JENNIE
"Is this the new blue house?" Lisa chuckled upon hearing me.
"No, Nini, we're not in the blue house; we're in my house." I was taken aback hearing her. This was her home? She called it a house, but it was more like a magnificent mansion!
"Wait, why are we here?" I asked, feeling confused at the sudden visit to her home.
"I told you we were going on a date... with my parents," she answered, causing my eyes to widen even further.
"Are you serious? This isn't a good joke," I nervously exclaimed. But Lisa just smiled at me.
"I'm not kidding, Nini. My parents are inside and they're expecting you tonight," she reassured me. I couldn't help but feel anxious. What if they didn't like me? I wasn't even dressed up; I was just wearing boyfriend jeans and a white off-shoulder top.
"L-Lisa, I'm not prepared, and look what I am wearing..." I started to say, but she interrupted me.
"Hey, you're okay. You look beautiful, and I'm sure my parents will love you," Lisa said, causing my cheeks to blush.
"Don't worry, I've got your back. So come on," she said, extending her hand to me. I hesitated at first but eventually accepted her hand. She interlaced our fingers and smiled at me, somehow making me feel more at ease. As we entered the house, my mouth dropped open in awe. I felt like stepping into a fairytale.
After a few moments, a tall man in his 60s emerged, accompanied by a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Lisa.
"Hey," Lisa greeted her parents and planted kisses on their cheeks.
"I'd like you to meet my soon-to-be wife, Jennie Kim. And Jennie, meet my stunning mother, as well as my sweet and handsome father," Lisa introduced me to them.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Manoban. It's a pleasure to meet—," I began to say, but before I could finish my sentence, Lisa's mother enveloped me in a warm hug. Her unexpected gesture caught me off guard, but I quickly composed myself.
"We finally met, Jennie. Lisa's right, you look stunning," Mrs. Manoban complimented me, causing a blush to creep onto my cheeks.
"You two make a great couple, Lalisa. We approve of her," Mr. Manoban thumbs up.
"Of course, Dad. I told you she was the one, right, baby?" Lisa's endearing nickname for me made my cheeks grow even hotter. But then, she did something that made my knees weak and threatened to make me faint. Lisa leaned in and kissed my cheek, in front of her parents while her parents wore smirks on their faces.
"Look at your fiancée, Lalisa. She's blushing," Lisa's mom teased.
"Don't tease her, Mom. My baby gets shy," Lisa said, winking at me.
Oh God, please help me. This woman is going to be the death of me.
"We've prepared your favorite dishes, Jennie. Lalisa told us all about you. So come on, let's eat," Mrs. Manoban instructed, leading us to the dining room.
"So, Jennie, what did my daughter do to win you over and agree to be her soon-to-be wife?" Mr. Manoban asked, causing my heart rate to skyrocket. Does he know anything about our arrangement?
" Ah— I immediately asked her to be my wife, Dad," Lisa spoke up and interrupted me.
"Speed," her Dad smirked.
"And you agreed right away?" Mr. Manoban inquired.
"No, sir. I actually didn't say yes immediately. But Lisa's persistence eventually won me over. She made me feel special, and I can see that you have raised a wonderful woman," I honestly told them. Although Lisa and I had an agreement, I knew that this woman, who was grinning at me right now, had a good heart.
"That is wonderful to hear. We know you two have only recently met, and it is still early for your wedding. But as you can see, we are getting old, and I wanted to have a grandchild," Mrs. Manoban stated, causing me to choked on my food.
Are they expecting us to give them a grandchild?
"Yah, look what you did, Mom. Are you okay?" Lisa handed me a glass of water and rubbed my back.
"What's the problem with that? In no time, a wedding will be held. And after that, we will expect to have a grandchild from you. You know, there's what you call IVF," Mrs. Manoban smiled at us, and I could feel my face turn red.
"And you know, sweetie, our daughter loves you," Mrs. Manoban added.
"R-really?"
"Yes, she did say that—
"Yah yah, stop it, Mom," Lisa cut her off and gave her mother a deadly glare.
"Oh, shush, Lalisa. As I was saying, Jennie, Lisa loves to talk about you. She said she loves you so much and wants to be with you until she grows old. This kid never mentioned any woman before, not until you came into her life," Mrs. Manoban stated. I could feel my heart rate doubling. Is this really true, or was Lisa just making up stories to impress her parents?
"Don't mind them, babe. My parents love to tease me because you're the first woman I've ever introduced to them after... Uhm... nevermind," Lisa said, and I felt like I was about to pass out because I could feel my heart racing.
Lisa's parents were wonderful. Despite being one of the wealthiest people in the world, they were still humble and down to earth.
Lisa and I had lost track of time, and it was already 11 p.m. She was about to send me home when her parents stopped us.
"No, I can drop her off at home. Besides, her friends were waiting for her at their unit," Lisa reasoned but earned a no from her mom.
"No, it's already late. Just stay for tonight, Jennie, and tell your friends you're staying with us," Mrs. Manoban stated.
"She's right, sweetie. And you'll soon be Lalisa's wife, so I guess spending the night in one room won't be a problem, right?" Mr. Manoban added.
"Mom— It's fine, Lisa. No problem," I interrupted Lisa, and I noticed how her parents smiled at my response.
----
"You shouldn't have stopped me, Jennie. My parents knew I could have just dropped you home," Lisa said as soon as we entered her room. I couldn't believe it was just her room; she had a breathtaking view of Seoul.
"That's alright, Lisa. Unless you don't want me here," I replied.
"Of course not, I want you here. I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me," She said, causing my heart to race.
"It's fine, don't worry," I assured her, noticing her fidgeting with her thumb.
"Do you have something to say, Lisa?" I asked, finding her behavior cute as it was the first time I had seen her like this.
She let out a sigh and locked her gaze with mine.
"Jennie, everything I've told my parents about you is true. I didn't say those things just to pretend in front of them; I meant every word. I really like you, but I don't want to pressure you into reciprocating my feelings. I hope you'll give me a chance to prove it to you." I was taken aback by Lisa's bold confession. My heart started racing uncontrollably inside my chest, ready to burst at any moment.
"Li—— you don't have to answer right away. I can wait. Anyway, you need to rest. I'll just sleep on the couch. Also, feel free to use anything you want from my closet. I'll leave you now." Lisa then left the room.
What is happening to me? I'm straight, straight, straight, straight!
Ugh, there's no way I could develop feelings for Lisa.