𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼

chapter two - present day

𝑀𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑂𝑓 𝑁𝑜𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒
𝑉𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑆𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝐶𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑐

TW! mentions of cancer, illness

As the clock strikes three, Jisoo stumbles out of her hotel room, rushing to make it downstairs in time to photograph Jaehyun. Lately, she's found it harder to be present at every moment he's out and about. Often he leaves unannounced and she receives notice minutes later, leaving her no time to find him. Today, her emails notified that Jaehyun would be leaving his hotel anytime around three, having they considered his meal inside that he started eating at two forty-five. Jisoo didn't know how they found out such information, but she knew she had to hurry.
Before she could reach into her bag to collect her camera, her phone buzzed loudly from her pocket. She glanced at it to see a message from her aunt. A slight feeling of worry rushed through her veins as she placed her phone back in her pocket. She knew she didn't have time to respond.
    Jisoo pressed the lobby button in the elevator, anxiously bouncing in hopes that she wouldn't be too late to see him. The company had been emailing her requesting 'closer' images of Jaehyun, meaning she needed to find a way to get a closer shot at him. However, it was difficult considering Jisoo's size. She was fairly petite and found it hard to squeeze through the other photographers.
The elevator finally sounded, and the doors opened slowly. Jisoo adjusted the beanie on her head so it covered her entire forehead, and then placed the bands of her face mask around her ears so it would stay secure. She was always very careful when it came to staying anonymous.
A sea of people were rushing past her as she walked out, and she knew this time she needed to be brave and push her way through. This job was tough, but she knew with the right mindset, she could handle it.
Moments passed of Jisoo scanning the crowd in search of Jaehyun, but she couldn't quite see him. She decided to run to the door outside of the crowd and wait there with her camera ready. As she rushed past the crowd of people, she pulled her camera up, having it ready to use in anticipation.
To her surprise, the people that were standing in front of Jaehyun left just enough of a gap for Jisoo to snap three pictures, displaying different angles of him to give to Calibration. A smile spread across her lips as she watched him leave, before rushing down the street. Gradually, the footsteps and commotion of all the people died down, and silence began to fill the atmosphere.
Photographing him was always quick, and Jisoo only had about ten to fifteen seconds of time to get a great shot.
    She removed her beanie and placed it in her bag, before ripping off the mask and taking a long, deep breath.
Jisoo then proudly flipped through the pictures on her camera, before her eyes flickered up, noticing something on the floor. Her curiousness got the best of her as she walked up to the item carefully, before squatting to get a closer look. Examining the seeming-to-be necklace, Jisoo's phone started to ring, erupting loudly and slightly startling her from her state. Ripping it from her pocket, she hurriedly took the necklace from the floor and took off towards the elevator, pressing her phone to her ear.
"Hi mom," she answered her call. A sense of worry rushed through her body as her mother responded, "Hi honey, do you have a minute to talk? I know you're busy in New York but I thought I should talk to you. Something's happened."
Jisoo felt a haunting, discomforting feeling in her bones at those words. "Nothing bad, right? Your appointment went fine, didn't it?"
This was followed by an even longer hesitation, which worried Jisoo to all ends. Her mother sighed. "Well, the doctor told me it would be best for a blood transfusion in my certain case. He says that it's the best option to prolong the degrading effects. It will have to take place in San Francisco, and I thought about it for a while. He wanted me to have my mind made up today."
Jisoo senses uncertainty in her mother's voice. Her whole body shivers uncomfortably as she presses the elevator button. "Why are you just now telling me this about San Francisco? When did you find out about having a transfusion?"
The elevator begins to move as Jisoo's cheeks heat up, making her look flushed.
Her mother doesn't respond for a moment, and Jisoo's eyes begin to brim with tears building quickly with each breath she takes. Finally, she hears her mother respond, "I didn't want you to worry, Soo. You've just moved to New York not too long ago and now you're working for Calibration." Jisoo wipes away a single tear that managed to fall down her right cheek. "I can't allow you to worry so much about something like this.. something you can't change."
"But mom—"
"Jisoo, listen to me for a moment." Her mother instructed through the phone. "I love you so much, and I know you're upset right now. I know you, because you're my little girl, but I also know how strong you are, and sooner or later you would've had to deal with a loss of someone close to you." Her mother's soft voice causes Jisoo's chest to ache even more and she shuts her eyes tightly, reminiscing in her presence. "Everyone has their time. Mine happens to be sooner than it should, but that doesn't mean you should be sad. When I'm gone, you'll realize that you have to make important decisions to live a wonderful life, and I know you will."
The elevator doors open.
Jisoo steps into the hallway and turns the corner, rushing into one of the isolated corners. Tears are now spilling down her cheeks, and her stomach is tight, feeling as if a huge rock is now laying there, weighing her down. Her throat aches in result from her restraining from crying. "Why are you saying this as if you're going to die soon? You'll be fine, mom. You'll live for a long time.."
While walking down the hall, Johnny, a member of the same group Jaehyun's apart of, notices the sound of Jisoo's pain-laced voice. His long strides reduce in speed as he looks around in confusion. Her continuous sniffs lead him in the right direction, and he soon lays his eyes upon her, but her back is faced to him.
Jisoo's mother smiles from her end of the line. "Honey, I know you want to think that, but it's just not the truth. With my state, there's not any chance—"
"But you said they offered you to go to San Francisco, aren't you going to go?" Jisoo asked impatiently, slightly frustrated at her mother's calm tone. "You have to go, mom. You can't just decline this, please. Do you know how much higher your chances could be if you consider doing this procedure?"
Her mother waits a moment, before smiling. "Jisoo," her voice is always soft and relaxing to listen to, but with what she's saying, Jisoo finds it difficult to be relaxed. "I've made this decision after a long time of thinking. I'm not going to get a blood transfusion, then continue to go through chemotherapy for years if needed, allowing myself to feel worse. As silly as it may sound to you, I know in my heart that now is my time, whether I'm ready to or not." Jisoo's body can no longer hold in the pain, and a quiet sob finally manages to erupt from her pink lips. "And I know you'll be okay, Soo. I'm so proud of the woman you've grown up to be, and I'm glad that I had the chance to raise you to be who you are."
Johnny stands in the same stance, shocked at how upset Jisoo sounds. As much as he knew he shouldn't be listening to her behind her back, he felt like leaving would be wrong too.
"I'll be up to New York in two days to see you. Veronica has already arranged my plane ticket and ride when I get there. I'll be careful, and I'll see you soon, okay?" Her mother reassures her in her pain, just like she always has. Jisoo raises her eyes from the floor and her gaze finds the traffic outside the window in front of her. Staring blankly at the cars moving by, she finally answers, "I love you."
"I love you too, honey. See you then. Goodbye." The line disconnects.
As Jisoo gathers herself, wiping her cheeks roughly, she whips around, before gasping as she sees Johnny standing there. His heartbeat races as he realizes how bad it must look. His lips part to speak, but he can't.
Jisoo examines him, before asking, "What are you doing?"
Johnny reacts by stuttering nervously. "Well, I, I heard you talking and you sounded upset, so I didn't want to just leave you all alone."
"I don't even know you," Jisoo stated. Just then, Johnny noticed her camera hanging by her neck, and he remembered her from somewhere. Snapping his finger, he finally pinpointed it. "You're Jisoo, right?"
Johnny stepped forward, but Jisoo didn't feel like he was dangerous in any way. In fact, he seemed very kind. Her mind shuffled through names as she tried to grasp who he was. She knew she had seen him around. Then it hit her as she remembered Jaehyun was here, and he must be from the same group. "I am. You're.. Johnny?"
Johnny nodded eagerly, lightly shaking his fluffy, brown hair. "Tell me," his voice was enthusiastic despite the situation, which, in a weird way, calmed Jisoo down a bit, "are you working as a photographer?"
Jisoo hesitated, her lips parted and growing dry as she stumbled to think of an answer that wouldn't reveal her anonymous position that she could lose if she didn't remain a secret. "Hm.. I guess you could say that."
Johnny just nodded, a smile spread across his lips. "I figured. I've seen your photos online that you've taken for people I follow. They're really incredible." He was very friendly, and didn't waste any time for a thought to slip from his mind. Before she could thank him, he spoke again. "But that's not what I should be saying right now. Are you sure you're okay? I know I don't know you well but I'm good at comforting people."
Jisoo couldn't hide the faint smile that pulled against her lips when she noticed his wide eyes fill with sympathy. "You're very kind," she said softly, "but I have to get back to my room to finish up some things."
Jisoo could feel the pain returning as it filled her mind and diminished the positive thoughts that had just entered.
With her chest starting to ache again, she dismissed herself politely. "Thank you for being so nice, Johnny, but I should get going now—"
"Talk to someone else." Johnny interrupted. Blinking a few times, Jisoo found herself stumped by his sudden change in expression, for his bright eyes had fallen narrowed, and his smile was now absent. "Hm?"
"Your phone call," Johnny said easily, aware of how painful it was for her. "Even though I don't have the right to know what happened, someone should. Don't bottle it up inside or it won't be good for anyone.."
Jisoo stared blankly at him, knowing that every word he spoke was genuine, and correct. She knew bottling up her emotions was wrong, but it was something she was used to, and had always done naturally. Forcing a polite smile through glossy eyes, she responded, "I'll try."
Their departure was silent from then on as Johnny found his way into the elevator and Jisoo rushed to her room.
Once there, she laid her camera on the small, round table provided in the room, before slinging her bag to the floor, where it landed with a soft thud. She let her body fall weakly to the bed, allowing her skin to feel the soft surface of the comforter. She laid there for several minutes before collecting her laptop, knowing that the quicker she sent in her photos, the quicker she could put her laptop away and try to focus on her situation.

𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧
𝗎𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾: 𝗌𝗈𝗈𝗉𝗁𝗈𝗍𝗈𝗌𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗂
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