Second Overtime | JENSOO & CHAELISA

Chapter XXVII

The call from Dr. Kang's office had come on a Tuesday, and the date they offered was a Thursday.

Irene had taken the call, her phone pinned between her ear and shoulder while she stirred a pot of soup in the kitchen. "Thursday? No, that won't work, she can't miss that much school on top of everything else. Is there any way we could do a Saturday instead? Even if it means waiting a little longer?"

There had been a pause, the sound of a keyboard clicking, and then the scheduler's voice: "We can move it to the following Saturday, if that works better for your family."

"It does," Irene had said, exhaling. "Thank you. We'll take it."

And so Saturday it was, a grey, overcast morning that felt more like dawn than mid-morning. Jisoo had been equal parts relieved and annoyed. Relieved because she wouldn't fall further behind in her classes. Annoyed because Saturday was supposed to be a sleep-in day, and instead she was being wheeled into an operating room at seven in the morning.

"When you told me the date, I said if you missed school and had surgery on Thursday, you'd lose the chance to take the chemistry exam," Jennie reminded her. "It's better that they moved it to Saturday. Plus, Saturday is Jihyo's church youth group, so she won't show up at my house wanting to hang out. No ambushes."

"You've thought about this a lot," Jisoo had observed.

"I think about everything a lot. It's exhausting."

"At least I won't be behind in chemistry," Jisoo said, smiling.

Now, in the hospital waiting room, Jisoo was being wheeled toward the operating doors, pale and nervous but cracking jokes until the last possible second. "Tell Dr. Kang to make my knee bionic. I want to come back with superhuman jumping abilities."

"I'll put in a request," the nurse had said, laughing at her.

Irene was there, gripping Jisoo's hand like she could transfer her own strength through sheer will. Jin was beside her, calm and steady as always, though his eyes betrayed his worry. And Jennie, Jennie was tucked into a corner of the waiting room, baseball cap pulled low, mask covering half her face, looking like any other hospital visitor.

Irene had not been happy about it.

"She shouldn't be here," Irene had muttered to Jisoo the night before, when Jisoo had told her Jennie was coming. "If her mother finds out—"

"I know," Jisoo had said. "But she wants to be here. And I want her here."

"Jisoo."

"She's been showing up for me, unnie. For months now. She came to my PT sessions. She tutored me in math. She sat with me while I played video games and panicked about my future. She's trying. And I want her here."

Irene had looked at her for a long moment. Then she'd sighed, a long, heavy sound that seemed to carry years of exhaustion and protectiveness and the slow, reluctant acceptance that her little sister was making her own choices now.

"Fine," Irene had said. "But if she causes problems..."

"She won't."

"You don't know that."

"I know her."

And so Jennie was here, in the hospital waiting room, her hands trembling in her lap and her eyes fixed on the doors that had swallowed Jisoo whole.

The group chat buzzed constantly.

Lisa: Any updates??? I'm dying here. It's 7 AM and I'm already stress-eating.

Seulgi: I lit a candle for Jisoo's knee. Is that weird? My mom said it was weird.

Moonbyul: It's a little weird.