Destined Love (Jenlisa Adaptation)

Part 3

Lisa stopped her bike in front of a three-story building and locked it to a drainpipe. Her apartment occupied half of the second floor and had two exits to different sides of the building. Climbing the wooden stairs to the second floor, Lisa inserted the key into the lock of the back door that led to the kitchen, a long, narrow room now almost entirely filled with boxes. Carefully stepping around the obstacles, she made her way to the hallway that crossed her entire apartment.

All the rooms were filled with unpacked boxes, scattered pieces of furniture and a few suitcases. The sleeping bag was still spread out in the middle of the room on the mattress, and she had a feeling she would be sleeping that way again tonight. She turned around, looking around the unfamiliar room.

What am I doing here? How the hell did I get here?

In retrospect, the chain of events that had changed her entire life had started a little over four months ago, but its individual parts had been folded into one endless nightmare that had no logic or meaning, like a kaleidoscope. She couldn't make sense of it all, no matter how much she tried. She didn't believe in luck, karma, or fate. Sometimes bad things just happened. But that way of looking at things didn't do much to comfort her.

She knew she needed to eat, but to her own surprise she didn't feel hungry. She knew she should sleep, but she was too agitated for that. The phone was lying on the floor not far from her. The thought flashed of calling the woman she'd dated occasionally while she was in residency in New York, but decided that talking to Hyuna would fill her with emptiness. They'd gone to the occasional party, a few Broadway shows, they'd bonded over a physical intimacy that, if not knocking the ground out from under their feet, was at least enjoyable. They weren't close. In fact, they were little more than acquaintances.

Lisa hadn't been able to confide in Hyuna when her world had tilted dangerously and started to fall apart, mostly because she wasn't used to discussing her problems with anyone. And especially not with anyone she couldn't fully trust. It's weird, we've slept together, but I don't know her enough to trust her.

She hadn't had time to think about such things when she was working eighteen hours a day in surgery. Now that she was in a position she'd never aspired to, alone in unexpected surroundings, she had much more time to think. Moaning softly, she rubbed her face, looking up at the ceiling and trying to forget the past. But the future was even harder to imagine, especially given her questionable debut today.

For a moment she wondered if Jennie Kim and Rose were lovers. They were so at ease with each other, and she'd even noticed Rose looking at her thoughtfully a couple times. Not that she was following her, but Lisa could sense the interest. Maybe she was the person whose ring adorned Jennie 's ring finger.

So quickly and imperceptibly Lisa found herself facing another thought she didn't want to think about. She stretched out on the sleeping bag and closed her eyes, tired, emotional and physical in equal measure.

***

"Jennie ," whispered a soft deep voice.

Instantly awake, Jennie jerked up in her chair and saw pale blue eyes within centimeters of her own eyes.

"Oh my god, did I fall asleep?"

Jisoo Kim, a brown-haired girl with the smile of a professional assassin, smiled weakly.

"About halfway through <Wonderland Field>."

"Where's Minji?" Jennie rubbed her face, trying to dispel the haze of vague scraps of dream in her head. Jennie couldn't remember exactly what she'd dreamed, but what remained was a sense of unease and... impending danger. No, it can't be. What in my life could possibly be a threat? For some unknown reason, Lisa Manoban's face flashed through her mind. It doesn't make sense. You're probably just tired.