The Tiger King (Chaelisa)

11| Chat

"So unnie," Jennie said as she stirred her coffee, "I'm guessing you wanted to...talk about something in particular?"

"What are you saying Jen?" Irene smiled innocently. They had been sitting for a while, enjoying their coffee and the warmth of the diner Jennie and Lisa frequented, since it was the closest establishment to the gym.

"Yeah, it's not like we're here to interrogate you or something," Somi added quickly with a high-pitched giggle. "I mean isn't it nice to just hang out, have coffee? Fun times."

She slipped the straw of her drink into her mouth, dragging up the liquid. "See? Fun."

Irene nudged Somi in the ribs, making the girl snort into her iced coffee.

"Don't push it," Irene hissed, teeth gritted, with a smile still pasted on her face.

"Sorry," Somi choked back.

Jennie's lips quirked up at the corners. "I don't know unnie... but it's just I was wondering why you'd rather have expensive, shop coffee when you already brought your own thermos."

"Thermos? What are you talking about?" Irene gave a nervous laugh.

"Drop it grandma, she knows," Somi said gloomily, slumping in her seat. Irene sighed when she spotted Jennie's smile widen.

"Fine. Fine. You caught us. I just wanted to steal you away for a second because....well Somi and I have been...concerned?"

Jennie's eyes immediately shuttered, blocking all light from entering and her face hardened. "We're doing okay, unnie. Lisa's just...Lisa's just going through a slump and it's...affecting us. That's all."

Irene laid out a hand on Jennie's clenched fist.

"Jen, I'm not pitying you," she said softly, "I'm not. But as a friend, shouldn't I ask when I feel concerned about your well being?"

Jennie's shutters cracked open, light returning to her eyes. But she was still gazing at them with an expression akin to suspicion.

"Unnie?" Somi said timidly. She took a deep breath. "I told Irene to ask. I...I hate seeing you and Lisa...clash so much...I mean, I'm used to it, but recently....you've been going so hard on her...I hope she's okay, and you too."

Jennie's bottom lip trembled. "I...I..."

She put her head down on the table, schooling herself not to break down.

She couldn't cry, not in front of them. 

She couldn't tell them just how worried she was for Lisa yet at the same time how much they depended on Lisa winning.

"I'm tired," Jennie whispered, "I'm so tired..."

A gentle hand stroked her head and she instantly recognised it as Irene's—there were only few times when Jennie allowed herself to be comforted by the older woman, the emotional pillar that propped her up. 

Such moments could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

The last time Jennie remembered being this vulnerable was when she and Lisa had suddenly ended up alone and she couldn't keep up to pay those damn bills. 

For days, she had walked around like one of the dead. The fear of being thrown out on the streets hung around her neck like a rock, and she was drowning in dread. 

 Matthew and Irene had quietly stepped in and paid off their debts, staving off the sisters' doom until they had found their footing after the funeral.

"I know you won't accept money," Jennie heard Irene say softly, "but is there possibly anything that we could do to help?"

"Yeah, anything," Somi echoed.