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

Chapter 23

The sun was just starting to rise as Jennie jogged back towards her house, the straggly clouds bathed a soft salmon colour by the first orange rays of light on the horizon. It had been raining during the night, and the streets shone under the yellow glow of the streetlights that hadn't been switched off yet, and the smell of smoke was strong in the air as she passed by a house with a warm glow in the kitchen and thin white wisps snaking out of the chimney. Minzy was making her way downstairs when Jennie stepped inside, unzipping her raincoat spattered with water droplets and unlacing her sneakers, and she smiled at her adoptive mother as she shivered slightly. Following Minzy down the hallway, Jennie complained about the cold weather as she poured herself a glass of water and watched Minzy put on a pot of coffee, the kitchen filling with the rich smell as her mom pottered around the kitchen. The sound of her phone vibrating jerked her out of her idle thoughts, and Jennie frowned slightly at the unknown number lighting up her screen, before answering it.

            "Hey Jennie, it's Lisa. I got your number off Chaeyoung, I hope that's okay. Sorry, I know it's a bit early, but Chaeyoung said you're always up early anyway."

            Eyebrows rising slightly in surprise, Jennie leant back against the kitchen counters, her glass of water in hand as she stared out the window. "Oh, Lisa! Hey, yeah that's fine. What can I do for you?"

            "I just ... I don't know if Jisoo told you, but her brother, Seokjin. Today's his birthday," Lisa hesitantly explained.

            Feeling her heart twinge slightly, Jennie set her water down and pressed her lips into a grim line, a knot of worry growing in her stomach, "oh ... I didn't know."

            "Yeah, well I just wanted to ask you if you could keep an eye on her today. For me."

            "Of course," Jennie murmured, "I was planning on going over later anyway, but I'll head over as soon as I'm ready."

            "Can you do me a favour and not tell her I told you? You know how she gets when she thinks people are pitying her," Lisa asked.

            Jennie quietly laughed, a small smile curling her lips as she thought about Jisoo. "Yeah, no problem."

            "Thank you," Lisa said, sounding relieved, "I know you'd do it anyway, because you care about her, but I really do appreciate it. I'll, uh, leave you to it then."

            "Bye Lisa."

            Hanging up, Jennie pursed her lips slightly as she stared down at the black screen, jumping slightly in surprise when a cup of hot coffee was pressed into her hands. Looking up, Jennie's worried expression softened at the questioning concerned look on Minzy's face, and Jennie murmured her thanks as she took the coffee and sat down at the table. Explaining the whole situation with Jisoo's brother, Jennie sipped her coffee and brooded, thinking about how she could try and make Jisoo feel better without being too overbearing, and Minzy quickly set about pouring some of the soup she'd made the day before into a container for her to take over to Jisoo's with her.

            Jennie was still making her way through a few slices of raisin toast, her wet hair up in a towel and a book open before her, when Minzy left for work, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze on her way out of the door. Calling goodbye over her shoulder, just before the door shut behind her mom, Jennie finished off her last bite of toast and dusted the crumbs off her fingertips. Half an hour later she had her satchel and the soup in the basket on the front of her bike, her puffy coat on to ward off the lightly spitting rain and she was pedaling down the slick road, frustratedly wiping at the lenses of her glasses every few moments as she made her way towards Jisoo's house.