The Other Half of Me

Signals

A/N This is actually going to be a short fic, probably there's a chapter or two left. See not to much drama, Yay!

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There are times when no matter how much we try, we feel that the universe is working against us. It seems like the goal we are trying to reach is pushing further away from us.

As if unforeseen obstacles appear out of nowhere and threaten to derail our forward momentum before we even get started.

 

Ultimately it’s not the event that matters but how we respond to it.

 

Chaeyoung sits on her desk, her e-mail open, on one screen and and her portfolio open in the other. She was updating it as she still haven’t found a job and although her freelancing job was enough to keep her going, she’d like to go back to having a stable income. It has been two weeks since she came back and she promised herself to get her life together when she came back home.

 

Chaeyoung has been sitting at the same place all day. She comes here in the morning and leaves at night. Her phone always on and charged waiting for a call that doesn’t come. Calls she had made herself and never get answered. It has been like days for three days. Lisa comes in with her too sometime she stays sometime she does her own thing but she’s always there to walk to the hotel together.

 

It’s around 4 o'clock now and when Lisa comes by to sit next to her with two shots she can’t help but glance at her phone one last time, again nothing happens. When she takes it up to her ear and gets nothing she stands up and takes down the shot wincing at the burning sensation on .

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“To the hotel?”

 

She shakes her head. “No, back to Seoul.”

 

“I’m sorry, chipmunk.”

 

“It’s fine.”

 

Sighing the blonde closes her email once again and focuses back on updating her portolio.

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Jennie wasn’t doing much better either. Everything happened so fast and so suddenly. She went from being the happiest she has ever been to being the saddest she’s ever been.

 

Grief is like an ocean, it’s deep and dark and bigger than all of us, and pain is a thief in the night, quiet, persistent, unfair. Diminished by time and faith and love. In the blink of an eye she lost the one person who understood her the most it was like a bucket of cold water was thrown over her.

 

“Your father is in the hospital.”

 

That’s all she heard, she’s sure her mom said something else to her but she couldn't hear. All she knew was she need to get to the hospital and quick. It was painful to leave Chaeyoung like that, she could see it in the blonde’s eyes the genuine care and worry and although it made her heart beat faster she wasn’t in the right mind to process it.

 

The drive to the hospital seemed eterna but when the taxi finally stopped she got out not really bothering to make sure she had all her belongings with her. If she had she would’ve noticed she left her phone there. Then again that didn’t matter to her as she could never forget the look of utmost defeat and sadness and sorrow both her mom and Kai where sporting.

 

One look at her mom’s eyes and the way Kai opened his arms to her told her everything she needed to know. There would be no more soccer games to watch with her dad. No more planning behind her mom’s back to figure out a way to watch the game during a family reunion. No more getting to the stadium early to get a good parking spot in which they spent the extra time solving the world with their long talks.

 

She was fine, she was happy, and the the rug got pulled out of under her. And it didn’t matter how hard she tried that empty space in her heart was way to big and way to noticeable for her to think about something else. She’s standing by her mom’s side at the funeral, she doesn’t want to leave her side. But when one of her uncles hugs her mom and from her peripheral vision she sees both Jisoo and Irene waiting for her she walk to them and collapses in their arms.

 

It takes her a while to calm down. And her friends take her to take a seat by the terrace outside of the funeral house once she does, the two of the flanking her. Supporting her.

 

“I don’t understand.” She mumbles quietly. “I don’t understand anything.”

 

“Understand what, honey?” Irene asks her, her right hand softly wiping away her tears.

 

What am I going to do with my mom? What am I going to do?” Jennie sniffles. as a couple tears roll down her eyes. “Everything was fine, he was fine and now…. I’m alone.”

 

“Hey no, you are not alone, Jendukie.” Jisoo reassures her wrapping her arm tighter around her. “You have me and Irene and you have your tiger tamer.”

 

“Does she know, have you called her?” Irene asks her softly.

 

“No.” The brunette shakes her head. “I don’t know where my phone is, I don’t know where she is, I don’t…”

 

“It’s okay, shhh….you don’t have to figure things out right now okay

 

She’s sitting by her reading nook on the window Kai’s ring in front of her. The guy had been incredibly understanding throughout this time. Calling her everyday of visiting her. Her mom was the most thankful out of the two of them as Kai helped them with the funeral arrangements when the two of them were too devastated to even try.

 

Sighing she closes the velvet box and sets the ring aside, she then takes her laptop and opens up a new e-mail.

 

From: Jennie Kim ([email protected])

To: Roseanne Park (RosePark@R&P.com)

Subject: Update?

 

Hi Chaeyoung,

 

I haven’t heard much from you. Are you doing okay?

 

I didn’t mean to leave you like that, I lost my phone and with it every contact I had.

 

I have so much to tell you.

 

Take care,

Jennie


 

There two weeks later and Jennie finally feels somewhat like a functioning human again, she knows she should have contacted her sooner but she was not in the right mind for anything a couple of weeks ago. She can only hope the blonde is as understanding as she seemed to be during their date.

 

The Law of Action – action must be employed in order for us to get what we want in life. We must engage actions that support our thoughts, dreams, emotions and words. No action no results.

 

Check, Jennie has done that she has contacted Chaeyoung.

 

The Law of Cause and Effect – nothing happens by chance or outside of the Laws of the Universe – every action (including thought) has a reaction or consequence. Even if you choose to do nothing you still have a consequence. You cannot escape the law of cause and effect.

 

Well . Check. Jennie was staring at the consequence right now.

 

“Undeliverable Mail: “Update?”

Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups:

 

RosePark@R&P.com

Could not be delivered because the domain name does not exist.”

“.”

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“Beer?”

“Sure.”

Chaeyoung was laying down on the coach her laptop on top of her now working on her webpage.

“You didn’t hear anything from her?” Lisa asked softly when she brought her the beer.

“Nope.” She said popping the ‘p’.”And if she did which I doubt it I wouldn’t know, they finally deactivated my work email, I had that set up as my contact email on my page, we were communicating with it but now…” She trailed off not really in the mood to think about it. It didn’t matter anyway.

“Chipmunk…” Lisa started but the sound of the doorbell ringing interrupted her. Sighing and with a soft pat to Chaeyoung’s leg she stands up to open the door.

“Hey.”

“Hey, How is she?”

“She’s right here.” Chaeyoung answers having heard Joy’s voice. With a groan she sits up and sets her laptop on the coffee table so Joy could sit besides her.

“I have work, Chip. Don’t wait up okay.” Lisa tells her as she puts her jacket on and leaving the apartment.

Joy smiles sadly and the poor state her friend is in. She really did looked like a kicked puppy, which is why she’s here to mend her broken heart. When she sits down she opens up the bottle of tequila she bought on her way here. This was heavy duty stuff.

“Do you remember when we were in college we used to sneak out and sit on the dirty floor of the alley next to the store close to campus and we used to take shots of tequila from the bottle cap?” Joy asks her with a smirk passing her a bottle cap filled with tequila as she served the second tap she brought.

Chuckling Chaeyoung nods and then the both of them proceed to gulp down the shot. Those were some of her favorite memories with Joy. The tall girl had always been there for her, even before Lisa moved to Korea. Joy was always a constant. Her mom used to joke they were a combo, one could not be without the other. “Yep, hey if we always got along so well why didn’t we ever date?”

Joy looks at her briefly before looking back to refill the bottle caps. “Um, you were always head over heels with someone else, weather it was you lost hope or a girl from your class or from the theatre major.” Needless to say if it had been up to Joy they would have dated and if you ask her they would still be dating even now.

“Ah, so it’s my fault.”

“What were you expecting Chaeyoungie? For me to chase after you for the rest of our lives?”

Chaeyoung smiled. “Well you are still here aren’t you?”

“ you.” Joy pushes her as the blonde laughs at her. When she settles down the brunette gives her another shot but not before asking. “But seriously though you are not easy to let go off, Chae.”

Maybe it was her heartbreak, maybe it was the tequila, maybe it was a bad choice but the both of them still leaned their heads closer until their lips touched. Separating after the air ran out Joy whispers...

“What now?”

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“I just never pictured this. Never thought this could happen.” Jennie stares at the view in front of her as she talks. Jisoo was sitting by her side as they both enjoyed a glass of wine while sitting out on the balcony of her apartment. “I mean a few weeks ago I was engaged, I had my dad. And then I find my tiger tamer and I fall in love.” She pauses. “Or at least I thought so. Then the engagement is off, my dad is gone and who even knows where Chaeyoung is.”

“Oh, Jennie.” Jisoo sighs. “You know what I think?” She asks making Jennie turn to look at her. “I think we need to fix this mess, move on, make some choices… I mean tell me what is your next step right now?”

Jennie takes a deep breath and thinks it over for a second. “I think first I’m going to Kai’s place to get my things back…”

And take her things back she did. She wend to Kai’s house and she could see from her peripheral vision how the man seemed to lean next the wall watching sadly how she got her things inside her bag. There weren’t a lot things she had here. Enough to fill up a small gym bag but it was still painful to watch.

“Jennie, please don’t leave.”

“Kai…”

“Please, and I… I don’t want you out of my life.” Kai pleads with her and Jennie almost believed him. Almost.

“Kai, you don’t know what you want.” Jennie tells him shaking her head. “Hell I don’t even know what I want.”

“But I do! I do know what I want Jennie. You I want you and… and I don’t want to be your other half okay? And I don’t want you to be half of anything I want all of you.”

Jennie looks up to him surprised. And it’s weird how she longed to hear those words come out from some she cared about and it was unfortunate they came out from someone she does not love. “Where did you get that?” she asks quietly.

“From you, because I listen.”

“Kai…”

“Jennie, please what do say? Can we give it another try?”

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jiaqisushi
#1
Chapter 6: What's meant for you will really have a way of finding you. I love this story, a beautiful representation of what destiny is. Thank you for sharing this! 💕
jiaqisushi
#2
Chapter 5: wow the universe is so cruel 🤧
jiaqisushi
#3
Chapter 4: is this the time where they get separated again? 🥲
jiaqisushi
#4
Chapter 3: so jennie's definition of love comes from rosie, that's really cute 🥺 also i badly want to see them meet again
jiaqisushi
#5
Chapter 2: jennie don't get married yet, you haven't met rosie again
jiaqisushi
#6
Chapter 1: ah little rosie and little jennie 🥹
SaySaySouffleee #7
Chapter 6: MY HEART. THEYRE SO CUTE. THIS WHOLE STORY IS UWUWWUUWUWUWWUUWWU
Soshi1590
#8
Interesting. Why do i feel some angst coming my way??