Lisa let out an annoyed snort when she saw Seulgi's face too close to the intercom camera. "You're not invited here," she said bluntly.
Seulgi, however, didn't seem to care. She just smiled evilly, enjoying the way she could get under Lisa's skin. Even though she couldn't see Lisa's face, she knew the other woman was clenching her fists in frustration.
"I know," Seulgi replied, chuckling. "But do I look like I care?"
"Go away!" Lisa shouted over the intercom.
"You know I won't," Seulgi teased back.
Despite her annoyance, Lisa had a soft spot for Seulgi. After all, she was the only person who had bothered to get close to her during her year in Korea. Even though Lisa didn't always understand Seulgi's antics, she still let her into the house.
"Come on, Miss Raptor. Open the door," Seulgi said through the intercom.
"I'm no Raptor. Raptor or Velociraptor is a type of dinosaur that lived 75 million years ago, and as everyone knows, they are already extinct. My name is Lisa. L – I – S – A, and I'm human. Stop calling me raptor, Miss Seulgi," Lisa babbled, trying to set the record straight.
Seulgi just laughed. "You really don't want to open the door?"
"No," Lisa replied curtly, then turned off the intercom.
Lisa is completely baffled by Seulgi's inability to remember that dinosaurs are no longer walking the earth. Could it be because Seulgi didn't go to college? But that seems unlikely, as Lisa herself learned about dinosaur extinction back in kindergarten. Lisa even gave her a book all about the history of dinosaurs. Is Seulgi just too busy to crack it open, or is there something else going on? Lisa can't help but wonder.
One, two, three, four. Four. One, two, three, four. Eight. One, two, three, four. Twelve. One, two, three, four. Sixteen. One, two, three, four. Twenty.
"Twent—" Seulgi leaned her body to the door when suddenly she heard the door unlocked.
*clack*
Seulgi grinned to herself. She knew Lisa well enough to know that she would still open the door after counting to twenty.
Seulgi's story is nothing short of a short, sad tale. As a young girl, she and her sister Yerim were left to fend for themselves after their father, a fugitive fraudster, disappeared. At just 13 years of age, Seulgi found herself in an orphanage with her younger sister, without a single family member to care for them.
For four long years, Seulgi and Yerim had to survive in an unfamiliar environment, with nothing but each other for support. But Seulgi was determined to get out of there and find her mother, whom she knew, living in a nursing home in Busan. The only problem was that her mother suffered from Alzheimer's, and Seulgi wasn't sure if she would recognize her.
Finally, when Seulgi turned 17, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She set out on a journey to find her mother, but when she arrived at the nursing home, she received devastating news - her mother had passed away two years earlier.
But fate had other plans for Seulgi. The nursing home staff gave her some of her mother's belongings, including an access card to a bank safe in Seoul. Seulgi went to the bank and found that her mother had left her 10kg of gold bars in the safe.
With this newfound wealth, Seulgi decided to start her own workshop business in the Yongsan area. It wasn't easy, but Seulgi's tenacity and skill in attracting customers paid off in spades. Within just three years, her workshop was receiving orders for custom motorbikes and was recognized as an authorized store by leading brands from Europe.
But Seulgi's success was not just for her. She made sure to pick up Yerim from the orphanage and provide her sister with the best education possible. For almost 5 years, Seulgi kept a low profile to avoid any potential backlash from her dad's victims.
A year ago, Seulgi met a mysterious woman named Tiffany who claimed to know who her parents were. Initially, Seulgi was skeptical and almost attacked Tiffany, thinking she was one of her dad's victims. But to her surprise, Tiffany offered Seulgi an agreement that caught her off guard. Tiffany promised to keep Seulgi's business safe from her dad's victims and even offered to fund Yerim's education abroad.
However, in return, Tiffany wanted Seulgi to become friends with Lalisa Manoban. This took Seulgi by surprise as Lisa was a customer who had visited her showroom just the day before. Tiffany then explained that Lisa was in a precarious situation and needed someone to look after her. As Seulgi learned more about Lisa's condition, she finally agreed to the agreement and started to get close to Lisa. The rest, as they say, is history.
As soon as Seulgi set foot in Lisa's house, Lisa shot her a glare. "Why are you always bothering me? Don't you have a business to run?" she snapped.
Seulgi just shrugged nonchalantly. "You're the one who bothered me first when you showed up at my door forcing me to buy that bike," she retorted, making herself comfortable and heading straight for the fridge.
"It's not my fault that your arrival coincided with Yerim's departure abroad. I guess God spoiled me because He sent someone I could disturb while my sister was away," Seulgi added, taking a big bite of an apple she found in the fridge.
Lisa rolled her eyes in annoyance. "First of all, I don't believe in God. Second, I am not an object that can be sent from one place to another. Third, that's my apple and you shouldn't eat it before you ask permission!" she snapped.
Lisa knew about Seulgi's past living in an orphanage, but she couldn't understand why Seulgi continued to take her food without asking permission. Her grandmother always said that not everyone had the opportunity to get a good education like Lisa, and she knew that people who didn't have the chance to get a higher education usually had a bad attitude.
What confused Lisa was that Seulgi was quite wealthy. She could afford to send her younger siblings to study abroad, so why hadn't she continued her own education? From there, Lisa thought that Seulgi was just plain lazy.
Seulgi reclined on the sofa and propped up her feet on the table. "Stop whining and humor me, will ya?"
Lisa took a deep breath to rein in her emotions, realizing that criticizing Seulgi was useless. "There's nothing to discuss," Lisa responded, sitting beside Seulgi. She then gently lifted Seulgi's legs off the table and placed them on the floor.
"Don't you have any new, pretty girls in your college? I heard they're accepting new students," Seulgi asked, rolling her eyes.
"My college is a place of learning and knowledge. If you're looking for attractive girls, the mall would be a better option," Lisa replied calmly.
"Boring!" Seulgi shouted mockingly.
All of a sudden, Seulgi's posture changed, and she sat up to face Lisa. Her eyes scanned Lisa from head to toe, reminding Lisa of their first encounter at the showroom.
"Let's hit the mall!" Seulgi stood up with enthusiasm and grabbed Lisa's hand.
Lisa quickly pulled away, uncomfortable with physical contact. Seulgi realized her mistake and apologized, to which Lisa replied, "It's fine."
Lisa is aware that she suffers from a rare condition that sets her apart from most other people. Whenever she experiences an onset, she has to endure hurtful words from those around her, leaving her feeling alone and vulnerable. Despite her grandmother's constant reassurance that she is a unique individual and possesses advantages that few others do, Lisa still occasionally wonders what her life would be like if she were born like other people her age.
However, Seulgi's arrival in her life is like a breath of fresh air, providing her with the answers she's been seeking. Seulgi's lazy and forgetful nature helps Lisa to realize that even those who are considered "normal" have their own imperfections and flaws. This realization helps her to embrace her differences and feel proud of who she is.
After a lengthy argument with Seulgi, Lisa eventually caved and agreed to accompany her to the mall. Seulgi had managed to persuade Lisa by offering to purchase the new book Lisa had been eyeing for a while. However, she had to follow Seulgi's lead for the day.
While riding in the car, Seulgi again brought up the importance of clothing style. She emphasized that people treat us based on how we dress, and Lisa had come to realize the truth after befriending Seulgi. Before meeting Seulgi, people often thought Lisa was odd because she always wore plain, oversized clothes, and her only pants were cargo pants.
After becoming friends with Seulgi, Lisa was taken shopping for clothes, and Seulgi helped her mix and match styles. Initially, Lisa thought Seulgi's theory was flawed because people still stared at her despite dressing more conventionally.
However, over time, Lisa noticed that people's gazes were different. Since changing her style, Lisa has benefited greatly. While reading in the library, several women approached her, giving her drinks or cake for free.
Lisa was perplexed to find that each package had a phone number on it. She assumed these people were salespeople and saved their numbers in case she held a party at her house.
Which is unlikely to happen.
Jennie has finally completed the daunting new student orientation period at Seoul University. After attending all the events held by her new campus for a week, she's relieved and ready to dive into her studies. During her orientation, Jennie easily mingled with people she had just met and made many new friends, thanks to her cheerful and sociable personality. Her extensive knowledge also makes her respected by the people around her.
Jennie's sister, Jisoo Kim, is a campus celebrity at Seoul University, and being her younger sister has certainly increased Jennie's popularity. She has many people who always stick with her wherever she goes, but her closest friend is Rose. They share the same frequency and have quickly bonded over their common experiences. Rose is Korean but was born in Melbourne, Australia, while Jennie spent her childhood in Australia for three years before moving to New Zealand.
Despite being new students, Jennie and Rose's fame has become a topic of conversation on campus. They both took the fine arts and design faculty but with different majors. Rose majored in Art while Jennie majored in design.
Today, they are both nervous as they attend their first college class, the history of art. The rumors about the fierceness of the lecturers who taught this course have spread, but they're both undeterred and see it as challenging.
As they enter the classroom, they're surprised to see how full the room is. They didn't expect that the class was in such great demand, especially given the strict reputation of the lecturer. Jennie and Rose manage to get strategic seats, thanks to Irene, another campus celebrity who has a beautiful face that can make anyone submit to her requests. Irene convinced a few people to give up their seats, and Jennie and Rose felt grateful for her help.
"Unnie, I didn't know you took this class," Rose said as she sat beside Irene.
Irene smirked and replied, "Don't worry. I'm just sitting in on this class because I have a mission."
Jennie chimed in, "So you're not taking the class?"
Irene responded, "Do you really think that 50% of the people here are taking this boring course? They're here for the same mission as me." Irene's eyes were focused on the classroom entrance as if she was waiting for someone.
"What mission?" Rose asked curiously.
"You'll see," Irene replied, still looking at the entrance.
Soon after, someone walked into the crowded classroom, and everyone's eyes were drawn to her unique and stylish outfit. She wore an oversized half-zip sweater that looked incredibly cozy and comfortable, paired with perfectly fitting cargo pants. Her beanie added the perfect finishing touch to her outfit, making her look effortlessly cool.
The way that the sweater draped off her shoulder made it seem like it was made just for her, and the cargo pants hugged her curves in all the right places. Her appearance was bold and daring, captivating everyone in the room. They couldn't help but stare in admiration, impressed by her effortlessly chic sense of style.
"Is that the fierce lecturer everyone talks about?" Rose whispered to Jennie.
Suddenly, Irene shouted in a flirtatious tone, "Good morning, babe!" The class fell silent and Jennie and Rose panicked at Irene's forwardness towards what they thought was the lecturer.
Lisa stood at the door, fidgeting with her fingers and mumbling. Jennie wondered if she was counting and found it odd.
"Hahaha!" Irene giggled excitedly at Lisa's response. "Cute!" She silently exclaimed.
Jennie whispered to Irene, "Who is she?"
Irene winked at Jennie and said, "You'll find out."
When Lisa handed out a sheet of paper with a list of essential books, the class ended abruptly. Jennie and Rose were surprised to learn that Lisa was the lecturer's favorite student and that Irene's attendance in the class was a one-time thing. Apparently, the lecturer habitually skipped the first class every semester.
The trio spent some time at the canteen to kill time before their next class. Over coffee and sandwiches, Irene shared some interesting tidbits about Lisa and how she had managed to win over the entire class with her charm and wit.
"Like me, Lisa is a second-year student at this university," Irene said, sipping her iced Americano. "She studied photography, and all I know is that she's Thai but has lived in Switzerland for a while," she added.
Jennie and Rose nodded after learning that Lisa was their senior. "She's a bit odd, but in a good way. She rarely speaks to anyone unless necessary, and her mysterious side caught my attention," Irene continued.
"Well, not gonna lie, she's kinda cute," Rose replied to Irene's words while scrolling through her phone. Jennie knew that Rose was trying to find Lisa's social media accounts.
"I once tried to flirt with her by sitting next to her, and you know what she said?" Irene asked excitedly.
"What?" Jennie asked.
"She told me to move because she felt I was taking up too much space," Irene answered, shaking her head.
After hearing Irene's words, Rose's jaw dropped. "No way!" Rose exclaimed. "I can't believe someone would reject you so bluntly!" Rose continued, chuckling.
"I know, right! I was practically throwing myself at her, but she's not interested," Irene pouted.
"I found her strange, too," Jennie finally chimed in. "I mean, combining a sweater and cargo pants, who does that?"
"But she pulls it off," Rose replied.
"I was so scared when you greeted her like that. She looked so shocked that she just froze in front of the door!" Rose said while munching on the apple she had just bought.
"Well, yeah. She's kinda awkward. She does that a lot, pauses whatever she's doing for a while, then goes back to it. I find it cute, though," Irene chuckled.
"I heard rumors that she's autistic, but I don't believe it because she doesn't seem like someone with special needs at all," Irene continued.
"That explains the counting," Jennie responded.
"Counting?" Rose asked.
"I read her lips right after you greeted her. She was counting one, two, three, four, and I think the rumors are true. Autistic people usually do some trick like counting to ten every time they feel nervous," Jennie explained.
"How do you know that?" Irene looked amazed by Jennie's explanation.
"Wait, you can read lips?" Rose was equally surprised.
Jennie then explained that she once had an autistic friend in New Zealand. At first glance, her friend seemed like an ordinary person, but when she was on set, Jennie found out that her friend was autistic. About lip-reading, Jennie admitted that she had learned it for fun because she had volunteered at a social institution that had many deaf people.
"You never cease to amaze me, Jen," Irene commented before bidding goodbye.
It's been a month since Jennie saw Lisa for the first time, and since then, Jennie has only seen Lisa around campus a few times. Jennie either catches a glimpse of Lisa passing her class or rushing out of campus using the yellow motorbike she rides every day. Jennie has never seen Lisa with anyone else; she is always alone, walking around campus with headphones perched on her head, lost in her own thoughts.
One day, the lecturer in one of Jennie's courses canceled her class, and Jennie had already arrived on campus. Initially, Jennie wanted to ask Rose to go with her, but Rose refused because she still had classes. Rose then asked Jennie to wait for her to finish, and Jennie agreed.
At first, Jennie planned to wait for Rose in the canteen, but it was too crowded. Instead, she decided to spend her time editing several designs at the library that she would collect in a week. This was Jennie's first time visiting the library on campus, and she was pleasantly surprised by how cozy it was.
The warm lighting and comfortable seating arrangements make it the perfect place to curl up with a good book or catch up on some work. The shelves are lined with books on a variety of topics, from classic literature to modern science fiction, and there are plenty of tables and chairs for group study sessions. The library also provides access to computers and printers, making it a convenient spot for students to work on assignments.
After she was satisfied looking around the library, Jennie chose a place at the end of the spot where a bean bag was near a huge window. The window faces directly towards the shady Jennie campus lake.
As Jennie walked towards a beanbag, she saw someone busy working on a laptop. The person was wearing a yellow beanie, which Jennie was familiar with. Jennie stopped herself from looking at the person because she didn't want to seem like a stalker. Jennie chose to continue walking towards the beanbag she was aiming for and decided to look at the person later after she sat down.
To her surprise, the person looked at Jennie, and Jennie felt that the person continued to watch her walk until she reached her seat. Jennie was still reluctant to glance at the person and decided to take the iPad out of her bag while pretending to be busy preparing everything she needed to do her job.
After settling, Jennie finally dared to glance at the person to confirm whether her guess was true. When Jennie looked at the person, their eyes met, and she correctly suspected that the person was Lisa. Jennie was a little surprised when their eyes met, and as a reflex, she immediately looked away and pretended that nothing had happened.
Even though Jennie looked normal, her heart was actually beating very fast, and she didn't know why her hands were suddenly sweating. Jennie tried to focus her mind by opening a design template from her iPad, but she failed because she kept thinking about why Lisa kept looking at her.
After giving herself a pep talk, Jennie finally gathered the courage to look at Lisa. She wanted to make sure that Lisa was looking at her and that it wasn't just her imagination. Jennie was a little surprised when she saw Lisa's eyes still fixed on her. Jennie then decided to look back at Lisa, and they ended up staring at each other for a while.
Jennie's heart was pounding uncontrollably, and she eventually decided to ask Lisa what was happening.
"What?" Jennie exclaimed, shocking herself with the volume of her voice. She immediately covered her mouth with both hands, and Lisa flinched at the sudden sound.
Jennie noticed Lisa's fingers tapping nervously on the table and remembered the rumors that Lisa might be autistic. She wondered if her loud voice had triggered Lisa's condition.
Lost in her own thoughts, Jennie suddenly heard the sound of a chair scraping across the floor, and she looked up to see Lisa standing up and gathering her things. Jennie felt embarrassed and blamed herself, thinking Lisa had left because she'd snapped at her.
Jennie turned her attention back to her iPad and began berating herself inwardly. "Wait, why should I worry if she leaves because I snapped? She should be the one worried if I'm angry because she keeps staring at me," she thought to herself.
Suddenly, Jennie was startled by a voice that came out of nowhere. "Do you like cats?" Lisa asked. Jennie looked up and saw Lisa standing before her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher. Jennie caught a whiff of Lisa's musky cologne, which she guessed was the perfume Lisa was wearing.
"I'm sorry, what?" Jennie asked, confused.
"Do you like cats?" Lisa repeated her question with enthusiasm.
"Uhm...no?" Jennie replied uncertainly. "I'm more of a dog person than a cat person."
Lisa's face fell, and she turned to leave without another word. Jennie watched her go, amused by how Lisa kept patting her head as she half-ran away.
Jennie couldn't help but chuckle at Lisa's antics. She is cute, indeed.
When Lisa was out of sight, she turned back to her work. Jennie was surprised to see a piece of paper with a cat sketch lying next to her iPad. There was an L under the sketch, and Jennie's heart skipped a beat. She felt a funny fluttering sensation in her stomach, and before she knew it, a huge grin spread across her face.