Twisted Faith

Chapter 15

I stand at the Manoban residence for the first time in my whole damn life. I stare at the huge door for what feels like eternity. I never thought even for once that I would find myself in this place, but that's the same thing with SNU. After my first class, I got this message from Jisoo.

I can't stand being in the hospital anymore. Dad brought me back to the house. You might want to come visit me, lalisa. Been waiting for you. I miss you already.

So I take a deep breath and ring the doorbell. A petite woman with jet-black hair and a pair of eyeglasses opens the door for me.

"Lisa," Anna looks surprised to see me, but I try to flash a smile at her. "Wow. You're here."

In awkward situations like this, I can only nod my head and purse my lips.

"Um, come in," she makes way for me so I walk in. The house is huge. With how much money Marco is making, I expected this. "Your father will be home in a few."

"Actually, I'm here to see Jisoo."

"Oh. Right. I... I'll show you to her room then."

I follow Anna as she walks up to the stairs to the second floor then turns right and stop at the first door with a poster of a cute rabbit. This is it, Jisoo's room.

"Just go right in," she instructs me.

I flash another forced smile, "Thanks."

I'm about to walk in when Anna turns to me again and say, "I'm glad you're here, Lisa."

"I am too," I nod my head and give her a genuine grin this time. "And I'm glad you're here, Anna."

I can tell that simple statement made her feel so happy, and that makes me feel great also. I should have come here years ago.

I push the door open and let myself in, "Unnie?"

"Lisa," Jisoo struggles to sit up.

I hurry to her side, "You don't have to sit, just lie down."

"But I want to," she insists.

I add another pillow on her back for support so she could sit comfortably as possible. Then we become quiet just looking anywhere else. I let my eyes wander around the room. As earlier suspected, her other basketball trophies and her trophies from the other competitions she's been in are being kept here. Now with this condition, I wonder if she's still going to join her team for the remaining games of the season. I keep looking until my eyes fall on her bedside table. One frame has a picture of me and Jisoo back when we were kids with our mother. I remember Marco took that picture. The second frame has a picture of Marco and Anna with the Great Wall of China on the background. The third one, the one nearest to her and separated from the other two frames by a digital alarm clock, has a picture of Jisoo and Jennie, and I realize even more how much important Jennie is to Jisoo. She's holding a dozen of balloons in variety of shapes and sizes, and Jennie was giving Jisoo a kiss on her cheek. They both look so happy. Even if Jennie's eyes were closed she looks so comfortable and the way she clings to Jisoo they looked like two puzzles meant to be together. That's how it was before I came here. Yeah, I was never meant to be in that same picture. I am the one who ruined their  fairytale.

"Irene took that picture," she tells me as if she was reading my thoughts. "It was the first time that Jennie and I celebrated Valentine's Day together."

"You two looked so happy."

"We were." I know I'm the one who ruined their happiness. Then I hear her chuckle. Even with that, she  struggles. "this hurts a lot."

And I wonder if she meant her ribs or her heart.

"You don't look so hot anymore with that neck brace, by the way."