Hitting Punchy with a dull flump, Rosé immediately withdrew her arm, her knuckles stinging.
"It might hurt," Lisa said next to her. " Punchy's made of tough stuff. I can always get you some protective tape—"
"You don't wear any," Rosé observed.
Lisa gave a chuckle and showed her scabbed knuckles. "I'm desensitised now, been doing this for years, Rosie. You still got some time to get to that level. It's perfectly okay to wear protection—"
"No," Rosé said stubbornly, "I'm fine, I'm okay."
Lisa held up her hands in surrender and stepped back. "Okay, remember the first point of contact has to be the first two knuckles, then follow through with the wrist."
I can do that, Rosé thought as she squared up to the punching bag.
She raised her fists, half-curious about the whole aspect of punching the sack. Wouldn't it get boring doing the same thing over and over?
Would it feel the same way as punching a person?
Unbidden, the question surfaced in her mind and she drew a sharp breath. No, this was different, this had to be different, right?
Fat lot of good would it do to be different, jeered the voice in her head, it's still punching, isn't it? It's still what he did and look where that got him—
"Shut up shut up," Rosé muttered as she swung her fist, knuckles thudding and bashing the punching bag violently as she punched in rapid frenzy to silence the voice. Punchy swung crazily from the aggressive force of impact. Rosé's jaw clenched tight as she ignored the pain in her knuckles while the voice laughed and laughed along with the infuriating snickers taunting her.
She punched frantically, her fist connecting with fabric repeatedly as she sought to drown out the awful memories.
Maybe you'll end up like him, the voice suggested, how about that? Would you like to follow in his footsteps Roseanne? The rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree you know.
"Shut up!" Rosé gasped as she threw another wild punch. She miscalculated the timing and her lunge went wide, completely missing the swinging punching bag. She ended up tottering and falling forward, hitting the mat with a jolt. She gasped and heaved in lungfuls of air but the voice in her head had finally fallen silent.
She had all but forgotten Lisa was next to her until the boxer stepped up and wordlessly held out her hand to pull her up. Rosé accepted, biting her lip foolishly as she climbed to her feet. She avoided Lisa's gaze, embarrassed by her aggressive show.
"Lis, I can explain—"
But Lisa held up her hand. "There's nothing to explain," she said softly, "personal issues are personal issues. I would understand if boxing brought out...some of those issues to the surface."
Rosé bowed her head in shame. "I...I can't stand aggression, yet I got caught up in it too, in the heat of the moment..."
"Punching always feels good to relieve stress or anger," Lisa nodded. She still hadn't let go of Rosé's hand. The red-head found herself wishing Lisa didn't let go so soon.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Rosé said quietly. "What if boxing encourages those violent tendencies? What if it nourishes that urge and impulsion to hit and lash out?"
Lisa shook her head. "On the contrary, boxing helps with that. Like I mentioned, it teaches you to redirect your anger into perfecting the punching technique and working out to rein in your anger. You can't punch properly if you just punch out of anger. Boxing requires a level of concentration which you can't achieve if your mind is clouded with anger."
Lisa tapped her foot, tilting her head at Rosé with an understanding smile gracing her face. "Personally, I had some...anger management issues in the past. But Hwangssabu helped me master it with boxing. We...well, let's say we couldn't afford therapy, so it was really lucky that I had boxing to help."
"Hwangssabu...the owner?"
"Jennie and I's old trainer." Lisa paused, face sombre. "He was like a father to both of us."
A strange expression crossed Lisa's face just then which intrigued Rosé, moreover with how Lisa kept referring to him in the past tense.
"He's not around anymore," Lisa said quietly, noticing Rosé's quizzical expression. "He passed away in...unfortunate circumstances."
"Oh...I'm sorry. I didn't know..."
"Don't sweat about it," Lisa smiled, "I ain't gonna break down just because we mention him you know? No need to walk on tiptoes around me."
Rosé wanted to ask more because this Hwangssabu guy seemed to be an important piece of the puzzle that made up Lisa. She filed the information away for later, resolving to ask more once they had perhaps gotten a little closer. It was still much too early to unpack their backgrounds and Rosé was definitely not ready to divulge much about hers.
Lisa tapped Rosé's hand. "Rosie, starting out strongly and aggressively can only hurt you in the long run." She rubbed her thumb over the sore red knuckles in emphasis, making Rosé hiss and Lisa immediately dropped her hand as though it were a hot pan.
"Sorry," Lisa said quickly before turning to halt the swinging punching bag and bring it back to a standstill.
Rosé wondered why she felt disappointment welling up in her gut at the loss of Lisa's hand—the blonde's touch felt strangely soothing.
"Hwangssabu used to tell me that the ideal focal point for your optimal state of mind should be to find the point between rage and serenity," Lisa said now as they stood in front of Punchy again. "That's the place your mind has to be to have full control over your emotions and in turn, your actions."
Rosé stared at her, mouth dropping open. "Did you just quote Professor X at me?"
Lisa tilted her head curiously. "Uh...no? It's what Hwangssabu used to say. Who's Professor X?"
"You mean you don't know who Professor Charles Xavier is?" Rosé squealed. "You don't know X-men?"
Lisa scrunched her brows. "I do know some Disney that Somi showed me," she said slowly but Rosé shook her head violently.
"X-men is a comic series. So you don't know about the mutants and their awesome super powers? Wolverine and Magneto and Emma Frost and Jean Grey and Kitty Pryde and...?"
Lisa shook her head. "You're talking gibberish to me."
"You gotta get into them, they're really cool! My favourite mutants gotta be X-23, she's a clone of Wolverine and Blink, she can create dimension-warping portals, I like her best in The Gifted and she's played by my TV mom Jamie Cheung. She's had such a traumatic past....not like X-23 hasn't but yeah both of them had their hard times. But then my favourite movie is X-men: First Class. I may or may not have had a small crush on Michael Fassbender in that movie even though he eventually turned out to be the bad guy. And oh there's so many mutants really I hardly know where to begin it's one sprawling universe and they're all basically fan fictions of each other according to the era of the writers that take over which so frustrating but also incredible at the same time. Oh I'm just remembering, another favourite mutant has to be Wolverine because well, Hugh Jackman plays him before Wolverine died, and Jackman's an Aussie and well, an Aussie gotta stick up for your pals, you know?" Rosé gushed before catching herself, gnawing on her lip.
"Ah, sorry, that was a bit...geeky of me," she blushed. "It's...it's been a while since I kept up with them...got carried away...."
Lisa shook her head. "It's cute," she grinned, "I never pegged you for the geek type though. Also, Aussie huh? That explains your English I heard over the phone the other day...makes sense, I did think your Korean accent sounded a little bit like a foreigner's..."
"There's a lot you don't know about me," Rosé quipped playfully. "And there's a lot I don't know about you."
"Well then, I hope we'll have the opportunity to find out more," Lisa said, "maybe we can get to know each other better..."
Rosé merely smiled and winked. "Come on Professor X, show me how to find the optimal point of focus then."
"Was this Professor X guy like some kung-fu fighter?"
"Nope: he was confined to a wheelchair..."
>
"Your sister and Rosé hit off pretty well, you know? I'm impressed," Jisoo remarked, avidly watching the two younger girls from afar as she dug into her sports bag and pulled out a handful of chips.
She munched and crunched noisily, eyes glued to the pair as if she were watching the most fascinating documentary on TV. She had barely finished her mouthful before she was sticking her chip-dusted fingers inside the nachos bag and pulling out another handful.
"Why impressed?" Jennie said, looking unimpressed.
"See that?" Jisoo pointed at Lisa and Rosé chuckling about something while Lisa held Rosé's hand, "our Roseanne doesn't just let anyone hold her hand and look at them like the light is shining out of them. Very interesting indeed."
"I don't see anything," Jennie shrugged and turned back to Ella.
"Clearly. It can be hard to notice little things like that if you don't go around randomly shipping people together like I do," Jisoo said casually, "like when you read books? Or movies? Don't you say 'oh this couple, I like'. Or 'this couple is a no-no'. Hmm, don't you do that?"
"I can see why Somi likes you, she enjoys shipping people in real life too," Jennie said drily over her shoulder then turned to the Ella. "Okay sweetie, you're doing amazing with the pads, feel up for another round?"
"Yes please!" Ella nodded vigorously, her eyes shining. "I wanna do Kung Fu. Hi-yah!"
Jennie chuckled. "Slow down El, I'm afraid you have to find a Kung fu master for that, I only go as far as punching."
"A master like Po the Panda!" Ella nodded vigorously. "He's the Dragon Warrior!"
"And you'll need your mother's permission for sure," Jisoo added helpfully. She blinked at Jennie's pursed lips. "What? It's true!"
Jennie rolled her eyes and crouched back to face the eight year-old bouncing on the balls of her feet with energy. It brought a smile back to Jennie's face as she focused on the enthusiastic girl.
"We're gonna dial up the difficulty level now. Every punch I'm gonna swipe at your head, like so, to keep you constantly thinking and moving okay?"
"Aye Aye!"
Unbeknown to the brunette trainer, Jisoo was watching their interactions with a fond gaze. She unconsciously smiled whenever Jennie chuckled or praised Ella or stopped to correct and explain a move. Something about Jennie's voice as she explained the moves had Jisoo feeling warm by the full attention she was giving Rosé's daughter, when most people would only try to humour a kid half-heartedly.
She hastily turned her face away whenever Jennie glanced in her direction, feeling an inexplicable guilty tug at her heart each time, like it was her conscience being guilty for sneaking looks.
Jisoo couldn't help herself—Jennie was very pretty even without make up. Sure, her lips could do with some lip balm—they looked chapped, and her hair could do with a little more extra attention, as did her skin, but all Jisoo saw was a raw, natural beauty. Make-up would only accentuate Jennie's features and make her a flawless goddess, Jisoo could just picture it.
Those intense eyes for starters, were beautiful enough as they were, naked and elegantly feline—Jisoo had to thank whatever god sculpted those eyes because they did a heck of a good job. Now pair those eyes with eyeliner and mascara and Jennie would be deadly. The girl didn't even to seem to be aware of her own appearance's potential which only intrigued Jisoo more—all the women she knew wore layers of foundation (she had to admit to being guilty on certain counts as well) and while yes they looked pretty, they also looked rather fake too.
Additionally, Jennie was sharp and she had a fit body (which Jisoo was totally ignoring) but she also seemed to be like the practical, hard-working, passionate type aside from being a patient teacher and a sister that Lisa seemed to look up to a lot.
There was also that particular detail about them not being well-off, to put it kindly. The overall shabby state of the gym and the dearth of equipment explained it all, although Jisoo wasn't put off in the least. The place was spic and span, if rather stuffy (she had spotted the AC and assumed it was out of order, it looked rusted in places) but from the fond way Somi spoke about the Vault, it was obvious this place meant everything to the sisters,and they ran it to the best of their abilities.
Jisoo's curiosity had grown to the point that she wanted to check out the place and meet this Jennie Kim that asked to switch places with Jisoo. It was obviously a joke the way Somi framed it, but if anything, it made Jisoo more intrigued to find out just who was this girl that spoke so boldly.
"Hey! Hey Kim! HEY!"
Jisoo blinked to find Jennie peevishly waving a hand in front of her eyes.
"I'm leaving. Rosé wanted to ask if you're gonna be staying here with Lisa? Cos' she's heading back too," Jennie said.
She nodded in Rosé's direction who seemed to have already showered and had changed into a new clean pair of sweats. The Pilates instructor was exchanging words with Lisa as she held Ella's hand; Lisa was nodding and chuckling before crouching down to pat Ella on the head and fist bumping the girl.
"Jisoo!" Jennie called exasperatedly.
Jisoo roused herself quickly. "Uh yeah yeah, I'll be leaving soon, uhm, I'll just pack up, yeah..." she said absently. She figured she didn't even need to wash—the most exercise she had gotten was lifting chips out of the jumbo bag hidden in her sports bag.
"I'll be heading off then. Thanks for dropping by," Jennie informed briskly and she strode away into the bathrooms.
Jisoo gave herself a little shake. Just how long had she been sitting there, staring gormless into space? Gawd, was there drool on her chin too?
"No there isn't unnie," Rosé replied as she and Lisa and Ella walked up. She laughed when Jisoo's eyes widened. "Yeah, you said it aloud. Are you coming along or should I catch the bus? It's okay if you want to hang with Lisa but I want to get back and cook and have an early night, tomorrow it's school for Ella."
"You won't have much trouble, she'll go out like a light," Lisa winked, "battery flat. I guarantee she'll fall asleep in the car."
"You two seemed to have hit off," Jisoo said suddenly, "why don't you invite her back to your place Rosé? Or even mine Lis, do you wanna? It's only me and Dalgomie there."
She ignored the sympathy in Rosé's eyes and waited eagerly for Lisa's response.
"Ahh...maybe another time, unnie?" Lisa said, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the offer a lot, more than you know in fact! But...I just really need to be working out right now. Can't let Jennie's sacrif—I mean, her work go to waste."
"You said you'll cut back and ease up," Rosé said anxiously.
"Mommy, can we go now?" Ella piped up. Her eyes were heavily-lidded and she kept yawning. "I'm bored."
"Soon sweetie, in a bit," Rosé assured, stroking her head before looking back up at the blonde. "Lisa..."
"I promise I will Rosie, but I gotta just get through these last few days. Then after I get my place in the qualifiers, I have all the time in the world to take it easy. I'll cut back, you'll see."
"That's what people all say, and then they just push themselves hard as usual. After the Qualifiers, won't you have to train to stay in shape to prepare for the rest of the tournament?" Rosé chewed on her lip incessantly. Jisoo tapped her hand to remind her to stop.
"I'll cut back. I'll go out more and I'll do my pilates. I'll be super mega relaxed, but fit," Lisa said confidently, "trust me on this one Rosie. I got a good feeling for this year."
"But—"
"Moooooooommmmmmmy, I wanna gooooooo," Ella whined and tugged on Rosé's hand more insistently. Rosé sighed before slinging her bag over her shoulder and crouching down level with her daughter.
"Just a little while longer baby, please? Mommy's going to be done real soon. Just a little more, you've been such a good girl..."
"We can talk another time, Rosie, go. The kid's cranky and tired," Lisa said softly. "But what I said still stands."
Rosé pursed her lip one more time before nodding. "Okay, see you at our next session."
"Sure thing!"
Rosé turned to Jisoo. "I'll be waiting in the car okay, unnie?"
"Yeah yeah go ahead..."
Rosé nodded and turned away before glancing back over her shoulder. "You can always drop by my place, you know?"
Jisoo didn't say anything and Rosé disappeared out of the vault with Ella.
"I really can't make it today Jisoo unnie," Lisa said, rubbing the nape of her neck. "I know Rosie said I should relax ad hang out with pals and I will, I promise, but just...things are a little tight—"
"Hey, chill," Jisoo chuckled, "it was just an invite. We only met like what, two times now? I just thought it would be a good way to get to know more about each other but hey, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future, I'm sure of it. Don't worry, Lis. And thanks for having us."
Lisa's face brightened. "Sure thing! And I should be the one thanking you guys, you saved me from boredom. And from my sister," she added in a covert whisper.
Jisoo frowned. "What about Jennie?"
"Oooooohhh first name basis, are we?" Lisa wiggled her eyebrows. "You never told me you like girls too, unnie."
"Well, it's not something you just blare out the first time you bump into someone, is it now?" Jisoo winked.
"I guess not," Lisa giggled. "But anyway, gotta warn you, my sister's straight. And she's strict with me I can't slack off—"
"Which is exactly what you're doing right now," came Jennie's unamused voice from behind her.
"Welp laters!" Lisa mock-whispered before running back to the kettlebell station and started lifting weights.
Jisoo laughed as Jennie shook her head with a small smile playing about her lip, which immediately vanished when she took in Jisoo still standing in the middle of the Vault.
"I...thought you were leaving?" Jennie frowned.
"Yep," Jisoo nodded, "but you're heading to your workplace soooo....I was wondering if you wanna catch a ride maybe? Rosé's with me, in case you're scared I'll abduct you."
"Like aliens do!" Lisa called.
"Aliens don't use cars, dummy," Jisoo retorted.
"How would you know? Maybe there are people who are aliens living amongst us and we wouldn't even know!"
"Well, you know, maybe you have point there" Jisoo mused as she stroked an imaginary goatee, "there's always strange disappearances..."
"Yeah I mean who's to know right? And what about unicorns, maybe they're like hiding in—"
"Please stop," Jennie said tiredly, "I'll take up on your offer ...just this once. No funny business okay? I...just want to get to work."
Jisoo's smile widened and she nodded eagerly. "Great! Let me take your bag for you then..."
"I'm good." Jennie gave a tiny yawn. "You know what, lemme go grab an energy drink real quick, be right back."
Jisoo watched the younger girl disappear to the back of the gym, frowning slightly.
"How long's her shift?" she asked Lisa. "She already looks tired, I hope it's not too long...."
"Look at you, all concerned," Lisa teased, "I'm aware my sister's attractive but hey, she got you whipped on the first day—"
"Isn't it normal to be concerned? She's working double jobs and long hours to try and make money for you, Lisa." Jisoo's stern voice had Lisa's mouth dropping in surprise before she recovered.
"Uh, yeah, yeah...I know that...but...she can handle herself, she's told me a lot of times..."
"When does her shift end?" Jisoo asked again.
Lisa paused with her weightlifting. "Like...hmmm, tonight I think she's working a longer shift."
"You think? You don't know? How will you pick her up?" Jisoo said in bemusement.
"Oh I don't. She walks back," Lisa replied nonchalantly.
Jisoo's eyes bulged in her head. "What?"
"I think she will finish like....three am? Three thirty-ish?" Lisa went on thoughtfully.
"She finishes at three-thirty in the morning," Jisoo said slowly, "and she walks back home...in the dark...all by herself?"
Lisa scuffed her toes. "It sounds bad when you say it like that but I assure you, she can more than handle herself and she's got her phone, and this neighbourhood's quiet and—"
She fell silent at Jisoo's uncharacteristically hard expression, a face Lisa had no idea the older girl could pull off for all her goofy antics. She lowered her eyes to avoid the accusatory gaze.
"What about you, what would you be doing at that time?"
"Uhm...sleeping?" Lisa said sheepishly, without looking up. "I do wait up for her when she comes around at one, usually," she added. "And I did ask to go wait for her but she won't let me...."
Jisoo's light exhale had Lisa glancing up hesitantly to see Jennie walking back into the Vault.
"Everything okay?" Jennie asked. She raised an eyebrow at the two girls standing awkwardly next to each other.
"Peachy," Jisoo and Lisa chorused.
Jennie nodded slowly. "Okay... Lis, make sure to lock up okay? I found a noodle pot, it's still not expired yet. You can have it if you want."
Lisa gave a thumbs-up. "You're the best. Say hi to the gals for me."
>
It wasn't her business.
She was 200% sure of that. It wasn't her business. For heaven's sake, they only just met!
She tossed and turned, unable to get rid of the image of a petite brunette hobbling along a dark street and then out of a shadowy alley, a skeletal hand emerged and snatched her into the shadows, dragging her away before she could scream. And nobody would know, nobody would come to her rescue, nobody would hear her cries for help—
Jisoo sat up and turned on the nightlight next to her bed. She sighed in its soft glow, running a hand through tousled hair.
The alarm clock read 03:00.
Her white maltese dog raised his head then climbed out of his box and immediately padded over to his mistress who leaned over the edge and lifted him up on her lap.
"I don't know Dalgom," Jisoo sighed as she stroked his back absently. "I can't stop...well, thinking? I'm just...sure, she may know how to throw a punch. But what if she's overpowered? No matter what, she's still a girl walking all alone, out there..."
Jisoo scrunched her brow, watching the numbers flip on the digital clock.
03:05.
She sighed again, toes curling as she wrestled with her conscience.
On the one hand, it wasn't her business. Jennie made it clear she wasn't comfortable around Jisoo; but the latter didn't take it personally. She was aware her personality made people uneasy because she always started out too strong and familiar. Lisa was the first girl in a while that hadn't been fazed by her brash introduction. The memory made Jisoo smile and warmth bloomed across her cheeks.
Focus.
On the other hand, Jisoo couldn't sleep thinking about Jennie walking back home at such a godforsaken hour. She had driven her there without speaking a word and Jennie didn't say anything either. Rosé and Ella were both passed out in the back seat. Jennie politely thanked Jisoo upon arriving and disappeared into the establishment. The route wasn't that long, but it wasn't merely one block away either.
Why would a diner be open for so long anyway?
Jisoo's mind was relentless, the cogs and gears turning and grinding without rest.
Maybe there was a reason Jennie wanted to walk home unaccompanied by her sister. Maybe she was meeting someone. Was it really Jisoo's business to know?
Why should she care anyway? To be brutally frank, Jennie didn't even like her.
Yet, Jennie's face was stamped in her head, coupled with her low voice that just wouldn't quieten down. Instead, her voice kept replaying snatches of their conversations and replaying snapshots of Jennie teaching Ella. Jennie looked good with Ella, smiling with bright eyes.
Jennie, Jennie, Jennie.
Jisoo roused herself and glanced at the clock one more time before making her decision.
>
"Three broken glasses it is, pay up," Jeongyeon yawned as the male waiter propelled their last slurring and swearing customer through the door. Joy was industriously mopping the floor as Jennie swept away the broken glass.
"You know, I'm starting to wonder if you're a psychic," Joy sighed as she fished in her pocket and dropped a few quarters into Jeongyeon's waiting hand. "Keep the change, ya filthy animal," she added, mimicking the guy from the Home Alone movie in a pitifully comic snarl.
They chuckled at her awful impersonation with Jeongyeon playfully swatting her arm. "Hey, you agreed to the bet in the first place missy. Jennie, she's smart, she knows I always win, so she doesn't play."
"You're the night manager, of course you'd know the average glass that breaks over the course of one night," Jennie nodded, "isn't it always the same people, the regulars?"
"See?" Jeongyeon said to Joy and tapped her temple, "smart."
"Lay off, she works nights just like you, you're only picking on me because I'm still the newbie," Joy laughed.
"Too right," Jeongyeon smirked.
"Hey ladies, any one of you got a ride to catch?" said the waiter guy as he took off his barista apron. He was a giant—standing next to him Jennie felt as tiny as an ant.
"Lucas honey, I thought I told you already, we're all gay here," Jeongyeon rolled her eyes.
"We're so gay, Matt should re-name this place The Gay Bar!" Joy declared on sudden inspiration.
"But boss—" Lucas tried again.
"Not the most subtle of names considering we're in Korea, nor the most creative, but thank you Joy, yes, that's my point. You're wasting your breath Luc."
"Well to be honest, there's Jennie but I don't suppose she's into dating younger guys?" Joy mused.
"Boss I didn't—"
"Nor giant-sized either, to be honest," Jennie said solemnly. She arched an eyebrow. "And I'm talking in both departments."
The girls burst into peals of laughter as she tilted her head up with an apologetic face. "Sorry Lucas."
"Boss, I was just saying, there's a girl out there, waiting next to a car. Maybe somebody came to pick you up?"
Jeongyeon and Joy stopped laughing abruptly, eyes widening with interest.
"Ooohhh a girl!" they chorused. Joy was the first to scramble to the window, abandoning her mop in the process.
"Why didn't you say so?"
"Is she hot?"
"What is she driving? Maserati? BMW? Kia? So cool!"
"Maybe she's that guy's wife, should we make her pay for the glasses—"
"Move over, lemme have a look at her!"
"Get back to mopping I can see a huge stain right there!"
"Just one peek!"
"Dang, you see boobs and you lose control! Whatever will Yeri say?"
"That's rich coming from you, look who's all hot under the collar! I should tell Nayeon!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Watch me! Now outta my way, where's the hot chick?"
"Sheesh, you got Yeri!"
"Well dayum, you got Nayeon!"
As Joy and Jeongyeon bickered at the window, Jennie quietly mopped up the rest of the spillage as Lucas helped her sweep the remaining broken glass pieces into the dustpan.
"Thanks, I guess I'll be heading off cos' they seem a little preoccupied," Jennie told him as she failed to stifle a yawn. Lucas nodded good-naturedly and waved.
"Don't worry, I got this."
He was one of the younger employees that Matthew had recruited recently, mostly working night shifts since he was a university student. Most of the guys worked night shifts because the diner at night transitioned to a bar and stayed open until around three-thirty am. Matt wanted the guys as precautionary security, in case things got rowdy. Jennie was glad Matt had improved the security after Yeri's harassment incident that nearly cost Lisa jail time.
She bid her co-workers goodbye (Jeongyeon and Joy were still bickering) and sauntered out into the night, breathing in the rather chilly air. It was still early spring after all.
As usual, she shoved her hands into her pockets, keeping a good grip on her phone before stepping out on the sidewalk to start on her journey home.
"Hey, hey Jen! Jennie!"
Jennie stopped and raised her eyes, her mouth falling slack.
Leaning back against a familiar sleek, jet-black SUV was Jisoo, waiting with arms folded.
Vaguely, Jennie saw shadows flit across the diner's windows and guessed it was the girls watching them. She took a deep breath, trying to still her palpitating heart which was still trying to catch up after the shock of hearing Kim Jisoo calling her name out of nowhere.
"What are you doing here?"
Jisoo tilted her head, her eyes glittering beneath the streetlight. "What does it look like? Hop in and let's get you home."
Jennie stood frozen and blinking and her mind momentarily blanked.
"A-are you serious?" she croaked out. Jisoo's smile dropped.
"Why?" she questioned, a frown marring her porcelain features.
Jennie shook her head in disbelief. "Why would you....I mean, you....why...how..."
"Why would I even go to all the trouble of picking up a girl I only just met a few hours ago at this time of the morning?" Jisoo asked calmly. She spread her arms. "Simple: the girl code."
She raised an eyebrow when Jennie didn't react. "You know, decorum and respect and being civil. Girls looking out for girls."
This time it was Jennie's turn to raise a sceptical eyebrow. "Uh-huh."
"Look," Jisoo sighed, "I know you're suspicious of me. That's okay. But my conscience couldn't stomach you walking all the way back to your place, in the dark, all by yourself. That's dangerous Jennie, you can never be too cocky and expect it will be fine, even if you've been doing it for years."
"Who told you I walk back?" Jennie asked. She suddenly sighed. "Lisa, wasn't it? Was she the one who told you to pick me up too"
"I asked," Jisoo said, surprising her, "and no. I came of my own volition."
She straightened and opened the car door. Seeing Jennie still not responding or showing any sign of following, Jisoo gestured to the interior.
"Straight back home. I promise. On my honour."
Jennie watched her doubtfully before giving a shake of her head. "Fine, on one condition: if you make just one move on me, you're dead meat."
Jisoo nodded giddily, thrilled to the point of almost breaking out in victory dance.
"Good enough for me, let's go Jendeuk!"
"And don't call me Jendeuk."
"Let's go Jen!" Jisoo amended, giggling under her breath when Jennie sighed.
>
They had been driving with faint strains of music from the car radio filling the otherwise silent atmosphere between them.
True to her word, Jisoo never attempted any move on Jennie, who on her part sat on the furthest edge of her seat as much as possible, scooting up against the car door. Jisoo's heart gave a twinge of hurt at Jennie's lack of trust but she didn't comment about it.
They drove in silence and Jisoo thought the other girl had fallen asleep.
"You're a yoga teacher, right?" Jennie asked suddenly.
Jisoo lowered the radio's volume. "That's right. I have my studio back at my apartment, like Rosé has her pilates studio at her own apartment."
Several minutes passed as Jennie drummed a soft rhythm with her fingers on the car seat.
"For a yoga teacher, I thought you'd like to exercise more..."
Jisoo waited, eyes on the road.
"Earlier you just....sat and ate nachos," Jennie said slowly.
"That's yoga," Jisoo replied. She suppressed the smile creeping on her face as she watched Jennie's face whip around sharply from her peripheral vision.
"I'm pretty sure that's not..."
"I have my way of doing yoga— the Jisoo way," Jisoo replied serenely.
"Uh huh," Jennie was sceptical. "And do your clients follow your teachings, Guru Kim?"
"Guru Kim, I like that," Jisoo said in delight, "and no, I teach people the ordinary type of yoga. For myself, it has to be different and unique. Like myself."
"Mind sharing a few nuggets of wisdom then?" Jennie's voice dripped sarcasm.
Jisoo grinned. "Maybe you could come by some day and I'd show you. It's more understandable if it's, you know...hands-on rather than just explaining."
She was puzzled when Jennie sighed and slumped back in her seat. "What? What did I do?"
"I was trying to make an innocent conversation," Jennie muttered, "but of course you had turn it around and flirt with me."
Jisoo couldn't help snort in amusement. "Oh that's not flirting. That was a simple invite."
"With an innuendo," Jennie said accusingly, "don't play coy with me."
The raven-haired woman chuckled. "Fine, perhaps I could have chosen better words to frame it, however, it is still an invite. Or even if you'd like ordinary yoga, I could do that. But it's not half as much fun as Jisoo Yoga. I recommend Jisoo Yoga more than anything. And here's the big deal about it," she whispered as she drew up in front of the Vault entrance. "You're one of the select few that know about Jisoo Yoga. I would even say, the first to know."
"Aren't I special," Jennie said dismissively as she opened the door and alighted. "Goodnight Kim Jisoo, and thank you."
Jisoo raised her hands. "See? Came here in one piece, wasn't so bad was it—"
The door slammed in her face but unperturbed, Jisoo lowered the window pane and called out to Jennie's departing back.
"Tomorrow same time then? I'll wait for you!"
Jennie rounded on her with a glare. "What's wrong with you? Can't you tell when people have had enough? You have to stop being so forward. I...I....I don't like it, we've only just met. Don't you have any notion of boundaries?"
Jisoo bit her bottom lip, realising she had pushed too far. "Oh..."
A brittle silence enveloped them as Jisoo sat dumbly, fiddling with the keys in her hand, mentally berating herself.
What is wrong with you? Why are you like this? This why people leave you! You're such a weirdo! Weirdo weirdo weirdo weirdo—
"Hey!"
Jisoo blinked and raised her face, disconcerted to find Jennie up close against the car door. She was watching Jisoo intently, her expression softening.
"I...I'm sorry. That wasn't nice of me back there, I just snapped."
"It's, it's okay. You're probably tired and I was keeping you..."
"Still, not cool of me when you just gave me a ride in the middle of the night just because you were worried about me..." Jennie chewed on her lip as she cast about her, seemingly searching for words. "It's just....this is all new for me, you know? To be picked up like that so unexpectedly by an almost stranger, and you're different than most people I met, I'm still trying to understand you. And then you kinda flirted with me too, which was a bit uncomfortable and now you want to keep chasing after me—"
"Wait," Jisoo said, "wait. Who said anything about chasing you?"
"Why else do you want to come pick me at three in the morning for me?" Jennie said wearily. When she moved her head, shadows splashed across her face but Jisoo still glimpsed the bags under her eyes.
"I want to come pick you up because it's not safe for a woman to be walking around all by herself in the dark, no matter if she were a Kung Fu black belt. It's preposterous, how can your sister even stay in her bed completely fine with it? I just can't take it, I won't have peace of mind," Jisoo said simply. "So unless you find some other designated driver, or rent a taxi, I will see you tomorrow again." She folded her arms, her expression serious. "I mean it."
Their gazes locked in a mutual stare down; Jennie was the first to break away.
"You're wasting your time, Jisoo. I'm straight," she said softly.
Jisoo shook her head. "I'm not trying to court you, Jen. Can't two girls be friends anymore, even when one's apparently a raging lesbian and the other's a stuffy straight?"
She must have been imagining things, but Jisoo could have sworn she saw the corners of Jennie's mouth quirk upwards.
"I'm not a stuffy straight," Jennie said righteously. "But okay, fine. If you want to, yeah, if it helps you sleep better at night I guess....no harm in that."
Jisoo suppressed the urge to punch the air in delight. "See you then. Good night."
Jennie nodded. "Good night." She was about to turn away when she stopped, glancing back with a thoughtful look on her face in the semi-darkness. "Text me when you get back."
Jisoo almost swallowed her tongue. "Wh-what?"
"Not to talk," Jennie said hastily. "Just a quick I'm home text or something. To make sure you made it back safe. Girl code, you know?" She scuffed her toes. "Actually, forget about it, it's not even—"
"I don't have your number," Jisoo interrupted hurriedly. She was practically vibrating on the spot with excitement.
"Write it down and give me a missed call," Jennie said before she recited her phone number as Jisoo hastily keyed it in and pressed call.
Jennie pressed a button as the phone in her hand buzzed. "Got it. Good night."
"Thanks Jen," Jisoo cheered, "goodnight!"
After Jennie had disappeared inside, Jisoo punched the air and hit the roof over her head which had her shaking her hand out in pain. After she calmed down, she stayed for a few moments beaming down at her phone displaying Jennie's number.
Progress. This was progress.
>
She hummed contentedly as she made her way out of the elevator. She was lost in her thoughts such that she almost didn't notice the figures sprawled next to the elevator door as she walked out of the cabin.
Almost.
"Well well well, if it isn't the resident alien weirdo herself," slurred a scathing voice.
Jisoo paused mid-step and swung around, teeth gritted as a group of girls sitting on the ground tittered. They seemed to be back from a wild night out, with sweaty trails down their faces, tousled hair, smudged lip gloss and more skin on display than Jisoo would have liked to see.
Sure, she liked girls, but not these girls.
Especially not their leader, who had gotten to her feet and was swiftly bearing down on the frozen girl, like a vulture descending on a corpse. Beady, glittering eyes with long eyelashes peered down at Jisoo with a cruel smirk adorning the terribly gorgeous face caked with foundation.
"Kim Jisoo," snickered the girl. She tossed her head, long midnight black hair cascading past her shoulders in perfect glossy waves. Even in her messy after-party state, she looked pretty.
Jisoo swallowed. "Hong Soojoo," she greeted as neutrally as she could.
"Never thought I'd see you out and about at this time," Soojoo grinned, "what were you out doing? Alien hunting?"
The other girls, four of them, snickered and snorted amongst themselves.
"Or unicorn hunting!" piped up another girl Jisoo didn't know but recognised. All five of them lived in the same building but thankfully rarely crossed paths, because thanks to Soojoo, they knew about her unique interests.
"None of your business," Jisoo said firmly. Her lips pursed when the sour smell of alcohol on Soojoo's breath hit her nose. "I'll be going now, goodnight."
"Now now, Soo-ya..."
Soojoo grabbed her by the wrist and swung her around. Her grip was vice-like, her smile crooked. "Where are you running off to, little girl? Scared I'll spill some secrets?"
"Yah tell us more Joo, tell us!" clamoured her malicious group. Jisoo's heart seized in her chest.
"Soojoo, let me go. I'm done with you." She tried to inject confidence back in her voice but it wavered near the end.
Soojoo flashed a row of pearly white teeth. "Oh but I miss playing with you baby girl. Don't you miss me? Don't you miss our little fun times? You were always such a weirdo, even in bed."
Jisoo finally pried the other girl off her as the rest jeered and guffawed as though Soojoo had uttered the world's best joke. She walked away with shoulders hunched as they hurled taunts at her back, deriding her.
"Yah you gonna hump your alien plush toy?
"Or better yet sit on a unicorn horn!"
"I bet she went looking for that!"
"Shame she's such a weirdo, I'd bang her..."
"She's too freaky to even have friends!"
"Yeah, all her friends are aliens probably...."
"That still means she doesn't have any!"
Jisoo closed the door on their mocking voices and rested her forehead against it for a moment, breathing in deeply in the darkness. She gave herself a little shake and switched on the lights, immediately cheering up and crouching to greet Dalgome who scampered out of the bedroom to welcome her back.
"At least I got you buddy," Jisoo said ruefully as she buried her face in his fur.
Growing up a loner, making friends seemed to be a daunting task especially when the first things she usually told people, in her fortright manner, was that she believed unicorns and aliens exist. It was considered endearing while she was still a child, and frowned upon as she grew up.
Jisoo, she was happy in her world of speculation and conspiracy theories, but she quickly learned the real world had no time for such nonsensical drivel.
Being an adult who freely admitted her interest in such things others deemed strange or bizarre had its downsides, like co-workers calling her weirdo behind her back, or spiteful ex-girlfriends like Hong Soojoo that used it as ammunition, just for amusement's sake.
She hadn't really meant to even date the girl—her bratty, snooty, party animal personality was a diametrical opposite to Jisoo. Their brief time of dating went back a good few years, and usually consisted of hasty hook-ups or messy make-out sessions.
Sometimes, Jisoo just wanted to get rid of the empty hole gnawing away in her chest and Soojoo had briefly provided that illusion of comfort to keep loneliness at bay. Jisoo regretted giving in to the delusion of temporary relief—finding friends, as Roseanne told her, would be harder, but worth it, because they would be genuine friends who love you.
"Just be yourself with them unnie," Rosé had encouraged. "If they're genuine, they'll love the real you. And you're pretty lovable, if I do say so myself. People like Soojoo only care to use you for their own needs. I don't like her. You deserve better."
"You're practically family now, you don't count cos' you're biased," Jisoo chuckled before hugging her tightly. "But thanks."
"What's 'practically family' for?" Rosé grinned and hugged her back. "I got your back unnie so just go out there and be the awesome Kim Jisoo I know. You'll find someone suited nust for you, I promise."
Jisoo broke off with Soojoo. Unfortunately, they would still occasionally cross paths in public and Soojoo would take such opportunities to humiliate her ex. Jisoo had ultimately grown a thick skin, something that came in useful considering her own brand of of approaching people in hopes of befriending them....or pouring coffee on them. Thankfully, Roseanne would be there as an intermediary but Jisoo had as yet to find friends in her age-group.
But now, there was hope again. Lisa. Jennie.
After Jisoo settled in bed in her bedclothes, she opened her phone and spent several seconds admiring Jennie's number.
Literally, sitting and admiring Jennie's number and marvelling at its presence in her phone.
Judging by the unexpected turn of events, Jisoo would have never guessed she'd have a girl's number by the end of the day.
Jennie would have probably fallen asleep by now, she had taken too long to reply but Jisoo still typed out a message, which she erased and re-typed then edited and shortened several times until she settled on a simple: Hey, made it back late, sorry. Sleep tight Jen!
Fatigue was quickly catching up. Jisoo set her phone aside and closed her eyes....
Only to snap them wide open and scramble for her phone once she heard the buzzing notification.
Jendeukieeeeee: u2, gudnite jisoo (dont send again just sleep ok)
Jisoo went to sleep with a happy smile pasted on her face and a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest.
Progress. She was making progress.
*********************
tadaaaaaaaaa told you I'd make up for lack of updates last week!
have a 7k whopper ft chaelisa but mostly jensooooo haha
maybe I should have divided the chapter but i didn't feel like chopping it up
apologies for inconsistencies and mistakes...
i need to give it a good clean up after i finish writing it....one day :-P
hope you enjoy! thanks for voting, reading and commenting :D
adios and have a good day/night!