“Is she with you?” the crisp, clear voice barked through the phone, not giving Lisa time to even say hello. Normally, the blonde would have made a snarky remark about this, but she knew now was not the time.

“She is,” Lisa replied, sounding resigned and almost robotic.

“Are you all safe and well hidden?”

“Of course. We haven’t left headquarters since I reported to you last night.”

“How much does she know?”

“Nothing really. She doesn’t know who we are or what our mission is, she only has a vague idea of who we work for and why I was at the party… and she knows that I lured her there.”

“We will discuss your behavior and everything you did wrong later. For now, you are all to stay put until I arrive. I have one of your loose ends to tie up.”

“Yes, ma’am.” There was a pause where Lisa held the phone uncertainly to her ear, unsure of whether she was allowed to hang up or not.

“Have you revealed my identity yet?” the woman on the other end finally said.

“Not yet. Should I?” Lisa asked.

“No, don’t. Wait until I get there. At least by then I’ll have a peace offering.”

“A peace offering? What for?”

“Don’t ask questions and just do as you’re told, Lisa.” Before the blonde could protest, the call was ended.

***

After hanging up the call with Lisa, the young woman took a deep breath and stepped out of her car. She could not believe what she was about to do, and she wasn’t sure if she should feel excited or nervous or what. She tried to keep her breathing even and tried to make her heart slow down as she made her way to the front door of one of the houses. This wasn’t going to be easy, she knew, and despite everything she’d faced before—much of which had been more difficult and even life threatening—she hadn’t felt this unsure of herself in a very long time. A few moments of contemplative silence passed before she finally gathered the courage to ring the doorbell. There was the sound of movement inside and then the door swung open, revealing a purple-haired girl whose eyes widened in shock.

“You,” she gasped.

“I’m sorry to show up like this but there’s something we need to talk about. Can I come in?”

***

Nayeon Im.

The last person Jisoo was expecting to find on her doorstep. The last person Jisoo ever wanted to see. The last person Jisoo had been stupid enough to trust.

It had been a few years now since their last encounter, but the events played out in Jisoo’s mind like a movie. She’d never forgotten, couldn’t forget. How was anyone expected to get over such a betrayal? And now, staring at the person who had caused her so much pain, Jisoo found herself assaulted with the memories.

“Nayeon, what are you doing?” Jisoo asked, trying to keep her voice from trembling. Her eyes moved back and forth between her lover’s pained expression and the gun that said lover was unwaveringly pointing at her.

“I was supposed to do this from the beginning, you know,” Nayeon admitted, her voice shaky. “They wanted me to kill you, to ‘eliminate the problem’. I thought I could do it. I wanted to prove I could do my job right. But I couldn’t do it. I can’t.”

“If you’re not going to kill me then why are you pointing that gun at me? Lower it and we can talk. Tell me what’s going on and I can help you,” Jisoo reasoned, sounding surprisingly calm.

“You don’t get it!” Nayeon barked, her voice cracking. Jisoo flinched, taking an involuntary step back. Nayeon immediately lowered the gun, taking a step forward as her expression became one of concern. “I’m sorry, I—”

“Don’t come closer,” Jisoo commanded, jumping back. Hurt and guilt danced across Nayeon’s features but she obeyed, retreating back to her original spot, the gun held limply at her side.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t meant to turn out this way. I wasn’t supposed to fall for you.”

“Jisoo?” Nayeon said quietly, snapping the girl back to the present. There was a quizzical, nervous look on Nayeon’s face.

“How did you find me?” Jisoo finally spoke. “I told you never to look for me again.”

“I wasn’t looking for you. Jennie is the one we were after,” Nayeon replied matter-of-factly.

“We? Is she the newest target of your ed up little gang of criminals? And like a good you’re here to kill her, just like you were supposed to do with me, is that it?” the purple-haired girl spat, her fists clenching at her sides. “What did you do to her, Nayeon?”

“Jisoo, calm down. It’s not like that, I’m not in the same line of work—”

“I don’t give a what you do with your worthless life! I want to know what the bloody hell you did to my sister!” Jisoo’s body was trembling with rage and tears were starting to accumulate in her eyes. But she refused to cry, especially in front of Nayeon.

“I know you hate me, and rightfully so, but I’m not the bad guy this time. Jennie is safe. She got a little banged up in the escape but Lisa is taking care of her and—”

“Lisa? So she was part of your plan too? Did you make sure she’d be at the police station when Jennie got arrested?” Jisoo’s eyes widened as a sudden realization hit her and she jabbed an accusatory finger in Nayeon’s direction. “You. You were the one who got her arrested in the first place, weren’t you? Are ing kidding me? I can’t believe you had with her!”

“Well, it was either me or Taeyeon, and I wasn’t going to let Taeyeon anywhere near your sister.”

“And who the hell is Taeyeon?”

“You’ll meet her soon. And when you do, you’ll thank me for being the one to have slept with Jennie.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Thank you so much for having with my sister and then getting her arrested. And then doing God knows what to get her into this mess that she’s in right now. Thank you so goddamn much, Nayeon.”

“I won’t make excuses. We wanted her help so we lured and manipulated her. Things went wrong and now we’re in a tight spot. But Jennie is safe and sound, albeit very confused. Things didn’t go according to plan, but it’s all under control.”

“What plan, Nayeon? How do I even know you’re telling the truth? I don’t trust you. For all I know, Jennie could be dead.” Jisoo choked on the last word, but the inflection of her words was dangerous nonetheless. Nayeon let out a sigh, somewhere between disappointed and frustrated, as she pulled out her phone. She quickly dialed a number and put the device to her ear.

“Lisa,” Nayeon said in a steely voice the moment the call was answered. “Put Jennie on the phone.”

“Hello?” Jennie’s uncertain voice came through the receiver. Nayeon didn’t answer, simply handing the device over to Jisoo, who cautiously accepted it.

“Hello?” Jisoo spoke tentatively, her voice coming out as barely more than a whisper.

“J-Jisoo?! Is that you?” an all-too-familiar voice replied. Jisoo instantly felt like she was ready to cry.

“Jennie, oh my God! I was so scared about what happened to you! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Where are you? What happened?” There was a soft chuckle on Jennie’s end, but it sounded almost pained.

“Calm down, Chichoo. I’m okay.” Jennie responded in a soothing voice that did not at all match her earlier chuckle. “Got a few cuts and bruises but I’m otherwise alright. But I don’t know where I am or what’s going on. I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“You’re so stupid. Why don’t you ever listen to me you stubborn brat?” Jisoo’s voice cracked and she couldn’t stop the tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. “I told you that you’d get into trouble if you went to that party. Why don’t you ever listen?”

“I-I’m sorry. I should have listened to you. I’m so sorry.” Jennie was crying now too, it was evident in the tremble of her voice. “Unnie, I’m scared.”

The sentence was spoken so quietly that Jisoo almost thought that she’d imagined it. In addition, it paired two things Jennie hardly ever said, so it couldn’t be real. Ever since Jennie and Jisoo had fled their parents’ home in Korea and escaped to the U.S., they had both dropped honorifics. Even despite the fact that they had a tendency to settle in areas with a relatively high Korean population, they never again followed the Korean honor system unless absolutely necessary, and they certainly didn’t use it with each other. Jisoo knew that if Jennie had called her unnie it was because she was feeling like a scared little kid, like she had back in their parents’ home, and the fact that she was admitting it aloud was alarming.

“Shhh, it’ll all be okay. You’re alright and that’s all that matters for right now, okay? I’m going to help you through this.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Jen.”

“So will I see you soon?” For a moment, Jisoo hesitated. She was about to say that she wasn’t sure, but then she caught Nayeon’s gaze and she hardened her resolve, fixing the older girl with a hard glare.

“Yes, Jennie,” Jisoo said in a stiff, determined voice. “I’ll see you soon.”

And for some reason, Nayeon smiled at her.

***

“I’m glad you decided to come with me. And I didn’t even have to ask,” Nayeon said with a smile as she and Jisoo climbed into her car. Her smile didn’t falter, not even when Jisoo gave her an icy look.

“I’m going for Jennie, not for you,” the purple-haired girl bit back. Still Nayeon was smiling, a small, soft curl of the lips.

“I know,” Nayeon replied with a half shrug as she started the car. “It might not be the best circumstances, but I’m happy to have the chance to see you again.”

“Yeah?” Jisoo scoffed, turning to stare out the window. “Well, the feeling isn’t mutual.”

Only then did Nayeon’s smile drop, as if pulled down by the gravity of Jisoo’s words. Nayeon had thought that seeing Jisoo again would offer her a second chance, but suddenly she wasn’t so sure she even deserved it.

***

Unnie, I’m scared.

A string of words Lisa never expected to hear coming out of Jennie’s mouth. Then again, the blonde never expected to see Jennie crying either. It was small at first, just a few escaped tears and a watery voice. But the second Jennie pressed the button to end the call, the torrential swept her full-force. She was openly sobbing now, struggling to breathe in short gasps as tears streamed down her face.

“God, she’s even more pathetic than you are,” Taeyeon said suddenly, her voice full of disdain. And then, with more curiosity now, “Hmm, maybe she’s much more submissive than she looks. How interesting.”

Honestly, Lisa had forgotten about the woman’s presence until then, and she suddenly wanted Taeyeon far, far away from Jennie. Without even realizing what she was doing, the blonde moved forward, gently took the phone from Jennie’s curled fist, and shoved it towards Taeyeon, roughly taking the woman by the arm and pulling her towards the door.

“Hey! What the hell?” Taeyeon complained as she stumbled, surprised by Lisa’s sudden forcefulness.

“Get out!” Lisa hissed, pushing Taeyeon out of the room and slamming the door before she could protest further. Without missing a beat, Lisa rushed back to Jennie’s side, heart wrenching at the sight of the brunette still crying hysterically, not seeming to notice or care what else was going on. With a touch a thousand times more gentle than the one used with Taeyeon, Lisa reached out and pulled Jennie against her. Shockingly, Jennie let herself get tugged back towards the bed. She didn’t ask questions or struggle as Lisa sat on the bed and scooped her up, placing Jennie in her lap. Instead, the brunette welcomed the warmth of Lisa’s embrace, burying her face in the crook of the blonde’s neck as she cried herself to sleep.

The entire time, Lisa kept her arms firmly around Jennie’s shaking body. She didn’t mind the wetness she could feel seeping into the collar of her shirt, nor did she have a problem with the way Jennie was clinging to her almost painfully tightly. Usually Lisa scorned such displays of emotion, of weakness, unless they served a purpose. She had learned a long time ago that few could understand her brokenness or accept her at her most vulnerable, so she had stopped trying to offer others the luxury of being understood or accepted. But as she lay there staring at Jennie’s tear-streaked, sleeping face and feeling her arm begin to go numb from Jennie using it as a pillow, Lisa felt an unfamiliar jolt in her chest. Maybe other people were broken in ways she couldn’t understand too, and maybe they didn’t feel accepted in their vulnerability either. Jennie was supposed to be strong, fearless. But right now, she just seemed like a frightened child.

“Who hurt you?” Lisa whispered to Jennie’s sleeping form. The sound of steady breaths was the only reply. But the answer didn’t really matter. What mattered was that for the first time in years Lisa was feeling genuine concern for someone other than herself. And as she pressed a feathery kiss to Jennie’s temple, she made a mental promise to protect Jennie from now on. Subconsciously, she had made the decision that she never wanted to see Jennie cry again.

This took forever, I know and I'm very sorry. I've been busy and I wanted to post this at the same time as a special oneshot about Jennie and Nayeon's meeting that led to Jennie's arrest (yes, it is ). Anyway, if you're interested, I posted it in my oneshot collection series so you can check that out here.

I know this raised more questions than it answered but I hope it was enjoyable nonetheless. Thanks for reading! <3

~unsungpoet