owned_by_a_cat (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
owned_by_a_cat) wrote2015-03-03 10:13 am
owned_by_a_cat) wrote2015-03-03 10:13 am
Entry tags:
Saranghae | Pt. 21 Conntecting Dots
Title: Saranghae 
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: YunJae/JaeHo, Sidepairing: YooSu
Genre: Suspense, AU, Angst, Romance, Fluff, Chaptered
Warning: kidnapping/imprisonment/restraints
Summary: What happens when Yunho and Changmin run a security company and are hired to look after rock god Kim Jaejoong
Catching Up? Easy: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20
A/N: I'm knee-deep in catching up on work and doing the final edits on Job Hunt, which is scary because it's my last chance to change anything... After that, it's officially a book and while I can't wait to see it finished, I'm also worried about coming to the end of that particular road. Still, I managed to spend a little time writing over the weekend and I did promise to post another chapter... especially as I left you all hanging. ;-) I hope you enjoy this one... it's Yunho in dot-connecting mode...
Where he would turn the mouthy brat over his knee!
Just the thought sent another wave of heat through him, so strong his toes curled. He knew of the magic Kim Jaejoong could weave with his voice alone. He'd seen him do it over and over during his tour, on stage and in fan meets, but he'd never considered how truly devastating the man could be when he added his imagination to the mix. And focused both on Yunho alone.
Yunho leaned his head on the steering wheel and just breathed. In and out, long and slow, each breath measured and—slowly—his body and mind calmed and settled. He remembered where their conversation had been headed before Jae had turned to teasing him, and now that the fog of lust had cleared, he was grateful that they'd never made it that far.
Even with just the two of them, face to face in a quiet room, this promised to be a conversation fraught with dangers and littered with land mines. A discussion where he'd have to measure each word and confirm that it had been heard and understood the way he'd meant it. Having this talk while on the phone was a recipe for immediate disaster—and Jaejoong had recognised and accepted that before Yunho had realised it himself.
Maybe Yunho, who dreaded digging up the past like he dreaded few things, had been desperate to get it over and done with, and damn the consequences. Only to be saved from making a hash of it by the much younger man.
It was galling to admit that Changmin had been right and that he, who should have known better, had acted like a condescending idiot. But sitting in the underground garage of the place where he could so easily have lost Jaejoong, Yunho could no longer deny it. His actions really spoke for themselves. In the hospital, while Jae was being interrogated, he had thought that the man was way older than the age in his passport, that he'd seen and lived things most people twice his age never experienced. And then he'd promptly gone and treated Kim Jaejoong not like a man who owned his choices, but like a teenager that needed to be rescued, protected and looked after.
Only to have that very same teenager turn the tables on him to get him out of a tight spot he hadn't even known he was heading into.
Really, how stupid could one man get? How stuck in his own head was he, that he fell back into old patterns the moment Jae moved or spoke?
Yunho had been preaching professionalism for months. But he'd never looked beyond Jae's age. He had let himself be fooled by Jaejoong's stunning face and revealing clothes, had accepted the image the man projected for reality. Jae had been the real professional in all their dealings. He'd followed direction, asked questions and made choices based on the answers he'd received. And Yunho—who had been the one to provide the answers—had neither call nor reason to fault him for those choices.
He was still shaking his head at how blind he'd truly been when his phone belted out Jaejoong's latest hit. "Hi Min."
"Are you getting your ass in gear sometime today? I'm growing roots up here and none of us have had breakfast yet."
"I'm on the way up. And I have breakfast."
Yunho grabbed the bag of food and tray of coffees he'd procured on the way over and stepped into the lift. He leaned against the mirrored wall, wondering if Jae had leaned against the same spot, unconscious while his kidnapper moved him.
Yunho wasn't one to ponder disaster scenarios after the fact. In his line of work, doing so would have been a straight road to the nearest mental hospital. Accepting failure was hard enough without contemplating might-have-beens. So he balanced the coffee tray in one hand, pulled his phone out and sent a quick text.
Can I tell you later how much of an idiot I've been?
The answer came within moments.
Yes. Provided you stop behaving like one.
"Jung Yunho, I love you!"
Watching Yoochun practically inhale a cup of coffee—in less time than it took Junsu to take the lid off his mug to check how much milk the barista had added—was nothing short of hilarious. And the bliss on his face when he realised that Yunho had bought three large coffees just for him was even funnier.
Though seeing Min, pale and with deep purple shadows under his expressive eyes, moving stiffly and swaying from exhaustion… really was not.
"Have you been up all night?" He grabbed Changmin's elbow and dragged him down onto the sofa before handing him a large mug of chai latte and a breakfast selection box of muffins. The tiny, tired smile that appeared on Min's face at the sight made him even more grateful that he'd gone out of his way to procure the treat.
The muffin box was something that Changmin rarely indulged in. It held six large muffins—one each with egg, bacon and cheese, and one each with blueberry, strawberry and chocolate chip—and Yunho's partner had a tendency to wax lyrical over the selection box anytime he was tired, cold and hungry. Since, in their job, this was more than just occasionally, and they'd worked together for over three years, Yunho was well acquainted with it and knew exactly where to find it and the other breakfast treats he'd brought with him even though he himself liked none of them.
For a while, the large room lay mostly silent, but Yunho hadn't forgotten the question he'd asked.
"Did you get any sleep?"
"Not really," Junsu spoke around his bacon and egg croissant. "Crime scene techs left just after four and our guys were here until eight. Dozed for a few minutes on and off."
"Then you'll all go home and sleep once you've filled me in," Yunho ordered, not taking his eyes off Changmin as he said it. "And I want you checked out by a doctor before you come back in. Ask him to call me."
"What am I… six?"
Changmin looked so appalled that Yunho had to bite his lip to stop himself from smiling. "I have no idea," he said. "All I know is that you're as bad as I am when it comes to looking after yourself. Especially in the middle of an operation. I would have chased the kidnapper down, too, and stayed the night to toss his place… so I'm not saying a word about that."
"Then why?"
"Remember the tantrums you were throwing when I got shot and the wound got inflamed because I was working through it? I don't want to see that happen to you, so it's my turn to boss you about. Go rest and then get yourself checked out. Or you're off the tour."
"You're a total ass, boss," Changmin grumbled, but his tall frame relaxed a little deeper into the cushions and that was all Yunho needed to know.
"And don't I know it," he agreed. "Now, I believe you found something worthwhile?"
"Drawer full of SIM cards," Junsu agreed promptly. "174 to be exact. We've matched every single one of Jae's messages to a SIM and there are dozens more that have also been used. Wouldn't surprise me in the least if Jaejoong wasn't the only idol he was stalking, but I haven't confirmed it yet."
"Any idea how he got Jae's number in the first place?"
"Going by the time line and the phone records, I'd say that Jae's manager leaked Jae's number. And judging by the man's bank records, he earned himself a tidy slice doing so."
"But it's not that simple." Yunho could hear that in Junsu's voice. He could see it in Changmin's grim mien, too.
"No, it's not that simple. Because our stalker… photographer… whatever… doesn't have the means to pay the sort of money that landed in Jae's manager's account. We're talking million Won transactions here. That's not pocket money."
"And the stalker doesn't have that much."
"Not in his main bank account, at least. I haven't found any hidden accounts just yet, but I've got clearance and started a backwards trace on the payments that were made to Jae's manager. Unless they originate overseas we should have something in a few hours."
The matter was getting messier by the minute. Yunho could almost taste the frustration that poured off Junsu and Changmin at the mountain of evidence and the clear lack of tangible results.
"Jae says the kidnapper knew about the tracker," Yunho added to the information they had, only to see Yoochun make a face.
"That's not possible," Yoochun complained. "Nobody knew."
"Somebody did," Yunho maintained. "According to Jae, the kidnapper stripped him because he knew about the tracker. Then he got angry when he found it."
"Why get angry when he was looking for it?"
"I have no idea. Do we know what he wanted?"
Junsu yawned widely and then shook his head. "They took him away early on. We haven't heard back yet."
His words slurred along the edges, as if he was losing control over his facial muscles and could no longer enunciate clearly. And it took visible effort for him to keep his eyes open. Yunho had seen him like this before, during other cases and other operations, following the trails of evidence where they led without respite. Kim Junsu had a reputation for being relentless and for working until exhaustion took him down. He also had a reputation for producing results, which made him one of the most sought after operatives in their agency. Everyone wanted Junsu on their case and while Yunho understood the reasons perfectly, it had been a bleak day for him when Junsu had left their closely-knit team.
He'd worried that Junsu wouldn't have anyone to look after him. Nobody who sent him home to rest or brought him food. Nobody who helped him remember that he had a life away from chasing sleaze bags through cyberspace, that he was more than a tool to be used by those who needed his skills.
"Junsu," he called gently, though he didn't take his eyes from the dark-haired composer who was Jaejoong's best friend, his gaze as good as an order. "I can't tell you how grateful I am that you're doing this for us, but you do need to sleep. If you're worried about your current assignments I can—"
Another yawn overtook the blond hacker, but there was a smile on his face, too. "Don't worry. I've assigned myself to your group for the duration. I was there for the start. I want to be there when we nail it, too." He slumped against Yoochun's shoulder. "A few hours sleep sound heavenly, though. Without it, I might go so cross-eyed I might accidentally accuse the prime minister of embezzlement."
"Yeah, right," Yunho snorted. He'd been there for that case, too, and he had a clear recollection of the sea of red faces when Junsu had strolled in with the evidence. "I'm not so senile that I don't remember that you cleaned up the mess," he said. "And I've already told Min to go home and sleep, so there's no chance of a similar incident."
"Hey!"
Yunho didn't bother dignifying Changmin's complaint with an answer. "Home! All of you. Now!"
And as usual when he used that voice, he didn't have to repeat himself.
Anger served absolutely no purpose. Yunho kept reminding himself of that while he stood in the empty flat where Jae had been held prisoner, Changmin and Junsu's notes in hand. The whole apartment had been declared a crime scene. Its occupant was in custody, which meant he could take his time while going over all the evidence they had collected so far.
The bedroom had been left as he'd found it the previous day, with the lengths of rope still attached to the bedposts and the covers streaked with smears of drying blood. A few of the smears were discoloured from having been tested, though Yunho didn't need to check the notes in his hand to know that the blood was Changmin's. He'd seen Junsu before his shower in the hospital and Jae's relief at finding Min alive had been telling.
Next door to the bedroom was a small study and that's where Changmin and—by the looks of it, Yoochun—had concentrated their efforts. Stacks of prints, framed and unframed, were spread out on the floor and propped up along the walls. The desk and bookcases had been emptied, their contents in piles across the carpet.
Sitting at the kidnapper's desk and looking over the stacks of neatly sorted SIM cards—clearly Changmin's work—Yunho no longer believed in Junsu's assertion that the data they had best fit two independent streams of evidence. Not now that Jae was safe and Yunho was no longer worried sick and on edge.
Maybe somebody wanted them to think so. But to his mind, it fit too neatly. The timelines were too orderly for two unconnected forces.
As soon as he'd stepped on Yin Tae Hoon, he'd been arrested.
As soon as Yin Tae Hoon had been released, Jae had been kidnapped.
It might look like a coincidence, or even as if Tae Hoon was pulling the strings, but Yunho just knew that wasn't true. Yes, Tae Hoon was in this up to his neck, but he wasn't the king pin. There was someone behind him, someone with enough clout to have Yunho arrested and Yin Tae Hoon released, to orchestrate a kidnapping inside the PlayREx HQ as a diversion, and to induce several of PlayREx's high-level managers to take a fall.
There weren't many people that fit that description.
He reached for the notepad to make a list, only to find that Changmin had beaten him to it. A row of neat bullet points in Changmin's bold hand, augmented by Junsu's and Yoochun's comments, covered the pad's top sheet:
Had one afternoon on a rain-drenched roof really turned him into an oblivious, condescending idiot or had he always been such an asshole? He reached for his phone to ask the man who was the most likely to know, but his fingers hesitated on the button. Min should be home by now. And hopefully fast asleep. Waking him to confirm that Yunho was a moron was unfair on all sorts of levels.
He was grateful that Changmin hadn't seen all the notes that Junsu and Yoochun had added after he'd written out his list. If he'd seen Yoochun's comments in particular, nothing would have stopped the man from swinging into action like the exceptionally well-trained bloodhound that he was. He certainly wouldn't have gone home to sleep, whatever Yunho had ordered him to do.
This way, at least, they'd all get a few hours to recover and Yunho had a chance to do what he did best. Connecting the dots into a shape that made sense.
He was so absorbed in his work, he barely noticed that the day passed. When his phone startled him out of his contemplation, he was surprised to see that it was almost dinner time. He swiped the screen to life and found a text message from Jaejoong.
It simply read Sunshine and Motor Oil and had an audio file attached.
Curious, Yunho opened the file. Guitar cords, a piano harmony, and then Jae's rock voice, deep and seductive, spinning a tale of a fight and reconciliation. As always, Yunho sat spellbound while Jaejoong sang, caught in the enchantment the man wove so easily with his voice alone.
It was the chorus that caught his imagination, though, that made him stack all the papers in front of him in a neat pile, collect his notes and reach for his car keys. The chorus of the song, and Jae's low, sensual voice singing it.
I'm gonna kiss you 'til your lips bleed
Until the demons in your eyes are gone
I'm gonna kiss you 'til your heart stops
Until the battle for your love is won.
Part 22: Challenges
A/N: Thank you for reading! And sorry for making you guess the colour... You're quite correct that it's Junsu and Yoochun
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: YunJae/JaeHo, Sidepairing: YooSu
Genre: Suspense, AU, Angst, Romance, Fluff, Chaptered
Warning: kidnapping/imprisonment/restraints
Summary: What happens when Yunho and Changmin run a security company and are hired to look after rock god Kim Jaejoong
Catching Up? Easy: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20
A/N: I'm knee-deep in catching up on work and doing the final edits on Job Hunt, which is scary because it's my last chance to change anything... After that, it's officially a book and while I can't wait to see it finished, I'm also worried about coming to the end of that particular road. Still, I managed to spend a little time writing over the weekend and I did promise to post another chapter... especially as I left you all hanging. ;-) I hope you enjoy this one... it's Yunho in dot-connecting mode...
Part 21: Connecting Dots
Heart beating up a storm, breath coming in fast shallow pants, palms sweaty and his jeans so tight they hurt… Jung Yunho did not feel on top of the situation after Jae hung up on him. In fact, he felt so far out of it, all he wanted to do was start the car, tear out of the underground parking lot and return to Jaejoong's apartment.Where he would turn the mouthy brat over his knee!
Just the thought sent another wave of heat through him, so strong his toes curled. He knew of the magic Kim Jaejoong could weave with his voice alone. He'd seen him do it over and over during his tour, on stage and in fan meets, but he'd never considered how truly devastating the man could be when he added his imagination to the mix. And focused both on Yunho alone.
Yunho leaned his head on the steering wheel and just breathed. In and out, long and slow, each breath measured and—slowly—his body and mind calmed and settled. He remembered where their conversation had been headed before Jae had turned to teasing him, and now that the fog of lust had cleared, he was grateful that they'd never made it that far.
Even with just the two of them, face to face in a quiet room, this promised to be a conversation fraught with dangers and littered with land mines. A discussion where he'd have to measure each word and confirm that it had been heard and understood the way he'd meant it. Having this talk while on the phone was a recipe for immediate disaster—and Jaejoong had recognised and accepted that before Yunho had realised it himself.
Maybe Yunho, who dreaded digging up the past like he dreaded few things, had been desperate to get it over and done with, and damn the consequences. Only to be saved from making a hash of it by the much younger man.
It was galling to admit that Changmin had been right and that he, who should have known better, had acted like a condescending idiot. But sitting in the underground garage of the place where he could so easily have lost Jaejoong, Yunho could no longer deny it. His actions really spoke for themselves. In the hospital, while Jae was being interrogated, he had thought that the man was way older than the age in his passport, that he'd seen and lived things most people twice his age never experienced. And then he'd promptly gone and treated Kim Jaejoong not like a man who owned his choices, but like a teenager that needed to be rescued, protected and looked after.
Only to have that very same teenager turn the tables on him to get him out of a tight spot he hadn't even known he was heading into.
Really, how stupid could one man get? How stuck in his own head was he, that he fell back into old patterns the moment Jae moved or spoke?
Yunho had been preaching professionalism for months. But he'd never looked beyond Jae's age. He had let himself be fooled by Jaejoong's stunning face and revealing clothes, had accepted the image the man projected for reality. Jae had been the real professional in all their dealings. He'd followed direction, asked questions and made choices based on the answers he'd received. And Yunho—who had been the one to provide the answers—had neither call nor reason to fault him for those choices.
He was still shaking his head at how blind he'd truly been when his phone belted out Jaejoong's latest hit. "Hi Min."
"Are you getting your ass in gear sometime today? I'm growing roots up here and none of us have had breakfast yet."
"I'm on the way up. And I have breakfast."
Yunho grabbed the bag of food and tray of coffees he'd procured on the way over and stepped into the lift. He leaned against the mirrored wall, wondering if Jae had leaned against the same spot, unconscious while his kidnapper moved him.
Yunho wasn't one to ponder disaster scenarios after the fact. In his line of work, doing so would have been a straight road to the nearest mental hospital. Accepting failure was hard enough without contemplating might-have-beens. So he balanced the coffee tray in one hand, pulled his phone out and sent a quick text.
Can I tell you later how much of an idiot I've been?
The answer came within moments.
Yes. Provided you stop behaving like one.
***
"Jung Yunho, I love you!"
Watching Yoochun practically inhale a cup of coffee—in less time than it took Junsu to take the lid off his mug to check how much milk the barista had added—was nothing short of hilarious. And the bliss on his face when he realised that Yunho had bought three large coffees just for him was even funnier.
Though seeing Min, pale and with deep purple shadows under his expressive eyes, moving stiffly and swaying from exhaustion… really was not.
"Have you been up all night?" He grabbed Changmin's elbow and dragged him down onto the sofa before handing him a large mug of chai latte and a breakfast selection box of muffins. The tiny, tired smile that appeared on Min's face at the sight made him even more grateful that he'd gone out of his way to procure the treat.
The muffin box was something that Changmin rarely indulged in. It held six large muffins—one each with egg, bacon and cheese, and one each with blueberry, strawberry and chocolate chip—and Yunho's partner had a tendency to wax lyrical over the selection box anytime he was tired, cold and hungry. Since, in their job, this was more than just occasionally, and they'd worked together for over three years, Yunho was well acquainted with it and knew exactly where to find it and the other breakfast treats he'd brought with him even though he himself liked none of them.
For a while, the large room lay mostly silent, but Yunho hadn't forgotten the question he'd asked.
"Did you get any sleep?"
"Not really," Junsu spoke around his bacon and egg croissant. "Crime scene techs left just after four and our guys were here until eight. Dozed for a few minutes on and off."
"Then you'll all go home and sleep once you've filled me in," Yunho ordered, not taking his eyes off Changmin as he said it. "And I want you checked out by a doctor before you come back in. Ask him to call me."
"What am I… six?"
Changmin looked so appalled that Yunho had to bite his lip to stop himself from smiling. "I have no idea," he said. "All I know is that you're as bad as I am when it comes to looking after yourself. Especially in the middle of an operation. I would have chased the kidnapper down, too, and stayed the night to toss his place… so I'm not saying a word about that."
"Then why?"
"Remember the tantrums you were throwing when I got shot and the wound got inflamed because I was working through it? I don't want to see that happen to you, so it's my turn to boss you about. Go rest and then get yourself checked out. Or you're off the tour."
"You're a total ass, boss," Changmin grumbled, but his tall frame relaxed a little deeper into the cushions and that was all Yunho needed to know.
"And don't I know it," he agreed. "Now, I believe you found something worthwhile?"
"Drawer full of SIM cards," Junsu agreed promptly. "174 to be exact. We've matched every single one of Jae's messages to a SIM and there are dozens more that have also been used. Wouldn't surprise me in the least if Jaejoong wasn't the only idol he was stalking, but I haven't confirmed it yet."
"Any idea how he got Jae's number in the first place?"
"Going by the time line and the phone records, I'd say that Jae's manager leaked Jae's number. And judging by the man's bank records, he earned himself a tidy slice doing so."
"But it's not that simple." Yunho could hear that in Junsu's voice. He could see it in Changmin's grim mien, too.
"No, it's not that simple. Because our stalker… photographer… whatever… doesn't have the means to pay the sort of money that landed in Jae's manager's account. We're talking million Won transactions here. That's not pocket money."
"And the stalker doesn't have that much."
"Not in his main bank account, at least. I haven't found any hidden accounts just yet, but I've got clearance and started a backwards trace on the payments that were made to Jae's manager. Unless they originate overseas we should have something in a few hours."
The matter was getting messier by the minute. Yunho could almost taste the frustration that poured off Junsu and Changmin at the mountain of evidence and the clear lack of tangible results.
"Jae says the kidnapper knew about the tracker," Yunho added to the information they had, only to see Yoochun make a face.
"That's not possible," Yoochun complained. "Nobody knew."
"Somebody did," Yunho maintained. "According to Jae, the kidnapper stripped him because he knew about the tracker. Then he got angry when he found it."
"Why get angry when he was looking for it?"
"I have no idea. Do we know what he wanted?"
Junsu yawned widely and then shook his head. "They took him away early on. We haven't heard back yet."
His words slurred along the edges, as if he was losing control over his facial muscles and could no longer enunciate clearly. And it took visible effort for him to keep his eyes open. Yunho had seen him like this before, during other cases and other operations, following the trails of evidence where they led without respite. Kim Junsu had a reputation for being relentless and for working until exhaustion took him down. He also had a reputation for producing results, which made him one of the most sought after operatives in their agency. Everyone wanted Junsu on their case and while Yunho understood the reasons perfectly, it had been a bleak day for him when Junsu had left their closely-knit team.
He'd worried that Junsu wouldn't have anyone to look after him. Nobody who sent him home to rest or brought him food. Nobody who helped him remember that he had a life away from chasing sleaze bags through cyberspace, that he was more than a tool to be used by those who needed his skills.
"Junsu," he called gently, though he didn't take his eyes from the dark-haired composer who was Jaejoong's best friend, his gaze as good as an order. "I can't tell you how grateful I am that you're doing this for us, but you do need to sleep. If you're worried about your current assignments I can—"
Another yawn overtook the blond hacker, but there was a smile on his face, too. "Don't worry. I've assigned myself to your group for the duration. I was there for the start. I want to be there when we nail it, too." He slumped against Yoochun's shoulder. "A few hours sleep sound heavenly, though. Without it, I might go so cross-eyed I might accidentally accuse the prime minister of embezzlement."
"Yeah, right," Yunho snorted. He'd been there for that case, too, and he had a clear recollection of the sea of red faces when Junsu had strolled in with the evidence. "I'm not so senile that I don't remember that you cleaned up the mess," he said. "And I've already told Min to go home and sleep, so there's no chance of a similar incident."
"Hey!"
Yunho didn't bother dignifying Changmin's complaint with an answer. "Home! All of you. Now!"
And as usual when he used that voice, he didn't have to repeat himself.
***
Anger served absolutely no purpose. Yunho kept reminding himself of that while he stood in the empty flat where Jae had been held prisoner, Changmin and Junsu's notes in hand. The whole apartment had been declared a crime scene. Its occupant was in custody, which meant he could take his time while going over all the evidence they had collected so far.
The bedroom had been left as he'd found it the previous day, with the lengths of rope still attached to the bedposts and the covers streaked with smears of drying blood. A few of the smears were discoloured from having been tested, though Yunho didn't need to check the notes in his hand to know that the blood was Changmin's. He'd seen Junsu before his shower in the hospital and Jae's relief at finding Min alive had been telling.
Next door to the bedroom was a small study and that's where Changmin and—by the looks of it, Yoochun—had concentrated their efforts. Stacks of prints, framed and unframed, were spread out on the floor and propped up along the walls. The desk and bookcases had been emptied, their contents in piles across the carpet.
Sitting at the kidnapper's desk and looking over the stacks of neatly sorted SIM cards—clearly Changmin's work—Yunho no longer believed in Junsu's assertion that the data they had best fit two independent streams of evidence. Not now that Jae was safe and Yunho was no longer worried sick and on edge.
Maybe somebody wanted them to think so. But to his mind, it fit too neatly. The timelines were too orderly for two unconnected forces.
As soon as he'd stepped on Yin Tae Hoon, he'd been arrested.
As soon as Yin Tae Hoon had been released, Jae had been kidnapped.
It might look like a coincidence, or even as if Tae Hoon was pulling the strings, but Yunho just knew that wasn't true. Yes, Tae Hoon was in this up to his neck, but he wasn't the king pin. There was someone behind him, someone with enough clout to have Yunho arrested and Yin Tae Hoon released, to orchestrate a kidnapping inside the PlayREx HQ as a diversion, and to induce several of PlayREx's high-level managers to take a fall.
There weren't many people that fit that description.
He reached for the notepad to make a list, only to find that Changmin had beaten him to it. A row of neat bullet points in Changmin's bold hand, augmented by Junsu's and Yoochun's comments, covered the pad's top sheet:
- Yunho's arrest - who authorised it and what were the actual charges / No charges. Not even an arrest record. Grrr…
- Yin Tae Hoon - who authorised the man's release and where is the evidence submitted / So far, I'm higher than the building we're in… kekeke. I hate heights!!!
- Who paid Jae's manager - did the man only sell Jae's phone number? Did he have any other numbers or are other managers in this too? That's a lot of money! Did he need it for anything specific? Did he even keep it?
- What— beyond Junsu's timeline—links the photographer/kidnapper to Jae's manager / Show some respect! There's a money trail from the kidnapper's account to Jae's manager's account too!
- All the SIM cards were used. Who else did he call / text? Working on it. Did he buy all the SIMs? Where?
- Who were the other two PlayREx execs who were arrested? Sorry, didn't keep up with that! :-( You're a disgrace, Shim! Though I suppose you had to pull double duty while our illustrious leader was sulking.
- The bit that bothers me are all the SIM cards. If he got his rocks off sending dirty texts, then why did he suddenly decide to kidnap Jae? Has he kidnapped anyone else before? And what was he planning to do with Jae? Has anyone asked him?
- Oh, and did you realise he's a real photographer? He's actually won awards and some of his stuff is very, very good. Why would he throw that away? Whatever happens now, he'll never get to photograph another high-profile client ever again.
Had one afternoon on a rain-drenched roof really turned him into an oblivious, condescending idiot or had he always been such an asshole? He reached for his phone to ask the man who was the most likely to know, but his fingers hesitated on the button. Min should be home by now. And hopefully fast asleep. Waking him to confirm that Yunho was a moron was unfair on all sorts of levels.
He was grateful that Changmin hadn't seen all the notes that Junsu and Yoochun had added after he'd written out his list. If he'd seen Yoochun's comments in particular, nothing would have stopped the man from swinging into action like the exceptionally well-trained bloodhound that he was. He certainly wouldn't have gone home to sleep, whatever Yunho had ordered him to do.
This way, at least, they'd all get a few hours to recover and Yunho had a chance to do what he did best. Connecting the dots into a shape that made sense.
He was so absorbed in his work, he barely noticed that the day passed. When his phone startled him out of his contemplation, he was surprised to see that it was almost dinner time. He swiped the screen to life and found a text message from Jaejoong.
It simply read Sunshine and Motor Oil and had an audio file attached.
Curious, Yunho opened the file. Guitar cords, a piano harmony, and then Jae's rock voice, deep and seductive, spinning a tale of a fight and reconciliation. As always, Yunho sat spellbound while Jaejoong sang, caught in the enchantment the man wove so easily with his voice alone.
It was the chorus that caught his imagination, though, that made him stack all the papers in front of him in a neat pile, collect his notes and reach for his car keys. The chorus of the song, and Jae's low, sensual voice singing it.
I'm gonna kiss you 'til your lips bleed
Until the demons in your eyes are gone
I'm gonna kiss you 'til your heart stops
Until the battle for your love is won.
Part 22: Challenges
A/N: Thank you for reading! And sorry for making you guess the colour... You're quite correct that it's Junsu and Yoochun
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I hope everything works out for you. All the best!!!!
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Update... yaayy
Ohh.. ohh.. it keeps getting more difficult to find the master mind behind it all..
Goshh... i'm so curious. Someone with a lot of money, mafia/bussiness man/or even playrex director or owner?? Hahahahhaha
Emmmm... poor minchunsu they really exhausted. And aren't chun clever (green notes from chun right??)
And even in confusing state, yun back to jae.. *sigh happily*
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p/s: i'm guessing the green one is chunnie's comments. somehow it it is helpful. hopefully someone notice the clue.
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OMG, another wonderful update! Thank you so much! I am looking forward to your updates often.
Yunho, go home and get your man! XD
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Love the part where he piles everything neatly n grabs his car keys XDDD
Thank u for the update!^^
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I don't have a Yoochun character in my books, so I'm liking him as the unexpected ace in the hole. Give me a few days to get work straightened out and I might have a short story for you...
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"Pink? And glitter?!!! In case you hadn't noticed, this is my fucking piano you've just ruined! I'm gonna kill you, Park Yoochun!" When he had enough incentive, Jae's well trained rock star voice could rattle the windows, and right then, incentive so wasn't an issue.
Park Yoochun might be a fine composer, but he could be a total nut case when Junsu was working all hours on a case. Decorating the polished ivory keys of Jae's baby grand with pink nail varnish seemed to be the latest of his crazy ideas and Jae didn't appreciate it One. Single. Bit.
:-)
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/still flailing
/continue flailing
YunHo? Changmin? More?
/cling to you and never let you go/
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Its so confusing I want to know who the mastermind is O_O
I am glad though that they got to rest ^.^
Thank you for the update :)
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I really like this story. The mysteries are great and interesting, and the yunjae tension is up the roof.
I can't wait for what happens next.
Hwaiting on writing this awesome story.
Please
Update soon!!!!
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Awww Jung running home after heard that sexy voice.
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I really like their team work! And it's so amusing how well Yoochun seems to fit into the circle of professionals!
But I have to admit I missed Jaejoong a little bit! I can't wait for the next time YunJae meet face to face!
Thank you for the lovely update!
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Thank you for reading! :-)
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PS.Its funny how I was expecting totally different events in this chapter because of the title - made me think about the song Connect the Dots by Spill Canvas ;)
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Thanks for saying nice things about Jae's song. I would have sworn up, down and sideways that poetry and I are not acquainted. And then I went and decided to tie all of Fan Bait together with song lyrics... why I have no idea.
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