The Handmaiden - Jensoo

Chapter 8

Sat still and quiet at the table during one of Jennie's art classes, Jisoo concentrated with difficulty as she wrote on her notepad. Moans, gasps, cries and heavy breathing from the previous night echoed in her head, distracting her mind from the task at hand. 

Jennie and the Count were sat on the other side of the room, facing her, in front of easels as they painted their subject: Jisoo. The man was delicate with his brush, all soft flicks of the wrist and effortless details as a realistic picture appeared on the canvas. Meanwhile, Jennie was rushed and too obvious, paying no attention to detail as she dragged her pencil harshly across the canvas in a poor sketch. Child's skill, at best.

Once he had observed Jennie's technique, the Count stood from his chair and sat behind her, placing his big hand over her dainty one to guide her pencil. The other sneaky hand from the side groped the heiress's breast shamelessly, grunting that fuelled Jisoo's anger and disgust. 

The heiress whispered, "Stop," her struggling arms caused dark scribbles to appear on the canvas as the pencil was still under both of their grips, the handmaiden's face purposefully erased from view. 

***

"I spit it out without chewing! All because of you!" The Count roared, shaking Jisoo violently at the shoulders. 

"If you frighten her, she'll close up as hard as a clam." Jisoo responded plainly. 

As the two talked on under the archway, Jennie leaned on a tree, looking up at them and eavesdropping on their conversation. 

"And please," she heard Jisoo scoff, "Don't ever again put my hand on your tiny joke of a cock." 

Jennie stifled back a snort, and watched Jisoo stomp away from him. The Count lit up a cigarette, "You see?" he asked, directed at Jennie, "If you don't give the impression you want this marriage, she may throw a fit and refuse to go forward. Be more convincing when you pretend to love me." 

"I can't do it." Jennie said with confidence, no hesitation could be heard through her tone. 

"What?" The Count turned to her in shock, glaring at her through the tree branches. 

"I want to quit." 

He sighed in frustration, moving to look away from her, "What's with you all today?" he mumbled. "Why?" He asked, facing the heiress again. 

"I hate everyone. My mum, dad, aunt, uncle, you and..." Jennie stopped, the Count questioning her, "I don't like Jisoo either," she lied. 

"You feel sorry for her?" He asked, but Jennie looked away from him, guilt visible in her eyes. "What is it with women?" He took a long drag from his cigarette in annoyance. "You know what that poor Jisoo said about your Ladyship?" He said accusingly, pointing at the heiress, "That you're too naive to get it even if someone pulls on your nipples. That she was nice out of pity, but you ate it up. That you were so gullible! That naive servant's face..." 

Jennie fumed at his words, her anger bubbling in her chest. She looked away from him as he continued ranting.

***

"Yes... you will love him."

After she had slapped and kicked the hysterical Jisoo out of her room, Jennie stomped her way over to her closet, using the step ladder to retrieve the circular box from the top cupboard. Her head clouded with sadness and anger, she didn't think twice before marching down the grand staircase in her pyjamas with no shoes and running out the front door, tears streaming down her face as she thought, "I wish I'd never been born."