“On the couch? On the couch? You did it on – this couch?”

It was one thing to wake up to an aching body (soothed by the fresh face of a drowsy Jennie whose chest Jisoo’s head rested on and whose arm Jisoo was snuggled in), but to also be greeted by Chaeyoung’s shrill notes as she paced around the room, hands in her hair, only disorientated the morning’s grogginess more. There was no need (nor time) for an explanation when it was easy to put two and two together, that being the clothes strewn on the floor and Jisoo and Jennie . Like a deer in the headlights, an awkward, long pause ensued once the latter stepped into the apartment.

It was definitely not what any of them expected, that’s for sure.

While Chaeyoung dropped her bags in horror, it provided enough time for them to scramble off each other, Jennie whizzing for the clothes after toppling off the couch (the jeans would’ve taken too long to put on, so they settled for the oversized shirt on Jisoo and the hoodie and pajama pants on Jennie). Then, naturally, they sat with heads downcasted, bracing Chaeyoung’s reprimands.

“On the couch! On the couch for crying out loud!” Chaeyoung squeezed her temples and halted on the other side of the coffee table, shooting them the thousandth look of disbelief. “On the couch?”

Jisoo’s head bobbed absentmindedly. “Yes, on the couch. This very couch.”

If the word “couch” came out of Chaeyoung’s mouth one more time, Jisoo’s mind might burst. The word had begun to sound weird from the amount of times it's been spoken and stressed, but thankfully — rather than saying it again — the latter simply huffed.

“Jisoo,” she said. “I sit there for ’s sake.”

“It isn’t like it’s dirty,” quipped Jisoo, sheepishly swiping the padding. She tossed a cocked eyebrow to Jennie who was having a hard time maintaining a straight face, her lips quivering to fight a cheeky smile. That evoked a strangled snort from Jisoo.

“That’s not the point!” Chaeyoung pinched the bridge of her nose. “You – you –” She was pulling on her hair, frustration etched in her scrunched face and eyes squeezed shut. “You two –”

Angry Chaeyoung was scary, but at least it wasn’t the silent-angry Chaeyoung. Jisoo would choose screaming-angry Chaeyoung anyday, her flush and sharp tone more tolerable than a cold shoulder. Scary nonetheless though.

“We’ll sanitize this.”

“No, what the happened last night?” She jabbed a finger at Jisoo’s ankles propped on the table. “I leave for a few days, and you hurt yourself and Jennie Kim is ing . In our ing apartment!”

“I got clothes on now,” Jennie mumbled.

“No – ! I’m going to my room.”

Without another glance, Chaeyoung stomped away in three long strides and slammed the door so hard the walls rattled. The tension loosened somewhat without the enraged girl, but the muffled screaming (which only meant Chaeyoung was screaming into her pillow) was a reminder that the matter was far from finished. Jennie casted Jisoo a worried look, which Jisoo exchanged with a reassuring smile, patting the back of her hand.

“It’s okay, she’s like that,” said Jisoo. “Just give her a few minutes to calm down.”

Jennie didn’t look too assured, expression uneasy as her eyes darted between Jisoo and the closed door that encased the screaming. “I think I said something wrong. I bet she hates me.”

“Hey! Don’t think like that,” Jisoo scolded, squeezing Jennie’s hand before easing it on her own lap. “She doesn’t. Just give her some time right now. It’s definitely a lot to process.”

Within the few minutes of relentless patience, Jennie had edged closer to Jisoo to lean on her, knees brought up to her chest as she played with Jisoo’s fingers, and the screaming had ebbed to unsettling silence. Several more minutes later, the door clicked open, prompting both of them to whip their heads over to a stoic-faced Chaeyoung with slightly disheveled hair.

“Have you two eaten yet?” she asked with eerie calmness.

Jisoo exchanged a brief glance with Jennie before shaking her head. “Not yet. I can’t really stand up to get us anything. And Jennie — well —”

“— I don’t really know how to cook —”

“— yeah, so —”

“Okay, I get it.” Chaeyoung raised her palm and strode over, kneeling in front of Jisoo to gauge her ankles. “Can I see under these bandages?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

As Chaeyoung gingerly undid the wraps, Jisoo’s jaw was clenched in an effort to keep her face absent of any pain. But her face must’ve contorted in some way because Chaeyoung paused, sighing at the dark purple that was discernible despite having yet to unwrap the rest of the bandage.

“That’s bad.”

“Yeah, it’s bad.”

Chaeyoung turned to Jennie. “You treated this?”

Jennie cleared and sat up straight. “Yeah, I, uhm, I did what I know; you know, from books I’ve read.”

“You’ve never treated a sprained ankle before?”

“No.”

Chaeyoung blinked before returning her eyes on the ankles. “Not bad, I guess. But couldn’t you guys have just let her ankles rest for the night? Instead of — you know what, never mind; what’s done is done. Just from now on, Jisoo needs to rest.” She rubbed her chin. “We’ll ice this more and get you some medicine. I’ll contact Sooyoung for crutches. She must have crutches, right? She played a couple of sports in high school if I remember correctly.”

Jisoo nodded. “That sounds good. Contact Yeri next if she doesn’t. Thanks, Chaeng.”

The girl rolled her eyes, her serious facade betrayed by a small smile tugging at her lips. “What would you do without me?”

“Probably would be in a ditch somewhere, dead.”

“Probably.”

The lighthearted laughs (Jennie joining in with a nervous one) were cut short by the chime of the doorbell. Chaeyoung excused herself to answer it, and Jisoo heaved an exhale before leveling with Jennie’s wide eyes.

“See?” Jisoo grinned with a thumbs up. “All good.”

The corners of Jennie’s lips curled, taking Jisoo’s thumb (the size of her fist seemingly the same length) and lowering it. “Don’t jinx it. I don’t think I’ve earned her trust just yet.”

“Have a little more confidence in yourself.” At the sound of the door closing, Jisoo’s head peeped over the couch to follow Chaeyoung bounding over with a stack of stationary. “Who was it?”

“I don’t know. They left before I opened the door, but they dropped off something,” replied Chaeyoung, sitting on the edge of the table. It was brief when the girl’s hand glided across the envelope, but Jisoo’s heart dropped instantaneously upon the glimpse of the slick calligraphy, matched with the stamp on the top left that belonged to one company and one company only. Simultaneously, Jennie tensed beside her, both of their mouths gaped open in silent protest to opening the letters — a beat too late when the delicate parchment was opened and Chaeyoung’s studious eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.

“Jennie Kim’s wedding?” she hollered. “A wedding invitation? To us, to all the girls?”

“Hold on.” Jisoo’s hand hastily reached over to hold Chaeyoung’s shoulder to ease her rapidly rising temper. “Hold on, don’t get worked up.”

“Worked up? Jisoo, you guys slept together last night! What the is she doing here with a whole wedding going on?”

“Hold on just for a damn second!” exasperated Jisoo. Chaeyoung faltered and Jennie lowered her head. Upon the awkward silence, Jisoo heaved a sigh, fingers running through her fringe before regarding Chaeyoung calmly. Well, as calmly as she could with the flusterness. “First, you don’t need to keep bringing it up. Second, don’t get mad at Jennie.”

“Don’t get mad? How can I not when she has the audacity –”

“Chaeyoung!”

Her outburst had shut the girl’s mouth instantly, to the point her lips stressed a thin line. Jisoo rubbed her face in frustration and sunk into the couch’s back cushions, the throbbing in her ankles coinciding with the throbbing in her temple. Just a small breather was all she asked for. Just for a moment to collect her thoughts; just for a second to cherish the reality that was that Jennie was here.

“Chaeyoung is right,” Jennie added quietly, catching both of their attention. “She should be mad at me. Maybe I shouldn’t be here.”

“No, you’re staying,” Jisoo contended. “Let’s just all calm down, okay? And talk about this in a more civil manner.”

Chaeyoung’s eye twitched, but she succumbed with a sigh, expression softening with laced guilt. “Fine. Let’s get your ankles taken care of for now. Can you wash up before I apply new ointment and bandages? I’ve assumed you haven’t washed up, since I found you two… wait, sorry, I shouldn’t be bringing it up again…”

“No, you’re right!” squeaked Jisoo, ears burning as she exchanged nervous glances with Jennie, elbowing her for good measure. “I haven’t. I’ll do that right now.”

“And I’ll help her,” Jennie added, swiftly coming to Jisoo’s aid when she attempted to stand up and stumbled into Jennie’s arms instead. “I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry.”

Chaeyoung regarded Jennie skeptically, but huffed in surrender. “Better you than me, I guess. I’ll go get everything ready.”

Staggering to the bathroom with Jennie’s support, Jisoo’s limp was weighted more on her left ankle (its pain considerably more endurable although both ankles were awfully ruined). The small space made maneuvering cumbersome, but they managed alright with Jennie sitting Jisoo down on the toilet’s lid and hurrying to prepare the water in a bucket, rolling her sleeves up to her elbows. Jisoo sighed, supporting her posture with the heels of her palms on the plastic as Jennie worked the faucets with jittery fingers.

“Did Chaeyoung get you nervous?” Jisoo asked.

“No.”

“Yeah she did,” Jisoo teased, poking Jennie’s leg. “It’s okay to admit it. She got me nervous back there, too. She’s not easy to calm down once she’s riled up.”

Jennie gave a half smile and straightened up after balancing the knobs, dipping her pinky in the water to test it. “A bit,” Jennie admitted, doing her hair into a low bun with a stick on the counter. “She looked like she was going to commit murder whenever she looked at me.”

Jisoo chuckled softly. “She always has that effect, but trust me, she couldn’t even hurt a fly. Whenever a fly sneaks in here, she always screams and runs to the opposite corner, yelling mumbo jumbo. Then, I’d have to swat it really fast or else our neighbors might call the police for domestic abuse or something.” She shuddered. “That was a close call.”

Jennie snorted and kneeled down to Jisoo’s feet, propping her elbow on one knee. “That’s funny.”

“Yeah, Chaeng is quite funny,” mused Jisoo, head tilted to rest on her shoulder as she regarded Jennie’s doubtful demeanor. “Trust me, this will all blow over and she’ll warm up to you again. Remember Sooyoung’s dog’s birthday party? She liked you then. I think she’s just a bit out of her mind because she walked in on us. I mean, she’s like this church girl, and I’ve never heard her say so many curse words in a day.”

“Anyone would. Church girl or not.”

Soft giggles cut the air like butter at their predicament – Jennie’s with the delicacy of a dandelion in the wind that was so long missing that it was foreign to Jisoo’s ears. A sound that was honest, held back by nothing, and completed with that gummy smile and innate crook of Jennie’s eyes – the right eye smaller than the left. Jisoo tucked a stray strand of hair behind Jennie’s earlobe before pulling her into a hug. Her arms slid around Jennie’s neck as her face snuggled between them and Jennie’s jaw. It was warm here, and so quiet and peaceful that Jennie’s pulse was audible and distinct, beating that comforting lullaby.

“I’m just,” Jisoo breathed, “really glad you’re here.”

Wavering hands held Jisoo by the shoulders before ambling to the middle of her back for a full embrace. The fluff of Jennie’s cheek nuzzled against Jisoo’s head before the girl sighed, “I’m sorry you waited so long.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Jisoo smiled against Jennie’s warm skin. “I’d do it all over again if it meant I can be with you.”

A low rumble from Jennie’s throat indicated a scoff, and the girl eased out their hug to cup Jisoo’s face, her gaze wistful. Jennie scrunched her nose before patting Jisoo’s cheek twice. “You’re too sappy. Come on, let’s get you washed before Chaeyoung thinks I killed you.”

Once Jisoo was undressed and the last of the bandages were discarded, Jennie helped lower her onto the plastic stool in the shower. While Jennie pulled up a stool of her own from the cabinet, Jisoo played with the perfectly tempered water, hands swirling to create small waves and whirlpools as the dipper ladle rocked back and forth.

“Let’s see what we’ve got here,” hummed Jennie, reaching over Jisoo’s head for the bottles on the rack. “Shampoo, conditioner, body wash… turn around so I can wash your hair.”

“What if you get wet?” Jisoo asked, rotating on her seat as Jennie pumped the soap into her palm.

“It’s your clothes anyway,” Jennie quipped, grabbing a ladleful of water to wet Jisoo’s hair.

“Ah! Be careful, there’s soap in my eyes…”

“Stop being a baby and wipe it off yourself.”

“I can’t.”

“Only your ankles are messed up. You still have hands. It seems that your hands are still working… speaking of which, you can probably just wash yourself. Why am I even here...”

“I’m crippled. Please wipe it off for me.”

“There, happy?”

“No, that was rough. You almost poked my eye out.”

“I’ll show you what it means to poke your eye out if you don’t sit still…!”

A splash of water in defense became a fight to get away from Jennie’s wiggling fingers that threatened to tickle Jisoo (only stopping because Jisoo slipped off her stool and banged her ankle on the wall, prompting a string of curse words and panic from the other). The laughter ebbed into heaving breaths as Jennie returned to diligently rinsing out Jisoo’s hair, reaching for the loofah hanging from the rack afterwards. Pumping the soap, her eyes trailed from it to a little below Jisoo’s chest.

“My eyes are up here,” joked Jisoo, swiping off the small bubble of soap on Jennie’s nose.

“When did you get this?” Jennie frowned, reaching for the spot below her rib cage where an unbeknown angry splotch of yellowish-purple resided.

Jisoo’s eyebrows shot up and she chuckled nervously, easing Jennie’s hand away. “I don’t know; maybe I bumped into something. Don’t worry about it, it doesn’t hurt — ow!” she yelped when Jennie poked it without warning.

“Doesn’t hurt my ,” grumbled Jennie, shaking the loofah in disapproval. “Remember to tell Chaeyoung to take care of that, too.”

When Jisoo was scrubbed and cleaned (with extra care around the bruise), Jennie fetched her a fresh tee and pajama pants and helped blow dry her hair. Once they both washed up, they returned to the living room. The smell of steaming, gourmet instant ramen greeted them, a trail that led to the kitchen and two bowls of it on the table. Chaeyoung had pulled a wooden stool out to sit in the middle, her hair tied up and chin resting on her palm when they arrived.

“It smells amazing,” chimed Jisoo, taking a seat with Jennie’s assistance. “May Chef Chaeyoung grace us with what she cooked up this time?”

Chaeyoung grinned and rubbed her hands together as Jennie took her seat on the other side. “A dish of noodles made from the finest wheat in all of Asia; topped with exquisite herbs and spices from the deep, rich earth; the creamy broth only the divine would be able to drink, and as a cherry on top — a fair, white egg boiled to utmost perfection.”

With Chaeyoung’s dramatic finish of arms in the air, Jisoo flashed a thumbs up, contrary to Jennie who had a bewildered look on her face. Jisoo urged Jennie with widened eyes and the girl — quick to catch on — flashed a thumbs up of her own.

“Yummy,” Jisoo hummed, rubbing the chopsticks together and evening them with a quick tap on the table. “Thank you for the meal, Chaeng.”

“Of course, but while we’re dining,” she slammed her palms on the table and switched on a serious expression, Jennie jumping in surprise and Jisoo with the egg halfway into , “how did this ing happen?”

Jennie shot an anxious glance at Jisoo. She nodded and raised a finger to bid patience as she chewed on the egg. “Long story short,” Jisoo said, muffled by the food before swallowing and orchestrating her thoughts with the wave of her chopsticks. “Jennie happened to be outside late at night and I came to pick her up. I just ran a little too hard — remember how the doctor said my ankles sprain easily? Yeah, so that’s how my ankles are like this; no big deal. Also the bruise on my rib cage that you’ll have to take care of later? Shush, let me explain. I bumped into something really really hard, so that’s how I got it. It might look ugly the first time you see it, but it isn’t that bad. And finding us — that’s self-explanatory. What else, what else…”

“The wedding…?”

“Ah, that. Yes, Jennie has a wedding going on, but the thing is that she doesn’t want to get married… right?”

Jennie regarded Jisoo with a deadpan look. That spoke for itself.

“Yeah, so the wedding is totally out of her control. How would she know the invitations would come this morning? Out of all mornings? By the way, did you invite the girls…?”

“Yes, but I shouldn’t have. It was too much, huh?”

“No, you’re fine. That’s very sweet of you to think about us. Anyway, a lot of these things — yeah, we don’t know what the is happening either. But we’re here now, and — and —” Jisoo gulped and smiled hesitantly, “that’s all that matters, right?”

Chaeyoung blinked one, long blink. Jennie’s noodles were still untouched, the girl holding her chopsticks in clasped hands as her eyes darted between the other two. Jisoo sheepishly stuffed some noodles in , Chaeyoung yet to break her blank expression.

“Do you…” Chaeyoung approached carefully, “not think about the consequences?”

Consequences? Jisoo scooped the end of the noodle strand into and crooked a half-hearted smile. As much as she was nonchalant about life, as much as she didn’t like thinking about the afters, the fear of impending consequences never left – an albatross around the neck. How could she not when they were inevitable? Inevitable, so there’s no point in worrying about them – only what she’d do when they come.

“All the time, Chaeng. All the time.”

That answer seemed to suffice, considering that Chaeyoung gave a knowing look. “I phoned Sooyoung, but she didn’t answer. Then, I phoned Seungwan and she told me that she’s out of town right now. She’ll be back by tomorrow, so I’ll go pick up the crutches then. For now, I think you’ll have to use Jennie to get around — if that’s fine with you.” She looked at Jennie.

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“That settles it then. Eat up and I’ll take care of Jisoo. But you’re definitely going to the doctor’s to get it properly treated.”

Jisoo groaned, “Do I really? I hate the smell of that place.”

“Shush, no complaining. You did this to yourself, now eat.”

When the ramen was consumed (Jennie unable to finish hers, to which Chaeyoung gladly finished it for her), Jisoo’s ankles were propped on a chair while Chaeyoung prepared the aid and Jennie washed the bowls. Jisoo’s teeth were sunk into the meat of her palm, eyes squeezed shut, and squirming during Chaeyoung’s procedure.

“You can open your eyes now. I’m done,” said Chaeyoung, amused.

The sweltering pain was uncomfortable from the bandages’ tight binding, to the point it numbed her toes. Jisoo cleared and shrugged casually. “I was just resting my eyes.”

“Okay,” Chaeyoung returned dubiously, scooting her stool closer. “Show me that bruise you mentioned.”

“Before you see it, I just want to say that it doesn’t hurt that bad —”

“Save it. I’ll yell at you later.”

Jisoo pouted, casting one more glance before grumbling and lifting her shirt. As expected, Chaeyoung’s jaw dropped, and Jisoo winced.

“That’s huge.”

“Is it really? I don’t think so.”

Chaeyoung shot a deadpan look, clearly done with Jisoo’s antics, and hovered her palm over the spot. “It’s literally the size of my hand.”
 

“Is that so?” Jisoo chuckled in an attempt to keep the air light. “Then you have small hands.”

“Unbelievable.” The corners of Chaeyoung’s lips curled up as she collected the cool jelly of ointment on her fingertips. “I have bigger hands than you.”

The doorbell chimed once again, both of their heads perking up at the sound. The sink’s running water was turned off, and Jennie dried her hands with a towel as she skipped toward the door. “I’ll get it,” she sang.

Chaeyoung returned to treating the injury, but Jisoo’s eyes stayed fixed on the back of Jennie’s head. She shifted slightly out of her seat to peer over, hoping to catch a glimpse of who was at the door. What if it was the person that dropped off the invitations? Would they recognize it’s Jennie greeting them –

“Sit still, Jisoo.”

“Sorry —”

“Jennie Kim?”

“Seulgi?” Chaeyoung and Jisoo said in unison as the said girl — bundled up in a scarf and thick coat — poked her head in.

“Hey!” Seulgi grinned, slightly out of breath from the cold. She thumbed toward Jennie who stepped aside to let her in. “I didn’t know Jennie would be here out of all places.”

“Make that the two of us,” Chaeyoung muttered under her breath.

“What’s up, Seulgi?” Jisoo said, ignoring the latter.

Seulgi sauntered into the kitchen, quizzically eyeing the bandaged ankles and the bruise Chaeyoung was treating. She opened , probably to question the situation, but thought better of it. “You forgot your stuff at my office,” she replied, setting the leather satchel on the table. “Why did you run off so suddenly? You even said you’ll be back, but you never returned. Imagine how hurt I was, waiting in my office alone at the dead of the night.”

Jisoo snorted and pulled the bag closer, palming it to ensure all her items were there. “Sorry. Stuff led from one thing to another, and I couldn’t come back. I should’ve called you.”

Seulgi smirked and lifted herself onto the kitchen island, legs naturally swaying. “Your apology is too late. Now you have to buy me a meal.”

“Damn, you sly fox.”

“It’s a win-win situation. I get a meal, and you get a date with me. Anyway, what’s Jennie doing here?” Seulgi jutted her chin to Jennie standing timidly at the entrance of the kitchen. “Is the biography not done?”

The atmosphere tensed, rigid bodies and hitched breaths. Jennie’s lips were pursed, hesitancy in her demeanor and eyes searching Jisoo. Chaeyoung briefly glanced between Seulgi and Jisoo before returning her attention to the bruise. A harder-than-normal press on it told an urge to say something quick, prompting a small hiss from Jisoo and internal cursing at the younger girl. Should they come clean?

Jisoo cleared . “Jennie and I —”

“— are friends!”

Everyone’s heads whipped to Jennie, startled by the sudden turn of attention.

“Jisoo and I are friends,” Jennie repeated with more conviction. “I wanted to hang out with her today, so that’s why I’m here.”

Seulgi frowned, a mix of confusion and skepticism in the way her jaw shifted, but ultimately shrugged. “Oh, okay. I wouldn’t think you kept in contact with clients, Jisoo.”

Jisoo forced a chuckle, shooting a meek finger gun. “I just make friends easily.”

Seulgi bobbed her head, satisfied with the explanation, much to their relief. “By the way, someone messaged your pager while you were gone. I didn’t want to look at it because — you know — not my business.”

As Chaeyoung rolled down Jisoo’s shirt, done with the treatment, Jisoo fished out the device from her bag, angling the screen to the kitchen light to discern the message.

Call when you have her XXX-XXX-XXXX - J

“It’s, uhm,” Jisoo’s eyes darted between Jennie and the pager, “Joohyun. She told me to call her when I have you.”

“Joohyun…?” Seulgi mumbled, head tilted curiously.

Seulgi is definitely going to have more questions after this. A part of her wanted the older girl to leave – to save the confusion – but an unfathomable guilt told her that Seulgi was owed a proper explanation. Jisoo worried her lip, her gaze kept onto Jennie’s contemplative one. “Do you want me to call her?”

Everyone was looking at Jennie, even Chaeyoung whose hands blindly packed up the aid. Jennie’s fingers fidgeted, pulling at the cotton of the hoodie, before nodding with determination. “Yes. I don’t want her to worry.”

Jisoo regarded Jennie carefully for a moment, but the girl’s determination didn’t waver. “Alright. Seulgi, can you pass me the telephone?”

“The cable doesn’t reach from where you are.”

“Screw it; just unplug it and plug it into this outlet.”

Once Seulgi carried over the telephone and plugged the cord into the outlet beside the table leg, Jisoo worked on dialing the number in with the wheel, the jingles cutting the silence with every cycle. Everyone was crowded around Jisoo (Jennie and Seulgi sitting while Chaeyoung peered between the two) as the phone rang. Once, twice —

“Hello?”

“Hello? Joohyun?” Jisoo said, sitting up straighter on her chair and giving a nod to confirm she had picked up. ”This is Jisoo.”

“Ah, Jisoo. Have you found Jennie?”

“Yes, I found her. She’s safe and with me.”

“That’s a relief. When will she come back?”

“When will she come back?” Jisoo repeated, eyes straying to Jennie. The girl pursed her lips into a thin line with a small shake of her head. Jisoo returned an understanding nod. “She’s, uhm, not feeling too well. She’ll have to stay here for… a bit.”

The other end of the line was silent. Was Joohyun still there? Jisoo’s mouth opened to ask, but was cut off by Joohyun speaking again.

“For how long?”

“For a while. I — I can’t say for how long.”

“Can I talk to her?”

Jisoo lowered the phone from her ear and covered the bottom end with her palm. “Do you want to talk to her?” she whispered.

Jennie nodded immediately.

“Yeah, let me give the phone to her,” Jisoo said before passing the telephone to Jennie.

“Hello?” Jennie said.

In an air full of anticipation, the rest of them watched intently as Jennie hummed and answered various questions (most of them seeming to pertain to her wellbeing). Seulgi was perplexed, probably debating whether to prod for the context of the situation or not. Chaeyoung was learning on Seulgi’s chair, elbow propped on the wooden backing and eyebrows furrowed as she chewed on her nails. Jisoo’s fingers drummed on the table, anxiety seizing her heart unsteady. However, Jennie showed no sign of discomfort, or signs that she was being pressured to go back. Her face was rather stoic, her tone light and leveled, and her gaze that’s on Jisoo unfocused from preoccupation.

“Stare at her any harder and you’ll burn holes into her skull,” whispered Seulgi, eyebrows raised in amusement.

Heat creeped up Jisoo’s neck. Hopefully the latter didn’t notice her flusterness. “Whatever, Kang,” Jisoo retorted pathetically, sticking out her tongue for good measure.

That enticed some playfulness in Seulgi’s eyes, the girl about to say something clever until Jennie perked up on her seat.

“Are you sure?” Jennie frowned slightly. “You might get in trouble... I’ll have to think about it a little more. Thank you, Joohyun; I owe it to you. Stay safe, too. Bye bye.”

With that, Jennie attached the phone onto the switchboard handle without a word. The tension ebbed into awkward silence, and Chaeyoung and Seulgi looked at Jisoo for initiation.

“Uh,” Jisoo said, the mere sound snapping back Jennie’s attention. “What did she say?”

“Oh.” Jennie said, as if she had forgotten she was here. “I had wedding preparations today, but Joohyun said she’ll say I can’t make it because I felt sick. It isn’t the best excuse, but they never check up on me to confirm it anyway. But,” she in between her teeth, “I don’t know how long she can cover for me. I’ll have to show up sooner or later. Her whole job — her livelihood — is on the line. I don’t know, I —”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jisoo reassured, rubbing Jennie’s arm when the girl buried her face into her hands. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Will we?” Jennie’s eyes peeked from between her fingers. “Is there even a solution? Other than going back? Oh god, Joohyun is going to get fired because I’m a ing coward —”

“Hey.” Jisoo frowned, tugging Jennie’s hands away from her face and cradling one of them in both of hers on the table. She gave a light squeeze. “We’ll figure it out. Joohyun covered for you for today, right? Let’s rest for today. A lot of things are happening and we need to give ourselves a break before facing them. We’ll take things day by day, one at a time.”

“For how long?” Jennie exasperated. “For how long can we do that? This is not a thing to be living in a present about, Chu.”

Jisoo faltered. Jennie was here, finally here, and they were so close that there was no way in hell Jisoo would let herself lose her now. Not again, not ever. That might be too selfish to say, but at the moment, nothing else was important – only the hand she held, and the girl in front of her. A little dangerous, a little scary, but when had that ever stopped her? The world could wait; all she needed was Jennie to believe in her, believe in them.

“But there are times when it doesn’t help to live in the future – especially when it’s all the time. Worrying constantly about what might happen tomorrow, in a week, in a year. Sometimes you need to live in the present for a little, even if it’s just for a day. Don’t worry for today, okay? Today is all I’m asking for.”

Jennie’s bottom lip was between her teeth, solemn gaze falling from Jisoo to their cupped hands. She tilted her head before moving her other hand to the back of Jisoo’s, tender thumb’s light caress leaving warmth along her knuckles. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” she sighed with a weak smile. “I get way too ahead of myself.”

“You’re fine,” Jisoo exchanged a reassuring smile and another squeeze. “We’ll rest for today and face tomorrow with clear heads. Okay?”

“Okay, okay.”

Upon Jennie’s calmness, Seulgi cleared and pushed herself off her seat, Chaeyoung stepping aside to stand straight. “Alright, as much as I would love to stay to learn what the is happening,” the older girl said with raised palms, “I have somewhere to be. Maybe over that date you owe me, Jisoo?”

“Sure,” Jisoo answered hesitantly. “Thanks for dropping my stuff off.”

“Anytime,” Seulgi chimed, scurrying backwards to the door and waving her hands. “See you guys later. Nice to meet you again, Jennie. Okay, bye!”

Once Seulgi left, followed by the click of the door, Chaeyoung huffed and stretched out her arms, yawning. “Okay, we’re resting for today, right? Let’s take a nap time because I definitely need one.”

“Chaeng, you don’t have to involve yourself in this,” Jisoo reasoned. “It’s going to get messy.”

Chaeyoung scoffed and rolled her eyes. “What else am I going to do, make coffee all day?” She sauntered out the kitchen, saying from over her shoulder, “Wake me up by two if I don’t wake up then!”

Jennie turned back to Jisoo, weariness even more pronounced after the whole ordeal. Despite it, she still managed a soft smile – probably in comfort, but it only made Jisoo’s heart ache. “Let’s take a nap time as well?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

With Jisoo’s arm around Jennie’s shoulders and Jennie’s arm around her waist, they wobbled to Jisoo’s bedroom. It was apparent that the exertion of Jisoo’s weight was straining on the other girl – considering her grimaces and grunts – so Jisoo tried her best to alleviate some of it. The effort to balance between her own feet and Jennie popped a sweat, making the huff of relief once they reached the bedside all the more relieving.

“Here, let me grab some pillows,” Jennie said, stretching to reach them as Jisoo laid herself down, scooting closer to the edge to create more space on the other side.

“Lay with me.” Jisoo patted the linen covers beside her while Jennie gingerly propped her ankles on the pillow.

“Are you sure?” Jennie laughed. “This bed is pretty small. What if you fall off and hurt yourself more?”

“That’s why we have to cuddle.” Jisoo waggled her eyebrows.

Jennie didn’t need anymore convincing (probably didn’t need any at the start), grinning as she crawled over Jisoo to lay next to her. Jisoo tried her best to turn to the side to face Jennie, but her ankles made everything frustratingly hard. Thankfully, Jennie had noticed and placed a hand on her stomach to stop her from twisting her body more and eased her back flat on the mattress. To reconcile, she edged closer and propped her head on her elbow, pulling out the hairstick to release her bun into a curtain of soft locks and tossing it onto the nightstand.

“Hey,” Jisoo breathed once Jennie’s eyes settled back on her.

“Hey.” Jennie draped an arm over Jisoo’s waist, a gesture that provided warmth and security that never failed to melt her all over.

“So we’re friends?” teased Jisoo, tone purposefully accusatory.

“I just said that because I figured Seulgi didn’t know,” Jennie pouted.

“I’m kidding. You’re right, Seulgi didn’t know, but she’ll find out soon. Thanks for having my back, though. I wasn’t really sure of what to say.”

“You were doing all the explaining. That was the least I could do.”

Jisoo crooked a toothless smile, her finger lightly tracing Jennie’s jaw. “I don’t really care what we call each other, as long as I’m with you. Call me sappy for all I care.”

“What’s the point at this point,” Jennie quipped, eyes twinkling, and fell back onto the bed. “I’ll just ignore you.”

“Mean.”

“Just go to sleep.”

A pause.

“I said go to sleep, stop looking at me.”

“I can’t help it.”

“Ah, seriously, Chu. You’re making me shy.”

“No need to be shy, just don’t mind me Jendeuk.”

The nickname that was long rusted rolled off her tongue as innate as blinking, but Jisoo’s breath still hitched from uncertainty. But Jennie didn’t seem to mind, her small smile growing tenfold until it reached from ear to ear.

“Whatever, I’m napping first.” She shut her eyes pompously.

And although sleep came rare these past weeks, Jennie’s light breaths and warmth strangely induced more energy than any amount of sleep could provide. Jisoo brushed some hair away from Jennie’s tranquilent face before taking her hand and hugging it to her stomach.

Hopefully they could do it this time. No matter how hard the journey would be, this time they’d do it. They had to – they must – because, if not, who's to say they’d have another chance?