『JenSoo Short Stories』

This love will keep us through blinding of the eyes (or so we hoped)

She looked at him again and said evenly with a bravery she didn't know she could be capable of having, "I will do as you ask and let her go on one condition, Sir."

"You are not in the position to bargain, runt." he began dismissively but then Jennie cut him off.

"I am if you don't want Jisoo to find out about this conversation." she retorted defiantly. "She thinks the world of you and I'm sure you want to keep it that way."

This gave the older man a pause. He looked at her up and down with a piercing gaze for a couple of minutes and it took everything in Jennie to stop herself from shaking. Maybe he found something in her posture or maybe he just wanted to toy with her but he eventually raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Well then, let's hear that condition."

Shocked, Jennie couldn't stop herself from looking at the man. He seemed to be a little more open to listening so she decided to just go with what was in her head right at that moment.

"Give me the rest of the school year with her, please." she implored.

They were both in their senior year of high school now so Jennie knew there is a possibility of things ending by then. Now, it's a certainty. She is heartbroken but right now, she can't process it yet. However, a bigger part of her thinks that having the chance to spend the rest of their time together in peace is a bargain she would take.

"Please sir. Just the rest of this year then I'll be gone from her life."

"Why are you pushing this?"

"Sir, I know you think I don't know much about love and that we're still too young to know what it is but I truly do love Jisoo. She's everything to me and I will not forgive myself if I can't let her know and feel just how much I do."

"You'll hurt her in the end, you know."

"I know, Sir. It will break me too."

"And yet you will still risk it?"

"For her sir? I will risk everything." she swallowed as she prepared to give Jisoo's dad a piece of her mind. "I know I'll hurt her then but isn't that what you want? She'll be so eager to leave this place, to leave me. But I would still take the few months left before that anger arrives to let her feel my love. If this is the only chance I'll get to love her then I will love her with all of my heart."

"Even if she'll hate you in the end?"

"Even then. I already hate myself right now sir but I'd rather it be me than you. She thinks the world of you and she would be heartbroken if she were to find out about this."

He leaned forward in interest. "You won't tell her?"

Jennie shook her head again. She seemed to be doing a lot of that.

"I see where you're coming from, sir. You're a father who wants the best for their child. Granted, it doesn't make it hurt any less and I am honestly extremely hurt and angry right now, but I get it. I also know how it feels to not have a father you can turn to and I would never want Jisoo to know that pain so no, I'm taking this to my grave. But sir, I hope that someday, when Jisoo brings home someone new, I hope you love her enough to let her be happy even if her idea of happiness does not match yours."

"Very well. You have the rest of the year."

So she made it count.

Every day, without fail, she'd fetch and walk with Jisoo to school. She'd bring her flowers and other little trinkets and when she inevitably finds herself running out of cash, she learned how to make various things and shapes through origami, coming up with just about anything because Jisoo always told her that more than anything, it's the fact that someone took the time to come up with something for her that matters.