The uproarious rattling and shouting of a certain brunette woke Jisoo up from her sleep.
Her eyes snapped open and her body responded right away. She slipped out of the bed and wobbled to the kitchen where she witnessed Jennie standing on a chair while hollering continuously.
In the bedroom that would have been music to her ears but in the kitchen it's just alarming.
"What's wrong!?" She requested to know and surged to the startled women.
"T-There! Over there!" Jennie gestured to the corner, squinting her eyes.
"What about it..!?" Jisoo glanced but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
She also looked around in search of a trace of the little girl but she couldn't see her either (which was a great thing since Jisoo was only wearing a lacy bra and panties).
"Make it go away!" Jennie hopped down and hid behind Jisoo's back.
"What...?" Jisoo turned around and cupped her cheeks. "Make what go away?"
"The monster!" Jennie whined. "It can fly! And when it stays there to make children there will be thousands of them and I will have to sell the apartment and then we won't be neighbours anymore!"
Jisoo listened to her overwhelmed. What is she getting so worked up for? What monster? The raven decided to move forward and inspect the area better.
"Be careful!" Jennie warned. "It's the biggest spider like thing ever!"
Jisoo felt relieved after hearing that. "Spider? Oh just a spider." She chuckled. "I thought it was more seri- OH MY GOD! What the fuck is that!?" Jisoo was a feet away from it. She didn't see it before because it was on the floor.
It was black huge, round, and had wings. Size wise as big if not bigger than Jisoo's hand. She didn't want to find out the exact size.
"Told you!" Jennie screamed fearfully. "It needs to leave my apartment!"
"That's his apartment now!" Jisoo moved backwards and hushed Jennie out of the kitchen. "Scratch that, it's his apartment complex! We all need to move out and leave the country!"
"You two are so loud..." Jisu walked into the panicking elders while rubbing her left eye. "What's going on...?"
"Monster!"
"Run!"
They seemed genuinely scared and it confused Jisu.
"There are no monsters in the kitchen..." Jisu mumbled sleepily and kept moving.
"NO!"
"Come back baby!!"
Jisu sighed once she saw the 'monster'. She retrieved a glass from the table and picked the unmoving insect up.
"Oh my god! Baby come here!" Jennie would have snatched that thing away from her and thrown it away if Jisu didn't lift her hand and signal her to calm down.
"Both of you need coffee." Jisu said nonchalantly and left the kitchen with spider in the glass on her hands.
They watched as the little girl casually opened the window and swirled the glass so the spider would fly out to wherever before she closed the window.
"I'm going back to sleep.." She announced and walked off with half closed eyes.
Jennie and Jisoo were glued on their spot silently. Only the ticking of the clock was heard.
"Are we... cowards?" Jisoo broke the silence and turned her face to Jennie.
"Of course not!" Jennie snorted exaggeratedly and crossed her arms. "We are...." She trailed off. "Cautious? Yeah cautious." She then kept eye contact with Jisoo for another round of silence.
"Anyways," Jisoo cleared her throat. "Soojoo and the guy she met on Tinder invited us for dinner to apologize for getting you dirty last time. Wanna go?"
The brunette hasn't seen this invitation coming. It couldn't harm right? She is a close of friend of Jisoo's and so far Jennie hasn't hit it off with her yet, why not try again.
*****
Soojoo told the two they don't have to add anything to the dinner and she will cook it by herself. Therefore Jennie stopped herself from preparing something or even doing as much as buying an expensive wine.
They sat peacefully at the table decorated with silverware and tasted the creamy parmesan orzo with chicken and asparagus.
She had no idea Soojoo was an excellent cook. When she asked her why she didn't cook like this in the orphanage she responded that the kids prefer it simple.
"Yunhee why are you removing the asparagus?" Soojoo glanced over to her date.
"Sorry. Allergic." He frowned and kept pooling them out with his fork.
"Too bad you can't taste it. It's amazing as it is." Jisoo gushed, her eyes shining in delight as she took another spoonful.
"You think?" Soojoo plopped her elbow on the table and looked at Jisoo.
"Yes! That's like the best chicken ever!" Jisoo hummed.
Jennie raised a brow in the speed of light. Best? It's good admittedly... but the best!?
"Try the sweet potatoes they go well with it." Soojoo lifted a perfectly baked potato from her plate to Jisoo's.
The soft melodies Jisoo produced while eating the food irked Jennie.
She shared a glance with Yunhee who was also bothered at the way the two started talking about the dishes and ingredients, leaving them out without even realizing it.
*****
"That was a nice double date right? And the food!" Jisoo sank into the mattress and gazed at Jennie's back as the other brushed her hair.
"Yeah." Jennie rolled her eyes which Jisoo couldn't see but she heard that little scoff.
"Everything okay?" Jisoo sat up, moving to the edge of the bed and overtaking the task of brushing Jennie's brown curls.
"Perfect. Like the food." Jennie grimaced.
"You are upset." Jisoo parted Jennie's hair and swiped it over one shoulder while she placed a kiss on the other.
"Am not." Jennie pouted. "Can we just sleep and hug?"
"All right." Jisoo said unconvinced but she knew better than to push Jennie when she was clearly annoyed.
*****
The next day Jisoo woke up to an empty bed and the smell of something delicious. She tipped out of the bed and met Jisu in the hallway who peeked into the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" Jisoo tapped her shoulder so she doesn't scare her.
"Mom is acting weird." Jisu stated and turned around. "She has cooked five chickens this morning."
"Five? This early?" Jisoo furrowed her eyebrows. "Is someone coming over?"
Jisu shook her head. "She tasted them, then she went out and gave them to the neighbors."
"No way..." Jisoo gaped. Jennie doesn't really initiate interactions with their neighbors, there was no way she cooked chicken for them. "What does that mean?"
"Not sure but I can tell you one thing," Jisu exclaimed. "My mom stress cooks, stress cleans, basically does all chores and more when angry."
"Noted." Jisoo frowned. She already sensed a bad mood from Jennie yesterday.
Suddenly the door opened loudly on them, making both of them jolt up.
"Hungry?" Jennie questioned, yet she left them no room to answer and dragged them in by their arms. "Yeah thought so, let's eat."
The two of them sat on the chairs slowly. They saw Kuma and Dalgom in the corner of the kitchen like they were afraid to join them.
"So," Jennie called out, having them turn their faces to her as she sharpened a knife. "I made chicken."
They kept quiet. Jisu glanced at Jisoo with a confused look but Jisoo shrugged. She had no idea why Jennie was acting strange either.
"Here." Jennie placed the plates in front of them and sat on a neabry chair to observe them.
"Aren't you going to eat with us....?" Jisoo asked quietly.
"I'm full." Jennie shook her head.
Awkward silence until Jisu lifted a fork and knife and chopped a piece of the chicken leg.
"How is it?" Jennie asked expectantly.
"Great! I mean... different type of breakfast but great!" Jisu tried to cut more but had troubles so Jennie grabbed the cutlery from her and made small bits for her.
"What do you think?" Jennie stared at Jisoo so intensly it made her flinch and spun her body into action.
She quickly stuffed her mouth full.
"It's amazing Jen as always." Jisoo praised.
Jennie waited to see if that was all she had to say before she tsked and stood up.
"I'm going to work, can you drop Julia off at school?"
"With pleasure." Jisoo nodded, watching Jennie's retreating back.
"That was.... weird." Jisu murmured, taking a sip of her apple juice.
"Did I say something wrong?" Jisoo dropped her head on the table. Jennie appeared even more upset after Jisoo opened her mouth.
"Probably." Jisu answered. By now Dalgom and Kuma took small steps towards their bowls to eat.
"What do I do?" Jisoo murmured.
"I don't know, buy her something? She likes shiny things." Jisu advised.
Thus the two of them went to a jeweller after Jisoo picked her up from school. It was hella expensive so they searched for something realistic to buy.
"How about this one?" The little girl pointed to a diamond engagement ring.
"Uh..... maybe in a year or so." Jisoo scratched her neck, feeling all heated up at the thought of giving Jennie a wedding ring.
"How about this then?"
Jisu proceeded dragging Jisoo around and showed her various items. The little girl even took the task upon herself to discuss the quality with the store employees while all Jisoo could do is wait for her to finish and stand in the back. She already felt exhausted from the window shopping.
Due to her tiredness she placed her arms on a glass cabinet. She lowered her head, her eyes were half lidded. That's when an elegant ring caught her attention.
Perfect.
*****
"Dinner anyone? I made chicken." Jennie announced the second they reentered the apartment.
It went like this for days. There was chicken for breakfast, dinner and lunch. Every single time it tasted completely different. Jisoo couldn't complain, it was delicious each time.
However it seemed like Jennie was never satisfied. She kept asking Jisoo how it tastes and looked grumpy after her response.
"Jennie?" Jisoo washed the dishes while Jennie was drying them.
"Hm.." Jennie hummed distraught.
"I have something for you." She smiled as she finished the last plate and pulled a box out of her pocket.
"Is that- Are you-" Shock surfaced in Jennie's eyes like a flash.
"No! I mean not yet!" Jisoo quickly opened the box. "It's just a casual gift..."
"Oh." Jennie hid the disappointment in her voice and glanced to the golden ring. "A daisy." She smiled. "It's beautiful."
"I thought so too. Especially on you." She grasped the ring and held Jennie's hand to slide the ring on her finger.
Jennie watched the ring on her finger. She liked it a lot and it did made her forget about the chicken.
Until an incident occured.
"Should we go to the new Italian restaurant today?" Jennie's head rested on Jisoo's shoulder while Jisu was sleeping soundly in her lap.
"Sure. I already ate though. So I'd probably just take a salad." Jisoo clarified, clicking a button on the remote.
"You already ate? When?" Jennie ran her fingers gently through her daughter's hair who snored softly, tugging on her heartstrings.
"I met Soojoo in the park and she made me taste that new dish she came up with." Jisoo explained nonchalantly.
Jennie bit her bottom lip. "Do you like her food more than mine?"
She spoke in a quiet and insecure voice that rang the warning bells in Jisoo's head.
"What?" She looked at her with serious eyes and saw the dejected expression on her face. "Wait... Was that- Was that what everything was about? Jennie oh my god- I- Of course not!"
"You said her chicken was the best." Jennie mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers.
"I was being polite! I didn't mean to make it sound like hers is better... I love your cooking. Would it really matter if I liked hers too? It's not that important right?" Jisoo didn't see the problem.
"It is important! It's like cheating!" She whisper shouted.
"Cheating?? How!?"
Jennie picked Jisu up and laid her on the armrest before she pulled Jisoo angrily to the kitchen because she didn't want to wake her up.
"Look," Jennie rubbed her temples. "Eating the homecooked meal from another woman is the worst thing you could do to me."
Jisoo was rendered speechless. Jennie seemed genuinely sad. And with that Jisoo's rationality was gone. She would do anything to remove that sad pout, she never meant to hurt her.
"I didn't realize... Sorry. I won't do it again." Jisoo held her cheeks and nuzzled their noses together.
"Sorry for being dramatic." Jennie said lowly with puppy eyes.
"Don't apologize. If something bothers you, it bothers me too." Jisoo poked her nose.
Jennie smiled.
"For the record.... I'm the better cook right?" The brunette wrapped her arms around Jisoo's waist and clutched on her back.
"Yes." Jisoo responded without hesitation. "The best. Your food tastes like home to me. Nothing better than that exists."