Wit-Pro (Jenlisa)

21. The Lakeside

A/N- TW

L~P

I can't remember the last time I felt this stuffed. The team in the kitchen were serving us course after course, a mix of traditional western dishes as well as Korean staples too. The drinks were flowing alongside the conversation, so much so that I almost forgot about the absence in my heart that Jen had left, too distracted by hilarious stories of past Kim family vacations and raucous laughter.

After dinner was over, Mr and Mrs Kim insisted that we retire to the living area to sit on front of the fire, drink, dance and sing songs of festive cheer. I felt like I was trapped in a movie, Jisoo wasn't exaggerating enough when she said her parents spared no expense when it came to Christmas at the cabin. Before eating, we changed into adequate dinner wear, which was a nice idea at the time, but now the waistband of my skirt felt way too tight, and my torso was heating up rapidly underneath my knitted jumper. I was bursting at the seams.

"Jisoo, is there a toilet nearby I can use?" I didn't feel like trekking the five flights of stairs back up to the en-suite in guest room, I knew for a fact my bladder wouldn't make the journey.

"Sure, there's two just past the banquet hall, to the right."

"Thanks."

I slipped out of the lounge area and felt instant relief to not be stood within 15 feet of a roaring fire anymore. Now, which way was it to the loo's again? A quick peek over my shoulder confirmed that Jisoo hadn't followed me, which I was a little miffed about. Now I felt even more apprehensive about going this alone, and that's a feeling you never want to have on a bladder as full as mine.

I wandered around the hallways of the cabin, taking in all the luxurious paintings, statues and decor. There were a lot of paintings of the previous Kims who had graced these halls before us. I'm assuming Jisoo's grandparents, great-grandparents and so on were included in the line-up, hung in the artworks that lined the corridors for miles on end. I can't believe how humble Jisoo is after the childhood of wealth she must have experienced. I've seen the girl eat around the mold on a sandwich before because 'it was a tasty and she didn't want to waste good rye bread'.

But hey, I guess you can never judge a book by it's cover right?

After locating and using the bathroom (I practically hovered over the toilet seat cause there was no way I was worthy of sitting on pure gold), I decided there was no harm in exploring. I'd spent the last hour and a half tuning into 20 different conversations over dinner , so I figured the peace would do me some good. But unfortunately I was cornered by Rosé before I got the chance.

"Oh Priya, there you are, come on we're just about to start a game of charades. What are you doing down here?"

"I was just taking it in I suppose." We stood for a moment gazing up at the high ceilings and ornate diamond chandeliers.

"It's all kinda over the top isn't it?"

"Rosie, you can't say that!" I nudged her playfully on the shoulder.

"What, it's true. Even though I've known the Kim's basically all my life, my parents and I have this running inside joke that they always go above and beyond, they just can't help showing off." We started to make our way slowly back to the lounge."But when you have all this, you can't blame them for being proud."

"Mmm, true."

Two women dressed in aprons, one holding a tray of glasses, paused suddenly when they encountered us in the hallway. They curtsied at Ro and I before rushing down a flight of stairs around the corner.