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

Chapter 27

Two weeks later Jennie found herself on a plane bound for Seoul, the grey skies and stretches of forest rolling past as she stared out at the black trunks of the towering pines, the comforting weight of Jisoo's head on her shoulder. It was the first time she was going to Seoul, and Jennie found the journey a lot more enjoyable, sitting in the confines of the plane, even if Jisoo slept the entire ride there, with her sleeping schedule out of sorts again. Jennie was free to work on her novel, her laptop balanced precariously on her knees and a pair of earphones plugged in as she listened to the CD of Jisoo's compositions, the gentle hum of music cutting through the sound of the engine and the other passengers. All in all, it was a peaceful morning, and Jennie was excited about their approaching evening, hoping that it would be fun - more so for Jisoo than herself, but she knew she'd have fun just being there with Jisoo.

            It was just before midday when they pulled into the bus station in the middle of the city, and Jennie smiled brightly with excitement as she watched Jisoo stretch beside her. She'd been gently nudged awake by Jennie on the outskirts of the city, and she was still trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep as Jennie scrambled for their bags. They filed down the aisle of the plane, Jennie holding on tightly to Jisoo's hand, and climbed off. It was warmer there than in Auckland, but they still needed their coats as a faint drizzle misted around them, the smell of rain mingling with the polluted smell of the city.

            They'd booked a hotel in the centre of the city, even though Chaeyoung and Lisa had both offered to put them up for the night. Jisoo wouldn't admit it, but Jennie knew she didn't like unfamiliar places, and at least a hotel was just the one room, and easier for her to maneuver around without accidentally tripping herself up. So they'd booked a hotel for the night, and Jennie confidently led them through the city, block by block, excitedly pointing out familiar places to Jisoo as they walked down wet sidewalks glistening in the weak sunlight, traffic blaring past, making Jisoo anxiously squeeze Jennie's hand tighter. The city was considerably louder than their small town by the sea, and Jennie had to gingerly sidestep people and forge paths through oncoming pedestrians to make sure Jisoo had a clear path. Her white cane was firmly folded in one of the bags that Jennie was carrying as Jisoo's stubbornness got the better of her. It was only a short walk to the hotel though, and soon enough they were checking in and standing in an elevator carrying them up to the twelfth floor.

            The room that Jisoo had insisted on paying for turned out to be larger than Chaeyoung's apartment, if Jennie had to compare, and was a sparse room of marble and modernity. Setting the bags down, Jennie crossed over to the wall of windows, peering out at the drizzly city as she smiled, a flicker of excitement stirring at the thought of a nice weekend with Jisoo in somewhere new. A jungle of chrome and metal buildings and the wet weather was far from a romantic getaway, but it was different, and they had a few exciting things planned to do, starting with lunch with Chaeyoung and Lisa.

            "Is the room nice?" Jisoo asked, and Jennie turned around, her expression softening as she took in the sight of Jisoo hovering just inside the door, unsure of her surroundings.

            Swiftly crossing the room, Jennie reached out and took one of her hands in her own, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of it. "Uh, yeah, it's just a little bit fancy. Thank you."

            Smiling, Jisoo gave her hand a quick squeeze, "may as well make the most of the trip, huh? Now, how long do we have before lunch?"

            "About an hour."

            "Okay. What have you missed most about this place?" Jisoo asked, a smile playing on her lips as she arched an eyebrow, an expectant look on her face.