As expected, the trial mission on Joohyun's birthday went smoothly. It was only my moves toward being close to Jennie that remained bumpy and outright disconcerting.

It was a 4-star hotel's restaurant that we had to do a surveillance of. Lisa and Chae who concealed the recording device pretended to be on a blind date which I personally thought looked like a real awkward one. Jennie and I were both spotters who followed the meeting participants, sadly from two separate building locations. Seulgi and Joohyun stayed in the car to supervise everyone's movement and the data acquisition. We got the information we needed barely thirty minutes into the meeting and so, we packed up, headed home and reported to Uncle GD.

"It wasn't so bad. But I'm expecting the next one to be harder." Seulgi declared after sending the audio file.

"Should we prepare for the party now?"

"That reminds me, Lisa-yah, you're off later, right?"

"Of course, for your birthday, I'm off. But I need to go to some job application in the morning so I can't be too drunk."

"But there's never 'just drunk' with eonnie's parties." Chae commented.

"That's true though." Lisa turned to me. "Because she makes everyone drink until we're crawling or begging for our lives!"

"Lisa-yah, don't scare her too much. Who knows what an extra dose of liquor can help Jisoo do?" Joohyun winked at me and all I did was snarl to her insinuation.

Seulgi obviously stirred clear of the conversation in the fear of being hit by another boomerang if she started to tease. Jennie, in spite a forthcoming school deadline, skipped her usual trip to 24/7 Library and went straight to the veranda, which I felt inappropriately ecstatic about.

"Don't forget to set up the singing machine Lisa-yah."

"I'll be on it now." She darted to their room as soon as she was told.

"And can the three of you grab two bottles of tequila, a bottle of rum, orange juice and lemons?"

"Three of us?" I asked Joohyun who seemed to have been hallucinating a third person as she pointed at me and Chae.

"Yeah, you, Chae and Jennie." Before I could suggest Lisa to just join us, "Jennie!!! Can you help the two babies buy a few more drinks?...Please?"

Jennie didn't respond but everyone heard her footsteps as she came in from her windy fortress.

"I guess that's a yes. Here's the money, and don't drink them before getting back here." Joohyun reminded like she knew I needed a drink to get through the journey.

The heavens somehow knew countless ways to keep the three of us together. But don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not complaining. It's just that the more I get to know Jennie, the greater the distraction I get. And I know I should be fixating on more important tasks, not on my hidden lovesick agenda.

I grabbed my keys and I got in the car without waiting for her to reach the ground floor. Chae was quick to follow and entered the backseat, which left our older companion no choice but to occupy the front seat unless she didn't care that I'd look like a chauffeur.

Jennie arrived at the parking lot nearly a minute after. With my car's light charcoal tint, she didn't have to open the backseat door to know that Chae was inside. As soon as she got close enough, she shifted her direction and walked around. She sat beside me and secured herself. She cared that I might look like a driver after all. I almost smiled to my assumption.

No one spoke a word as I drove. But the convenience stores nearby strangely ran out of liquor on a Tuesday afternoon and so I had to drive farther away from the apartment until we reached a decent-sized grocery store. During the five stops, only Jennie got out to check; but I decided to convince them that we should all just go inside the grocery, in case she was just having a hard time searching.

But Chae said the unforgivable. "I'd rather wait here. I'm configuring my phone." Despite giving her a subtle look of desperation, there was no sign that she was going to change her mind.

Of course, I could not back out from my own suggestion and so, I just had to proceed with grilling myself with the same fire I created. I just followed Jennie in and everywhere she went to avoid the need to call her if I lost her while piercing through the aisles. I don't need another voicemail to humiliate myself; so I just carried a basket, kept a safe distance and trailed behind.

She didn't speak and I just did the same. It took a little effort though to control the impulse to talk. But after reading upside down in front of her yesterday, I've decided that I had enough mortification for the week.

We grabbed the last bottle on the list, paid and headed to the parking lot. Yes! I survived not tripping on anything or saying something ridiculous.

As soon as we've settled back in the car, I hastily put on my seatbelt and started the engine. And then I saw the Bluetooth symbol blink from the dashboard screen:

Connected to Bumblebee

OH MY F... Chae. Immediately, my heart was on a highspeed race. I looked at the rearview mirror with my eyes begging her to spare me, but she just had a straight face as she motioned that I start reversing. I gritted my teeth and felt my forehead form beads of cold sweat as I anticipated another episode of shameful death by her music.

And then played a very familiar song in acoustic. I could feel my heartbeats reach panic speed as I distractedly drove on the highway. I'M KILLING YOU LATER Chaeyoungie!!!

We stop to get something to drink.

My mind clouds and I can't think

Scared to death to say I love her

I could see that even Jennie started fiddling with the plastic bag on her lap as she looked away to stare consciously at the buildings we passed by. I squirmed in seat with unease and my breaths became heavier by the second.

Then a moon peeks from the clouds

Hear my heart that beats so loud

Try to tell her simply

I could feel a much quieter silence between us despite the sound of the unraveling love song. I inevitably glanced at her and with how the song suited the situation, it made me want to park on a side street and kiss her shrink and hide.