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

Chapter 29

The next two weeks passed by without much fuss, everything the same as it had been before their trip to Seoul, with their walks along the cliffs, evenings curled up by the fire while Jennie worked on her book or told Jisoo stories, and hours spent listening to Jisoo compose music, her frustration getting the better of her sometimes, until they went for another walk so she could clear her head with the sound of the waves.

            Time passed by in this fashion until soon enough it was Jennie's birthday. She woke that morning to a gentle knocking on her bedroom door, startling her awake as she tried to make sense of where she was, shaking away the remnants of the dream she'd been having.

            "Happy birthday," Minzy gently said as she poked her head inside, a smile on her face as she looked at the sleepy figure stirring beneath the blankets.

            Jennie's head emerged in a wild tangle of hair, stretching and grumbling as she blinked away the last vestiges of sleep, taking in the light seeping in between the gap in the curtains. It must've still been early if Minzy was still home, and Jennie shivered slightly as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and her bare feet touched the cold floorboards.

            "Thank you," Jennie mumbled, rising to her feet and walking over to the door.

            She let Minzy hug her before pulling a fluffy dressing gown off the back of the door and shrugging it on over her pyjamas, cinching it in tightly at the waist before shoving her feet into a pair of fluffy slippers and stepping out into the hallway. Minzy was already dressed for work in a cornflower blue shirt and a pressed pair of slacks, looking more awake than Jennie felt, and she smiled as she told Jennie to head downstairs while she fetched her gifts. Feeling the childlike excitement stirring within at the thought of presents, Jennie made her way downstairs, seeing the yellow glow of light coming from the kitchen, along with the faint smell of fresh coffee. Walking down the dark hallway, she stepped through the open door and paused on the threshold of the kitchen, her eyebrows rising slightly in surprise.

            "Jisoo?" Jennie said, stifling a yawn as she frowned at the dark haired girl staring at the kitchen cabinets while she carefully sliced strawberries.

            Turning to look in the direction Jennie's voice had come from, Jisoo's face split into a wide smile, and she set the knife down on the chopping board, blindly reaching out for the dish towel to wipe her hands. "Happy birthday," Jisoo quietly said, taking a wary step in her direction.

            Wiping at her tired eyes, Jennie walked towards her, her slippers dragging on the wooden floor, and she gave her a quick kiss, "thank you. What're you doing here so early?"

            "Minzy's helping me make you pancakes," Jisoo said, her hands feeling their way up to Jennie's shoulders and turning her around, "now, sit. I'll get some coffee for you."

            Blinking in surprise at the orders, she let Jisoo nudge her in the direction of the table and quickly sank down onto a chair, craning her neck around to watch Jisoo tentatively trail her hands across the kitchen cabinets, opening them until she found the one with the mugs in them. Jennie smiled as she watched her, knowing that Jisoo would find more satisfaction in being able to find her way around the kitchen by herself than have Jennie call directions out to her from across the room, and a few minutes later a cup of coffee with two sugars and a generous dose of milk was being set down to her left. She thanked Jisoo and pulled it closer, holding the mug between her cold hands as she listened to Minzy's footsteps on the stairs as she came back down.

            A few presents wrapped in colourful paper were deposited onto the table in front of her and Jennie smiled up at her mom as she reached out for one of them. One by one she tore open the gift wrap, her eyes lighting up as she took in the present that was unveiled and thanked Minzy, who had taken up position in front of the stove and was quickly cooking pancakes, filling the kitchen with the enticing smell of them. By the time she was finished unwrapping them, she has a stack of books, some new clothes and a few gift cards for her favourite shops, and there was a steaming stack of golden pancakes being set down in front of her by Minzy. Jennie half-rose from her seat to give her another hug and a kiss on the cheek, thanking her for the gifts, before she sat back down and watched Minzy gently guide Jisoo in the right direction of the nearest chair. She was carrying a bowl of chopped strawberries and banana and carefully set it down on the table, before lowering herself down onto the chair Minzy had led her to.