Throughout the entire afternoon, Jennie's emotions can be simply summarised in two words. A rollercoaster. A rollercoaster smashing through anxiousness and uncertainty. Rosé told her the name of the hottie is Kim Jisoo. They are childhood friends and Jisoo is currently studying in London. She is described as a person with a good personality but always acts according to her own will.
Jennie keeps spitting out the name in the bottom of her heart. Jisoo, Jisoo, Jisoo. Why will such a lovely and pure name be applied to such a tough woman? It's an utter mismatch!
The hands of the clock ignore Jennie's pleading and continue to chase after one another in circles. After a suffocating wait, the unbothered hour hand finally crawls its way to the interval '5'. Jennie struggles to get changed into a decent outfit and waves goodbye to Rosé before pushing Corner's door open carefully. The wind is playing a sweet tune with the wind chimes hanging from the door frame. There's no one outside! Not even the silvery white sports car!
Jennie's heart is immediately freed from a thousand tightened ropes as she laughs in relief. Yes! I just escaped from her grasp! Jennie is about to sprint towards the closest motel and hides under her blankets for the rest of the day when she hears the familiar kissing sound between the wheel and the ground coming from behind. Jennie's gummy smile freezes. Within two seconds, the silvery white sports car is parked perfectly next to her.
BMW. M6. Jennie finally sees the logo she wanted to see that day.
The window is rolled down and the most stunning face pops out from the car. A suspicious smirk appears. 'Come in.'
Jennie closes her eyes and prays three times to God. She cheers herself up by telling herself she is going to face her fear anyway so why not end the torture sooner? She takes a deep breath and opens the door.
Her nose is immediately filled with the sweet honey scent when relaxing country music dances in her ears. The environment is surprisingly comfortable but the speech she prepared to beg for forgiveness never succeeds in escaping from her zipped mouth. Meanwhile, the woman she doesn't to look straight in her eyes is sitting directly to her right. Jennie's back is glued to the seat while her muscles are all tensed. Her eyes are fixed to the front and do not even dare to roll.
'Are you sure that's how you dress?' The person next to her finally speaks. She spares Jennie's loose T-shirt, knee-length jeans and her white snickers a questioning look.
'What?' Jennie almost snaps her neck when her head finally turns for the first time. When her eyes settle on on that person, she can't help but be in awe of her visual once again.
Jisoo has already changed her casual outfit into what Jennie learns to be called a night dress from those soap drama. The V opening at the front cannot be any lower. The designer is definitely trying to save her cloth because Jisoo's back is almost completely exposed. Bright purple alongside her mocking expression definitely makes her more unreachable.
Jennie stares at the smooth skin between Jisoo's chest and her neck. Oh my~ Those curves. That luring sexiness is just half a meter away! Jennie doesn't have the energy to question why Jisoo needs to get changed and where on earth are they actually going. She can only feel her usually idea-packed brain turning into a white screen. Her body begins to heat up. The blood in her veins seems to be boiling, writhing in extreme hotness. Suddenly, the heat spreads to her nose and starts trickling downwards. She reaches for her philtrum. Wait. Is it blood?!
What?! Jennie's soul jumps back into her body after noticing the fresh pool of red liquid on her hand. Oh my god! Did I just get a nosebleed because of a woman?! Jennie's cheeks are as red as two ripe apples. Her head hangs low as her eyes are fixed on her toes. She is one step away from imitating an ostrich and starts digging a hole to hide herself from embarrassment. Despite this chaos, Jennie keeps wiping the blood off with the back of her hands helplessly.
'Humph~' The person next to her forces air out of her nose. However, her lips are clearly curving upwards. She hands Jennie a tissue as she looks at Jennie, whose face is growing as red as her blood while battling against gravity to stop the blood from dropping, amusingly.
After Jennie finally manages to take full control over her nose, Jisoo steps onto the accelerator and almost instantly, the car flies forward like an arrow. Jennie grabs onto the handle for her dear life and clearly doesn't have the time to look at Jisoo anymore. Instead, her eyes are on the speedometer. She witnesses how the pointer drops from different angle to zero within seconds every time. She finally understands why no matter Jisoo goes, a screeching car brake sound follows her.
After bearing with this twenty-minute rollercoaster ride, the car finally stops. Jennie almost falls out of the car while trying to ignore the knots in her stomach. Her face is as white as a sheet of paper.
A guy grabs the tips on Jisoo's palm and immediately runs to park her car. Jennie follows Jisoo closely like a child who just misbehaved.
Jennie keeps her head low and chases after Jisoo's heels before being blocked by a wide pair of arms. She looks up, feeling lost, and sees a security guard in a black suit and polished leather shoes. His sharp eyes are scanning over her body. Jennie's eyes follow his and compares herself with those well-dressed ladies and gentlemen behind the windows. Suddenly, her mind clicks and she gasps. She hurriedly walks backwards to get a whole picture of the restaurant.
Shiny. Beautiful. Magnificent.
Jennie feels like crying in front of this castle-like building. I knew it isn't just any meal for compensation! How am I going to afford eating here!
Jennie's brain starts turning like an engine. Countless solutions fly by her eyes. It just took her seconds to choose the best possible plan.
Escape! Run away from here now! Pack my stuff in the motel! Purchase tickets for tonight's train and leaves London as soon as possible!
After repeating the flow of events in her mind, Jennie turns around and pulls up her sleeves. Just before she lifts up her foot to start a full speed marathon, a hand pulls her back to her original spot by her collar.
'Wait wait wait wait wait. Where do you think you are going?' A bell-like voice rings behind her.
Without waiting for her to answer, Jisoo drags her all the way through the doors. Jennie guess Jisoo has persuaded the guards or something because the two handsome men doesn't stop her from entering anymore.
Realising her fate, Jennie gives up fighting against Jisoo's firm grip. She looks like a prisoner walking to the guillotine with her eyes closed and a helpless smile.
The carpet is super soft. The elevator is super fast. The chair is super comfortable. The waiters all look like movie stars. London's night view is stunning. Everyone is wearing suits and gowns. The dishes are super little though. Wow. They taste great anyway.
Jennie is amazed by every single detail until the very last.
The bill is placed on the table. Jisoo lays back on her chair flashes the waiter a wide grin and uses her long, seemingly boneless finger to point at Jennie who is still gazing at her surroundings.
...
The number printed on the receipt literally kicks Jennie from heaven back to hell.
HOW ON EARTH DID WE SPEND 700 THOUSAND WON ON FOOD?!
Jisoo chuckles as she looks at the girl who looks out of place in this luxurious place dropping her head as she fishes out a large pile of folded 10000 won paper notes out of her trousers' pocket. She presses her hand against them to smoothen them and starts counting. Then, she pulls out her credit card in another pocket. She tilts her head and pouts when she calculates once again to ensure she has the exact amount of money.
The waiter must have never encountered such a situation before. He is becoming impatient and glances at Jisoo. Jisoo however, is surprisingly calm as she sips on the remaining red win in her glass.
Jennie finally hands the bill with mountains of paper notes built on it back to the waiter with an apologetic smile. Jisoo marches out of the restaurant and Jennie follows her like a defeated dog. The two of them do not even communicate. The waiter opens the door for them. Jisoo grabs the keys and hops into the car. As if she has never seen Jennie before, she doesn't even say goodbye before driving away.
Left behind in dust, Jennie stands there, dumbfoundedly, watching the distancing car turning into a dot then disappearing from her sight. She lets out a long sigh and starts walking to the motel.
London nights are always wrapped in a bubble of liveliness. Jennie is walking around the city. The lights shining from shops and buildings light up the busy city as brightly as the sun.
Standing on the congested pedestrian road, Jennie looks at the crowd pushing her from left to right. Why does everyone look so happy? Is it really happiness behind their smiles or is it sadness?
Suddenly, a wave of loneliness smashes against Jennie's body. She pulls out her phone and dials the only number she has memorised by heart. The phone got picked up within seconds.
'JENNIE UNNIE!' The female voice on the other side with 100 decibels almost shatters Jennie's eardrum. She pulls the phone a meter away from her ear and turns on the speaker instead. 'Do you still remember me? Why are you never online on Instagram for the past few days? Are you tired? Are you still in London?'
'Lisa yah, I miss you.' A lump comes into Jennie's throat when she hears the familiar voice. She immediately lifts up her head to prevent the watery liquid from escaping her eyes. Lisa is her only friend and the only person she cares about in the world. Every time she hears her voice, she will be attacked by nostalgia.
'Then come back sooner if you miss me! You have been travelling for three years already! Even Korea misses you!' The girl sounds cheerful as usual. 'Hey! Wait! Stop stealing my phone!' Gibberish comes out of the speaker before a male voice emerges.
'Jennie! You have to return sooner! We are getting married! You can not miss out on our wedding!'
Jennie laughs silently. The two of them are still close. This is Lisa's boyfriend, Bam Bam. The two have been together for almost fifteen years. They are the standard childhood sweethearts.
'GTFO! Who said I'm getting married with you?! Give the phone back! Do you know who expensive are these international calls? Don't waste my Jennie unnie's money!'
Listening to the fight from the other side of Earth, Jennie starts chuckling. Even if they are separated, she can feel their happiness. Looking at the energetic yet cold city she is in, weariness starts to pour out of her heart.
Time to change for another city. Without doubt.
After chatting about random stuff for twenty more minutes, Lisa finally agrees to hang up even though she keeps whining when Jennie cuts the line. Jennie's mood is lifted once again and she returns to the carefree positive girl she has always been. She tightens her fists and shouts in Korean, 'I will earn enough money to go to Edinburgh within a week!'
Passerby all turns their head to look at the maniac screaming at the middle of the road. Jennie smiles regardless. No one understands her anyway.
On the other hand, Jisoo finally manages to drive right below the speed limit. Her mind still hasn't moved on from the distracted look on Jennie's face from the rear mirror as she drove away. She starts to feel a bit guilty. Judging from Jennie's face when she searches for money, it really seems like she has given her a hard time. Right when this thought comes up Jisoo's mind, she immediately shakes it out of her head. Humph. She's the one who messed with me in the first place. How can a single girl travelling around the world survive without a ton of money? She no longer feels sorry after reassuring herself. She reaches for the radio and turns up the volume. Her world is instantly filled up with chill country songs.
Her phone which she just flung onto the passenger seat starts ringing again. Jisoo spares a glance at it with her eyebrows furrowed. It's that man again. It doesn't take her a second thought before rejecting the call. Within ten seconds, messages start blasting against the screen. The beeping notifications almost make Jisoo open the window and throws the phone out of the car. Instead, Jisoo keeps driving and deletes all of them without even looking away from the road.
The car comes to a halt at a pub at the city centre. Jisoo enters and turns to a relatively quieter corner. Rosé is already sitting there comfortably, drinking her freshly ordered red wine. She looks at Jisoo dashing towards her and throws herself onto the sofa. Jisoo tosses her phone aside and says to the waiter, 'A glass of whiskey on the rocks. Thank you.'
'Is our princess upset again?' Rosé lifts up her glass and smiles at Jisoo.
Right after the question is raised, the phone on the table starts ringing again. Jisoo's eyebrows immediately tightened once again.
'Chaeyoung~ It's annoying the crap out of me~' Jisoo whines and buries her head in her arms.
'Did you break up with Jonah?' Rosé looks at the handsome Western boy on her screen. She frowns and puts down her glass. 'It hasn't even been a week since you two started dating, am I right?'
'He wanted me to meet his parents after three fucking days!' The whiskey is already placed on the table. Jisoo flips a coin into the waiter's palm before pouring the half a glass into her mouth in attempt to extinguish her anger.
'That shows how serious he treats the relationship.'
'Who asked him to be serious? He is too desperate.' Jisoo switches her position to make herself more comfortable.
Rosé sighs and leans forward. She looks right into Jisoo's eyes and says genuinely, 'Jisoo unnie. Stop fooling around. Find a person and actually stay with him. You are going to suffer sooner or later if this continues.'
Jisoo chuckles and twists the diamond ring on her index finger. 'Chaeyoung yah, have you ever heard this old saying? A person without love can love anyone.'
Rosé sighs. This unnie.
'Stop giving me a lecture every day~ You are always monitoring me. I can't even escape from you when I run all the way to London~' Jisoo shifts towards Rosé and wraps her arms around Rosé's shoulders. She buries her head against Rosé's neck and breathes in.
Puff, Rosé sighs again, perhaps youth is meant to be wasted away.
Rosé's father is Jisoo's grandfather's comrade in war's son. The two families as as close as one big community. Jisoo is older than Rosé by two years but she is born to take care of the only golden child from the Kim family. Rosé does not oppose this duty either, maybe because she is proud to have a sister who is shorter than her dragging her feet after her all day long. The only thing she can't bare with how fast Jisoo switches her boyfriend. As soon as Jisoo is able to distinguish boys from girls, her list of boyfriends never ends. As time passes by, Jisoo grows more and more beautiful. Even if she only breathes, boys will still fall head first for her. She is really a dangerous girl who can stir up a disaster just with her looks.
Rosé readjusts her posture and leans back against the sofa. She swallows what she is about to spill back down her throat. Under the dim wavering light, the girl who is always shining in confidence actually seems tired and defeated.
Who says having boyfriends equals to happiness? How can you warm a heart which never belongs to anyone, or anything?
A tall British man walks towards them and breaks the silence. He is holding a cup of orange juice and smiles decently at them.
'Would you like to have some orange juice with me?'
Jisoo shows him a flirty smile. Her eyes are as tempting as a pair of Hook Sword.
'Of course. I bet you got all the juice here. Just wait for a second.'
Rosé studies the man in front of her. His is glowing with maturity. She knows he fits Jisoo's type exactly and understands it's time for her to leave. She packs her stuff and Jisoo doesn't stop her either. The two of them always have a silent understanding when it is much needed.
Before leaving Rosé suddenly recalls how timid Jennie looked when she was leaving from work.
'Where's Jennie?'
Jisoo shakes her head and laughs, 'Give her some extra wages.'
Rosé sighs in hopelessness and heads toward the exit. The only thing in her mind is how to help Jennie.
Right after she leaves the pub, her phone rings. She looks at her watch. It's exactly ten o'clock.
She smiles warmly and picks up the phone. The sleepy voice from the other end reaches her ear, 'Jagi yah~ Come back as soon as possible~ I've already fell asleep twice and you are still not here when I open my eyes.'
Lover, is probably just a person you feel like you can lean onto for the rest of your life.