Realize | Jenlisa

Five

The day of the White party finally arrived. The guests were supposed to dress formally in white. That was why Chaerin shopped at the mall with Jennie and Ella to buy some new clothes for them for the occasion.

The Manobans already went to the party in Hapjeong-dong before the Kims. They planned to go together, but Chaerin insisted on using her own car. And so, Chaerin, Jennie, and Ella used the Mercedes Benz for transportation.

Jennie didn't know how her mother knew which way to go and how she knew which house, but nevertheless they parked in front of a big green house with a humongous lawn. The parking space was good enough for twenty cars.

If truth be told, Jennie was used to going to parties. But the thing she wasn't used to was going to parties where she didn't know anyone. Plus, she was used to living an above average life. This, now... she was experiencing a way above average one.

She, her mother, and Ella went straight to the backyard where there was the main party. There was catering about twenty feet from the swimming pool. Looking around, all the people really did dressed in white. She half-expected that there was someone who would break the rule.

“Sweetie, your sister and I will be back shortly,” Chaerin told Jennie. “I think I see Lisa. Stay with her for the moment.”

Without another word, Chaerin took Ella with her and left Jennie by the pool. Jennie didn't even have the chance to protest. It took all her will power not to stomp her feet in frustration. She would rather talk to a complete stranger than force a conversation with the girl who made her blood boil with just the sight of her.

When she looked around, she unintentionally saw Lisa standing at a distance. She looked beautifully bored while wearing white pants and a polo shirt, with almost half of the buttons closed, showing a slight fraction of her chest.

Jennir wildly shook her head, pushing away the thought. Sometimes, Lisa's looks made her forget how much she hated her. But she hated herself more for even thinking that.

Before she could hide, Lisa already saw her. Without any expression on her face, she walked calmly towards her. She froze, until they were a feet apart. She composed herself then.

“Okay, you don't have to tell me,” Jennie started glumly, frowning. “I know I look awful,” she said it before she could.

She honestly didn’t like what Chaerin bought for her. The skirt was just below the knee, the simple white blouse was also buttoned. What she didn't like about it was that it was colorlessly dull – except for the beautiful necklace her grandmother gave her.

“You're the one who said that,” Lisa shrugged. “Besides,” she hesitated. She looked away and blushed the light shade of pink, then she scoffed, “You actually look human.”

Translation: Jennie looked nice.

She widened her eyes in utter shock. She understood what Lisa meant and didn’t quite believe that she actually heard a compliment from her. She couldn’t say for sure if she was kidding because she looked and sounded serious, but the scoff made it complicated.

Chitthip and Chaerin spotted them a moment later, and invited them to eat. They ate and laughed. Not long after, Lisa and Jennie began to be bored. Eventually, she stood up and excused herself. She went to the food table and got herself sugar-free cookies, biting it bit by bit. A few minutes past, Lisa saw her and chuckled.

She walked over to Jennir and teased, “I didn't know you eat like a pig.”

“Gosh! That was really lame,” Jennie retorted in a mocking voice.