Ghana - JENSOO - english version

Chapter 30

Lisa

"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I shout excitedly as I reach the table at the restaurant to have breakfast with Jisoo, but she seems so lost in her thoughts that she only lets out a heavy sigh when she looks at me. "What happened?"

"Nothing, why?" she forces a smile. My best friend may be a great actress, but I know when she's pretending.

"You look like you've been to a funeral." I frown and sit down across from her.

"I've already ordered for us; it should be here soon." Jisoo sighs again.

"You're acting weird, Jichu." I rest my arms on the table.

"Jennie said she was going to do a few things with Rosé, right?" I just nod as the waiter appears with two trays filled with a variety of food.

"How many people did you order food for?" I watch him place the plates and bowls in front of us.

"I don't know, I thought it would be nice to have different things since I didn't know what you'd want." She shrugs.

"Free food should never be turned down." I rub my hands together and clap a few times, making the waiter chuckle, and for the first time, Jisoo gives a half-smile that is truly sincere. "Rosé would love all of this."

"Jennie is going to Paris for six months." Jisoo says simply after taking a sip of her iced coffee, just as the waiter walks away. I nearly drop my piece of toast when I hear her.

"What do you mean?" I frown, trying to understand what Jisoo is trying to say.

"Exactly what you heard." Her tone is so sad that it makes the pieces click into place in my mind.

"Jennie is leaving for six months?" I say, still shocked by this information, and my best friend gives that sad smile she usually reserves only for issues related to her parents. "Why?"

"Chanel offered her an internship opportunity there, and she couldn't say no." From the tense line of Jisoo's jaw, it's clear she's irritated.

"And that irritated you?"

"Not that, the fact that she decided without talking to me first is what bothered me." She takes a deep breath. "I'll always support Jennie going after her dreams and not giving up on them, but she and I are dating; she can't just make decisions on her own. Why couldn't she have talked to me before giving an answer? Just so I'd feel like I'm an important part of her life."

"How did her decision make you feel?" I bite into my toast with jelly and watch as Jisoo's expression becomes annoyed.

"I felt like I'm just something temporary, and that I'm not in her future plans." She shakes her head as if debating with herself. "What's the point of being with someone if it's not to discuss and decide our future together?"

"So, are you two going to break up?" I immediately regret my words when my best friend gives me her irritated look.

"I don't know; like I said, Jennie decided everything on her own, so I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know anything, Lili." She runs a hand over her face.

"So it's going to be a long-distance relationship," I say after a few moments. I never imagined I'd see them in such a complicated situation.

"Yeah, maybe, but I don't know how long we'll keep it up." Jisoo lets out another sigh. "Six months is a long time, and the way Jennie is good at what she does, I wouldn't be surprised if Chanel makes her an offer to stay there permanently."

"If that happens, what do you plan to do? Will you move to Paris?" Jisoo starts coughing when she hears me.

"Why should I have to change my whole life? Do you think that's fair? Should I be the only one making concessions and changes? I've already faced my parents to be with her, and now I have to move to another country?" She spits out the words angrily. Apparently, she's been processing this anger for a few days, and it's starting to erupt.

"Seeing it from that angle, it does seem unfair," I say simply. When Jisoo is angry, it's best not to confront her; it's necessary to let her calm down on her own.

"Jennie is leaving in two weeks."

"So soon?" Every time I think it can't get worse, Jisoo proves that the situation is even more complicated.

"Yes, and that's when I'll look for an internship or a real acting job. That musical was good, but I need something to occupy me." I shake my head, seeing her so determined. Jisoo in this state is something hard to handle.

"So you won't think about Jennie?"

"That too, but if Jennie can decide what to do with her future without even talking to me, then I can also decide what to do with mine without talking to her." She crosses her arms, looking like a sulky child.

As I'm trying to think of something to say, her phone starts ringing, and the screen shows it's Haein. She lets out a frustrated groan but answers the call anyway, getting up to talk to him.

I try to imagine what I would do if I were in the same situation as my best friend, but I can't reach any conclusions. I think I'd be so lost that I'd just cry and cling to Rosie as much as I could, maybe even hide in her suitcase so she'd take me along.

The hardest part is that I understand both sides. Jisoo is upset that Jennie didn't talk to her, and Jennie made such a big decision out of excitement, forgetting to talk to Jisoo before giving her answer.

It's not like my friend can hop on a flight anytime to Paris to ease her longing for Jennie. Money isn't the issue for her, but Jisoo has her life and things to take care of.

"LILI!" Her shout startles me, and I nearly spill my coffee with milk. Unlike a few minutes ago, she now has that confident look on her face.

"What happened???" I frown, not understanding this sudden change in attitude.

"Haein told me he's going to be part of a TV production called 'Snowdrop,' and there's an open role for the lead. When we get back, I'm going to audition." Jisoo says excitedly. "He promised to send me the material so I can start studying and preparing."

"But Jennie doesn't like him," is all I can say.

"Jennie makes her choices, and I make mine. This role is going to be mine." She gives me a wide grin, and I scratch my chin, already imagining the trouble this is going to cause.