“Goodbye, Lisa dear.” Jennie’s mom hugs her just as tight, “I wish you could have stayed longer.”

“I wish so, too, Mom.” Lisa smiles.

“You take care of Jennie and yourself in Seoul, okay?”

“Yes, Mom. Thank you so much, and take care, as well.”

Jennie’s mother pulls her into another hug before finally letting her go.

“Lisa,” It was Jennie’s father who’s next to bid farewell, “I entrust Ruby Jane to you. She’s a handful. Hang in there, okay?”

Lisa’s smile grows bigger, “Yes, Sir. I’ll do what I can.”

“And you,” He turns to Jennie, “Don’t be such a brat to Lisa. Have mercy on the poor girl.”

“Tell her that, Dad.” Jennie hugs her father, “I’ll miss you.”

He hugs back, “I’ll miss you too, Princess.”

Lisa doesn’t say it out loud, but she feels warm inside seeing Jennie as vulnerable as a child again when she’s with her parents.

“Goodbye, Mom.” Jennie turns to her mom.

“Oh, Jendeuk-ah.” Jennie’s mother kisses Jennie’s cheek, “Take care, okay? Always eat on time, okay? Study hard, and go home early, okay?”

Jennie only laughs when her mom seems almost to cry, “I will, Mom.”

Then it was Lisa who was almost about to cry when Jennie suddenly looks at her and says, “Lisa’s there to remind me.”

Lisa quickly looks away as she clenches her hands.

“Oh, Jendeuk-ah. Just take care of yourself, honey.” Jennie’s mom kisses her cheek once more, “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”

They hug one last time before Jennie decides to enter the car waiting for them.

Lisa and Jennie continue to wave goodbye to the parents they had for the whole week.

And somehow, it breaks Lisa’s heart to part with them.

Like it was her own family as well. Like they are her family as well.

She hears Jennie sigh the moment the figures of the latter’s parents disappear from view.

Another silence engulfs their surroundings.

Deafening, eerie, silence covers their vicinity.

Not one breaking it.

Lisa sighs as well when she realizes that, ironically, they had grown more apart than before when they had basically spent more time together.

What in all hell is this?

Lisa’s tired.

So she decides to sleep it off,

If she’s able to sleep it off.

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

It doesn’t bother Lisa as much when Jennie doesn’t talk to her, or try to talk to her,

But it does bother Lisa now when she can see from the corner of her eye when Jennie types something on her phone.

Lisa has only noticed it now. It has always been what Jennie does: talk to people, message people, call people.

So why does it bother Lisa now?

Now that she’s fallen in love, of course it will bother her.

It bothers Lisa more when Jennie snickers a bit as the brunette reads through a – what Lisa supposed to is – a message.

Lisa chews on her lips as she can’t help but think of the guy who has Jennie’s attention, who has Jennie.

No, Lisa can’t sleep this off.

Even if she tries hard enough.

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

Not a word was spoken all throughout their 4-hour trip back to Seoul. Even when they already reached their house back in Seoul.

How Lisa managed? She doesn’t know, either.

All she knows now is that she wants to go to her room, sleep, and forget all about that had happened.

She will erase all memories of what they evenhad the past week. She will extinguish all flames of emotions she has for Jennie.

All of it just to save her.

But she guesses Jennie thinks otherwise because then Lisa’s heart starts constricting when she hears Jennie says,

“Lisa,”

The first word Jennie mutters all this time.

“Y-Yes?” Lisa’s voice is hoarse from rust of not being use.

And Lisa’s heart drops when she hears the reason why Jennie called her,

“Get my things.”

Right.

Lisa’s the servant.

“… Okay.” Lisa weakly obliges.

Right.

Lisa’s the servant.

Nothing more.

Nothing more.

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

The truth is rubbed to Lisa’s face more when they reached the school.

Jennie didn’t even have the heart to look at Lisa one last time before fully walking away to the classroom.

Making it clearer than water that Jennie doesn’t want Lisa anywhere near her.

Like how it has always been.

Lisa scoffs and sighs in pain and in discomfort,

Carrying her broken heart with her.

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

Her heart breaks even more when she finally sees the guy Jennie’s parents were talking about that day.

The handsome, smart exchange student.

Kai.

That one boy everyone talked about would be perfect for Jennie.

That one guy everyone said had the best shot with Jennie.

That one man everyone believed and knew was the one for Jennie.

No wonder Lisa hasn’t seen him all this time around Jennie.

Lisa feels her heart break even more when she realizes how much of a fool she has been all this time she let herself fall head over heels with someone who already has someone else.

Who was already someone else’s.

Lisa is not able to focus anymore after that.

Her mind floats to the rim of despair and hopelessness when she comprehends the situation she has gotten herself into.

The pit she has fallen trap into.

She wants to vomit.

She wants to vomit all these feelings out, at once.

As soon as possible.

As soon as she can.

Because it gets harder and harder to look at Jennie. It gets harder and harder to see Jennie.

To see Jennie so happy with someone else.

To see Jennie so content even without Lisa.

How much of a fool Lisa was. To have even pictured herself with Jennie. To have even imagined life with Jennie.

How bad of a fool Lisa is.

When you see yourself falling harder back when they had no trouble moving forward.

How stupid would you feel?

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

It doesn’t get any better when Lisa keeps on hearing the same phrase from Jennie every day,

“I won’t be going home with you.”

It bites on her more because she knows the reason why.

To spend time with Kai, of course.

When Lisa sees them pass by the hallway, or the canteen, or the students’ park.

How mocking.

It mocks her more – it tortures her more – when Jennie smiles, and laughs, and giggles whenever Jennie’s with him.

When Lisa has come to detest Jennie for the latter’s like of skinship when Jennie latches herself onto him. Making it clearer than anything that Lisa is no different back in Anyang.

It torments Lisa more when she sees Jennie as bubbly and as playful when Jennie has never shown that side of her to Lisa anymore.

It kills Lisa everyday to just see Jennie the very first thing in the morning and the very last thing at night.

So it murders Lisa every single damn day when she has to repeatedly hear that damned phrase from Jennie,

And Lisa can’t say anything back but the same word in the same sullen tone,

“… Okay.”

Who was she to stop Jennie?

Who was she to pry on Jennie’s life?

Besides, it was already set clear for her.

The boundaries Jennie set are enough proof that Jennie doesn’t need her as much as Lisa wants Jennie.

It was already obvious from the very beginning, rubbed swat to her face,

Jennie was never her business.