You are my light in the dark

Author's note: First try at DBSK fanfic so please bear with me. :)

Disclaimer: DBSK is a Korean boy band, not my invention. My OC and other future characters are mine though.

The New Assistant

Who the hell do they think they are! How can they make Jaejoong go back to work so quickly! We are human for goodness sakes, not damn machines! How can they threat us like that! Yunho was fuming and when Yunho was fuming, he was no joking matter. By the time Yunho arrived at the 12th floor of the SM building, he was bursting with anger. He was shouting at the top of his lungs as he burst into their new assistant's office…

"I want - no - DEMAND that Jaejoong get the rest of the week off! He is INJURED for goodness sake! Can't you guys just let him off! Don't you people have a shred of compassion! We've slaved day and night to fulfill our part, now, can't you just give him a break! If you don't, I'll… I'll…" His anger died off as quickly as it came and his voice got stuck in his throat as his eyes took in the scene in front of him.

Long slender legs… dark flowing raven hair … flawless snowy skin…amber eyes that flashed with irritation at the rude interruption …Oh, no! It can't be! Yunho's heart did a 180 degree flip. She is their personal assistant? Sitting at her desk, with strands of her hair partially covering her eyes, was a young woman around the age of 20. She was dressed in a simple blouse and a knee-length skirt that complemented her figure perfectly. Yunho felt his face burn with embarrassment. He could not believe that he had just shouted at a lady. A beautiful lady to be exact.

"Um…urm…you are…" Yunho started, but she beat him to it. "Elizabeth Wu, your new personal assistant. So how may I help you?" She said shortly. Her calm response to his earlier outburst only made Yunho more embarrassed.

Trying to redeem himself, he offered her his hand awkwardly. Her slim hand was firm and warm in his. "I'm Yunho. I just wanted to speak to you about Jae Joong's injury. I'm sure you know about it, but Junsu just told me that you plan on making us go back to work tomorrow. Could you just let him off for a while longer? He is after all a member of DBSK and with him in his condition how can you expect him to work?" Yunho's voice unconsciously rose again as he voiced the injustice done to his friend.

"Calm down Yunho. Firstly, the order to go back to work is not for Jae Joong, but for the four of you. Secondly, although DBSK is always expected to be seen in public together, but I have booked all of you into separate variety shows for this whole month so that Jae Joong will have time to rest after his operation before you guys start recording and again. Thirdly, your concert is already being planned and you guys would need to learn some of the dances and rehearsals without Jae Joong as he would not be able to dance." Elizabeth placed her palms on the table in a business-like manner. She paused for a moment, enough time for Yunho to collect his thoughts and digest what she just told him.

So, Jae Joong was going to have at least a month's break after all, and she even went to great lengths to cover up for them. Damn, maybe I shouldn't have reacted so violently earlier, he thought. Elizabeth cleared her throat, breaking his chain of thought. Yunho looked up to find a pair of amber orbs capturing his glaze. They were deep swirling pools and had specks of gold around the iris, and Yunho found himself unable to pull his eyes away. A cool voice filtered into his dazed mind, breaking his revere.

"Tell Jae Joong to take care, his injury is quite serious and he has to look after his body. The doctor did say that he would have to get surgery for that knee of his, and he has to recover quickly to get on with the promotional activities." Elizabeth said expressionlessly.

"You…you know about Jae Joong's surgery?" Yunho asked surprised. Isn't she their new assistant? Isn't she supposed to be the blur queen here? How does she know about what the doctor said just the night before?

Flashback

Yunho was sitting on a hard plastic chair beside Jaejoong's narrow hospital bed in which Jaejoong was reclining. The others were also there, arranged in an untidy circle around Jaejoong. There was an unspoken feeling of unity and companionship in air, expressed by the subtle gestures, subtle words and glances. A smile of comfort, a look of gratitude, the tucking in of a stray lock of hair, the arm thrown casually on a shoulder… All these action in which they show their bond was so familiar and so common that all of them took it for granted now.

However, today, there was also an underlying strain of tension. The normally animated Jaejoong was unusually quiet and of course, no one can miss the big bandage around Jaejoong's leg. The rest of the guys were just telling Jaejoong about happenings during the day so that he wouldn't feel left out, but Yunho was just sitting there, looking at each of his band mates, his best friends, his brothers. Every time any of them got sick or were feeling unwell, the rest of the group would somehow feel down as well and each of them would be affected in a different way. This time, with Jaejoong bed-ridden, Changmin had written a get-well card with a teddy bear on it. Junsu had brought his PSP, just in case Jaejoong got bored with TV. Mickey had a bouquet of flowers and Yunho had bought a thermos of hot soup.

The soft chatter was interrupted as the door to the ward opened to show Dr. Lee. He gave a wane smile when he saw them. "Could the rest of you go out for a moment, I want to talk to Jaejoong alone." He asked politely.

Yunho stood up and after giving a brief reassuring look to Jaejoong, he went out to wait quietly in the hall way. The others followed their leader out. Pretty soon, Dr. Lee came out as well. Yunho looked at him expectantly, but he only gestured for them to go in. "Jaejoong requested for you guys."

The minute Yunho entered the room, he immediately went to Jaejoong's side, concern etched on his face as he took in Jaejoong's pale face, downcast eyes and bloodless fingers. The others filed in behind Yunho, silently waiting for Jaejoong to tell them the news. Jaejoong took a deep breath.

"Guys, the doctor said that my knee isn't going too well and I would need to have surgery. This surgery would enable me to recover within a month." Smiles broke out as they realised it wasn't that serious after all.

Yunho felt relieved the moment he heard that, but looking that Jaejoong's face, he knew something was wrong. Crossing his fingers, he asked "What's the catch?" Hearing that, the others froze.

Jaejoong let out a sigh. "You know me too well hyung. I shouldn't have even tried to keep this from you. The problem is that my knee might not fully recover and there is a high chance that it might get problematic later on. But it is the only way I would get to perform for the Rising Sun performances and the concert later on…" The boys could see that the normally strong cheerful façade was cracking and for once, Jaejoong was close to tears.

As one the other members exclaimed in dismay, "What!"

"Is there no other way?" Yoochun asked.

"Yay, hyung. I would rather you not perform than allow you to go through with this surgery!" Changmin added worriedly.

Looking at their expectant faces, Jaejoong began half-heartedly, "Well, there is another type of surgery that would allow for complete recovery, but the recovery time is like months and I wouldn't be able to dance and perform for our upcoming album. I don't want to spoil it for all of us; beside I don't want to waste all our efforts on perfecting the dance all because of me."

Immediately, Junsu, Changmin and Yoochun began to argue with Jaejoong. But Yunho could see that Jaejoong's mind was fixed. Putting his hand on Jaejoong's shoulder, he said, "Jaejoong, if you think that by doing this you are helping us, you are wrong, because if you suffer because of us, do you think we would be able to accept your sacrifice? Even if we do top the charts and have a brilliant performance, do you think we can sit back and enjoy it? Your suffering is ours too. We would choose you over fame any time. Would you choose fame over us instead? We know each other too well Jae, so please for our sake, take care of yourself."

"Yah, hyung, please?" Junsu pleaded while pulling a puppy face. The others nodded their heads vigorously. Under their combined efforts, Jaejoong finally agreed - besides he could never refuse Junsu's puppy eyes.

End of Flashback

"I know Jaejoong's injury is going to take a while to recover, so don't worry, the company would not plan any thing too strenuous." Elizabeth gave Yunho a smile that did not reach her eyes and turned back to her desk.

Yunho could tell that he was being dismissed and reluctantly left the room. Elizabeth wasn't likely to tell him anything else any way. She seems really cold, but she seemed to be able to handle herself quite well for a newcomer. Maybe she was just new and don't know too much about them yet. Yunho headed towards the cafeteria to tell the others the good news…and to tell them about their new pretty personal assistant who doesn't seem to like them one bit. Yunho smiled to himself. Yoochun would definitely enjoy the challenge.

As he approached the cafeteria, he could see the rest of the guys sitting in a corner, talking amongst themselves. Changmin was first to spot him. "Yunho hyung, over here." He waved him over. At Changmin's call, Junsu and Yoochun looked up and waved as well. Yunho walked over with a grin.

"Hey guys, having a cup of coffee?"

"Yup, so how did your little chat with our assistant go? Is Young woong hyung still scheduled for work?" Junsu asked expectantly.

"No, good news guys. The new assistant said that Jaejoong would be having the rest of the month off and all we need to do is to attend some variety shows during the day, but we would still have to plan for our promotional activities." Yunho replied. The others all let out relief sighs and gave each other high fives.

"By the way, how was the new assistant like? Was she as hot as the others say?" Yoochun asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Yunho's jaw dropped. "You knew? You knew she was a girl and you did not tell me? Do you know how embarrassed I was?" Thinking back on their short encounter, Yunho covered his face with his hands and let out a groan. He could hear Junsu and Changmin chuckle at his obvious discomfort as he told them all about the very brief and disastrous meeting.

"Hey, I tried to warn you but you just stomped away the moment Junsu told you about the schedule… Not my fault you didn't listen…" Yoochun trailed off and swallowed nervously as Yunho turned his furious graze at him. Just as Yunho was about to chase Yoochun around the room, a cough behind him interrupted his actions. Yunho spun around to see his manager staring pointedly at him.

Yunho's attitude changed instantaneously. "Hyung, sorry I didn't see you there." Yunho greeted respectfully, all the while glaring daggers at Yoochun who was making faces at him a few meters behind the manager.

"Yunho, I want to introduce your new assistant to you and the guys. I believe you have not met her yet." The manager, unaware of their previous meeting, turned to motion Elizabeth to step forward. "This is Elizabeth Wu, your new assistant from now on. Miss Lee, your previous assistant, has been called home for a family matter and would most probably stay home for another job assignment. Miss Wu here has been briefed about her job requirement, but I haven't had time to show her around yet, so why don't you guys do me a favor."

"Does that mean we have the rest of the day off?" Changmin asked excitedly.

The manager nodded. "Oh yeah, I've just been informed about Jaejoong's surgery. If you want to go see him, just give a ring before you go." With that the manager left, leaving a flustered Yunho and a dour Elizabeth with the boys.

As the rest of the members inspected Elizabeth curiously, Yoochun let out a low whistle. "Wow, she's hot." He elbowed Yunho in the ribs and winked knowingly. "No wonder you were embarrassed." Yunho rolled his eyes.

Turning to Elizabeth, who was seemingly oblivious to Yoochun's grin, he introduced the boys in turn. "This is Junsu, Changmin and Yoochun. Come on, we'll show you around." Elizabeth shook their hands briefly, unimpressed, and briskly followed Yunho out into the hallway.

Inside, she was muttering to herself, "That Yoochun! What a playboy! Only concerned about looks!" If it was up to her, she would have gladly gave that Yoochun guy a loud satisfying slap and turn her back on them without a backward glance. But her mind turned back to the promise she made to her sister, her dear sister, - oh how she missed her - and she mentally chided herself. Patience, Eli, Patience.

Author's note: For those who don't know, DBSK is a Korean boyband that is very popular in Asia.

Its members are:

Uknow Yunho (leader)

Hero (Young woong) Jaejoong

Xiah Junsu

Micky Yoochun

Max (Choi Kang) Changmin