When Love Is Not Enough, Chapter 2
Title: When Love Is Not Enough
Author: trieze0713
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Length: Chaptered
Genres: AU, Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: Foul languages, child abuse
Rating: PG 13 - NC 17
A/N: I know there's a lot of confusion over the 1st Chapter and I apology. Thing is, I meant to post 2 chapters at the same time & disabled the comment section on the 1st one. Just when I posted the Chapter 1, I was asked to do something and work just kept coming. When I got home I was too tired as it was 10pm already.
So here's Chapter 2 that hopefully will answer your question on Yunho - Changmin's part. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 2
Changmin - age 10, I Killed Him
He was numb. And tired.
He didn't feel like talking but the police and some other people that he didn't know where they came from just wouldn't leave him alone until Uncle Jin came and took him away from them. He showed them a letter in which his mother appointed him as his guardian in times of emergency.
The only thing in his mind was his hyung.
"Uncle Jin... Yunho-hyung?" He looked up to a pair of eyes that gave him comfort.
"Yunho is fine, you shouldn't worry about him. First, let's get you checked up, ok? I'm sorry that your Aunt can't be with you right now, I hope you're okay being with me." He smiled reassuringly.
Changmin stopped and squeezed the hand in his strongly, "You are okay, Uncle Jin... I'm okay with you... I'm okay... I'll be fine with you, I'll-" he started rambling and his Uncle crouched down in front of him.
"Min, we'll take care of you. Do you trust us? Myself, Aunt Soo Mi and Yunho?"
He nodded. "I do. And Mommy..."
"..."
"Mommy died, I saw her. Uncle Jin, I'm not a good boy... I can't protect my Mommy..." His Uncle just watched him worriedly, unable to say anymore comfort. "And I killed Daddy... I killed him twice... Because of Mommy, and he hurt Hyung, he-"
His Uncle reached out to embrace him, “We will take care of you… I promise, we’ll take care of you…”
Changmin felt like he should’ve said something but he didn’t know what. He simply said, “Okay, Uncle Jin.”
~o~o~
When he woke up again, he felt better. His head didn’t hurt anymore but he still needed help to sit up. He raised his hand and touched his head, it’s bandaged.
“You hit the edge of the dining table and fell on the some broken glasses. But doctor said that you’ll be fine.” His mother told him while kept caressing his arm like she always did when he’s sick.
“Min?”
“Your Dad’s with him now, fortunately your Dad brought custody paper for guardianship for Changmin so he could bring him with us. He’s being checked up right now, just to make sure that he’s not wounded or anything and maybe your father will get him something to eat, that boy is so skinny.”
“Aunt Ji Min… “ He gulped, “I saw her body before I ran to Uncle Kyung Min. And uncle…” his voice trailed for a few seconds. “Mom, I didn’t remember very well, but I think I saw Min with a knife. Did he do it?”
They both understood what 'do it' meant. “What happened after I passed out Mom? I heard sirens then I didn’t remember anything anymore.”
His mother looked at him intently before she asked, “You sure you wanna know?” He nodded.
She laid back on her chair, looking at the ceiling. “After he saw Kyung Min stabbed Ji Min, apparently your little cousin ran to the kitchen and grabbed the knife that your Aunt was using to chop off their lunch. He hid it behind his back and when Kyung Min tried to drag him out he stabbed him on the stomach.”
“I saw it… I saw the knife on his stomach. But he wasn’t dead, he was still able to throw me hard across the room!”
“He wasn’t dead at that time but then…” She sighed, “When Changmin saw that you passed out, something happened. I couldn’t understand how, but one of the police officers who got there first said that he managed to find another knife and apparently-“ she hesitated, “looked like he stabbed him a few more times until he finally died. The first thing that he said to the officer was ‘save Hyung’.”
Yunho was too stunned to hear everything, too unbelievable for him but that’s what really happened. “I don’t understand Mom, why did he ask them to save me, and not Aunt Ji Min?”
His mother’s eyes were teary, “The neighbors said that when Kyung Min was still living with him, many times Changmin was locked in his room and not allowed to come out at all. Ji Min was too afraid of Kyung Min and didn’t protect him like she’s supposed to as a mother. Do you remember the bruises on his body when he visited us a couple of times? They were from Kyung Min… he was also malnourished as Ji Min rarely feed him after Kyung Min left, she didn’t have enough money to support them both and abandoned him most of the time.”
She cried in earnest this time. “I kept telling her to let me know her troubles, I should’ve seen it coming but I was too busy with my own life that I let her ruin herself and her son!”
Yunho hugged her and winced as the sudden movement was too much for his head. “It’s not your fault Mom, it’s not your fault… You’ve taken care of her enough, she should’ve known when to ask for help.”
She wiped her tears and smiled at him, “I know, it’s just that everything felt too surreal, that her life would end that way, leaving a little boy behind with so much scars. When I married your father I promised myself to look after her like my own sister, but… Changmin’s my biggest concern now, we’ll need to talk with a psychologist to find out the best way to raise him. That boy had so much bitterness in his young age.”
“Mom… did he…” He didn’t know how to make his question less burdening, but he’s curious. “Was he… Uncle Kyung Min... you know, like Jaejoong-hyung?”
“Am I wrong to say fortunately he wasn’t? Kyung Min was physical, but not that way, thank god! I wouldn’t know what we’re going to have to deal with if he did!” There’s a bit of relief in his mother’s tone.
“You know that I woke up before… I thought I saw Jae-hyung here, was I dreaming? I mean, I haven’t seen him for… a long time, and suddenly….”
His mother shook her head, “No you weren’t dreaming. In Young was in town with Jaejoong and Junsu to legalize his inheritance paper. You know that Jaejoong had turned 18 this year, right? His father left a little money for him and Junsu which even In Young couldn’t claim. Only when Jaejoong and Junsu turned 18 they could claim their portions. She called me to check if we could meet, seeing that we haven’t seen each other’s family for 2 years so I told her that I was here to look after you. You might not realize that you haven’t been awake since you got hit, so I told her that she could come with the boys if she wanted to.”
“Hmm…” He nodded, a little bit disappointed that the older guy didn’t visit because he knew what’ve happened to him. “How is he now, Mom? Is he better?”
“In Young said that he’d been better. But honestly I was surprised when I saw him yesterday. Junsu was still the sweetest little boy that I knew, but Jaejoong… how do I say it?”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“There’s nothing wrong… that’s what bothers me. He didn’t even say a word to me, and he just looked straight ahead that I almost thought he didn’t even blink.” She looked at him, “But the moment he entered this room and saw you unconscious he walked straight to your bed and stood by your bedside. And maybe… just maybe… I thought I heard him say ‘I’m sorry’.”
Yunho raised his eyebrows, “Sorry?”
“Did it mean anything to you? What was he sorry about to you?”
“I have no idea Mom,” he shook his head and regretted, “Ouch…”
His mother stood up and fixed his blanket, “We shouldn’t even have this talk right now, you need to rest.”
“I’ve been sleeping all the time! I-“ just then the door was opened and his father peeked inside.
“Oh, you’re awake!”
“Dad…”
He smiled in relief and said to him, “Guess who’s here to see you?” He stepped aside and pushed the back of a little boy gently, showing a clean and bright Changmin who ran up to him.
“Yunho Hyung!”
“Hey squirt! How you doin’!” He ruffled the boy’s hair. “You look good.”
“I am.” He beamed. “Uncle Jin fed me and the nurses bathed me... and you slept so long…”
“That I did. Good for you, squirt.” They all laughed at the adoration the boys showed him before his face turned serious.
“Hyung, when I grow up…”
He laughed at him, “Of course you’ll grow up!”
“I will grow up and I will protect you like you protect me.”
He chuckled and replied to him, “We’ll see about that, I can’t wait to see you grow up and be a strong guy.”
Changmin didn’t smile. “I will… I will be strong… and then I’ll defend you… I won’t be like Mommy…”
Silence filled the room.
“Changmin…” Yunho's mother whispered.
“Mommy let Daddy hit me and locked me up… and she left me starving when Daddy was angry even though I cried.”
His mother gasped and ran outside, couldn’t stand to hear the painful truth.
“So I won’t be like Mommy… Hyung was hurt because of me… I’m a bad boy, I couldn’t save Mommy and let you hurt…”
Father and Son were tongue tied.
They have a long way to go… And it will be a battle that they will fight together. They just didn’t know how hard it was going to be.
~o~o~
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