"He left me!"
"He wanted to be near his family. He was homesick. That's perfectly understandable!"
"No, Jisoo. It isn't. How would you feel if Hae-in suddenly packed up and moved a thousand miles away? Then he came back two years later pretending like he never left? Like everything is okay?"
There's silence from her end, and I know I'm finally reaching her. "You wouldn't be too happy, would you?" I prompt.
"I just want you to be happy, Jennie. I don't want to see you get hurt. But you're right, I shouldn't have pushed Hanbin on you like that."
Hold up! Stop the presses! Jisoo Kim is actually admitting she was wrong?
"Thank you, Jisoo. I appreciate that. And I understand you want to look out for me, but... I'm twenty-four. I can make my own decisions."
"I worry about you and Lisa, Jennie. I know she's good-looking and can obviously charm the panties right off of damn near any woman - because let's face it, she's been practicing for years - but I think you're forgetting what this whole thing is about. You said you wanted to make her pay for making this bet. You said you wanted to make her suffer. And now? When is the last time you did anything mean to her?"
"Well, the cat--" I begin mumbling.
"The cat was a stupid idea," Jisoo interrupts. "Unless you're planning on taking it to her house. And I don't think you should. It's a living creature, for fuck's sake. Not a toy for these evil little schemes you two come up with."
I'm suddenly defensive. "I never wanted the cat. Maybe you should talk to your boyfriend about it."
"I did, but he'd already told the guy he'd take it."
I roll my eyes. "Oh, I see. Better to let him pawn it off on Jennie than to have to deal with it yourself."
"You know how I feel about cats, Jennie. Especially big grey ones that shed a lot."
My phone beeps and I see that Lisa is trying to call.
"Look, Lisa's trying to call me," I say without thinking.
"So?"
Fuck.
"So I need to answer."
"Call her when you're done. Christ, you sure are folding to her every whim for someone who wants to make her suffer."
"I'm not. Am I not even allowed to answer her phone calls now? Jesus Christ, I wasn't aware there would be so many rules."
"There's only one rule, Jennie. Don't get attached."
"Right. That's awesome," I say sarcastically. "Now I need to let you go. Bye."
I hang up despite her protests only to discover that the beeping has stopped and Lisa is no longer calling. I sigh and wait a few moments for my voicemail message to appear. When I it does I hastily listen to it.
"Hey Jennie, I was just calling to see what you were up to. I guess you may not even be off work yet..." Her words linger awkwardly. "But hell, just listening to your voice on your outgoing message was better than nothing. And um, I'd like to talk to you tonight. But I'm starting to feel like I'm harassing you when you don't answer." she chuckles. "I guess I'll talk to you later. Bye, beautiful."
I hold the phone to my chest and suppress the urge to do a schoolgirl squeal. She's so eager to hear my voice that she enjoyed just listening to my message? Crap, I can't even remember what my message sounds like.
I think of Jisoo - and everything she said - and my happiness falls a little flat. Damn her for being such a Debbie Downer. But she's right, I suppose - not that that makes it any better.
Chapter 92
Start from the beginning
