Lisa has never grown more awkward in life before, until she was to have dinner with the Kims, that is.

"Jendeuk-ah! Lisa! Please have a seat."

The excitement in the voice of Jennie's mom covers the accent as Lisa tries to keep up as it's still kind of hard to understand.

Lisa bows once, twice, thrice at Jennie's mom until it was Jennie who pulls Lisa's collar to stop the taller girl from bending over too much.

Lisa also sees Jennie's father already sitting by the dinner table and she immediately goes back to bowing.

"Will you stop your curtsy?" Jennie whispers, "It's making the atmosphere weird."

"Ruby Jane." Lisa hears Jennie's father calls to what Lisa believes is also Jennie's name.

"Dad!" Jennie obediently goes to him and hugs him tightly.

Even though Lisa doesn't want to admit it, she feels happy to see this kind of scenes. She somehow knows that Jennie misses her parents so much even if the latter doesn't admit it.

"How have you been?" Jennie's father asks with a smile on his face.

"I'm okay, Dad." Jennie returns the same bright smile.

"And how have you been Lisa?" He then turns to Lisa and Lisa jumps a little because of her nerves.

"I-I have been fine, Sir. Thank you for asking." Lisa bows again which made Jennie roll her eyes.

"Good, good. Take a seat, the both of you." He motions with his hands for them to sit already.

Lisa doesn't know where to place herself until it was Jennie who yanks her down to sit beside the shorter girl.

Lisa sees Jennie innocently smiles at her parents while her hand does something otherwise to Lisa.

Jennie has her grip strong on Lisa's wrist to sit the latter down already.

Lisa could only innocently smile back at Jennie's parents as well when they noticed how Lisa looks baffled at Jennie first.

"It hurts." Lisa whispered angrily at Jennie.

"Why do you act like a fool?" Jennie says in gritted teeth, her fake smile never leaving her face.

"I'm nervous!" Lisa whispers back.

"Are you two okay?" Jennie's mom inquires.

"Yes, Mom!"

"Yes, Mo-Ma'am!"

They both said at the same time.

"Alright!" Jennie's mom claps her hand once, "Let's eat!"

--------------------

"So, Ruby Jane, how is school?" Jennie's dad asks as he puts food in his mouth so elegantly Lisa wonders if she'll even be able to look as graceful while eating.

"It's fine, Dad. Just a lot of assignments and projects to do, but I manage." Jennie eats as graceful as her dad, and Lisa just loses her appetite when she realizes she can never be as refined as this family.

Jennie's father simply nods then says, "I hope you are not going home past your curfew."

Lisa almost chokes on the water she was drinking and Jennie looks at her with open eyes screaming 'Act cool'.

Lisa could only forcefully swallow the water she was currently choking on.

"O-Of course not, Dad! That's one of your rules." Jennie nervously shrugs, and Lisa can tell.

He plainly nods again then for the nth time that night, Lisa jumps a bit from shock when he calls her, "Lisa."

"Y-Yes, Sir?" Lisa gulps harder than when she swallows the water earlier.

"How is Ruby Jane?"

Lisa looks at Jennie who was already looking at her threateningly. Lisa says, "J-Jennie?"

"Yes, 'Jennie', Ruby Jane, Jendeuk-ah." He says naturally again.

"She's-OW!" Lisa stops with what she's saying because she felt sudden pain in her legs.

When she looks down, she sees Jennie pinching her.

Lisa quickly looks at Jennie who was still smiling harmlessly at her parents.

"What the hell, Jennie?!" Lisa whispers furiously again.

"Say one wrong word and you're dead." Jennie hums with her teeth still clenched together.

"Is everything alright, Lisa?" Lisa quickly looks back at Jennie's father. He might have noticed Lisa's attention was not on his question anymore.

"Y-Yes, Sir!" Lisa decides to endure the sting Jennie's nails are bringing upon one of her legs.

"You were saying?" He raises an eyebrow.

Lisa tries to smile again, "Ah! Yes! Jennie!"

She chuckled nervously, "She's, she's... fine."

"Fine?"

Lisa sees both of Jennie's parents, and Jennie herself, crease their eyebrows on how vague Lisa's answer was.

"She's... she's alright." Lisa states a synonym, "I guess?"

"How 'alright', Lisa?" The father asks, "Does she follow rules? Does she listen to you?"

"Does she listen to me?" Lisa turns to Jennie, amusement in her tone, "Now, does she?"

Lisa sees Jennie turn to her while the latter threateningly shakes her head slowly.

"You see, Mr. Kim," Lisa starts, not minding the growing number of pinches and slaps on her leg, "Jennie is a very very—"

Lisa was cut off when Jennie suddenly coughs.

Intentionally coughs, as if she was choking.

"Honey, are you alright?" Her mother, who was sitting across the daughter, immediately hands a glass of water.

Lisa only watches in dismay as Jennie acts really well.

"Lisa! Kindly give this to her." Jennie's mom gives Lisa the water, "Kindly pat her back."

Lisa did what she's told. She pats Jennie's back.

With force.

Lisa made sure it was only Jennie who notices the extra strength Lisa puts as the taller girl repeatedly hits the petite girl's back, "There, there. Take this water."

Lisa was internally laughing by how much her smacks on Jennie goes unseen.

Jennie takes the water and drinks it.

When she finished, she looks at Lisa and whispers threateningly,

"I will kill you."

---------------------

Lisa isn't that heartless to throw Jennie under the bus.

No. Not yet.

So Lisa says to Jennie's parents the things they wanted to hear about their daughter. Though Lisa drops subtle hints on how their daughter can be annoying and bitchy at times, earning her a few deadly looks by the older girl at her direction.

Lisa only smiles back at Jennie when the shorter girl throws her daggers.

"Jennie," Lisa nods, "She's... she's a good girl."

She finishes her description on how 'alright' Jennie is.

She looks at Jennie one last time and sees Jennie looking down, blushing.

Or Lisa fools herself to believe that Jennie is blushing. So she lets her blood colour her cheeks as well.

"That's good to hear." Jennie's dad seems satisfied with what he heard, "It's good that the both of you are getting along pretty well."

Lisa stops herself from choking once more.

She sees Jennie gulp down water.

And it was also Jennie who choked on it when her father adds,

"I'm actually surprised you're the guest our daughter was talking about, the one that she wanted to bring along and attend our reunion."

Lisa's little eyes widened for a split second then narrows as she squints them, "Excuse me?"

"She asked if she could bring someone with her. If she could bring you along with her here."

When Lisa hears this, she looks at Jennie smacking her own chest for air. Jennie was choking this time, for real.

"I most certainly did not," Jennie finally manages to say as she nervously says in gritted teeth and a raising of an eyebrow at her dad, "Dad."

Jennie's father only scrunches his eyebrows at his daughter, "Why of course, you did. Didn't you ask permission from your Mom if you can bring Lisa as well?"

"Yes you did, honey." Jennie's mom nods in approval.

"I did not!" Jennie defends herself as Lisa is both confused and amused at what was happening.

"I only asked you if I should bring Lisa along, not if I could bring her along!" Jennie starts to explain real fast, "You said that it's a splendid idea and I should bring her here so you can check up on the both of us."

Lisa bites her lip so a giggle would not deceive her. She mentally takes note of this embarrassed side of Jennie.

When Jennie sees this, she points at Lisa, "Don't get the wrong idea, monkey."

"I'm not even saying anything yet." Lisa simply shrugs but a smile was already betraying her.

"Well, whatever it is, it's already done." Jennie's dad wipes his mouth, "I'm just glad that Lisa was able to accompany you here. Be good to her and don't make her feel out of place. She is your guest after all."

"I did not want her as my guest." Jennie sighs the words.

"Don't fight it, Jennie." Lisa says teasingly, low enough for only Jennie to hear.

Lisa finally laughs when she felt the same pain of pinching on her legs.

Lisa will really mentally take note of this new side of Jennie.