LOVE.

 

 “What’s a girl from Thailand doing out here?”  

 

Jennie has dated before, yes. But she never really felt anything more than just liking someone. Love was of the unknown, an endless universe she has yet to discover for herself to actually believe in it. 

 

“I’m training to become an idol.” 

 

But if she were to compare something close enough to it, maybe, then it would be when Lisa came into her life. 

 

Jennie had just gotten back from New Zealand once again to stay with Jisoo and her family in Seoul; both of their parents having been friends themselves since their high school years. Her parents were slightly opposed to the idea of having their only daughter spread her wings out on her own at a young age, but Jennie was also undeniably mature and way ahead of her time. And so, off she flew to Korea to attend an all-girls international high school as a freshman. 

 

“Oh, you’re one of those.” 

 

Lisa doesn’t budge at the girl’s prejudiced remark but instead gives her a cheeky smile, her eyes turning into two crescent moons as she starts to speak. 

 

“I guess I admire your culture too much I want to experience it too.”   

 

Jennie doesn’t react but instead stares at the girl’s unwavering smile. 

 

“That’s adorable.” 

 

Dammit. She thinks. had moved on its own before her brain could double check. 

 

Lisa’s phone saves Jennie some face as it buzzes on the table that the two girls shared. The owner of the phone immediately putting her books away as soon as she read, Practice tonight? Just nervous for the evaluation tomorrow.

 

Jennie doesn’t realize it had only been the two of them left in the library until the girl dismissed herself. She buries her face behind the big literature book (that she’s not really reading) whilst peering over it to gaze at Lisa’s retreating back. 

 

Lisa stops on her footsteps, her hand gripping the straps of her backpack. She doesn’t look back as she asks softly. 

 

“Will I be seeing you here again tomorrow?” 

 

Jennie would be going to the library the next day, and every day ever since.  

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

JISOO WAS A POSTER CHILD FOR SUCCESS, the school’s star athlete who still managed to maintain a straight “A” streak when it came to academics. She did it all. 

 

Knock, knock

 

And now that she has graduated high school, she also did a total 180. Who knew being a home body was just as great? If not, even better? She earned this kind of complacency after all of her hard work. 

 

That was a total excuse. Clearly, she had adapted a sedentary lifestyle other than co-coaching for her old high school varsity soccer team during the weekdays. She spent the rest of her free time sleeping, video gaming, eating. The cycle continues each day. 

 

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

 

A pillow flies across the room followed by Jisoo sitting up briskly, her groans of irritation following her every footstep as she drags herself to answer the door. Any normal person would stop knocking and just assume there is no one on the other side to welcome them, what with so many knocks unanswered.  

 

She ought to give this persistent prick a piece of her mind-

 

“Unnie.” 

 

Jisoo’s eyes soften at the familiar face, though the person had remarkably looked more mature over a span of just one year and some months. 

 

She prioritizes looking around behind the individual for signs of eager followers, specifically with cameras, and getting the younger girl inside quickly. 

 

“What’s going on?” 

 

“I happened to have a free day today, thought I could finally stop by.”

 

“You gotta do better than that.” 

 

Lisa relaxes her shoulders. Surely Jisoo knew her well enough to not take what she had said at face value. She finally takes in the older girl’s appearance before her and chuckles. 

 

Evidently Jisoo was woken up against her will and had rushed down straight from bed. The girl’s hair disheveled, the baggy baby blue pajama pants slightly off-centered, and finally Jisoo’s droopy eyes fighting hard to not close back on their own. 

 

Lisa sincerely says.

 

“God have I missed you.” 

 

“I know you do. Now tell me what’s wrong.” 

 

Lisa unconsciously uses both hands to fix Jisoo’s hair, something she had always done before, as she whispers her next few words. 

 

“I sort of… ran away.” 

 

“LALISA MANOBAN- “

 

“I have already contacted my manager. Told him I’m somewhere safe.” 

 

The older girl was dubious at this point, her blood pressure steadily pumping. Lisa doesn’t miss the way the older girl’s face turns into one of worry. 

 

Poor manager is probably having a heart attack at this moment, still trying to get a hold of this troublemaker. 

 

“Ultimately, I have something very important to tell Nini.” 

 

Nini. 

 

Jisoo already had a hunch of what the younger girl might have come here for, considering she had gone out of her way like this. 

 

She wondered why she had hoped otherwise. 

 

“Jennie lives on her own now, and dammit I was supposed to meet her this morning.” 

 

Lisa gives her a questioning look, letting her hands flow down Jisoo’s hair until they reached shoulder surface. The older girl continues with a shrug. 

 

“She’s already halfway through her last class by now. The coffee cups are in the drawers by the fridge.” 

 

“I don’t drink coffee.” 

 

“That is correct. But I do. You owe me a cup of Joe for waking me up from a good sleep. Give me 10 minutes to get ready.” 

 

 

 

 

 

SHE JUMPS AT HER PHONE’S BUZZ. Lips unconsciously pursed as she reads through the text. 

 

Joy_malgeumi: Practice is re-scheduled for today. Hurry up and come to the locker rooms, I’m lonely

 

Rosé’s fingers slowly register what her brain tells them to as she types up a response. 

 

What do you mean re-scheduled?

 

“Care to explain first why you haven’t been responding to my texts all day?” 

 

Her thumb hovers over the send button. Rosé was not one to observe much about anyone, but she found the new girl to be soft-spoken, a big contrast to her strong image.

 

She finally hits the send button as she tries to tune out the conversation going on beside her. Her phone screen lights up within a minute. 

 

Joy_malgeumi: Wrong choice of words. Practice is extended to 2 hours today

 

A breath of exhaustion escapes her lips as if she has already spent herself. She was not in any mood to keep the cheer spirit going that long. 

 

A swift motion catches her attention and she instinctively follows where it was headed. Her view taking in Jennie’s rushing form towards the door. She hears Jisoo sigh beside her, and she realizes it’s just the two of them left in the room. 

 

Rosé shifts in her seat and uses her voice to break the awkward spell. Her voice squeaking a little despite having to have cleared prior. 

 

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” 

 

She misses Jisoo’s stare as she gazes back at her phone, re-reading a message blankly to stall, her free hand’s index finger unconsciously twirling at her hair. 

 

Good god it’s embarrassing. 

 

After what seemed to be ages of agonizing silence, she hears the older girl say “Don’t worry about it”, followed by a gentle chuckle. 

 

Rosé would wait until Jisoo was out of the room to start heading out herself. 

 

“You coming out for our first game this Saturday, right?” 

 

Jisoo waits for the girl to look at her before grinning. She finally leaves when Rosé gives her a timid smile and a nod. 

 

 

 

 

 

YOU CAME. The first thing she says, smiling through her bangs, her blond hair that slightly ran pass her shoulders dancing along with the wind. She was leisurely seated on the swing, her slender form befitting a model.

 

“Jisoo said you ran away.” The black-haired girl replies. Voice almost monotonous, but she could still hear the concern behind it. 

 

The wind suddenly gusts, pushing Lisa’s source of cover off her head. 

 

It doesn’t take a few seconds before Jennie decides to walk over and pull the hood back over the girl’s head. Her legs take her a step back to create some space between them. Out of respect? No, it was more so out of habit. A habit she forced upon herself to stay guarded.  

 

“You really need to stop roaming around on your own, Lisa.”  

 

Lisa silently raises her hands to reach at the ones atop her head. She brings both of their hands down, a little delighted that Jennie doesn’t pull away from their intertwined hands.

 

“You stopped responding to me for a while.”   

 

“I’ve been busy with school.” 

 

“You moved out.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“I missed you.” 

 

Jennie doesn’t say a word. She chooses not to, for the sake of the flow of things. Everything is where they should be now. 

 

The grip on her hands tighten. The blonde girl’s smile long gone as she ducks her head to hide her quivering lips. Her words were otherwise clear and composed.  

 

“I’m sorry for the trouble. I’m just exhausted.” 

 

“You chose this.” 

 

“I did.” 

 

Jennie sighs. 

 

“Lisa, what do you want me to do?” 

 

Lisa fixates her eyes on the ground, mainly at Jennie’s over-worn black converse, which didn’t go well with the girl’s sharp and neatly ironed school uniform. 

 

“You’re still wearing the shoes I gave you.”

 

“They’re comfy.” 

 

“Stay with me for a few more minutes. That’s all I need from you right now.” 

 

 

 

 

 

ROSÉ LIES ON THE GYM FLOOR, limbs sprawled out, ready to make floor angels. Cheer practice had been strenuous with the upcoming competition between the districts. 

 

Her mind drifts a little, and once again it leads her to the new girl. Jennie Kim, was it? She doesn’t know what it is but the girl gave off an odd sense of familiarity. 

 

Some déjà vu she doesn’t even know anything about.  

 

A person from her dreams that she recognizes yet could not, for the life of her, put a face on. Rose was indeed intrigued and confused at the same time. 

 

She doesn’t notice two bodies scooting over her, her mind deep in abyss, until she felt fingers blocking her breathing-way. 

 

Rosé snaps out of her daydreaming with a snort. 

 

“What the hell!” 

 

“Language, baby girl.”  

 

Rosé directs an offended gaze at Joy’s indifferent ones, her bottom lip slowly protruding to complete a natural pout. Irene empathizes to the adorable sight, and scolds Joy through a jab in the gut. 

 

“You didn’t have to pinch her nose so hard.” 

 

“Excuse me, you were in on this too. You were the one who told me to-“ 

 

“Anyways, my brother is outside to pick us up.” Irene wisely cuts in, turning to Rosé. 

 

This has been the norm ever since they started getting close through cheer during sophomore year. Irene and Joy immediately taking a liking to the once brunette foreign girl named Rose, who they now call Chaeyoung, the girl who was too genuine to ignore. Joy joking at the time that they needed another member to complete a Korean version of Charlie’s Angels. 

 

Irene almost cried finding out a few days after their first competition, that Rose had been living alone in a humble apartment, taking the bus to and from school ever since her older sister Alice, who was of age to drive, moved back to Australia to start working to provide for her younger sister’s needs. They offered to pick the girl up and also take her home ever since, be it Irene’s ride or Joy’s. 

 

“I might actually take the bus today.” Rosé says now. 

 

“Why?” 

 

“I didn’t really get to focus much. So I’m going to go over the practice video we had today.” 

 

Because her mind had been ping-ponging elsewhere, and surprisingly it wasn’t related to her long time crush Jisoo this time. 

 

Joy finally reacts. “You can’t just practice it at home?” 

 

Rosé knowingly smiles at the girl’s concern. 

 

“I like the big body mirrors here- I won’t practice long.” 

 

“Before sun-down?” 

 

“Before sun-down.” Rosé repeats.

 

 

 

 

 

A FEW HOURS PASSED. A decent amount of time to cover a whole year’s worth of catching up. Jennie, no longer inside her safety bubble, is now sitting beside Lisa. Their legs maintaining the two-seater swing’s small sway. 

 

“I guess it’s time for me to go.” The blonde girl breaks through the comfortable silence, sighing at her phone which displayed her company president’s name.  

 

“This was it? You just wanted to catch up?” Jennie didn’t like the small hint of disappointment in her own voice. 

 

“Yeah. A breath of fresh air. I needed a different kind of break other than just watching dramas in my room all day.” 

 

It wasn’t. Lisa had planned everything beforehand, picturing herself confident and determined, to courageously ask Jennie for forgiveness. Forgiveness for leaving the only girl she loved for her career. 

 

Because she thought it was also appropriate that Jennie be aware, that her feelings never changed. And that she’s been suffering the consequences more often than not, during sleepless nights, missing the girl dearly. 

 

No. She didn’t just want to catch up. And asking for forgiveness was also not the main reason why she was here. 

 

It was to admit that she was actually crazy enough to think about selfishly asking for another chance at getting Jennie back.

 

“I’ll walk you out.” 

 

The two girls look over and find Jisoo’s head sticking out from the kitchen double-doors. The dark circles under the older girl's eyes showing she’d been in front of the pc monitor all day since she left the two to talk.

 

Jennie doesn’t question how long Jisoo had been listening in to them but instead steps out of the swing to start heading inside. She shortly mutters shower, as she passes Jisoo. 

 

Lisa nods at Jisoo, her lip curling into a small smile as she follows suit. She makes it through the double doors before Jisoo stops her with a gentle grip on her arm. 

 

“You know very well she still has feelings for you.”  

 

Lisa doesn’t look at Jisoo but instead closes her eyes, the same small smile playing on her lips as she speaks. 

 

“I don't deserve her.” 

 

 

 

 

 

SHE HAD SOMEHOW MISSED THE BUS. And to put the icing on the cake, her phone had also lost its final bar of power. Oh, and it was way passed sun-down. She had been focused on getting the practice right that she had lost track of time. 

 

Walking was also doable, she thought. Not like she had any choice. The only time she’s ever walked home once was again when she missed the bus, first day when Alice left. Her sister’s firm words playing in her head now. 

 

Make sure you make it at least thirty minutes early. 

 

Rosé imagines two scolding mouths by the time she reaches home and have her phone charged up again. 

 

Halfway through the second stop sign she hears a small click from behind. Her eyes widen half a size realizing what fell just by the sound it made.

 

“Joo Hwangie.” 

 

Referring to the small orange plastic fish made as a keychain, its clicks resonating the empty road. She gives a sigh of relief upon seeing the object roll off not too far from her. Her head cranes left and then right. No signs of cars.

 

She takes a leap over the curb and fast-walks towards the object, legs bending not too low to grab it. She uses the street lamp’s light to scrutinize the toy for any scratches. Nothing. Good. 

 

The light seems to brighten up a little intensely this time. She realizes a little too late that it wasn't the street lamp's doing when she hears a loud honk charging her way.

 

Her heart skips a beat, eyes catching two headlights becoming bigger in front of her. 

 

SCREECH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's pm: DUN DUN DUNNNNNN. So I threw in a lot of stuff in this chapter that are yet to be explained later on. As of now, I'll let my lovely readers interpret the happenings here on their own :) The next chapters will slowly piece them together I promise. Thanks for reading! I circle you 💕🎀