Jennie has always urged her child to eat vegetables and cooked them the way she liked them. She has pampered her and didn't think there was anything wrong with it, that is until she realised to what extent it already came.
"You don't want green bell pepper?" Jennie arched a brow. "It tastes like red and yellow ones. I promise."
"I don't wanna eat green stuff." Jisu pulled a face. "It looks pukeish."
"Come on baby." Jennie frowned and gathered a piece of green bell pepper with the fork. "Open up." She moved it towards her mouth and made propeller noise.
"No mommy." Jisu pursed her lips.
"Julia vegetables are good for you." Jennie said displeased. "Even Kuma eats his food. Look his bowl is empty." The pomeranian puppy wiggled his tail as soon as he heard his name being spoken.
"Then can I get red bell pepper?" She negotiated.
"What if you are in school and they give you mixed colours?" Jennie retorted.
"I ask the cook to sort it and remove the evil green ones. Just like you do for me." Jisu shrugged.
"Baby that could bother the cook." Jennie gave her a look.
Jisu actually is completely aware of that. She kinda lied because she didn't want her mom to know that Yeji eats her vegetables. She might get mad at her and ask the teacher to look strictly over them.
"Mommy don't make me eat it..... Pleaaseeee..." The little girl pleaded.
Jennie had to do something. It couldn't go on like this.
*****
"She doesn't eat green vegetables but she is fine with it if it's literally any other colour in the spectrum?" Jisoo chuckled.
"It's not funny. What do I do?" Jennie pouted distressed.
"Force her?" Jisoo suggested.
Jennie furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean? Should I shove vegetables into her mouth? She will choke."
"My sister did that when I was a child and it worked." Jisoo responded. "Although it was more playful. She knew I would catch them with my mouth when she threw them."
"I'm not throwing food at her like you do with Dalgom." Jennie stiffled a laugh.
"Why not? Afterwards call her a good boy." Jisoo grinned.
"Good girl." Jennie corrected. "Next idea."
"Let's google it?" Jisoo searched it up on her phone quickly. "How to get your kids to eat vegetables...." She mumbled.
Jennie scooted to her on the couch and looked over her shoulder to the phone, while using that opportunity to cuddle her chin on Jisoo's shoulder.
"Provide the veggies as snacks." Jisoo read. "Give her salad."
"I always do that. She loves my carrot snacks and eats salad if it's without green lettuce." Jennie responded.
"Be a role model, eat more vegetables yourself." Jisoo read the next line.
Jennie tilted her face to Jisoo. Maybe that could work. "Let's go to the supermarket."
*****
"She wants you to eat green veggies?" Yeji gaped at her best friend in silence.
"Yes! You know how much I hate those right?" Jisu frowned.
"Why do you hate it?" Ryujin questioned.
"It tastes like electricity. Like microwave food." Jisu claimed disgusted. Don't ask her why but that's simply the vibe green vegetables give her.
"What about cucumbers?" Ryujin questioned. Judging by the look on Jisu's face and the sound of Yeji's giggle she knew that was a no go too.
"Cucumbers are the biggest evil in the entire universe..!" Jisu gestured animatedly.
"Never be locked in a room with her and cucumbers." Yeji shuddered.
*****
The supermarket was packed, a melody of a pop song floated through the air. The two Kims placed all kinds of vegetables into the shopping cart.
"Cucumbers, salad, spinach, broccoli, green olives and wine grapes.... Anything else?" Jisoo pushed the cart forward.
"Bok choy, green peas, chinese cabbage, celery, leek onion, artichoke, kohlrabi.." Jennie mumbled, gathering each of the listed vegetables. "She will have to like at least one of them."
"Artichoke." Jisoo repeated with a laugh. "Funny."
"Hilarious." Jennie spoke with a straight face.
"You are so cute." Jisoo reached for Jennie's face and cupped her cheeks.
"Stahp.." Jennie muttered as the other squished her face repeatedly with the biggest grin. "I mean it Jisoo, stop." She managed to pull her face sideways and out of Jisoo's reach.
"My cute little artichoke." Jisoo followed Jennie suit as Jennie promptly stopped walking to glare at Jisoo.
"Don't ever call me that. That's even worse than dumpling." She balled her fists and landed a very light hit on Jisoo's shoulder, making the other chuckle. "Call me dried cucumber."
"Dried cucumber? Now that is ridiculous." Jisoo giggled. Why would she call her girlfriend a cucumber? That's weird.
"How is that any different than dumpling or artichoke!?" The cat-eyed girl threw a small tantrum in the supermarket. Some people were already looking at them.
"It's very different." Jisoo poked her red cheek. "I gave you many nicknames but you haven't given me a single one. Give me one first before you complain."
"I call you babe sometimes." Jennie grabbed her hand that kept nudging her and planted a lingering kiss on it.
Jisoo froze at the sudden contact. "We are are in public Jen."
"So?" She grinned. "You can touch me but I can't touch you?"
"I touched you. You kissed me." She mumbled with heated cheeks.
"I didn't kiss you." The brunette stepped closer and grasped Jisoo's nape before she pressed her lips on the heart shaped ones. "Yet."
"Not fair. Is this the way you fight back to my teasing?" Jisoo muttered, completely frozen under Jennie's spell.
"Oh absolutely." She brushed the back of her hand against Jisoo's still flushed cheek and slipped it down to her hand. "Do you like it?" She intertwined their fingers and started moving towards the cashier with the cart getting pushed by her free hand.
"I can't say I don't like it..." A frown crossed Jisoo's red face as she hid it in Jennie's neck.
"Then say you like it." Jennie teased, squeezing her hand tenderly.
"I like you." Jisoo smiled shyly, swallowing down the big amount of affection she wanted to shower her with. She doesn't feel comfortable doing that in public yet.
"I love you." Jennie tilted her head and kissed the shell of Jisoo's warm ear. "And if you want another nickname, you choose."
"Anything?" Jisoo's smile widened in Jennie's skin and she couldn't find it in her to say no, so she nodded. "Hmmm... call me Jisoos Christ, or wait no. Call me Detective Chunan."
"Seriously?" Jennie raised a brow playfully, placing the vegetables on the belt of the checkout counter. "Choose wisely babe."
"You are right." She agreed. If she had one choice she couldn't waste it, no time to be a weeb. "I choose love then." The raven grabbed a rubber divider from the side of the checkout and put it on the belt.
"Ugh...I'll call you that with pleasure, love."
Jennie cupped Jisoo's cheeks and pecked her lips before rubbing their noses together. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her lips formed a thin line like she was trying to bathe herself in Jisoo's essence. The elder wanted to protest but she enjoyed the friction too much.
An elderly couple kept giving them dirty glances but Jisoo didn't even notice for once.
*****
When Jisu arrived home, the least thing she expected was for her living room to be decorated with pictures and stuffed toys of vegetables. Not only that but there was a huge table full of plates with different green veggies.
Even Kuma was disguised in a green jalapeño pepper costume.
"Is this a nightmare...?" The little girl pinched her own cheek as the puppy walked to her feet and cuddled her legs.
"Oh you are home baby." Jennie and Jisoo walked into the living room with beach hats that had pictures of cucumbers printed on them. "Did you have a good day? Are you hungry? I'm a little hungry for green vegetables. Did I ever tell you that they were my favourite food in the universe?"
Jisu stared at her mom and neighbour before she ran into her room and locked her door. The first thing she did afterwards was to pull the walkie talkie out of her pillow and call for help.
"Guys? Anyone listening? I think a parasite is in my mom's head."
"No way!" Yuna immediately responded. "That's so cool!"
"It's not cool, it's a nightmare." Jisu frowned. "She turned into a green veggie fanatic! You should see our home!"
"To me that sounds like it's a way of getting you to eat it." Ryujin rebutted.
"What do I do?" Jisu asked for advice.
"She will never stop bothering you unless you eat, so pretend you like them and whenever she is not watching feed them to your dog." Yeji answered like it was the most obvious and cliché answer that anyone should know.
"You have a dog?" Chaeryeong's voice popped up.
"A newly adopted pomeranian. You guys should come visit and play with him." Jisu offered.
"I wanna play!" The youngest chirped in.
"Sure, Yuna. Whenever you have time. I'll be right back." She placed the walkie talkie on her bed and opened the door.
*****
"So much effort, yet a failure." Jennie sighed, sinking into the couch.
"We tried. Don't give up yet." Jisoo patted her head.
Just when they were rethinking strategies to get Jisu to eat the vegetables, she walked into the living room with a determined expression.
"I surrender. I'll eat the green things." The little girl muttered, folding her arms behind her back where she crossed her fingers.
"Really?" Jennie stood up and walked to her daughter. "Go ahead. They are all delicious."
The little girl nodded and took a glance at the plates. She didn't know most of those vegetables so she grabbed something random. It was one out of many white raw sticks. She hesitantly moved that stick to her mouth and bit down while she squeezed her eyes shut.
"How is it?" Jennie stared in anticipation.
Jisu chew a little longer on that bit before she swallowed down. "Not that bad..."
"So you love kohlrabi??" Jennie immediately went to the kitchen and retrieved a plate of mango salad with kohlrabi and yoghurt dressing. "I have more!"
"I said it's not that bad, not I love-"
"Open up, aaaahh~" Jennie scooped up a spoon and raised it to her daughter.
"Can I eat it in my room?" The little one sighed.
"Sure." Jennie gave her the whole bowl and the spoon.
"Let's go Kuma." She called the dog and led him to her room.
Jennie smiled satisfied before she gave Jisoo a victorious look. "It worked."
The raven haired girl raised her eyebrows. Should she tell Jennie that Lia is totally going to make Kuma eat it or not?
"Let's not get carried away. How about we try blending it all together, she could like it as a drink even more." Jisoo suggested.
"That's a great idea. You should have said that sooner." Jennie agreed and turned the smoothie-maker on.
In the end Jisu did like the juices more than the actual raw plants.