II

coffee

Jennie takes one final look around the city where she grew up. She'll fly to Seoul an hour later, where she intends to make a new start—a new life despite not knowing anyone. All she knows is that she'll be leaving this place soon. The winters in New Zealand can be brutal. Jennie is relieved to have a cup of hot coffee to keep her warm. She may be leaving because of what has happened to her, but she believes there is a reason for everything. She'll take anything she can get. She's Jennie Kim, after all. Nothing will be able to stop her from moving forward. 

There’s more to life than this. I deserve the life I have been working hard for.

≈

It's 6 in the morning, and JiSoo still hasn't gotten any sleep. She doesn't know why. Instead, she gets up and walks to her kitchen to prepare a cup of coffee for herself. She realizes she won't be getting any more sleep for the rest of the day, so she takes advantage of it and begins working on her fourth novel, which is about a girl going through a break-up. 

Great, just the motivation I need.

It is bittersweet. Her coffee is bittersweet. Just the way she likes it.

She settles down on the couch and opens her MacBook to see if she has any important e-mails to respond to. She has been stuck inside her apartment for a month. She has a good reason for this. She has been working nonstop even more since the break-up for some strange reason. She's been busy from the start, since she's almost finished with her new novel, which is nearly entirely based on her life story, with the exception that the protagonist in her story has her own happy ending. JiSoo scoffs. How ironic.

She finishes her coffee in one gulp and stands up to use the restroom. Her hair is in an untidy bun and is fading to a light brown shade. She has dark circles under her eyes, and if she weighed her eyebags, she would estimate that they weigh at least 10 kilograms, owing to a lack of sleep and fatigue. Her lips are chapped and pallid. A few pimples can be found here and there. Her skin appears dry and pale, as if she's staring at a ghost rather than herself in the mirror. 

JiSoo is still in denial, but her 7-year breakup with her ex-girlfriend has taken its toll on her life. She appears to be living on autopilot. She cut herself off from everyone who had anything to do with SeulGi, thinking it was for the best, but it also meant she cut herself off from her friends and family. JiSoo doesn't want to be reminded of her or how beautiful their relationship was before SeulGi betrayed her. She hasn't had a single day of happiness in her life since then. But she tries to live in the moment, hoping that the next day would be different. She is patient, unlike her ex-lover. 

For now, it still aches and the pain still echoes through every wall. Tomorrow would probably not be any better, but she will continue to hold on.

There’s more to life than this. I deserve the love I have been giving.

≈

For Jennie, Seoul is a completely different world. The summer breeze hits her face as soon as she steps off the plane, making her insides tremble with excitement and worry. She is ecstatic because she believes she made the correct decision in flying all the way from New Zealand to Seoul to begin a new life on her own. She is worried because she knows that things are not going to be