look on the bright side' though. It seems I lost that too when I left you back on the island. I've learned to live with this scar for so long already, but then you had to come driving into my life and turn it inside out. This scar bothers me more now because of you. I can't even walk with my head up anymore, even with the hat, and it's because of you."

The more Yoochun spoke, the angrier he got. It was finally settling in. He and Junsu would never be a pair because Junsu was beautiful and Yoochun was not; Junsu was superficial and Yoochun was ugly.

Yoochun felt angry at Junsu. He'd lost his heart, but anger reminded him to redeem is pride.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry...not anymore. Because I've learned to let go," Yoochun spoke softly. His eyes turned to look at the clock, to stop looking at Junsu. He didn't see that the last statement made Junsu look up at him. "I fell in love with your looks. It's certainly not because you have a bad temper, or that you're selfish and..."

"Superficial," Junsu murmured the word that Yoochun wouldn't.

Yoochun bit his lower lip, his whole body tense. He was straining not to cry. He continued, "Love doesn't last when you fall in love with someone for their looks. My love for you is no exception."

"What...?"

"I fell in love with you for your looks. The love didn't last. It's okay. It's over. It's okay," Yoochun forced a smile. Then he drew up the courage to stop playing with his hair; he just simply pulled the strands back behind his ears and allowed full view of his cheeks.

"Mi..."

"Don't call me that. It's not my name. It's a fake name. I used it because I didn't want you to be able to find me. At first it was because I didn't want to be put in jail. Later it was because I didn't want you to see me as this...ugly reality. But Jaejoong is right, it doesn't matter anyway. There's no point in hurting for someone who can't accept you for who you really are. Your love for Micky will fade, because Micky isn't real."

"I..."

"Your Micky isn't real. Your Micky is beautiful. That person doesn't exist. You'll get over it."

"Yoochun..." Junsu tried to speak, but he just couldn't come up with anything.

Yoochun smiled sadly. It was the first time Junsu had said his real name. Junsu had never said it before because he just didn't want anything to do with Yoochun.

And he wouldn't have anything to do with Yoochun from now on.

"I'm done and I don't think you have anything more to say to me. Good-bye, Mr. Kim."

Yoochun released a breath and pretended to smile. Looking ever so relaxed and relieved, he walked into his room.

Feeling like someone had just smashed his head against a wall, Junsu slowly stood up from the chair. He was about to let himself out of the apartment when he looked down and saw the broken picture frame under the coffee table. It must have been knocked over during the fist fight.

The frame was broken, the glass irreparable, the picture fallen out. The picture was of the two brothers.

■■■■■

"You just walked out? Just like that? How stupid can you be?"

"It's not as easy as you think..." Junsu sighed.

"What's not easy? He loves you! You love him!" Jaejoong exclaimed. He and Se7en had followed Yunho to Junsu's home after their ice cream session.

"He says he's let go, that he doesn't love me anymore," Junsu informed, same tired tone.

"And you believe him?" Yunho gaped.

"Why not?" Junsu closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair.

"Because he said that he fell in love with your looks? Is that how he knows that his love for you has...or will eventually fade?" Se7en spoke.

"Yes," Junsu mumbled.

"How can you be so dense?" Jaejoong shouted. "People like Yoochun don't love based on looks!"

"Do you think you'll stop loving him then?" Yunho inquired in a calmer voice. He laid a hand on Jaejoong's shoulder to prevent him from attacking Junsu.

"With time..." Junsu began.

"My ass! You won't ever get over him! You didn't fall in love with him for his looks! You didn't even know what he looked like when you fell for him! You won't ever stop loving him!" Jaejoong protested.

"You're just being superficial! You can't accept that your other half isn't beautiful! You're afraid of what other people will say!" Se7en decided to help Jaejoong. "You selfish, superficial, disgusting son of a..."

"Forget it! He's hopeless! Yoochun deserves better than someone who thinks looks are more important than love!" Jaejoong insulted.

"All this time, we tried to keep you away. Now that we can stop with the lies and do it directly, then you better listen. Stay away. If you're not going to truly love him, then stay far away. We don't ever want to see you again!" the youngest made clear before following Jaejoong out.

Yunho stood there helplessly as the two left.

"Junsu..."

"Leave me alone, Yunho. I need time."

"Time? Time isn't for wasting! Why are you so superficial? Why can't you look pass the façade and see his heart? You fell in love with his personality!"

"But at the time that I fell for him, I had a beautiful image of him in my mind!" Junsu exclaimed. "It's easier said than done, Yunho."

"Junsu..."

"This world doesn't work like that. We can't just look at someone and choose to be in love with him! You're just lucky that the one you fell in love with is Jaejoong. He can pull off looking better than a guy and a girl! That's why you can yell at me and tell me that I'm superficial and horrible for minding! You're not in my shoes!"

Yunho wanted to say more, but knew that Junsu's words were true.

So many people could say it, say that looks didn't matter. But how many people really mean it?

Surrendering, Yunho dragged himself out of the house. It was best to leave Junsu alone right now.

Chapter 23

"There you are!"

Se7en nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see that it was Changmin.

"Don't do that!" he exclaimed, in his own voice.

"Your voice..." Changmin began.

"What about it?"

Changmin decided that there were more important matters at hand. He held up the folder in his right hand. "Look at this! I have all the information! Your name isn't Micky. It's Park Se7en! You're not an employee at the college, you're a student! You're not Junsu's Micky! Ha!"

Se7en blinked. "Your point?"

Changmin was confused. Wasn't Se7en scared that Changmin had uncovered his secret?

"You're not Micky," Changmin repeated, looking lost.

Se7en took the folder and flipped through it. "Man, you disappeared all these days to go dig up my profile?"

"Um...yes?" the taller man paused. "And I sort of had to stay away from you."

"Why?"

"Just in case the information came out with you really being Micky."

"And?"

"And I actually can't be with you because 'Micky' is my best friend's love interest," Changmin looked down shyly.

Se7en smiled a little, "What makes you think I'll be with you even if I'm not Micky?"

Changmin's head shot up. "Well, I...um...I mean..."

Se7en sighed and closed the folder. "Do you know what's been going on in the past days?"

"No, not really. I stayed away from Junsu, which includes staying away from Yunho, because Junsu is angry at me and I stayed away from you because..."

"Junsu already knew. Everyone knows. I'm not Micky. My brother is."

"Junsu already knew?"

"I thought you were smart, Doctor Shim," Se7en drawled.

"Book smart doesn't mean love smart. Love is a pain in the ass for the reason that it blinds even the smartest mind."

"Good point. As much as I'd like to stand here to debate with you, I need to rush home. My brother's heart is still broken...even though he acts like nothing is wrong."

"Wait, what happened while I was busy digging up stuff at your college?"

Se7en sighed and explained.

Three minutes later...

"Wow," Changmin was awed by the ending. "So Junsu..."

"He's a shallow and a big phony. He's never going to find someone who'll love him as much as my brother did...does...did. Whatever."

'Does' means Yoochun still loves Junsu.

'Did' means Yoochun loved Junsu in the past, but not in the present and probably won't be loving him in the future.

"'Does,'" Changmin decided. "You really can't believe that your brother is no longer in love with him."

"I know, but I can't understand why."

"Love can't be explained. And you have to understand, Junsu grew up in a surrounding where looks is everything. He entered the business world at an early age. In the industry, the dependent on a person's façade is even more extreme. It's almost as bad as the entertainment industry!"

Se7en sighed, "But..."

"And you grew up different. You grew up with your brother, you've seen him hurt," Changmin explained.

"You're telling me to put myself in his shoes."

"People try to put themselves in other people's shoes. It works sometimes, but it doesn't work all the time. No matter how much you try, if you've never experienced what that person has then you won't ever, truly know."

"Then what do we do? Do I keep watching my brother hurt? If he doesn't fall out of love with Kim Junsu then he's just going to keep hurting. Maybe hyung and I should kidnap Jaejoong and move out of Seoul..."

"No!" Changmin immediately protested. He didn't like the thought of never seeing Se7en again. "I mean...um...let's call Yunho and Jaejoong out to talk about this. It's lunch time."

Se7en checked the time on his watch. With a sly smile, he asked, "Are you treating?"

"Only you."

Se7en grinned. "Okay. Let's go to 'Timeless' to eat. I'm craving salad."

■■■■■

"If we don't die from him secretly poisoning us, we're going to die from 'mad cow disease'."

"What?"

"We're eating steak every day! The cows are going to get mad at us and kill us in our dreams!"

Se7en tried to shove Jaejoong off the chair for being weird. Yunho reached out to catch Jaejoong (although it really wasn't necessary). The three were sitting at an outside café with Changmin.

"He's been feeding the both of you steaks for the past days?" Yunho observed.

"Every meal," Se7en shuddered at the thought. "I like meat, but I think I'm starting to miss my veggies."

"It's a process," Jaejoong murmured, almost like he was telling a scary story around a campfire. "In the first stage, he acts like nothing is wrong. As days pass, he starts to unconsciously do things that show that he still cares. That would be the second stage."

"What's the third?" Changmin wondered.

"I don't know. Everyone is different. He could go crazy or fall into depression. Or maybe he'll realize that Kim Junsu isn't worth it and really, finally let go."

"Is Junsu going through that process too? He's been hiding in his room for the past days," Yunho questioned.

"I hope he cracks and his head explodes," Se7en mumbled with vengeance in his eyes.

"Too bad that's against the law of science," Jaejoong sighed.

Yunho and Changmin exchanged glances.

"How do you know all this?" The two tallest men were looking at Jaejoong with curious eyes.

"I'm a psychiatrist. Want a copy of my business card?"

"No, thanks," Changmin refused.

"I should take one for Junsu," Yunho suggested, wondering if Jaejoong (being weird like he is) would have his cell phone number on the business card.

"No, I might make him crazy on purpose."

"There's no need. He's crazy enough," Changmin pointed out.

"He's not crazy, just shallow and stupid," Se7en somewhat defended.

"Why are we spending our time talking about this? Love isn't the only thing in this world, you know? Yoochun will get through this. He's not hurting as much as we think," Jaejoong lectured.

"But you made it sound so dramatic! And what about those three stages?" Changmin exclaimed.

"I never said I was a good psychiatrist."

"That's true. My brother is stronger than that. Don't underestimate him," Se7en added.

"So there really is nothing we can do?" Yunho wondered. "We're just talking about this because there's nothing else to talk about?"

Jaejoong suddenly snapped his finger. "Well, if you insist on doing something to help them, then I have a plan."

■■■■■

Yoochun was sitting in the quiet living room. He was analyzing a page in the newspaper, a marker in his hands. He was supposed to be putting an 'X' over job ads that he wouldn't apply for and circling an 'O' around job ads that he would apply for. Yet he was doing the complete opposite.

Unable to concentrate, he dropped the marker and leaned back into the comfy sofa. He closed his eyes and wondered if he should take a nap.

He tried. He failed. Who would be able to nap at this time of the day?

So Yoochun stood up and walked into the kitchen. He'd bake. Se7en would love Tiramisu. That's what Yoochun will bake.

He went through the drawers and finally found the apron. He was about to put it on when he saw the words sewn on it: 'Look on the bright side.'

[F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

"You have no idea what 'happy' is."

"I suppose you do?" Yoochun countered. Mr. Kim remained silent so the skinnier man continued, "I know you've been unhappy about losing your sight, but can't you look on the bright side?"

"'Look on the bright side'?" his employer cocked a sarcastic eyebrow as he turned towards Yoochun's voice.

[E.n.d.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

Chapter 24

Yoochun recalled Junsu...Mr. Kim's handsome expression and the corner of his lips lifted. How could Yoochun have been so stupid? How could he have said that to a blind man?

So stupid, Yoochun. So stupid.

But it certainly wasn't the stupidest thing he'd ever done in his life.

No longer feeling the need to bake in order to distract his depressing mood, Yoochun laid the apron on the counter and walked out of the kitchen. He walked to his room.

No need for distractions. He was too tired, too sick of always trying to find a distraction.

Yoochun threw himself on the bed and closed his eyes. He raised an arm over his head so that his forearm was over his closed eyes.

Today wasn't a day meant for distraction. Today was a day for memories; recalling memories, the good and the bad.

[F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

The rough, callous hand wrapped around his skinny arm and threw him against the wall. His thin body collided with the dilapidated shelf and he wanted to cry out from the pain. But he ignored the pain because he was angry, too angry at the monster that was beating his mother in the middle of the tiny living room.

"Stop!" ten-year-old Yoochun shouted as he ran back towards the two adults and tried to save his mother from another punch.

He did not notice that when his body hit the shelf, a candle sitting on the edge of the old piece of furniture was knocked down.

"Chunnie! Run!" his mother's voice shouted. The monster pushed her onto the ground.

Yoochun's eyes widened, frightened by the pain in his mother's expression. He wanted to run to her, to take her hand and make her leave this broken home (broken family) with him.

"This is for being disrespectful!" the monster's deep voice growled.

Yoochun felt the rough, callous hand on his skinny arm again as he was pulled away from his mother. The monster angrily threw him into the closet in the corner and slammed the door shut.

The light of a newly born fire was the last thing Yoochun saw before the darkness of the closet engulfed him. "Let me out! Umma! Umma, help me!"

He banged on the door, leaned on it in hopes that the door on this old closet would break.

"Let him out!" Yoochun heard his mother demand. The ten-year-old boy could easily imagine his tiny mother throwing her weak fists at her husband; he's seen it happen so many times already in his short life.

"Umma!" Yoochun cried as he tried to escape.

Finally the monster stepped away from the closet and the door opened. Yoochun fell out of the closet, welcomed by the fog of gray. His eyes were tearing and he couldn't tell if the moisture was caused by his emotions or the stinging of the smoke.

He saw that the monster had only stopped holding the door shut because his mother had grabbed a weapon to attract the monster's attention. The monster grabbed the weapon (his empty beer bottle) out of her tiny hands and threw it into the fire on the other side of the room. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and slapped her.

Yoochun quickly grabbed for an old broken chair and ran towards the monster. With all the strength he could muster, he aimed for the monster's head.

Yoochun heard the roar of pain. He ignored it and ducked under the monster's arm to grab his mother's hand.

"Run!" she shouted as they headed into the small kitchen. The fire was engulfing half of the living room and would soon spread to the other half of the small house.

"You little brat!" the angry roar came again and Yoochun was pulled backwards. The strength of the pull caused pain in his shoulder.

"No!" his mother cried just as Yoochun's small body was thrown back towards (not quite into) the fire. His head hit the edge of a table and blood dripped from the wound. The fire was so close that his body burned from the heat.

His mother attacked the monster again as Yoochun pushed himself up. The chair he had used before was already burning in the fire. He tried to find another weapon of defense.

He saw another empty beer bottle on the ground and grabbed it. He ran towards the fighting couple and hit the monster (his own father) hard on the head with the glass bottle. The sound of shattering glass and his mother's gasp was muffled by the sound of raging fire. The fire was growing.

"Chunnie! Run!" his mother grabbed his hand and tried to lead him through the kitchen and out the backdoor.

When Yoochun tried to run with his mother, he felt the hand on his ankle. It tugged hard and Yoochun fell, releasing his mother's hand so that he wouldn't pull her back with him.

Yoochun fell face-flat on the burning floor, sweat covering his undernourished body. He felt the big hand on the back of his ripped shirt that dragged his whole body back.

"I'll make sure you burn before I die!" the monster roared as he picked the skinny ten-year-old up and threw him back towards the fire that had eaten up half of the house already.

Just when he thought this was the end, he felt his whole body being dropped. He landed on his left side and his face hit an object on the ground. He didn't know what it was, but it was so close to the fire that the object was heated up to an unbearable degree. Yoochun's head fell on it, causing it to come in contact with the left side of his face and the burning of skin could be heard, mixed with the cry of pain in the form of a ten-year-old boy's voice.

"Chunnie!" his mother sobbed as she grabbed for him and hugged him tightly.

Squinting his eyes, Yoochun could see his father's still body lying next to his feet. There was half of a broken beer bottle sticking out of his back. His mother had stabbed the monster in the back with a broken beer bottle! The monster was dead! His father was lying there, dead, next to his feet!

His tears of pain were stopped by the shock and the numbness of the discovery was enough to help him ignore the excruciating burn on his face.

"Let's go! Quickly!" his mother gasped as he pulled him up.

Yoochun tried not to look back at the corpse that would soon be eaten up by the fire. He followed his mother and bit down on his lips to prevent from voicing the painfulness of the burn.

Nearly the entire house was blanketed by the fire by now. Pieces of the roof were falling and soon the house (the home) would be completely broken.

Only one exit was left and it too was hardly spared.

"Go!" his mother ordered, trying to push him out of the backdoor. He would have to crawl because the fire had spread on the roof and the top half of the door was blocked by a fallen piece of wood.

Yoochun gripped his mother's hand tightly to make sure that she would be escaping with him.

He'd barely stepped out when he heard the cackling sound of breaking and broken wood. His mother's scream echoed in his ear (and in his heart) when the large piece of wood crushed her lower body.

"Umma!" Yoochun cried as he grabbed her hands and tried to pull her out. She was halfway out. Just a little more. Just a little more and they'd be able to go find Se7en at the orphanage; to go be a happy family again.

Blood leaked through her dry lips, caused by the internal wounds. Her body was in unbearable pain, but when the numbness took over her body soon after, she knew that she would not make it.

"Yoochun! Yoochun!" she tried to breathe.

"Help me, Umma! Help me! Help me save you!" Yoochun sobbed as he tugged and pulled on her arms, kneeling and even standing up to allow more strength.

"Yoochun! Listen to me!" she stopped talking to blink away her tears and try to take in as much oxygen as possible.

"Umma!" Yoochun begged. "Just a little more!"

"Listen to me!" she pleaded.

Yoochun's lips quivered as he fell on his knees (in defeat). His whole body shook and even though he was so close to the fire, he felt cold. He didn't pull anymore.

"My only regret in life is that I did not escape him sooner, that I did not take you and Se7en away from him. But...but..." she tried to breathe and it looked to be so difficult. Yoochun clenched his teeth together to prevent himself from releasing a sob. His tears still fell. "But at least now, I can leave this world knowing that I was able to save you and Se7en from him. You two are free from him now. Take care of Se7en, Yoochun. He's still young. Take care of him and take care of yourself."

"Umma..." Yoochun squeaked in a cracked voice and knew he couldn't say anymore. He gripped tightly onto her hands. Should he try to pull her out again? Could he?

His mother shook her head from left to right, slowly and weakly. "Don't be like me. Don't live a life full of regrets. Life is too short for regrets. Continue living life to the fullest. Always look on the bright side and be strong. My parents always told me that: to always look on the bright side and be strong, but I couldn't do it. You have to be able to do it. You and Se7en..."

Her own hoarse voice cracked and she cried hard. She looked up at her eldest son: blood covered half of his face, tears were causing his burn to sting, and those wet eyes would become dry with time to heal. The burn would leave a scar. She knew. But he was still her beautiful son.

It just made her so, so sad that she wouldn't be able to see her younger son for the last time.

"I'm very lucky to have a son like you. You're beautiful, inside and out. You're strong and courageous. You're kind and smart. Don't ever change. You'll be able to live life to the fullest. You and Se7en. Always stick together, love each other. Take good care of him, Chunnie," she choked on a sob and couldn't breathe properly anymore. "Turn around, Chunnie. Turn around and run. Don't look back."

She didn't want him to see.

"Umma," Yoochun cried, new tears forming again.

"Do what I say," she struggled to grasp for air.

"I love you, Umma. We love you," he whimpered as he gave her hand one last squeeze.

Chapter 25

Then she pushed his hands away and weakly turned her head. She wouldn't look at him because she didn't want him to look at her. She didn't want him to see the pain that she was trying so hard to silence. She was already sensing the burning of her legs and if her body wasn't so close to death, the physical pain would hurt a lot more than it did now.

Yoochun stood up and turned away. He wanted so much to turn around, to look back. But he didn't. He didn't want to go against his mother's wishes.

He ran, ran, and ran.

He just ran as fast as his weak legs could carry him.

The house was completely engulfed in fire now, burning down everything and everybody in it.

No one would probably discover it until the next morning...or perhaps even a couple of days. It was an isolated, small house in the mountains (a good thirty minute drive from town). There was no paperwork, no owner of the house because it had been abandoned for decades when the Park family moved in.

His father had lost their house in town by gambling it away. They were left with nothing so he moved the whole family to the abandoned (or rumored to be 'haunted') house in the mountains as suggested by his other stupid, gambling 'buddies'. They had a place to stay and the loan sharks wouldn't be able to find them too soon.

And even better for the monster, because there would be no neighbors who complained about the fighting going on in the house every day and night.

But why did any of that matter anymore?

Yoochun stopped running. He was a good distant away now, but he still didn't turn around to look. Breathing hard, he fell onto his knees. It didn't matter that rocks were scarring his knee. It was the least of his pains right now.

Then his whole body slumped forward and he lied facedown on the rocky ground. Only his heavy breathing revealed that he was still alive.

When he just couldn't stand it anymore, he curled up into a ball on the rough ground and cried. He just wanted to cry.

[E.n.d.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

Yoochun sighed and even though his eyes were still closed, a droplet of tear managed to fall from the corner of his right eye.

This was improvement. After so many years, it was just one teardrop. Definite improvement from the days when he would hide in a private place and cry buckets.

After all the crying in the mountains, Yoochun eventually made his way back to the orphanage that he had left Se7en at. Everyone asked him what happened after they had called a kind doctor to help Yoochun with his physical wounds. Yoochun didn't say a word, at least, not until Se7en asked...

[F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

Yoochun had left the room that all the boy orphans shared and was sitting outside in the garden. He stared up at the shining stars, but saw nothing.

Then he felt body heat and suddenly tensed because he could practically imagine being burned again.

But his nerves relaxed and he turned his head to see his baby brother sitting next to him, sitting closely next to him.

"Hyung," seven-year-old Se7en murmured as he looked at his brother with sad eyes.

It was the first time Se7en had spoken since Yoochun's return. All the caretakers were surrounding Yoochun and Se7en couldn't even get close to him at the time. But when he did finally get to stand by his big brother, he still didn't say anything; he didn't have anything to say...until now...

"Hyung," he continued, "What happened?"

Yoochun sighed and turned back to the stars. He didn't have the courage to look into his baby brother's eyes. He didn't want his baby brother to see him cry.

"Umma is going to a far away place. We'll see her again one day...but just not any time soon. Just know that she wants us to promise her to always look on the bright side and to live life without regrets. Life is too short for regrets."

"Hyung, is Umma...in Heaven?"

The ten-year-old blinked and turned back to look at his brother, his crying brother. "Se7ennie..."

"Is she happy up there, Hyung? Is she happier than she was when she was still with us?" the seven-year-old sobbed.

Yoochun tried not to cry as he wrapped his arms around his baby brother. "She'll be happy if we're happy, Se7ennie. We have to be happy so that she can be happy."

Se7en nodded against Yoochun's shoulder. "But...is it okay for me to cry for a little longer? Will...will she be angry at me?"

Yoochun bit his lower lips. "No, no, she won't be angry. We'll cry for tonight, just tonight."

[E.n.d.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

And so Yoochun tried. He tried to keep his promise to their mother.

Se7en kept his promise.

Yoochun didn't keep his promise. Not anymore. He broke his promise to his mother when he met Kim Junsu.

After their mother's death, Yoochun was able to finish high school with the help of the orphanage. Throughout the time, he also worked several jobs. It wasn't too difficult to find a job as a dishwasher or a janitor at a dirty bar. The owners were willing to hire a young kid to work and pay him under the table because they wouldn't have to pay the minimum wage required by the law.

He was able to get better jobs after graduating from high school so that he could start saving up money for Se7en's education. More than once, he'd been rejected because of the scar on his face. The first couple of jobs that he had been rejected by, Yoochun was so hurt. It hurt so much.

He wanted to give up, just give up. He was eighteen, but he still hid in a park and cried. He wanted to give up because he was so tired, physically and mentally.

Se7en found him in the park.

[F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

Yoochun nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the arms wrap around him from behind. But he soon recognized that it was his sixteen-year-old brother and allowed himself to relax.

"Hyung, you can stop now. Leave it to me. I can start working..."

"No," Yoochun cut him off. "You have to concentrate on school. You have to get through college."

"You had to start working when you were ten! I'm sixteen! It's not fair to you!" Se7en exclaimed, wrapping his arms tighter around Yoochun and resting his chin on his big brother's shoulder.

"I'm working hard, but you're working hard to. Your grades are excellent. I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday."

Yoochun had nearly burst into tears yesterday when he yelled at Se7en for getting a 'B' on his exam. Yoochun felt guilty when he saw Se7en's tears and ran out of the room. Se7en sat in the room drowning in his own guilt.

"It's my fault. I deserved it. I was so sick and tired of studying so I...gave up. I'm sorry. I promise to never do it again."

"No, I shouldn't be pushing you so hard. A 'B' is good. I couldn't do any better myself..."

"Because you were always busy with all your jobs," Se7en murmured sadly.

Yoochun closed his eyes to allow the remaining tears to fall. Then he untangled himself from Se7en's arms and turned around to face his baby brother. "How about this, we both promise each other to continue to work hard? No more thoughts of giving up. If we ever feel like we want to give up, we talk to each other about it."

Se7en smiled and nodded. "We'll get through everything together. We have to be strong, like Umma wants. There's always the brighter side to look at."

Yoochun smiled because Se7en still remembered their mother's words. He, himself, had almost forgotten because he was so distracted by the thought of giving up.

[E.n.d.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

So he didn't give up. He couldn't.

Yoochun asked the caretakers at the orphanage and found out that it was illegal for employers to reject him based on appearance. He used that threat on some employers and found jobs that only lasted several months. Luckily, he came across a job at a deli that only required him to work in the kitchen where no customers could see him. At the same time, he managed to pick up on two other jobs that required night time shifts.

With so many years of living with the scar and going through so many jobs, Yoochun had become accustomed to the discriminating eyes. With time, it just didn't matter or hurt as much anymore. Most times, he'd even be able to ignore it.

But then he had to go and run in front of Kim Junsu's car. That was the beginning of his downfall.

He met the beautifully handsome Kim Junsu and Yoochun's self-esteem level dropped several notches. He fell in love with the beautifully handsome man and his self-esteem level hit rock bottom. As if that wasn't bad enough, Yoochun had become a coward. He'd run away and could only imagine the worst.

No more 'looking on the bright side'. No more 'live life to the fullest'.

'Life is too short for regrets.'

Yet Yoochun would be burdened by this one regret for the rest of his life. He'd regret not having the courage and strength to just TRY.

[F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

"I'm wondering why I fell in love with him in the first place. He's ill-tempered, superficial, selfish, arrogant..."

"You really don't know?"

"Maybe because of his looks," Yoochun tried to grasp onto any excuse he could think of, "which is a good thing, because if a person falls in love with another person for his/her appearance then the love won't last."

"Then that means his love for you WILL last...," Jaejoong pointed out.

"What?"

"...since he didn't even know what you looked like when he fell in love with you. I'm pretty sure he fell in love with you during the time that he was blind," the older man reminded.

[E.n.d.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

Chapter 26

Jaejoong was right.

Didn't Yoochun have the foundation for a relationship? Junsu had fallen in love with him when he didn't even know what Yoochun looked like!

He was hurting now because he ran away from the truth. He would hurt even if he faced the truth and got rejected.

Yoochun opened his eyes to look up at the ceiling in his room. He pushed himself to sit up on his bed.

Yoochun would rather hurt because of 'rejection' than to hurt because of 'regret'.

He had to try. No matter how minimal the chance. He just had to try. He wouldn't regret if he tried (at least, not as much as he would regret if he didn't try).

Jaejoong was right.

No more running away. No more breaking the promise he made to Umma.

Yoochun stood up from the bed and glanced over at the hat sitting on his desk.

Fist clenched and eyes determined, he just grabbed his jacket and ran out of the apartment.

■■■■■

"We're going to do it today?"

"Yes, because we know they'll both crack eventually. Our plan will just speed up the process and determine the results sooner," Jaejoong clarified.

They'd spent most of their lunch time plotting and scheming.

"Okay, so let's do a rundown," Yunho suggested.

Se7en pulled out the piece of paper that Jaejoong had written up and began to read:

[Plan]

Current time: 4:31

4:35 - Changmin and Se7en will go buy some fake blood and then drive up to the mountains to set up the scene.

4:45 - Jaejoong will go find Yoochun at home, drug him, and then drive his unconscious body to the location. (Jaejoong can drive to location in about ten minutes.)

4:47 - Scene should be completely set up.

4:50 - Yunho will go to Junsu's house and tell him about Yoochun being in accident. Let him freak out for two seconds and then drive him to location. Drive from Junsu's house to location should take fifteen minutes.

[End Plan]

"Is it really okay to leave such little time between each task?" Yunho observed.

"It'll be fine!" Jaejoong assured with confidence. "My plans work 80% of the time!"

"Okay, let's get going then!" Changmin hurried.

■■■■■

Junsu was sitting in the bubble chair on the balcony. His knees were to his chest and his chin rested on his knees. His stomach grumbled because he still hadn't eaten lunch. But he really didn't have the appetite.

Although he wouldn't mind eating some steak right now...and have a glass of orange juice to go with it.

Junsu sighed and closed his eyes. For the past days, he would only laze around the house and think about the memories he'd shared with Micky. The memories of their time on the island were made of darkness because Junsu was blind at the time. He spent his days trying to turn the darkness into pictures with Yoochun's face on Micky's voice.

Junsu opened his eyes again and reached for the two items that were situated in the bubble chair next to him. The dolphin figurine was easy to pick up, but the picture had slid under the cushion so he had a bit more difficulty trying to recover it.

'Look on the bright side,' was on the dolphin figurine. It was Micky's birthday present for Junsu.

The picture was of Yoochun and his younger brother.

[F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

"Your Micky isn't real. Your Micky is beautiful. That person doesn't exist. You'll get over it."

"Yoochun..." Junsu tried to speak, but he just couldn't come up with anything.

Yoochun smiled sadly. It was the first time Junsu had said his real name. He'd never said it before because he just didn't want anything to do with Yoochun.

And he wouldn't have anything to do with Yoochun from now on.

"I'm done and I don't think you have anything more to say to me. Good-bye, Mr. Kim."

Yoochun released a breath and smiled. Looking ever so relaxed and relieved, he walked into his room.

Feeling like someone had just smashed his head against a wall, Junsu slowly stood up from the chair. He was about to let himself out of the apartment when he looked down and saw the broken picture frame under the coffee table. It must have been knocked over during the fist fight.

The frame was broken, the glass irreparable, the picture fallen out. The picture was of the two brothers.

[E.n.d.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

Junsu had taken...or rather, stolen that picture. His index finger brushed the image of Se7en in the photo. Wouldn't it be so much easier if Se7en was really 'Micky'?

But if Se7en was 'Micky' then Junsu wouldn't have fallen in love with him.

Junsu had fallen in love with Micky when he didn't even know what Micky looked like. This was true love, wasn't it?

Junsu had spent his whole life looking for true love. Money mattered, power mattered, but in the end, true love would be the only thing that would ALWAYS matter.

Who would have thought that Kim Junsu was such a lovesick idiot?

If he let go of Micky, then he would never have true love.

True love. True love. True love didn't come knocking at the door. It's something that needs to be hunted down and treasured, isn't it?

Micky was the treasure, the true love. Right?

In the movies, they always said that looks didn't matter if it was true love. Looks don't really matter, does it?

There was only one way to find out. And Junsu was too damn sick of living with memories and a dolphin figurine. Memories and a dolphin figurine aren't 'happily-ever-after'.

He wanted the real person who made him laugh, made him sad, made his blood pressure sky rocket. He recalled all the times when Micky had insulted him, mocked him and Junsu smiled.

He really wanted to see Micky right now. He was too tired to care about whatever else right now.

Junsu abandoned the chair (along with the figurine and the photo) and his room to run downstairs.

He opened the door (ready to storm out), but froze in place. Maybe True Love did come knocking at doors because there, before him, stood his True Love.

"Micky..." Junsu murmured. "I mean, Yoochun..."

Yoochun was standing there, his hands behind his back to hide the shaking caused by anxiety. But his voice still shook when he said, "I did all the talking last time. I should have let you talk. Now you have the chance to talk, but frankly, I only need one word from you."

"What?" Junsu asked. There was suddenly that pit in his stomach again now that he saw Yoochun in person. He tried not to look at the scar, but then, Yoochun wasn't exactly looking at Junsu either.

"Not that word," Yoochun stammered, "I need a 'yes' or a 'no'. I need an answer. Are you...still in love with me?"

'Still'.

Junsu reminded himself of the misery he'd been suffering in the past days. He took in a breath and mentally slapped himself for being such a coward.

"Yes."

Yoochun smiled a bit and Junsu's eyes remained on his lips. He'd once kissed those lips, hadn't he? It was a 'trip and fall' accident that caused the kiss, but it was still a kiss.

"Want to go on a date?"

That caught Junsu off-guard. "What?"

"Just a walk in the park?" Yoochun tried.

Junsu finally noticed that Yoochun wasn't wearing his hat, although a bit of his hair still covered some of his face.

"O...okay," Junsu murmured.

Yoochun smiled again and Junsu felt the familiar 'thump' in his heart. It was the good kind of 'thump'.

Junsu ran back upstairs to get changed. He went through several sets of clothing until he finally settled on one. Yoochun waited patiently downstairs.

"I'm ready," Junsu announced ten minutes later. The clock in his living room flashed '4:31'.

"I believe you have a park near your home. Let's go there," Yoochun suggested.

Still wondering what Yoochun was up to, Junsu could only nod in agreement.

They walked out of the house and Junsu waited for Yoochun to remember that he wasn't wearing a hat. Yoochun never mentioned a hat as they walked silently, side by side.

"How...have you been?" Junsu tried to start a conversation, his eyes shifting to their surroundings to see if people could see them.

"Miserable," Yoochun replied in a casual tone. He noticed Junsu's shifting eyes. He walked faster so that they could reach the park where there were plenty of people to stare at them.

Junsu blinked when he heard the word and was suddenly too distracted to care about other people. "'Miserable'?"

"Yeah," Yoochun shrugged in the same casual manner. He felt slightly more relaxed now than he had when he was knocking at Junsu's door.

He kept repeating three lines to himself: 'Look on the bright side,' 'Life is too short for regrets,' and 'Kim Junsu is still in love with me.'

Chapter 27

"Why? I mean, didn't you say that...?"

"I lied. I'm still in love with you. I have yet to figure out why."

Junsu looked down at his walking feet and tried to figure out what to say. "Love can't be explained."

"Along with a lot of other things," Yoochun sighed. Like why appearances were so important to some people.

The sound of laughing children in the park caught their attention and Junsu finally realized that they were in the middle of a crowded park. Junsu saw people staring.

Yoochun didn't seem to care. He just kept strolling, smiling at everyone in his path. Some returned his smile with their own genuine smile, some were giving off an uncomfortable smile (either caused by pity or the guilt of being superficial, Junsu could not tell), some just didn't smile at all as they took their children and walked towards the opposite direction.

Junsu felt that familiar mixture of fear, guilt, and shallowness creep into his mind. That was when Yoochun suddenly held his hand.

Junsu's body tensed, jaw dropped and he looked down at their connected hands. Then he looked back up at Yoochun who was looking ahead, continuing to walk with casual, relaxing strides.

But Junsu knew. Junsu knew. Yoochun was acting casual and calm, but he was waiting for Junsu to fling his hand away. He was freaking out on the inside, but he looked so calm and collected on the outside.

Junsu wanted to slap himself for even thinking about pulling his hand away. But he took in a deep breath and told himself that True Love was more important than other people's views.

"It's okay. It takes time. I'll be happy as long as you're willing to give us a chance, no matter how long it takes," Yoochun murmured softly. He was about to release Junsu's hand.

Junsu allowed Yoochun's fingers to slip away and he suddenly felt empty. Since when did such a simple gesture mean so much to Kim Junsu?

"I'm such an idiot. I have my sight back, but I'm still so blind," Junsu scoffed bitterly. Then, in a promising tone, he tried to assure Yoochun, "I'll try not to take too long. I promise. I'll try."

Yoochun stopped walking and turned to look at him. "Thank you," he smiled softly.

"No, I should thank you for coming to find me. I'm such a coward and I would have wasted more time than..."

"It's okay," Yoochun's smile turned into a grin. Kim Junsu had just admitted to being a 'coward'. That didn't happen often...or perhaps, at all; just like how he didn't like to apologize.

"Is everything always 'okay' for you?" Junsu tilted his head. Yoochun thought the gesture was cute, but Junsu probably wouldn't want to know.

"My Umma said that 'Life is too short for regrets.' She was the one who taught me to always 'Look on the bright side.' If I repeat it to myself enough then all difficult situations eventually seem 'okay,'" Yoochun paused as he eyed an elderly couple from afar who was walking pass them. The husband was staring at Yoochun's scar while his wife hit him over the head and told him not to be mean.

"So that's where 'Look on the bright side' came from," Junsu murmured.

"Yeah, it's all Umma's fault," Yoochun smiled warmly at the remembrance of his mother. Then the smile faded (much to Junsu's disappointment) and Yoochun's expression grew serious, "No one can guarantee that we're meant for each other or that we're going to grow old together like that couple, but at this point in our lives, we're obviously in love with each other. I want to give a relationship a try even if there is no guarantee of a 'happily-ever-after'. At least if I try, then I won't regret."

"You really think we might not be meant for each other, that we'll break up one day?" Junsu had to ask.

"Everyone steps into a relationship thinking that it's their 'forever,' but there is no guarantee. Two people can really love each other, but other factors can pull them apart."

"Unfortunately so," Junsu sighed at the truth of Yoochun's words.

"So let's see how long we'll last. Starting now, we're an official couple, at exactly..." Yoochun glanced at his watch, "...4:40 p.m."

Junsu glanced at his own watch, and then he looked at Yoochun with a smile, "Okay."

"Want to keep walking? Or you could go home and rest. You look like you haven't been sleeping well. I wouldn't want you to pass out."

Junsu looked around them. There were still people staring. Junsu repeated, 'Look on the bright side' and 'Life is too short for regrets,' to himself. Then he answered, "Let's keep walking."

Yoochun grinned happily. He tried really hard not to burst into a jump of excitement. "Okay! There's a guy who sells ice cream on the other side of the park. Let's go!"

Yoochun began to run and Junsu tried to catch up, "I thought you said we were walking, not running!"

"If all the ice cream is sold out, you'll regret that we were 'walking' instead of 'running'!" Yoochun laughed.

"Wait for me! I can't catch up with you if I haven't been sleeping well!"

"That's a lame excuse! Come on!" Yoochun mocked as he tried to remember what type of ice cream Junsu liked the most.

Then Junsu's phone rang. Junsu stopped running to answer the call.

Yoochun left him to stand at the beautiful water fountain. Junsu found himself pouting because Yoochun had abandoned Junsu for ice cream, but enjoyed watching Yoochun run to the ice cream man.

"This better be good," Junsu grumbled into the phone, needing to throw a tantrum at the caller for interrupting such a sweet moment.

"Junsu! I'm outside your house right now! Come out so I can drive you to Yoochun!" Yunho's frantic voice came from the other end of the line.

"Drive me to Yoochun?" Junsu questioned. His eyes were watching Yoochun pay for two ice cream cones. He was only several feet away.

"Yes! He's been in an accident up in the mountains! He's almost dying! You have to get there, quickly!"

Junsu's eyebrow rose. He was pretty sure that the Yoochun who was running towards him was very much alive.

■■■■■

"Hmm, of course, Jaejoong and his 'amazing' plans again," Yoochun rolled his eyes as he scoffed.

"We were just trying to help!" Jaejoong exclaimed. He, Yunho, Yoochun, and Junsu were sitting in Junsu's living room.

"By faking my death?" Yoochun raised an eyebrow.

"'Near death,'" Jaejoong corrected. "You weren't really going to die."

"Did you copy this idea from a movie?" Junsu spoke.

"Am I going to get sued for copyright?" Jaejoong retorted. It was a rhetorical question so Junsu didn't answer. He just chuckled.

"I knew we were missing a step," Yunho rubbed his chin.

"What step?" Jaejoong questioned.

"I should have been required to wait for your call and know that you've got Yoochun drugged and unconscious before I go find Junsu," Yunho realized.

Jaejoong snapped his finger, "Yes! That would have made my plan perfect! But we went by time instead! Oh, such a horrible flaw!"

"You're so dramatic," Yoochun grumbled.

"I was flipping out trying to find you before 4:50 because that was the exact time that Yunho was supposed to go get Junsu!" Jaejoong explained. "I got to your house at 4:45, which was the exact time that I was supposed to have found you and drugged you."

"You make it sound so illegal," Yoochun frowned.

"I was just going to give you sleeping pills. But anyway, I was supposed to send you to dreamland and then carry you into my car. Then I was supposed to drive you up the mountain. My perfect plan went down the hill because you weren't at home and I spent fifteen minutes just trying to find you!" the pretty man rambled. "I thought you had gone to do something stupid because you were so depressed so I lost track of time and went crazy just trying to find you! Aren't I just the sweetest best friend?"

"You're the most talkative best friend," Yoochun drawled sarcastically. Junsu was laughing lightly while Yunho had been enjoying the sound of Jaejoong's voice.

"I try," Jaejoong shrugged cutely.

"You two have both been cooped up in your homes for the past days so we assumed that we'd be able to find you there. I guess our assumptions were wrong and we didn't expect you two to go find each other," Yunho explained further.

"Yoochun went to find me," Junsu corrected, sending a gratifying smile towards Yoochun. Yunho and Jaejoong didn't miss that interaction.

"So you hit the third stage and did what I expected you to do," Jaejoong hugged Yoochun like a proud mother would hug her child.

"Third stage?" Yoochun was confused.

"Wait, didn't you say that when Yoochun hits the third stage, he'd either fall into depression, go crazy, or finally realize that he doesn't love Junsu?" Yunho reminded.

"Go crazy?" Yoochun raised an eyebrow at Jaejoong.

"Finally realize that he doesn't love me?" Junsu gave Jaejoong an amused glance.

"In his third stage, he did what you DIDN'T expect him to do," Yunho pointed out innocently.

"That's enough from you, Cutie!" Jaejoong glared at him. Yunho grinned because Jaejoong had called him 'Cutie'.

"So what did you expect to happen if your 'perfect' plan went through?" Yoochun wondered.

"Oh, he was supposed to see you all bloody and in the middle of the road. Then he's supposed to hold you and confess his love for you..." Jaejoong answered.

"But how would I know if he'd confessed? I'd have been sleeping because of your drugs," Yoochun pointed out another flaw. Jaejoong obviously didn't like that.

Chapter 28

"But how would I know if he'd confessed? I'd have been sleeping because of your drugs," Yoochun pointed out another flaw. Jaejoong obviously didn't like that.

"Changmin was supposed to be behind the bushes recording the whole scene! And Se7en was supposed to help..."

"Oh, my goodness! Where are Changmin and Se7en?" Yunho interrupted.

Yoochun and Junsu turned to Jaejoong with wide questioning eyes. Jaejoong rubbed his chin, and then snapped his fingers as if a light bulb had just gone off. "We forgot to tell them that the plan is a flop."

"You guys didn't call them?" Yoochun exclaimed.

"No reception up in the mountains," Yunho reminded.

"Look at how dark it is outside! They're still in the mountains? That's dangerous!" Yoochun grew hysteric. "What if something happens to them? I promised Se7en that I would take care of Umma!"

"You promised 'Umma' that you would take care of 'Se7en'," Jaejoong corrected innocently.

"I can't think straight right now!" Yoochun shouted.

"Yoochun, calm down, they'll be okay," Junsu held one of Yoochun's hand and laid another hand on his shoulder. "Changmin practiced martial arts when he was a kid. He'll be able to protect Se7en."

Yoochun looked into Junsu's comforting eyes and took deep breaths. He soaked in Junsu's soft smile and tried to calm down.

"Changmin will protect Se7en?" Yoochun murmured like a lost child.

Junsu felt his heart melt at how weak and lost Yoochun looked. He pulled Yoochun into a soothing embrace and tried to assure, "Changmin will protect Se7en."

The four gathered some gears (jackets, flashlights, baseball bats, etc.) and headed for the mountains.

■■■■■

"They're extremely late," Se7en mumbled as he glanced at his watch. Today was a rather cloudy day so the sun disappeared early and it looked like it was going to rain later. "What are we supposed to do? What if they suddenly show up? We don't have reception on our phones so we can't call them."

"Se7en?"

Se7en stopped poking at his digital watch and turned to look at the man kneeling beside him in the bushes. It was dark and he had a bit of trouble seeing Changmin's face, especially when the bushes were causing shadows.

"What is it?" the younger man replied.

"Want to know a secret?" Changmin said. His voice sounded weird; Se7en couldn't figure out why.

But Se7en felt giddy. Changmin was going to share a secret with him! That means they've become close and that Changmin trusts Se7en, right? Right?

"Well, we're waiting anyway so we might as well get to know each other!" Se7en murmured shyly, unable to prevent the grin that was plastered over his face.

"Se7en," Changmin began in a serious tone. "I'm..."

Se7en stopped grinning like an idiot when he noticed that Changmin had shifted closer and closer. Their shoulders and thighs were aligned and touching.

"Um...Changmin?" Se7en was confused and felt slightly scared. The other man was still moving closer and closer.

They weren't even official yet. Se7en wasn't even sure he really is in love with Changmin! Isn't it too early to be getting this close?

"Se7en, I'm..." he stammered, as if not knowing how to put his thoughts into words.

Se7en was facing ahead and he tensed when he felt Changmin's breath on his cheek. The taller man had turned his head and was looking at Se7en. It's getting a bit creepy.

"You're...?" Se7en gulped, wondering if he should be afraid of this 'secret'.

"I'm a..."

The strike of lightning boomed in the cloudy sky and Se7en jumped a little. Then he felt arms wrap around himself and Changmin practically tackled him into the ground. When Se7en opened his shocked eyes, he saw that Changmin's eyes were only inches away from his own.

"You're a rapist!" Se7en shouted as he pushed Changmin off. He jumped onto his feet and tried to run.

Changmin was pushed away, but he immediately jumped back to hug Se7en tightly, crying, "I'm afraid of the dark!"

Se7en froze. He looked down at the head that was against his chest and the long arms that were chaining his own arms to his sides.

Changmin was afraid of the dark?

Se7en mentally slapped himself for thinking Changmin was a rapist. How stupid!

Then he struggled to get one arm out of Changmin's firm hold. With his free hand, he soothed Changmin's mass of hair and spoke in a comforting tone, "Don't worry, it's okay to be afraid of the dark."

"You don't think I'm stupid for being afraid of the dark?" the taller man stammered in a shaking voice.

"Of course not! It's cute," Se7en grinned.

"Don't tell anyone. Only Junsu and Yunho know, but I have things to blackmail them with that will prevent them from revealing this secret."

"How do you plan on blackmailing me?"

"I'll figure something out later," Changmin replied. His tone contained less fear and more bliss now.

"You're enjoying this position, aren't you?" Se7en raised an eyebrow, even though Changmin wouldn't be able to see it.

It was an awkward position. Se7en had jumped up to stand on his feet to better defend himself (or just run) from the suspected 'rapist'. Changmin had jumped back towards Se7en, slouching forward with knees bent and arms around the younger man's waist; his head was against Se7en's chest, almost like a child hugging an adult.

"It'd be nice if you were taller; my back is starting to hurt," Changmin murmured.

"Stop complaining," Se7en chuckled, his hand still playing with Changmin's hair.

"Se7en!"

"Changmin!"

Changmin and Se7en heard the voices and saw the oncoming ray of lights. They quickly jumped away from each other, like a secret couple getting caught in the act.

"We're over here!" Se7en grabbed Changmin's arm and ran out from behind the bushes.

"Se7ennie!" Yoochun exclaimed happily, running towards his brother to embrace him like a baby.

Changmin was happy to see flashlights, and with the little bit of light, he was able to act tough, "What the hell took so long?"

"We'll explain later," Junsu replied.

"This better be good! Look at all those mosquito bites on Se7en's face and arms! I knew I shouldn't have trusted Jaejoong's plans..." Changmin began to ramble. It helped to talk a lot in his process of trying to 'act tough'.

"If you keep rambling, I'm going to turn off all these flashlights," Yunho threatened in a calm voice.

Changmin shut up and just glared.

"Hyung, stop cradling me, this is embarrassing," Se7en muffled into Yoochun's shirt.

"Shut up," Yoochun retorted as he continued to hug his baby brother.

■■■■■

"So you and he are officially dating, right?"

Yoochun covered his mouth to release a small burp, and then placed the can of orange juice onto the table. "Are you asking me or Jaejoong?"

"I don't have to worry about Jaejoong getting official with Yunho. They'll shamelessly jump each other eventually," Se7en brushed off.

Jaejoong glared at Se7en for a second before turning back to his cell phone to text Yunho. They had a date tonight and Jaejoong just wanted to verify the time and place for the fifth time (and to ask Yunho what he should wear).

Yoochun chuckled. "They have a date tonight. Maybe 'eventually' will be sooner than we think."

"Should I prepare for Yunjae babies?" Se7en winked at Jaejoong.

"I'll adopt you and you can be our kid," Jaejoong countered. "I'll only feed you vegetables and take away all your video games."

Se7en clung onto Yoochun's arm at the horrifying thought of being Jaejoong's child. "Don't ever let it happen to me, Hyung."

Yoochun laughed, "Don't worry. Jaejoong will be a bad Umma, but Yunho should be a great Appa."

"The problem is that Appa is a sucker for anything Umma does so he'll always side with Umma," Se7en whined.

"Go to your room, you ungrateful child!" Jaejoong threw a pillow at Se7en. The youngest of the three easily caught it and smirked. Jaejoong glared, "He's learning to be snarky from the doctor. Get your baby brother away from the guy or you'll regret it, Yoochunnie!"

"Changmin is a better influence on me than you are!" Se7en stuck his tongue out to mock. Jaejoong made a mean face for revenge on the younger man.

Yoochun rolled his eyes. Then, with a serious expression, he took Se7en's hand in both of his own hands, "You really like Changmin?"

Se7en grew serious as well. "Um...yeah, I guess so. Do you not want me to be with him? I promise; he's a really good person. I won't let a relationship interrupt my schooling and work."

"Say 'no,' Yoochunnie! Say 'no'!" Jaejoong spoke in an eerie voice.

"No," Yoochun began, and paused to make the situation a bit more dramatic.

"What? But..." Se7en looked scared out of his wits.

Chapter 29

"No, I don't NOT want you to be with him. Changmin is a great person. I'd be happy if you were with him. I'm sure he wouldn't let himself interrupt your schooling and work either."

"Yoochunnie!" Jaejoong wailed, but it ended completely when his phone vibrated again. He could no longer wail because Yunho's new text message made him grin like crazy. It said, [I'll see you at 'Timeless' at five. It doesn't matter what you wear because my eyes will only see you.]

Se7en and Yoochun rolled their eyes at Jaejoong's dreamy grin.

"You never answered me question, Hyung. Are you and Kim Junsu official?"

"I...guess so."

"That means 'yes,'" the youngest clarified. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes," Yoochun nodded a little.

"Good! Umma will be so proud of you! I'm proud to have your old aggressive self back too!"

"'Aggressive'?" Yoochun raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, you can be very aggressive and bossy...at times," Se7en smiled innocently. He needed to change the subject to avoid having to eat steak again tonight. "So...Junsu doesn't mind anymore?"

Note to self: Always talk about Junsu when you want to distract Yoochun.

"No, I'm sure he still minds," Yoochun spoke.

"What? That jerk! I'll go punch the rest of the shallowness out of him!" Se7en interrupted with fire in his eyes as he rolled up his sleeves.

"No, no, no!" Yoochun stopped him, rolling his baby brother's sleeves back down. "It takes time, Se7ennie. Just give him some time. We can't expect him to change drastically like that. It's not normal. And at least he's not lying to me and telling me that he doesn't care at all."

The two brothers glanced at Jaejoong and expected him to say something. But Jaejoong just cuddled his cell phone to his heart and skipped into Se7en's room. The brothers chose to ignore him.

"If you say so, Hyung, but just remember, you can't wait forever. You deserve better. Give him a couple of months, but if he's still so shallow..."

"I know, Se7en. Don't worry," Yoochun assured.

Se7en smiled and nodded. Then he saw Jaejoong running out of his room with a stack of clothing. "What are you doing?"

"I'm borrowing these clothes. I need more options to play mix-and-match with for tonight's date! You won't be seeing me for the rest of the day. Good-bye!"

"Wait! Come back!" Se7en shouted at the door that Jaejoong had run out of.

"Se7en, just let him be," Yoochun laughed.

"He took my favorite shirt! I have a date with Changmin tonight and I was going to wear that!" Se7en exclaimed before racing to hunt Jaejoong down.

Yoochun sat in the silent living room.

They both had dates tonight, so Yoochun won't have to cook for them. But he still had a piece of steak left in the fridge.

Maybe...

■■■■■

"Wow, you've really improved!" Junsu complimented as he munched on the piece of juicy beef.

"I've had practice," Yoochun smiled.

"Yeah, Yunho and Changmin told me. They said you kept feeding Se7en and Jaejoong steak."

"They can blame you for that," Yoochun laughed.

"Is it for the same reason that you were at the grocery store that day I ran back into you in Seoul?"

"Oh, no, that was coincidental. I go to that grocery store all the time because Se7en likes to go to the bookstore across the street. And it helps that the grocery store is the best place to get fresh meat and vegetables in Seoul," Yoochun explained.

"Maybe it wasn't a coincidence. Maybe it was fate," Junsu shrugged as he continued to slice at the steak.

"Maybe," the younger man smiled sweetly as he sipped at his glass of water.

"No orange juice tonight?" Junsu started another conversation.

Yoochun glanced down at his glass of clear liquid. "I ran out of orange juice."

"I'll go buy some for you after I finish eating." the older man offered.

Yoochun thought about it for a moment before saying, "We could...go buy it together."

Junsu's chewing slowed and his hand stopped moving the knife back and forth. Yoochun noticed and just smile, "Actually, I think I might be down with a cold. You go buy it and I'll pay you back."

Junsu looked down guiltily. Yoochun had noticed his hesitation. "Yoochun, I'm sorry."

"Don't say that. You're still in the stage of trying. It's okay."

"Buy me some cold medicine while you're at it. I need to keep some in the cabinet in case Se7en or Jaejoong catch anything."

"Where are they anyway?" Junsu was hoping to change the subject.

"Se7en is out on a date with Changmin and Jaejoong is out on a date with Yunho," Yoochun informed proudly. Then his smile faded.

He noticed that he should have just said 'Se7en is on a date with Changmin and Jaejoong is on a date with Yunho.'

Not, 'Se7en is OUT on a date with Changmin and Jaejoong is OUT on a date with Yunho.'

Junsu had stopped eating again and was looking down guiltily. "Do you...want to go out tonight? Yunho was telling me about a really good restaurant called 'Timeless'..."

That statement struck another wrong cord in the melody of their relationship.

'Timeless.'

Their relationship wasn't 'Timeless'. It was one of 'Time'.

They were still in the stage of 'trying' to maintain a relationship. But with Time, if Junsu continued to be so shallow, if Yoochun couldn't take it anymore and gave up, then...that was it. It would be over. Everything would be over.

"No, it's okay," Yoochun quickly replied with another one of his smiles. He knew Junsu was just offering because of guilt. Junsu wouldn't be comfortable if they went out.

Yoochun understood that Junsu had done a great job that day at the park. Junsu really forced himself to act like he didn't mind, but Yoochun knew better.

"Yoochun..." Junsu murmured, unsure of his words. "I don't deserve you."

Yoochun felt like cooing at Junsu's soft and sad features. He smiled gently, "Maybe not, but I think I deserve you."

Junsu blinked and raised his head to look into Yoochun's eyes. He saw the love and couldn't control the smile that formed on his own lips. "Thank you."

"You can thank me by finishing the steak and then running down to a store to buy me orange juice. As my boyfriend, you need to remember that I have a strong addiction to orange juice."

Junsu chuckled and nodded. "Note to self: A good boyfriend will never let you live a minute without orange juice.'

■■■■■

"Holy Blue Dolphins! This is the cutest thing in the world!" Yoochun squealed as he picked up the glass figurine of a dolphin.

Junsu looked around and saw people staring at them. But they weren't staring because of Yoochun's scar. Yoochun had his hat on and his hair had grown longer in the past month so it easily covered his face.

And Junsu was getting embarrassed by the stares because his boyfriend had caught a lot of attention by squealing like a little girl!

"Are you sure you're not a girl in disguise?" he stood close to Yoochun and whispered.

Yoochun rolled his eyes. "Stop being weird."

"You hit a pretty high note so I was just making sure," Junsu shrugged innocently.

"Isn't this just the cutest thing in the world?" Yoochun shoved the figurine in Junsu's face.

"You called me the 'cutest thing' in the world yesterday. Should I be jealous of this...fish?" Junsu eyed the figurine.

"It's a crystal dolphin!" Yoochun defended. "And I called you the cutest 'person,' not 'thing'."

Junsu laughed and took the figurine from his boyfriend's hand. "Fine, now let's go pay for this."

"You don't have to..."

"It's our one month anniversary present," Junsu started to walk to the cashier.

Yoochun followed behind, smiling sweetly to himself.

Then his smile faded. Shoot, what was he supposed to buy Junsu for their one month anniversary?

■■■■■

"What is this?"

"It's too last minute to buy you anything so I thought I'd make you a grand meal for our one month anniversary!" Yoochun announced. He was standing next to the table with both hands clasped together and the apron ('look on the bright side') still around his less scrawny body.

"This doesn't count! You cook me a grand meal every day!" Junsu complained.

"Don't let your employees see you whine like that," Yoochun casually tucked his long hair behind his ears and sat down. "Now eat. I sent Se7en and Jaejoong away so you won't have to fight them for food tonight."

"Wrong, Changmin and Yunho are the ones who always fight me for food to present it all to their 'Queens'."

"My brother is not a queen," Yoochun chuckled.

"Changmin treats him like one," Junsu began to pick up his chopsticks.

"That's true," Yoochun laughed.

They enjoyed the rest of dinner with casual conversation and a little sweet talk to spice up the dishes that were a little too salty.

Chapter 30

Yoochun cleaned up and washed dishes. Junsu decided to help dry the dishes, although it wasn't necessary to stand so close to Yoochun.

"You're standing too close. My arm keeps hitting you."

"That's okay!" Junsu grinned cheekily.

Yoochun rolled his eyes, but ended up laughing anyway. "You need to stop picking up bad habits from the other four."

"Is flirting with my boyfriend a bad habit?"

"It's a crime," Yoochun retorted sarcastically. He was rewarded with the sound of Junsu's laugh.

"The meal still doesn't count as an anniversary present, you know?"

"What? But you ate everything! I even learned to cook more meat dishes! It's more difficult than it looks because I'm a vegetarian!" the younger man tried to defend.

"Nope, still doesn't count," Junsu turned his head from left to right.

"Fine, what present do you want?" the slightly taller man surrendered.

"Hmm...a kiss?"

Yoochun nearly dropped the sponge and plate in his hands. "W...what?"

"We've been dating for a month. I used to kiss my other half on the third date."

"Um...well, I'm...uh...it's just...I mean...what if...what if the others come home and walk in..."

"Oh, please, I've walked in on them making out before!"

"What? Se7en and Changmin are already making out?" Yoochun's eyes went wide.

"Calm down! Calm down! No 'making out'. It was just a kiss, a peck on the lips. It was their first kiss, two days ago, in Changmin's new clinic," Junsu tried to allay the protective brother.

"Oh, okay, that's not bad then."

"What do you mean it's 'not bad'? We got together at the same time they did, but they're already kissing..."

"Pecking," Yoochun corrected.

"Fine, 'pecking'. I can't let the kid get ahead of me! If we start making out now then..."

"Is this some kind of competition?" the taller man exclaimed.

"Sort of," the shorter man shrugged.

"Junsu!"

"Okay! Kidding!" he raised both hands up in defense. "I just want a kiss...or a peck for our one month. Please? I mean, you don't have to kiss me. I'll kiss you."

"What's the difference?"

"I move and you don't."

Yoochun wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or be annoyed. They were standing at the sink, only halfway through with the dishes. Not exactly romantic.

His front was towards the sink and Junsu stood next to him, their upper arms and hips touching (because Junsu was standing so close). Junsu was standing to his right, meaning he'd be kissing the right side of Yoochun's face.

Yoochun shifted his eyes so he could see Junsu's pleading face. He wanted to laugh.

"Okay, fine," he tried to sound reluctant.

Junsu did a little cute dance before standing with his back straight to look like a mature adult. He cleared his throat in a serious manner and politely said, "Thank you."

Yoochun tried not to laugh as his head and body continued to face the sink. He stopped scrubbing the plate and closed his eyes, waiting...

He felt the kiss on his right cheek and opened his eyes. But instead of pulling away after the peck to the cheek, Junsu's head remained close (his chin resting on Yoochun's shoulder).

Yoochun turned his head slightly to look into Junsu's eyes. Junsu smiled innocently (or failed to) before moving in to capture Yoochun's lips.

Yoochun couldn't decide whether to concentrate on his racing heart, the heat on his face (would his head explode?), or the soft lips that were kissing his own.

He didn't have long to decide because the door suddenly burst open and four bad-timers came racing in. Yoochun quickly jumped away while Junsu glared at the four and wondered if he should start chasing them with a butcher knife.

"My poor eyes!" Se7en laughed.

"I told you we can kiss! Even your brother is doing it!" Changmin exclaimed.

"'Kissing'! Not 'doing it'! Just 'kissing'!" Yoochun shouted, hoping the volume of his voice could defend his pride.

"Oh, please, we're already passed the kissing!" Jaejoong scoffed.

"Joongie, too much information!" Yunho tugged at his boyfriend's sleeve.

"Passed the kissing? How?" Se7en questioned.

"Se7en!" Yoochun lectured. Se7en's lips turned into a cute pout.

"You'll find out after we've dated for another month," Changmin comforted the youngest.

"You won't be alive in another month if you try anything," Yoochun glared at Changmin.

"Don't you have someone else to worry about?" Changmin raised an eyebrow at him.

Yoochun glanced at Junsu (who was waving innocently at him with a cheeky grin) and blushed. "I...am going to finish washing the dishes. The rest of you get out of my kitchen."

"I was helping..." Junsu began.

"You've helped enough," Yoochun's eyes shifted from Junsu's smirk to the four giggling idiots.

"Very well, to prevent your head from exploding, I'll take these four out to dessert. Do you want me to bring something back for you?" Junsu offered.

"Or you can have him for dessert," Jaejoong chirped.

"Joongie!" Yunho gasped, fearing that Yoochun might hurt his love.

"Okay, okay, we're done. His head looks like a tomato. Let's go!" Jaejoong followed the laughing Se7en and Changmin out of the kitchen. Yunho gave Yoochun a sweet smile (hoping to bribe Yoochun into forgiving Jaejoong) and walked out as well.

"Aren't you going to go with them?" Yoochun asked the remaining guest in his kitchen.

"It's not a bad idea, you know? I really don't mind being 'dessert'."

Yoochun's eyes widened. His red, embarrassed face was a contrast to Junsu's snarky grin. In his failed attempt to act angry, Yoochun shouted, "I hate dessert!"

■■■■■

"Jaejoong and Yunho aren't really moving in with each other? I mean, it makes sense since it's been two months..."

"No, it was just a misunderstanding. Jaejoong was just helping Yunho buy new furniture and design an apartment for Yunho's parents. They're moving back to Seoul."

"Oh, I would have thought..."

"Yeah, I can see why you would think that. But trust me; it's all talk and no walk. Yunho spilled the truth to me last week. Remember a month ago when Jaejoong said that they're already 'passed the kissing' stage?"

"Uh-huh," Yoochun recalled as he played with the end of Junsu's long scarf. The couch was comfy, but he found it more comforting to lean against his boyfriend.

"Apparently, all that means was that they were cuddling in bed...fully clothed."

Yoochun burst into a laugh. "I guess that does count as being 'passed the kissing'."

"Uh-huh," Junsu hummed as he wrapped his arms tighter around Yoochun's waist. He'd forced some weight onto Yoochun's skin and bones in the past two months, but it didn't seem to affect the younger man's waist line. "How can you put on so much weight, but still have such a slim waist?"

"I go to the gym. I can't let myself go out of shape and have you dump me. As if I'm not flawed enou..." Yoochun stopped talking and mentally slapped himself. They'd tried to avoid this topic for the past two months of dating.

Outings were kept to minimal (not that they didn't enjoy just spending time with each other in the comfort of their homes) and when they did go out, Yoochun automatically had his hat on.

He still hadn't gotten a haircut, but Junsu wasn't (ever) going to make a comment about Yoochun's physical being.

Even more saddening, it was like Junsu was keeping Yoochun a secret. All of his friends, except Changmin and Yunho, thought Junsu was still single after the breakup with Heebon. All the employees in his company were grateful that he was no longer the bad tempered boss, but they couldn't suspect that Junsu had changed because of love...because they didn't know that their boss had a boyfriend.

Junsu sighed. Some things just can't be avoided forever.

"It's 12:01 a.m.," he murmured, eyes on the clock.

"Yeah," Yoochun replied softly, hoping the awkwardness would fade soon.

"That means today is our two month anniversary."

Yoochun glanced at the dolphin watch Junsu had bought him for his birthday. It was orange, childish, and sweet. There was both time and date on it.

"Yeah," he murmured again, wondering how he can make the awkwardness go away.

"Happy Two Months Anniversary and thank you so, so much for being so patient with me," Junsu whispered against Yoochun's left ear.

For some reason, Yoochun wanted to cry.

Chapter 31

"It's..." he tried to crack a joke to get rid of the awkwardness, but he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Happy Two Months, Yoochun," Junsu murmured again before laying a kiss on his boyfriend's left cheek.

Yoochun's eyes went wide. Junsu couldn't see because Yoochun was sitting with his back against Junsu's chest.

Yoochun felt Junsu's arms tighten even more around his waist and didn't know what to think. What did this mean? He felt so confused.

Then he heard Junsu's small giggle and wondered if he was hallucinating. Yoochun untangled himself from Junsu's arms so that he could turn his body around to face the older man. "What are you laughing at?"

"Remember back on the island...?"

[F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

"That was a disgusting breakfast!" Mr. Kim exclaimed as he felt his way into the living room.

"Did you even get anything into your mouth?" Yoochun retorted. That was a mistake because he could almost see steam coming out of his employer's ears.

"You..." Mr. Kim began as he took several huge steps forward. Yoochun silently complimented Mr. Kim for being able to follow his voice as he walked towards his housekeeper.

At least his ears were keen.

"Wait, the floor is wet!"

Too late, because Mr. Kim shouted a curse before gliding towards Yoochun on the wet floor.

Yoochun quickly dropped the mop and ran to catch the blind man before he would fall. Unfortunately, Yoochun slipped and the two collided into each other; chest to chest, forehead to forehead.

Yoochun felt himself fall backwards just as he got a hold on the front of Mr. Kim's shirt. Seconds later, he was flat on his back and his wide eyes saw the other man falling towards him.

A scene in a movie flashed through his mind, the one in which lips would meet lips when a couple would trip and fall on each other!

Yoochun gasped and quickly turned his face so that his lips won't meet Mr. Kim's lips. Unfortunately, he was too freaked out to think and had turned his head to the right. Those plump lips met the scar on his left cheek.

Yoochun froze and forgot how to breathe.

Mr. Kim lifted his head a little and his lips were only centimeters from Yoochun's cheek.

His famous frown reappeared. "I didn't kiss your lips, did I?"

"No," Yoochun peeped. He didn't know he could reach such a high note.

[E.n.d.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k]

Yoochun smiled. "Of course, how can I forget?"

"Our first kiss happened that day too."

Yoochun grinned, turned back so that his back rested against Junsu's chest. He suddenly didn't feel the need to be confused anymore.

This is what he'd been hoping for and he had been a little shocked when it finally came.

But he was getting used to it already.

■■■■■

"I need to give this file to Mr. Kim," Yoochun informed the receptionist. She gave him a weird look because he was wearing a hat and a flu mask.

Then she saw an important (rich and handsome) client walk into the office and directed Yoochun to go to Mr. Kim's office on his own.

Yoochun rolled his eyes at the girl and walked in to find Junsu. He was hesitant at first, afraid that someone would see his face. It was just bad timing that Junsu had left an important file at Yoochun's house and the other four were too busy to help Yoochun take the file to Junsu.

He tugged his hat farther down and made sure his flu mask was still in place.

Everyone else was too busy to notice.

"Excuse me, I have a file for Mr. Kim," Yoochun tried to talk to the person closest to the entrance.

"I'm busy. Go ask his secretary. She's over there," the person brushed him off without even looking up from the stacks of paper.

Yoochun understood that he was busy and walked over to the secretary. "Excuse me, I have a..."

"Find a seat and wait. I'll be with you in a minute," the secretary told him before running off with a stack of folders in her arms.

The bustling in the office continued in every section of the place and Yoochun still couldn't find someone to help him. So he went to find the office that had Junsu's name tag on the door.

Before he could even knock, the door was pulled open and Junsu nearly ran into him.

"Yoochun?" Junsu looked at his masked boyfriend with wide eyes.

"You forgot this," Yoochun held up the file.

"Thank goodness! We were all going crazy trying to find it!" Junsu grabbed the file and ran pass Yoochun to give the file to his secretary, and then allayed his team's worries. The bustling seemed to have stopped and everyone looked so relieved.

"Everything should be taken care of by 3:30," his secretary informed.

"This contract will be ours for sure!" another clapped.

"Everyone has worked hard for this project. I'll treat everyone to buffet tonight," Junsu smiled. Everyone cheered.

Yoochun remained standing alone at the door and felt so proud. Then he recalled that he really shouldn't be here so he silently walked around the desks and slipped out.

"Yoochun, you have to come..." Junsu stopped talking when he turned around to find his boyfriend gone. "Where'd he go?"

"I saw him walking out behind your back. Who is he, boss?"

Junsu felt guilty again. Yoochun had left in such a rush because he didn't feel like he belonged. But then, Junsu had always been too stupid to tell Yoochun that he was wrong.

"Boss?"

Junsu turned back to face his employees. With a proud smile, he informed, "He's my boyfriend."

■■■■■

"What?"

"Come on!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Why would I?"

"Because I'm treating everyone for their hard work! You helped us gain this billion dollar contract too so you have to come!"

"But Junsu, I don't want to force you..."

"You're not forcing me. I'm forcing myself. I have to do this. This is the only obstacle in my way and I have to get pass it. I have no other option. Losing you is NOT an option! You've put up with me for two months already. It's about time I do something in return."

Yoochun looked down, trouble on his brows. He'd wanted a day for this to happen, but at the same time, he didn't want Junsu to do it.

But he knew that unless they resolved this, there would always be that sense of a lie, mistrust, suspicion; a painful gap between them.

"Are you afraid of the outcome?" Junsu stepped closer to take both of Yoochun's hands into his own.

"I am," Yoochun replied truthfully, not wanting to look into Junsu's eyes.

"Don't be afraid. Trust that I can do this. Yoochun, look at me," Junsu smiled. "Look on the bright side, it won't feel like I'm forcing myself because you'll be by my side. I fear losing you more than anything else."

Yoochun felt his eyes moistened and silently told himself to not be such a wimp. "Okay," he nodded with a smile.

Junsu broke into a grin, sighing from relief. "Then go get changed. We have enough time to stop by for you to get a haircut and then get to the restaurant."

"A haircut?"

"Sweetie, if you don't get a haircut, everyone is going to think that I'm straight," Junsu teased as he played with Yoochun's long hair.

Yoochun laughed, because Junsu depended on Yoochun's laughter (Yoochun's strength) in order for himself to be strong.

He was teasing and joking, but Yoochun knew that there was still the slight hesitation in his eyes. But that was okay, because it was only a little bit, at least it was less than before...

Chapter 32

They walked into the restaurant, hand in hand. Both wore casual, but high-class outfits. Junsu had gotten his hair cut as well while waiting for Yoochun. His was short and spiked.

Yoochun's hair was not too short, but not too long either. The side-swept bangs were the perfect length and ONLY covered a majority of his forehead.

Yoochun could feel Junsu tense as people in the restaurant stared. But he was still smiling as he pulled Yoochun towards the large table where his employees were. It was like the 'park scene' all over again, where Junsu was trying his best to...try.

"Sorry for being late!" Junsu caught everyone's attention. Their attention didn't remain on him for long as their eyes traveled to the connected hands and then the man that was holding their boss' hand.

Yoochun wanted to lower his head and cursed Junsu for not letting him bring a hat. But he felt Junsu squeeze his hand and chose to hold his head up. He'd done this before. He can do it again.

"Hello, everyone," Yoochun greeted with a genuine smile.

The first person to stand up was Junsu's secretary. "Hi, my name is Seul Gi. I'm Mr. Kim's secretary. Sorry for being rude this morning."

Yoochun glanced at Junsu and Junsu smiled at him. Yoochun turned back to Seul Gi and shook her hand, "Nice to meet you. I understand that you were busy. I should apologize for Junsu's rude temper. It must be hard working as his secretary."

Seul Gi and everyone else looked shocked at first and Yoochun wondered if he'd done something wrong. Then they all burst into laughter.

"This is our savior! We all bow to you for turning Mr. Kim from a beast into a teddy bear!" Seul Gi giggled.

"What?" Junsu demanded, but was ignored.

Yoochun tried not to laugh too loud.

"To our savior!" another employee raised his glass of wine. Yoochun decided that this one employee must be very well respected in the company because everyone else followed his actions.

"I'm the one paying tonight. Give me some respect," Junsu frowned.

"I miss that frown. We haven't seen it in more than two months," Seul Gi pointed out. Yoochun laughed and the employees (as well as other customers around their table) thought the sound was very genuine and sweet.

"Come, sit next to us. We have so much more to tell you," another employee pull Yoochun away from Junsu. "My name is Siwon, by the way."

"My name is Yoochun."

"I'm Heechul," the one who had raised his glass of wine spoke. Everyone else began to introduce themselves.

Junsu was pushed to the other end of the long table, watching as his boyfriend and employees played 'backstabbers'. But he only remained frowning for several seconds. He began to smile when more and more employees began to talk to Yoochun.

When they'd first walked in, it was obvious that most of them were staring at Yoochun's scar. Instead of feeling like he wanted to let go of Yoochun's hand, Junsu had felt the urge to fire all the discriminate employees on the spot. This was definite improvement.

Why he kept thinking that he would not want to be seen in public with Yoochun, Junsu could not remember.

He remembered what it was like in the park. He'd forced himself to continue to walk through the park with Yoochun. He felt uncomfortable, but at the same time, he was...like a kid, pretending to be brave in front of the person he loved. But tonight, Junsu didn't feel like he was forcing himself to do anything.

Even when Seul Gi and Heechul began to pull Yoochun into the group, Junsu could see that several other employees were still hesitant about the distortion on Yoochun's face. They were probably pretending to be kind to Yoochun for the sake of kissing up to Junsu, but who cares?

Junsu sure didn't.

■■■■■

"Did you enjoy the meal?"

"I'm sure I enjoyed it more than you did."

"Stop being snarky," Junsu pretended to frown.

Yoochun laughed and swung their connected hands like a pendulum. "It was an incredible meal!"

"Are you drunk?"

"Heechul kept giving me wine and telling me to keep you from going to work for the next couple of days. Something about tying you..."

"I'm going to fire him tomorrow."

"Not if I don't let you go to work tomorrow!"

Junsu didn't know if he wanted to cry or laugh. "Are you defending another man? I'm going to get jealous."

"Good for you," Yoochun patted Junsu on the head.

"Okay, you're drunk. Let's get you back home."

Junsu half dragged and half carried Yoochun back to the parking lot (Yoochun had wanted to go on a short walk around the neighborhood before heading home). He gently led Yoochun into the seat and buckled the seatbelt.

"Go to sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there."

"You know," Yoochun's words were beginning to slur from the alcohol and sleepiness. "I could tell. Some of them, not Heechul or Siwon or Seul Gi, but some of them were definitely being nice just because I'm their boss' boyfriend. I think the others like Eunhyuk or Bomi were a bit hesitant at first, but I could feel that they stopped caring about my scar after we got to know each other. They're the type of people who care about looks, but are willing to pretend that they don't care...and they're even willing to give me a chance to be friends with them."

"It would be easier if I was like Eunhyuk or Bomi, huh? Even easier if I was like Heechul, Siwon, or Seul Gi. But no, I had to be the third type: the type that cares about looks and didn't bother to hide it; didn't bother for a chance to be your friend," Junsu spoke bitterly, regret in his voice. His eyes were on the road because he suddenly felt ashamed to look at Yoochun.

"Yeah, you're one awful son of a gun," Yoochun murmured. Junsu felt like he was swirling into depression. But his drunken boyfriend immediately added, "But I saw beyond that. You're okay now. You went from being one of those openly superficial people to someone who is willing to pretend to NOT be superficial..."

"Yoochun, I really don't care anymore. I'm not openly or silently superficial anymore," Junsu felt like he was begging Yoochun to believe him. "Now..."

"Now we're on our way to happily-ever-after!" the drunk man giggled.

Junsu wanted to laugh because he felt like the luckiest son of a gun on Earth. "Go to sleep, love. I'll wake you up when we get there."

"Promise?" Yoochun murmured, his eyes already closed.

"Promise."

■■■■■

Yoochun was sitting in the middle of the long sofa reading the newspaper. Out of nowhere, Junsu walked into the living room with a magazine in his hand. Eyes only leaving the magazine for several seconds, he plopped his whole body (faced down) horizontally onto the long sofa. His stomach was on Yoochun's lap while his feet hung off the arm of the sofa.

It probably didn't look like a comfortable position, but it was.

Yoochun didn't say a word about it because it was the most casual thing in the world...well, one of the most casual (considering there are kisses and hugs).

"Hey, look at this article!" Yoochun broke the comfortable silence.

"Huh?" Junsu craned his neck to look at Yoochun.

"This article, it's about a famous surgeon who will be in town. He's a plastic surgeon who is known for being good at removing scars. Do you think I should give him a try?"

Junsu pushed his body up so that he was sitting next to Yoochun (facing Yoochun). He looked at the magazine in his own hands.

"Babe, I really don't care, but you have to answer me one question first."

"What?" Yoochun blinked, wondering.

"Will the surgery require you to stay in the hospital for too long? I mean, if so then do you mind postponing it? I don't want a surgery to cause us to postpone our wedding."

"I can't postpone it since the surgeon is only in town for..." Yoochun stopped talking as Junsu's words registered. He was speechless.

"I really don't want to postpone our wedding for a useless surgery!" Junsu pouted. He shoved his own magazine into Yoochun's face and added, "The tuxes for this season are really trendy too!"

Yoochun smiled. No, he grinned. No, 'grin' didn't do justice to the happiness that was shining on his beautiful face.

"Junsu," Yoochun began, needing to point out a very, very important fact. "You're talking about a wedding that you don't want to postpone, but the last I checked, you haven't proposed to me."

Junsu blinked. "I need to propose? We've been together for almost a year already."

Yoochun rolled his eyes. "Can you be anymore of an insensitive jerk?"

"Okay, okay, fine, I'll go buy a ring and flowers tomorrow."

"No, that's okay. I think it's tradition for the guy of the relationship to propose anyway."

"I am the guy of the relationship," Junsu assured.

Yoochun didn't reply. He just folded the newspaper and placed it on the coffee table. Then he picked up his can of orange juice and pulled off the little tab.

He took Junsu's hand and slipped it on. "There we go. I proposed; you accepted; I'm the guy."

"What? No!" Junsu exclaimed. "It doesn't even fit!"

Yoochun eyed the soda can tab that was barely half-way on Junsu's finger. He shrugged lazily and took a sip of orange juice from the can.

"If you refuse it, then that means you won't marry me. I'll cry," Yoochun threatened.

Junsu frowned and glared, then he frowned some more.

Yoochun stopped sipping the orange juice and released a cute burp.

Junsu couldn't frown any longer. He just tried really hard to hide his happiness...and his smile.

"This means you're postponing the surgery then," Junsu made sure. "You have to!"

Yoochun shrugged casually, "Postpone...or just forget about it."

Chapter 33

"Getting married?" the four chorused.

"I'm so happy for you, Hyung!" Se7en hugged his older brother tightly.

"Don't squeeze him too hard," Junsu poked at Se7en's arm. The youngest rolled his eyes while Yoochun laughed.

"Getting married before us? Impossible!" Yunho exclaimed.

"Of course it's possible! You still haven't proposed!" Jaejoong threw a pillow in Yunho's face.

"I'm shy!" the detective pouted cutely.

"Okay, I forgive you," the psychiatrist made kissy faces at his boyfriend.

Changmin made a barfing sound.

"Oh, please, you do this to Se7en all the time," Jaejoong rolled his eyes.

"I do it in private!" Changmin defended. "But anyway, this will work out perfectly. Yoochun will have to move in with Junsu and then Se7ennie will be living alone. That's really sad so I guess I'll have to..."

Yoochun threw a pillow towards Changmin, who managed to dodge away.

"Not now, Minnie," Se7en laughed. Jaejoong made a barfing sound at the nickname.

"So who's going to be wearing the dress?" Changmin, being ever so smart, changed the subject.

"Yoochun," Junsu replied.

"Junsu," Yoochun replied at the same time.

"Both in dresses?" Yunho chirped.

"No, I proposed so I'm the guy in the relationship," Yoochun explained.

"The last time I checked, I'm a guy. It says so on my birth certificate!" Junsu defended.

"A misprint on your certificate?" Se7en teased. Junsu threw a pillow at him and Changmin caught it before it could hit the youngest of the six.

"Not now, Se7ennie," the tallest of the six winked.

"I proposed!" Yoochun defended.

"But I'm older!" Junsu exclaimed.

"You don't look older!"

"So?"

"I'm taller!"

"I can't cook!"

"That's not my fault!"

"I'll go make popcorn," Jaejoong skipped into the kitchen and Yunho followed. Changmin and Se7en sat next to each other (to the side and out of the way) to watch the debate.

"This is better than T.V.," Changmin laughed evilly.

"Shh," Se7en hushed.

"I'm more masculine!"

"You're more feminine!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Jaejoong and Yunho reappeared from the kitchen with popcorn. Yunho quickly tried to help, "You can both wear tuxes."

Yoochun and Junsu stopped arguing to look at their audience of four so-called 'friends'.

"But that doesn't determine which of them is the 'guy' in the relationship," Jaejoong added innocently. He and Changmin shared a 'high-five'. Se7en blinked innocently.

"I am!" Yoochun and Junsu chorused, turning back to face each other.

"Come on, babe, our fighting will only be beneficial to these four creeps," Junsu tried to persuade. The four creeps glared.

"We'll stop when you admit that I get to be the 'guy' in the relationship," Yoochun crossed his arms and pouted cutely.

"Can we switch off every day?"

"No."

"Week?"

"No."

"Month?"

"Maybe."

Junsu sighed. 'Maybe' still didn't necessarily mean 'Yes'.

"Okay, fine, you get to be the 'guy'."

Yoochun uncrossed his arms and made a 'peace sign' at the clapping audience. He wrapped his arms around Junsu's waist and pecked his future spouse on the cheek, "That's what you get for making me suffer so much!"

"I made you suffer? You were the one who caused my accident, whether intentional or not! People say that the eyes are the window to the mind. You closed the windows to my mind!" Junsu moped.

"But I opened the door to your heart."

Junsu opened his mouth to retort. The others waited for a smart-ass response.

Junsu just shook his head and laughed. In a defeated (but blissful) voice, he repeated, "But you opened the door to my heart."

■■■■■

Thank you to each and every one of you who supported this story. Thank you for your feedbacks in helping me improve and allowing me to make friends with fellow Yoosu/Yunjae/Min7en/DBSK lovers!

Please recall that I do read all the messages you guys leave at the END of a story. I just don't reply because I don't expect anyone to come back to read a reply (esp. since I stop updating and you won't be notified if the author doesn't update). If I get lucky enough to talk to you guys again, I'd be happy to reply to you in the next story.

Again, thanks for reading!

P.S. Micah7 was deleted because Winglin automatically deletes an account if you don't post anything up after One Month. But I'll still be writing the KyuMin (if you're interested).

◙◙◙◙◙

SPREAD THE YOOSU LOVE!!!

And ALWAYS SMILE!

Remember, 'HAPPY HAPPY!'

Chapter 34

Bonus

This Bonus was written for various reasons:

1. Two friends wanted a wedding scene (I even got a 'yoosu cherry on top' as a bribe)

2. Two friends wondered if Yoochun ever gets the surgery and I want to clarify that 'No, he never gets the surgery' because making him 'beautiful' at the end of the story will just ruin the whole concept of the story. A scarred man is better than a flawless one. ^__^

3. One friend said 'smut can't hurt' so I got as close to 'smut' as I will ever (or could ever) write. Maybe I'll eventually learn to write it, but for now, I'm stuck at the minimal. Sorry!

4. One friend wanted a scene where more people (other than Su's employees) see Yoochun and accept him. What better time and place than a wedding, right?

5. One friend wanted to see Yoochun's beauty/handsomeness through Junsu's eyes.

I can't accomplish everything, but I hope I accomplished something. You lovelies/friends know who you are so throw me lots of Yoosu Cookies for this Bonus, please!

Once again, thank you to every one of you for reading and supporting this story! Take care!

P.S. Sorry for not replying to everyone's appreciated messages. I have a job interview tomorrow so I need to get to sleep right now, but I really wanted to post this Bonus up as soon as I finished it. Hope to chat with you all again in the next story! Sorry again! Bye!

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Everything was perfect.

The church was grand and lightly decorated with expensive lace and flowers. Their friends and loved ones accentuated the whole setting in stylish outfits and genuine smiles. The chosen music flowed from the piano like a wave of magic, showing off the Love that had made this ceremony possible.

Everything was perfect.

Walking into the Church, it felt like he was wrapped in the beautiful arms of Heaven.

Yet nothing compared to the beauty of the one he would soon marry.

Yoochun was standing at the other end of the aisle, looking ever so handsome and suave in the tuxedo. The cutting and design was magnificent, but Yoochun made the whole outfit perfect...simply by accessorizing it with a smile from his heart.

The short aisle felt like a walk of eternity and it was difficult for Junsu to not just run into Yoochun's waiting arms, arms that were better than the beautiful arms of Heaven.

Finally, he made it to his soon-to-be spouse's side, their arms linking and the same happiness reflecting in each other's eyes.

Junsu wondered what he ever did to deserve this...to deserve Yoochun.

Guests from Junsu's side were the people who had once been shocked by Junsu's introduction of his boyfriend. They were discriminate, they stared, but with time, they realized how happy Junsu was to be with Yoochun. Because they were Junsu's true friends, they too learned to love Yoochun and move pass the obstacle of shallowness.

The ones that never moved pass the shallowness were not at the wedding. They weren't true friends and Junsu could care less of their participation.

"You're so pretty, I'm jealous," Junsu whispered to Yoochun.

Yoochun blushed a shade of pink. His smile radiated so much happiness that anyone who saw his face at the moment began to smile with him.

The priest went through the usual routine, speaking of promises that Junsu and Yoochun had wordlessly made to each other long before this day.

Standing next to Yoochun was his best man and baby brother, Se7en. Standing next to Junsu was his best man and best friend, Changmin (simply because Se7en was Yoochun's best man).

But now that the ceremony was taking place, Junsu was glad that he had picked Changmin instead of Yunho...and that Yoochun had picked Se7en instead of Jaejoong; because in the front row seat, Yunho was comforting the crying Jaejoong. Jaejoong wasn't bawling, just softly crying tears of happiness.

Who would have thought? Of all people, Jaejoong turned out to be the sentimental wimp.

Junsu stopped trying to listen to Jaejoong's soft sobs (and silently laughing to himself) when he heard Yoochun say, "I do."

Junsu turned his attention back to the priest to listen to the question that was now directed towards himself. He proudly answered, "I do."

They were instructed to exchange rings.

Yoochun placed the ring on Junsu's finger first, their eyes meeting to promise that this was a symbol of forever.

Junsu was given the ring that he was to put on Yoochun's finger. In one hand, he held Yoochun's slightly larger hand. In his other hand, he held the ring and stared at it.

Everyone was confused by why Junsu wasn't sliding the ring on Yoochun's finger; instead, he was just standing there staring at the ring.

"Junsu?" Yoochun's voice radiated confusion. Yoochun wasn't afraid, just confused. He knew Junsu wasn't regretting this day because he knew that Junsu loved him.

Junsu blinked to stop staring at the ring. He smiled and lifted his head to look into Yoochun's eyes.

"This is forever, Yoochun," he began in a soft voice. "The ring's circular shape symbolizes never-ending love, our never-ending love. I don't know what I did to deserve you in the first place, but I promise to spend the rest of my life proving to you that you deserve me."

"Junsu..." Yoochun smiled sweetly.

Junsu slowly lowered himself onto one knee, kneeling in front of Yoochun. "I'm sorry for all the pain I've ever caused you. I'm sorry for being the selfish, shallow son of a gun. You're beautiful in every way and I can't believe I ever thought otherwise. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to change."

They heard Jaejoong start to bawl (no longer quiet sobs), along with several other people in the Church. Changmin raised an eyebrow at Jaejoong while Se7en had a hand over his heart because he was so touched by his new brother-in-law's words.

"Junsu..." Yoochun's expression was soft and sweet. One could believe that he just may be the happiest man on Earth.

"The truth is, I was always afraid that I would lose you. I was always afraid that you would give up on me and grow tired of waiting for me to change. But I realized that you aren't like that. You're the one who would never give up on me even when I gave up on myself."

Several new cry babies were heard in the back of the Church. Even the priest was too touched to interrupt.

"I'm still afraid, Yoochun. I'm not afraid that you would leave me when I'm older, when I've lost all my teeth, when I'm balding, when I've got a huge belly. You're not like that. I'm not afraid that you would leave me when I become physically unattractive. I'm afraid that you will leave me if I become mentally unattractive, if I go back to my old self and become so ugly on the inside that you will hate me."

"Junsu..." Yoochun murmured.

"I promise, Yoochun. With this ring, I promise to learn to be beautiful at heart. You've taught me to be beautiful on the inside and I promise to not disappoint you. And I'll protect you from any pain or tears. I'll give you the happy family that you've always wanted. This is true love between us."

Still on one knee, Junsu slipped the ring onto Yoochun's finger. Jaejoong's cries were muffled into Yunho's tuxedo. Se7en looked like he wanted to cry. Even Changmin was softening up to the cheesiness of Junsu's speech (but he won't cry, no way!).

Yoochun blinked his moist eyes. They were just moist; he wasn't exactly crying.

He bent slightly to help Junsu return to a standing position. When they were eye to eye again, both standing in front of the priest, Yoochun spoke, "Thank you. I don't doubt that you'll keep your promise. I love you so much."

Junsu's eyes were shining. He looked so suave and heartbreakingly handsome. There was also that tinge of pride and feeling of success in his eyes.

The pride and feeling of success disappeared when Yoochun leaned towards him and whispered, "But I still proposed first so I'm still the 'guy' in our relationship."

Junsu's expression fell into one of disappointment and a childish pout.

Darn it!

■■■■■

"Did you have something to do with all that?"

"His words were from his own heart, but I did make a bet with him. He was supposed to try to get Yoochun to agree to let him be the 'guy' in the relationship. His deadline is today and I guess that performance was his last chance."

"You're horrible," Se7en shoved Changmin lightly.

"I asked Yoochun for permission before making the bet with Junsu," Changmin informed.

"You're still mean! How could you do that to such a beautiful, lovely pair? How could you try to make them argue like that?" Jaejoong exclaimed, eyes swollen. Yunho gave him a comforting hug. "They're so perfect, so perfect!"

"Oh, please, Hyung. Be realistic, it's not 'happily-ever-after' from here. They've got a whole 'forever' ahead of them. There will be serious fights and playful arguments, lies and truths. They're just another normal couple on this Earth that continues to spin every millisecond. It beats being 'perfect' because 'perfect' is too boring," Changmin defended.

"He's right," Se7en murmured.

"There are more obstacles ahead. This isn't the end, just the beginning," Yunho agreed.

"I don't care! Today is their wedding and they have to be a 'perfect couple' for this whole day! Don't you dare cause anymore playful arguments or ruin the reception by eating all the food!" Jaejoong poked at Changmin's chest.

"Okay, okay, fine," Changmin raised his hands in defeat. "Now can we go out to join the party, Umma?"

Jaejoong's eyes turned into slits. "It's 'Appa'."

"I'm 'Appa,'" Yunho corrected with an innocent expression.

"No! I am!" Jaejoong exclaimed.

"Who says?" Yunho inquired.

Se7en and Changmin stood side to side, watching the argument unfold.

"Are we going to argue about this topic too?" Se7en asked.

Changmin blinked, and then answered with a horrified expression, "I hope not!"

■■■■■

"I can't see!"

"This is your fault!"

"This is Jaejoong's fault! He booked this hotel! He told me not to worry and leave it all to him because he'll arrange everything to perfection!"

"Don't blame him! You should have followed up on it! Now we're spending out first honeymoon night in a VIP room with no electricity! There isn't even a candle to light up the room!"

Junsu sighed and Yoochun immediately felt guilty for scolding him. Already, they were becoming a bickering couple.

"I'll go see if I can find some candles," Junsu spoke, using his arms to push himself off the mattress (at least they found the mattress without the help of light).

"No, it's okay," Yoochun pulled Junsu back down onto the bed. "We can do without light tonight. It's not like I'm Changmin or you're afraid of the dark."

"No, I want light if we're going to..." Junsu paused.

"Going to what?" Yoochun's voice was heard.

"If we're going to...you know..." Junsu murmured shyly.

"Oh," Yoochun's voice was barely audible. Junsu wished he could see Yoochun's blush right now.

Damn the cut off electricity and the cloudy sky. There wasn't even a moon or a star out to shine down on this lovely night (or what was supposed to be a lovely night).

"Yeah..." Junsu mumbled. He was lying on the mattress, but it was such a big bed that he wasn't even touching Yoochun. "This is like being blind again. I hate it."

Funny how he'd once wished that he was blind again so that he could have Micky back. Now, with Yoochun, he didn't ever want to be blind.

Yoochun laughed at the memories.

"It's okay, Junsu. Maybe it's better if it's dark..."

"No! I want to see your eyes, your lips, your expressions, your whole face...and everything else."

Yoochun smiled to himself. He turned onto his side and extended his arm to feel for his spouse. He touched clothing material.

"What am I touching?"

"My chest with my shirt still covering it. By this time, a normal pair of newlyweds would be naked," Junsu grumbled in an irritated voice.

Yoochun laughed again and Junsu didn't feel so irritated anymore.

"Junsu, as happy as I am to know that you want to be able to see me when we're...at it, I really don't want the darkness to ruin tonight."

"Okay, but you have to promise to make up for it...when there is light."

"Are you learning to be perverted from Changmin?"

"Yes."

"My brother is in danger, isn't he?"

"Probably."

"Maybe I should call Se7en..."

"It's our honeymoon. Can you think about me and only me during this trip?"

Yoochun smiled. Junsu knew his spouse was smiling just by hearing Yoochun say, "That should be an easy task."

"Okay, let's get started," Junsu began.

"You make it sound like a chore."

"You're talking too much. Are you nervous?"

"Extremely."

"That's normal."

Yoochun rolled his eyes at how 'romantic' his new spouse was. Junsu could imagine Yoochun rolling his eyes at the same moment.

"You know what isn't normal, SuSu?" Yoochun asked while Junsu's hands were trying to unbutton his shirt.

"You calling me 'SuSu'? Try 'Yobo,'" Junsu answered, but it was obvious that his concentrate was not on the conversation. He was getting irritated with the buttons, so he just tore the sides apart and buttons flew all over the place.

"It's not normal that you're squashing me into the mattress. I'm the 'guy' remember?"

"Am I failing in my attempt to be the 'guy' again?" Junsu pouted, recalling his attempt at the Church. His hands continued to caress the newly found vulnerability of his spouse's chest.

Yoochun laughed. "No."

Junsu was shocked so his movement stopped. "Really?"

"Yeah, see it as my wedding gift to you because your speech at the Church was so good."

"Every word came from the heart," Junsu assured, his finger tracing a heart on Yoochun's skin.

"I know. I'm sure you would have said those words to me sooner or later. Changmin's bet with you just speeded it up to 'sooner' instead of 'later'."

"You knew about the bet?" Junsu exclaimed. "I'm going to teach Changmin a lesson when we get back to Seoul. He'll regret..."

"It's our honeymoon. You're supposed to think about me and only me," Yoochun reminded.

"Oh, right, now where were we?"

"My lips are still trying to find your lips."

"Just close your eyes and feel. Your eyes can't see, but your heart can."