IS IT TIME FOR ME TO GIVE UP?

33

THIRD PERSON'S POV

"Are you sure this is all, again?" Lisa asked, her eyebrows furrowing in suspicion as her secretary handed her just a few folders. The sight was almost unnerving; she was used to seeing piles of paperwork whenever she stepped into her office. Lately, however, the workload seemed to have inexplicably diminished, leaving her with tasks she could complete within minutes.

"Yes, Ma'am," her secretary replied, nodding her head with a serene expression. Lisa opened the folders one by one, ready to sign them, when her secretary interrupted her thoughts.

"You've got to take this, Ma'am." The secretary’s voice drew Lisa’s attention to a paper bag in her hand. Lisa's initial reaction was suspicion. Why was her secretary bringing her food? For a fleeting moment, Lisa wondered if this was a flirtatious gesture, but then she remembered her secretary had a boyfriend. She had even asked about the food once, only to be told it was simply an act of sharing.

"I made Bibimbap and included a bottle of choco drink for you, Ma'am." The aroma wafting from the bag made Lisa's stomach growl audibly, causing her to close her eyes in pleasure. Her secretary giggled at the sound, prompting Lisa to open her eyes again.

"I'll get back to work, Ma'am. Enjoy your meal!" With that, her secretary exited the room, leaving Lisa alone to enjoy her lunch.

As she ate, Lisa occasionally paused, feeling a peculiar sensation of being watched. Her eyes scanned the room, eventually settling on the door, where she noticed someone peeking in. Despite her curiosity, the fullness from her meal kept her anchored to her seat.

The door creaked open, revealing Jisoo, whose presence made Lisa smile. With her workload mysteriously lightened, Lisa welcomed the chance to chat.

"Unnie," Jisoo greeted as she walked in, her eyes falling on the empty lunch box. Lisa watched her, noting the contemplative look on Jisoo's face.

"You okay, Unnie?" Lisa asked, concerned. Jisoo smiled and sat across from her.

"I got bored, so I came here," Jisoo explained.

"So, I am your source of entertainment?" Lisa joked, trying to dispel any awkwardness.

"Kinda," Jisoo replied, her gaze intently fixed on Lisa. Lately, maintaining eye contact with Jisoo had become a challenge for Lisa. Suddenly, Jisoo's phone rang, displaying Irene's name on the screen.

"Irene..." Jisoo said, answering the call. Lisa watched as Jisoo spoke, nodding occasionally. "I'll tell her," Jisoo concluded before ending the call.

"Irene has your phone. She wants to know if you’d like her to bring it here or if you'll go to her shop to get it."

"I'll go get it. I was planning on getting a coffee anyway," Lisa replied. "Want to come?"

Jisoo declined, citing laziness and preferring to stay in the office. Lisa grabbed her blazer, said her goodbyes, and promised to return soon, but Jisoo was already engrossed in her Nintendo.

As Lisa walked past Jennie's office, she felt a pang of worry. Jennie was buried in paperwork, her laptop surrounded by stacks of documents. Why was Jennie swamped with work when mine’s load had lightened? Lisa’s thoughts were interrupted when she saw Jennie stretching and yawning before diving back into her tasks.

"Ms. Lisa?" The sudden appearance of her secretary startled her.

"Uh, w-what are you doing here?" Lisa asked, trying to compose herself.

"I'm just giving this to Ms. Jennie." As her secretary spoke, Jennie opened her door. Lisa kept her back to Jennie, facing her secretary.

"L-Lisa..." Jennie's voice sounded nervous, adding to Lisa's confusion.

"I'll go now," Lisa said, addressing her secretary and ignoring Jennie. Her mind swirled with questions as she made her way to retrieve her phone, the mystery of the workload imbalance lingering in her thoughts.

After a few moments, Lisa arrived at Irene's coffee shop. She noticed Irene was busy assisting a customer, so she chose not to interrupt and instead waited patiently in the corner. Once Irene finished helping the last customer in line, her gaze wandered and saw Lisa. With a warm smile, Irene waved and removed her apron, instructing her staff to man the counter.

"How long have you been sitting here?" Irene asked as she approached Lisa.

"I just got here... maybe 15 minutes ago?" Lisa replied, chuckling.

"Ya! Why didn't you call me?" Irene huffed, her concern evident.

"You were busy. It's fine. I don't mind waiting" Lisa's tight-lipped smile made Irene giggle.

"Silly! I'll get us some food. Stay here," Irene said, heading towards the counter before Lisa could protest.

It wasn't long before Irene returned with a tray of pastries and drinks.

"Here," she said, placing a slice of cake and a hot chocolate in front of Lisa.

"Oh," was all Lisa managed to say. She was still full from her earlier meal but didn't want to be rude, so she nibbled at the cake.

As Lisa and Irene engaged in light conversation, they remained blissfully unaware that someone was watching them from a distance.

"Here's your order," a waiter said, only to be quickly shushed as his tray was taken from his hands.

"Thanks," the watcher muttered, eyes locked on Lisa and Irene until someone blocked her view.

"Psst, miss!" she whispered irritably, trying to get the person’s attention, but the person didn't seem to hear her or ignoring her.

"Miss! Move!" she hissed, her tone and volume just enough to avoid drawing attention. "The hell, are you deaf or what?" she added, annoyed.

"You're done!" she finally exclaimed when the woman didn't budge. "BITCH!"

The outburst was louder than intended, causing everyone to turn and look, including Irene and Lisa. Quickly, the watcher ducked her head, hiding her face under a hoodie and cap.

A few seconds later, the person blocking her view sat beside her with an aggressive thud, their hips colliding.

"Ouch!" they both complained. "What the hell!" massaging her hip while the person next to her spoke "Why did call me bitch!?" she turned her head and they saw each other's faces.

"Jennie? / Seulgi?" they gasped in unison.

"What are you doing here?" they asked simultaneously.

"I was craving coffee and" Jennie made up excuses, though Seulgi's skeptical look showed she didn't believe her. "Why? What about you? What's with... the clothes?"

"Why do you care?" Seulgi shot back, raising an eyebrow. "I didn’t ask why you're wearing a face mask and sunglasses."

"You know what—" Seulgi began but stopped mid-sentence as Irene and Lisa walked toward their table. Without thinking, Seulgi pushed Jennie's head under the table and quickly followed her under.

Lisa and Irene, assuming the pair were just searching for something they’d dropped, didn’t see their faces. They continued their conversation and left the shop, much to Seulgi and Jennie's relief.

"They're gone," Jennie said, peeking out and watching Lisa and Irene leave.

"Yes," Seulgi confirmed, their eyes following the same path. When they turned to face each other, realization struck.

"The hell are you still here?" Seulgi whispered harshly.

"What?! You dragged me down here, and now you're asking me that?" Jennie defended herself.

They both scoffed, standing up to find all eyes in the shop on them. With embarrassed expressions, they straightened their clothes, composed themselves and walked out, acting as if they didn’t know each other and nothing had happened.