Second Overtime | JENSOO & CHAELISA

Chapter XXI

Three Weeks Before the Exam

The tutoring sessions had settled into something almost comfortable.

They still met at Lisa's house most days, tucked away in the study room while Lisa and Rosé did their homework at the other table. Sometimes Nayeon joined them, sprawled on the couch with a textbook open on her stomach, contributing nothing but occasional commentary. The room was always warm, always a little chaotic, always filled with the quiet hum of multiple conversations happening at once.

And Jennie had started staying for dinner.

It happened gradually. The first time, Lisa's mother had insisted. "You're here so often, you might as well eat with us." And Jennie had been too startled to refuse. The second time, Lisa's father had made his famous Massaman Curry, and Jennie had been too curious to leave. By the third time, she had stopped making excuses altogether.

Lisa's parents were nothing like Chaerin. Marco, Lisa's stepfather, was a chef with a booming laugh and an endless supply of stories about his restaurant. He treated Jennie like she was already part of the family, asking about her classes and her interests with genuine curiosity. Lisa's mother was quieter but no less warm, always making sure Jennie's plate was full and her glass was never empty.

"You know," Marco said one evening, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied sigh, "you girls are always welcome here. This house is too quiet when it's just the two of us."

"Speak for yourself," Lisa's mother said dryly. "I enjoy the quiet."

"You enjoy it because you don't have to cook."

"That too."

Jennie smiled into her rice. She wasn't used to this, the easy banter, the warmth, the way no one seemed to be measuring her words or waiting for her to make a mistake. At home, dinner was a performance. Here, it was just... dinner.

"So, Jennie," Marco said, turning his attention to her. "Lisa tells me you're quite the student. Top of the class, is that right?"

"I do okay," Jennie said, her default response.

"Okay? She's being modest," Lisa cut in, pointing her chopsticks at Jennie. "She's, like, terrifyingly smart. She could probably teach half our teachers."

"Lisa," Jennie muttered, her face warming.

"What? It's true."

Marco chuckled. "And what do you want to do with all that brainpower? University must be just around the corner for you."

Jennie's smile faltered. She set down her chopsticks, buying herself a moment. "My mom wants me to go to law school."

There was a slight pause, it was barely perceptible, but Jennie felt it. She had gotten good at sensing when people were reading between the lines of what she said.

"And what do you want?" Lisa's mother asked gently.

Jennie opened her mouth to give the automatic answer: law school, of course, I want to make her proud. But something about the way Lisa's mother was looking at her made the lie stick in her throat.

"I don't know," she admitted quietly. "I used to think I did. But now..."

She trailed off. She couldn't say it out loud. Not yet. The sketchbook hidden in her desk drawer felt like a secret too fragile to expose.

Lisa's mother nodded slowly, as if Jennie had said more than she actually had. "You have time," she said. "You don't have to decide your whole life right now. Despite what some people might tell you."