AUGUST 6 2017

 

BLACKPINK was invited as an opening act for Sol’s White Night in Japan. After watching the rest of the concert following their performance, the members stayed in a room as they waited for their manager's go signal for their dinner with Taeyang and some of the YG staff.

 

Left with nothing to do, each of the girls found their own ways to fight away their boredom.

 

Jennie was tying her hair in different styles, trying to find one that would best compliment her clothes. She's already been at it longer than she intended and there was only one person to blame for that.

 

As Jennie shifted here and there, Lisa followed her every movement gracefully so as not to get in her way… but the intimacy brought by her nearness was enough to serve as a distraction for the beautiful woman in her arms. Unknowingly so, Lisa continued to bask in having Jennie trapped within her embrace with her head buried in the crook of the brunette's slender neck, reveling and taking in the floral and vanilla aroma of her perfume mixed with her naturally sweet scent.

 

In there, Lisa finds solace. A safe haven. And there's no other place she'd rather be.

 
The warm exhale of breath that came from Lisa, faintly brushing her cold skin made it impossible for Jennie to concentrate so she had to do a style repeatedly just to get it perfectly but when Lisa started casually placing light pecks on her neck, she lost all of her focus and just gave up entirely, settling for the style she last tried. She stopped giving her hair attention and gave it to the one whose actions were yelling for it.

 

Jennie giggled softly as she wiggled closer, deeper in the embrace, pressing her back against Lisa even more, until she could feel another heart pounding besides her own. Every heart beat that pushed through her thin shirt was a reassurance— a security of what and who she is to Lisa.

 

“Hey, Lice? What do you think?” Jennie asked finally as she reached for the hands around her midsection, tugging them when Lisa didn't so much as budge or stop attacking her neck with gentle kisses. She chuckled quietly as she tried to break out of the embrace to face her but the younger one tightened her hold in response and nuzzled her face into the curve of her neck even more.

 

“You look beautiful~”

 

The vibration, grazing her already sensitive skin, brought upon by Lisa's lips when she spoke those words made Jennie's eyes flutter close and her hair stand on end. Her voice was barely a whisper when she opened to speak, “Baby, you haven’t even looked.”

 

“But I don't have to,” Lisa replied certainly but she took one last deep breath, getting a long whiff of Jennie’s scent that she just can't get enough of, then sighed in surrender. She pouted in protest, leaving her safe haven, as she fixed her gaze at Jennie— their faces just inches away from each other.

 

It took only a matter of seconds of looking at the beyond perfect brunette to make the corners of her lips slide upwards. Jennie had two buns on top of her head like cute little horns and it would've looked absolutely weird if someone else sported that style but it really suited her well.

 

Lisa took the chance and stared at her for God knows how long until she sighed satisfyingly, “How can you get even more beautiful the longer I look at you?”

 

Jennie bit her bottom lip into a shy smile as her cheeks blushed a shade darker. You would have thought that she has gotten used to Lisa being like that by then but no… She hasn’t and probably wouldn’t because her heart still skips a beat or two like it did the first time whenever it happens. It's been months since Blackpink's photo shoot for ELLE and a lot has happened since then but the effect of Lisa's gaze and words on her never wavered one bit.

 

Calming down a tad, a naughty smirk curved on Jennie’s lips as she gave Lisa one of her effortlessly seductive winks. It was so out of the blue that it caught the younger one off guard. How Lisa was still alive after being at the receiving end of that was beyond the redhead. She could actually feel her face and ears heat up, blushing more than Jennie did.

 

“Ah, Jennie-sshi, do you want me dead?” Lisa quipped to lighten the mood which was a success since she drew a genuine laugh from Jennie; hence showing her precious gummy smile. And just like that, the brunette went from naughty to nice and Lisa couldn’t help but just adore both equally. With a cheeky grin stuck on her face, Lisa muttered, “And you're even more beautiful when you laugh.”

 

Jisoo frowned as she lurked on Blackpink’s fanboard, reading their BLINKs current posts. Many fans were saddened since there were no fancams of their performance that day so the oldest member thought of raising their spirits up by broadcasting an OT4 live. It’s also been a while since they last did.

 

Still reading other posts, Jisoo announced, “Let’s go on Vapp while we wait.”

 

Rosé, who was just uninterestingly fiddling with the concert's lightstick as her mind wandered miles away, answered almost instantly when Jisoo snapped her out of her daydream, “Alright, unnie!”

 

“Jendeuk, Lisa, are you in? Jendeukie, Lisa-yah, Jendeukie, Lisa-yah~” Jisoo called the other two repeatedly, that it has already become one of her weird songs, but she still didn't get a response. Rosé poked her lightly and whispered in her ear, "They can't hear you, unnie."

 

With brows furrowed, the oldest member peeled her eyes from her phone to see what Rosé meant and wasn't even surprised at the sight that welcomed her. The lovebirds were lost in their own world, holding each other's gazes with genuine and obvious admiration written on their faces.

 

“Uh, what should we do?” Jisoo asked Rosé, who just smiled sheepishly at her and shrugged.

-------

DORM - AFTER ELLE PHOTO SHOOT

 

Blackpink literally spent the whole day in the studio for their photo shoot and all of them were exhausted by the time they wrapped it up, falling asleep once they all settled in their respective vans.

 

Jennie still had an important matter to attend to so the other members reached the dorms earlier than she did. Just a tad bit since they got stuck in traffic but Jennie didn't know that. She thought the girls got home way before than she did so she assumed that they were all probably already sleeping since it was darkness that greeted her when she entered the dorm.

 

Jennie walked towards her right but stopped going further and faced the other way. She wanted to check up on Lisa at first but decided against it, thinking that it's best to let her rest since she knew that the redhead stayed up late the night before, watching dramas.

 

"I guess I'll just wait 'til tomorrow," Jennie thought with a smile.

 

The city lights coming in from the windows were enough to see her way to her room so she just left the lights off. It has been a long day and getting a good night's sleep didn't sound that bad at all. With that being said, seeing a shadowed figure sitting in the living area was the terror she neither needed nor expected at all so all of you can only imagine how scared less Jennie was when she actually saw one.

 

Screaming her lungs out, thinking that it was the ghost Lisa saw in their dorm before, Jennie sprinted back to where the light switch is as if her life depended on it. Her face drained of color. Her body broke into cold sweat.

 

Rosé didn't even know what stunned her more— the sudden ear-piercing scream that filled the silent night or Lisa suddenly jumping on her feet. She was in Lisa's room since Lisa begged her for assistance with her extensions. The pure soul just couldn't say no since her best friend looked as beat as an old rug. She was that exhausted.

 

But all the fatigue Lisa was suffering from seemed to have vanished into thin air all at once when they both heard someone scream. And even before Rosé had the chance to calm, Lisa has already dashed out of the room faster than the speed of light like she just had a sudden burst of energy or something. And that's only when Rosé figured out who the scream was from and why Lisa reacted the way she did.

 

Rosé flinched awake, batting her eyes quickly. She stared at the open door and let out an impressed chuckle, “God, she's whipped.”

 

Jennie quickly turned her terrified gaze to where the figure was, only to find out that the "shadow" was no other than the oldest member, who was then trying to keep her laugh down at how Jennie looked like a whole mess. Jisoo didn't even intend to scare her. She was just as surprised when she saw the brunette walking quietly in the dark because she didn't hear the door open nor did Jennie turn the lights on like Jisoo presumed she would do when she gets home.

 

"Ya, Jisoo! What the !" Jennie cried out as she held tightly on her chest, feeling the fast pounding of her startled heart. “I almost peed myself!”

 

“You should see the look on your face! Pffttt!”

 

Extremely worried, hearing Jennie scream like that, Lisa quickly ran to where it came from but by the time she turned to the corner and got a glimpse of the living area, the unnie line were practically dying... from laughter.

 

"Wh- Huh?" Lisa puffed weakly in confusion as the abrupt rush of adrenaline worn out just as fast as it came and she could feel her exhaustion rushing back, hitting her twice as hard. What in the actual hell did just happen?

 

Rosé was just as perplexed when she followed Lisa out, seeing what the redhead was seeing. The crease in between Lisa's brows only became more profound when the youngest murmured her worry, “Tell me I was not just hearing stuff.”

 

“You weren't. I heard it too.”

 

“I see,” Lisa sighed, catching her breath. She linked her arm with Rosé's and laid her head on her shoulder as she took delight in listening to Jennie's laughter, feeling slightly re-energized just by how enticing and angelic it sounds. The redhead guessed she was worried for nothing, seeing Jennie laugh genuinely like that. “She looks alright to me.”

 

Jennie wheezed for air as she asked, “What are you even doing sitting there in the dark?”

 

“Can't I? Didn't you read my message? I said I'll wait here.”

 

“I ran out of battery,” Jennie answered, running a hand through her hair. Only then did she notice the two tall figures in the corner, watching them silently— one with confusion solidly written on her face while the other with awe and adoration. Her laughter faded, holding the latter's gaze, but her smile remained.

 

Jisoo caught that, of course. She curiously glanced to where Jennie was looking and immediately figured why she was smiling like that. The oldest spoke, smirking coyly, “Oh, it seems like the kids came to your rescue.”

 

“Nope, not me. I was so startled I couldn't even move.” Rosé chuckled, shaking her head. She teasingly nudged Lisa when she continued, “But you should've seen how fast Lisa zoomed out of the room when she heard Jennie scream.”

 

"Mhm, of course, she did," Jisoo replied, playfully squinting an eye to the brunette which Jennie countered with an eye roll despite the undeniable shy smile glued on her face. Jennie flopped herself on the couch beside the oldest as Jisoo continued, “Good thing she did too coz there's something I've been dying to know.”

 

Jennie cocked an eyebrow at her. “Really? Is that why you were waiting here?”

 

“Just be thankful I've waited 'til you got home. That's the longest I can wait,” Jisoo bit back. She crossed her arms, her fingers doing waves, as she turned her inquisitive gaze to Lisa, “So, what's up?”

 

“Eh? Are you talking to me?” There came Lisa's clueless response and Jisoo nodded once. Truth be told, her mind was just functioning enough to keep her awake. Her brain couldn't process what Jisoo could possibly be asking about. “Um, sorry... What what's up?”

 

Jennie couldn't help but let a soft chuckle out when she noticed how Lisa resembled a lost and confused puppy so she decided to help out a bit, “She knows about us, Lice.”

 

Us? What about us? Not more than a few seconds have passed after Lisa asked herself when the gears in her head finally worked again. Lisa was certain that they acted like they usually do when they went back from the dressing room and, aside from being dead tired, that's the reason why the thought never really came to mind when Jisoo asked her 'what's up' because how could Jisoo possibly know?

 

As if reading what’s running in Lisa’s mind, Jennie continued, “I, um, kind of spilled some tea earlier.”

 

“Okay, hold up.” Rosé finally gathered the guts to interject because she couldn't stand being clueless any longer. She's been lost since Jennie and Jisoo exchanged knowing looks and immersed in their own conversation but she got even more curious when they suddenly dragged Lisa in out of the blue. “Us? Tea? Just what are you girls talking about?”

 

“Oh,” Jisoo mused. She assumed Lisa told her already but that turned out to be not the case. Out of the four in the room, Rosé’s the only one who knew nothing at all so to help her catch up, Jisoo decided to fill her in with the stuff she knew.

 

“You saw Hana flirting with Lisa earlier, didn’t you? – Rose nodded. Lisa winced. Jennie rolled her eyes. – Guess who told me she was jealous? Oh! I’ll give you a clue... It's Jennie."

 

Rosé's jaw dropped. Jennie? Jealous? The Jennie Kim? Jealous? She never snapped her head towards someone's direction so fast in her entire life. No matter how she repeatedly thought about it those two words may have the same first letter but they just don't fit together. Her aussie accent sounded so hot when she spoke, “Shut up, is this for real, Jen?”

 

“And she had that victorious smirk when Lisa rejected Hana’s advances when they came back and the poor girl got kicked out by her own mother– with Jisoo’s smug expression still intact, she looked at Jennie once again– You may think you're slick but I see everything.”

 

Jennie groaned inwardly, rolling her eyes once more. “Stop overreacting.”

 

“Excuse you?” Jisoo made a face, giving the brunette an incredulous stare. “Who here swore she will never be victimized by the resident playgirl? – Lisa winced again. – No offense, Lisa.”

 

Lisa already forgot the last time she heard them call her that. Hearing it again wasn't really pleasing to the ears but she chose to just shrug it off, “Uh, none taken.”

 

“I honestly thought you were back at it again, though. The way you reacted when Hana said she’d—”

 

“Can you shut up with the name already? Or better yet, just drop this?” Jennie irritatedly interrupted. Given that the events of earlier were still fresh in her mind, hearing Hana's name still makes her ears ring.

 

"Hush!" Jisoo shushed the younger one, shaking her head. “I want to get to the bottom of this so stop being jealous. Geez, who are you? – she turned her pointed look back to Lisa – As I was saying, I also caught glimpses of you two being friendly. I'm not staff so don't tell me it's fan service. So, care to explain?”

 

Lisa unlinked her arm from Rosé's and stood straight, sighing quite audibly. She avoided everyone's gazes and focused on the white tiled floor. Uncomfortable doesn't do justice to describe how Lisa feels when she thinks of her past that she almost looked back upon that day just because of her coward . Since there's no point in lying about it and she didn't have enough brain cells left to think of a lie anyway, Lisa just answered in all honesty...

 

“I tried. I tried getting back in the game for the first time in a very long time but it just didn’t feel right anymore. Not that I'm saying it was right before… —she shook her head, pursing her lips— Anyway, I literally forced myself to enjoy her company but I couldn't. I was talking to her but all I could still think of was Jennie. So, I wanted out before I get myself in a mess that I'd later on regret but before I could even get the chance to excuse myself...”

 

Lisa trailed off because she didn't know how to continue since everything that happened after that were in Jennie's hands. Rosé, who was all ears from the start, coined in after the pause, “What? What happened next?”

 

“I saw the hoe touch Lisa and I snapped,” Jennie answered, finally caving in to the other members’ wishes just to get it over with. Three pairs of attentive eyes darted to her direction. “That was the third strike. First was what Jisoo said. Second was when Lisa chose her over me. I felt so jealous. And it’s Lisa. I don’t know about you all but that tells a lot. — Lisa winced for the third time. — Sorry, babe, I meant no offense.”

 

Even if Lisa was offended, which she wasn't so sure about, Jennie casually calling her babe was enough to make her forget about it so the redhead answered reassuringly, “It's okay.”

 

Jennie flashed an apologetic smile before she continued, “She started getting touchy and I out. The next thing I know is that I dragged Lisa out of her reach. And to sum it up, we talked and sorted things out. And yes, I like her. — she arched an eyebrow at Jisoo once again — Are you satisfied now?”

 

Jisoo, who was rapt in absorbing the information the whole time, closed from being agape. Calling her dumbfounded is an absolute understatement. If only you knew how much Jisoo listened to Jennie talk about not ever going to like Lisa more than a friend like it's the most certain thing she's ever known, you would be too. Though she somehow knew about it, hearing it directly from Jennie was a whole new experience.

 

“Whoa, I need to process this first. It’s not sinking in right now.”

 

"Tell me when you're done," Jennie yawned and slouched lazily on the couch, catching a glimpse of the maknae line being immersed in their own conversation as well, before she closed her eyes to let them rest for a while.

 

Rosé was in the same boat as the oldest but she wasn't as taken aback since she doesn't know stuff about Jennie as much as Jisoo does... but she knows Lisa. She knows all too well how much she truly loves Jennie so, despite the fact that Lisa kept her in the dark, she just couldn't help but be happy for her best friend.

 

"So, you finally got the girl, huh?" Rosé lightly elbowed Lisa’s side, a teasing smirk settled nicely on her face.

 

The sparkle in Lisa's eyes was as clear as day when she looked at Rosé, a wide genuine smile breaking through her flushed face. Seeing Lisa blatantly shine like that, Rosé already knew how overjoyed she was despite the bragging joke that came out of her after, “Why are you even surprised? I always get the girl, Chaeng.”

 

Jennie, who was silently listening, quietly snorted at that. She knew Lisa meant it as a joke but there's some truth in there as well. She always gets the girl. Jennie was currently a living proof of that and she wasn't certain if that actually scares her or not but before she could wallow into it, Jisoo saved her from her thoughts.

 

“This is really happening, isn't it?”

 

Seeing Jisoo still staring into blank space when she opened her heavy eyelids once again, Jennie let out an inaudible sigh. Since it would probably take more than one night for the oldest to let it sink in, it's probably best not to wait.

 

“Yes. It. Is,” Jennie accentuated every word to put more emphasis. “Anyway, I have no plans of falling asleep here so I'll head off. Good night, girlies.”

 

Lisa and Rosé looked at Jennie when she said that, only to see the brunette walking towards them and not her room. Well, she's walking towards Lisa to be specific which Rosé knew instantly so she got out of their way and took the place Jennie just left beside Jisoo.

 

Jennie made her way to her girl who welcomed her with the cutest puckered smile she's ever seen. What does she think she's doing being that adorable? Before Jennie could even stop herself, she encircled her arms around Lisa's neck and tiptoed, placing a lingering kiss on those alluring full and plump lips that has been tempting her to no end ever since she first tasted them.

 

“What was that for?” Lisa asked, her voice came out low and sultry, her lips to get the taste Jennie left when their lips parted. She was surprised at Jennie's assertiveness but she was not complaining. Who would even have the audacity to complain when it's Jennie Kim? Even Lisa still couldn't believe that she kissed her. Twice in one day.

 

With her cheeks tainted with a dark shade of pink, Jennie shrugged. “I just felt like it. A good night kiss, perhaps?”

 

“Mm, they say third time's the charm,” Lisa answered, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman's waist, and pulled her closer. “Maybe, I can have one more?”

 

Witnessing the undeniable tension oozing out between the two, Jisoo was back to being widely open, disbelief evidently drawn on her face. “You're seeing what I'm seeing, aren't you, Chaeng?”

 

“That they like each other? Yeah,” Rosé answered innocently, being a church girl and all that. Jisoo stared at Rosé quizzically. How can someone be that oblivious?

 

Rosé had no idea why Jisoo was looking at her like that. She pushed Jisoo's chin up like how the oldest usually does to Lisa and whispered the line she also says most of the time, “Ya, a fly might go in your mouth.”

--------

AUGUST 06 2017

 

Since that night, it eventually sank in somewhere along the way. Seeing the two lost in their own world is already a usual occurrence when the four of them are alone together. Jisoo was pulled from her reverie when she heard Lisa’s stomach growl loudly.

 

“I’m so hungry~,” Lisa whined, lying on her back on the sofa and squeezed in between Jennie's arm to rest her head on top of Jennie’s thighs. She reached for the brunette's hand and held it in her own, intertwining their fingers together.

 

Jennie clicked her tongue. She knew that Lisa refused to eat a lot earlier because of the outfit she’d wear on stage, not wanting to look bloated. It has been a long day and the redhead still hasn’t had any proper meal. No wonder she was starving.

 

“When are you not?” Jennie teased, lightly combing Lisa’s fringe with her free hand. She raised her gaze from Lisa to the table in front of them to look at the foods on there then continued, “I told you to eat a lot earlier— she sighed in worry— we have snacks here. What do you want?”

 

Lisa beamed at that. Jennie has always been the most responsible member in their group and she has always taken good care of them in her own ways. Sure, she did shut Lisa's flirting down all the time before but as a friend and an unnie, she was very caring and attentive. That’s why it really saddens Lisa whenever Jennie receives hate that she does not, in any way, deserve. Jennie might appear to be a strong person but she’s also just a soft and sensitive kitten inside so Lisa makes sure to shower the brunette with all the love that she could give.

 

“You get annoyed when BLINKs ask questions they should already know the answer to and yet, here you are, doing the exact same thing,” Lisa answered, propping her head a bit, and placed a quick peck below Jennie’s chin. “I only want you, babe.”

 

“I meant food. — Jennie rolled her eyes then smiled coquettishly — But I'd take that. I just think you missed your mark.”

 

Ugh, too cheesy. Jisoo cringed. As much as she wanted to be supportive, she couldn't stop being the savage woman she is. She quickly grabbed whatever she could get a hold of, which happened to be a piece of candy, and threw it, hitting Jennie straight on the top of her head as she was leaning in to show Lisa the right mark.

 

“Ahh! What the!” Jennie snapped her chin up, scrunching her brows together and rubbing the spot where she's been hit. Seeing Rosé startled and Jisoo doubling up from laughter, she irritably hissed, “Unnie!”

 

“What? I hit the right mark, didn’t I?” Jisoo quipped, making Lisa and Rose laugh with her. Jennie scowled in response because it still stung that it might leave a bump. Figuring that the brunette was genuinely pissed, Lisa shut up and sat up, draping her arm around Jennie’s shoulder, and rubbed it to calm her down.

 

Realizing that she probably threw it harder than she intended, Jisoo apologized sincerely, “Sorry, Jendeuk. Don’t be mad?”

 

Jennie directed a pointed glare at Jisoo but she just couldn't stay mad at her for too long even if she tried. If there was one person she’s really soft towards before Lisa broke through her wall, that’s Jisoo so she just sighed in defeat, “Why did you even throw a mint at me?”

 

“Coz you’re busy being too whipped for each other that your ears failed to work,” Rose answered nonchalantly on her unnie’s behalf. Jisoo swallowed her laugh down at the other maknae’s subtle savagery and added, “I said let's go on V app and turn the sugar down. Jendeuk is my wife.”

 

“And Chaeng is mine,” Lisa agreed, giving Rose one of her cheesy looks where she raises her eyebrows repeatedly. Rose just giggled, being all shy and soft when Lisa does that.

 

They were all aware of Blackpink ships. Either the managers or Jisoo keeps them updated since the oldest loves lurking in the fanboard when she's bored. They find it funny how BLINKs ‘fight’ on which ships are superior because none of them really is... well, until months ago, unbeknownst to most.

 

Since that’s the first time Jennie and Lisa would be together in a live broadcast again after their ELLE Korea job, Jisoo warned, “Just act like you usually do. Oh, NOT like you usually do now. But what you usually do before... Wait, what am I saying again?”

 

Lisa and Jennie exchanged glances then chuckled simultaneously. The redhead removed her arm around Jennie and moved to the other side of the sofa, leaving a big space between her and Jennie. She turned her gaze back to Jisoo and spoke reassuringly, “Don't worry too much. We got this.”

 

Apparently, they did not. Well, not as much as they thought they would. In just a span of no more than two minutes, they said that they're a couple that day since they were wearing matching shirts and hair. Lisa also playfully kissed Jennie on the cheek which was actually normal for the maknae since she’s always been like that but the older member's savagery also hugely toned down and one could say that it was more than enough to “feed the gays”.

 

“Oh, wait!” Jisoo was acting like the savage oldest the entire broadcast every time the two gets all too clingy but when she was reading the comments, one in particular caught her attention and she quickly read it without second thoughts, “I saw Lisa and Jennie at an H&M store in Hongdae!”

 

Upon hearing that, the two exchanged knowing looks with guilty and happy smiles on their faces. Jisoo knew what happened that day but, of course, she left most of the details when she continued, “You caught them shopping.”

---------

JULY 21 2017

 

BLACKPINK’s schedule has been so hectic because of their promotions for their comeback and their Japan Debut Showcase that they just didn’t have any time for themselves at all. When they arrived at their dorm from the airport, Lisa and Rosé quickly retired for the night.

 

Jennie was about to enter Lisa's room after having had done her nightly routine when she heard the muffled sound of Overwatch's theme coming from Jisoo's room. Since she wasn't really that sleepy yet, she decided to join her. They tend to get loud when they play so the two moved to the living area where they were most likely not going to disturb the maknae line.

 

It’s been a while since Jennie last played... And it showed. A lot. Sitting on the floor, smashing her mouse and keyboard, she said loudly, “Heal me, Chu! Hey, ugh!”

 

“It’s on freakin’ CD! Sit your down!”

“It’s not like I have a choice! I'M DEAD!”

“If you didn’t keep on breaking the tether, you wouldn’t be!”

 

Rusty doesn’t even begin to explain how bad they were. It has been a while since Lisa started silently watching them and she could tell. That means a lot from someone who couldn’t even play the game without dying every time.

 

Lisa sneakily moved and sat behind her girl, snaking her arms around Jennie's waist, causing Jennie to jerk and yelp in surprise. She really is too easy to scare. Lisa chuckled lightly, kissing her on the cheek.

 

"Ya! You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days," Jennie whined as she moved one side of her headphones from her ear. Lisa, the prankster, has always known how easy it is to startle Jennie and, during their pre-debut times, she scares her every chance she gets. Though it subdued greatly through the years, maturing as time passed, that playful side of Lisa still existed.

 

Lisa pouted. “I'm sor—”

 

“Jendeuk!" Jisoo interjected, tugging Jennie's hand quickly. “You’ve respawned!”

 

Jennie turned to her laptop in a snap, eyes focused on the screen. And just like that, Lisa became pretty non-existent again. She knows better than to disturb the woman when she's gaming so she just smiled to herself as she fixed Jennie's headphone back, resting her chin on the brunette's shoulder. And that's when an awesome idea came to her mind.

 

After another five minutes or so, the game finally ended. And at the rate that they were going, Jennie and Jisoo obviously lost pretty badly. The oldest, with her carefree personality, just shrugged it off but Jennie hates losing more than anything. Especially at something she's supposed to be great at.

 

“I'm such a noob. Ugh.”

“Oh, I know.”

“You're one to talk—”

 

“At least, you two are still better than me,” Lisa interjected before the two get into one of their silly banters again. It has been going on for the entire game and Lisa has had enough of it. Her ears couldn't take any more nagging.

 

Jisoo snorted as she stood up to get her phone.

 

“No one could possibly be worse than you at this,” Jisoo replied with so much certainty, making Lisa laugh her windshield wiper laugh. “You’re hopeless.”

 

Jennie couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at that. She remembered when they let Lisa play with them once and it was a total disaster. Lisa never tried it again ever since.

 

“How long have you been awake?”

 

“Long enough to see how terrible you’ve gotten,” Lisa teased to which Jennie frowned as a response. The younger one giggled, “Just kidding.”

 

Lisa was actually woken up when her phone beeped. Opening her eyes into tiny slits, she read their manager's message. Thinking of just responding the next morning, she put her phone away and closed her eyes again, facing the other side of the bed and draping an arm, not expecting that it would be caught by the bedspread.

 

Only then did Lisa notice that Jennie wasn't in bed with her where the older one should've been. And that's when she heard Jisoo and Jennie’s distant voices from outside so she went to check out what was going on. The two were pretty preoccupied by the time she found them so Lisa figured that the unnies haven’t seen the news yet.

 

“Are you free this Sunday?”

 

If Jennie remembers it correctly, they have a full schedule that day. With her brows pinched together in confusion, she replied, “No? Don’t we have Inkigayo and practice?”

 

“Oh, practice is cancelled,” Jisoo answered on Lisa's behalf when she went and checked her messages, showing Jennie the news that their manager sent. Jennie nodded as she broke free from Lisa's embrace in order to face the redhead. Curiosity curved her brows more when she said, “Well, I guess I'm free. Why?”

 

“I was wondering if you'd like to go out on a date with me.”

 

Jisoo glanced at Lisa with a gleam of amazement. There’s just something so charismatic about her that makes simple words sound so smooth. It felt like the Lisa she knew came back from the dead. She, then, chuckled quietly when she caught the little blush on Jennie's cheeks. It was still all so surreal because the Jennie she knew back then would've cringed so hard.

 

That was the Lisa she hated so, so much in the past. Never in her entire life in YGE did it ever cross her mind that she would fall victim to the redhead's charms but there she was, deeply infatuated with her and her ways. Jennie bit the insides of her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling too much but her lips curved into one of her cute closed smiles in the end.

 

“Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

 

“Yes? Awesome!” Lisa flashed her cheeky smile, cupping Jennie’s cheeks. Excitement took over her and before she knew it she's already concealed Jennie's lips with hers. It was just a quick peck but it was already enough to send her heart into overdrive. Lisa gulped hard, planting a kiss on Jennie's forehead before she pulled back from the brunette.

 

Jisoo smirked coyly to herself. There it was again, the same thing she noticed that first night and every time she witnesses them being all into each other. It never really went away.

 

Lisa took Jennie's hand, brushing a kiss on her palm, and muttered, “I better try and go back to sleep. Good night, gorgeous.”

 

Jennie sighed as she lightly traced the bags under Lisa's eyes, knowing how exhausted she was from their full packed schedule. “Get a good night's sleep, okay? Good night.”

 

Jisoo watched Jennie unconsciously follow Lisa’s retreating profile and even when Lisa has already disappeared from sight, Jennie still continued staring into the space where Lisa was last seen… but the look on her face was unreadable, which was rather rare for Jisoo.

 

Jisoo flicked her best friend's forehead, snorting at how stupid Jennie looked like. When Jennie flinched awake from her trance, finally looking her way, the oldest teased, “Seems like Nalalisa stole your heart. Have you fallen in love with her already?”

 

“I... I— Jennie sighed audibly. She was not ready for that question.— Nothing really happened yet. You and Rosie are the only ones who know so the only quality time we have is only when we’re together alone, without our managers. And that nearly never happens except when we’re hidden here at our dorm which also nearly never happens these days.”

 

The four of them decided to keep from the management what Lisa and Jennie have currently going on since there’s still really nothing going on at the moment. Lisa and Jennie weren’t breaking any rules, though, since they’re not officially dating. The two just don’t want to cause any unnecessary uproar since they already have so much to worry about in their hands.

 

Jisoo smirked naughtily when she replied, “At least, you have quality time whenever you’re alone together.”

 

Jennie scoffed, shaking her head, as she figured immediately what Jisoo was trying to say. “We've never done that.”

 

“Psh, you know you don't have to lie to me.”

 

“I’m serious, unnie.”

 

“What?” With mouth ajar and eyes widened, Jisoo blurted, “Shut up! Lisa? The Lisa is not making a move on you?!”

 

“It’s that shocking, huh?” Jennie chuckled weakly, pursing her lips as she tried to fight away the worry to crease in between her eyebrows but failed miserably. “Whenever things get, uh you know, she always backs away. I feel like she's doing it on purpose and I don't know why.”

 

“Whoa,” It is that shocking. During their trainee days, Jisoo gave up trying to count how many girls have fallen into Lisa’s charms. When she called her playgirl, she wasn't exaggerating at all.

 

Lisa was a naturally sweet, charming, and gentle teen who becomes a monster on the dance floor so you could only imagine how powerful her appeal was, especially to hormonal and curious teenagers who are denied of interaction with boys. Lisa taking advantage of that is all on her, though. It was all just a game to her and the girls were all aware of it. The rule was to never fall in love but they still do, apparently. Them girls broke the only rule; thus, breaking their own hearts.

 

The management was strict with them interacting with boys but not girls so it was kind of easy and Lisa always knew which cards to play. She's smart like that. Since the four of them were really close since the beginning, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé tried to stop her but she just wouldn't listen because she's known to do whatever she wants. When the members say that Lisa has one of the widest gap in her personality, there’s a double meaning about it at the back of their heads.

 

That’s why Jisoo couldn’t really blame Jennie when the brunette kept on shutting Lisa down, rejecting her endlessly with no guilt. The redhead has history and Jennie genuinely hated that part of her so much with all of her being. Disgusted, even. And that’s why Jisoo was so shocked and needed time to process it when she heard about Jennie and Lisa the first time.

 

But after their debut, Lisa changed into a totally different person. At first, they thought it was for the reason that she was just being careful since cameras were always on them but they were wrong. They noticed that there were chances that still presented themselves to the maknae, which she could easily grab, but Lisa just refused to take them anymore.

 

“Oh, she wants you. If that’s what you’re worrying about, better don’t. But you could always ask her if there's a problem,” Jisoo said after seeing Jennie worried and contemplating about the situation. She knows what she's seen but it may differ based on Jennie's perspective. “Have you tried asking her?”

 

Jennie shook her head fast, giving the oldest an incredulous stare. “Who even said I’m worried?”

 

Jisoo face palmed. Why did she even ask? She knows all too well how prideful Jennie is and how that'd be too embarrassing for her to admit. With that thought, Jisoo decided to drop the subject. There's no point convincing Jennie to think otherwise. She'll figure it out herself.

 

“Alright, alright,” Jisoo replied. “So, back to my question, do you love her?”

 

Jennie sighed as she ran a hand on her face in exasperation. “I- I don’t know. You know how easily I fall in love, Chu, and that's why I keep myself guarded at all times. I guess old habits really die hard, huh? I hate to admit it but her past still haunts me today. I don't want to be just another one of her girls—”

 

Bewildered at where Jennie was going, Jisoo felt her hand involuntarily move and hit Jennie lightly at the back of her head.

 

Jennie slapped her hand away. “What the hell is that for?”

 

That's just something Jisoo couldn't let Jennie go away with so she spoke her thoughts this time around, “For not giving Lisa enough credit! Haven't she proven herself enough? She waited for more or less than a year for this. For you. If that doesn’t tell you how serious she is about you, I don’t know what else can.”

 

Jennie wanted to believe her. She really did but there were things bothering her but they all would just sound so petty that she just couldn't tell Jisoo about them.

 

Jisoo took a deep breath then sighed, “But I also understand where you're coming from. Lisa was definitely something else. But I know one thing's for sure— truly loving someone means taking the bad with the good, Jen. Trust and love come in a package. You can’t say you l