My Greatest Award (나의 제일 좋은 상)

Memories

I arrive at Training Room 4 and notice that Lisa hasn't arrived yet. I came to the YG building earlier today because Haejoon was having his training at the same time as mine, and he'd wanted to get in some extra practice before training. Probably to impress Jennie, I thought. I turn on the lights in Training Room 4 and enter. Since I have some free time before training starts, I decide to give Janet a call.

I never did confront Janet about how distant she's been for the past few months. I was about to last night but then Rosie texted me and it slipped my mind. That's not why I'm calling her now, though; I just want to have a regular conversation with her. The last time we'd had a proper conversation uninterrupted by her disappearing halfway was the day after I'd found out that I'd passed the audition. When we'd gone out to eat. It still confuses me why she hadn't gone straight into her house after I'd dropped her off. It was getting cold out; it was autumn back in Perth and winter was approaching pretty soon, so the weather was pretty dry, too. Did she even go into her house after I left?

The phone's call tone hums into my ear a couple of times as I look around the empty training room. I wonder how many people have used it before me. It doesn't have the usual slightly stale smell that I'd expect from a dance room; instead the smell of fresh lacquer on the wooden planks fills the room. How new is this building? And this room?

"Hello?" Janet's silvery voice speaks through the speaker of my phone.

"Hey, Janet," I respond. "How are you? How's everything back in Perth?"

Janet pauses for a moment. I almost call out to her to check if the line is still going through when she inhales sharply.

"Everything's fine, Y/N," she answers almost blankly before changing the subject. "How's YG?"

"It's alright. I'm gonna have another training session soon."

"With Lisa?" There's uncertainty in her tone.

"Yeah, with Lisa. Why?" I ask in return.

"It's nothing. Have fun, babe." Her tone sounds almost tired. Or annoyed. Or a mixture of the two. Something's definitely not right, as usual. I decide to gently point it out this time.

"Hey, babe? You know that you can talk to me, right? If anything's bothering you." I offer. Janet becomes silent for a moment again.

"Yeah, okay. Bye, babe." A click sounds out before I can respond.

I remove my phone from my ear and look at the screen, which display's Janet's contact name on a 'Call Ended' screen. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose slightly, the hand holding my phone dropping down to my side. I turn away from the plain wall I'd been facing to face the room once again. My heart almost stops as I realise I'm not alone. Lisa is sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room. My eyes widen as she looks at me, grinning widely.

"Lisa-ssi, I'm so sorry. I didn't-" I begin. Lisa stands up from the floor and begins to approach me, cutting me off.

"No, it's alright." She smiles at me. "And I told you, you can just call me Lisa. Who were you calling?"

"Oh, my girlfriend," I reply matter-of-factly. Just when I answer her, Lisa seems to space out, staring at the wall behind me blankly.

"Lisa? Is everything okay?" I furrow my eyebrows. Lisa seems to shake from her daze.

"Yeah, I'm okay..." she trails off, pretty unconvincingly. "Shall we start?"

"How are you gonna dance wearing that, though?" I half-tease. She's wearing a black long-sleeved top which seems to suit her really well. She also has a pair of white palazzo pants on, which look comfortable, but not for dancing. Lisa giggles slightly before pouting at me.