A/N: Was supposed to upload this last week but oh well! I had fun revisting this chapter and adding/deleting content to it. In some sense this is the true beginning of several relationships but at the same time some foreshadowing of where everyone is now! Can't wait to read everyone's comments.

-- Past Continued--

An astral blue Maserati Levante was waiting outside the student resident building. Seulgi nearly galloped to the car with a now shy and timid Jennie in tow. The ebullient girl swung open the back-door to invite themselves in the luxurious car.

“Hey, Irene!” Seulgi chirped. The addressed girl looked back through the central rearview mirror and smiled. “Anneyeong Seulgi-ah and Jennie-ssi. Thank you guys for joining us. I know it’s kinda late and you guys must have been tired from the practice.” Bae Irene said as she started driving out of the school campus. Seulgi nodded to the driver as she leaned closer to the other girl in the front.

“Yah, Kim Jisoo! Did you really crave chicken skewers that badly? It’s 10:30 pm. Shouldn’t a model like you worry about getting fat? Like tummy tires etc?” Seulgi teased the girl sitting in the shotgun seat.

“No,” Jisoo deadpanned without lifting her eyes from her iPhone.

“Yah! Jisoo! Get off your phone. He is not going to respond to you right now.” Irene reprimanded. Whatever the other girl was dealing seemed to have hit a tipping point as she aggressively locked her phone and shoved it in her pocket.

Seulgi, who was oblivious of Jisoo’s woes, continued to press the buttons. “He? Are you talking about Jiwon? Come to think of it, shouldn’t you have asked him to get chicken? He is your boyfriend so he should be tortured. Why drag us to get fat with you?” The chirpy basketball player joked to lighten the mood but it seemed to have done the opposite.

Jisoo turned around to face the chirpy athlete. In a monotone that gave Jennie chills, Jiwon’s girlfriend said, “He said he was busy and didn’t want to join.”

“What happ-”

“His manager called him at their agency for solo debut preparations,” The girlfriend returned to face forward.

The temperature in the car dropped a couple of degrees. Jennie could only hope that her presence as a stranger would not further irritate Jisoo. Jennie stiffened in her seat and chanted As long as I stay quiet, I will be safe from her wrath.

Luckily, Irene pulled into the restaurant parking lot so the girls in the backseat could escape the palpable tension. As the girls emptied the car, Seulgi walked to Jisoo and gave her a side-hug. “Gwenchana?” The bear-like girl enquired in a quiet-tone visibly softening Jisoo who sought comfort in her embrace. “Don’t overthink it. You know he is just going through a phase. Once the things he is stressing about are over, he will be back to being our Jiwon in no time.” Jennie was amazed at Seulgi’s change in behavior as the latter had suddenly morphed into a cognizant human. It was like a binary light switch - either on or completely shut off.

Jisoo mustered a small smile. The pain was evident in those beautifully shaped lips which unknowingly panged Jennie’s heart.

“Now, since we are here to enjoy the chicken, let’s do that, arrasso?” Seulgi stated as she tightened her hug making Jisoo nod. “By the way, you guys remember my roommate Jennie, right? I introduced her at the school gym yesterday”

“Hi! I am Kim Jennie! Thank you for letting me join you guys.”

“Jennie-ssi, we are almost the same age. You don’t have to be formal. I am Irene and you remember my roommate Jisoo, right?”

Jisoo, of course.

“Nice to meet you” Jisoo stuck her hand out to shake hands.

“Pleasure’s all mine” replied while accepting her handshake, a little enamored by the other girl’s soft touch. Jennie couldn’t help be disappointed when Jisoo was the first one to pull away from the handshake. Get a grip, Jennie, she thought.

The soft doorbell rang as the girls entered the small restaurant to settle at a corner table.

“So, hows’ cheerleading practice, Irene and Jisoo?” The bearlike girl initiated.

“Much better than expected actually,” Jisoo replied first as her mood seemed to be improving with every passing second. “Irene and I finished a new routine for the girls, and we think it’s pretty good.” Her eyes regaining their spark showing her passion as a cheerleader.

That had set the ball rolling for additional small talks, most of them initiated by either Seulgi or Irene.

“Jennie, so your roommate here tells me that you transferred from New Zealand? That is quite a big move. Tell us more about yourself and what inspired you to transfer to St. Lawrence?” Irene enquired while hoping to engage their quiet new company.

“Mostly personal reasons.” Jennie carefully said hoping the girls would drop the question and move on to other small talks due to her brevity.

“Wow. That’s short,” Jisoo scoffed a little as she folded her arms and leaned back in her seat.

“I met principal Yang at our high school basketball game in Auckland. I guess his niece was playing in the opposition team. After the match, he approached me and floated around the prospect of a basketball scholarship at St. Lawrence.” Jennie replied as she took a sip of her water. “His sudden appearance psyched me out and towards the beginning, I wasn’t considering the option. But things changed and due to personal reasons, the prestige of the scholarship and the perks of winning the Student of the Year trophy.” The cat-eyed girl matched Jisoo’s eyes. “I made the big move.”

The corner of Jisoo’s lips tugged up in a small smirk. “Student of the Year trophy, huh? You seem confident that you’ll win.”

“Yes,” Jennie announced. Seulgi and Irene stopped chewing and turned to face Jennie. The latter’s firm stance exuded undeniable confidence that nearly bordered cockiness. “The Student of the Year trophy was mine since the day I set my eyes on it.” There was a growing intensity in Jennie’s gaze that was reciprocated by Jisoo. The cheerleader leaned in to press more but Irene beat her to the punch.

“What about your parents are they back in New Zealand?”

“N-no,” Jennie said, choking slightly on her words as the confidence from moments ago sublimed. “I am an orphan.”

The other three occupants of the table froze at the revelation. Jisoo’s eyes significantly softened and Jennie could visibly notice pity creeping into the former’s brown orbs. Please don’t. I hate being pitied, Jennie thought as she shifted in her seat.

Seulgi the telepathist sensed Jennie’s discomfort and stepped in to save the day. “Yah! Enough of interrogating my roommate. Why don’t you both introduce yourselves?”

Irene, who had caught onto Seulgi’s attempt, decided to help, “Seoul native since birth. I am currently a senior at St. Lawrence where I have spent my entire academic life. I am quantitative economics and finance-track student. After I graduate, I will be attending university in the U.S. and help my father with our family business. We own the Empire Hotel chain in South Korea and across the globe.” Jennie saw Seulgi had slumped slightly when Irene mentioned that she would move to a different nation after graduation. She is probably sad that Irene is only around for one more year, Jennie thought. Irene nudged Jisoo to snap her out of aimlessly staring as Jennie and introduce herself as well.

“I was born in Sanbon-dong but mostly raised in Seoul. I have been at St. Lawrence for six- maybe seven years now. My father is the President of a multinational company’s South Korean subsidiary. Nothing exciting, just high-end fashion and couture stores. I have a strong interest in literature so that’s my focus at St. Lawrence alongside finance because apparently that’s a requirement for all chaebol kids.” Jisoo introduced her choice (or the lack of) in specialization with sadness. “I have an unnie who deals with the business so I guess lucky me.” Jennie was intrigued by Jisoo’s response as it had a different air of mystery. On the surface, the girl’s response could sound like an inconsiderate brat with the world at her fingertips but there was an underlying tone of sadness hinting the lack of freedom the girl had to maintain her family’s status.

The rest of the late-night snack was filled with light-hearted small discussions about the school and their classes together.

“Since you have Tiffany Hwang in business management, I should inform you that one should not be deceived by her stunning stature and beautiful eye smile. My word of advice is that never and I repeat Never come late to her class, or much worse with an incomplete or half-assed assignment. She will rip your face and pride apart. Trust me I speak from experience,” Seulgi shivered while ending her advice.

What the heck! Is this girl trying to scare me? Jennie thought, hoping to get more information about this topic. “What happ-”

“Don’t ask.” Seulgi cut the question as her ears turned red. Jisoo and Irene who seemed to be aware of Seulgi’s scars burst out laughing. In some strange way, their echoing laughter in the small empty restaurant and Seulgi’s pouty face made everything about that night seem perfect to Jennie. What a way to start school tomorrow! she thought as she smiled at her company.

The girls soon wrapped up at the restaurant and decided to take a short walk before returning to their dorms. Jennie couldn’t help but notice how close Seulgi and Irene were as she walked behind the said duo. She noticed how her roommate’s hand tentatively brushed against the head cheerleader’s palm. Is this a live K-drama? Jennie thought as she witnessed the shorter of the duo wrapped her hand around the bear-like girl’s arm, gently leaning against it. Jennie smiled unconsciously at the sweet gesture. She could see what Sunmi meant by “everyone but those two idiots acknowledge their attraction.”

“Recently they are quite mushy all time.” Jisoo who was quietly walking alongside Jennie broke the silence. “In a way, I am glad you joined. I didn’t want to be the third wheel again.”

Jennie chuckled at the remark. “I am glad I came as well. I am still new around here so good food and great company is always appreciated.” Jisoo responded as she shoved her hands in the pockets as the fall wind felt cold during mid-night.

“By the way… I am sorry that we pressured you to share more personal details. I hope we didn’t overstep our boundaries. It wasn’t our intent-”

“Gwenchana.” The basketball player cut the girl while mustering a small smile but Jisoo could sense the sadness in the former’s words. The cheerleader’s heart panged thinking about the struggles the new student must have gone through at such a young age. Unknowingly, she whispered a silent prayer for the basketballer’s wellness.

“Well. For what it’s worth, you will always have a friend in me.” Jisoo announced which even surprised herself. Usually, her peers would have to climb hundreds of obstacles before knocking the door of her heart. Somehow those obstacles were diminished and meant nothing when it came to Jennie.

“Ah! Gomawo. So I guess this means that I will also be dragged into your late-night chicken runs.” Jennie teased as she began speed-walking away Jisoo. “Jisoo, a consequence of our friendship is that I will gain tummy tires. I am not sure how I feel about that.” The new student winked at the cheerleader and began jogging away.

“YAH! Come here you, midget”

“Ahahaha! Look who’s talking, Kim Jisoo.”

--

Jennie woke up at 5:30 am- bright and fresh. Last night was fun and they only came back around midnight. The early bird quickly dressed in fresh workout clothes and decided to hit the school gym before her first class. Sunmi at the reception had become a constant in her life. A constant she was grateful for. Jennie wasn’t looking to build an army of friends at St. Lawrence. She hoped to lock in just enough people who treat her like family. Growing up, the girl never had true friends except for her buddy Lisa. But her buddy moved to Australia for her education and now Jennie was in South Korea. Facetiming just wasn’t enough and she dearly missed the rancorous laughter of her Thai friend.

As a kid (read: rich kid), people had only viewed her as a gold mine and tried to befriend her to seek favors from her family. She was only the means to an end. It worsened after her mother passed away as people approached her with their pity and useless sympathies to win her favor. She began to feel sick to her stomach by their acts and shut herself out one day as she had enough of that fake care. She became a lone ranger. But, even with her strong persona for two years, she couldn’t deny that she craved affection just like any other teenager. Her father busied himself with everything except family. Jennie understood remorse and wished that they would get through it together but the man jumped at the opportunity to ship her away to New Zealand.

“Better education and change in environment” he claimed but Jennie knew it was nothing but a pathetic excuse. Rumors about her mom’s affair and infidelity with her father’s twin brother had surfaced months after she passed away. It broke Jennie that her father thought she was illegitimate and decided to ship her away rather than piercing through the rumors or requesting a paternity test for his piece of mind. Jennie tried to be as understanding as she could be at a young age of eleven. But, her empathy for her father was lit on fire when brought in a mistress and he abandoned her out-of-blue. Overnight the man left her dry and hanging. Luckily, her cousin Kwon Jiyong picked up the pieces and took her in. As an orphan himself, he had learned to fend for himself. The young man felt blessed to have inherited the family assets that he vowed to manage and grow. With two identical lone ranger personalities, it was natural that Jennie and Jiyong stuck to each other- both deprived of affection. Kwon Jiyong became the first constant in Jennie’s life after her mother’s passing and she was grateful for it. Maybe I should call Oppa and check up on him, Jennie thought as she finished her bench press rep. As if on cue, her phone lit up with a familiar callerID. Jennie rushed to place the weights down and answer the phone.

“Oppa! How are you? Do you not miss me? I haven’t heard from you for three weeks! I hate you,” Jennie continued to rant in her Kiwi accent till she heard the person on the other side crack up.

“Aigoo! Look at our aegi Jennie. Such a cry baby like always,” the guy laughed louder after adding the last part which made the receiver pout.

“Okay now stop pouting and tell Oppa how are you doing?” the guy asked in a gentle voice.

“How do you always know if I am pouting or not! You seem to have a creepy psychic ability. Anyways. I have moved into my new dorm and my roommate, Kang Seulgi, has been nothing but nice to me and-”

“Wait! Does she know who you are?” the man cut Jennie mid-sentence. He sounded a bit restless.

“No, Jiyong Oppa! There are millions of Kims in Korea. No one would associate me with the Kim family of Joseon conglomerate.” Jennie said in a hushed tone. “And it will stay that way. Seulgi is also a scholarship student and she knows I am here on a scholarship too. So it's all good” Jennie replied to ease his worries.

“That’s good to hear. What else did you do?” Jiyoung kept the conversation going.

“Seulgi, who is also on the basketball team, introduced me to the coach and the rest of the members. I am currently in my probationary period and by next week I’ll receive the decision about my acceptance into the team. I am hoping to make it otherwise it is goodbye St. Lawrence.” Jennie finished her statement with a sigh.

“Nonsense!” Jiyong refuted. “I am not wealthy but I will do whatever it takes to keep my dongsaeng in St. Lawrence. Your Oppa is still here so you can lean on me anytime when you need help. Arrasso?” Jiyoung ended chirpily to cheer up Jennie.

“Oppa, jinjja gomawo! I have a good feeling about everything so don’t worry much. Plus, I think I am already starting to like St. Lawrence.” Jennie's voice noticeably changed as she thought about Jisoo stumbled through her mind’s door automatically bringing a soft smile on her lips.

Jiyong, however, didn’t seem to share the enthusiasm. “Who is the person?” He snapped Jennie out of her trance.

“W-what-what do you mean? N-no one.” Jennie stuttered.

“Yah! Do you think I am dumb? I can tell what’s going through your head even though we are kilometers apart,” Jiyoung reprimanded but his words were still laced with concern.

“It’s no one. I promise Oppa,” Jennie lied as she crossed her fingers, whispering a prayer to seek God’s forgiveness. Kwon Jiyong was always able to see through her but she did not want to bother her cousin with a stupid ephemeral crush that would vanish in a day or two.

The person on the other end sighed heavily.

“Jennie-ah,” Jiyong paused. He was thinking about how to best convey his thoughts to his precious dongsaeng. “I am sure I don’t have to remind you why you should stay away from whoever she is. We have been through this same conversation many times and...,” He paused again to take in a deep breath. “I am genuinely tired of watching you get hurt from those so-called-friendships.”

“Trust me. I know better now,” Jennie defended herself. There was a pregnant pause over the call until Jiyong broke it with a loud sigh.

“That’s what you