| Fan Fiction |
by Take_Flight
Yunho closed his eyes briefly, massaging his temples when he heard hurried footsteps entering the waiting area. He opened his eyes and saw Leeteuk running into the room, looking hysterical. He was about to ask the receptionist but Yunho called him.
“Omo! What happened? Yah! What did the doctor say? Where is Junsu?” Leeteuk gasped, grabbing Yunho’s arm.
“Y..Yah Hyung, calm down will you?” Yunho told him, gently prying Leeteuk’s hand from him.
“Calm down? How I can calm down?!” Leeteuk wheezed, taking a seat and rubbing his chest to calm his fast pacing heart. Yunho joined him just as a lady entered the place and Leeteuk waved her over.
“This is Sun Ye, my colleague” Leeteuk introduced her to Yunho. “This is my friend, Jung Yunho”
The new acquaintances bowed politely to each other. “Where’s Ri In?” Sun Ye asked.
“She’s in the Ladies” Yunho replied, offering her a seat but Sun Ye declined the offer.
“I think I go check up on Ri In” Sun Ye told them.
“Araso…make sure she’s alright!” Leeteuk called after her as Sun Ye walked to the washroom.
“Is Ri In alright?” Leeteuk asked when Sun Ye was out of earshot.
Yunho shook his head sadly. “When I went over to fetch her, that girl could barely stand up” he told Leeteuk. Yunho recalled being panicked when he saw Ri In standing at the lift lobby of her apartment, being consoled by the neighbors. She was weeping and sobbing uncontrollably that Yunho practically had to carry her to his car. She had toned down a bit once they reached the hospital but broke down again when Junsu was brought in from the ambulance to the emergency room. It took all of Yunho’s mental and physical strength to calm Ri In down; even though he himself was in despair when he saw his unconscious friend on the stretcher covered with blood.
“How long have you been waiting here?” Leeteuk asked, rubbing his eyes.
“Half an hour” Yunho replied.
“What exactly happened?”
“I was told by the police that witnesses saw the car coming in out of nowhere. Junsu was helping this old lady to collect her fruits that had fallen at the side of the road---
“And he didn’t see the car coming” Leeteuk finished Yunho’s sentence. Yunho nodded glumly. “Paramedics said he was hit pretty badly. Especially his back and..the impact the streetlight fell did some damage to his legs as well”
Leeteuk shivered thinking about the misfortune their friend had just gone through. “Have you called his parents?” he asked.
Yunho nodded. “They should be on their way right now”
“How..how about the driver? Did they say anything about it?” Leeteuk wanted to know but Yunho shrugged.
“What I heard from the news, there are two people trapped in the car. The driver and a passenger. They brought Junsu in the moment they managed to pull him out” Yunho explained.
“P..Pull him out?! OMO!” Leeteuk moaned, covering his face. “That’s sounds so painful!” he added with a squeak.
Yunho shook his head at Leeteuk just as Sun Ye and Ri In stepped out of the Ladies. Sun Ye had her arms around Ri In, who looked equally drained and frightened. Her eyes and nose were both blotchy and red from all the crying that Yunho’s heart went out to her.
“H..Hey Leeteuk-shii” Ri In greeted him in a hoarse voice.
Leeteuk stood up and went to embrace Ri In tightly, saying comforting words to her in a soothing voice. Sun Ye sat beside Yunho with a heavy sigh. “Any news from the doctor?” she asked.
“No, not yet” Yunho told her and Sun Ye nodded. “How is she?” Yunho asked in a low voice.
Sun Ye glanced at Ri In who was wiping away her tears and listening to what Leeteuk was saying. “She’s…trying to be brave about it” she whispered.
“Do you want something to drink?” Leeteuk was asking but Ri In shook her head. “It’s Ok..I don’t need anything” she told him.
Just then there was a loud commotion at the front and the four of them went over to see what was happening.
“Stand back! Everyone stand back!” a police officer barked at the people blocking the way.
A group of paramedic rushed in, pushing two stretchers in while reporters were being pushed behind by the security guards at the door. A group of doctors ran to join the paramedics, talking very fast and consulting the reports in their hands.
“The boy’s losing too much blood here” Yunho heard someone say as they zoomed past the four of them.
“And the girl?” another doctor asked.
“She’s still conscious” someone replied. “We managed to stop her from bleeding too much”
Yunho heard a funny noise from Ri In and Leeteuk ushered her back to the seating area.
“She can’t stand blood..or anything to do with bleeding’” Sun Ye told Yunho with a small smile.
“I see...” Yunho trailed off when he saw the same police officer he was talking to earlier on regarding Junsu’s accident.
“Major Lee” Yunho called out and the older man looked up.
“Ahh..Mr Jung...you’re still here?” Major Lee asked coming over.
“Were those two the ones trapped in the car?” Yunho asked and the man nodded grimly.
“We did all we could to save them. The streetlight was a heavy thing to move it, so they ended up using a chain saw to remove it bit by bit. Took nearly an hour to have everything cleared” Major Lee explained.
“And those two…?” Sun Ye inquired referring to the victims.
“The girl was drifting in and out of conscious. We managed to save her first. Most of the impact from the fall of the streetlight was mainly on the guy. I can’t say much about him though—
“Sir! We managed to get the identity of the two” a younger police officer came running with a file in his hand.
Leeteuk and Ri In joined them after Ri In was feeling a bit better. “What’s going on?” Ri In asked in a low voice. Sun Ye explained to them what they just heard from Major Lee.
“Were they in a drunkard state?” Leeteuk wondered and Major Lee nodded with a dismal expression, while looking down at the list in his hand,
“The guy, who is the driver…there’s a high percentage of alcohol content in his body” Major Lee said. “Kim Jaejoong....we finally found you” he added.
Yunho heard Ri In gasped and everyone turned to face her. “W..What was the n..name again?” Ri In asked, her face going pale by the minute.
“Kim Jaejoong. You know him Miss?” Major Lee with a frown.
“Y..Yes..but n..not on a close term b..basis” Ri In stammered. Sun Ye put her arms around Ri In, trying to calm her down.
“He’s that dude who’s friends with Nadine right?” Leeteuk asked and Sun Ye shrugged. “I don’t know…is he?” she asked Ri In.
Ri In nodded. “Yes he is” she said. “But why…why are you glad that you manage to find him?” she asked Major Lee.
“Because he’s a serious offender. We’ve been tracking him since last year together with the rest of his people regarding them smuggling illegal drugs into Korea. They have strike again this month and we’ve learn that he is the head chief of this so-called operation”
“He’s…he’s a what?” Ri In gasped.
“He’s a BANDIT” Leeteuk said a flat tone. “I don’t believe this”
“Then…what about the passenger?” Yunho inquired.
“We’re still finding out who she is” Major Lee told him. He consulted the list in his hand. “She’s uhh..she’s a foreigner—
“Please don’t tell me it’s Nadine!” Ri In spluttered all of a sudden.
“Omo! Ri In, stop scaring yourself!” Sun Ye gently scolded her.
“It might be her! He said the passenger’s a foreigner!” Ri In interjected her eye wide like saucers.
“Ri In..Ri In, please calm down” Yunho said. “I’m sure Nadine—
“Nadine Celeste Arena…is that her?” Major Lee suddenly said. All of four them turned to him, looking stunned. Major Lee turned to the younger officer and both of them talked in hushed tones. The younger guy nodded with a solemn look and walked away.
“I’m afraid we have to bring the four of you in for further investigation” Major Lee announced.
“WHAT? Why?” Leeteuk asked in surprised. Yunho too was confused with what was happening.
“I’ve just received a confirmation that the passenger is indeed Nadine Celeste Arena” Major Lim told them.
Ri In gasped loudly and shook her head. Sun Ye suddenly grabbed hold of her just as Ri In’s whole body went weak. “O..Omo! Ri In! Ri In ah…!”
“I’ll get the doctor” Major Lee told them as Yunho carried Ri In’s limp body in his arms. A nurse directed them to an empty ward and Yunho gently placed Ri In onto the bed.
Leeteuk and Sun Ye stood beside him, looking anxiously at their friend who had just fainted.
“It must have been a huge blow for her” Leeteuk mumbled, patting Ri In’s arm.
“So…Jaejoong’s car was the one that hit Junsu?” Sun Ye asked, getting her facts clear.
Yunho nodded. “I…I guess. And Nadine was the passenger” he added just as a doctor and nurse bustled in to check on Ri In.
The three of them were told to wait outside for a while. They sat in silence, lost in each own thoughts.
“Changmin!” Leeteuk suddenly said, turning to Yunho.
“What about him?” Sun Ye wondered.
“Where the HELL is he anyway?” Leeteuk asked, standing up and looking at Yunho. “He’s supposed to be here—
“Hyung, I already called him a few times but I couldn’t get through” Yunho explained and Leeteuk scowled.
“Well, try calling him again. He needs to know that his best friend AND girlfriend are both in the hospital! And that his girlfriend was with this Jaejoong person. And because of his drunkard state, Nadine and Junsu are now fighting for their life inside there!” Leeteuk pointed to the Emergency Room at the end of the corridor with an infuriated look.
Sun Ye grabbed Leeteuk’s arm and forced him to sit down beside her. “You need to keep your emotions under control in times like this araso? Maybe Changmin’s somewhere that has bad reception or he could be on his way right now. And you sir, have no right to explode that way. People are watching” she reprimanded him through gritted teeth.
Leeteuk immediately quieted down and Yunho stared at Sun Ye in amazement, a bit impressed that she could shut Leeteuk up in seconds. Yunho then took out his phone and as Leeteuk had suggested, he dialed Changmin’s number.
Only this time he received an automated operator service stating that the number was no longer in use.
“It’s after office hours now. Where could he be?” Yunho muttered under his breath as he hung up.
“Have you tried asking your father? Maybe he had seen Changmin?” Leeteuk suggested.
Yunho did as he was told but his father told him that the guy wasn’t in the office the whole day.
“Is he on annual leave?”
“I’m not sure son. His team members told me he’s been meeting the client more frequently these past few days” his father had said.
“Who’s the client then?” Sun Ye asked Yunho. Yunho pondered for while. Well lately Changmin had three projects under him, which could be one of the reasons why his schedule has been pretty tight lately. The first two projects were some food exhibitions while the last one was on Soo Min’s—
“Oh no!” Yunho muttered and both Sun Ye and Leeteuk turned to him.
“W..Wae? What’s wrong?” Sun Ye questioned him, looking at a slightly-alarmed Yunho.
Shit. Yunho glanced at Leeteuk and Sun Ye. It’s obvious that the both of them had no idea that Changmin was caught in a “scandalous affair” with Soo Min. Only it was just a story made up by the media ever since a picture of the both of them making out in Changmin’s car leaked out on the Internet. The whole of Ex-Pac was questioning was this true, but Changmin had denied it.
“But that’s YOUR car right?” Junsu had asked, staring at the computer screen.
Changmin sighed and nodded. “Yes, it is. But I SWEAR it didn’t happen!”
“But what’s this then?!!” Junsu had asked again and Changmin threw him a look that could cut diamond.
“Guys, stop it, please. There must be a reasonable explanation for this” Yunho had jumped in hoping the two of them would not start a fight in his office. He turned to Changmin who was trying to hold back his anger.
“Changmin?”
“I..” Changmin started and shook his head. “S..something like that happen. But it wasn’t what it looks like”
“What do you mean by that?” Yunho asked slowly, not quite getting what his friend was saying.
“I drove her home that day. She was having a cold so I offered to send her home. She then fell asleep and I tried waking her up—
“So you decided to give her a kiss, like Sleeping Beauty?” Junsu guessed and Changmin had stood up and lunged for him but Yunho managed to pull him back. Junsu cowered behind the desk and Yunho signaled him to get out of the room.
“I’m sorry” Junsu squeaked, rushing out. Changmin let out a frustrated sigh and strode to the window. “It was an accident Hyung, I swear! I didn’t know—
“I understand Changmin. Perhaps there were paparazzi’s around and they saw the both of you together. Things like this happen” Yunho told him.
“To celebrities, not to me! I’m going to kill that friggin bastard who take the photo!” Changmin snarled and Yunho had managed to calm him down.
“Listen, the best thing for you to do right now is to get away from the paparazzis. They are bound to be knocking on your door 24/7 and even camping outside your apartment just to get a glimpse of you and Soo Min—
“But Hyung! I’m not even dating her in the first place!” Changmin said with an exasperated tone in his voice. He was obviously getting tired with the whole thing.
“Did she say anything about this then?”
Changmin shrugged. “She pretended like it never happen” he told her, staring out of the window.
“Then perhaps you should do the same” Yunho encouraged him. “You know what those people at HOTSHOT are capable of. You ignore them and the rumors will die down”
But he had been wrong. For the next few days, there have been more photos of Soo Min and Changmin surfacing on the Net and it wasn’t just Changmin who had to deal with them. The paparazzis had flocked down to Ex-Pac headquarters, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Romeo, pestering him questions on whether the relationship was real. Yunho had ordered for tighter security but it made the matters worse, as their telephone lines were congested as well. Yunho had been furious when a few people were creating stories and adding more fuel to the fire regarding Changmin and Soo Min. Yunho had spend most of his time calling Soo Min’s cousin, SY, telling her to tell Soo Min to cool things off but SY told him this might be good publicity for Soo Min.
“Good…what?!!” Yunho had asked over the phone. “SY, this is no laughing matter. Changmin’s getting stressed by the minute—
“Why should he? The attention’s on him and on Ex-Pac as well. You’re famous internationally as well now” SY had told him breezily.
Yunho gritted his teeth when he heard that. The company that his family, his father had spend nearly all his life building it, does not need any cheap scandal to make it well known across the region! That was such an insult.
“S..Scandal? Changmin in a scandal?!” Leeteuk was saying now, looking bewildered.
“I don’t think it’s true” Sun Ye added quietly. Yunho nodded. “Those photos could be taken at an angle that MADE it look like they are a couple…don’t you think so?”
Sun Ye nodded thoughtfully. “Good theory” she told him.
Leeteuk stood up and crossed his arms. “Well, what if it was true then?”
Yunho sighed. “Hyung, you should know how Changmin is. He won’t do such things. Besides, he’s dating Nadine, and I don’t think he’s the kind who will cheat on his girlfriend”
“B..But his girlfriend is cheating on him! Why is she in the same car with Jaejoong then?” Leeteuk questioned him and Yunho’s mind went point blank. He’s right. What was Nadine doing with Jaejoong?
“That doesn’t prove Nadine’s cheating on Changmin! She and Jaejoong could be friends. You heard what Ri In said. Ri In’s not on close term with him, but maybe Nadine does” Sun Ye cut in, defending her friend.
Leeteuk made a face. “Aigoo! All this stuff’s making me have a headache. Is the doctor done with Ri In?” he asked, opening the door and stepping inside the room.
Sun Ye shook her head at Leeteuk and leaned back on the seat. “I’m guessing Changmin is…hiding somewhere?” she guessed.
Yunho turned to her and she glanced up at him. “I don’t know actually. I haven’t been keeping a close eye on him, except…for Junsu” he said, thinking about Junsu in the operating theater.
“He’s going to be okay. We’ll pray for him araso?” Sun Ye said, patting his shoulder.
Yunho opened his mouth to say something when Major Lee appeared again. “We need your statements regarding your friend Nadine Arena” he said, approaching them.
“What kind of statement?” Sun Ye asked slowly.
“We got some records of the lady and we found out she had spent a few years in a rehabilitation centre back in Mexico. She had convicted several crimes during her teenage years alongside with a gang—
“WHAT?!” Sun Ye exclaimed as she stood up and shook her head. “No! I’m afraid you got the wrong—
Sun Ye stopped talking as Major Lee handed her a thick file and Sun Ye flipped it opened, her mouth hanging opened as she went through it. Yunho stood beside her and could not believe his eyes seeing the dirt on Nadine’s past life. There were newspaper clippings of the rowdy happenings and the gang’s arrest was the biggest issue during that time. As Sun Ye flipped to the last page, there was an article showing Nadine in short hair but her face was all smiles.
“She’s…clean. The rehab centre had helped her out with the drug problems and…Oh my goodness, I don’t believe this” Sun Ye gasped.
“She and Jaejoong have similar—
“All of this is Nadine’s past. She’s not the same person now! You can’t accused her of smuggling drugs or selling them to the youths here—
“Sir!” another officer came running towards them. “We’ve got news”
“What is it this time?” Major Lee asked.
“The Jaguar’s a stolen vehicle, and we found a stash of cannabis underneath the seats” the officer explained.
Yunho could have sworn his heart had stopped beating. First Junsu got knocked by a car driven by Jaejoong and Nadine was the passenger who happens to be an ex-convict and a part of the underworld. And now the Jaguar’s a vehicle used for smuggling illegal drugs?
Just what the hell is going on here?
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kelly : So many things happening at the same time! Let's hope Junsu won't leave Ri In shall we? Yes, Changmin's absence is very strange indeed..hmm..And I hope Sun Mi won't take the matter too heart as well.
bitty91 : So glad you enjoyed the previous chapter. Here's the update!
jija : Oh jija! Where have you gone to~~~?? Haha..so glad to see you here. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. By the way, I've dropped a message at Beyond Normal :)
tohofan : Here's the update!