POV from JJ

This has got to be the worse day of my life. I have never wanted to dig a hole and bury myself in it this much… though I am pretty used to being insulted and debased on a daily basis by otosama before his demise.

I can definitely tolerate the things this man does to me! I can do this! Jejung! Be strong!

It’s not so distressing when you pretend that the crowd does not exist and it’s just the two of us. He and I. He can do whatever he wants and I shall tolerate it. If I don’t mind then whatever his does will not matter.

There is no point going home mid-way and begging oniisama to spare me from all this anyway. I will only be pushed back here again! I’m unwanted the moment I stepped into that carriage back home. It’s the custom that your spouse will be the one in charge of you, or whatever you do the moment you leave your home and tie the knot. Most don’t get to choose who they marry too.

I once wondered about how nice it will be if I have sisters or even brothers to take my place. But I can’t be so mean as to hope that there is someone to bear this burden for me.

This man’s behaviour is so extreme though. It’s as if he is hell bent on making me break at this very moment. I don’t know what I will do if he were to carry on pushing me. Will I really lose it? He looks to be one with a kind heart. Looks can be deceiving.

I hope he makes me angry enough to want to kill him and not regret. If he keeps this up, I might really…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roaring with laughter as the crowd laughs at the joke Yunho just made of Jejung’s face as he drinks up the toast, the young prince can feel his face turning red as he tries to remind composed and unsuspecting. Mustering the sweetest smile he can manage at Yunho, he almost vomited out the horrid tasting wine as he holds it in his mouth. The king then continued in his mother tongue, about how the Japanese sake is made of horse’s urine while theirs is made of the goats’, hence the bad taste, describing the imaginary process with such details and making Jejung feel sick to the stomach.

Expecting that Jejung does not understand, the rowdy group of high ranking officials then started taking turns to flirt with him, saying cheeky or even erted things to him as Yunho watches on. Jejung is turned off by the terribly rude bunch yet he has to play along and act as though he mistakes their disgusting remarks for compliments. Jejung is already feeling dizzy by the late evening.

The ceremony had gone on for hours and Jejung can barely feel his legs after being tossed and pushed around the spacious courtyard, tagging behind his spouse. Yunho was a total jerk as well, pulling him by the arm till his upper limbs are already bruising at the spot where he was dragged by.

“Here. Drink up.” The king ordered Jejung once more upon reaching another elder’s table, making the young man swallow yet another cup full of the gut churning substance.

Immediately, the effect of the drink got to the young man as a wave of nausea hits him full force. Spinning around as he tries to figure out the exit or the way to the nearest latrine, the young man is blocked whichever way he turned, so he ended up barfing into the nearest crevice he can find on the floor.

Watching him apathetically, the king demanded that Jejung do a performance instead. Jejung, having never drunk so much in his life, is getting tipsier by the minute, swaying around as he tries to make sense of the muffled words coming from Yunho. For once, he genuinely does not understand the Korean language or any language except his own barely audible gibberish, in a weak protest against performing in his current state of consciousness.

Gathering the musicians, the king made them play before forcing the younger person into the middle of the platform where everyone had cleared out from. Shooing all the other dancers from where they are performing as well, the king went back to his seat and waited while Jejung stares back at him, vision blurred.

The ethereal being, inebriated, only stood rooted on the spot as he blinks continuously. The world then started to spin and the next moment, he is on the ground, out completely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning…

“Junsu yah.” “Are you awake?” A concerned Yunho approaches Junsu’s room guiltily, peeping in through the gap as he waits for a reply. He got none. Yunho is wondering if Junsu would be mad at him for his locking him up.

Sensing a death stare targeted at him from behind him, Yunho spun right and found a pouting Junsu glaring daggers at him while he raise an eyebrow. “Yunno!! You were so mean yesterday!!!” The younger of the sibling started.

Totally expecting this from Junsu, the older man tries to maintain his ‘innocence’. “I know. I had to lock you up for valid reasons so please don’t ask! I will make it up to you! Pinky swear!” The man acted all lovable, winking like a usually hyperactive Yunho would, not anticipating that Junsu is referring to Jejung.

“Hyung! I was there.” Junsu wasn’t sure if he should spill the beans about his act of disregard for Yunho’s orders since he knows he was not supposed to be there at the first place, but he cannot bring himself to let it slide. Yunho wasn’t aware of his presence, assuming that he had been in his own little empire back when all that unnecessary hullabaloo was going on.

“You were?” The king mumbled and Junsu puffed up his cheeks adorably, frowning at the man while he thinks of a way to evade the questioning as well as get his point across.

“Hyung!! That’s not the point!” “You are at fault so I will speak first.” “How can you treat another human being like that?!” “Umma and appa said before that we have to be nice to others!” All geared up to argue with the Korean emperor, the young prince even rolled up his sleeves and advances towards the bigger full grown man, stabbing his index finger at the man’s chest accusingly.

Stepping back, not looking forward to starting a quarrel even though he is also pissed at the moment, the bigger man sighed loudly and placed both palms on Junsu’s shoulders, willing the shorter person to look him in the eye. “Understand me, Su. I had my own reasons for doing so.”

“Hyung! I can’t understand!” The younger one let out one long breath as well and deepens the crease on his forehead cutely. “If you don’t like her, then don’t marry her?”

“AND you were mean to me too!!” “I am your brother right?” “How can you lock me up on your wedding day?!” The younger one is getting all riled up again, squawking as he goes on and on with a dramatic expression, stopping only to catch his breath.

“STOP!” Covering a big palm on Junsu’s ravishing pinkish lips, the man gave the nagging person a stern look, indicating that it’s his turn to speak. The older man swears he can see a tinge of defiance in those lovely brown orbs. Junsu rarely displays his rebellious side after all. He is always babbling and shooting his mouth off without thinking, but he hardly ever talks back rudely. Questioningly at times, but not disrespectfully, since he loves Yunho to bits.

“Don’t probe, Junsu. Your hyung REALLY had his own reasons for doing many things, and you just need to know I will never hurt you.” The king smiled weakly, barely able to say those words without feeling like his conscience is killing him, just thinking about how he will have to send Junsu over to Yuchun within the next couple of weeks. Junsu nodded his head after a long pause. He actually hates it when Yunho says such things to him since it makes him feel useless and in the way, like a cumbersome excess deadweight.

Insisting that his brother needs to celebrate his nineteenth birthday before leaving as it’s a tradition, the Korean emperor was able to buy Junsu more time, but he knows he have to come up with something eventually. The shogun on the other hand, does not seem to be in a hurry, making Yunho suspicious and even more paranoid.

After almost ten trips made by his messenger, back and forth, fortunately making it back in one piece, every trip, Yunho is still unconvinced that Yuchun is sincere about their peaceful resolution. Junsu on the other hand, is still kept in the dark throughout the entire saga, ever since the day Yunho met up with Yuchun. Yunho is being too over-protective.

Wondering if he can send Jejung back home since they haven’t consummated their marriage, or for the matter, even sat together for more than an hour, the emperor could not bring up the issue without the Shogun brushing him off, refusing to entertain any complain pertaining to the bride. Yuchun seems to take pride in Jejung and Yunho is perturbed.

The Korean emperor even left the Japanese prince to sleep on the platform he fainted on, in the open area, exposed to the elements of the cold night, unwilling to touch the person any more than necessary, banning anyone from touching him as well.

“Hyung! I have a confession to make. She is in the room next to mine now… You left her outside so I carried her back with my servants a while ago.” The younger one continued nonchalantly and Yunho found himself almost losing his temper at the thought of Junsu treating Jejung nicely.

“He is none of your business, Junsu.” The king flared up a little despite his attempt to suppress the rage. “I don’t want you sticking your nose into our business!”

Stomping over to the door, the king threw it open and made his way over to the still unconscious Jejung, dragging the flaccid body out from under the blanket roughly. “Stop it hyung!! What did she do to you?!” Junsu immediately jumps to Jejung’s defence, trying desperately to dislodge the other man’s thin bicep from his brother’s vice like grip.

“JUNSU!! Listen to me!! I have to get rid of him!! He is the reason you and I are going to suffer!!!” The king hollered as he jostles the other off equally determinedly.

“GET UP!! GO HOME AND TELL HIM I HAVE DECIDED TO JUST FIGHT IT OUT WITH HIM INSTEAD!!!” Yunho proceeded to grab the currently stirring Jejung by the collar and shook him so hard that even Junsu had to flinch. “TREAT LAST NIGHT AS A MISADVENTURE AND GET YOUR HOME!!” Yunho was clamouring on and on in Japanese while Junsu tries to intervene.

Confusion slowly sets in as the youngest one of the three watches Yunho rant and rave on about something he simply cannot comprehend. The only two links he caught from early, primarily that Jejung is a male and that he is present to antagonise the brothers, is already flooding Junsu’s mind with questions.

“Hyung!! Let her explain!! If she did something wrong, she deserves the rights to explain first!!” The anxious youngest simply cannot stand around after witnessing how Yunho is treating Jejung so cruelly. The rudely awakened Jejung is also staring at them with such wide doe eyes that Junsu is feeling sympathetic. He does not understand why the usually soft Yunho would act up like that at the sight of Jejung.

“SHUT UP, SU!” “This creature here is NOT worth protecting!! He is a scumbag!! The thorn in my flesh that I need to get rid of!! For our sake!!” The king continued his frenzied assault on Jejung, slamming the small slender figure up against the wall mercilessly, one step short of strangulating the person by his pale pretty swan-like neckline.

“HYUNG!!! Stop it!! You will kill her… or him!!!” Junsu tried again just to be shovelled aside.

“Are you going home or do I make you?!!” The king saw that Jejung is finally more alert and interrogates the other loudly.

“Yunho dono. I can’t go back.” The person’s airy voice came off as polite, almost pleasant, despite the trauma Yunho is inflicting on him, too calm to be true. Junsu does not understand a single word coming out of his mouth since Junsu was never exposed to the language or culture. Yunho have always refused to allow Junsu to mingle with ‘that kind’.

Even though he is not understanding whatever Jejung is saying, Junsu can safely assume that Yunho isn’t at all pleased with whatever is coming from the beautiful person’s mouth, if it’s even possible to look so damn pretty after a horrible hangover and being man-handled like a punching bag right after sobering up.

“Just tell him what he wants to hear!!” Junsu is worried about Jejung’s safety and interjects in Korean, to the Japanese prince. The said man simply responds with a blank stare and the youngest is stunned. Starting to form a feasible explanation for Yunho’s foul temper, in his head, Junsu tries to meddle with his brother once again.

“YUNNO!! Even if he is the enemy, you cannot treat him like that!!!” “We can’t hang out peacefully if you continue to mistreat them like that?!” Junsu’s ‘world peace’ theory, which Yunho never once debated with him, is irritating the king incessantly for countless reasons and Yunho lost it.

Hurling Jejung across the room, the king charged up to his brother and held him by his shoulder joints instead, expression crazed. “BECAUSE OF HIM AND HIS BASTARD BROTHER, YOU WILL BE HURT!! BECAUSE OF HIM AND HIS BASTARD BROTHER, YOU WILL HAVE TO SUFFER!!! BECAUSE OF HIM, YOU WILL BE MARRIED TO HIS BASTARD BROTHER IN TWO WEEKS TIME!!”