Chaerin's Reaction Drabble
Prompt: Chaerin confronts Jennie about a bill she receives for a broken hotel bed frame. It's awkward.
*****
Jennie resurfaced in Minzy's immaculate kitchen, whistling to herself as she opened the fridge door, appreciating the cool breeze from within. It was summer, and as much as she adored curling up like a cat, pressed against Jisoo's side as they marathoned movies, she enjoyed the slight relief from the sweltering heat.
"Jennie Rubyjane."
Jennie nearly jumped when she heard her mother's voice, questioning, and yet as cool and solid as the marble counter she was leaning against, elegant Chanel reading glasses on the bridge of her nose. Her eyebrows, shaped to perfection, were raised curiously.
Jennie could always see her resemblance stemming more from her father. However, occasionally, her mother became the spitting image of her.
Either way, Jennie was at an aesthetically pleasing advantage, to say the least.
"Mother?" Jennie blinked.
"Are you looking for Minzy to come down here and give you a good talking-to?"
"...No." Jennie leaned back, shutting the fridge door.
"Then maybe, let's not turn her kitchen into an ice skating rink by leaving the door that widely open." Chaerin clucked, and even in that, she seemed elegant.
"Sorry." Jennie muttered, turning her attention to her mother, who was standing over a black folder, simultaneously scrolling through her phone with an inquisitive gaze. "You wouldn't protect me?"
"From Minzy?" Chaerin blinked, glancing up fully at Jennie for the first time.
"Yes." Jennie clarified, reaching for a glass from the cabinet beside her.
"Oh, darling," Chaerin laughed. "I think, these days, you're in a better shape to protect me. Look at you."
At that, Jennie blushed and a small smile spread on her cheeks as she poured herself a glass of sparkling lemonade, grabbing one for Jisoo as well, who had no doubt fallen asleep in the time since she'd gotten up.
"Is that the sparkling pink lemonade?" Chaerin queried. At Jennie's nod, she smiled faintly. "Well, be a darling and pour me one."
Jennie did as she was told, feeling ever so much like the obedient little girl she used to be, longing for her mother's attention.
"Come here." Chaerin beckoned silently, and Jennie obeyed, bringing the glass and settling it on the counter before Chaerin's folder. "Let me look at you." She murmured, suddenly perfectly playing the role of a mother, tilting Jennie's chin, admiring her tall prominent cheekbones, and lush lips. She took in Jennie's eyes, her jawline, her pearly smile.
Jennie froze as Chaerin cupped her cheeks, and Jennie's body belied her expressionless stance - she leaned into her mother's touch, eager to feel what she hadn't felt in years.
"My god, you're so beautiful. My baby." Chaerin whispered, and Jennie fought incredibly hard to stave off any overwhelming displays of emotion, settling for a smile. "I can see why Jisoo is so head over heels for you."
Jennie's cheeks burned dark pink as Chaerin pulled Jennie into a hug that was instantly reciprocated, forming a tight embrace as Jennie wrapped her arms around her mother, realizing how Jisoo must have felt every day when she came home to Dara.
It was wonderful, the warmth.
"So." Chaerin broke the silence, leaning back from the embrace as she glanced at her phone. "How's Jisoo? I missed her, coming in."
