Chapter 53: The Mom Faces Reporters and the Aftermath of the Free Spirit’s Decision
Jaejoong
had already decided where to take Kannei, except he hadn’t told her at all what
he had intended to do. In fact, she had to ask, “Jaejoong . . . where are you
going? I thought you knew where I lived . . .”
“Actually,” Jaejoong said while adjusting her seatbelt into a more comfortable
position, “we’re going on a detour. You’re coming with me to a press
conference.”
“Wh-what?”
“Don’t worry,” he chuckled in between his words. “You won’t be facing them.”
“Oh, that’s bett—“
“You’ll just be a part of them.”
“What?” Kannei shrieked, almost grabbing Jaejoong by his collar.
Jaejoong had to suppress his own laughter to the point where he was choking own
his breath. Kannei had her arms folded, constantly sighing, but it was exactly
these that made him laugh even harder. She was too cute, he thought. So, he
blurted once he had parked the car, “You’re adorable, mochi.”
Before Kannei could even scream at him, he had tugged at her cheek and escaped
out the door. Still, he remembered to open her side’s car door. As expected,
she shot him a ferocious glare, to which he responded with a quick peck to her
cheek. As expected, he had anticipated that she would become angrier, so he
tugged her hand. He wasn’t afraid if there’d be paparazzi watching. He loved
her, and he wanted the world to know that as well. In fact, he didn’t even
notice Yumi until she tapped him on the shoulder.
“Congrats,” Yumi murmured. “You know, I think I have the perfect gift to
celebrate the start of your relationship.”
There was a tender smile creeping from Yumi’s mouth. That sort of courteous
smile was too affectionate for Jaejoong’s liking. Still, in public, he couldn’t
show what he truly felt. He faked the same type of grin towards her. Even
Kannei had squeezed his hand, which he knew was to tell him how cheesy he was.
To ease Kannei’s mind, Jaejoong handed an identity card to her and whispered in
her ear, “Take this, and join the reporters. I’ll get you when I’m done, okay?”
“Okay,” she muttered as Jaejoong placed another peck to her cheek.
With loving eyes, Jaejoong watched Kannei exit. Yumi, on the other hand,
scoffed, “Aren’t you afraid that other people are going to see you and her?
Don’t forget that you’re still in a scandal.”
Jaejoong just answered before leaving for the stage, “I don’t care. If anything
happens to her, I’ll protect her.”
“You’re too innocent, Jaejoong.”
Yumi’s scoff turned to a jolt of laughter. Truly, Jaejoong didn’t care what
sort of advice anyone offered to him. He was already sitting almost at the
centre of the stage, right beside Yumi. The reporters already had their
notebooks, cameras, video cameras, and pens ready. There were flashes and
flashes of light almost blinding him. Still, he was able to find Kannei. After
all, she didn’t have any gear in her hands and wasn’t even dressed like a
worker. With her there, he was at ease. He wasn’t afraid anymore for he wasn’t
by himself now.
So, question after question, the reporters interrogated Yumi until she finally
passed the microphone to Jaejoong. The question had been: “Are you in a
relationship with Yumi?”
“No,” Jaejoong answered, “I already have a girlfriend who I love very much.”
“Then, why did you and Yumi kiss?” another reporter hollered.
This time, Yumi stole the mike and responded, “That was for a rehearsal for a
new drama that he and I will be participating in. We were rehearsing a scene
together.”
Immediately, Jaejoong glanced at her, but he stopped himself from shouting
anything aloud. He allowed the same reporter to ask, “What drama is this and
what roles do you two play?”
Yumi, again sporting a polite smile, told him, “This is a romantic comedy. I
will be playing the lead female, while Jaejoong is playing the second lead.
Actual filming hasn’t started yet, but we’ve been having actual rehearsals to
get into our roles.”
“Then, this will be Jaejoong’s debut?”
“Yes,” Yumi uttered.
“Why the sudden change, Jaejoong? According to our findings, you were . . . a
makeup artist?”
Even that . . . Jaejoong couldn’t answer for himself. He hadn’t anticipated
this to happen. He looked again to Yumi, who was still facing the reporters
with such confidence that Jaejoong understood that she had planned all of this.
For what purpose though? Why was it so important for him to be an actor now?
His dream was . . . Had that even been his dream before?
Knowing that he couldn’t pause any longer, he just rambled, “People change.”
“Then, is it because you’d want to become closer to your supposed birth mother,
Adalia Reynolds?” a bald reporter bolted.
Jaejoong took a bow, and apologized, “To answer your question, no, and I am
sorry, I will not be answering anymore questions. If you have any more to ask,
then please contact Yumi’s manager.”
As he walked down the stage, he was bombarded by hordes of eager reporters. Jaejoong
had to push past the crowd to head for Kannei, who still remained in her seat.
Then, he grabbed her hand and dragged her to his car. Questions and flashes
were attacking him on their way, and even when he drove away, there were other
cars following him.
“Jaejoong . . . tell me what the hell just happened,” Kannei urged while Jaejoong
pressed for the accelerator.
Switching lanes, he explained, “You’re gonna be in the entertainment section
tomorrow. Sorry. I didn’t know this would happen.”
“You could have just left me there,” she murmured.
“You were my only hope,” he stated. He shot her a glare, one that made her
shudder before she grew quiet. When he parked the car at the top of a small
hill, he finally said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get mad at you. I just . . .”
“Adalia Reynolds is, just like they suspected, your real birth mother, right?”
Kannei looked at him with such innocence
that he felt extremely guilty. Somehow, he felt safe. She could understand how
he felt and how much he had endured. At last, there was someone else’s
shoulders to rest on, someone else’s ears to listen to his woes.
Choking on his sniffles, he confessed,
“Yes, but she abandoned me for her career. Ha . . . she even said, ‘Why did I
ever give birth to you? You’re nothing but an impediment.’ I was only five and
I even . . . searched through an old, heavy dictionary just to learn what that
meant.”
Jaejoong heard the rustling of plastic, and before long, there was a tissue
pressed below his right eye. With his other eye, he saw Kannei staring at him
forlornly.
“I’ll be here for you, Jaejoong,” Kannei
declared.
“Promise me . . . please . . . that you’ll always be with me,” he muttered
almost too softly.
There were tears rolling down Jaejoong’s cheeks and there was Kannei already wiping
away his cries with her tissues. “Don’t worry,” she kept chanting. “I’ll be
there just like you’d be there for me, right?”
Jaejoong just chuckled while bobbing his head up and down. “You’re all that’s
important in my life,” he admitted. “I think . . . you give me meaning to
living. I . . . never knew how lonely I actually was until I met you.”
He hadn’t realized how heavy his words sounded to Kannei, who still wore a weak
grin. He just relaxed in this moment of silence. She was there, and he’d
finally have a place for himself.
-----
Everyone knew that the time would come for
Yoochun to leave. They just didn’t want to speak of it. They simply carried on
with their daily responsibilities. There was not much to say when a decision
had been made. It wasn’t as if the boys hadn’t tried to dissuade Yoochun.
Jaejoong was the first to argue, “You
can’t just leave like that! You’re being a player on your friends! That ain’t
cool!”
“Yeah!” Junsu then added. “How can you
make a decision without our input?”
Rhett harked back, “Yoochun, are you sure
you want to do this? Have you thought it through?”
“Screw it,” Changmin impatiently uttered.
“Do whatever you want. Just don’t come back home sobbing like some
broken-hearted
chick.”
None of them wanted him to leave, yet none
of them felt ready to accept a stranger into their household, a stranger who
happened to be a child. Children needed attention and care. They weren’t
prepared to be fathers yet. Yoochun who seemed the least likely to settle down,
was the first to be on his way to parenthood.
None of them had also expected him to
depart so quickly. They didn’t even ask any questions. They just helped him
pack his belongings into cardboard boxes and then moved those into his car.
Actually, not all of them assisted him. Jaejoong refused to lend a hand to a
traitor; he needed some time to calm down. Changmin occasionally lifted a few
boxes before asking Yoochun for food. Only Junsu and Rhett were truly
cooperative.
The question that all of them wanted to
ask: Where was Yoochun living? They never posed such a question in fear of
seeming desperate for him to stay. Yoochun was old enough to choose what he
wanted to do with his life. It was his life. When the day came for Yoochun to
transport all of his left-over belongings to his new place, all of the boys
finally agreed to join him. Jaejoong claimed that he merely wanted to see Yoochun’s
residence. Changmin said that he wanted to go for a drive. Rhett uttered that Yoochun
probably needed an extra car to store everything. Lastly, Junsu stated that if
everyone was going, then he would certainly have to tag along.
When everyone, including Sanghyun, arrived
at Yoochun’s place, they were completely shocked. They knew this house. All of
the boys had been here on many occasions before Yoochun severed his relations
with his family. It was ironic then, for Yoochun to return to where he had
departed. Yoochun was going to be living at his grandmother’s house.
“Yoochun,” Rhett announced as he stepped
out of his car, “I thought you said you’d never come back here. Are you sure
this is the place?”
Yoochun nodded, answering, “You followed
my car here, so yes, this is where I’ll be living with Sanghyun.”
Junsu blurted, “Why here?”
“This is the best place to raise a kid,” Yoochun
explained. “I’ve thought about this carefully. I have work and my grandmother
doesn’t. I’ve told her everything and she has agreed to look after Sanghyun
when I’m busy.”
“I thought you and your family . . . you
know . . .” Jaejoong signaled the sign of death by running his index finger
along his neck.
Yoochun answered with a chuckle, “Yeah,
it’s still like that, but it’ll be okay. They just think I’m . . .”
“You’re irresponsible?” Changmin
interrupted. “Carefree? Aimless? Unfaithful?”
“Thanks.”
He slapped Changmin’s back as they
proceeded with his moving. Still, they couldn’t stop feeling uneasy or queasy.
Every item that was being carried meant that Yoochun was closer to departing.
Farewells were never painless; it was more difficult for them since they
couldn’t admit that.
“Hey,” Yoochun asked before all of them
left, “I can drop by any time right?”
“Why the hell are you even asking that
type of question?” Jaejoong screamed. “You’re supposed to visit us!”
“You’re not really gonna live with your
family forever right?” Changmin raised his eyebrow to pose.
Rhett added, “Yoochun, you’re always
welcome back. That empty room of yours will always be yours.”
“Aw man,” Junsu moped. “I wanted to have a
gaming room!” Everyone glared at him, except for Yoochun, who laughed at his
joke. “I was just kidding!” Junsu professed.
This would be a short journey, a departure
from their road together, the four boys thought on their way home. That was
all.