When she walks into the Starbucks by her campus, she’s immediately faced with the blank stare of a certain blonde behind the counter. Lisa stares off into the distance, leaning on her elbows with her head resting in her hands and eyes dazed and unresponsive. Jisoo approaches her with a heavy sigh, thankful that her junior at least has the sense to zone out when the shop itself was empty.

“Lisa,” she waves her manicured hands in front of the girl exaggeratedly. “Hey, Lalisa!”

After a particularly violent wave and a pinch to her cheeks, Lisa blinks once. Multiple times. Looks at her with wide eyes.

“Huh? Unnie? When did you get here?”

Jisoo moves back from the barista, folding her arms across her chest with an accompanying raised eyebrow.

“I really don’t know how you missed that when you were staring straight at the door. Honestly, it’s kind of impressive.”

Lisa does that stupidly endearing ‘ehe’ that is simultaneously cute and shameful before turning her attention to the screen in front of her, “what can I get you?”

“Give me a Unicorn Frappuccino, grande.”

She makes a face, “Unnie, that drink tastes like sour birthday cake and shame. Why do you hate yourself?”

“Shut up and give me my drink, I don’t recall paying for people to judge me,” Jisoo mutters defensively, already pulling out her bright pink wallet.

“Your funeral. Alright, that’ll be six dollars.”

The dark haired girl hands over the appropriate amount of notes, noting in the back of her mind that it was most definitely not worth it but unable to resist the urge to down a cold drink after class. Lisa hands her back the change before moving to the machine that sits behind her, taking out various spoonfuls of powder from containers. It reminds her of chemistry class in high school, of Lisa in big goggles doing her absolute best to create pretty colours out of potentially dangerous chemicals as the teacher yells over her. It was the first time Jisoo had seen her, walking past the classroom on an errand, by chance she happened to glance at the window to the science lab. She recalls these memories fondly as she sits on the stool watching Lisa six years later, making pretty colours out of chemicals.

“You failed chemistry, right?” says Jisoo, stifling a giggle at the annoyed expression that graces the younger girl’s face.

Lisa pouts, shoving a long spoon into the metal of a beaker and stirring it around, “it wasn’t my fault the teacher hated my guts. I still have no idea why - I was a great student.”

A snort. Lisa narrows her eyes before plunking the finished drink down on the counter in front of the other girl.

“Why did you bring that up anyway unnie,” she moves to the sink, turning on the tap and placing her hands underneath running water. “It’s not like you were much better at it.”

Jisoo brings the green straw to her lips and takes a sip. It tastes like cavities but she drinks it heartily anyway.

“Just thinking about how cute you were back then,” a faked, nostalgic kind of sigh escapes her wistfully. “My cute little Lalisa, now you’re so big and old.”

The blonde whips her head around, ponytail swinging and hitting the side of her cheek, “Hey, I’m still cute!”

It’s not true, Lisa is much cuter than she was back then, her cheeks, while still fluffy have thinned out slightly, making her look more mature. Well, until she opens anyway. The dark eyes, a little too big for her face back in high school now sits well framed by blonde bangs. She was cute in high school, but now she was cute and pretty in a way that Jisoo thinks is unlike anyone else.

The older girl brings her drink into her hands, letting its coldness seep into her skin. She takes another sip, letting the sugar and cream roll around on her tongue before sliding down . Lisa wipes her hands on her jeans and joins her at the counter, returning to her original pose, only now she’s across from Jisoo.

“Jisoo-unnie, can I ask you something?” Her expression is uncharacteristically serious and causes the older girl to unconsciously sit up.

“Yeah, sure – go ahead.”

Lisa bites her lips and looks down at the smooth wood of the counter. Her eyes trace the wood grain that runs along it.

“What do you think about Jungkook?”

Jisoo blinks. Oh. If she were being honest, she’s only met him in person a few times, at the behest of Taehyung and doesn’t have an intimate understanding of his character. Nevertheless, the few times she has seen him, he’s been polite, respectful, kind even. He’s someone she can see with Lisa. She decides then and there to put in a good word for him. So she smiles warmly, eyes soft as she speaks sweetly.

“He’s a really great guy, Lalice,” Jisoo takes the younger girl’s hands in her own. “I like him a lot.”

To her confusion, Lisa’s face falls.

Jeon Jungkook hey lisa

Jeon Jungkook theres something i want to ask u

He frowns, it doesn’t feel quite right to ask over text. Understandably, he doesn’t really want to ask in person either, fearful of the face she’d make if she rejects him. Jungkook taps his fingers lightly on his pant clad thigh as he stares hard at the bright screen of his phone.

Jeon Jungkook can we meet up?

The man sets his phone down on the armrest as soon as he hits the ‘send’ button. Almost immediately, he has regrets. Was it too early to ask her? Would he come off as overeager? Creepy, even? He’s overcome by regret as he sits in the student lounge, legs resting on the low coffee table in front of him.

“Ugh chill dude,” Taehyung mutters from the chair in front of him, head buried in his own phone.

Jungkook frowns, “do you even know what I’m doing?”

“I don’t have to, that face of yours gives everything away,” he looks up momentarily, light ashy brown wisps of hair settling over his eyes. “Seriously, stop worrying, you’re going to get wrinkles.”

“I’m not going to become Jin-hyung. And you better mind your own business unless you want me to bring up your crush on Kim Jisoo.”

At this, Taehyung flushes hotly. He throws him a glare before turning his attention back to his phone. Jungkook is about to stick his tongue out at him when the sudden vibration of his own phone startles him. He hastily reaches for it, pointedly ignoring Taehyung’s stifled snort, flips it over so he can see the notification that pops up on his lock screen.

Lalisa Manoban don’t think i can meet up anytime soon, sorry

 “Unnie, what would you do if you liked someone, but they liked your friend?”

Jennie looks up from her phone, perched on the edge of her bed with a bag of crisps by her side. With her oversized black sweater and hair tied messily into a loose ponytail, she’s the embodiment of ‘the university student in that sweet purgatory between assignments and end of year exams’. In contrast, the girl who presented the query sits on the floor with her back to her, thick textbook by her thigh and laptop seated carefully on top of her legs.

“Aren’t you supposed to be studying Lisa?” Is the vaguely snarky response she gets, and she resists the urge to scowl at the elder.

“I am,” she types something on her keyboard, as if random key smashing was somehow proof of that. “Now answer my question.”

A resigned sigh echoes behind her as she hears the crinkle of foil.

With full of crisps, Jennie speaks, “Depends. Is the feeling mutual?”

“What?”

Lisa turns her head around in confusion, round dark eyes growing even larger. She moves the laptop off her and scoots closer to the girl on the bed, placing her hands on the top of the comforter. In response to her bewildered expression the Jennie raises a curious eyebrow.

“What I mean is, does this person and your friend both like each other.”

She knows Jungkook has a crush on Jisoo, Taehyung had told her so, and she can’t think of any reason why he would lie about it. Jisoo’s feelings towards Jungkook… The elder girl hadn’t been opposed when she suggested the double date with Jungkook, had even looked pleased when she came to her. And earlier, when she asked about him at work… There couldn’t be any other possible explanation for it, she’s sure.

Lisa looks down at her hand, her painted fingernails which were beginning to chip at the edges. “I think so.”

“And how much do you like this person?”

That was more difficult to answer, she bites the flesh of her lips as she mulls over the question. She likes Jungkook enough, she thinks. If it were any other person, she’d wish them the best with her unnie while silently looking on, but the thought of Jungkook and Jisoo together causes her stomach to clench and eyes threaten to water. She likes them both a lot, Jisoo who has always been with her, she remembers them both with braces and large smiles sitting next to each other as their parents takes photographs. Jungkook, who she’s only known for a little while in comparison, is someone she’d simply like to spend more time with, whether it was dancing or even talking about silly things. She feels that if they could, if they could spend more time together, then she would be so happy.

Her head bows, creating a curtain of silky blond that hides her face from possible judgement. Ashamed, she buries her face into the softness of the bed comforter, feeling hot tears well up in her eyes. She feels Jennie shift on the bed as she sobs into her arms.

“…a lot,” Lisa whimpers. “I think I like him a lot, unnie.”

She’s aware of the comforting hand that rests on the top of her head. The light patting that usually, for its such a rare occurrence, soothes her immediately. Jennie doesn’t say anything and Lisa’s grateful for that, just lets her cry into her bed and stain it with hot tears.

“I don’t know what to do, I – “ she breaks off, wiping at her face with the sleeve of her shirt in a way she hasn’t done in a while. “I…don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Lalice,” Jennie begins, looking at her sympathetically, crisps long abandoned by her side. “If…if this person likes your friend more than you, then they’re stupid.”

She laughs, a laugh that’s slightly bitter and tastes bad on . “You wouldn’t say that if you knew who the friend is.”

“I mean, if it’s me – yeah you would lose for sure. You’re great Lisa, but I can make macaroons.”

A real laugh falls from her lips at this and her shoulders shake slightly. She feels Jennie wipe away at the sides of her face, catching the tears that she’s missed with her sleeve.

“You deserve to be happy too,” Jennie says as she ruffles the top of the younger girl’s head. Her dark eyes are soft.

Lisa looks up and smiles.

“Thank you unnie but – “ she rubs her face with thin fingers until its almost red and raw. When she looks up at the older girl, she finds her cute, childish face contorted in an expression of unfitting worry. “I don’t think I can risk my friendship with both of them.”