Lisa
The next few days, I'm a complete mess.
I debate showing up at Jennie's door on Saturday to take her to the wedding as previously planned. But a brief chat with Hae-in convinces me it's not a good idea.
"Lisa, she left you chained to the bed." He emphasizes this point with a quick wave of his hand.
"You can't just show up at her place like nothing ever happened. Not unless you wear a cup of steel or something, because she'll probably castrate you."
"But then maybe we could talk," I reason pathetically.
"You'll just make her upset for her friend's wedding. She'll probably cry and shit and her eyes will get all raccoon-ish and you know how girls are about that stuff. She'll resent you forever if you make her go somewhere with raccoon eyes."
I eventually told Hae-in the terms of the bet, and he agreed that it was just a fucked up situation to be in.
He even sympathized a bit, I think, but in the end his response was what I had expected. He clapped me on the back and said, "That's all just kind of fucked up, dude. But now you know a bet isn't the way to solve your problems. Maybe you should just let Jennie be for a while. You might should even just... I don't know... count your losses this time."
Count my losses? As in just... give up?
If Jennie wants nothing to do with me, I'll find a way to deal with it. It's definitely no less than I deserve. But I think she at least has a right to know why I made the bet with Kai that asshole in the first place. This way, maybe she can really move on.
Perhaps it's selfish of me, but I just want her to know. I want her to have the whole story rather than the misconstrued version. I want her to know it wasn't just over money or a car. That way, she can at least hate me properly.
I immerse myself with obsessions of Jennie. I call her far more times than is considered appropriate and beg her to talk to me again and again. I send her several bouquets of flowers throughout the day and litter her inbox with messages. In one voice mail I even offer a half-assed explanation of what happened, but I'm not sure she even listened to it.
Monday is a moderately subdued day, which is lucky. It gives me time to drive to Jennie's work during my lunch break and leave a slew of flowers on her car, an inspiration that came out of nowhere. But it seems romantic - there is no way she can miss it, at least - so I go with it.
I call Kai that night, to admit to my loss, but he doesn't answer. Instead, he calls back at three in the morning when I'm fast asleep.
Tuesday is crazy again. I manage to slip away between meetings to call Jennie and arrange for more flowers to be sent to her place, but otherwise I'm engaged in meeting after meeting without much time to think. I nearly forget to eat lunch, and I get home over two hours late.
I call Kai again. My stomach knots up every time I anticipate this phone call; it's actually kind of nauseating.
But this time, he answers. And instead of his normal arrogance, he actually sounds a little upset.
"Hello?"
"Hey, man," I say, forcing a calmness to my words. My hands are already starting to sweat a little, and I decide it's best to just go ahead and get it all out there. "The bet's over."
"Oh, yeah?" he says angrily, and I'm actually a little surprised by his reaction. "And when were you planning on telling me this?"
"Umm..."
"You know what, man? It's fine. You managed to seduce the little ice bitch after all. Not sure what the fuck you offered her for it, but it must have been good since she claimed you're in love and shit. What a joke, right? Guess you never told her about the bet, huh?" His tone is spiteful and accusing. "Don't worry though, Manoban. I told her about the bet we had going on. And you're lucky I'm not pressing charges on her ass," he goes on.
I'm more than confused. For a moment, I'm not even sure what to say.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I finally wonder.
"Oh, so she didn't tell you how her crazy ass attacked me today?"
I'm not sure how to answer this, so I don't say anything.
Jennie attacked him?
"Whatever, man. A deal's a deal. I gave you my word so I'll leave your little cock-tease sister alone."
I feel my temper rise substantially at his words. If I could go through the phone and kill him, I probably would.
"Kai." I begin, feeling hot.
"Later, Manoban." He abruptly hangs up. I stare at the phone a few moments, wondering if this is really it. I wonder if I've won even though I haven't actually... won.
But why is God's name would Jennie tell Kai that we're in love? Doesn't she hate me? She hasn't answered any of my calls in days. She's ignored me as effectively as if I don't exist at all.
And she attacked him?
The thought of her putting herself in any kind of compromising position with that creep upsets me. I don't know that he didn't do anything to her first, being such an unreliable source that he is, and I'm instantly on my phone again where I uselessly dial her number.
It rings and goes to voicemail, so I try again. And again. And again.
But by the third attempt it's obvious I'm getting nowhere, as expected, and I'm already out the door with my keys in hand. I'm not sure what I'm planning exactly. I just know I have to see her, to know that she's okay. I need to witness this with my own eyes.
