"Jennie."
Jennie sighed with pleasure and snuggled closer to the warm, soft body. Savored Lisa's scent.
"Jennie!"
This time it sounded more impatient. Almost desperate.
Jennie's half-awake mind tried to ignore the voice and find its way back to the sweet land of dreams, but the soft creaking door and footsteps across the room forced her to sleepily open her eyes to see what was happening.
She squeaked as the shutters suddenly opened and the sunlight shone directly into her eyes.
"What the fuck?"
she grumbled, staring at the culprit with narrowed eyes, when she suddenly felt a hand around her stomach.
"What's wrong, Nini?"
asked a sleepy voice behind her.
Jennie widened her eyes and immediately pulled the blanket up higher as she realized what was going on.
"Holy shit, Jimin, why are you in here?"
she asked in a high-pitched voice.
She was wide awake now, and if she wasn't in such an awkward situation she would definitely be absolutely pissed to have been woken up. With sunlight to boot! It was practically torture.
Jimin looked at her with amusement.
"Relax, little one. It's not that I didn't know what you'd been up to all night. I didn't look, but you're under the covers anyway."
"Get out!"
Jennie ordered, her cheeks red.
When Lisa sat up in confusion to see what was going on, Jennie immediately pushed her back into bed before the covers could slide off her. Then she stared at Jimin again, who stifled a laugh.
"Huh? You want more, Nini?"
Lisa asked tiredly.
Jennie blushed even harder, if that was even possible, and Jimin couldn't help laughing this time.
"Out!"
Jennie repeated, louder this time.
Jimin ran out of the room, grinning, but Jennie didn't hear any footsteps to indicate that Jimin was moving away from the room.
She sighed, jumped up and looked for fresh underwear and comfortable clothes before covering Lisa up again and giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.
She hesitated, gave her another kiss on the lips, then ran out of the room.
Jimin was waiting outside the door.
"Why -"
she began, but was immediately interrupted by a finger on her lips.
She frowned in confusion.
"We have a problem."
Jimin whispered softly.
Then she slowly removed her finger from her lips. Jennie stayed silent, confused.
"Your parents are at home."
she explained.
Jennie's eyes widened.
"What? They were supposed to be-"
Then she froze.
Her parents had promised to come the day before yesterday, on Thursday, to catch the charity concert, since they unfortunately couldn't make it on Wednesday. Jennie had completely forgotten. After the incident with the stalker, and Lisa's dance, and kiss and everything, she had simply forgotten about her parents.
She would feel bad about it if her parents weren't home so rarely anyway.
"Okay...",
she mumbled quietly, thinking about the situation. Jimin still looked nervous.
"They found Lisa's shoes and her jacket."
she added nervously.
Jennie's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
"Couldn't you say they were mine?"
"Too obvious."
Jimin explained curtly.
"It's neither your style nor from a popular brand. And even if you have thousands of shoes, none of them look this outworn."
Jennie pressed her lips together.
She could cancel the option of simply hiding Lisa in the room if her parents knew someone was there.
Jimin continued to speak.
"I said I didn't know anyone was there. I'm sorry, Jennie. I was nervous and I need this job.",
she murmured guiltily.
Jennie nodded slowly, trying to control her breathing so as not to panic.
"What time is it?"
"Half past eight. Your parents called me when they got off the plane. I got here as fast as I could."
Jennie nodded and took Jimin's hand.
"I won't let them fire you, and I won't fire you for something like this. You're doing your job well, and today wasn't even a mistake. Relax.",
she said to calm the older girl down.
Primarily because Jimin's nervous expression made her nervous too.
"I'm saying I brought her in after you left, right?"
Jimin simply nodded.
"Are you going to tell them that Lisa is your girlfriend?",
she asked.
Jennie hesitated for a moment, then shook her head resolutely. Jimin tilted her head.
"Because she's a girl?"
Jennie sighed.
"That too. But she's already had negative experiences with her coming out... and we've literally only been together since yesterday. I don't want to burden her with that.",
she whispered.
"Burden me with what?"
With widened eyes, Jennie turned to Lisa, who was standing in the half-open doorway, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She was wearing one of Jennie's black shirts, which was too big for the smaller girl but fitted Lisa almost perfectly.
Jennie smiled.
Lisa looked especially cute early in the morning.
"It's not important, babe.",
she murmured as quietly as possible and pushed Lisa back into the room.
"Get some more sleep. We don't have to get up yet, I was going to make you breakfast."
she lied.
Lisa pouted, but was content with a kiss and closed the door behind her.
Jennie exhaled with relief.
"I'll improvise.",
she decided and smiled wryly.
"I don't have to tell them we're together, do I? She can be just a friend."
Jimin frowned doubtfully, but didn't argue.
*****
"Good morning Appa, good morning Eomma. Did you have a good flight?",
Jennie greeted her parents and walked casually to the kitchen. As if she wasn't incredibly nervous and secretly wished her parents wouldn't come back until tomorrow. She didn't look at her parents, but made herself a coffee first. Firstly, because she did it every morning, it was part of her morning routine and it would be conspicuous to suddenly act differently.
Secondly, because it meant she could avoid her parents for a little longer, even if it was only a matter of seconds.
The coffee was ready faster than she would have liked.
Cursed, modern, expensive coffee machine. Normally it took her too long, this time she almost wished she had to grind the beans by hand.
She sat down at the table with her parents, who had been watching her wordlessly the whole time, and took a sip of coffee in silence.
Very funny.
It was the first time in months that she had seen her parents unstressed. Not on the go because there was something important to do at work or because they were expecting an important call from a client.
It was the first time in months that Jennie had the undivided attention of both her parents.
"How long are you staying in Seoul?",
Jennie asked softly, having received no answer to her first question. She was surprisingly patient, even though she was in absolutely no mood for this conversation.
Her mother took a sip from her own cup and smiled.
"For a few days, at least over the weekend."
She eyed Jennie for a few seconds longer, then tilted her head.
"You're literally glowing this morning.",
she noted dryly.
Jennie sighed and smiled. She could imagine why. And also why her mother emphasized it so much.
"Yes. The charity event was excellent, I'm pretty pleased with my work. It's a real shame you couldn't come.",
she countered and indifferently took another sip of coffee.
If her mother didn't want to talk plainly and only wanted to make indirect allusions, fine. But Jennie could also play this game.
After Jennie's comment, her parents fell silent for a moment, obviously guilt-ridden. Jennie smiled triumphantly.
"Something came up."
Jennie's mother hesitantly offered.
Jennie didn't bother to respond. Something always came up. Nothing new.
"And we let Jimin know.",
her father added, glancing at the older girl who was on her way to the study with her laptop.
"Ah, Jimin. Can you make us something for breakfast, please? Pancakes, perhaps?"
Jimin stopped in surprise and glanced briefly at her laptop before nodding.
Jennie frowned, however. Jimin was obviously on her way to work on her own project.
"Jimin, take a break. I was going to cook anyway."
she decided.
"She's getting paid for it, Ruby Jane."
her father said sternly.
Jennie rolled her eyes.
"And she's here half an hour earlier than we agreed. And like I said, I was going to cook anyway."
"You're still talking to us. And you shouldn't keep cooking when we're paying an extra person to do it. That's wasted money."
The corners of Jennie's mouth twitched.
Maybe she should be grateful that her parents were so rarely home, so she didn't really have the chance to argue with them. However, she didn't like the way her father was talking right now.
"Jimin isn't a cook, she's a housekeeper. She does the shopping for me and keeps the house clean. And I cook because I enjoy it.",
she snapped.
Her father looked at her through narrowed eyes and Jennie stubbornly returned his gaze. Her mother had to intervene.
"Jennie's right, darling. That poor girl came in extra early, let her take some time for herself."
Her husband snorted, but leaned back in his chair and left it at that. Jimin smiled gratefully at Jennie before disappearing into the study.
"We've heard that some things have happened in the last few weeks? You made a statement to the police?"
Jennie nodded, a little relieved that her mother was doing the talking. She found it easier to talk to her. She was at least occasionally on vacation with her mother and could spend several days at a time with her.
She saw her father even less often.
"Yes, Yang Hyun Suk belonged to an illegal organization and was arrested. I fired him on your behalf."
Jennie said.
It was the crudest summary ever, but she didn't have the patience to explain. If her parents were really interested, they had the means to find out more.
Her father frowned.
"You fired him? He was under contract with me."
"The contract says that the employee can be fired without notice by any member of the household of age, if he deliberately endangers the household or is involved in illegal activities. So that includes me."
Jennie thought she saw her father nod in satisfaction. Then he looked at Jennie's mother, silently asking for help, who sighed and smiled at her daughter.
"I noticed you had a visitor.",
she stated.
Jennie smiled softly and drank her coffee, only to realize that her cup was already empty.
Why couldn't her parents ask direct questions? Why were they skirting around the issue like this?
"A friend spent the night over.",
she said as she pushed her cup aside, dissatisfied.
"Ah, Jisoo? Why doesn't she come down and eat breakfast with us?"
Her mother's smile was fake.
Jennie rolled her eyes.
"No, not Jisoo. Her name is Lisa. I told her she could still sleep."
"Ah, that's no problem, of course. We'll stay here for a while longer, then we can definitely get to know her. What was her name again? Lia?"
Jennie rolled her eyes.
Her mother had obviously given her a false name on purpose to see if Jennie had just made the girl up. She wasn't exactly inconspicuous. But if her parents were so obviously suspicious of her, they might as well ask. Jennie's mood was getting worse and worse, even though she had woken up so incredibly happy.
"No, Lisa. Lalisa. I'm sure she can say hello, but we have to go to school straight away."
Her mother smiled with her lips pressed together.
"It's Saturday, darling."
"And we, as members of the student council, have to make sure that the school is left in good condition.",
Jennie replied with a smile as fake as her mother's.
She winced violently when her father set her coffee cup down on the table a little too loudly.
"Jennie Ruby Jane. Do you have a boy in your room?"
Jennie stared at her father with widened eyes, then laughed softly.
"Well, finally.",
she said with a grin and leaned back in her chair.
"If you want to know that much, why didn't you ask in the first place?"
"Not so cheeky.",
her father said sharply.
Jennie smiled codly.
"Of course not. Did that seem cheeky to you? That wasn't my intention. I was just wondering how long you could manage to make indirect accusations. Pretty presumptuous considering I live here alone over 90% of the time."
"We're not making accusations, Jennie, we just want to make sure you're okay. It's okay if you have a boyfriend, really. Just... you know, if he stays over... you're still so young. I really don't want you to get pregnant this early."
"God, Mom."
Jennie muttered and snorted.
"I know how contraception works, thanks. You really don't have to worry. Besides, I could have countless people there all the time. At the same time. And you wouldn't know about it."
Jennie's mother smiled painedly at the idea.
"Even contraception isn't one hundred percent safe. And what about sexually transmitted diseases? Can't we at least get to know the boy?"
Jennie stood up and slapped her hands on the table.
"I said there's no boy here, for fuck's sake. I told you the name of my friend who spent the night here. Why don't you believe me?"
Jennie was loud, and she didn't care.
"Because you have a fucking hickey on your neck, Ruby Jane, more than one.",
her father growled, standing as well.
Jennie was about to say something back, something to do with the party yesterday and technically not a lie.
Her favorite voice interrupted her.
"Nini? Are you okay?"
Jennie froze and immediately ignored her parents to turn to her girlfriend. She smiled gently and walked towards her.
Lisa looked really cute in her clothes, with that sleepy look on her face. Had she already mentioned that? Never mind, she couldn't think about it often enough.
"Did we wake you up?",
she asked gently, a complete contrast to the conversation with her parents just seconds ago. Lisa shook her head and squinted over Jennie's shoulder.
"Nah, I was still awake. I thought you wanted to make breakfast."
"Ahhh..."
Only now did Jennie look back at her parents, who were staring at Lisa open-mouthed. Lisa was pacing uncertainly.
"Shall I introduce myself?"
Jennie's mother was the first to regain her speech.
"You're Lia?"
"Eh. No, not quite, Lisa. Hi?"
Jennie's mother exhaled in relief, and Jennie's father seemed to slowly come out of his stupor.
"Ohhh, Jennie. I'm sorry."
Jennie's mother said.
Lisa tilted her head in confusion.
"Nice to meet you, Lisa. You can call me Mrs. Kim, I'm Jennie's mother."
She looked at Jennie.
"Jennie, really again, I'm sorry. I really thought you had a boy staying over. I was so worried."
Jennie's expression remained unchanged as she looked at her mother.
"Then where did the hickeys come from?",
Jennie's father asked suspiciously.
Realization spread across Lisa's face as she slowly looked back and forth between Jennie and her parents. Jennie wasn't sure whether Lisa was hurt or relieved. Maybe both.
Whatever the case, Jennie didn't want to have this conversation without giving Lisa a chance to decide.
She gave Lisa a meaningful look and slowly reached for her hand.
Lisa widened her eyes, stared at her hands, then at the two businesspeople at the table.
She hesitated, then nodded slowly but firmly.
Agreement.
Jennie was relieved, it was a perfect opportunity for her to come out.
Besides, she was pretty annoyed with the way her parents were behaving anyway. At last they were giving her some attention, but then for something like this? Because they distrusted their daughter, who usually left them alone for weeks and -
Let's get this over with.
Jennie intertwined her hand with Lisa's and pulled her closer to the table.
Lisa couldn't manage to look the two older Kims in the eye.
Jennie squeezed her hand encouragingly.
"The hickey was her. Eomma, Appa, this is Lisa, my girlfriend.",
she explained proudly, even though her heart was beating up to her throat. She was really nervous, and thinking back to Lisa's experience didn't make it any easier.
Mrs. Kim blinked, overwhelmed.
"Is this a joke?"
Jennie shook her head and kissed Lisa's cheek in front of her parents. She kept stroking the back of Lisa's hand with her thumb, hoping Lisa could focus on it and her brain wouldn't explode. Her own, not Lisa's. Maybe Lisa's too, but mostly her own.
While Jennie's mother looked completely overwhelmed, Jennie's father was surprised, but dealt with it surprisingly quickly. He cleared his throat.
"At least we don't have to worry about you getting pregnant.",
he stated dryly.
Lisa sighed with relief. That didn't sound too bad! Jennie's father seemed to be tolerant.
Only her mother still looked very overwhelmed.
"You like women?",
she asked.
Jennie simply nodded and squeezed Lisa's hand tighter. They were both still nervous.
"... What about grandchildren then?",
Jennie's mother asked slowly.
Jennie sighed softly. Why was it always about children? A minute ago she wasn't supposed to be pregnant, now suddenly she was?
"Artificial insemination is incredibly easy these days, Eomma. Or we could adopt."
Lisa almost choked, and Jennie also began to blush violently.
Her mother looked back and forth between them in shock.
"This is just a phase, isn't it?"
Jennie clenched her teeth fiercely and wanted to respond something heaty, but Lisa squeezed her hand.
"At least give her a few hours to think about it. If she's still intolerant, you can still be angry.",
she whispered gently.
Jennie swallowed and nodded. She looked at her watch and nodded again. Nine o'clock. Far too early, but...
"We're leaving.",
Jennie decided, loud enough for her parents to hear, and eyed Lisa's outfit.
She wore Jennie's too-short sweatpants, a dark shirt that looked suspiciously like Lisa wasn't wearing a bra underneath, and her hair was all tousled like she had just fallen out of bed.
Jennie was sure she didn't look any better herself. But she didn't care.
She kissed Lisa gently on the lips.
Once because it calmed her, but also because she enjoyed the shocked, high-pitched sound from her mother a little too much.
"Let's just leave already." ,
she repeated.
Lisa looked at her for a long time, then nodded.
"I'm hungry.",
she whispered back. Jennie giggled.
"I'll think of something, okay? If in doubt, we'll buy something, but I won't let you starve, Darling."
"Jennie! You're not going anywhere!",
her mother said, but didn't sound particularly convinced herself. The uncertainty about this situation was clearly audible in her voice. Jennie turned to her.
"We had to go to school anyway, now we'll just leave early. Don't expect me back for the next few hours, I'll write to you if I don't come home tonight. Then you can think about your reaction in peace. You better not let Jimin cook now. Give her at least another half hour, she's busy. If you're hungry, maybe order something. Or take some leftovers from yesterday, there's still something in the fridge. Jimin cooked it before you complain again."
With those words, Jennie put on her shoes and was ready to go out the door, but she looked back one last time before fleeing.
Her father looked thoughtful but relaxed. Her mother looked completely overwhelmed, and a little hurt.
Jennie averted her eyes.
"I love you.",
she whispered silently before running out of the door with Lisa.
Lisa looked at her in silence, then brushed a tear from her cheek.
"I'm sorry.",
she whispered, her shoes still in her left hand.
Jennie shook her head and pressed against her.
"What are you apologizing for, idiot.",
she mumbled and smiled weakly.
Lisa played gently with strands of Jennie's hair.
"For you having to go through what I did. I-"
"Lili."
Jennie silenced her with a kiss.
"You don't have to worry, do you? I'm just trying to distract myself and we really need to get ready. I'm not going to school like this!"
"Uhh- how are we going to get ready?"
Jennie pulled her phone out of her pocket and wrote a message, then grinned at Lisa.
"Have you been to Jisoo's before?"
Before Lisa could answer, she called a cab.
A/N
I was a little sick last week, but here is this weeks chapter. Hope you enjoy.