A girl from high society [JENSOO]

24[Chaelisa]

*London City Hospital

Earlier in the day

The London City Hospital*, where Jisoo and Rose worked, was located on the corner two blocks from Jisoo's house — a huge seven-story building with very high narrow windows, long corridors, doctors, nurses constantly running back and forth and an incredible number of patients who made so much noise that an unprepared person could hear the hubbub rushing from the waiting room rest, could easily stun.

Lalisa Manoban, limping, passed the patients sitting on numerous benches and chairs and waiting for their turn and took the elevator to the third floor, where she immediately plunged into the calm, measured atmosphere of therapy — no one ran here, it smelled delicious antiseptic and freshness, and doctors walked slowly through the corridors, discussing operations and patients as if they had nowhere to hurry.

Lisa knew the way well — past the nurses' station and the main post into a small corridor and to the right, where there were three offices, one of which she needed. It bore the sign "CH. PAK-KIM", the door was ajar, and Jisoo, wiping her unexpectedly sweaty palms on her trousers, knocked hesitantly, shifting from one foot to the other.

-Yes.- Rose's voice came from behind the door, and the Fox, resolutely pressing the handle, entered.

Rose was sitting at the table in her usual white coat, from under which a blue medical uniform was visible, and was writing something. She looked up at the girl who entered, and for the umpteenth time Lisa saw something like embarrassment mixed with confusion on her face.

The office was square, not very big, but cozy, as it seemed to the girl. One half of it was occupied by an examination room, where there was a table, a bookcase with tools and a cabinet with medicines, and Chaeyoung was placed in the second. On the windowsill facing the street, in a huge pot, grew dieffenbachia — a lush plant with green leaves with white speckles. There was a calendar on the wall where Rose forgot to move the date. The theme of the calendar was the work of some contemporary artist that Rosie adored (Lisa found out about this when she once saw the same picture on one of the mugs in the Kims house as on the calendar and asked Rose if she had imagined it). Then Chaeng was surprised by Lisa's memory, but she did not know that the whole point was that this office, like everything in it, was special for Lisa.

Lisa met Rose through Jisoo, three or four years ago. This was due to the fact that Chaeyoung always arranged noisy parties for Halloween and Christmas and usually invited all Jisoo's friends, and so, shortly after Olivia introduced Jisoo to Lisa, the girl was honored to visit the noisy and hospitable Kims house, where she, who grew up with a sullen father and alcoholic mother in a provincial in a small town in the south of England, at first she behaved like a wild untamed animal. But the warmth of Rose, her grandfather and Jisoo herself, their sincere care and cordiality soon melted Lisa's heart, and she began to visit the Kims regularly. The little house in the East End turned into a second home for her, and Rosie... Rosie tried her best to be a sister to Jichu's friends, but Lisa never looked at her as a sister.

-Good afternoon.- Lisa said gloomily, putting her backpack on a chair. She didn't admit it to herself, but lately, in the presence of Rose, she felt especially uncomfortable, and—she could have sworn—Rose also felt something similar. She saw it in the constantly averted eyes, in their strange expression— as if Rosie was afraid to be alone with her, in fragmentary speech, whereas before they could chat like friends, and in many other things...

-Hello.- Rosie answered hoarsely, looking at Lisa with surprise.- I didn't expect you to come today.

Lili, shifting from one foot to the other, stood in front of the girl and was silent. It was painful and uncomfortable for her to stand up straight, but Rose did not invite her to sit down, and Lisa's personal code of honor did not allow her to do this without an invitation.