NEO TV # i like me better when i'm with you ꗃ╭╯ jung jaehyun.
──────── epilogue: in another life—and this one too.
𒄬 genre: slowburn / angst / suggestive / gang au / rich kid au / e2l
𒄬 warnings none. this is the peace all of you were waiting for. this is pure fluff, no more angst. read chapter 10 before this. 𒄬 word count: 2.8k
Calgary, Canada.
Life was nothing more than the sum of the choices you made.
And while Jaehyun regretted most of the choices that had led him down the darkest paths, he was grateful for the one he had made three years ago.
Sooman was dead.
The night of the exchange had turned into a battlefield—gang members against police, bullets flying, screams tearing through the air, desperate prayers lost in the chaos.
And in the end, it had taken only one bullet to Sooman’s chest to bring his empire crumbling down.
Neo Zone had fallen with him.
Even though the streets were still dangerous, crime had dropped significantly. Without Sooman pulling the strings, and with most of Neo Zone’s key players locked away, the shadows that once ruled the city had started to fade.
And Jaehyun?
Jaehyun had died that night too.
At least, that’s what the world believed.
By the time the dust settled, when the bodies were being identified and the surviving criminals were being processed into the prison system—Jaehyun was nowhere to be found.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
Jung Jaehyun was dead.
And in many ways, that was the truth.
The night of the exchange had been both an ending and a beginning.
Starting over was harder than he ever imagined. A new city, new faces, a new life. Everything that had once defined him was gone, and for a long time, he wasn’t sure if he was meant to exist without it.
The first year was brutal.
Especially the first few months.
Jeno was a mess. He refused to speak to Jaehyun, refused to leave the house they had been placed in. He was drowning in grief and anger, haunted by the past he never had a choice in.
It wasn’t until Baekhyun intervened that things changed.
Under witness protection, the Jung family was not allowed to have any contact with their old life. But Baekhyun—who had held Jaehyun in his arms when he was seconds away from death—knew he couldn’t just leave them alone. He pulled whatever strings he could, bending rules that were never meant to be bent, just to be the one person who could keep that connection alive.
And so, Baekhyun told them the truth.
About Sooman. About Jaehyun’s father. About the accident that ruined Winwin’s life.
The truth shattered Jeno.
But it also set him free.
It took time—months of silent dinners, tense conversations, and Jaehyun carrying the weight of Jeno’s resentment without complaint—but eventually, Jeno accepted it. And on a quiet night, after far too many nights of pretending he didn’t care, Jeno broke down, sobbing as he apologized.
And just like that, their bond, fractured and fragile, began to heal.
The second year was different.
They were no longer just trying to survive. They were learning to live.
Their new home no longer felt like a prison. The stares of strangers no longer felt like judgment. The ghosts that once clung to them were beginning to fade.
They were free.
And then, there was Winwin.
Jaehyun had spent years carrying the guilt of what had happened to him. The accident. The coma. The stolen future.
But in their second year, something changed. Winwin made progress.
With the help of new doctors and a rehabilitation center, he spoke for the first time in years.
By the third month of that year, his voice, once lost, returned.
By the fifth month, he took his first steps since the accident.
And by the time the second year ended, Winwin wasn’t just recovering—he was laughing again.
And the best part?
Jaehyun was there for all of it.
The third year brought peace.
The kind of peace Jaehyun never thought he would find.
For the first time, he wasn’t drowning in his past. He wasn’t trapped in the cycle of guilt and regret that had consumed him for so long.
He was healing.
He had learned that the past wasn’t something he could erase. It was something he had to carry. But that weight didn’t have to define him.
Even his tattoos—the ink that once felt like a death sentence—became something else.
In the beginning, he hated them.
The first year, he wanted them gone. He wanted to rip them off his skin, to burn away the reminders of everything he had done, everything he had been.
But by the third year, he saw them differently.
They weren’t chains anymore.
They were proof that he had survived.
Once, they had meant there was no way out.
Now, they were a reminder that there always was—as long as you chose the right path when the moment came.
There were things in life you could walk away from.
People spent their whole lives running—escaping from their past, their mistakes, the ghosts that clung to their shadows. Jaehyun had spent years believing he could outrun his own, that time and distance would eventually blur the edges of everything he had lost.
But there were some things that never faded.
Some things that time refused to erase.
And three years later, he realized that no matter how far he had come, no matter how much he had rebuilt—one thought remained constant.
(Y/N).
Jaehyun had sworn he wouldn’t look back. That night at the warehouse had been the end of one life and the beginning of another. He had fought for this, for a clean slate, for the chance to breathe without the weight of Neo Zone pressing on his chest.
But even after all this time, there were moments—quiet, unsuspecting moments—where she would slip through the cracks of his mind. He could go days, weeks, even months convincing himself he had let go.
And then a song would play. A familiar scent would drift through the air. The city lights would flicker just right.
And suddenly, he was back there again.
Three years ago, Baekhyun had told him what happened to her.
The night of the exchange, the night he had nearly died, she had disappeared too. Gone from SM City.
And for a long time, that was enough to keep him frozen.
If she was building a new life, if she was trying to move on—he had no right to pull her back into a past she had barely escaped from.
So he let her go.
But not a single day in those three years had passed without thinking of her.
The scent of warm spices filled the house, the faint aroma of cinnamon and cardamom lingering in the air. It was late afternoon, and the sky outside was beginning to darken, the golden light of the setting sun spilling through the windows, casting soft shadows against the wooden floors.
Jaehyun sighed as he stepped inside, rolling his shoulders to shake off the cold.
“I’m home,” he called out, voice low but steady, the familiar weight of exhaustion settling over him.
From the hallway, a figure appeared, leaning slightly on a cane.
Winwin.
Jaehyun smiled despite himself. His friend was moving better these days—his steps steadier, his balance stronger.
“Your mom and Jeno went to the market to get stuff for dinner,” Winwin said, his tone easy, familiar. He made his way closer, pulling Jaehyun into a brief but firm hug, the kind that spoke of quiet resilience, of the battles they had fought and survived.
Jaehyun clapped him on the shoulder before moving toward the couch. They both sank into it with matching sighs, the air between them comfortable in a way it hadn’t been in years.
“How was therapy today?” Jaehyun asked, glancing at Winwin’s cane.
Winwin exhaled, rolling his neck slightly. “Better. I’m still stuck with this thing for a while longer, but it’s better than not being able to walk at all.” He chuckled, a quiet, genuine sound.
Jaehyun smirked, nodding. “Definitely better.”
Winwin tilted his head. “What about you? How was work?”
Jaehyun leaned back against the cushions, rubbing a hand over his face. “Couple of jobs. Nothing crazy. Though I had this one car come in today that I have no idea how it’s still running. It’s a damn wreck.”
Winwin grinned. “That’s good though, right? Means more work for you.”
Jaehyun huffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah, I guess.”
A real job. A legitimate one.
It still felt strange sometimes.
For years, Jaehyun had lived in a world where the only way to survive was to take, to fight, to bleed. But here, in this quiet city, he had found something different.
Working at the mechanic shop wasn’t glamorous, but it was honest. And after everything, that was enough.
He had spent too many years with oil and grease on his hands for all the wrong reasons— street illegal racing. Now, he had earned the right to build something with them.
“You’ve got time off coming up soon, don’t you?” Winwin asked, watching him carefully.
Jaehyun nodded, stretching his arms over the back of the couch. “Yeah, in a month or so. My boss says work should slow down a bit, so I can take a break.”
Silence settled between them, the sound of the television humming in the background, filling the space between words left unsaid.
And then—
“I think it’s time you look for her.”
The words were soft, barely above a whisper, but they hit Jaehyun like a freight train.
His breath hitched. His chest tightened.
Winwin wasn’t looking at him, his gaze fixed on the television screen, but Jaehyun could see the weight behind his words, the careful way he had chosen them.
Jaehyun swallowed, forcing his voice to stay even. “Win, don’t—”
“You never stopped thinking about her,” Winwin cut in, his tone gentle but firm. “Not once.”
Jaehyun clenched his jaw, fingers curling into his palms.
Because it was true.
There were things from the past you could bury.
Mistakes. Memories. Regrets.
But love was never one of them.
Three Years Later Connecticut, USA
Jaehyun never thought he’d say that a cop had become one of his closest friends.
But somewhere between saving his life, dragging him out of the hell he was drowning in, and checking in on him like an older brother who refused to leave him alone—Baekhyun had managed to become exactly that.
So when Jaehyun asked him for a favor, something that was technically out of his jurisdiction, he had expected resistance. Expected a lecture, maybe even a flat-out no.
What he hadn’t expected was Baekhyun sighing, rubbing the bridge of his nose like Jaehyun had just asked him to commit a felony, and muttering, “You better not make me regret this.”
It took a few weeks—just enough time for Jaehyun’s vacation to start—but Baekhyun had done it. Had put everything in place, made the necessary calls, pulled whatever strings he could.
And now, standing in the middle of a quiet street in Connecticut, Jaehyun felt like he couldn’t breathe.
He had spent three years convincing himself he had lost her. Three years trying to live with the ghost of her touch, her voice, her love.
And now, he was here.
Here to see if the universe was willing to give him one last chance.
Jaehyun had imagined this moment a thousand times.
And in every version, he was prepared for it.
He had prepared himself for her indifference. He had prepared himself for her anger. He had prepared himself for the possibility that she had moved on.
But nothing—not the endless nights spent yearning for her, not the weight of three years apart, not even the prayers whispered into the dark when he swore he didn’t believe in miracles anymore—could have prepared him for this.
For her.
The campus was lively despite the early evening air settling over the city. Students strolled past, their conversations blending into the background hum of normalcy, of a life Jaehyun had never been part of.
But his world was silent.
Because at the end of the path, standing on the steps of a grand old university building, was her.
(Y/N).
He could barely recognize her.
Not because she looked different—no, she was still the same girl who had haunted his dreams, the same girl who had made him feel something even before he realized he was capable of it.
But because she was free.
She wasn’t the girl trapped in SM City, suffocating under the weight of expectations she never asked for. She wasn’t the girl desperately trying to hold together a life that was unraveling at the seams.
She was radiant— and so heartbreakingly beautiful that it made his chest ache
The evening sun cast a golden glow on her skin, her hair catching the light just right. She was speaking to someone, her laughter drifting through the air like music. And for a moment, Jaehyun couldn’t move.
Because how the hell was he supposed to walk up to her when she had done exactly what he always wanted for her?
She had moved on.
Jaehyun swallowed, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. He had played out this moment in his head a thousand times. Had rehearsed what he would say, how he would explain, how he would tell her that not a single day had passed without her name pressed against his ribs like a prayer.
But now that she was standing in front of him, just a few feet away, all he could do was stand there, frozen in the agony of uncertainty.
What if she didn’t want to see him?
What if she had forgotten him?
What if she had healed, and he was nothing more than an old wound she didn’t want to reopen?
But then—
She turned.
And her eyes met his.
For a second, nothing happened.
The world stood still.
Jaehyun wasn’t sure if he was still breathing.
But then her lips parted, and he saw her eyes—those same eyes he had dreamt about for three years, the eyes that had once held every secret part of him— widened. The way her entire body reacted to the sight of him. The way her fingers trembled, the way her chest rose and fell a little too quickly.
And for one agonizing second, neither of them moved.
The world stretched impossibly wide between them.
And then, without warning—
She ran.
Straight toward him.
Jaehyun barely had time to react, breath knocked from his lungs as her arms wrapped around him, her body colliding against his with a force that felt like a lifetime of longing compressed into a single second.
And suddenly, he was eighteen again.
Holding her like she was the only thing keeping him tethered to the world.
(Y/N) was crying—sobbing against his shoulder, her fingers gripping the back of his shirt like she was afraid he would disappear if she let go. And Jaehyun—Jaehyun was shaking.
Because after all these years, after all the distance, after all the pain—he had found his way back to her.
His arms tightened around her, his fingers tangling in her hair as he pressed his face into her shoulder, breathing her in, grounding himself in the reality that this was real.
She was real.
She was here.
“I—” Her voice broke as she pulled back just enough to look at him, her eyes searching his like she was trying to understand if he was truly standing in front of her. “I thought— I thought you—”
Jaehyun exhaled shakily, brushing his fingers against her cheek, his heart breaking at the way she leaned into his touch like she had been starving for it.
“I know,” he whispered. “I know.”
(Y/N) sucked in a breath, her hands moving to cup his face, her thumbs tracing over his jaw like she couldn’t believe he was real.
“I tried to call you,” she choked out. “That night. When I found out I was leaving. I tried, but you never—”
Jaehyun’s heart clenched. “I never got them.”
Her lips quivered.
“Jaehyun…”
A pause. A second of hesitation, of uncertainty.
Then, Jaehyun let out a soft breath, his fingers brushing through her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear with the gentlest touch.
“It’s Yoonoh now,” he murmured.
Her breath hitched.
(Y/N) hadn’t heard that name in years. And the last time she had, he had begged her not to call him that—had told her that Jaehyun was all he had left.
But now… now he was choosing it.
Choosing to be himself again. Choosing her.
Tears welled in her eyes, overflowing before she could stop them. Her lips trembled, a choked laugh escaping her as she buried her face in his chest, gripping onto him as if the weight of his words had made her legs give out.
Jaehyun—Yoonoh—smiled, pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head, his arms pulling her impossibly closer.
“Angel,” he whispered.
A sob broke from her throat.
He had never stopped calling her that.
Even now, after all this time, after everything, she was still his Angel.
She pulled back slightly, just enough to look at him, her hands still cradling his face.
“You came back.”
Jaehyun swallowed, his voice raw. “I never stopped looking for you.” His lips found the top of her head, pressing a lingering, shaky kiss into her hair, his fingers trailing up and down her back. "I left. Sooman it's down. I'm not part of Neo Zone anymore. I have a new life— there's nothing helding me down anymore."
Her lips trembled. “And now?”
His thumb brushed away a tear that rolled down her cheek.
“Now?” He let out a shaky breath, pressing his forehead against hers, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Now I’m here to say that I love you. That I have always love you..”
And when their lips met, it wasn’t just a kiss.
It was a homecoming. It was every unsaid word, every missed moment, every aching, desperate wish they had ever whispered into the dark, answered in a single breath.
It was the universe setting itself right.
It was the answer to every prayer they had ever whispered in the silence.
They had spent years running.
But in the end, they had always been meant to find their way back.
And this time, Yoonoh wasn’t going to let go.
a/n: NOT PROOFEAD! Yes! I finally give you fluff. And you know what? They both healed. So that's all that matters. So yeah, this is the end of I like me better when i'm with you. I'm thinking about add bonus scenes like time-stamps or headcanons, but i'm not sure... but for now that's the end. I'd love to know what you think about the whole series so far. Thank you for giving this story a chance. I'm sorry about the slow-burn and the push-pull and push dynamics but i really love drama. I'm so grateful to get to this point.
taglist: @peachfulnight @gojoscumslut @bluedbliss @dear-97 @girlwholovespreppyattire @hana-off-icial @cigarettesafterjae @bts-iris @dojaejung @methneo @kriizztin @mrsuhnshine @pieddpiperr @completelyjae @kanekisheart @daegalismybiasinnct @spicyryujin@dear-97
idk why some of the tags just don’t work out!but we still gonna see each other later or tomorrow for the epilogue!
Feel free to send any asks here if you want!