Jisoo admits to having little patience. Not that she was always like that; but ever since she discovered that there were people who would unapologetically take their sweet time doing something, she'd get a tad bit annoyed. If twitching palms and passive-aggressive remarks would count as a 'tad bit', then sure.
 
She can't count how many hours have passed. The presenter only kept rambling the same senseless idea over and over. It was obvious he hadn't mastered his presentation. She'd rather be waterboarded if she had to sit another hour listening to his crap. Jisoo looked around and her fellow board members were in the same condition. Some yawning, and some even checking their phones underneath. The CEO decides not to scold them for that.

Her hand cradles her chin, not even trying to hide her unimpressed face.
 
Then, she feels her phone vibrate on her lap. She reads who the caller was in secret. Jisoo becomes alarmed. Wide eyes moving back and forth, trying to not get caught. The man transitions to the next slide, blissfully unaware.
 
She looks down again. It was Jennie. What could Jennie be calling her for? Jisoo also noticed the string of messages before the call. Asking her when was her next break. Or when was she coming home. Scrolling through without a stop, Jisoo thinks she even saw Areum's name. It was urgent.

Jisoo excuses herself from the meeting, letting the chair slide with so much pain that every head turns in curiosity. The once-bored members came alive, ears growing to get a glimpse of her caller—Jisoo couldn't be bothered to care.
 
In the hallway, she rang Jennie. Her wife picked up on the first call.
 
"Honey? What's going on?"

"Jisoo? Hey, you weren't picking up." Jennie sounds calm enough. There wasn't any concoction in the background either.

"I'm in a meeting. What are you calling for, babe?"

"Listen, it's Areum."

Jisoo tightens her grip on the phone. Areum. What could've possibly happened to Areum? Jisoo recalled that it was a regular school day, and around this time she should've been home. Did an accident occur? The questions don’t stop. Her voice was strained when she asked Jennie again.
 
"What happened? Jennie?"

"She caught a fever—"

"A fever? When?"

"She came home with it. Runny nose and high temperature."

Jesus Christ. A fever. But it doesn't console Jisoo one bit. A fever could also be a symptom, or it could be part of a larger type of illness. She spots a wall clock nearby; at least two hours left in the meeting.

"I was hoping you'd drop by the pharmacy to—"

"I'm coming home."

A few seconds of silence. Jisoo could hear the gears turning in Jennie's head from the other line.
 
"... what?"

Jisoo mentioned briefly this morning that the meeting she was to attend was important. They were in a process of relocating and adding branches, so her presence was neede