a year of sundays || Chaennie

March

warning: GAY

March Jongin starts to notice around Thursday that Jennie is avoiding him and it's a conversation that she can't get away from, not when he approaches her at Ingook's diner and she's out of places to run considering everyone is looking at her. Kyungsoo is working and Jennie notices him glance at her protectively when Jongin starts to crowd her, his voice growing worried at her avoidance, but she shakes her head at him. Jongin leaves in a huff when she says she doesn't want to talk. Jennie falls into a booth, sighing out in relief before she notices the familiar figure of Kyungsoo walk over.

"Are you okay?"

She gives him a brave smile but he only folds his arms across his chest patiently, "I'm...Do you ever feel like you're losing control?"

"Sometimes I worry that I could lose control," he says instead, head tilting a fraction and she watches him curiously. "My family are very...Mom is --" Kyungsoo struggles for a second longer before he gives up and sits down across from her. "They know what they want from us and we've been raised to give it without question. Jiyoung is to follow our father into business, Chaeyoung is to follow my mom into politics and I'm headed for law."

Jennie knows where he's going with this and she reaches out. "You don't want that?"

"I want to be a doctor," he whispers and looks down at the table. "Nobody really knows, only Joohyun and my sisters."

"So be a doctor," she shrugs like it's nothing.

He laughs softly and she sees exactly why Joohyun fell in love with him. "I might not agree with everything my family does to ensure this town runs smoothly, Jennie, but I'm not a traitor. I owe them."

---

Word travels fast and by Sunday she's sure everyone in the church is staring at her; the girl who exposed her love life in front of everyone, the undignified daughter of the doctor. She catches Chaeyoung's eyes. They haven't spoken much since they, awkwardly, admitted to sleeping with other people and they're still not ready to admit why it is such an issue for the two of them.

(Except Jennie does know, she does. The thoughts keep her awake at night.)

"Isn't that your friend, kid?" Changho asks, his head nodding once to Chaeyoung who seems unable to look away from her. It's Jennie who has to break contact first. She looks up at her dad, who looks so knowing and smug that she kind of wants to break down there and then and ask him what it is that she's feeling. Dads know everything, Jennie reasons, he has to know why she feels like this.

She's about to open her mouth to deny it but her mom does it for her instead. "Chaeyoung? No. Jennie barely talks to the girl, do you?" There's an edge to the words and Jennie doesn't want to risk running her thumb across it and cut herself. Instead, she shakes her head satisfying her mom.

She knows her dad looks worried, questioning, but she can't tear her eyes from her shoes.

---

She sees Chaeyoung edging around the back of the church as they all leave. She slips away from her parents unnoticed, her feet scattering the small rocks on the floor as she hurries to make her way towards the girl she has been waiting all week to see. Chaeyoung is leaning against the wall when Jennie turns the corner, her fingers flying over the screen of her phone as she replies to a message, and Jennie clears her throat to gain her attention.

"Hello," the blonde says softly and Jennie pinches the inside of her own arm to stop herself from crying in relief at her talking to her. Even if everything else is a confusing mess, they'll still have Sunday.