"So, she never made it to class, and you have never seen her since?"
"Yup. She even left her belongings and just told me to wait,"
Jisoo, Rose, and Wendy sat together, sipping their coffee as they talked about Jennie.
"It feels familiar, isn't it?" Wendy chimed in as she munched the cake.
"What's familiar?" Rose asked, confused.
"Jennie once left me here all of a sudden. She didn't even bring her phone nor her wallet. She came back at noon with the bruises on her arm and knee," Jisoo explained.
"Where was she going?" Rose asked.
"Chasing labrador," Jisoo said nonchalantly.
"Okay...?" Rose was confused with the answer.
"You see, Chaeng, these sisters are weird. I advise you to save your ass before it's too late," Wendy teased Jisoo.
Jisoo glared at Wendy as she warned her to shut it out. Wendy chuckled at Jisoo's antics.
Rose shook her head as she pinched Jisoo's cheek. "This weirdo right here is rare specs, she's limited edition and it's what makes her unique," she winked at Jisoo.
"More like rare animal that should be sent to captivity," Wendy retorted.
Both Rose and Wendy were laughing out loud with Jisoo blushed like a boiled shrimp.
As they were laughing and having a good time, they suddenly heard a chair scraping against the floor. Rose turned to see who stood up from the seat near her. Soon enough, the person walked towards them, and Rose immediately recognized her.
"D-do you... If she's weird, do you still like her?" the person asked Rose abruptly.
"Lisa?" Rose looked up, confused about why she was being asked this question.
Jisoo was equally confused. Who was Lisa? And had she just overheard their conversation?
"Do you know her?" Jisoo whispered to Rose.
"Y-you told her that she's weird," Lisa pointed at Jisoo. "Do you still want to befriend her even though she's a weirdo? A freak?" Lisa stuttered.
"Excuse YOU?" Jisoo was offended because someone she didn't know had called her a weirdo. Moreover, Lisa's index finger was very close to Jisoo's face.
"What are you doing here?" Rose asked, standing up.
"YAH!" Jisoo half screamed, still trying to understand what was happening.
"Lower your voice, Kim!" Wendy scolded Jisoo after seeing Lisa flinch at her voice. "She's Jennie's friend!" Wendy whispered to Jisoo.
Wendy had known Lisa long before she learned she was friends with Jennie. The first time they met, Lisa came to her newly opened café and gave her a hard time. Wendy's cafe was relatively new then, and business was slow. When Wendy greeted Lisa, she stood before the counter without uttering a word.
Wendy tried to engage Lisa in conversation, but Lisa remained silent and stared into her eyes. Initially, Wendy assumed that Lisa was homeless in search of food. However, her Celine hoodie contradicted that idea.
After a few minutes of silence, Lisa finally spoke up. She asked Wendy what aroma was present in the cafe. Wendy replied that it was the smell of coffee, but Lisa disagreed. Wendy grew frustrated and asked Lisa to leave, but she refused to budge. She kept repeating the same question over and over again.
Wendy was about to call the police when a girl with narrow eyes arrived and called out Lisa's name. She tried reasoning with Lisa, but she refused to leave and asked the girl to find out what the scent was. The girl asked Wendy to make all the food and drinks on the menu for Lisa to smell.
Wendy thought it was a joke at first but soon realized the situation's seriousness. The girl promised to pay double the price if Wendy could solve the mystery.
After preparing 37 drinks and 29 cakes, Lisa finally found what she was looking for – a freshly brewed espresso. Wendy was almost angry, but the narrow-eyed girl paid double the amount stated.
The narrow-eyed girl, who introduced herself as Seulgi, returned to Wendy's cafe to explain Lisa's condition and asked her to be patient with Lisa's peculiarities. Since then, Lisa has been a frequent visitor to Wendy's cafe.
Lisa did it again. She acted the same way as she first met Wendy. She seemed really anxious and it was hard for her to talk. Her voice was shaky, and she couldn't put her words out properly. She kept repeating the same question, and it started to draw attention from other people.
Lisa's eyes were darting around and she couldn't focus, and she kept fidgeting the hem of her shirt and made it all wrinkled. It was pretty obvious that Lisa was having a tough time trying to keep it together.
"D-do you like her?" Lisa kept pointing at Jisoo and annoyed the latter with her antics. "P-please answer..." Lisa begged Rose.
Rose could only remain silent because this was the first time she saw Lisa like this. She was confused about what Lisa's question meant.
"Lisa..." Wendy called softly. "Hey, buddy, calm down..." Wendy tried to grab Lisa's hand, but Lisa immediately brushed it off.
"Do not touch me!" Lisa half screamed. "I-I'm sorry...But please, no touch..." Lisa was getting more and more restless.
Wendy realized her mistake and apologized.
"Hey, buddy, listen to me..." Wendy was still trying to divert Lisa's attention. "Lisa, please... Look at me," she added.
Lisa still didn't pay attention to Wendy and she started to grab Rose's hand. The blonde was shocked by Lisa's antics.
"YAH! WHAT THE FUCK!" Now Jisoo was the one shouting and warning Lisa.
Lisa flinched, then immediately let go of Rose's hand. Practically slamming.
"YAH!" Jisoo was fuming and immediately stood up, about to teach Lisa a lesson.
"Stop it!" Wendy snapped. "Lisa! Lalisa!" Wendy's voice boomed and made Lisa speechless. "Look at me, now!" Wendy still uses a firm tone.
Lisa was terrified and she looked like a scared child who had just been scolded by their mother.
"Breath with me, okay?" Wendy said to Lisa while her hand motioned to Jisoo, telling her to sit down.
"Breathe in...breathe out..." Wendy kept leading Lisa in catching her breath. "One, two, three, four. One, two, three...you're doing great, buddy. Keep counting," Wendy added.
"Four. One, two, three, four," Lisa followed Wendy's count by touching each fingertip of her hand.
Rose and Jisoo couldn't believe their eyes as they watched Wendy expertly handle Lisa. It was as if Wendy had known Lisa for years and could navigate her easily.
After Lisa had calmed down a bit, Wendy pulled up a chair and gestured for Lisa to sit down beside her. Lisa obliged and took a seat next to Wendy. She noticed that Lisa was still tapping her fingers and counting under her breath.
Wendy greeted Lisa with a friendly smile. "Remember me?" she started the conversation. Lisa nodded in response.
"I'm going to ask you some questions. Would you like to answer them calmly?" Wendy asked, approaching the situation with care. Lisa nodded again, muttering an apology to Wendy.
Suddenly, Wendy pointed at Rose, surprising her. "Do you know her?" she asked Lisa.
Lisa stuttered, "Y-yes. Her name is Rosie, she's Jennie's friend. Best friends. She's a foodie but hates avocado. If she's angry, all we have to do is buy her food, or cake, then she's good as new. She had a crush on Jennie's sister, and it's awkward," she answered in a flat, robotic tone.
Lisa's answer took Rose and Jisoo aback.
"How do you know that?" Rose cringed with Lisa's answer.
Jisoo couldn't help but smile after hearing the answer. And seeing Rose panicking made Jisoo blush even more.
"Jennie told me," Lisa immediately answered.
Wendy then gently asked Lisa, "You already know that Rosie had a crush on Jisoo, then why are you still asking her if she likes Jisoo or not?"
"Jisoo?" Who's Jisoo? Lisa thought. "I don't know what crush means but I hope Jennie's sister is okay because it would hurt if someone crushed her," Wendy held back her laughter when she heard Lisa's innocent answer. She knew that Lisa couldn't get parables.
Wendy continued, "Why do you want to know if Rosie likes Jisoo or not?"
"Like I said before, you told Rosie that Jisoo is weird. Rose said that even though she's weird, Jisoo is a rare spec. Does it mean Rosie still wanted to be friends with her even though she's a weirdo?" Lisa responded.
Jisoo almost scolded Lisa, but Wendy gave her a warning glance, telling her to stay calm.
"But why?" Wendy asked Lisa, wanting to know more. "Why do you want to know about that?" she added.
Lisa hesitated, unsure if she should reveal everything to Wendy. She did want to admit that she was also a weirdo, but the word made her uncomfortable. Lisa had been spending a lot of time with Dr. Taeyang to improve her condition so she wouldn't become a weirdo.
After a few moments of hesitation, Lisa finally opened up about everything that had happened between Jennie and herself. From their first meeting, where Lisa gave Jennie a piece of paper with a sketch of a cat, to the incident two days ago where Jennie had cried on the emergency stairs because (Lisa thought) Jennie no longer wanted to be friends with her because she was autistic.
Jisoo, Rose, and Wendy listened carefully without interrupting (well, Jisoo tried to interrupt with a question, but Wendy stopped her). As Lisa's story unfolded, Rose couldn't help but gasp in surprise. She had had no idea that this campus belle had autism because it had been completely invisible. Sitting next to Rose, Jisoo had been equally surprised. Finally, she could connect the dots that had been a mystery to her.
Lisa wrapped up her story, and she couldn't help but notice the reactions of the three people sitting across from her, trying to gauge their reactions. Jisoo was deep in thought, rubbing her nose bridge in contemplation. Rose looked sympathetic and was gazing at Lisa with concern. Wendy appeared uneasy and kept fidgeting with her fingers on the table.
Lisa's mind immediately raced to the realization that she may have shared too much, feeling a sense of regret creeping in. She loathed it when people pitied her, even though she had her own flaws and limitations. Lisa had worked hard to fit in and be like everyone else and did not want to be treated differently due to her shortcomings. The mere thought of people's sympathy only made her despise herself even more.
"I'm sorry, I need to go," Lisa suddenly stood up and didn't forget to give them a 90-degree bow.
The trio felt confused as they watched Lisa walk away.
Wendy immediately stood up to chase Lisa but Jisoo stopped her and said that maybe Lisa needed space.
"I think she felt overwhelmed," said Jisoo, pulling Wendy's shirt.
Jennie had been holed up in her room for two days, trying to uncover Lisa's identity from the internet. But to her dismay, she couldn't find anything substantial. All she learned was that Lisa's father was a wealthy businessman in Thailand who owned Manoban Corp, a maritime empire in the country.
While scouring the web for more information, Jennie stumbled upon a baffling news report from an Indonesian portal, stating that two search ships were dispatched to find Lisa's father. Was he lost at sea or, worse, dead? This discovery left Jennie with more questions than answers.
Today, Jennie decided to meet Seulgi. When she reached Seulgi's showroom, Jennie was greeted by a man named Mark, who escorted her to Seulgi's office. Seulgi was in the middle of a Facetime call with her sister, Yerim.
"Be good, promise?" Yerim's voice echoed from the laptop speakers placed in front of Seulgi.
"Oh, Jennie! Come on in!" Seulgi stood up immediately. "She's here," Seulgi turned the screen to face Jennie.
"Jennie!" Yerim waved from the laptop screen, and Jennie walked over to Seulgi.
"Yerimie!" Jennie greeted back. "Why are you up so early?" She glanced at her watch. "Isn't it 5 am there now?"
"I haven't slept yet," Yerim said, rubbing her eyes. "I just finished my homework when this bear right here Facetimed me out of the blue."
Jennie glanced at Seulgi, wondering if she had second thoughts about meeting today.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I disturb you, unnie?" Jennie asked Seulgi.
"No, not at all," Seulgi answered bluntly. "I called Yerim to ask what you wanted to talk about today."
Seulgi motioned for Jennie to take a seat, then turned to Mark and asked him to get some drinks. When she hung up the call with Yerim, Seulgi got straight to the point and asked Jennie what she knew about Lisa.
Seulgi's directness took Jennie aback, but she still obliged and spilled all the details she had gathered from her research about Lisa. Seulgi listened intently, hanging off every word, and refrained from interrupting Jennie, even though she was bursting with questions.
When Jennie brought up the news about the search for Mr. Manoban, Seulgi's body tensed up in surprise. She had no idea Jennie was digging that deep. As Seulgi reminisced about the time she asked Yerim to investigate Lisa's identity, a sense of unease crept over her. Would Tiffany approach Jennie after this like she did to Seulgi few years back? Seulgi couldn't help but wonder.
"I need to make a quick call first. Do you mind waiting a second?" Seulgi asked Jennie after the latter finished telling everything.
"Sure," Jennie answered briefly.
Jennie sat patiently waiting for Seulgi to finish her phone call. She admired the view from Seulgi's showroom, which was shaped like a stylish loft with large windows showcasing several stunning motorbikes below. As Seulgi rushed downstairs to make the call, Jennie sensed something was bothering her.
Seulgi's nervousness was palpable as she dialed Tiffany's number. Her legs couldn't stop moving as she waited for Tiffany to pick up the phone. Finally, she heard Tiffany's voice on the other end of the line.
"Hey, Tif?" Seulgi whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
"Miss Kang?" Tiffany responded calmly.
Seulgi took a deep breath before revealing the reason for her call. "Did you know someone's digging about Lisa?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Miss Jennie?" Tiffany said, surprising Seulgi. How did she know it was Jennie? Seulgi wondered.
"Tell her anything you know," Tiffany added.
Seulgi hesitated before asking, "Even Lisa's dad?"
"What do you know about him?" Tiffany asked, her voice commanding and intimidating.
"Nothing...?" Seulgi replied, feeling more and more uneasy.
"That's right," Tiffany said, making Seulgi even more anxious.
Tiffany had a way of making people feel small, even over the phone.
"But Jennie just told me she found out about Mr. Manoban missing—" Seulgi tried to explain.
"Did you know about his missing?" Tiffany interrupted, her tone harsh.
"No, I just found out from Jennie just now," Seulgi responded.
"So? Do you have any more questions, Miss Kang?" Tiffany sounded impatient and ready to hang up.
"Y-yes? No! I mean, no," Seulgi stuttered.
"Good day, then," Tiffany said, hanging up on Seulgi abruptly.
Jennie watched as Seulgi hung up the phone, worried about what she had just learned.
Seulgi walked in and noticed a curious expression on Jennie's face. As she looked into Jennie's eyes, Seulgi couldn't help but chuckle. She realized that it was only natural for Lisa to like Jennie, given that her eyes were very similar to those of a cat. Jennie was baffled by Seulgi's sudden outburst and immediately asked what was wrong. Seulgi simply replied with a smile and sat down across from Jennie.
"So, after everything you said earlier, is there anything you want to ask?" Seulgi asked while sipping on a glass of cocktail.
Jennie was taken aback by Seulgi's attitude. She had so many questions but didn't know where to start. Besides, Seulgi seemed nervous when she made a call earlier, which only added to Jennie's confusion.
"I want to know why you became defensive when I said I wanted to be friends with Lisa," Jennie finally mustered the courage to ask.
"How defensive?" Seulgi quizzed.
"It seemed like you didn't want me to befriend her," Jennie responded.
"I'm just trying to protect Lisa," Seulgi replied firmly.
"Protect her from what?" Jennie inquired.
"From people who take advantage of her innocence. Lisa is different from ordinary people, and it's my job to keep her safe," Seulgi explained.
Jennie was slightly offended by Seulgi's words. It seemed as if Seulgi thought Jennie had ulterior motives and was using Lisa. However, Jennie decided to move on to her next question.
"Why do you feel the need to protect Lisa? And who is she, exactly?" Jennie asked.
Seulgi answered Jennie's questions in detail, from how she first met Lisa to her agreement with Tiffany to always be by Lisa's side. Seulgi even confessed to calling Tiffany to inform her that Jennie had come to ask about Lisa.
Jennie got goosebumps when Seulgi said that Tiffany already knew who Jennie was. When she asked Seulgi who Tiffany was, Seulgi admitted that she didn't know. Seulgi made it clear that no matter what happens to Lisa, her job is to update Tiffany.
"Do you think she's Lisa's mother?" Jennie pondered aloud. "I heard that Lisa used to live in Switzerland before moving here, and Tiffany sounds like a name from the West," she added.
"Nope," Seulgi shook her head. "I met Tiffany once, and I could tell from her appearance that she's Korean. Besides, she speaks Korean fluently," Seulgi clarified.
"I asked Lisa about Tiffany, and she said that Tiffany is one of her allies," Seulgi revealed.
"Allies?" Jennie was confused.
"Allies," Seulgi nodded. "Lisa divides people into three categories: friends, allies, and enemies," Seulgi explained using her fingers.
"What about family or lover?" Jennie asked.
"Lisa hates her family. She's never talked about them in the two years I've known her,"
"How do you know she hates them, then?"
"You know about Lisa's condition, right?"
Jennie nodded.
"She once had an episode. She kept yelling how her father was right and she kept saying that she must gone, she must die. It was total chaos," Sadness crept into Seulgi's tone. "But I think it's not my place to tell you that," she added.
Seulgi's statement took Jennie aback, but she agreed not to pry into Lisa's family issues.
"Which category do you fall into?" Jennie asked.
"I'm not sure," Seulgi giggled. "I hope Lisa sees me as a friend, but I understand why she might not since I used to bother her quite a bit," she added, shrugging.
"Honestly, Jen, I gotta admit, seeing Lisa bond with you so easily was tough and I kinda jealous. I mean, I had spent years trying to get to know her, but you just swooped in and won her over in no time," Seulgi confessed.
Jennie hung her head, looking at her shoes guiltily.
"Hey, don't feel bad," Seulgi reassured her. "This means you can take over my role of looking after her."
Jennie didn't seem convinced. "What if I mess up? What if I end up hurting her? After our fight yesterday, I even told her not to come looking for me," she fretted.
"I know," Seulgi said knowingly. "You should see how much she's taken to you. She's been glued to her phone waiting for your message," Seulgi chuckled.
Jennie looked up, surprised. "Really?"
"You literally buttercupping her," Seulgi joked.
"Buttercupping?"
"You don't know the song? The Foundations?" Seulgi asked as she sang the lyrics.
Why do you build me up
Buttercup, baby
Just to let me down?
And mess me around
And then, worst of all
You never call, baby
When you say you will
But I love you still
I need you
More than anyone, darling
You know that I have from the start
So build me up
Buttercup, don't break my heart
As soon as Seulgi started singing, Jennie couldn't help but burst into laughter. It was refreshing to see that Seulgi, who is usually quite reserved, had a fun and carefree side to her.
Jennie's perception of Seulgi changed in that moment, and she realized that Seulgi was not just a stiff and serious person but actually quite pleasant and enjoyable to be around.
"No, unnie," Jennie shook her head. "I promise I won't buttercupping Lisa," Jennie said with a smile pasted on her face.