Last Try

*20*

"Her birthday?" Jisoo repeated in case she misheard. "Tomorrow? You forgot?"

Jennie nodded ashamed. She has never forgotten her birthday before. How could this happen?

"Oh." Jisoo uttered, not at all anticipating that.

"I know, I suck." Jennie sighed defeated.

"No you don't." The other shook her head. "I mean you remembered, that counts for something, doesn't it?"

Jennie stared blankly at her.

"Yeah, forget it. So what will you do tomorrow? Throw a party?"

The lawyer thought about it. She would have to put all her ongoing cases on halt and has to work even harder afterwards but Jisoo is right. She ought to celebrate it with her daughter.

"I don't know... I didn't invite her friends and I highly doubt telling them one day prior to the party to show up would be enough time for everyone to attend..." Jennie sighed.

"Don't be distressed." Jisoo said. "If no one's coming you just need to take her somewhere. Like an amusement park."

That was no bad idea.

"She said she wanted to go to Lotte World."

"Perfect!" Jisoo clapped. "There you go. Now you have a plan for her sixth birthday."

"But I don't know anything about that place. I won't be able to make her enjoy it to the best of her ability." The brunette argued.

"You don't need to. You can explore it together. When I was ten my family and I went there for the weekend. We stayed at a hotel for the night and spent the day going on all sorts of rides--"

"You need to come with us." Jennie suddenly insisted eagerly.

"Why--" She was baffled at the urgency of her tone.

"I can't go on those with her because of my motion sickness."

"I can't either. I'm scared of heights... My brother forced me to ride them." Jisoo admitted.

Jennie pouted.

"No, no, no." Jisoo shook her head. "I can't. I won't."

The dumpling added puppy eyes to the pout.

Jisoo looked quietly at her.

She was crumbling. She blames those soft eyes and puffy cheeks.

It's not her fault. If you were in her shoes you wouldn't say no to Jennie Kim either.

"Fine!" She gave in. "But if I'm doing it, you will too."

"Then what's the point?" Jennie smiled.

"If one of us collapses the other must carry them."

"But I'm weak! And so are you!" The younger claimed.

"You'll manage." She encouraged her curtly.

...

"Your chauffeur is late." Yeji thought loudly.

Jisu nodded. "Stuck in traffic maybe. You know, you can go to your mom's already, you don't need to wait for me to get picked up."

"It's okay, I like the breeze anyway." The other shrugged, sitting on the pavement while lightly swaying her small feet around. "What if he doesn't come?" Yeji leaned her head against the red fabric of Jisu's clothed shoulder.

"Then I will ask Mr. Lee to let me call my mother." Jisu said nonchalantly. She wasn't the kind of kid who panics when they are lost or abandoned.

"What if she doesn't pick up? What if we have to stay until night and get hungry?" She scrunched up her nose.