Memories of the Heart (YunJae fanfic)

Chapter 10: Close

Days before the play and Yunho still doesn't agree with Ms. Boa's decision to cast Jae. Would the drama club be able to pull-off a romantic play with the leads still biting their heads off?

(A/N: I know, I suck...  I won't even reason out. I'm finishing this before I get busy again. I won't specify dates but I will finish this as fast as I possibly can. I hope you still care enough to read! :') )

~Yunho

"Cut!" Ms. Boa's voice resonates in the school theater. "I don't feel it" She says with a snort.

"Feel what exactly?" Yunho retorts, unable to hide his irritation. They have been practicing for hours since the whole switch that Ms. Boa has made, it's past 7 pm, it's dark outside and he's hungry. Much as he would want to proceed, he just couldn't get his lines right.

"I don't feel the chemistry!" Ms. Boa shouts as she approaches the stage. "Okay, everyone but the leads, take five" She commands with much brevity that everyone obeys. Even Yunho and Jae stay plastered on the stage, unable to move because of the sudden power in Ms. Boa's voice.

"You need to work on your chemistry." The teacher says a little bit calmer now. "It's the only way we will be able to do this" She says, looking both Jae and Yunho in the eye.

"I'm trying my best" Jae responds, looking down. Yunho catches him turning scarlet while he does so which catches Yunho off guard. What the heck is he blushing for?

"I know Jae, that's why I'm not talking to you" Ms. Boa says, lifting Jae's face up. "It's all on you, young man" She looks at Yunho now.

"Why me?" Yunho fires back, feeling defensive. He has been trying his best also. It's just that he couldn't get his lines out while Jae looked at him like... like that. He couldn't explain how but there was something that made him very uncomfortable when Jae looked him in the eye. "I am trying my best, it's him..."

"ME? What did I do? It's not me who fumbles over the lines" Jae says, turning another shade of scarlet.

"It's... but..." Yunho says, clearly shocked that Jae made these observations despite Yunho trying his best to hide these "fumblings" with a stifled cough or two. Damn, this guy's so perceptive.

 

"Well, whatever that is, this has got to stop" Ms. Boa was saying, both her hands on Yunho's shoulders, as if to prove a point. "You have three days to shape up, capiche? Now pack up and let's do this..." The teacher says, contemplating. "You know what, why don't we just call it a day and see what you can do with your mishaps. Ok?" Ms. Boa waves of, slowly exiting the stage, leaving both Yunho and Jae on the stage. "Tell the others to just go home will you?" She says as she exits from the door.

"Now what?" Jae says, clearly dumbfounded at their teacher's sudden abandonment.

"That's a good question" Yunho says, scratching his head, as confused as Jae was.

~Jae

That insufferable ruffian, Jae muttered to himself, as he was packing his things from his locker. After Ms. Boa exited, Yunho just started yapping that it was his fault. Jae couldn't take it anymore and he just walked out. Why did that Yunho blame their lack of chemistry to him?

"It's not like I didn't bear with the awkwardness" Jae mumbled, angrily stuffing in his books and closing his locker. He bangs the locker, venting out his anger. "That Yunho!" He shouts. It's then that he notices movement to the far corner of the hall.

"Hello?" Jae calls out. No need to panic, he says to himself. No one's here, it's past 7 pm, no one's in school now, not even that Yunho. Jae dismisses it, and starts walking out to the gate. Must have been my imagination, He assures himself.

Jae takes his phone out as he walks out of the deserted schoolyard and out into the gate.

"Sry, have to go to my vocal coach's studio. Be back home ltr. Take care. Take a cab, don't walk." Jae reads Junsu's text. Amidst the rage he is feeling, he finds assurance in this particular text. Junsu's being like a mom, it's too cute!, Jae sniggers as he rereads the text. By then he reaches the strangely dark alleyway, a few blocks away from the school. "The light must have bust" Jae says to himself as he stands and waits for a cab. Then, he hears a whistle. "Hello?" Jae calls out, panic rising. It wasn't because it was so dark he couldn't see where the whistle was coming from, but it was the whistle itself that made him jittery.

There was something about the tone that seemed familiar. "Who's there?" Jae starts backing up, a leap ready on the balls of his feet. "Who's there?" He repeats, noticing for the first time that the whistle was sounding closer and closer. It's then he sees a silhouette on the far end of the alleyway. And that the person was in fact pacing and then, without warning started to laugh out loud. It made Jae's hair stand as dread filled his memory.

A flash of a memory, a ghost of the past hit him then. He saw flashes of a man, coming closer to him on the street, and with swiftness, struck him in the head. This particular memory scared Jae that he started to run the opposite way. He heard the man whistle again, but when he looked back, the silhouette was running towards him. With all his might, Jae ran towards the road and made a quick turn, hoping to lose the pursuer. To his disappointment, the silhouette took the same turn but was now gaining on him.

Jae was losing breathe, and Jae was panicking. The turn he made was a street he wasn't familiar with. Jae ran, and as he did, he tried opening his phone, hoping to call Junsu. As he did so, Jae failed to notice the bump on the road and tripped, phone flying from his grasp. He tries to stand but a sharp pang hit his foot and sees that it is bleeding. He eyes the corner and sees that the silhouette, which by now, he could tell was a guy from the build and the broad shoulders, was now very close. Jae stood, ignored the pain and limped away, making another turn. Crying, Jae ran as fast as he could, and then he heard the whistle again. Jae ran and ran and then, as he made another turn, was shocked by the force of his body hitting another. Jae fell, resigned that this would be it, but then a warm strong grip held him.

"Jae?" He hears his name called. Jae could feel the pain from his foot taking him to loses consciousness, but before he could, he saw the person who's grip saved him from hitting the street floor. "Yunho?" Jae manages to blurt out before he blacks out.

~Yunho

That insufferable ruffian, Yunho muttered to himself as he made it to the alleyway leading to his favorite ramen shop. It was in a very secluded place, out of way, but he went there whenever he was angry. He felt that each strand of ramen calmed him for some reason. It was totally his fault, he says gruffly, as he was walking. It was then that he noticed that it was strangely dark. "Lights must be busted again. What's with this street!" Yunho muttered as he kept walking to the shop, which after a few minutes of walking, he found out was closed for the day.

"Just my luck" He says, exasperated at everything happening in his life so far. He turns about and BAM! Yunho bumps into someone, sweaty and limping. He catches the person and sees a familiar face.

"Jae?" He asks, eyeing the other guy, noticing his bleeding foot and his feint face, clearly running. But running from what?

"Yunho?" Jae croaks out and faints. "Just my luck" Yunho sighs, as he picks Jae up.

[A/N: I'll try uploading another chapter tomorrow. Hope you like it! Vote and thanks for still reading despite the delay in delivering chapter!]