savage kingdom | jj project

24⇢first discovery (ii)

Jinyoung stays awake, drenched in cold sweat, unblinking eyes glued towards the same old while ceiling of his bedroom. He switches on his phone, scrolls through his contacts, thumb hovering above Jaebum's name. He can't tell Jaebum that their relationship isn't a secret to the world anymore, he can't risk it. Terrified at the consequence his confession might bring, Jinyoung decides to keep the knowledge to himself. He shouldn't have acted with enormous stupidity, she shouldn't have tried to get that close to Jaebum in public. Above all that, a sense of losing Jaebum for the smallest of causes, haunted him day and night. He simply can't live without Jaebum and it was an established truth. 

As much as he wanted to go out screaming about being in love with the most amazing boy ever, he was well aware of the negatives of it. Jaebum had a harsh life and he can't let their relationship make it worse. All Jinyoung had to do was maintaining an appropriate distance with Jaebum in public and he can have a gala time with him in private. For Jinyoung is never deprived of Jaebum's care, his concern, his love, and his body. He has nothing to complain about.

I am so fucking stupid, why couldn't I mind the surrounding? Jinyoung asks himself in the dark.

The following morning he leaves his bed, flips open his laptop the first thing and dives into the social networking world. He tries to find that person, hopes that the unwanted witness of his moment with Jaebum is out in public or not. Jinyoung luckily finds status updates that prove to be helpful for him. He doesn't waste another minute before brushing his teeth, changing his clothes and riding off on his bike.

Jinyoung's brain starts working on a supremely attentive level, his eyes scanning every other person on the street. He has started harboring this insecurity which easily led him to antagonize people around him. Only having one Sunday to fix his mistakes before Jaebum finds out, Jinyoung functions fast. Taking the lead from the social media location updates, he turns into an arcade which opens into a recreational park. A fundraising event is about to start, organized by children but Jinyoung isn't there to buy cupcakes from them.

And then he finds him, walking along the park, slightly hunching, just about to enter the premises.

Jinyoung doesn't delay. He accelerates on his bike, drives past the boy only to make a sharp turn and block his way.

"Hey, Mark."

Mark doesn't speak. He has a particular look on his sharp features which Jinyoung often finds on Jimin when he is about to beat his ass. Mark can be compared to a cornered mouse. But still, there is no surprise in his flickering eyes as if he was expecting Jinyoung to do this all along.

"You didn't return my shirt last night," Jinyoung gets off from his bike and crosses his arm. He has one chance to settle this with Mark and he can't let Mark get away so easily. There is a frantic pulse jumping at the back of his neck and Jinyoung makes his best attempt to keep his head in the game.

There is no way he can let anyone ruin his life with Jaebum, not even Mark. Desperate times seek desperate measures and Jinyoung takes a step ahead. Mark looks down at the pavement, some of his windblown hair falling over his forehead. Jinyoung has never seen Mark's deflated face until now.

"Mark, my friend..."

Mark detects something odd, very unlike the Park Jinyoung he has known. But he has known him wrong all along. His voice has a hint of menace in disguise when he refers to him as his friend. Mark has no idea why he is afraid at that moment, despite predicting this particular confrontation. The only fault in his calculation was that he expected Jinyoung to question him in school.

Mark felt like he should speak in his own defense, he should say sorry for accidentally being at the wrong place at a wrong time. But he can't seem to make his vocal cords work until Jinyoung speaks again, this time downright shaking Mark to the core.