BE ALRIGHT

17

Jennie's POV

After a shorter day at work than usual, I was eager to let loose and unwind with Rosie. I invited her to come with me to my penthouse, hoping that we could relax and just hang out. As soon as we stepped through the door, we could hear lively chatter emanating from the living room. I cautiously approached, trying to gauge the situation.

To my surprise, I found Lisa and her friend Jisoo sitting on the couch, fully engrossed in a video game. They looked up and greeted us with bright smiles, and Jisoo immediately stood up when she saw me.

"Hey, I invited Jisoo over. Is that cool?" Lisa asked, breaking the silence. I nodded in agreement, peering over Lisa's shoulder to catch Jisoo's eye. She stared at us, her expression curious and alert, as Rosie rushed forward for a warm embrace with Lisa.

"Chaeng, this is my best friend Jisoo," Lisa said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Jisoo, this is Chaeyoung, Jennie's best friend." Chaeyoung greeted Jisoo with a warm smile, as she settled next to me on the couch.

As we chatted, Rosie suggested that we order some food to share for dinner. Lisa joined her in the kitchen to place the order, leaving Jisoo and me alone on the couch with Kuma.

"Jisoo," I said, turning to her. "You're Lisa's best friend, right?" Jisoo nodded, her eyes meeting mine.

"Yeah, you're Chaeyoung's best friend right?," the girl said. "She's stunning," she remarked, causing me to roll my eyes. Jisoo chuckled at my reaction. I couldn't help but think that this girl seemed to fit perfectly into the stereotype of Lisa's group of friends.

"Seriously, I need to talk to you about Lisa," I said, setting Kuma down on my lap so he could sleep.

"What about Lisa?" Jisoo asked, grabbing the remote and flipping through channels.

"Her parents, specifically," I replied, causing Jisoo to pause and turn her attention back to me. "What happened to Lisa's parents?" I asked, looking to her for answers.

"I'm not stupid, Jisoo," I said, my voice laced with frustration. "She wouldn't be crying and apologizing to her parents in the middle of the night if it was just a nightmare."

Jisoo let out a heavy sigh, scratching her nape as she struggled to find the right words to say. I could tell that she was hesitant to share more information with me, but I needed to know what was going on with Lisa.

"Lisa...she blames herself for the death of her parents," Jisoo finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned her attention back to the TV, avoiding my gaze.

I felt a lump form in my throat as Jisoo's words sank in. Lisa, blaming herself for something that wasn't her fault?

Jisoo's eyes met mine, and I could see the pain and sadness etched in her expression. "Please, Jennie, promise me that you won't tell Lisa about this. It haunts her every time, and I don't want to see her go through that again." I nodded, feeling the weight of Jisoo's words heavy on my shoulders.

I sat there in silence, staring at Kuma as my thoughts raced. I couldn't even begin to imagine what Lisa had gone through, losing her parents and blaming herself for their death.

Lisa emerged from the kitchen with Chaeyoung in tow, a wide smile on her face. "We ordered already!" she announced, her cheerfulness contagious. Chaeyoung held a container of food in her hand, she's already eating.