Jennie has never grown more awkward in life before, until she knew she was to have lunch with the Manobans the day after tomorrow, that is.

“L-Lunch?” Jennie dares repeat to make sure her ears are not playing with her, “W-With your parents?”

“Y-Yes?” She sees Lisa’s eyebrows mirror the knitting of hers, “I-I mean, yes,” Lisa repeats more firmly now, “Dad told me they want to meet us and ask you to have lunch with us.”

“O-Oh,” Jennie suddenly feels like sweating, why is she suddenly nervous? “Did they mention why they’re coming here?”

“They’ll just visit us, he said.” Lisa shrugs, and Jennie knows Lisa’s suddenly nervous as well.

“Oh,” Jennie continues to feel the panic rising inside her.

Is this what Lisa felt when she forced Lisa to come and meet her parents back in Anyang?

“I’m,” Jennie chuckles tensely, “I’m e-excited!”

It wouldn’t be the first time Jennie would meet Lisa’s parents. They already met a few times, considering that Lisa’s parents would need to give their daughter up to the Kims for God knows how long.

So why, when Jennie had already met them, was she suddenly nervous now?

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

They send Sehun off the next morning.

Jennie’s smile, she knows that she can’t hide, already swathed on her face as she remembers what happened last night.

I’m so sorry, Sehun. She thinks, but she can’t help that her smile keeps on getting wider and wider with each memory.

“I’m going, Jendeuk.” Sehun stops in front of her, with a light tug on a corner of his lip,

“Take care.”

“You, too.” Jennie rubs his arms, maybe for comfort, or apology? Jennie doesn’t know.

She sees Sehun sighs loudly before hugging her tight, “You’re so lucky, Jendeuk!”

Jennie burrows her eyebrows together from shock and confusion, “What the hell, Sehun?”

Though she feels Sehun hug her a little bit more before pulling away and saying, “You lucky ass!” He says as he ruffles her hair messily, but he does it with a smile and Jennie knows he’s only poking fun at her.

“Sehun, you jerk!” Jennie dodges as she steals a punch at his arm, “What are you talking about?”

She hears Sehun sigh once more before he quietly says, “You get to be with her everyday.”

It would be a lie if Jennie says she did not feel the littlest of warmth consume her inside, it would be a lie if Jennie says she did not feel the lightest of reds colouring her cheeks.

She discreetly looks at Lisa who was, thankfully, a bit farther than them. Jennie would like to think Lisa’s trying to give her and Sehun some time to say their goodbyes properly.

How thoughtful.

“It’s… It’s no big deal, Sehun.” Jennie shyly looks down, just when did the floor start becoming more fascinating? “And I’m… sorry,” She shrugs, she doesn’t know where she’s going with this, “For what happened… to you and…” Jennie finishes with a slight tilt of her head to Lisa’s direction.

She hears Sehun snicker and so she looks up, only to find a grinning Sehun, “What’s so funny?” She frowns.

“Oh, Jendeuk!” He loops an arm around Jennie’s shoulder, securing her in a mini-headlock, “If I know any better, you don’t mean what you said,” His grin still on his face as he continues, “And I’m a hundred percent sure you’re probably laughing at me inside that head of yours.”

“Wha-?” Jennie pushes him off, but to no avail. Then a smile on her own starts to creep off her face, “You really are my cousin.”

They continue to laugh at each other until Sehun’s the one to start speaking seriously again, “Take care of her, okay, Jennie?”

And Jennie could only look at him as she reassures him with a smile,

“Of course.”

But she does slap his arm – hard – one last time when he kisses Lisa’s cheek goodbye.

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

“Back to normal.” Jennie stretches as she enters the house again.

But nothing is ever normal anymore because then she remembers that she’ll meet Lisa’s parents tomorrow, and will be eating with them on top of all that.

So with that thought, she rushes to Lisa and says, “What will I do tomorrow?!”

She only sees bewilderment in the blonde’s eyes as Lisa asks, “What do you mean?”

“Your parents!” Jennie exclaims, “What should I say to your parents? How should I act? Should I look extra presentable? Should I give them something? How do I greet them? How do I address them?”

A lot of questions pour down Jennie’s mouth and is only stopped when Lisa says,

“Calm down, Jennie! There’s no need to panic.” Though Lisa can’t mask the giggle already making out of her throat, “They’re just my parents.”

“Exactly why I should panic!” Jennie widens her eyes, as she states the obvious with gritted teeth, “They’re your parents.”

Jennie knows Lisa will argue with her but she suddenly sees Lisa’s mind wheels working as Lisa simply nods,

“I understand.” Lisa continues to nod, “I know how it feels.”

“With my parents?” Jennie softly laughs.

And she sees Lisa suddenly stiffening and…blushing?

The taller girl timidly nods as she says,

“… Yes.”

Jennie couldn’t help but keep her smile on her face as she admits in defeat, but with joy in her heart because Lisa felt the same,

Jennie says with a smile, as Lisa smiles with her,

“I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

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

“My parents are not that scary,” Lisa starts to orient Jennie, “Well, not as scary as yours?”

“Hey,” Jennie punches Lisa’s arm, “You’re talking about my parents.”

But Lisa only snickers, “Sorry.”

“Ah, Lisa,” Jennie plops to the couch, throwing her head back to meet the head rest, admitting something she’s not used to saying, “… I’m nervous.”

Jennie closes her eyes but is quick to open them back up when she feels a hand on her forehead, and with a calming yet amused voice saying to her,

“Are you sick?”

Jennie turns to Lisa, a playful smile already on the latter’s lips.

And Jennie admits she missed these.

These normal, simple things that – irrationally, unreasonably, crazily – makes her heart beat faster and the butterflies in her stomach flutter, and she has no idea why.

When Lisa asks her ordinary things, or when Lisa slightly touches her, or when Lisa simply stares at her.

Jennie admits she missed these.

That she missed Lisa.

So she only smiles back, not in any way meaning what she says next, but meaning the opposite of it,

“Shut up, Manoban.”

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

Jennie was not able to sleep that night, worried on what to do or how she’ll fare tomorrow.

And Jennie’s not one to be nervous, or anxious, or in any way worked out about something. But then she remembers it’s Lisa’s parents she’ll be meeting.

And meeting people’s parents are never a problem to Jennie, because she knows what to say, she knows what responses they wanted to hear, what they wanted to see from her – a proper lady, or a refined woman that is good for their sons or daughters – as a colleague, or as a friend, or as a lover.

And Jennie knows what strings to pull on these kinds of meetings, because she’s raised like that. Because she’s taught like that.

Manners, table etiquette, proper decorum, politeness, demureness, good behaviour, elegance.

All those things, Jennie knows, or at least fond of.

Though even if she’s fully equipped with knowledge on how and when to actually use them – these conducts – why does she still feel jittery and jumpy all over when it comes to Lisa’s parents?

When it should be Lisa actually feeling all these because it’s Jennie’s family who the Manobans are indebted to? And it’s Jennie who’ll be meeting them?

Jennie decides to push the thoughts away, forcing her brain to stop functioning for a while to stop herself from stressing on trivial things too much.

And her brain does stop functioning because she hears Lisa knock on her door.

“Come in.” She says, she’s too tired to still tease Lisa.

“Hey, Jennie.” Lisa peeks.

“What is it?” Jennie sits properly, head tilting to see the other girl.

“May I ask you something?”

Jennie shrugs, “As long as it’s not Math.”

She sees Lisa softly laugh, and so she laughs as well.

But when their small laughter subsides, Lisa hesitantly asks, “Is it okay if I dye my hair back to black?”

Jennie momentarily scrunches her forehead, and it continues to crease because then Lisa mindlessly adds,

“Chaeyoung’s been telling me for weeks now and I only figured it now that she’s probably right and it would be… less weird if I meet my parents without… well, this bright hair.”

Just the mere mention of the name ‘Chaeyoung’ and all the rest of what Lisa said were not able to reach Jennie’s ears anymore.

Jennie blacks out just by that name.

She may have gotten rid of her pesky cousin, but this girl – this Chaeyoung – is hard to cut off.

“No.” Jennie sternly says, demanding and cold, “Keep that hair colour.”

And Jennie knows Lisa knows too well that Jennie doesn’t like repeating herself, and so she sees the blonde, who she knows is slightly shaken, slowly nodding and meekly saying, “… Okay.”

Jennie doesn’t mean to sound like the bitch that she is, but she can’t help it.

“Sorry for disturbing you,” Lisa throws her a small, uneasy smile, “… Good night, Jennie.”

Jennie only stares away until she hears the door closes and she goes back under the comfort of her bed,

With more thoughts to try and shut off.

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

“You’re up so early.”

Jennie looks at where the voice came from, with a cup of tea on her hand and a sweater too big for her and too long for her arms.

“I can’t sleep.” Jennie plays with the ear of the cup, today’s the day she’ll be eating with the Manobans.

She hears Lisa chuckle before the taller girl asks, “Are you that nervous?”

Jennie doesn’t like to argue and so she only shrugs, “… Maybe.”

“Jennie,” Lisa sits across her, “I told you, you don’t have anything to worry about.” Lisa smiles at her, “We’ll just have lunch with them.”

She looks at Lisa and contemplates that Lisa's correct,

What should Jennie be worried about?

Even worried about?

Why should she be even worried?

And she wonders, but then she sees Lisa’s smile.

Lisa’s smile – so reassuring, and so calm – that never fails to make her feel things,

And that’s enough to ease her fearful mind.