Don't Wanna Be Your Girl || Jensoo

Chapter 9

As if the faux Celtic hand-painted lettering on the sign wasn't enough of a dead giveaway, the folksy fiddle music leaking out into the street only confirms Jennie's worst fear: Baloney's is an Irish theme pub.

Inside it's packed and rowdy; clearly Jisoo's definition of "pretty chill" doesn't quite align with Jennie's own. She cranes her neck, scanning the length of the bar, sweeping over the booths that line the back wall, searching for a glimpse of brown hair in the crowd.

There's this half a moment when she wonders if she's actually come to the right place and she hovers uncertainly by the door, only to be jostled by a couple of guys barging past without so much as an apology. Suddenly she's reminded why she doesn't go to bars on Friday nights, why she's perfectly content living the life of a hermit. But her irritation melts away when she finally spots Jisoo beside a pillar, a bottle of beer in hand, talking animatedly to a tall, broad man with a shaved head and a face-full of designer stubble. The sight of Jisoo across the crowded floor makes Jennie's pulse quicken, thrumming fast through her veins.

By the time she's squeezed past the throngs of drunken office workers to reach Jisoo's side Jennie's a little flushed. It's the guy who notices her first, nudging Jisoo with his elbow.

Jisoo's face lights up instantly. "Jennie! You made it."

The music's even louder in this spot—they're standing directly beneath a speaker, after all—and Jisoo has to lean in close to be heard, warm breath gusting over Jennie's jaw. She draws back to look at Jennie and the slightly unfocused sheen of her brown eyes, the lopsided slant of her smile, is telling; clearly, Jennie's got some catching up to do.

"C'mon, let me introduce you."

Jisoo slings an arm across Jennie's shoulders and nods towards her male friend.

"This hot specimen is Sungjae, Joy's boyfriend."

He smiles, shakes Jennie's hand, and she's surprised how gentle his grip is for someone with muscles upon muscles. (On a scale of zero to Ellen Page grand-marshalling a Pride march in San Francisco, Jennie's irrefutably gay, but even she finds herself distracted by the way Sungjae's practically bursting out of a white v-neck shirt that's at least one size too small.) Beside him, a petite, pretty woman with dark hair and dark eyes gives a little wave.

"This is Seulgi. We were roomies last year. Don't believe anything she tells you." Jisoo points her bottle towards the bar. "Joy and Joowon are getting drinks. And Hyunsub's gonna join us later if he can get away from work early."

With the introductions out the way, Jennie's left feeling a little awkward and self-conscious. Not least because she's finding it really hard not to stare at Jisoo. Which, when her friends are standing right there, is beyond impolite. In her defense, Jisoo's wearing a tight plaid shirt with a couple too many buttons undone and the enticing shadow of cleavage, the creamy pale skin on display, leaves Jennie's throat parched. After a few seconds, Jennie blinks and forces her gaze up, only to land on Jisoo's knowing little smirk. Busted.

Jisoo leans in again and Jennie shivers at the brush of lips against her earlobe. "I love how weak you are for my tits."

This, Jennie realises, is going to be a long night.

*

"How did you two meet?" Seulgi asks and her face is so friendly and open that Jennie hesitates. She looks to Jisoo for guidance—they hadn't actually discussed whether she's 'out' about her job—but Jisoo's too busy saying something to Joy that has them both snorting with laughter for Jennie to catch her eyes.

She opts to be vague but truthful. "Work."

"Are you an actress, too?"

Well, that answers that question; Seulgi does know.