Han Jisung: Reject

                                    

                                          
~ Han Jisung ~
I was so nervous I could barely breathe.
I had it all planned out in my head—how I was finally going to tell Minho how I felt. It wasn't like I hadn't thought about it a million times before, imagining how he'd react. Would he smile? Would he look at me like I was stupid? Or, in my wildest dreams, would he tell me he felt the same?
My heart was pounding the whole day. I couldn't even focus on anything. Every time I saw him, my stomach twisted in knots, like I was about to throw up. He had no idea what was going through my mind—how I was basically about to drop a bomb on everything we had.
We were at the dorm, just hanging out like always. He was sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone, completely unaware of the chaos inside me. I could feel the words burning in my throat, wanting to spill out, but I couldn't. Not yet. I had to wait for the right moment.
God, what if this ruined everything?
I shook my head, trying to push that thought away. No, I couldn't think like that. This was Minho. We were best friends. Even if he didn't feel the same, he wouldn't hate me, right? Sure, he might think I'm an idiot, for really believing what the Stay's were saying.
For believing in Minsung.
My thoughts were spiraling. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to do it. I had to just... say it. 
"Hey, Minho," I started, my voice barely above a whisper. He looked up at me, his eyes curious.
"What's up?" he asked, casual as ever. He had no idea what I was about to say. I wished I could be that calm. 
"I need to tell you something," I said, feeling my palms sweat. My heart was racing. This was it. I was about to confess to my best friend. I was about to tell him I loved him.
He raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing how weird I was acting. "Okay... go ahead."
Fuck it. 
I took a deep breath, forcing the words out before I could stop myself. "Minho, I... I'm in love with you. At least I think I am."
Please don't hate me. 
The silence that followed was deafening. My heart felt like it was going to explode. His eyes widened, just for a second, before he blinked and his face hardened into something unreadable.
"Jisung..." His voice was so quiet, but the way he said my name—it hurt.
I already knew. I already knew what was coming.
"I don't really feel that way about you, Ji. I'm sorry."
It hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking all the air out of me. I had imagined a hundred different scenarios, but nothing prepared me for how much it would hurt to actually hear him say it.
He didn't feel the same.
I tried to keep it together, tried to force a smile and pretend like it was fine, like I wasn't falling apart inside. "Yeah... yeah, no, I get it. It's fine."
But it wasn't fine. Nothing about this was fine.
"I'm sorry, Jisung," Minho said, and I could hear the genuine regret in his voice. I knew he didn't want to hurt me. But that didn't make it any easier. It didn't change the fact that my heart was breaking.
I mumbled something—honestly, I don't even know what—and bolted out of the room before he could see the tears starting to well up in my eyes. I couldn't stay there. I couldn't be around him right now. Not after that.