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“I’m going to the studio, anyone want to come?” the ever diligent leader-sshi announces.
“Hyung, it’s our day off! Why are you going to the studio for?” Junsu yells back.
“I just feel like dancing, that’s all.”
Junsu pops his head into the living room. “No thanks, I’m meeting hyung later to play soccer.”
“Ok, where are the others?”
“Yoochun’s still sleeping, the lazy bum. But I think he’s seeing a movie with Yoohwan later. And I haven’t seen Changmin yet today.” Junsu scratches his head trying to remember if the maknae said anything about his plans.
“Changmin went on a ‘study-date’ with his university friends, except he’s conveniently forgotten to take his books with him. My bet is that our Casanova is meeting someone again.” Jaejoong informs the other two.
“Typical Changmin,” Yunho laughs, “I guess I’ll be going by myself then. Call me if you want me to bring anything back to eat.”
“Wait, I’ll go with you. I want work on my song. Let me grab my bag.” Jaejoong returns shortly looking ready for a hot date rather than an afternoon in the studio.
Yunho shifts his duffle bag on his shoulder. “Ok then, I’ll see you later Junsu. Don’t get hurt too badly showing off your soccer skills.”
On the drive over, Jaejoong is texting on his cell phone while Yunho’s phone is sitting idly in the center console. Finally finished, Jaejoong deposits his phone in the console as well and starts fiddling with the radio buttons. Finding nothing to his liking, he shuts it off and starts humming.
Yunho decides to start a conversation before he strangles the fidgety singer next to him. “So what’s this new song you’re working on?”
“It’s not really new; it’s just something that I’ve never finished. I started it awhile back, but never had time to continue.” Jaejoong plays with the hem of his shirt.
“Is it at least a happy song this time?” Yunho takes a quick glance at Jaejoong before returning his gaze to the road.
“Eh?” Jaejoong looks at Yunho in confusion.
“It’s just that you always write sad love songs. Why don’t you ever write anything happier?”
“I write happy songs! But I like the sad love songs too. They help people who are also feeling sad know that they aren’t alone.”
“So by contributing your own depression, you’d be helping these people?” Yunho’s once again puzzled at Jaejoong’s logic.
“Well, when you’re sad and everyone else around you is happy, you’d feel guilty about spoiling everyone else’s mood. Or sometimes, and I know this sounds horrible, but you wonder why everyone else is so damn happy when you’re miserable. It’s like you’re the only one in the world that can’t find happiness when it comes so easily for everyone else. So I write the sad love songs, the un-happily ever after to let people know that they aren’t alone.”
“I guess I can understand that, but why don’t you just compose a cheerful song that lifts the spirit? Like a pick-me-up type of song? I think that would help people too.”
“You mean like, ‘I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you this time, but it will eventually because love is the answer to everything’ type of song? Get real. If they want that kind of thing, they can just watch a movie. The whole ‘love conquers all’ concept is a complete lie.” Jaejoong scoffs.
“What do you mean? I think love can help people accomplish a lot. I mean we certainly wouldn’t be here if our fans didn’t love us. They were very keen on showing their love too when you were injured. You can’t say that their love didn’t help you heal.”
“It did, and love does do many wonderful things, but it doesn’t have the power to overcome everything. Love doesn’t stop people from dying from disease. Divorce rates also wouldn’t be climbing if love could conquer all. Sometime just plain love isn’t enough.”
“I don’t think they meant ‘love conquers all’ in the literal sense that it could stop the nature of death. I think it just means that ‘love conquers all’ hearts. There are many people out there that make poor decisions because they don’t feel like anyone cares about them. If someone showed an interest in them, they wouldn’t be making self-destructive decisions. Divorce rates aren’t proof that ‘love conquers all’ is false. Sometimes letting go of the other person without marital obligations weighing them down is way of showing them love. Divorce is still very unacceptable for a lot of people in society, and having the courage to let someone go and withstand judgment is a form of love.”
“Is that why you let her go? I’ve never figured out why you let her go without any form of punishment.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“The thing that poisoned you.”
“Jaejoong-ah, she’s still a person no matter how much you hate her. Everyone makes mistakes, and hers just happened to involve me. Like I said, many people out there make poor, self-destructive decisions. If she really wanted to see me suffer, she wouldn’t have turned herself in. She just needed a little bit of love and encouragement. If I could give her just a little bit of that, by not giving into vengeance, then that’s the least I could do.”
“Yunho-yah, you’re just too good of a person sometimes. How can you not be angry about it? I really wanted to kill her.”
“Of course I was angry. I mean if I hadn’t drank it, one of you would have and gotten sick. I’d rather it be me than any of you. Besides, I came out all right.”
“I still want her to be punished.”
“But you’re not doing it, because you love me enough to put aside your wants for my wishes. See Jaejoong, love does conquer all, even if you don’t see it that way in the beginning.”
Yunho pulls into a parking spot and shoves his phone into his duffle bag as Jaejoong gets out of the car. Before they part ways, Yunho tells the other man “Just find me when you’re ready to leave, ok?” and leaves the pensive singer to his own thoughts.
“Jaejoong! Jaejoong-ah! Aish, where is he?” a frustrated sigh escapes. Yunho pushes yet another door open in search of the elusive man. He stops when he spots Jaejoong sitting in front of his keyboard, fingers caressing keys silently, headphones plugged in, a slight frown marring his features. Jaejoong plays another few notes, silent to Yunho, and his frown deepens.
The phone in Yunho’s hand rings one more time, signaling the receipt of another text message, jarring Yunho out of his stupor. Remembering his reason for seeking the singer out, Yunho taps Jaejoong lightly on the shoulder, not wanting to startle the man too much. The seated man’s gaze darts up to meet with Yunho’s eyes.
“What’s up, Yunho?” headphones pulled down, resting around his neck. Jaejoong’s curious eyes take in Yunho’s sheepish expression. “Why are you looking at me like that? What did you do now?”
“What?! Nothing, I wasn’t spying on you. I just…grabbed your phone on accident again. I was about to answer the phone before realizing the ringtone was different.” He quickly hands the phone over to its rightful owner.
“Oh, thanks then.” Jaejoong looks at the messages and quickly replies while Yunho looks on in amazement at Jaejoong’s fingers’ dexterity.
“How do you text so fast? It takes me forever to get one sentence done!”
“Lots of practice, since I have four of you to keep track of.” Jaejoong doesn’t look up as he continues embellishing his text with emoticons. “Or maybe I have more talented fingers than you do.”
A snort “I highly doubt that.”
“Is that a challenge?” a mischievous grin greets competitive eyes.
“If you’re talking about texting, forget about it.”
“Just like I thought leader-sshi. You know, it wouldn’t kill you to just admit defeat sometimes without putting up a f-ahhhhhh!” and Jaejoong is tackled out of his chair by Yunho. Yunho wastes no time letting his fingers find Jaejoong’s most sensitive areas. Jaejoong’s laughter saturates the entire room as he attempts to stop Yunho from tickling his sides.
“Yunho!” a laugh “Stop!” a desperate attempt to get air in lungs “Please!”
Yunho ignores Jaejoong’s pleas and continues tickling the squirming figure he’s straddling. “Yah! Who has talented fingers now?” a smile plays across his face as he looks upon the laughing figure under him. His distraction allows Jaejoong to flip onto his back and grab both of his hands, fingers interlocking to prevent further tickling attacks.
The figure on top freezes as the oblivious figure on bottom attempts to get his breath back. “I got your fingers now, what are you going to do about it?” a cheeky tongue is flicked out at the still frozen figure.
Yunho attempts to disentangle their fingers, but Jaejoong’s grip is too strong for him to half-heartedly break. Instead, Yunho collapses his full weight on the slighter body underneath him. This time Jaejoong’s form is the one that stiffens, caught by surprise at the sudden shift in position. He groans.
A moment of silence, “We need to stop eating out, you’re getting heavy.”
Yunho’s indignant face pops up from Jaejoong’s chest, “I’m not getting fat! It’s just all the muscle I’ve been putting on.”
“I liked you better when you still had your big chest, now that you’re all muscle, you’re too heavy…”
“I’m not too heavy, you’re just jealous you have competition for having the best triceps.” Yunho scoots off Jaejoong, afraid he might crush the smaller man under his weight. He helps Jaejoong up, surprised the singer wasn’t strangled by the headphones still around his neck.
Jaejoong rubs his neck where the headphones dug in when he was tackled to the floor. “Jaejoong-ah! You have a bruise there. Ah, sorry. I’m so stupid. You could have been strangled. I’ll go get some ice for it.” Jaejoong grabs Yunho before he could rush out of the room.
“It’s only a bruise Yunho, don’t worry about it.” Jaejoong shrugs nonchalantly, batting away Yunho’s worried fingers on his neck. “Although if the stylist noona asks, you’re doing the explaining of how I got this beauty.”
Yunho eyes the bruise for another second before leaning over and placing a quick kiss on the spot. “Now it’ll heal faster!”
“Yah! What are you? Five? Kissing it will not help it get better!” a red-faced Jaejoong exclaims.
“Sure it will. Don’t you know saliva has healing properties?”
“Oh really?”
“Yes. You can even ask Changmin, he’s the one that told me in the first place.”
“In that case,” Jaejoong grabs Yunho’s head and plants kisses all over Yunho’s forehead.
Yunho jerks out of his shock around the third kiss and tries to hold Jaejoong off. “What are you doing?”
“I’m healing you! Your head is obviously damaged with the nonsense you’ve be spouting recently.”
“Yah!” and Yunho chases after the laughter trailing down the corridor.