Jaejoong sighed as he slid on his bulky coat and slipped on a beanie. His day had gone exceptionally well, finishing many scenes for his new drama and recording for his new album afterwards. He stepped out of the building and looked up at the night sky. A cluster of five stars shone brightly and memories he had forgotten began to resurface. He felt his lips tug into a small smile and began walking back to the dorm.

Once he opened the door, he poked his head through the opening to see if his friends were awake. The room was quiet except for the hum of the AC. He slid out of his jacket and hung it on the rack next to the door. A small gurgling noise came from his abdomen and he knew hunger had come to mess with him. Something on the dining table caught his eye and neared it to find some food wrapped up for him. He thanked the two sleeping gods of the east silently and began eating. Once done, he left the dishes for Yoochun to wash in the morning because he loved him so much.

A foul smell permeated his nose and he sniffed himself, almost gagging at the sheer strength of the stench. He ran into his room and grabbed whatever clothing he deemed worthy at the moment and made a beeline to the bathroom. Quietly locking the door, he shimmied out of his clothes and stepped into the bathtub. He the shower and yelped as he arctic cold water sprayed his front. Cursing under his breath, the temperature of the water rose and he sighed as he began to relax. He scrubbed everywhere, trying to rid himself of the putrid stench and eventually stepped out the shower feeling on top of the world. Pulling on some shorts and a t-shirt, he posed in front of the mirror like he usually does. I still got it he thinks. Glancing at his phone, he decided to brush his teeth. As he brushed, he scrolled to twitter and almost snorted the toothpaste suds at a fan-taken picture of SM’s newly debuted group EXO derping. His shoulders shook as he spat out the suds and rinsed his mouth.

He practically floated his way to his room like a freaking fairy and locked his door in case of wild Yoochuns or Junsus. His bed looked particularly inviting and he belly flopped onto it, sinking into his comforter. He blindly reached over, groping the bedside table and his lamp. Rolling over, he grabbed an issue of Dragonball Z and invested his time into it until his phone started to blast The Legend of Zelda Theme, the melody for unknown numbers.

Now who would be calling me at 1 a.m. in the morning? he mumbled to himself as he slid his finger across the answer call option.

“Yeobseyo?” he said hesitantly, with a hint of curiosity.

All he could hear was steady breathing on the other end and wondered if this was one of his Japanese endorsements calling him.

“Moshi moshi!”

He heard chuckling on the other end and frowned a bit, wondering if this stranger was just making fun of him.

“Jaejoong-ah.”

Jaejoong froze. Why did this voice sound so familiar?

“It’s me, Jaejoong-ah.”

Silence. Jaejoong’s heart began racing. He knew exactly who this stranger was.

“… Yunho-ah?”

“Ne.”

“O-omo! H-how are you?” Jaejoong’s fingers slightly trembled as he held the phone.

“Ah… I guess I’m okay… Um… I miss you.”

“I…” Jaejoong’s voice came out choked. “I miss you too, Yunho-ah…”

He heard a soft chuckle from the other side of the line and couldn’t help but smile. His muscles relaxed as he slowly became more comfortable with the situation. The two chatted for a while; talking about everything that has happened during the time period they were separated.

“Jaejoong-ah. Guess what?”

“Ne?”

“I’m in Japan right now.”

“What?”

“We’re touring Asia right now and our current stop is Japan. I’m supposedly close to where you live… according to your fan café.”

Jaejoong laughed. “You follow my fan café?”

“Why not? Don’t you follow mine?”

“That is classified information. I cannot disclose that to you or else I will have to kill you.”

“Whatever you say, Mr. Kim.”

“Anyways… where are you staying?”
“That is classified information. I will have to kill you if I were to disclose my whereabouts.”

They both laughed.

“Don’t steal my freaking lines and redirecting them at me!”

“You can’t do anything about it!”

Jaejoong could see Yunho sticking his tongue out at him from the other line and cursed under his breath.

“You are so immature!”

“No I’m not!”

They continued bickering until 3 a.m. when the bickering slowly degraded into fits of laughter over everything like they were high on some . That’s when Yunho decided to tell Jaejoong where he was staying for the time being.

“I’m staying at the hotel right next to Tokyo Tower.”

“Ah! The really tall one with the helicopter pad on the roof?”

“Yeah!”

Jaejoong couldn’t waste this opportunity to see the one he loves.

“I’ll be right over. What room number?”

“Room 809.”

“Okay… See you soon.”

“See you soon.”

Jaejoong ended the call and quickly rolled off his bed, grabbing his keys. He snuck out of his room, peering cautiously over every corner for human inhabitance and grabbed a coat from the closet. Quietly, he locked the door behind him and ran into the garage where his BMW was parked. He sped through late night traffic, narrowly missing a freaking bum crossing the highway. When he got to the hotel, he quickly walked through the lobby and rapidly pressed the elevator button. The freaking elevator felt like it wasted five minutes of his life as the doors slid open and he stepped in, pressing the button to the 8^th floor. His heart pounded as he slowly got closer and closer, and he felt like it was going to burst from his chest as the elevator stopped and opened up. He slowly walked up the Room 809 and hesitantly knocked on the door.

His body froze as he heard footsteps from the other side approach the door. Jaejoong felt like running away and his knees felt like they were going to give in on him until warmth surrounded him in the form of strong, caring arms. His arms wrapped around the warmth’s torso instinctively and he gently laid his head on the familiar’s chest, listening to the calming heartbeat.

“I missed you… Jaejoong-ah.” Yunho said, softly placing a gently kiss on the latter’s forehead. A smile bloomed on the older’s face. “Me too, Yunho-ah. I missed you too.” Yunho slowly broke the embrace and glanced around before he took Jaejoong into the room and locked the door. When he turned around, the older was already situated under the sheets of the hotel bed, yawning. The younger chuckled and slid under the blankets. Jaejoong cuddled closely and promptly fell asleep as Yunho wrapped an arm around him and his hair.

The next morning, Yunho awoke with pain in his nether regions. Jaejoong had kicked him there in his sleep. The younger wanted to strangle his boyfriend but didn’t have the heart to as he was greeted with the angelic face of the older’s sleeping face. He sighed and got out of bed, did his morning routine and slipped out the door to buy breakfast. Not without giving Jaejoong a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

He literally skipped all the way to the garage, where his car was parked. As he backed out carefully, a bright light blinded him and a car rammed into his side of the car. A scream could be heard as the car sped away with a deafening screech. The bystander ran towards Yunho’s destroyed car and quickly dialed 1-1-9 as his eyes met the condition the latter was in; unconscious with his face distorted from the glass, body slumped, and head resting on the wheel, bleeding profusely from his temple. Soon, the garage was filled with sirens and bright blue and red lights and Yunho was whisked away to the nearest hospital in critical condition.

Jaejoong awoke with his phone ringing the Legend of Zelda Theme (because he is just boss like that).

He answered with a raspy “Hello…?” All he could hear was sniffling on the line so he tried again. “Hello?”

A small, “Hyung…” was heard and Jaejoong recognized the voice immediately. “Changmin? Why are you crying? What’s wrong?”

“Yunho-hyung… was struck by a car this morning… I’m at the hospital right now…”

Jaejoong felt his heart drop and he choked out, “Hyung will be there soon…” through tears as he rushed to exit the hotel. The drive to the hospital felt like an eternity. He made a beeline to the information desk and was directed to the 5^th floor, ICU. His feet felt like they were glued to the floor as he reached the room, finding Changmin sitting there with his face buried in his knees. The older knelt down and took his crying dongsaeng in his arms and they cried together.

After what felt like an eternity, the door opened and a gurney was pushed out. The body on the gurney was heavily bandaged and the two cried even harder. A nurse took pity on them and gently ushered them after the gurney. They silently followed and stood outside of the room as the nurses situated Yunho into his room. One of the nurses told them they could come in as long as they were quiet. They stood there, watching Yunho as the monitor beeped in the room.

“Who could have done this…?” Jaejoong whispered in between sobs. Changmin held his hyung’s hand and squeezed it. “The police are trying to find his assaulter but there aren’t any guarantees…” he shook his head and sighed.

Jaejoong took a step closer to Yunho and gently placed a hand onto his bandaged face. Suddenly, the heart monitor went flat. The two’s eyes widened, surprised and both rushed to the emergency button quickly, slamming on the button. Seconds later, doctors and nurses swarmed in and ushered them out of the room. The door was locked. Nothing could be seen or heard. Jaejoong and Changmin sat next to the room, shaking tremendously as they were traumatized. The both of them held one another’s hand and prayed for Yunho but they knew it would have been no use.

Yoochun and Junsu came along a few minutes, seeing the two sit there, pale as ghosts.

“Why are you guys as pale as ghosts?” Junsu asked, voice laced with worry.

“Did something happen?” Yoochun added.

“Yunho... His... His... His heart stopped...” Jaejoong said, slowly breaking into tears again, slamming his fist against the ground.

The two gasped and broke down. Changmin wailed, tears streaming down his face and fist tightly clenched.

Yunho found himself in a white expanse, floating aimlessly. Voices could be heard whispering from all around. He felt like he had been floating for days until a warm hand took his and his feet slowly planted themselves on something that felt like grass. Suddenly, the white expanse turned into a vast grass field surrounded by mountains. Crunches in the grass could be heard and Yunho turned his head towards the source. A man, clad in a white suit, smiled at him. He looked eerily familiar and had this ethereal glow to him and Yunho’s eyes widened in realization. The man nodded at him, smiling.

“I suppose you’re wondering why you’re here and not somewhere else.” The man asked. Yunho looked at him and nodded. “Is this heaven?”

The man chuckled and shook his head. “No. You’re in the Grassland, a place where a soul that does not belong to either heaven or hell goes to.”

“Why don’t I belong?”

“Because. There is something holding you back to the world of the living. BUT, I cannot allow you to return until you prove yourself to me.”

“How do I do that?”

“A competition. Duh. How else would you prove yourself to me?”

“Oh… So. What are we going to compete in?”

The man smiled. “Hapkido.” A snap of his fingers and they both were in white *doboks.

No words were exchanged between the two adversaries as bowed and got into their ready stances. Yunho took a deep breath and closed his eyes. I will not lose, he thought. As he opened his eyes, the man lunged for him. Keeping calm, he nimbly dodged the attack and tried to strike him on the back but the man had twisted around quickly and kicked him. His instincts allowed him to catch the man’s leg and flip him over. He locked the man in a death grip until he yelled MERCY! and promptly let him go. They both got up and bowed once again. The man had a smile plastered onto his face.

“That was quick but you have successfully bested me.” He scratched his head. “I thought I was better at Hapkido than this but I guess I failed.”

Yunho snorted. “You have eternity to get better. Maybe we’ll spar again before I really have to leave the world of the living.”

“I’d like that. Thank you.”

A swirling vortex formed in front of the two and the man pushed Yunho to go. “Its best you go now, young one.”

Yunho nodded. “Thank you… God.”

God smiled. “Call me Baekhyun.”

Yunho’s smile faltered a bit as the name struck a bell. “Baekhyun… Wait. Aren’t you-“ He was cut off as the vortex swallowed him in.

After what felt like the end of the world, the doctor and nurses came out the room, chatting amongst themselves. The doctor turned around to them and the four men gathered together, preparing themselves for the worst news. They all held their breaths until they saw the doctor’s smile.

“Yunho is in stable condition now.” He chuckled. “You all can breath now.”

They all looked at the doctor, astounded by the news. Jaejoong broke first, confusion and overwhelming happiness mixing together in a bundle of god knows what. “B-but… his heart… the monitor…”

“The odd thing was… we tried everything we could. We were about to give up when his heart started again and began breathing on his own. It is truly a miracle.” He smiled again, his eyes crinkling into crescents. “Ah. What a truly momentous day.” The doctor glanced at his watch. “Ooh. I’m going to be late! Talk to you boys later!” He walked away and stopped when the four yelled Thank you, Doctor! in unison. 

“Please! Call me Suho!” he yelled back and turned to dash to his meeting.

“Suho…? Wait. Isn’t that our dong-“ Changmin was cut off by a tall male nurse with curly hair and his eyes practically popped out their sockets.

“You guys can go visit him now.” His smile was kind of frightening, but in an endearing way. Changmin was led in by his hyungs but his eyes never left the waving male nurse with Chanyeol typed on the name tag.

Yunho was still unconscious but they all kneeled at his bedside and thanked God (Baekhyun) for this miracle.

“A miracle indeed.” Junsu chimed.

“Yunho-hyung is quite strong. He probably fought with God to return to us.” Changmin said teasingly. They all laughed silently and heaved a great sigh of relief.

A stomach was heard growling and six pairs of eyes turned to the one person they immediately thought of. Changmin. “Do any of you guys want to grab something to eat? All this sadness and depression has made me hungry.”

Junsu and Yoochun agreed to the proposition. “You guys go. I’ll stay with Yunho for a while.” The three looked at Jaejoong, then at each other, making derpy smirk faces. They left Jaejoong and Yunho alone and closed the door gently behind them. Jaejoong pulled up a chair and sat there, gently holding Yunho’s hand. He gently kissed it lovingly. Jaejoong stayed there for about 3 hours until he fell asleep, his head on the bed. As he was sleeping, Yunho slowly regained consciousness as his eyes fluttered open. Everything was hazy at first. All he could remember was backing out of his parking space and getting hit by a car. And something about Baekhyun as well but it gave him a small headache trying to remember. Then he looked over and saw Jaejoong’s sleeping form next to him, holding his hand. He smiled weakly and slowly went back to sleep, tired from the aching pain.

Jaejoong had slept for the whole day, body tired from all the stress and worry. He woke up the next morning, sore and aching. Jaejoong was about to leave when a hand stopped him. He was shocked at first and then a small smile appeared on his face.

“You’re finally awake.”

“You can’t expect me to die from a measly car accident. I still have things to do in my life time you know.”

Jaejoong chuckled and sat back down, patting Yunho’s hand. “Changmin said you probably fought with God to return.” He teased.

“That boy... I swear.” But it felt like the truth for some odd reason.

“It lightened up the mood though. I’m grateful.”

They looked at each other and smiled.

“I have to go to work now. I’ll return in the afternoon.”

Jaejoong kissed Yunho on his bandaged cheek goodbye and left. Yunho returned to dreamland with a smile on his face.

Jaejoong later returned to the hospital around 5 pm and brought Yunho some light food. He spoon-fed him like a mother would.

“Here comes the train~ choo choo~”

Yunho rolled his eyes and accepted the food anyways.

“The doctor said you’d have to stay in the hospital for about a month and half to fully recover from your injuries.”

“That’s too long.” Yunho whined. 

“… That’s what she said.” Jaejoong said under his breath while he sighed and nodded. “Until then, the guys and I will come and take care of you.”

“That sounds good to me. I missed you guys a lot after you guys left.”

“We missed you and Changmin too. It felt different without the five of us together...”

“We’ll always be Dong Bang Shin Ki no matter what.” Yunho said proudly.

Jaejoong nodded and smiled in that bright, beautiful way that never ceased to melt Yunho’s heart.

*One and half months later*

Jaejoong went to the hospital for the normal rotation. He entered Yunho’s room but stopped in his tracks. Everything was cleaned up. There was no trace of Yunho’s presence in that room anymore. Jaejoong, confused, went to the receptionist on that floor. She said Yunho had been discharged that morning and went home. Inside, Jaejoong was filled with pure joy mixed in with a little worry.

He exited the hospital and wondered where Yunho could have gone, glancing in every direction.  A voice behind him called.

“Looking for me?” a voice from behind said.

Jaejoong turned around, with faked (but awfully convincing) anger on his face. He marched toward Yunho and tapped his chest roughly with his finger.

“You could have called to tell us you were discharged.” Jaejoong said, upset. “Did you know that my heart almost stopped when I saw that empty room? Shisus Christ.”

“I wanted it to be a surprise. Well... SURPRISE.”

Jaejoong stared at him for a moment and chuckled. The others joined them shortly. They all stood together, happily chatting away.

“So how about we get DBSK back and running?” Yunho asked.

“That sounds good to me. All in favor, say “I!” said Junsu.

Everyone yelled “I” enthusiastically and they all hugged one another.

Right after, two police officers, one with owl eyes and the other, tan, along with what seemed like a trainee with a poker face, came and interrupted their jolly time.

“We caught the suspect.” The owl-eyed policeman said, gleefully, his heart shaped smile showing.

“Turns out it was a big fan of Yunho’s and she didn’t want him to be taken away by Jaejoong. That’s just ridiculous.” The tan officer said.

Yunho and Changmin looked at each other, eyes communicating as to why these officers and their trainee looked so familiar. “She’ll be in jail for a few years.” The trainee said with a slight lisp. “Have a nice day fellas.”

Definitely Sehun. No respect. Sssh.

After the policemen left, they all looked at each other.

“Sasaeng fans. They’re all crazy es.” Changmin said. Laughter erupted.

FIN

*dobok: Korean Hapkido Uniform