Countdown (JJ Project)

Before Countdown (Prologue)

"I think I'm starting to like you more than a friend, Jinyoung."

The confession was the last thing Jinyoung thought would come out from his best friend's mouth when Jaebum called this morning, asking to see him at the coffee shop they frequently visited. It was too sudden, too unexpected that he just sat on his seat with his eyes widened and mouth gaping open, temporarily losing his capability to speak. Fortunately he already put down the cup of americano he just drank, or else he might have to go home with his clothes stained brown.

Suddenly Jaebum laughed so hard he was clutching his stomach. It caught Jinyoung by surprise too, but this time he was mad.
"Are you joking with me? If you do, you're taking it too far. It's not funny."

Jaebum's laugh slowly calmed down. "Of course not. Sorry, your expression was too hilarious, I can't help it. Is it that surprising?"
"Of course it is. You suddenly say that out of nowhere."

Jaebum chuckled. "Okay, sorry for that. But I'm serious with my confession."
Again, Jinyoung felt like his tongue was locked. Mixed feelings filled his heart. He didn't know what to do, or what to say. So he casted his eyes down, fingers playing with the cup's handle, letting the silence slowly tightened around him until Jaebum broke it.

"So what do you think? Should I let it deepened or should I stop it from growing?" His face was serious, no sign of the earlier laughter evident in his voice and his expression.

Jinyoung contemplated over the question. He really didn't want to hurt his best friend. He didn't have the heart to tell the other to stop, as if he was disregarding his feelings. The guilt would always haunt him until only God knows when. And now that he thought about it, actually he didn't even sure if he really didn't like Jaebum more than a friend. He just never thought much about his feelings for the other until now, he just knew that he was very fond of him, and Jaebum had always been an important existence for him. There was a possibility that he actually like Jaebum more than he thought before, he just hadn't realized it. If he told him to stop, he might regret it.

On the other hand, what if he let Jaebum's feelings grew and he found out that he couldn't like him romantically? It would just hurt the other more, bringing his hope up and slamming it down. It would break their friendship, and he didn't want to lose Jaebum forever. All of this uncertainty frustated him, it made him felt like he was about to go crazy. He even have the urge to pull out every single strand of his hair and scream hysterically. He couldn't decide now.

"Can you give me some time to think it over?" Jinyoung said. He could feel the other sensing the distress he felt inside. Jaebum sighed.

"Alright, I'll give you three days. Give me your answer on my birthday."

Jinyoung looked at Jaebum with terror. "What? Three days? Isn't it too soon?"

"I want to know whether I have hope or not before my feelings for you grow too deep, and for your information, it's growing quite fast. So three days is long enough."

It's reasonable, and Jinyoung couldn't find any words to argue. So he took a deep breath, calming himself. "Okay. On your birthday, then."

"Yeah. Now it's up to you whether you would give me your heart or break my heart as my birthday present." Jaebum said with his signature smirk, his playfulness back. And Jinyoung just wanted to throw his cup to that annoying smirk.

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P. S.:
For anyone reading my other unfinished fic "Paint Me a Rainbow", no, I'm not neglecting it. I just might not be able to write another chapter for it until next month or after since there's too much going on. However, I still want to post something, and I've been thinking of sharing my old fic here, so here I am. Hope you like it! And for anyone new to my fics, welcome and hope you enjoy this :))