Jongin had his girlfriend in his arms as they cuddle in the couch whilst watching whatever series his girlfriend chose to binge watch when his phone went off.

He had no plans of answering it honestly and made a mental note to put it on silent next time but his girlfriend nudges him by her elbow.
 

"Babe, I think you need to get that."

He nuzzles the tip of his nose against her hair, he had grown way too addicted to it recently. "No. Let it ring."

"I would say that too but it's Lisa. She never calls you when we're together. That's proba—" he didn't even let her finish as he quickly reaches out for it — carefully not toppling his girlfriend over by the sudden movement.

She just smiles, gets off the couch and moves to the kitchen to give him privacy. She treats Lisa like a sister now plus she never gave her any headache unlike her boyfriend, unfortunately.
 

"Hey, what's up?"

He heard a sniff, it instigates panic in him.

"Were you crying? What's wrong?" He stands up and starts looking for his jacket he threw somewhere.

Lisa clears . "Where are you?"

"Noona's, where are you?"

"Oh. Just somewhere. Forgot that you were with her, sorry to disturb you."

"Nonsense! Where are you? What's wrong?" And he couldn't somehow find his jacket, luckily for him, his girlfriend comes out of nowhere and hands it to him.

"What's wrong?" She asks silently, she saw the panic in Jongin's eyes and knowing how close these two are, she couldn't help but worry for Lisa too.

He shrugs. "I don't know but she's crying." He mouths back, now wearing his jacket.

A sniff. "I don't know what to do, Jong."

He frowns whilst grabbing his set of car keys. "Hold it. Let me go where you are. Please."

Another sniff. "Condo."

"I'll be there in a jiffy. Don't go anywhere! Don't open your door unless it's me."

Lisa chuckles. "Yes father."

"I am serious."

"I know. Drive safely."

"Stay there. Bye."

"Bye." He quickly heads straight to the foyer to wear his shoes.

"Noona, sorry. Lisa needs me."

She's already leaning against the wall whilst looking at him, smiling. "Go. She rarely needs your ."
 

He chuckles, lands a kiss on her forehead before he sprints out of the unit. Jaws clenching and when the elevator took like forever, he makes a quick detour down the staircase.

"Hang in there."



 

***



 

"Lisa. It's me." Jongin says after punching in her passcode but couldn't get in because it's locked inside.

He heard a soft thud before he twists the knob. He removes his jacket and shoes before striding himself inside his bestfriend's house.

Nothing seems unusual though until he saw the gloomy look of Lisa's face, staring basically to nothing.

"Hey." He says, Lisa didn't even look up.

He hangs his jacket before moving closer, sitting right beside but with enough space between them to give her air to breathe and be calm. "What happened?"

Lisa didn't say a word and Jongin lets her. He knows her way too well to not pressure her about anything that bothers or hurts her. Lisa will always tell him anyway.

After minutes of silence — well save from the AC's soft buzz sounds and Lisa's casual sniffing, Lisa sighs.
 

"I guess karma finally got me."

"Huh?"

"I should've followed your advice."

Despite being confused because Lisa isn't making sense now, he stays quiet.

"She knows."

"Who knows what?"

"Jennie knows who I am. She knows what I did. She knows me all along. And yet.."

The last words came out so soft and so broken that it made him panic, he once promised himself that he doesn't want to see or hear her get hurt like this again but here they are. His jaws clenches. Irritation slowly surfaces.

"She knows that I was that dumb girl back in Auckland. You were right. All the things I did to her and how mad she was when she talked about it, in no way hell she'll forget me. How dumb do I have to be to think that we could start in a clean slate."

Now Jongin is pissed.

"What did she do?" He tries not to get spiteful but his voice betrayed him.

Lisa seems to give no care about it. "I overheard her conversation with her cousin. Before you judge me, it wasn't on purpose. You know how big and tall the back rest of the couches in Jigglypuff café. I didn't know I sat just right behind their table."

Lisa stops to take a deep breath. "I was about to get out there, trust me but I heard my name and I got curious. Turns out to be a blessing and a nightmare in disguise. She had it all planned. She made me walk straight to her trap."

His jaws are clenching really hard now. He's getting mad, like really mad.

"She planned to lure me in and when she thinks she got me good, she's set to hurt me. None of the things she did were true. All this time, she toyed me. She was playing with me and she successfully did so."
 

Lisa places her elbows onto her lap and buries her face against her hands. She starts to silently cry and each sob and hiccup she produces is equivalent to a jab in Jongin's heart. He had never heard her cry this bad, this broken and this sad.

He immediately engulfs her into a hug. Though Lisa refuses to move from her position, his warmth and comfort are enough to finally break her down.

"Let it out. Damn it." Jongin whispers, he wants to say something but that won't probably help so he stays quiet and continues to hold Lisa as she cries her heart her.
 

He knew it, Lisa got it pretty good and bad. Lisa is helplessly head over heels with Jennie hence the breakdown. Jongin knew all of Lisa's exes, both men and women, and she never cried when they broke up. To keep it real, Lisa never went serious with them and that's probably why they got less to zero reactions from the woman when they broke up.

This time, it's different.

This is the longest and the most heart breaking cry Jongin had ever heard from her.

He should've been more careful. He should've been more vocal and not let Jennie have her way in but he also knows he can't baby his bestfriend all the time — not like Lisa wants that plus his protective stunts could only go a certain way. He knows that. One way or another, Lisa needs to be on her own but doesn't lessen the amount of guilt, pain and anger he has right now.

Guilt for not doing his best to protect her.

Pain by seeing her this broken.

And anger towards the world because why Lisa has to suffer this? Isn't the pain her parents had caused her enough? Why does it feel like the world is turning against Lisa? Why!

Does he hate Jennie? He doesn't know because part of him understands why she did all that but a huge chunk of him doesn't understand why it had to be like this.

It would've been done and over if these two just sat down, talked it out and called it quits in a different way.

Both are stubborns.

Pathetically stubborn.

And now he's forced to see and hear his bestfriend crying in his arms.



 

***



 

"No classes?" Taemin says soon after he sees Lisa on the dance floor, stretching and wearing sweatpants and loose shirt.

"Good morning oppa and no. I have no classes today."

He sets his bag inside his locker and grabs his own dancing gear. "Got nothing to do at home then?"
 

Lisa nods, refuses to answer more than just that as she continues stretching. After her breakdown two days ago, she became restless and the only way that could set her at ease is either working or dancing. Their shift will not start until evening and she doesn't think she'll be able to stay home til then.

She also kind of like tiptoed her way to the university and the club room, wary and crossing her fingers to not meet Jennie somewhere along the way. She's not ready to meet her and she doesn't think she will