As the day for the pitch drew nearer, Seungwan could not suppress her nervousness. Also, with Jennie and Jisoo’s situation, it has also been a while since they practised or did any gigs together. Joohyun had lessons the entire day and duties as the Club President, leaving Seungwan alone for her mind to run wild. Seungwan sighed, she desperately needed a break and a distraction from all these stressful events. A distraction… Seungwan vaguely remembered she had missed some texts from Chanyeol, not that it was her favourite form of distraction. However, since she had free time now, she thought she might go through them.

‘Seungwan, the dinner will be at 7:30PM. You do remember right?’

‘Seungwan, try not to be late, my family would be there.’

Seungwan rolled her eyes at the string of reminders. Of course she knew. Chanyeol as well as her parents had already reminded her numerous times. She knew Chanyeol could be a nag but she found it to be too excessive this time round.

‘Should I pick you up? My father and mother say I did not have to go with them, as long as we are on time.’

'Or we could arrange for chauffer Kim to pick you up.’

Seungwan was internally screaming. Why did it sound as if the Parks were so eager on this dinner? Was it because there would be another business opportunity between their two families? Would Seungwan and Chanyeol be involved in running it, somehow? Seungwan hated to think about all these possibilities, it only made her head ache.

Her wearied thoughts were soon disrupted by a series of merrier instant messages from Joohyun. Those that had the ability to make Seungwan smile. However, Seungwan scolded Joohyun in her replies because she knew that the senior must not have been paying attention in class.

‘My dear President, don’t you have to pay attention?’

‘It’s okay, I did well enough for my midterm quizzes, I can afford to slack a little.’

Seungwan clucked her tongue at Joohyun’s cockiness but knew that the President was only joking.

‘Pay attention!’

‘I am... to you... Okay just kidding, I will listen to the lecturer. By the way, I will be meeting a senior for dinner tonight. You will be going home for your family dinner right?’  

Seungwan cringed a little at the cheesiness then hesitated for a moment and backspaced several times as she contemplated an appropriate response to Joohyun's subsequent question. Joohyun had mentioned of a senior whom she was really close to and who was her roommate. It made Seungwan slightly jealous and Joohyun seemed to take joy in keeping the senior’s name from her.

‘Your ex-roommate right? And yes, I will be going home for dinner tonight. Dreading it…’

Joohyun’s following response included several emoticons with the smirk expression.

‘Yes… my ex… will update you what she says when I get back. You better update me too!’

Seungwan pursed her lips and Joohyun’s obvious attempt at jesting.

‘Right… your ex. Will update you. Concentrate in class!’

Right after Joohyun sent back a heart, Seungwan’s lips split into a smile. This was becoming a usual occurrence. Ever since she had bared everything to Joohyun, they were becoming more like a couple. Seungwan remembered her promise to Joohyun, that she would make things clear between Chanyeol and herself. She should try to find a chance to bring it up to Chanyeol tonight.

**

Jisoo had skipped morning lesson that day because she was certain she would be unable to focus in class. The girl needed a form of relief, from music or doing whatever she liked to do. Even after speaking to Wendy, Jisoo could still not still her heart and mind and was constantly thinking about Jennie.

Sighing at her own hopelessness, Jisoo pushed open the backdoor to the garage. Something felt off to Jisoo the moment she entered and later she realised it was because the backdoor was not locked properly. Her heart palpitated as she kept a look out for the presence of anyone.

Then her eyes bulged in surprise upon taking in the sight of the person she had most wanted to see and avoid at the same time, her girlfriend. Seconds later, the stench of alcohol assaulted her nose. The large empty bottle of whiskey that laid by Jennie’s side explained why the girl was still asleep into midday.

“Oh god…” Jisoo gasped and immediately crouched before Jennie to ascertain if her girlfriend was fine and spotted the bruise on Jennie’s temple.

Not bearing to leave Jennie on the cold, hard ground, Jisoo hefted the drunk girl up carefully and set her on the bean bed. Her heart felt heavy and the bruise on the girl’s head worried her and so she tended to it with some balm she found in their cabinets. It ached Jisoo to see Jennie indulging in such self-defeating behaviour but at the same time she learnt from her experience that such indulgences also provided the girl with a temporary form of relief.  

After wiping Jennie with a damp cloth, Jisoo decided to do a bit of housekeeping instead for fear of waking Jennie. The garage… these was where some of her best memories were made. Jisoo’s memory travelled back to the very first time when they had successfully negotiated for the rent and set foot in this place.

Wendy was the one who found this garage and suggested it to them. Naturally, she was the proudest when they managed to have it and had painstakingly transformed it with her other members. Despite her badass stage persona, Rose wailed like a baby and was so eager to help give the place a makeover. Lisa too, was so enthusiastic and ran about the place like an over-excited child. Jennie was exuberant but as always, she wanted to maintain her tough image and refused to admit that she was the slightest bit touched.

Jisoo sighed. Those good old times.

While cleaning, Jisoo accidentally stumbled upon the slashed guitar case that belonged to Lisa. The cuts on it made by Jennie. The sight of the guitar case awoke a memory in Jisoo’s mind and tugged at it violently enough for the girl to make a sudden random connection. It was what they usually termed as sixth sense.

Lisa and Jennie… Jennie had once loved Lisa but that fact had never once bothered Jisoo but now it finally did. Jisoo was dying of curiosity. Maybe Jisoo should have asked, now there were so many secrets between them that they could not even begin where to talk about.

Sighing, Jisoo took down the ruined and neglected case, wiping off the layer of dust on it. She even went to the case to clean the instrument within but was flabbergasted to find the instrument broken. What is this…?  Jennie did you do this…? Jisoo swallowed and set the case back, not daring to touch the wasted instrument. Feelings of uneased seeped deeper into her heart as she imagined how furious Jennie must have been to wreck an instrument, not just any instrument but a guitar which had once belonged to a girl she had loved. Closing her eyes and willing away those thoughts, Jisoo resumed with her cleaning.    

Once Jisoo was done with cleaning, she returned to Jennie’s side. Looking forlornly at her intoxicated girlfriend, Jisoo buried her face in her hands and forced herself to come to the decision to leave. You still would not tell me… For that, Jisoo would keep to her promise. Unless Jennie was either dying or have thought things through, she would not meet her girlfriend.

Before she left, Jisoo surveyed the garage another time. In the past, laughter used to fill their garage. Now, it was a place for them to their wounds. It felt a pity that things had become this way. Yet, Jisoo still felt heartened at the same time too. At least Jennie had remembered to sought refuge in this place instead of elsewhere. This was home for Jennie, it was home for Jisoo too, except, not now.

Closing the door silently behind her, Jisoo left.

**

Seungwan did not know why she had answered her parent’s summons for dinner that night. It was a mistake and she knew it the instant she stepped foot into her house and saw the numerous pairs of shoes by their corridor. Why were there two other limousines parked in their driveway instead of only one? Seungwan recognised the white Cadillac belonging to Chanyeol’s family but the other black Rolls Royce was…

That answer came later when she arrived at their living room. Seungwan had vaguely recognised the deep, bass voice from a very distant childhood memory but was not so certain until she saw him. Chanyeol’s grandfather, Grandfather Park was there with their family and it was right then that Seungwan had thoroughly regretted returning home. This would not be a simple dinner affair between two families, it was something more. Seungwan was beginning to feel light-headed. She really did not want to deal with such affairs in front of the elders. If only she had made things clear with Chanyeol earlier. Joohyun was right, Seungwan was at fault for not being more direct with the male.

Before she had time to collect her thoughts, their domestic helper had ushered her to take seat at the dining table. Breathing in deeply an