Treacherous

Treacherous 42

"Je ne veux pas tomber amoureuse de quelque chose qui n'est que temporaire."
—

"Oh? You're coming in already?"

That's what Lisa received as soon as she entered the office. Jisoo was sitting on her leather seat, currently reviewing some papers. Jisoo watched her cousin sit down on the visitor seat, eyes scanning her look. However, Jisoo's gaze lingered on her face.

"I was absent yesterday. Shouldn't I come today already?" Lisa answered, picking up some of the files and looking through them, wasting no time. Working will help keep her mind off of things for now.

"Well, I thought... uhm, are you okay?" Jisoo asked, worried at how stoic Lisa looked. Usually, the girl would be all smiling and would be greeting her with bright eyes. But this Lisa... looks blank. Not even a hint of emotion was there. "Why do you look so...?"

Lisa averted her attention from the files and back at her Jisoo Eonnie, who couldn't seem to finish her sentence. "I'm fine. What are you talking about Eonnie?"

"You visited your brother," Jisoo sighed. She stood up from her seat, going around the desk and sat on the seat opposite to Lisa. She didn't want Lisa to go there alone. Jungkook might be there but he's not someone Lisa could lean on. It's not like they have something to make an emotional connection. She knows Lisa won't let that happen. She should've been there for the younger for support. "It must have been hard. I should've accompanied you. But—"

"It's alright. I managed," Lisa tried to smile.

"Were you alone? I mean, Jungkook. Was he there with you?" Jisoo asked her, raising an eyebrow in question. Still, Jungkook was with Lisa in Busan.

"I didn't let him come in with me," Lisa answered.

"Hey," Jungkook said as soon as she exits the gates and was now walking towards the van. Jungkook got out of his seat to meet her halfway, stopping her in her tracks. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. She couldn't meet his eyes. She didn't dare to. Not after what she promised to herself. She has to set a wall between them.

However, what he did next totally caught her off guard.

Touching her cheek softly, Lisa's gaze went to meet his quickly, startled by the action.

"You cried," he said. Lisa stepped back in a second, not wanting to be touched. She avoided his gaze again. Jungkook didn't expect that action from her, shocked by it. His hand remained in the air for a few seconds, before he slowly brought his hand down.

Thinking that she might be upset and feeling melancholic from her visit, he let it go and tried to understand. He nodded his head. "You must be tired. Let's go home?"

"Please,"

That was the first step that Lisa did. Reject his approach. She doesn't like rejection, being rejected and being the one to reject, but it has to be done. He's someone she can't freely touch anymore nor be touched by.

"I'm alright, Eonnie. Please stop worrying. It was hard, especially since it's my first time to see where his resting place is, but I'll get through it. I'll be back to myself in no time." Lisa explained, touching her Eonnie's hand in assurance. Jisoo seemed to buy it, letting it go and nodding her head in acceptance.