BABY MAMA | pjm

LXXXIII

ACT XVII | SCENE LXXXIII

❝WINDSCREEN WIPER❞

SEOKJIN RAN HIS fingers through his silky honey brown waves, placing the pen he was writing with on the glass desk. he clasped his hands, reclining in his seat to regard jimin carefully. "so what is this about?" the question rolled off his tongue on a breath.

jimin swept his hair back with a sigh. his fingers tapped against each other as he looked at his older friend. "i don't want to talk to the other guys about this because i know they'd go on and on about how they told me so." he began, rolling his eyes at the end.

jin's eyebrow arched in one fluid motion. "and you think i won't?" he shifted slightly so that his chair swiveled to the side. jimin gave him a pointed look, head tilting to the side.

jin's lips pulled up softly in an almost mischievous smile. "this is about han jangmi, isn't it?" he did not bother to hide his knowing look. "finally ready to admit that you have feelings for her?" he questioned, head tilting to the right, eyes blinking as he wordlessly dared the younger man to lie to him.

jimin let his tongue hit the roof of his mouth before letting out a dramatic sigh. "yes, i accepted it a while ago. i just wasn't ready to admit it out loud." his eyes shot to one of the paintings that hung on the walls of the office, avoiding jin's gaze. there was a soft chuckle and the light tapping of long fingers against cool glass. "what do you need me for? i thought you were all about getting what you want?"

jimin let his gaze move back to his friend. "that's the thing. this is jangmi we're talking about. she's not just a what." he ran a hand through his hair, swiping the soft jet black locks off his forehead only to let them flop back over his eyes.

"so what exactly is it that's got you so stressed?" he asked with another smile. "do you want to propose or...?" he watched as jimin near well choked on the very air he was breathing. "forgive me if i'm traditional but i think you have to be dating someone before you can propose." he replied, finally catching his breath. jin laughed, the sound akin to a windscreen wiper moving against glass filling the room.

"then what do you want?" he queried when he finally stopped laughing. jimin took a breath, fingers moving over the necklace that felt cool against his chest. "i don't know if she feels the same. sometimes, i think she does but i don't know. after what i did to her in the past, she might be scared of being in a relationship with me again." he rubbed his index finger against the tip of his nose, sniffing. "what i'm hearing is you're scared." jin pointed. jimin sighed, not bothering to deny the accusation.

"of rejection, yes. of her being too scarred by the past to think of me as someone she can be with in that way again. after everything that's happened with my mother back then and even now, she might feel i'm not worth the stress. every time i want to tell her how i feel, i imagine her thinking like that and pushing me away so i just clamp up. and words that always came easy to me suddenly get stuck in my throat."

the older man sat up, all form of amusement on his face replaced by a serious countenance. regarding his friend, he sucked in a breath with a hissing sound. "between you and i, you're the bigger romantic. but you have to tell her how you feel. you've been in love with her since you were eighteen. you're the one who's always talking about love transcending all obstacles. so why are you so afraid?"

"because i've been in love with the same person for the last eight years; even when i didn't see her in half that time, i didn't stop. if she doesn't feel the same, i don't know what i'd do with my feelings. and it'll be my fault. i ruined my chances with her." jimin swiped his hair back again and dropped his head onto the desk.

jin let his lips part without forming any words, eyes roaming over his friend's form. "jimin," he began seriously. "jimin," he repeated a little louder, "look at me." the darker haired man lifted his head slowly.

"quit acting pathetic. this is not you." jin did not care to mince words. "for god's sake, stop acting like the spoilt brat that you are and man the hell up. if you love her, then you go for it. you have nothing to lose... okay, so you have something to lose but it's way less than what you would if you just kept mute about your feelings. now please, tell me you'll tell her how you feel so i can end this speech. i feel like i've been possessed by you."

jimin's eyes formed crescents, the corner's of them crinkling as he smiled fully at the other man. "i've seen you with jisoo, hyung. you don't have to pretend you're not that soft." his tone came off teasing.

one thick brow arched up as jin quietly stared back at him, arms folding over his chest. jimin cleared his throat, straightening up. "i mean, yes, i'll tell jangmi how i feel." he mumbled out, eyes on his hands. "good." the older man stated. "thanks a lot, hyung. i really appreciate you taking time out for me."

"of course, you're my little brother." his words made jimin grin. jin glanced at his watch, lips pursing slightly at the time. "hm, how about we go for lunch? i'm hungry." he suggested, looking back up at his friend. jimin laughed with a nod, getting on his feet. "you're always hungry, hyung."

☀️☀️☀️

the comeback was wow! i was snatched bald.
and ilysm hazel, take care of yourself, baby.