it's always ourselves that we find in the sea || jensoo

Chapter 7

Chaeyoung arrived in town early on Saturday morning, and Jennie borrowed Minzy's car to pick her up from the bus station, her face lighting up at the sight of her sister waiting there, sunglasses on, backpack slung over one shoulder, and her dark hair fluttering around her chin. Honking the horn slightly as she pulled up, Jennie couldn't help but smile as Chaeyoung pulled the passenger side door open and climb in, shoving her bag down between her feet and leaning over to wrap Jennie in a hug. An overwhelming feeling of love and safety washed over her, and she allowed herself a few moments of comfort in the embrace of her sister's strong arms, the smell of leather filling her nose as Jennie took in the familiarity of Chaeyoung's leather jackets and spearmint gum smell, before pulling back.

            "God, I've missed you so much."

            "Maybe you shouldn't have taken off for a month," Chaeyoung accused her, smiling as she wound down the window and half dangled one arm out into the cool air as Jennie pulled out into traffic.

            Driving through the middle of town, Jennie smiled, the smell of the sea mixing with the strong smell of pine as the trees started to shed some of their needles as the weather started to turn. The radio was tuned into a classical music station, and Chaeyoung let out a snort of laughter, reaching out to change it, finding her sister's hand stopping her in her tracks. Chaeyoung's eyes were hidden behind her lenses, but Jennie still picked up on the surprise, a small wry smile on her lips when she realised that she'd picked up on a few of Jisoo's physical cues that weren't readable in the eyes.

            "What, you're into classical now?"

            "Well sorry for getting fired," Jennie rolled her eyes, "I'll be back soon anyway. I've been applying for some more jobs. I'm thinking maybe an online one could work too. If it's not in Seoul, then they might not have managed to spread the word that far. And yes, I happen to think it's calming. It's helping me write more."

            Slowly drawing her hand back from the dial, Chaeyoung settled back into her seat, watching the houses and trees pass them by, the sound of the engine grumbling and the roar of the hidden sea mingling with the soothing sounds of Debussy, and Jennie breathed in the clean air, watching as the wind stirred up a few leaves on the road. Autumn was right around the corner, and Jennie felt comforted by the smell of the late summer flowers - little pink snapdragons and vermillion cinquefoil blooming in patches of grass and front gardens along the roadside - and with her sister right beside her, she felt happier than she had in weeks. This was how it usually was, when they came to see Minzy for the holidays or a weekend getaway from the stress of work. It seemed that Jennie was more stressed about getting work these days.

            "So, how've you been?" Jennie asked, shooting her sister a quick glance, her hands steady on the wheel.

            Chaeyoung turned to give her a small smile, "good. Keeping busy. Same as you I guess."

            "Still hurts?"

            "Oh yeah."

            "Sorry."

            Sighing, Chaeyoung reached over to give her shoulder a quick squeeze, almost like a silent reassurance that they were both in this together. Jennie almost wanted to tell Chaeyoung she was going to pack her bag when she got inside, that she was going to go back to Seoul tomorrow, because her life in Auckland was exactly the same as it would've been unemployed and living with her sister in the city, but she knew she wouldn't go back yet. She just missed her sister. There was still the deep shame and embarrassment about being fired, dumped and kicked out of her apartment all in one day, and Jennie was too proud to head back to Seoul on any terms except ones where she came out on top. She wanted to go back with her chin up and prove that she didn't need Ms. Kim or Taehyung to feel like she was worth something.