Circles and Circles || Jensoo

Chapter 8

In the end, Jisoo ended up accepting a ride from Jennie to Ella's weekend away. She told herself that it was just easier and it meant that she didn't end up in a car with complete strangers.

So, she found herself safely ensconced in the back seat of Jennie's SUV, watching Jennie and Ella banter with each other. Thankful that she had brought a novel with her, Jisoo pretended to bury herself in the book. In truth, she was listening to the easy conversation in the front. Secretly, she found herself longing to be part of it, to lean over the partition in the middle and join in the laughter. She suspected that she could. There was certainly no reason why she couldn't.

Jisoo turned in her seat and casually watched the back of Jennie's neck as she coolly negotiated the winding road up through the mountains. Her hair was neatly piled on top of her head in a haphazard manner and small wisps of it were caressing her collar. Jisoo jerked her attention away, blushing despite not actually having been caught. Then she saw Jennie's eyes dart in the rear-view mirror and, for a moment, their vision fused. Jennie looked away first, returning her gaze to the road. Jisoo wisely went back to her book and stayed there for the rest of the journey.

Arriving at Jennie's 'cabin', Jisoo decided that the term 'wood-log mansion' was probably more accurate. Tucked neatly away in the hills, the two-storey house looked like a ski lodge with taste. It sat at the end of a long gravel drive and was set into the grey granite of the hill. There was a small expanse of green in front of the house before a spectacular drop-off gave the most incredible view of lush, green mountain valley that Jisoo could ever recall seeing. It was simply breathtaking.

Stretching her legs, she wandered over to the edge of the drive and took it all in. Her breath fogged the sharp, crisp air and she could feel ice on the light wind that whipped up from the valley below.

"There's actually a small path down the other side of the house into the woods," she heard Ella explain as she came up behind her, pulling Jisoo out of her mesmerised gaze. "If you follow it for about ten minutes, there's a lake, with a waterfall round the far side that drains into that." Ella pointed down to a small river snaking its way through the valley. "I love it up there," the young girl added softly.

Jisoo turned and gave the girl a spontaneous hug.

"You'll have to show it to me, then."

They were walking back towards the car to help Jennie unload, when a second car pulled up the drive. Two familiar faces emerged, the receptionists from upstairs and downstairs at KJN, accompanied by two men Jisoo had never seen before. They were both vaguely good looking in a male way: one raven haired and tall; the other, dark and muscled. Ella smiled excitedly and bounded off to say hi.

After greeting the new guests, Ella dragged Jisoo over and proceeded to fly through introductions so fast that Jisoo almost didn't catch them.

"You know Yeri and Joy from work. This is Taeyong, Yeri's boyfriend, and Sungjae, Joy's husband." Ella practically fell over herself, her usual excitement somehow intensified outside of the office. Jisoo chuckled and introduced herself to the newcomers while Ella unpacked the car. They seemed genuinely nice and Jisoo felt herself relax.

"I'm glad it was you guys. I was half-afraid Rosé was going to be here" she joked to Joy, who laughed sweetly.

"God help us if that was true!" she replied. "You should try working under that woman," Joy shuddered.

Rosé hadn't really factored much into Jisoo's life since she'd actually started work on the project, but she'd been around the office. Jisoo hadn't really warmed to her but, on balance, she thought that it was probably impossible to warm to an iceberg. She'd even briefly been introduced to the boyfriend who turned out to be equally Nordic and apparently brainless. Jisoo was glad she wasn't going to be there.