“I’m so happy that you are here,” Jiyoon said, for about the 5th time that evening, and, just like every other time, it made Jisoo feel guilty, rather than happy.

She should make more time for her family. Everytime she was working, it felt like she would blink and suddenly 3 weeks had passed and she hadn’t seen her family once. Her life was just so crazy and consuming, it was just too easy for her to live for work, and forget to make time for other people.

She wasn’t oblivious to the fact that this also applied to her relationship with Jennie.

“I’m happy I’m here,” Jisoo told her truthfully. It felt good to be out of the house, and not just to meet with Jon. Bless him, he had been great at listening to Jisoo talk about her and Jennie over and over again, but the whole PR situation still left her with a bitter taste in . “Let me know if you want me to head home; I know you have to be up early in the morning.”

Jiyoon waved her hand dismissively, “Stop, my social life this past few months was composed of making small talk to Suki’s friends’ moms at their playdates, and the conversations mostly revolve around head lice and chickenpox,” She rolled her eyes, “Mommy needs some adult time.”

Jisoo chuckled, knowing her sister’s sarcastic sense of humour well. She reached for her glass of wine. The taste of it reminded her of hers and Jennie’s first kiss – and second, for that matter.  “In that case, I’ll stay a little longer.”

Jiyoon’s husband, Junseo, peeked inside the living room, “That’s Suki put to bed. I will follow suit. You girls enjoy your girl-talk.”

“Thank you for dinner, Junseo, it was so nice to catch up,” Jisoo told him, and he smiled brightly, bowing slightly, before leaving the room again.

She could see the way how her sister looked at her husband; pure adoration but also confidence and comfort. It made her so happy to see her sister like that, but also slightly jealous. It was so easy for them. They had fallen in love, and that was it. Why couldn’t things be that easy for Jisoo and Jennie?

“Now that the 3rd and 4th wheel are gone,” Jiyoon said, leaning forward with renewed interest, “We can get down to the really interesting stuff. First off; are you okay?”

Jisoo smiled sadly. She had hoped Jiyoon hadn’t noticed she was slightly off, but, of course, her sister knew her better than that. “I’m doing-“ How to answer the question without completely lying, “so-so.”

Jiyoon looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate.

“Work has been stressful. My stats had been down, so they had me do all kinds of things-“ She’d rather leave this part vague, “to get them better. Which they are, now. They had told me they want to give me a solo next-“ Jiyoon gasped, in excitement, “-but only if I get the sort of numbers they want. And you know YG, he keeps moving the line. So nothing is for sure.”

Jiyoon looked slightly disappointed. “Right,” She had a long history of not liking YG (the person and the company) and their treatment of Jisoo. “And is that why you are a bit down?” She asked, carefully.

Jisoo let out a breath. “I’ve been going through some things, as of lately-“ She started slowly, before sighing again. “Where to start?” She was a bit shaky, and Jiyoon must have noticed it, because she reached across the table to her, and grabbed her hand in support.

“Does this have anything to do with that Jon thing?” She asked, trying to help.

Jisoo shook her head, “No. Not really. I mean, the Jon thing comes into play further on, but it’s not-“ She trailed off. “It’s about me. And my uality.” She couldn’t quite breath after getting that out.

She watched the realization in Jiyoon’s face, as her eyes widened and fell open. “You are gay.” She stated. It felt so weird to have her sister utter the word, but also so instinctively come to the conclusion.

Now it was Jisoo’s turn to be shocked. “You knew?”

“No.” Jiyoon answer, hurriedly, “Not at all. Not until right now. But- it makes a lot of sense.”

Jisoo felt her eyes water, and she looked away. She felt so emotional. So raw, so exposed, but also relieved and happy that she had finally came out. Jiyoon reached for her, bringing her in for a hug. “I love you.” She said.

“I love you too.”

Jiyoon looked at her in the face, and smiled reassuringly, before wiping the tears off her cheeks. “Have you told anyone else?”

“Just the girls. They were really supportive.” Jisoo told her, sniffling. “I don’t think I’m ready to come out to the public, though.”

“Of course.” Jiyoon nodded. “You are so brave for telling us. This must’ve been eating you inside. And- you shouldn’t be sad about it. I know things are complicated, but at least you now know, and are accepting it, you know? It’s the path to happiness.”

“I’m not sad.” Jisoo told her. “About that. Not anymore.” Jiyoon leaned her head to the side, questioningly. Jisoo wondered if she was ready to fully confess all that had been going on to someone. If there was someone she could completely trust to have her back and hold her secret, that was her sister. “I actually started seeing someone.”

Jiyoon’s mouth forced a perfect “O”. “As in dating?”

Jisoo nodded. “As in an actual girlfriend.”

Jiyoon looked surprised, but then her face relaxed into a pleased expression. “Someone I know?” Jisoo nodded, once. It only took Jiyoon a second to come up with a guess, “Jennie?”

Jisoo felt like laughing and crying at the same time. She did not need to confirm it; Jiyoon could see the admission in her face. She couldn’t believe how intuitive and observant her sister was.

“Again, it actually makes a lot of sense,” Jiyoon smiled. “I am so happy for you two.”

“No, don’t say that-“ Jisoo covered her face with her hands, “I think I messed it all up with her.”

“Oh, honey,” Jiyoon pulled her in for another hug, as soon as she noticed she was crying again. “Tell me what happened.”

Jisoo went through everything that had happened, ever since her and Jennie had finally admitted their feelings for each other in Europe. She was detailed and tried to provide as much of an unbiased view on the events as she could muster; she wanted Jiyoon’s honest point of view and advice.

When she finished, the bottle of wine was gone, her watch told her it was past 1am, and Jiyoon had a wrinkle in between her eyebrows, probably from trying to process all the information.

“No, I don’t think you mess it all up,” She finally declared. “It’s difficult, because you and Jennie are so different, in some ways. You are overly careful and reserved when it comes to emotions. And Jennie is the opposite; all-in, impulsive, overly emotional.” Jiyoon gestured.

“I wish I was there with her, you know? How is it that I’ve had years to come to terms with my uality and feelings for Jennie, and I still need time to adjust; and she just has it all figured out in the two months that we’ve been together, and is just so confident about everything,” Jisoo covered her face, in frustration, “It’s so unfair. I wish I could be there, already.”

“You process things differently,” Jiyoon told her. “You’re a thinker. She’s a feeler. And your concerns are valid, don’t forget that. You are trying to protect yourself, and her.” She shrugged. “In the end, you both have made mist