Friends and Nothing Else

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The party had been going on for hours, the day shifting from morning, to noon, to afternoon, all the while the reunion kept going strong; Kims were party people, and they never seemed to tire.

Thankfully for Jennie, the dancing had slowed down, more and more people leaving the dance floor in search of refreshments, until there was no one left, most people settling down on picnic blankets or on garden chairs. Yerim had turned the music down, and now it was a gentle hum in the background, mixing in and out of the sounds of different conversations.

Jennie and Lisa had been some of the last to the leave the dance floor. Their limbs ached, but there were smiles on their faces, as the two of them headed off to find some shade, still holding onto each other. Jennie's clothes were significantly more rumpled now, her collar sticking up in the air and trousers wrinkled. Lisa had grinned affectionately and fixed her hair before they found their own little space in the grass to sit.

"I hope you realise how much of an impression you've made," Jennie said, looking at her fondly while she fiddled with her thumbs. "Everyone loves you."

"You're gonna have to run everyone's names through with me," Lisa said, kicking her sandals off and dropping onto the ground, letting out a sigh as she stretched her legs out, her bare toes wiggling between the blades of grass. "I'm never going to get all of these names right."

Jennie grinned, joining her on the floor and lying on her back, her eyes squinting up at the sun.

"So there's my father Jiyoung," she explained, shifting one arm back to support her head.

"Then there's my mother - Yerim" Jennie said. "There's Tzuyu, my cousin, or Tzu"

Jennie kept going. "My uncle Kwon, we've been close for as long as I can remember. Then Mr. Yang."

Jennie shuddered inwardly as she said the name. Yang had long since disappeared from the party, but she could still see his face in her mind's eye - the dark glint in the man's eye and the twisted smirk. It still worried her a little bit that Yang knew their secret; that man was trouble, and Jennie didn't trust him as far as she could spit.

She moved on. "You met the twins, right?"

"Oh yeah," Lisa said, raising her eyebrows and staring up at the sky. "I met them."

Earlier, while she'd been getting a drink, a girl had sidled up to her. She was tall, with smooth straight hair, and she'd come up a little too close and narrowed her eyes at Lisa, looking her over closely.

"So, you're Lisa?" she'd said, her voice a long drawl.

"...Yeah?" Lisa had said, backing away a few steps.

"No, she doesn't look big enough," a voice came from behind her, and Lisa jumped, turning to see a boy who looked similarly like the girl: he had the same black hair, only shorter. "Wouldn't make a big enough splash."

"I'm sorry?" Lisa said, blinking.

The boy ran a hand through his hair, before reaching out for her to shake. "Seojin Kim. Future entrepreneur, man, myth and legend." Lisa shook his hand tentatively. "We're looking for a test subject to test our new, genius idea."

"Jisoo Kim," his twin said, also shaking her hand. "It's my idea too."

"So get this," Jin said, "A new range of swimming pool accessories. Catapults!"

"Yeah, you get in, you have someone to wind you up -" Jisoo started.

"And then they let you go, and-"

"And you get launched into the pool!"

"Splooooosh!" Jin puffed his cheeks out and made an elaborate gesture with his hands, stretching his arms out and wiggling his fingers.

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