Chapter 1

 

 

 

 

 

 "That..that was awesome!"

 

 Lisa exclaims overwhelmed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand and patting Chaeyoung's back with her other hand, who was also crying.

 

 - "Let's watch it again!" Chaeyoung gushes pointing  to the TV.

 

 "I'm afraid I won't have any tears left to shed if we do that." Lisa comments calmly.

 

 - "But it's so-"

 

 "I didn't like it." Jennie cuts in suddenly with her arms crossed to her chest and follows, "All patient stories are like this, one of them must end up dying. "

 

 - "Hmm, maybe 'cause that's the point of making them sick?" Lisa deadpans squinting her eyes.

 

 "I still don't like it."

 

 "Is that why you started crying when the hero confessed his love for the heroine?" She provokes her sarcastically.

 

 - "I didn't!" Jennie denies in disbelief, "Something got into my eyes!"

 

 "Yeah, right.. that thing must still be in your eyes."

 

 Jennie glares at her, but she doesn't comment and instead wipes the left stains of tears.

 

 "Why did they have to make him die in the end?" Chaeyoung asks genuinely curious.

 

 - "Because they don't have enough budget to film the rest of their lives living happily."

 

 Lisa answers with confidence, and Chaeyoung nods as if she had understood the secret of life while Jennie just rolls her eyes on them.

 

When is she gonna stop giving her gibberish answers?

 

 "Ugh! anyway.. I feel very sleepy. I'm going to bed" Lisa says as she stretches her arms up and her body and stands, Chaeyoung follows.  

 

Lisa  turns to Jennie before she goes and finds her still sitting.

 

 "What? You're not going to sleep too?"

 

 - "Ah..no.." Jennie answers sheepishly, taken back by her sudden question, "I don't feel like sleeping right now."

 

She lies, she's really pretty sleepy.

 

 "I will stay here for a bit." 

 

 "Okay, good night," Lisa says as she turns around as Chaeyoung wishes her a good night too.

 

 - "Good night to you too." Jennie replies softly as she looks at them going upstairs. 

 

 

 It's been a week since that night.

 

 A Week that Jennie loved every day of it, every hour and every minute..

 

 She even wondered if this is what her life would be like from now on.

 

 In the passed period, both Jennie and Jisoo gradually grew closer to each other, despite the strange feeling that accompanied them at the beginning, especially on the day after that night.

 

 And of course Jennie can't forget Lisa's facial expressions when she saw  her in the morning going out from Jisoo's room, till this day, she still gives her a grin and shakes her eyebrows mischievously whenever she sees her.

 

 She couldn't do anything about it because she's too shy to explain what really happened. How can she explain to her something she herself cannot fully understand?  How did she move from not having even a single friend to owning the world?

 

 It's really strange but that's how she really feels, Jisoo become to mean the world in Jennie's eyes.

 

 They were clear and intimate moments without any obstacles or barriers, and she could see Jisoo's sincerity as she was talking to her from her eyes only. As if they had taken their minds out and set them aside, leaving their hearts to do the work and the next day their minds returned to their place, and thus the amount of awkwardness between them was unbearable.

 

 

 Good thing it didn't last long.

 

 

 It was new. In fact, everything was new to Jennie, the way she started to feel is new to her; for Jisoo to be the first idea that comes to her mind when she wakes up and the last one when she goes to sleep, to be eager to talk to her and wishing that Jisoo finishes her job quickly so that she could sit with them, to feel the constant desire to be with and near her, to sometimes finds herself staring at her.

 

And after learning how it feels like sleeping next to Jisoo, sleeping in her own room alone has become difficult, which sometimes made her go to Jisoo's room to sit with her and ending up chatting all night until they fall asleep, beside each other.

 

 In the end, sleep is very important, isn't it?

 

 Or at least that's what she convinces herself with..

 

 Yet, Jennie knows better than to confuse her feelings towards people, she knows that this feeling is not love, not in a romantic way. And it's not just a friend's love for their friend, it's greater than that.

 

 How can she be so sure?

 

 Well, feelings are complex anyway, and feeling in a certain way doesn't mean something specific.

 

It's the feeling of safety and comfort that combines her whenever she remembers that Jisoo is a few meters away from her or that if she wants to, she can find her easily, the feeling of belonging to someone you know very well that they're the best thing that ever happened to you in your life and will happen, a feeling of stability and what the family is supposed to provide.

 

The feel of fulfillment, for someone to be enough for you.

 

 She wished that her mother was still alive so she could tell her that she was right, she has indeed found that cocoon that makes her stronger.

 

And can she just say...Jisoo is such an affectionate person. So sweet, so gentle.. so warm, yet so strong. She literally feels like she's fangirling over her internally most of the time.

 

 Jennie also knows that both Lisa and Chaeyoung feel the same, that Jisoo has now become an essential part of their lives. Because she isn't the only one who has her life changed, Jisoo accepted them and contained them, she didn't judge them, and welcomed them with an open arms.

 

 Well, maybe she feels a little bit more than them.. a little bit, 

 

maybe?

 

 She's glad that she has learned more and more about Jisoo,

 

 Throughout this past week, Jennie noticed several things about Jisoo, including: her love for chicken; in every meal her dishes should contain chicken even if it's just a salad. We are not talking about just one dish, most of the dishes contained chicken. She looks at it as a lover looks at their beloved.

 

 Jisoo also has a great sense of humor. Although she's calm most of the time, she sometimes behaves in a certain way or says certain phrases that make her unable to stop laughing.  She doesn't know whether she herself is so silly or Jisoo's jokes are really funny, what she knows is that she laughs at the simplest childish thing that Jisoo does. She might be worse than Lisa in this department if she isn't like her - and she means it in a good way -.

 

The difference is that she can hold herself from laughing if Lisa tells a joke and pretends that it was not funny to provoke her, but if it's Jisoo, then it's another story. 

 

she herself doesn't realize this. 

 

On mentioning Lisa, Jennie had to write a hidden note in her mind not to leave Jisoo alone with Lisa.  These two make a terrible team, epecially since Lisa's foolishness and playfullness is contagious and therefore affects Jisoo.  

 

Jisoo doesn't seem to mind, in fact, she enjoys it a lot and Joins her sometimes as well.

 

 - And seeing her enjoying her time with Lisa doesn't bother her at all.. At. All. -

 

 Add to this, their motherly and protective behavior towards Chaeyoung, this adult like-child that seems in her own world around the clock, and she really can't blame them. Something about Chaeyoung when you look at her, sends these feelings inside you and the desire to protect her from everything. She's so pure and innocent to be present in such world.  Sometimes Jennie wonders what is going on inside her mind, then sees her with her head stretched right into the fridge and feels stupid about even wondering.

 

 To her own surprise, Chaeyoung, in fact, has a great singing voice. She discovered this when she went out with Lisa and Chaeyoung one evening to wander around the back garden.  

 

Although she kept singing only the first part of the song; My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion, had some mistakes with the song's lyrics, in which she replaced by other words that completely have nothing to do with the song and she doesn't think that they belong to the English language either, but she can tell how beautiful her voice is.

 

 She would lie if she said that she didn't grow closer to Lisa and Chaeyoung as well and that she doesn't consider them as her friends even though she won't show this to them openly, being with them is fun and their identical but different personalities are something that truly fascinating.

 

 If Jisoo was with them, she would have drowned Chaeyoung with complements and praise on her voice..

 

 Did She mention how her mind somehow manages and links each topic to Jisoo eventually?  Well.. she should stop before she becomes officially crazy.

 

Anyway..

 

Now that she's sitting alone in the living room, she doesn't know why the desire to recall what happened came to her, thinking about the amount of change that has occurred since she came to this mansion and since she came back-

 

Since Jisoo had brought her back..

 

 Yeah.. she realizes she's smiling to herself like an idiot right now.

 

Did she also mention how beautiful Jisoo is?  Because she really is.

 

'Wait.. we agreed to stop thinking about Jisoo..

 

 good..

 

 By the way, It passed by ten o'clock and Jisoo still didn't finish-

 

 Damn..'

 

 Here we go again.

 

Maybe she should go to sleep now, it's not like she was waiting for someone to finish her work only so that she can walk with her to their separate rooms, not at all.. never.

 

Moving on, 

 

the days passed by very calmly, and she can only worry if this calmness is what happens before the storm. There's still the issue with Matthew, since the last time he came to the mansion, he never appeared again. That's what worries her, is he really not going to do anything?  Or is he planning something else?  Was she thinking too much that time?

 

'Ugh!'

 

 It's precisely for this reason that she ignores thinking about the matter because it completely ruins her mood.

 

Maybe she should take her dose of Thinking-of-Jisoo to make it better.

 

 

 

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 "Do you really have to leave this early in the morning?" Min Yoo says as he helps Jisoo wear her coat, both standing at the door.

 

 - "Yes. Their plane will arrive in an hour." She answers simply.

 

 "Why don't you let me go instead?"

 

She finishs wearing her coat and adjusts it to then she pauses and stare at him with blank expression, and responds with cynicism:

 

 "So you can hide them from me too?"

 

 Min Yoo stuns for her surprising response, dumbfounded.

 

 "Ma'am, I.. I only-"

 

 - "I know."  Jisoo interrupts understandingly and sighs.

 

 This happened three days ago when Jisoo received a sudden call from her aunt telling her about the dance party. Her aunt knew that her brother would do something about this and interfere and she become sure of it when she hadn't received any response from Jisoo. 

 

In her call, Jisoo was asked at the beginning if she had read the invitation, and her surprised and confused reaction, gave her aunt the answer to that, and she just told her to be sure of the loyalty of those working with her, shading her.

 

 Jisoo didn't let Kim Eun Ji's last remark affect her, she got used to those responses and her aunt's mockery towards her. Kim Eun Ji didn't claim a sense of familiarity with Jisoo in front of Kim Sehun as his wife does, and her annoyance with her was apparent from miles.  

 

She was looking at her inferiority; she wasn't doing this because of Jisoo herself but only to the fact that she was born from an illegal relationship.

 

However, no matter how annoyed she was with Jisoo, she didn't describe her mother as a e and didn't call her obscene nicknames; neither for her mother nor even Jisoo.

 

 At least she doesn't do that in her presence.

 

Maybe that's why Jisoo low key feels grateful to her and deeply respects her, like she's somewhat indebted to her..

 

 With what? She Doesn't know.

 

Maybe because she's one of the rare people who didn't insult her mother.

 

When the call ended, Jisoo called on Min Yoo to inquire about it more.  Min Yoo had no choice but to tell her everything and about her father's contact with him, because she had already learned about the matter and lying and denying is no use at this point.

 

 After reading the invitation and sending her approval to them, she must now work and start practicing on the dance, with the help of an experienced choreographer.

 

 

 "Should I go with you then?"

 

 - "No, stay here and take care of the girls."

 

Min Yoo nods to her and she wanders to go out when she opens the door and stops and turns around,

 

 "Tell Jennie that I won't take long."

 

Surprised by her sudden request, before he opened his mouth, Jisoo continues:

 "Because she will ask you a lot, 

 

I just know."

 

 She adds and gives him a little smile and goes out, closing the door behind her.

 

 

 Jennie isn't the only one to start noticing some things, Jisoo also has her own discoveries.

 

 Despite Jennie's appearance and her expressions that make her look like a cruel and evil girl who doesn't care about anything, she is quite the opposite of that. She has that expression on her face when she doesn't feel good or when she's so immersed in her thoughts which says 'I will kill everyone who approaches me and chop them off to pieces, then I will eat them for dinner. '

 

 This, of course, is not true. Because she did and approached Jennie in one of those moods, and you cannot imagine the way in which Jennie's face lightened up as soon as she realized that one who interrupted her thoughts was Jisoo, as she tried to act naturally.

 

 And she can't forget that time when she decided to change the covers and beds of the girls 'rooms to others with beautiful colors and drawings instead of the plane white color, and she chose the covers that have cute drawings of a bear in black and pink for Jennie's room.

 

Jennie literally became a ball of fur as she flipped over the mattress, hugged the blankets and made excited, sharp squeels to her extreme joy.

 

 It was a scene that she would keep in her memory forever, good thing she decided to search in Jennie's room in her old house that night.

 

 Jisoo knows that she has made a place for herself in Jennie's heart - or rather she hopes so- but she doesn't know the exact size of this place. And whatever it is, she's just glad that Jennie has become more open to her.

 

 

 If only she knew..

 

Jennie is pretty interesting person and makes Jisoo wonder a lot about what's going on inside her head, sometimes she catches her staring and then Jennie's shyness about it afterward as she turns her eyes quickly somewhere else.

 

 Also, she's aware that Jennie waits for her to finish working every night and she has to prevent herself from smiling as she sees Jennie making surprised expression and claiming that it was only a coincidence.

 

 Maybe it's really a coincidence, who knows?  She doesn't want to exaggerate and give the matter another meaning. So yesterday she intentionally stayed at her office for a late hour.

 

**

 Once again, she has to prevent herself from smiling when she saw her after heading to the living room and there she is.. at her usual spot, and instead of finding her staring at the closed TV, she finds her sleeping on the sofa in the fetus position.

 

 And this time it didn't work.

 

 Jisoo has never seen a person who seems so peaceful, so pure, so beautiful while sleeping.

 

 She has to fight the urge to carry her and take her to her room without waking her up and disturbing her sleep, but she won't.

 

  Why?

 

 Firstly, because she is very tired to do so and doesn't think that she has the necessary strength.

 

 And secondly..

 

Well, there is no second.. it is just.. 

 

She doesn't even know why she started counting.

 

 However, she can't leave her like this, a little bit more and she will wake her up.

 

Did Jisoo mention how beautiful Jennie is? Because she really is.

 

She makes her heart flutter.

 

 And when she flashes her that gummy smile, What a huge impact that smile has on her.

 

Wait.. what is she thinking about?

 

 'Kim Jisoo, pull yourself together!'

 

This doesn't work, she should wake her up now.

 

 Just five more minutes..

**

 

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 "Sir, your father is asking for you now."

 

 Matthew sighs and nods to the man standing next to the door, and the man takes it as a signal to get out and leave Matthew alone.

 

 Matthew looks at the phone he was carrying, that shows a 'connection failure' notice.

 

Since he received the news about his father accident and that he's in the hospital, he was trying to contact the man who undertook the mission but there's no sight of him, apparently he has changed his number and most likely has escaped. Matthew didn't give him the full amount of money anyway and for this, he's not worried about not finding him. In the end he will return to claim the rest of the amount.

 

Matthew goes out of the stairs area in the hospital to the floor in which the room where his father lies in were located and heads to it. When he reaches it he takes a breath to prepare himself to hear whatever nonsense his father gonna throw at him.

 

Since he was in his teenage years - and even younger - he didn't feel the bond and love that any son feels towards his father. Even if he tried, when he saw the way his father treats his mother; his abuse to her, his endless relationships with women and how he gets rid of them once he's satisfied, he hates him more and more.

 

 If only he had another way out of this bond, from this life that he was forced to take, he would leave it without blinking an eye, besides..he can't just leave his mother alone.

 

 He opens the door and enters and closes it behind him, as soon as he steps inhis father starts scolding him, "Finally! Did you remember your father now?" he says and coughs after.

 

 - "I was taking care about some business matters dad," Matthew replies, his tone filled with boredom.

 

 "What business? I still don't see who put me in this situation next to you!" 

 

 - "I'm still searching for him, he is on the run, he certainly won't be wandering around with all our men everywhere."

 

 His dad gives him a disappointment look and completes:

 

 "Why am I asking? There's nothing good comes from you anyway."

 

 Matthew turns his gaze to his father's words but he doesn't say anything before he looks away again.

 

 "Do you see this?

 

 Matthew directs his attention to his father and sees him pointing to a small booklet on the table next to the bed on which he lies. He advances towards the table and holds the booklet in his hand, looks at it questionably and looks back at his father.

 

"This..This is what saved your father from death."

 

Matthew looks back at the booklet, it is a booklet of a miniature Bible with a certain thickness, in the middle of it a hole that reaches inside it but without crossing the other side of the booklet.

 

"This hole that you see..is the hole that the bullet made... but.. but it got stuck.." His father was coughing a mild cough every now and then while he was talking,  "Have you seen how god didn't abandon your father?  And that's why.. that's why I've always told you to.. to carry it with you always."

 

 Matthew has to hold himself from bursting out, laughing at his twisted logic. Does he really think god is beside him?

 

 Maybe that's what makes it worse, those who harm others think that they're right and that their actions are justified, believing the illusion they created about being a righteous person and being blessed. That when god looks at them, he looks at them with satisfaction.

 

 Matthew nods and asks for permission to go to complete his search while giving him the promise that he will get rid of the perpetrator himself.

 

As soon as he closes the door behind him, outside the room, he stops and looks at the booklet in his hand.  He stares at it momentarily, then throws it in the nearest waste bin, which he finds in front of him and walks away.

 

 If his god is satisfied with the survival of such people, he doesn't need such a god. 

 

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 "Lisa?" Chaeyoung says in a low voice.

 

 -"What?"  Lisa responds and turns her eyes away from the TV towards Chaeyoung to see her pointing with her eyes and eyebrows towards the other side.  She turns her eyes toward what she was pointing at, and sees that she was referring to Jennie.

 

 "Jennie? What about her?" This time Lisa speaks in a low voice too, thinking that there is something behind Chaeyoung's whisper.

 

 - "Why does she look so annoyed watching the movie? I starting to feel as though she had an old revenge with Moana."

 

 "Oh.. don't mind her, she's suffering from Jisoo syndrome."

 

 - "What? What's Jisoo syndro-"

 

 "I can hear your loud whisper by the way," Jennie calls out sharply, without taking her eyes away from the TV,  "And I'm not suffering from anything, Lisa!"

 

 - "Yeah..right.." Lisa replies nonchalantly, sarcastically.

 

That's when Min Yoo comes from the kitchen side and on his way to the main hall and Jennie sees him and gets up quickly and advances in front of him before he goes out to stop him.

 

 "Good morning," she says with a calf tone and anticipated looks, surprising him.

 

 - "Morning-"

 

"Where's Jisoo?" She asks directly without waiting for his response and proceeds to shower him with questions, "She's not in her office, not in her room, nor in the garden..Where is she then?"

 

-"Wai-"

 

"Where did she go? Is she coming back? Why didn't she tell us?"

 

 -"Stop it!"  Min Yoo interrupts Jennie's ramble loudly to stop her, "She told me to tell you it won't take long and she will come back soon."

 

 -"what? why? Where did she go?" She asks him furrowing and Min Yoo sighs and glimpses from the outside Jisoo's car arriving at the mansion Front yard, "Oh..you can ask her yourself,  she's here." Min Yoo says and rushes out.

 

 Jennie's confused expression at his response disappears when she turns around and sees Jisoo's car outside through the window, and she can only smile.  She wants to go and welcomes her at the door, but she doesn't want to look very obsessed or creepy, so she waits in her place.

 

 She can hear the sound of the main door opening and the fuss of the keys followed by the sounds of foot steps, she's on her way to them.

 

 "Well.. somebody is a little bit excited," Lisa teases, in a sarcastic tone looking at her from the corner of her eyes.

 

 - "Oh shut up!" Jennie dismisses, wanting to look annoyed, but what's now overwhelming her heart prevents her from doing so.

 

 The sounds of footsteps becomes closer until the person whom she has longed to see since morning appears, and her gummy smile takes over as a result to her delight in seeing Jisoo.

 

 "Jennie.. good morning." Jisoo says looking at her tenderly.

 

 - "Good morning, Jisoo." She replies bashfully.

 

 "Good morning to you too." Jisoo adds looking at Lisa and Chaeyoung and they reply enthusiastically as well.

 

 Jennie's expressions turn from smily to confuse and wonder when she finally notices the other woman who is now behind Jisoo. She can see that there is a second woman standing next to Min Yoo at the back.

 

 Jisoo takes notice of Jennie's expressions looking at the woman and she follows,

 "Oh let me introduce you,this is Sunmi." Pointing at her "My dance teacher."

 "Oh, nice to meet you, I'm Jennie," she says, shaking hands with Sunmi, then backs away to give space for Lisa and Chaeyoung to greet her too.

 

 "Hello and I'm Lisa."

 

"And I'm Chaeyoung."

 

After finishing introducing each other, Jisoo asks the woman who was standing next to Min Yoo to come closer to introduce her to them too.

 

 "And this is Ms. Chongha , a teacher also."

 

 The girls welcome  her and greet as well to then Lisa asks,"Woah Jisoo, does it take two teachers to learn how to dance?"

 

 Jisoo smile skeptically, seeing Lisa surprised and answering, "Actually not. Ms. Chongha isn't here for me, she is here for you and Chaeyoung."

 

 

 - "For us? Why?"  Chaeyoung says as exchanges confused looks with Lisa.

 

 "Yes, because you will start your homeschooling and Miss Chongha will be in charge of that."

 

Jisoo and Jennie had to prevent themselves from laughing looking at the expressions of terror on Lisa and Chaeyoung's faces.

 

 "Unnie, you know what? I missed the woods and the open air there," says Lisa as she starts walking toward the door, intending to run away with her skin.

 

 "Me too! I missed my friends the ants there," Chaeyoung agrees, and rushes behind Lisa.

 

"Lisa! Chaeyoung!"  Jisoo calls them with an authoritative  tone that makes them stop right away.

 

 They slowly turn around, pouting and looking down like a child who is forced to do something he doesn't want.

 

 "You will start today. " 

 

They look at her sadly with a puppy eyes, trying to change her mind.

 

 "Don't try." She dismisses firmly, "Come on, Min Yoo will lead you to the room where you will study. Everything you need is ready out there."

 

With sulking movements, they shuffle towards their torture room in their definition followed by Ms. Chongha and Min Yoo. they go leaving behind Jennie, Jisoo and Sunmi in an uncomfortable silence and Jisoo is the first to break this silence.

 

 "Well! Now we can focus on our work." She exclaims looking at Sunmi.

 

 - "Yes, would you please show me the place?"

 

 "Of course , this way.." Jisoo extends her hand towards the stairs, letting Sunmi go ahead.

 

 Jisoo didn't overlook Jennie's silence and calmness, so as soon as Sunmi got away from them a little enough so she couldn't hear them.  She says, "You know..You can come with us if you want.." She then takes regular steps behind Sunmi as they walk up the stairs.

 

Surprised, Jennie speads up a little to walk in line with Jisoo.

 

 - "Really? Can I?" She replies eagerly.

 

 "Of course, I mean, it's better than sneaking around, don't you think?"  She says teasingly and gives Jennie a side smile.

 

 Jennie gasps severely but silently when she understands what Jisoo means.

 

 "I wasn't sneaking!" She defends strongly, "I was about to enter when I my foot slipped and I fell!"

 

 - "Yeah, right.." she dismisses amusedly, still smiling.

 

 "Aah, why does no one believe me?"

 

Jisoo guides Sunmi to the dance hall until they reache it and enter.

 

 "So?  what do you think?" Jisoo asks, as she spins with open arms inside the ballroom, one spin facing Sunmi again.

 

 - "It's good, more than good, actually." Sunmi replies looking around with admiration.

 

 "You can start.." Jisoo informs her before sauntering next to her.

 

Jennie sat down with her back against the wall watching them standing close to each other; Sunmi holding an iPad showing Jisoo a video that may be about her dance, explaining to her what they will do and Jisoo listens to her in a very focused manner. 

 

Although she agreed to be with them during the dance practice, she doesn't know the reason behind this discomfort inside of her, something that makes her stomach upset and flips constantly.

 

Something that grows gradually whenever Sunmi's shoulder touches Jisoo's shoulder as she talks to her.

 

 

 

 

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 To be continued ...

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