the rebound

nine

It was Christmas day, and Jennie lay awake in her bed once again after a long night of no sleep. Just overthinking.

The little incident with Taehyung had happened already two weeks earlier, and she hadn't seen or spoken to him since. She had spent Christmas Eve alone with her grandma in the hospital, quietly watching over her. Neither of them had said much. They just held hands silently, wrapping blankets tightly around each other as the night got colder.

Jennie rubbed her eyes and sat up in her chair, stretching from her uncomfortable position. Her grandma was breathing slowly, barely awake.

"Grandma," Jennie took her hand gently. "I got you something for Christmas, would you like to see?"

The woman barely moved, but Jennie took the small box out of her pocket anyways. She opened it so she could see what was inside- a gleaming jade pendant.

"I found it in Grandpa's old room. Remember Grandpa?" Jennie felt her eyes heat up, brimming with tears. "I think he meant for you to have it. He loved you very much, remember?"

Without expecting an answer, she carefully hung the pendant on her grandma's neck, securing it with a small clasp. 

Her grandparents had originally been tied into forced marriages with other spouses, purely for the financial benefit of their wealthy families. But he and her grandma had loved each other dearly since they were children. At some point they made plans to give up everything to be with each other. They did so and became entangled in a secret relationship, but waited to find a way to break away from their marriages.

So when her grandma gave birth to a beautiful baby daughter- Jennie's mother- everyone assumed it was her legal husband's child. Seeing this, Jennie's grandfather had expected her to agree that it was time to end the formal marriages. However, she, feeling overwhelmed by her husband's threats to reveal the truth, gave up on their dreams, deciding to fulfill her parent's wishes and give her newborn daughter a secure future. She was the future of the company, after all.

Jennie and her mother were the only ones who knew this story and treated the man as their rightful relative. And although the truth of her mother's birth never came out to the rest of the family, Jennie's grandpa never gave up on her grandmother. He loved her silently until his death, knowing that she regretted her decision herself.

Knowing her grandmother's pain, Jennie felt sad as she gave her the necklace.

After a few minutes of silence, Jennie spoke up.

"Grandma, remember Taehyung? My little friend from kindergarten."

Jennie smiled at the woman and continued.

"I found him here recently. We became friends once again, he remembered me! But he's a little sad right now. You see, his girlfriend broke up with him."

Jennie cleared her throat, feeling a little silly as she talked to her unresponsive grandmother.

"She confronted him a few weeks ago. He's really hurt. All of a sudden, when she left, he told me he loved me. Do you believe that?" Jennie snorted. "I know he doesn't mean it, but he's not trying to hurt me either. He's just confused."

"What should I do, grandma? I care for him and want to be there for him. But I'll just end up hurt. Plus, that girlfriend of his hates me." Jennie sighed and stared at her hands on her lap.

She was startled when she felt her grandma clutch her hand a few moments later. With wide eyes, Jennie stayed silent as her grandma led her hand to her heart and pressed it against the necklace she had just placed there.

"Don't be like me," her grandmother uttered. "Promise me."

Jennie cried softly, knowing her meaning. 

"Grandma..."

"Promise.."

She took a deep breath.

"I won't let go. I promise."

"Thank you." Her grandma loosened her grip on her hand. "Jennie, thank you."

That day, Jennie didn't leave her side, not even to tell the nurses that she had already passed. She waited until the following day, and later attended the burial, silent and graceful. 

She knew her grandmother's meaning.

If you love someone, fight for it.

...

someone tell me why i listened to alcohol-free on repeat while writing an angsty scene like this.