None of Us Saw This Coming

March, 2017: Let's Have Some Pho

It was unusual for Jennie to eat at such an hour, considering that it was probably only a couple of months before their comeback. Jennie was usually the one who went on a strict diet before every comeback, but since the older seemed to insist and it was just how it had always been with Jennie, Lisa, and midnight supper on daily basis, Lisa just packed her bags and stuff without wondering further. She decided to take a quick shower to wash the sweats off her body before heading out of the building to meet her manager who then took her to where Jennie asked her to be.

The Vietnamese restaurant where they were supposed to meet at was quite secluded that many failed to notice it despite being in one of the busiest areas in Seoul and it was also close to both their company and dorm, making it easily become one of their favourite places to visit—by their, it meant Jennie's, Jisoo's, Chaeyoung's, and hers as well.

Lisa arrived looking rather confused, not because of how there was only one table occupied, but because Jennie was nowhere in sight. In her confusion, Lisa scanned the whole room and studied the only person sitting at the table a few steps from her closer.

Oh.

It was a familiar face and Lisa recognised her immediately. Lisa had always been the shy one in the group so she was not sure what hit her that moment that she just confidently made her way approaching the figure and greeted her, making the figure, who had been having her head slightly down, automatically directed her full attention to Lisa.

"Good evening, sunbae," Lisa bowed to the senior.

"Oh, Lisa. Good evening," the woman whose skin was painted in pearl ivory, clearly smiled behind her mask because it was painted on her eyes coloured in dark chestnut. Irene dressed in an attire that was purposefully meant to avoid any attention; there was a mask on her face, a baseball cap covering her messy bun, and an oversized hoodie wrapping her petite figure.

Bae Joohyun, known publicly as Irene, was the leader and visual of Red Velvet, a girl group that debuted two years earlier than Blackpink in 2014. She was claimed as one of 'K-Pop Face Genius' because of her facial features that were claimed perfectly carved by God on the day He was the happiest and Lisa could understand why because at the very moment—even without her having to remove her mask—Lisa could clearly see how radiant her smile plastered on her perfect features just by looking at her now-crescent eyes.

"Are you here alone?" Irene asked, sounding a bit awkward but warm nonetheless. She was clearly shy and Lisa felt a little pinch in her heart at how adorable Irene was, trying to initiate a conversation with her.

"I'm supposed to meet Jennie Eonni here but I don't think she's arrived yet," Lisa looked more relaxed than Irene then despite it being the first time they interact ever.

"Is that so? She also asked me to meet her here," Irene said as she moved slightly to make room for Lisa at the table, "Here, have a seat."

It was about to become awkward between the two shy cats the moment Lisa put her arse on the seat slightly across Irene but luckily the waiter finally came attending to their table to take their orders. But the unavoidable awkwardness eventually did seep into the situation between the two of them as soon as the waiter left their table and they both could not help wondering where Jennie was because it had been almost five minutes from the last they heard from her and the woman did not seem to be making her appearance anytime soon.

It was in late 2016 when Jennie met Irene in a salon they both went to. Lisa recalled the story Jennie told them, of how she approached Irene first and asked for her number. Ever since then, Jennie and Irene usually spared their time when they had no schedule to have a meal together. So Lisa figured it was what Irene thought when she left her place after Jennie contacted her and Lisa also figured how it must have been quite surprising for the older that instead of Jennie, it was her who appeared there.