MY BODYGUARD /JENLISA

11) Avoidance

"You drive really well," said Seulgi, as the car came to a stop in front of her apartment. "Thanks for sending me home."

Jennie smiled. "You're welcome."

Seulgi smiled as she leaned in and planted a kiss on Jennie's right cheek.

"What was that for?" Jennie asked in surprise.

"For a great dinner. For being so charming."

"I didn't do anything special."

Seulgi flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder and leaned forward. "You are something special."

"Seulgi, I hope I didn't do anything to cause a misunderstanding."

"Oh, you didn't. There's no misunderstanding. But it's very easy to like you."

"I hope we can just be friends."

Seulgi leaned back, elbow resting on the cup holder ledge of the car door. "You're very quick to close the door. Why be like this when you're not seeing anyone?"

"I'm focusing on my job. And it takes up a lot of my time. It wouldn't be fair to anyone."

Seulgi chuckled. "How many girls have you dished out these lines to?"

"Just a couple. Including you."

"Look, I'm fine just being friends. If that's all you want, I'm good for it too."

Jennie nodded. "It's what I want."

"Okay, friend." Seulgi's smile was cheeky as she opened the car door. "See ya."

Jennie smiled and waved and watched as her new friend entered the apartment building before driving away. Seulgi would be a cool friend, she thought. But what about Lisa? Careful to give Lisa space to recover from her trauma independently, she had kept out of the woman's way for the past two weeks. But meeting her tonight had messed it up a little, especially when Seulgi spotted Lisa and made her go over. From the looks of things, however, Lisa had gotten over the trauma of the incident and was actively socialising with friends, so it was probably all good now.

On the information front, Hwasa had not come up with anything so far. There had been no orders for hit jobs or abduction on females of Lisa's age lately so Jennie knew Lisa was relatively safe. As she drove around town, heading back to her home for the past couple of weeks, she took in the bustle of the city at night. Her job was a highly stressful one and night drives were like alcohol swabs on the skin—cooling and relaxing.

It was just after midnight when she finally turned into the gates of Lisa's massive home. She headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water and there, pouring out water from a bottle, was Lisa. The woman looked up when she entered and for a moment, they stared at each other.

"Hey," Jennie said at last.

"You're back late."

The chiding tone made Jennie smile. "I went for a drive."

"Alone?" Lisa sounded surprised.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Jennie took the bottle from Lisa and poured herself a glass of water. "To wind down. Relax a little. So it's better to be alone."

"Isn't it easier to relax with friends?"

Putting the glass down, Jennie put the cap back on the bottle. "I prefer quiet. Just a drive and some music."

"Don't you feel lonely?"

Jennie considered Lisa for a moment. The woman was looking at her with wide eyes of sincerity. "Well, sometimes."