Cingulomania || Nerd X Popular || Jimin FF

Chapter 24: The Truth Within✨

Jimin's POV:

The light streaming in through the curtains feels like a thousand needles piercing my skull. I groan, covering my eyes with my arm. My head is pounding, my mouth dry, and my stomach churns with a familiar queasiness. I drank too much last night... too damn much.

I sit up slowly, trying to piece together the fragments of last night's mess. My brain feels like it's wrapped in a thick fog, everything muddled and confused. But then... I remember.

Y/N.

I remember her coming to my dorm, looking so worried... her eyes wide and searching. And then... I remember almost kissing her.

I bury my face in my hands, groaning. "What the hell is wrong with me?" I mutter under my breath.

I was so close... so damn close to crossing that line, to letting everything out. But I didn't. I couldn't.

Why?

Because I'm scared.

I drag myself out of bed, my movements slow and stiff. I feel like I've been run over by a truck. I head to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. The shock of it helps clear my head a little, but my thoughts are still a tangled mess.

Why can't I just tell her? Why can't I just be honest?

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, water dripping down my face. I look like a mess—eyes bloodshot, hair sticking out in every direction.

I feel like a mess.

I lean against the sink, gripping the edges tightly. I want to tell her. God, I want to tell her so badly. But what if she doesn't feel the same? What if I ruin everything?

I've been holding onto this fear for so long—this fear of losing her, of losing what we have. But after last night... I don't know if I can keep holding back.

I need to talk to her. I need to see her.

I quickly get dressed, throwing on whatever clothes I find first. I don't even bother to fix my hair. I need to find her, need to see her... need to know what she's thinking.

I step out of my dorm, the cool morning air hitting my face. It's refreshing, sobering. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what's to come.

I know I need to do this. I know I need to be honest, to tell her how I feel.

No more hiding. No more running away.

I look for her, all over the campus, but I couldn't find her. So, I go to the library to let my thoughts slip away for a while, thinking what I should tell her.

I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what she's going to say.

But I know one thing for sure:

I can't keep pretending anymore.

I need to tell her the truth.

Y/N's POV:

I couldn't shake the feeling from last night—the way Jimin looked at me, the way he almost kissed me. The look in his eyes was so intense, so full of something I couldn't quite decipher. And now, I'm more confused than ever.

I have to find him. I need to talk to him. I need to know what he's thinking, what he's feeling.

I search everywhere—his dorm, the cafeteria, the courtyard—but he's nowhere to be found. I start to feel a little desperate, my heart pounding in my chest. Maybe he's avoiding me. Maybe he regrets what happened last night.

But then I remember the library. Jimin often goes there when he needs to think or work on his animations. It's his escape, his safe place. I rush there, my footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway, and push open the heavy doors.

And there he is.

He's sitting at a desk in the back, his face illuminated by the soft glow of his laptop screen. His fingers move quickly over the keyboard, his eyes focused on whatever he's working on. I can see the faint outline of an animation playing—a soft blend of colors and shapes moving fluidly on the screen. His headphones were on, and he was focused on whatever was on the screen. I approached him quietly, my footsteps soft on the carpet.

I stop, watching him for a moment. He looks... different. There's a tension in his posture, a tightness in his jaw that wasn't there before. He seems frustrated, almost... lost.

My heart aches at the sight. I want to go to him, to ask him if he's okay. I approach him.

"Jimin," I called out softly, standing a few feet away.

He looked up, pulling his headphones down around his neck. For a second, he seemed surprised to see me, but then his face relaxed into a neutral expression. "Oh, hey," he said casually, as if nothing had happened.

I sat down across from him, trying to steady my racing heart. "I wanted to check on you... after last night. Are you okay?"

He nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

I hesitated, unsure how to bring up the almost-kiss. "I don't know... You seemed a bit off last night. And I just—"

He cut me off with a small smile. "I was just drunk, Y/N. It happens. Don't worry about it."

I blinked, taken aback by his nonchalant tone. "Oh, okay," I mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed now. Maybe I was overthinking things.

There was a brief, awkward silence. Jimin cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. "So, have you been working on your drawings lately?" he asked, his tone light.

I nodded slowly, still trying to shake off the weird feeling in my chest. "Yeah, a little bit. But nothing serious."

He smiled. "You should keep at it. You're getting better."

I forced a smile in return, feeling the distance between us. It was like he was putting up a wall, keeping me at arm's length. "Thanks," I said quietly. "What about you? Working on anything new?"

He glanced at his laptop and shrugged. "Just some animation stuff. You know, the usual."

I tried to peek at his screen, curious about what he was working on, but he quickly closed his laptop. "It's not ready yet," he said with a nervous chuckle. "Still a work in progress."

I nodded, feeling a bit hurt by his sudden guardedness. "Okay... Well, if you ever want to show me, I'm here."

He looked at me for a moment, his eyes searching mine, but then he quickly looked away. "Yeah, maybe someday," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I sighed softly, feeling the tension between us. It was clear that he wasn't ready to talk about what happened, or maybe he didn't want to talk about it at all. I decided to drop it for now. "Alright, I'll leave you to it then. I'll see you around, Jimin."

"Yeah, see you," he replied, offering me a small smile as I got up to leave.

As I walked away, I couldn't help but glance back at him. He was already focused on his laptop again, like nothing had happened. I bit my lip, feeling a pang of frustration. Something had definitely changed between us, but I had no idea what it meant or where we stood. I guess I'd just have to wait and see.