Jisoo had been sitting alone in the balcony ever since she finished having dinner with her parents at the dining room; not that it made a difference whether or not she was having dinner alone. Her parents barely spoke two sentences to her during the whole duration and Jisoo had never felt more outcasted before. She never wanted to be treated this way neither did she want them to be disappointed with her but it seems as if she’s never going to be good enough for them. Ever since her sister had gone to study abroad, Jisoo never felt the same warmth she did at home.

“Unnie…”

“Yes, Lisa?”

“When are you going to stop looking at the girl living across?” Lisa asked, nuzzling her head against Jisoo’s shoulder. She was probably being so clingy and needy for affection because of how well they took care of her. “You can always move in with me or Rose if things get too tough here.”

Jisoo smiled widely at the kind offer from the youngest and she planted a friendly kiss atop Lisa’s head on her shoulder; her friends were really one of a kind. She honestly wouldn’t have breathed a word about how her family condition was like if she didn’t break down in school one day; it was a heart-warming feeling to know that they were still there for her in every sense of the word. It would be wonderful to move out now but Jisoo couldn’t stop thinking of the girl living across her.

No more looking at her? 

No more gawking? 

No, Jisoo couldn't do that.

“I promise I’ll move out once I get to know more about her… and maybe become friends or her number. Hehe.”

“Oh, Unnie…” Lisa sighed, “you’re hopeless.”

 “YAH!”

That being said, however, Jisoo knew she could have chosen to move out a long time ago. The only thing holding her back was the fact that she would never get to know the girl living across her; there was an odd sense of familiarity every time Jisoo managed to catch a glimpse of her through their windows. Perhaps it was a coincidence (or planned, maybe) that their windows were always open simultaenuously. In fact, Jisoo believed that it was pure fate which had caused her to know the girl living across her. 

Flashback.

“All I’m asking is for an explanation!” Jisoo yelled with tears streaming down her cheeks. She clutched one hand over her shirt where her heart was, “it hurts so much when you shut me out like Appa does! Unnie’s the only one who ever loved me in this house!”

Jisoo can't even remember how this entire argument began, other than how she had got into trouble with another girl in school. She knew it had been her fault but she admitted it to whoever was in charge of disciplining them, and she apologised sincerely for all the trouble she had caused. What she didn't expect was for the headmaster to call her parents and bring them in, which was the ultimate reason why their treatment towards her only worsened. Jisoo didn't know it would have also been the reason why she was deemed an outcast in this family.

“Because you’re a disappointment, Jisoo. Why can’t you be like your sister who’s pursuing her doctor’s license?”

And so it all boiled down to results…

Jisoo wasn’t doing too well in school; she had a very bad case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and couldn’t sit still in class for too long. She could even bet that her parents never really cared enough to know that the doctor had given her a medical report on her ADHD; even the nurse in school was sympathetic with her condition. Jisoo didn't want to be born this way, and she didn't want to gain anyone's sympathy either but it was evident in the eyes of most teachers.

Her parents didn't care, clearly.

Flashback end. 

It was also the same day Jisoo had met Jennie at the park near their houses; Jisoo had run out of the house so she could cry alone without anyone commenting on it. She hasn’t had a chance to cry without receiving further criticism from either of her parents – the only solitude she would ever have was in the park. The park reminded her of countless good memories with her sister; Jisoo could remember how her sister would push her on the swing and wait at the bottom of the slide if Jisoo was going to go down. If she didn't have those memories, then Jisoo would have committed suicide by now.

“You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?” Lisa asked, shaking her head at her whipped unnie; she was used to being on the receiving end of this. “I don’t know if I should encourage this or not… I might get my head chopped off by Chaeyoung for this.”

Jisoo pouted and hugged her knees to her chest, “how can I forgot? That gummy smile was so cute!”

Whipped.

*

Lisa let go of Jisoo’s arm for a brief moment when she spotted her ever-so-gorgeous girlfriend at their shared locker, practically skipping towards the beauty. She was so thankful that Rosé accepted her confession to her without any skeptism whatsoever; they might have been friends for a long time but Lisa never knew anything about the latter's uality. Rosé was a lot more conservative than Lisa herself and she never participated in those parties which required hormonal teenagers to grind against each other continuously. That alone made Lisa assured that Rosé was different... unique, even.

“Chaeyoungie!”

Rosé giggled when she felt a familiar pair of arms around her waist, turning back to give her girlfriend a peck on the lips. She was so used to this greeting that it never took her by surprise anymore, “hey, babe.”

Jisoo watched in complete amazement as the couple continued to show off their love for each other in front of everyone as if it was as normal as anything else, though no one seemed to be interested in their business anymore. It was normal for people to spread rumours for a few months or so but once there was a new piece of gossip, they would simply move on. Even Jisoo was surprised at how fast the crowd’s attention diverted from her friends to something else – it takes Korea a long time to accept same- couples and all, but this had happened in a couple of weeks.

“Hey, Jisoo-unnie!” Rosé welcomed the eldest with a big hug, rubbing the purple-haired girl’s back comfortingly; she had heard all about it from her girlfriend last night. “I hope you’re ready to perform for the theatre club later though… they’re all looking forward to it.”

The mention of her being chosen to be the role model for the other theatre club members made Jisoo pout; she hated being pressured into doing something she wasn’t confident in. Jisoo didn’t find her acting very good or exceptional compared to her other theatre members. She had no idea why she was picked instead of the other amazing student, who was also a senior and a mentor who had expertise in acting - Im Yoona. Then again, Yoona was also too busy with her internship with the entertainment company she was under for a short period of time. Next to her was Jisoo, of course (whom was recommended by Yoona herself but she didn't need to know). 

“Aw, it’s okay. You’ll do well, Unnie.”

I hope so.  

Jisoo took several deep breaths as she made her way onto the stage; she didn’t even know who her acting partner was for this assignment. She hasn't felt so fearful before, knowing her assignment was going to be in front of a large crowd that would be looking up to her. Knowing her friends were in the crowd did calm her down quite a fair bit though; Jisoo was someone who heavily depended on her friends as compared to her family. How could she ever count on her family when her parents treated her as a mere outcast and never cared about her life at all?

“Unnie?”

“Ye—you?”

The frown on the other girl’s face pierced Jisoo’s heart and she waved her hands in the air frantically, “no, that’s not what I mean! I was just surprised to see you!”

Jennie's expression morphed into that of a suspicious one and she nodded, turning back to her own script. She didn't have the time to decipher what in the world Jisoo's original reaction meant when she was chosen to replace the original student acting across the purple-haired girl. Honestly, she had been really reluctant to accept because Jennie couldn't express herself as well as others could and she was an introvert too. The one and only reason why Jennie accepted the teacher's request was because of who was going to be acting across her - Kim Jisoo was her incentive to accept.

She might look obvious and ignorant to the things happening around her but Jennie Kim knew so much more than that. She was aware of how Jisoo had been looking at her, and how many opportunities they had to get to know each other better. Jennie prayed that Jisoo would take the initiative to get to know her but nothing was happening until now, much to her disappointment.

If Jisoo thought she was the only one who couldn’t forget how they met, she was absolutely wrong.

Flashback.

Jennie was walking her precious dog, Kuma around the park. She had finished class late today and felt so sorry about not being able to bring Kuma out for a walk for almost 5 days in a row. Her puppy was her source of comfort most of the time; not that her parents weren’t there for her because they were – Jennie always found it easier to speak to other people apart from her parents though. She would never forget how Kuma came about either, especially since it was from an anonymous person and it had been sent directly to her household with no note whatsoever.

The thought of returning the puppy had crossed Jennie’s mind but who could resist that pair of heart-warming puppy eyes?

“I… I didn’t do anything wrong…”

Her eyebrows furrowed at the odd sound coming from behind her; Jennie immediately turned towards the source and gasped when she saw a girl sitting across the grass with her back leaning against the tree. She might give off a heartless and cold aura to whoever would encounter her but Jennie wasn't like that; she was simply shy. Her chest was feeling an unexplanable pang of pain at the sound of the girl sobbing like the world was about to end. The fact that some people most probably walked passed without caring was even more difficult to face.

 Jennie scooped her baby puppy into her arms as she made her way to where the sobbing girl was. She had to try and at least give some comfort to her even if they were strangers, right?

“Hey…”

When the other girl looked up, Jennie literally froze in her position. She would never forget those pair of hazel brown eyes and that beautifully-arched lips with a deep cupid bow. She swore on her life that she’d never ever forget about this girl standing in front of her – the same girl who made her transfer schools almost two years ago because of the constant bullying she received. She must have been spacing out for too long because the other girl was snapping her fingers in front of her face.

“A-Are you okay?”

Jennie shook her head to get rid of those unwanted thoughts and smiled, “I’m fine. I came here to check on you because you were crying so much… is everything okay?”

Soon enough, the story of how her family ignored and left her out of everything was making Jennie’s itty bitty heart ache as well; she couldn’t imagine her parents doing the same to her. All her mother ever did was shower loads of affection and love upon her, while this girl sitting in front of her was practically a stranger in her own home. Her father might not always be home but he never forgot to check on them every now and then. Jennie began to wonder if this was the reason behind her y exterior in high school… perhaps the sole reason of her constant bullying others as well.

“I’m Jennie, by the way.”

“Jisoo.”

I know who you are, Jennie thought.

Flashback end.

Jisoo breathed deeply when she saw the script; her acting partner was supposed to be a male, not doubt about it. She could tell from the gestures and highlights from the script - there was absolutely no way the school would have allowed it to be between two female students. Some teachers were okay with the unique kinds of relationships but their acting teacher certanly wasn't to Jisoo's knowledge. In fact, the teacher was known to be a homophobe and to let Jennie replace whoever was supposed to be acting across her.... wow, something was extremely different.

“If only you didn’t leave so early… I could have confessed my love for you,” Jisoo whispered as she tried to look into Jennie’s eyes without blushing like a lovesick fool. She wouldn’t be having so much difficulty if it wasn’t for the way Jennie was looking at her too. “B-But I’m with someone else now…”

Jennie didn’t know if it was just her feeling the strong attraction between the two of them, but the words coming from Jisoo’s mouth was making her stomach uncomfortable… almost as if there were multiple butterflies in her stomach. Jennie always bore in mind what her mother said: if they could feel butterflies in their stomach, there was definitely going to be the birth of something new if she fought hard enough for it. But feeling butterflies for someone who used to bully her... Jennie wasn't so keen on it. 

God knows if things would change later on.

“I wish you confessed too.”

Jisoo’s breath hitched when she felt Jennie’s hands touch hers, their eyes meeting directly. She hasn't had direct skinship with anyone who made her heart pump so incessantly like this, or it could have been the lack of affection from her own family that made her so vulnerable to this. Jisoo didn't fall for people easily but she did get attached to other people with no intention of letting go, which was why Lisa and Rose was always there to step in. They knew how vulnerable Jisoo was, and they couldn't allow anyone to take note of that and take advantage of her.

The girl might have been a bully back in high school, but her heart was still softer than what the world perceived of Kim Jisoo.  

“Would you like to give us a chance though?” Jennie whispered.

Jisoo breathed shakily, her hands involuntarily squeezing the younger’s. She wasn’t used to being this close to someone else either, unless she was getting in their face – but she didn’t do that anymore. Her heart was racing at the close contact she was having with this girl she met in the park; Jennie Kim... the only person who managed to get inside of Jisoo's head after only one meeting and a couple of other chanced meetings around their university. It was odd though, because Jisoo majored in instruments and Jennie majored in hotel management which were on opposite ends of the building. 

Jennie couldn’t help but flash another one of her gummy smiles at the blush on the older girl’s cheeks; it was adorable how shy Jisoo was being although she was more experienced in acting than Jennie herself.

“You’re cute, Jisoo-unnie.”