Of Love and Life, Chapter 01

[twinkletofu]

TITLE : Of Love and Life
PAIRING : Yunjae
RATING : PG 13
LENGTH : Chaptered
GENRE : AU, Romance, Fluff, Drama, Mild Angst
DISCLAIMER : I do not own anything except the plot.
SUMMARY : It was a normal day for Jaejoong when fate decided to pawn him on his game.

chapter 01

“Because maybe you’re gonna be the one that saves me…“ Jaejoong continues to sing along with his favorite rock song while fixing his hair on the mirror. He grabbed the remote control and turned the volume of his speaker higher.

And after all, you’re my wonderwall.

Oh, how he loves singing that part! It was only half past six and he was pacing around his bedroom, grabbing clothes here and there. Loud guitar strums vibrated throughout the whole place but Jaejoong could care less. Who the hell cares when he paid for the whole floor? His condo is simple yet sophisticated. Black and white dominated the whole place and the minimalist decors and designs complemented the whole vibe. His place is a modest two bedrooms with one turned into a studio. The living room gives a laid-back feel with its long sofa, beanbag chairs, carpeted flooring and a low glass table. There are stacks of cds and vinyls on the living room, a vinyl player, few paintings hanging on the walls and a huge glass window overlooking the busy city of Seoul. People might think differently but it is sure home for someone like Kim Jaejoong.

It took Jaejoong more than an hour to get dressed and prepared. He was wearing a loose gray shirt that hangs on his shoulder, tight black jeans and a pair of steel capped boots. He isn’t some rocker-wannabe as people thought he is, he can sing but no, he’s not, he’s just – well it’s just him, Jaejoong.
He went back to his table and grabbed the ring-turned-necklace and put it around his neck. He remembered that day in London and winced at the thought of the man looking for his lost necklace.

Finder keepers, he thought to himself.

It wasn’t like he just decided to keep it – he actually waited the whole day for the man but he never came back. The café staffs trusted him the necklace only for the reason that they are both Korean. He was practically living across the café and he stayed there almost every day but no one dared asked for a missing necklace.

What a waste! And it looks nice… and real.

Maybe it was the artist in him but he’s a sucker for pretty things. And so he decided to just keep it. He even had the necklace’s clasp repaired.
Smiling once again on his reflection, he slings his bag on shoulder, grabbed his keys and went out of his place.

▪▪▪

Yunho was inside his study room, looking through pile of papers, when his secretary handed him another set of folders. She was fidgety and she looks like she was about to dash out of the room as soon as she was dismissed but she kept on telling him his schedule for the day. Yunho seems too engrossed in reading and typing on his laptop, the secretary could spend her whole day talking and he could care less.

“Umm sir, that’s all you have for today” she said but no reaction from her boss.

“Sir – “

She was ready to resign from her job when she received a cold glare from Yunho. The man is known for being cold and ruthless. He even speaks less and associate with people lesser.

“You can go.” he spoke with his infamous monotonous voice.

His secretary fled out of his study room as soon as he dismissed her. Yunho stretched out and took a sip of his Earl Grey when somebody knocked on the door. He knew exactly who it was.

“Hey bro –“

It was his younger brother Changmin. He is lean and tall, in fact, a few inches taller than Yunho. He put everything down to join his brother on the seats across his table.

“Hyung, it’s too early to scare your secretary.”

Yunho pulled something from his pocket and threw it to his brother. Changmin beamed when he realized his brother threw him a chocolate bar, his favorite.

“Oh! But it’s not too early for this!” he gave him a sheepish smile and started munching on the piece of heaven.

Yunho eyed his little brother with affection. Despite the two-year age gap, Yunho and Changmin are really close. They aren’t blood related but he truly cared for him. Yunho’s mom died a year after he was born and his dad remarried when he was seven. He only knew that his stepmother was married to some guy who left them when Changmin was around two or three. The first time he saw his brother was when his father introduced him to his soon-to-be stepmom that time and he was sucking on his thumb while hiding behind his mother’s legs. One time, his father explained to him everything and told him about Changmin’s father. That was when the protective instinct started. They grew up practically plastered next to each other. Despite all the stereotypes that their housekeepers told him about step mothers, her stepmom treats him like her own and she respects her mother the most. He is truly grateful to her for that.

“You know you can’t have another one resigning. Not when we’re busy… but you can fire her later hyung” Changmin gave a wicked grin.
“I know.”

“Of course you know, Uknow Yunho” It was an old joke between them but it stuck. “But seriously hyung, after they featured us on some show a few months ago, the pile of work doubled. No, it tripled!”

Living with Yunho for more than half of his life, Changmin is definitely used to his brother’s personality. He is really quiet but Changmin knows he listens. They’re quite the opposites, as people may say, but the love is there. Maybe it was because of a little Yunho covering for a naughty Changmin when the latter broke their kitchen window or Yunho sharing Changmin’s punishments for popping their family car’s tires when they were ten and eight, but Changmin trusted his whole life to Yunho and he loves him unconditionally, blood-related or not.

“You up for basketball later?” Changmin broke into a smile when Yunho asked him.

“Hah! Of course! I’ll beat the shit out of you again hyung!”

“Language, baby brother, and no I’ll get my revenge later.” He scowled when he remembered their last game, and well, their last last game and the other last.

“You know I always win!” Changmin told him with so much conviction that he can’t help but smile as well, “By the way, mom said she’ll be back around noon. She’ll bring something.”

“Another one?”

“Is there something new? Sometimes I feel like I’m living on a museum, not a house. I mean, what’s with all the artworks and stuff?”

“You know she loves them.” He answered as a matter of factly.

“Sure, but they cost millions! When I get bankrupt one day, I’ll steal some of those vases and paintings and sell them. She probably won’t notice anything.”

“You’re mean.”

The younger just grinned at him, “I know”.

▪▪▪

“Wake up lazy head!”

Jaejoong was sitting… or rather bouncing on the bed while shaking a lump covered in crumpled bed sheets a.k.a. his best friend.

“Nooooooooooo”

Jaejoong continued to bounce more but the other continued to ignore him.

“YAH! PARK YOOCHUN GET YOUR ASS UP NOW OR I’LL KICK YOU OUT OF BED!” he shouted really annoyed, but the other just groaned behind the sheets, “Stop talking about my ass…”

He was definitely getting pissed. He stopped as he pondered what to do and it was like a light bulb just pops on Jaejoong’s head. He smirked on his own idea.


“Fine! So… no breakfast for you today, and tomorrow and the next day, the next next day and the next –“

He stopped when his friend abruptly got up on a sitting position with his eyes still closed, hair flying everywhere and an obvious trace of drool on his chin. Jaejoong just had to stifle a laugh.

“I am awake.” Yoochun said with his eyes still closed.

“No you’re not.”

“I’m talking.”

“I know. Now get up and shower, you look like a disaster, baby.”

“Eww don’t baby me, Jae.”

It took Yoochun half an hour to take a bath and get dressed knowing Jaejoong would get mad when he deliberately spends a good hour on his tub. He went straight to his kitchen and saw Jaejoong placing bowls of rice and all sorts of Korean food on his table.

“Where’s my peanut butter and jelly?”

“Today’s Korean day, so shut up and eat.”

Take it to his best friend to have a themed breakfast. Jaejoong loves cooking for people and Yoochun enjoys sucking up all the blessings. He glanced on his digital clock and saw that it is only past seven in the morning, too early for his liking.

“Jae, why are you so early?”

Jaejoong stopped whatever he’s doing and stared on his best friend for a good minute.

“Earth to Yoochun? You told me to wake you up at seven. You have to finish some work before you meet your client, remember?”
Jaejoong and Yoochun have been friends since junior high school. They attended the same school in US and they are both part of their school’s international students’ organization. They met each other and practically been inseparable since then.  It’s almost impossible how they have the same interests, in music, movie, food, you name it. Their friends even joke that they are probably soul mates. And soul mates indeed, they even have that word tattooed on their backs, and another matching tattoo on their chests. But what wholly binds them together is that they balance each other out. When one of them throws a harsh insult, the other will throw a harsher one and no one gets caught up. See, they totally balance each other.

Yoochun is living a floor lower than Jaejoong. He was actually the one who arranged everything when Jaejoong called him two months ago and told him to look for a place he can rent as soon as possible. He arranged everything for him, since his friend’s family is currently spread around the world, either working or touring, his on the other hand is staying in US for good.

When they went to the parking lot, Yoochun had to literally gape at Jaejoong’s new car, a matte black Audi R8. He walked around the car and eyed the exteriors of Jae’s newly bought car before getting inside and he practically drools when he saw the flawless interiors of the black beauty.

“Yah, when did you get this?”

“Just yesterday. bought this with the prize money and a few sold paintings.”

“Ahh, from that Artist of the Year thing?  I still can’t believe how you can rake in huge money with your works. Oh, are they new?” he told him as he saw a few wrapped canvases sitting on Jaejoong’s back seat.

“Not really. They’re from past exhibits. I’ll meet my client after dropping you off. Come on, let’s go.”

▪▪▪

Jaejoong was pretty sure he got the address right but seeing his surroundings, he doesn’t know anymore. He was driving his new Audi in a gated community in… he’s not sure if he is still in Seoul. It was very unlike South Korea’s capital. No busy streets and rows of stores but tall brick walls and a fair number of huge houses. He stopped in front of a tall steel gate and a uniformed security guard approached him as he rolls his car window.

“What can I do for you, sir?”

“I’m JJ. Is this Mrs. Jung’s house?”

“Yes sir, he’s expecting you inside. We’re going to inspect your car for security purposes first then you can go in.”

He speeds through as soon as the steel gates opened. It was a good five minute drive before he arrived on the main entrance. He immediately got off his car when he saw a beaming Mrs. Jung waiting for him outside. He remembered seeing her during the Young Korean Artist of the Year award ceremony with other event sponsors. She approached him after the ceremony and asked him if he can sell her some of his works. They talked a lot that night and it totally surprised him that he actually enjoyed her company. She actually reminds him of his parents.

“Hello JJ!” she squealed as she approached him and he bowed in return.

“It’s nice to see you again Mrs. Jung!”

“Thank God you didn’t have a problem with the guards back there. I just told them to let a JJ in. Who knows if there’s another JJ coming” she found his way on Jaejoong’s side and hooked her arm on JJ’s like it’s the most natural thing. “You should have left me your real name.”

He laughed genuinely on her antics, “You know I’d rather use JJ.”

Jaejoong started making artworks at a very young age. Majority of his works are paintings but he do other stuffs when he’s bored like installments and mixed media. He was only seven when he first sold an artwork. And his first clients? His mom and dad, of course. Jaejoong knew it was only a messy piece of work but they paid for it anyway, telling him that they support him and they even joked that they have to acquire Jaejoong’s first few artworks, in case the boy gets popular one day. And popular it is, Jaejoong already won various painting competitions and held a few exhibits in South Korea and overseas. The best and the latest award he got was the Young Korean Artist of the Year award. He was still in London when the event’s representatives called him to tell about the award.

Jaejoong introduces himself to people as JJ and he signs his works with it too. He loves being incognito and only a few people, mostly his family and closest friends, knew him by his own name.

“Maybe I can be an exception?” He’s totally amused now. The lady is totally bargaining with him!

“I’ll think about it” and he totally will.

Mrs. Jung managed to drag him on the mansion’s living room. It was huge. The whole mansion itself is a mix of modern and traditional Korean. There are artworks everywhere like vases of different sizes, hanged paintings and other sorts of decors. The Jung’s residence is the epitome of wealth and grandeur yet there’s a homey feel in it. He came from a well-off family but seeing everything inside, he is sure that the family is beyond wealthy. He never really had an idea that the woman who approached him during the award’s night is a multi-billionaire in real life. The family can practically swim in money!

They both sat on the long sofa and Mrs. Jung talked to him for a bit before excusing herself to get something from her room. The silence when he was left alone isn’t eerie at all, in fact, the silence is soothing. He grabbed the cup of coffee Mrs. Jung offered to him a few minutes ago and started to walk around the area whilst checking the paintings. He spends a good amount of time in front of a painting as he gets absorbed in it, checking on every details and brush strokes he can see.

However, his trance was distracted when he heard footsteps approaching him. He turned his head and whatever kind of silence the room has; it was definitely broken with a loud gasp.



Next: Chapter 02 >>


Author's note: this came in late since i actually spent like 3/4 days in bed bc of asthma, allergy, and fever! I'm was an incoherent mess when I wrote this so please excuse my mistakes, if there's any. This fic is also unbeta-ed so yeah... enjoy! ^^

Author's note 2: Jaejoong was humming/singing to Oasis' Wonderwall. Here's a link if you want to listen!