Fanfiction Corner : No Title (Part 1)

Summary: Yoochun wonders if he can smash all the clocks in the world, just to stop time, just so the four of them won't leave, leave him alone all over again.

Yoochun is writing a song for the five of them when the phone rings.

.............................

He picks up the vibrating cellphone, checks the name of the caller (the flashing name reads Junho) and answers the call.

"Yoochun," Junho's voice is thick, barely recognisable. "National Hospital. Come now."

Yoochun's grip on the phone tightens as he manages to choke out, "What happened?"

"Accident." Junho sounds dead, monotonous.

Even when Yoochun runs, time passes too fast for him to race against.

The four of them are in the same hospital room, something Yoochun thinks they would like - have liked.

All their parents are there, even Yoochun's - Junho must have found a way to contact them.

Yoochun wants to ask what happened, how, where, but when he opens his mouth all that comes out is, "Why?"

They all get their turns.

The parents, the siblings, then finally it is Yoochun's turn to be left alone in the room with his four dead bandmembers.

There are chairs beside all of their beds, but Yoochun cannot decide who to sit beside, so he ends up dragging the plastic chair into the centre of the room (like how Yunho always did whenever they held a meeting, the other four of them opposite him waiting for their leader-sshi to start talking).

There a million things Yoochun would have liked to asked, but the knot in his throat grows larger with every beat of his heart and so he can only sit there in silence and stare at their lifeless figures.

For some ironic reason, their beds are lined up in their traditional order - Junsu, Jaejoong, Changmin, Yunho.

Yoochun's eyes burn when he realises that he is the only one left behind, the only one who cannot fit in, no matter how much he tries.

He curls up in the space between Junsu and Jaejoong and lets the tears eat at his heart.

The funeral is filled with an overwhelming amount of people - family, relatives, friends, fans.

Yoochun's eyes are dulled, and when the funeral speaker invites him to sing a Dong Bang Shin Ki song to mourn for his bandmates, his blood runs cold.

"There is no Dong Bang Shin Ki without them," Yoochun's voice is soft but deadly serious, echoing around the silent funeral hall.

He walks out, the crowd splitting apart to give him a path to walk through.

The papers the next day write about how Micky Yoochun is depressed after his bandmembers' death, and Yoochun throws them away along with all his Dong Bang Shin Ki memorabilia.

Yoochun soon learns that he can pretend Dong Bang Shin Ki never existed by clearing his entire house of any hints of their existence, but he cannot forget the simplest things:

Junsu's familiar uekyangkyang laugh, Jaejoong in a polka-dotted apron cooking for them, Changmin watching him playing the piano with a hint of a smile, Yunho's hair catching the sunlight as he dances.

Yoohwan tells him to go back to their old apartment. "Maybe then you can let go," Yoohwan tells him, eyes alight with worry.

How could I ever let go? Yoochun wants to say, but Yoohwan's rigid stubborness wins him over anyway.

Yoochun fits the keys into the lock and holds his breath before opening the door.

In contrary to what he'd expected, the apartment doesn't smell of stale air and unwashed dishes. Instead, there is a slight aroma of... cooking?

Yoochun's forehead creases with suspicion and he moves towards the kitchen.

"Yoochunnie," Jaejoong greets him, smile on his face and frying pan in his hand.

Yoochun tries to tell himself that this is not real, that this is probably one of those made-up hallucinations he always hears about after suffering from severe trauma, but as he shovels down Jaejoong's bulgogi, he can't help but believe that this is it, this is the truth, Jaejoong is here, real.

Jaejoong sits down beside him, watching Yoochun finish his food with a twinkle in his eyes.

"How was it?" Jaejoong asks.

"Good," Yoochun says. "I've missed it ever since you -" He stops, frowns and avoids Jaejoong's knowing gaze.

"Died?" Jaejoong finishes for Yoochun.

Yoochun's head snaps up and he meets Jaejoong's eyes. "What exactly are you?"

Jaejoong frowns as well. "I don't know, exactly. A ghost? I just suddenly appeared here ten minutes before you arrived."

Yoochun swallows. "Then um, what were you doing before you came?"

Jaejoong hums in thoughtfulness. "I don't know either. The last thing I remember before coming here was -"

Jaejoong's breath catches, his eyes glazing over, his mouth drawn.

"Was?" Yoochun prompts, his gaze never leaving Jaejoong, burning this strange apparition into his mind.

"It was an accident, wasn't it?" Jaejoong says. "I remember Yunho shouting and everything was so orange."

Yoochun nods. "I only knew when Junho called."

Jaejoong fixes a smile onto his face. "We were on our way to visit you, you know. Everyone missed you after you moved back with your mom and Yoohwan."

Yoochun's heart thumps a little too hard, the ache coiling in his chest.

Jaejoong talks about random, crazy, Jaejoong-y stuff until the apartment darkens and the lights shine outside the window.

"It's getting late," Jaejoong says. "You should be getting to sleep."

Yoochun gives him a look. "Have you forgotten that I'm the insomniac of the group?"

He still remembers staying up late at night working at his lyrics, the four of them poking their heads out at one-hour intervals to ask him to holy God please get some sleep we have so much work to do tomorrow (Yunho), are you hungry I can make you supper (Jaejoong), no amount of make-up will ever be able to cover up your dark circles (Junsu), hyung the light is really irritating you know (Changmin).

"I'll have to go. At midnight."

Yoochun says, "What, are you freaking Cinderella?"

"That's Heechul." Jaejoong laughs. "Really, Yoochun-ah, please, go to sleep."

"Since you're leaving," Yoochun says stubbornly. "All the more I'm not sleeping."

Jaejoong is silent, his large, dark eyes filled with an emotion Yoochun cannot find a name for.

"I don't want you to watch me go." Jaejoong murmurs, his voice hoarse.

Yoochun's eyes flash to the clock on the wall. Eleven twenty-seven PM.

"I want to watch you go to sleep," Jaejoong continues. "One last time, Yoochun, please?"

Yoochun stares at his soulmate - his eyes so alive, so different from the previous time Yoochun saw them.

Jaejoong's jaw is set, but when Yoochun finally nods, his mouth melts into a smile.

"Close your eyes," Jaejoong orders.

Yoochun obliges, lying down so that his head is settled on Jaejoong's lap.

Jaejoong sings quietly, but his voice still stands out amongst the hum of traffic and nightlife.

When Yoochun hears the beep of the clock, marking twelve AM, he opens his eyes to a world without Jaejoong.

Credits:www.aeriagames.com
Fanfic by Yomi Asoda