ruby sat primly, lightly tapping a finger on the table in a rhythmic pattern.
it was nighttime once more, and she waited for the hooded woman to reappear as she had the previous time, anticipating the outcome of their conversation—how she would tell her the truth and how wrong she was about it.
"you're back." said the blonde woman who introduced herself as roseanne the night before. she stands hesitantly, a dirty cloth slung over her shoulder as she carries mugs from the table she cleaned earlier.
"hello, roseanne," ruby replied, smiling warmly. "i'm sorry for leaving so quickly; i didn't get to thank you for what you did."
"don't worry about it." roseanne says dismissively, waving her free hand. "however, i must say that you don't seem enthusiastic to be here tonight."
"it really shows, huh?" ruby's lips twitched into a grimace, eliciting a soft chuckle from roseanne.
"are you waiting for someone?" the blonde asked, a hint of concern in her tone.
"yes but i'm not quite certain she'll be here." ruby admits with a timid smile.
roseanne slightly tilts her head to the side, "is it the woman from last night?"
ruby nodded, preparing to speak or inquire about jisoo's whereabouts, but roseanne continued.
"my wife and i have this philosophy that it's never good to speak ill of others.." her voice trailed off as she looked past the table and through the doors. "but ruby, please be careful around her."
"what do you-" ruby stops when roseanne ushered to a certain direction. she turns her head to follow and spotted the raven-haired woman approaching them. she was in ordinary clothes this time, nothing odd or conspicuous.
"your friend is here." roseanne mumbled as she excused herself, nodding briefly to acknowledge the newcomer before moving ahead through the back of the bar.
"ruby jane," jisoo says, her smile not reaching her eyes as she sits across the table.
"you were wrong about my family." ruby said, her hands fumbling beneath her.
"am i?" jisoo retorted, her brow furrowed. "am i really?"
ruby chuckles grimly as she realizes that jisoo, with her suggestive tone, may have known everything all along.
"there's no missing military sister, is there?" ruby's disdain for the woman was palpable, and she didn't like the indignation in her own voice.
she tried to convince herself that jisoo was very much worthy of her doubt, however quaint, and clever, and beautiful the woman was.
jisoo shakes her head, "no."
she was right. jisoo just wanted her to know what her father was really up to.
"are you even a real journalist?" ruby couldn't be bothered to suppress a subtle insult in her tone.
"i am, but not the kind that you think." jisoo replies, her face remained impassive.
"what are you talking about?" ruby retorted with a scowl.
the woman leaned closer and answered, "the truth is, the piece that i'm working on is about your father and his corruptions."
conniving, ruthless woman. that's what jisoo was at the time, and ruby wanted nothing more than to spit it in her face.
"i wanted you to see for yourself because i know you would do the right thing." jisoo went on to explain, carefully placing both hands on the table.
the young one raised a brow, "and what exactly is that?"
"turn him in." ruby felt a wave of rage wash over her. jisoo wasn't even asking.
"you think i would do that to my own father?" she says with a sneer. her hands remained pressed at the edge of the table, a way to stop herself from reaching out and grabbing the woman. if she gets her hands on jisoo, who knows what she'll do?
"you will because you're good, ruby." the raven-haired woman mumbled softly.
clever.. so clever to call her name all while preying on her morals.
"you're messed up, jisoo. you want me to betray my own family, even used the stories about the missing girls and your made up sister to get to me. i mean are those stories even real?"
"they're real." jisoo answered, leaning back to the chair as roseanne placed two drinks on their table and left quietly just as she arrived.
"then why aren't you writing about them instead? what—because writing about a corrupt official is more important than catching a murderer?" ruby raised her voice, catching the attention of a few onlookers. she sips on her drink loudly as she eyed jisoo through the tip of the mug.
"oh, i don't care." a nonchalant reply from the raven-haired woman.
ruby was appalled to see that side of jisoo. she was so different from the woman she had met the night before.
"you want to know why? because they got what they deserved, ruby. i've done my research and i know that these women have done a lot of terrible things in life." jisoo tells her, followed by several photographs of the missing girls placed neatly on the table.
the youngster falls silent, feeling compelled to look at the pictures and examine it as jisoo continues.
"the first missing girl? she was a prostitute who sold childen to be raped by grown men. that girl from 19th street? she was having an affair with the bakery owner while her husband went to war for our country. whoever's doing this is trying to get rid of all the filth that poisons the streets of france. we're doing the same thing."
the woman paused to take a sip of her drink and gave ruby an apologetic smile.
"my methods are simply moralistic. and while my stories won't convince people not to do anymore shitty things, perhaps a serial killer on the loose might. they can all die for all i care."
she couldn't believe what she was hearing—how jisoo could talk so casually about her fellow women being taken away or, worse, killed, or how ridiculous it sounded for her to ask ruby to violate her family's trust.
she's so hellbent on catching ruby's father to finish her piece that she is willing to overlook something as heinous as murder.
"you're a self-serving hypocrite and you don't deserve your job." ruby spat, finally giving herself the liberty to say what was in her mind.
she stood up angrily, eager to leave l'auberge so she wouldn't have to look at Jisoo for another second, but a sudden whirling sensation hit her, disrupting her balance and causing her to grab the table's edge.
she felt nauseous as her vision started to grow dark.
what in the..
her eyes, blurry and drooping, lands on the mug filled with a yellow drink.
"i didn't–i didn't order those." ruby could barely hear the sound of her own voice as she looks up to jisoo who is no longer in her seat.
she raised a trembling hand in the air, reaching out to a hazy vision of a raven-haired woman being dragged away by someone with a svelte figure.
YOU ARE READING
stirlinghaven | jensoo
Mystery / Thriller"mademoiselle." a voice of a woman softly greeted. the hood was thrown back, revealing a face so beautiful that ruby swore she's staring at helen of troy. she can't possibly be the killer, right? - sweeney todd inspired
