Outline of You | Jensoo

Prologue

Jisoo riffles through the few leaflets left in her hands.

Ninety-two down, just eight more to go.

She clips one more between the wiper and the windshield of yet another black car. Cracking the joints in her neck and shoulders, she follows the spiral up to the next level of the carpark, which happens to finally be the top floor and unsheltered from the open night sky.

She hopes that there are at least seven cars around here but to her dismay, there is only one.

Well, better than nothing.

Sighing inwardly, Jisoo trudges up the last few steps but an eerie noise from the lone car stops her at the top of the stairs. A chilly wind howls and sends a shiver down her spine, forcing her to pull the lapels of her leather jacket closer.

Gulping down her fear, she approaches the vehicle with caution and curiosity she cannot contain. The nearer she gets, the clearer the haunting sound becomes. Suddenly, a choked gasp rings out and scares the life out of her.

Just as Jisoo decides to turn back and never return, a whimper and a sob catch her attention.

Is that... someone crying?

"H-hello?" Jisoo ventures shakily. Immediately, something shuffles from behind the car, like someone is scrambling to stand, and a sharp sniffling ends all other noises.

"I-I'm just gonna... put this here...," Jisoo stops a couple of feet from the white Mercedes, too tall for her to see if there is actually anyone on the other side, and she stretches her trembling arms out to its fullest extent, her fingertips barely reaching the wiper to clip a leaflet under it, "and I'll g-go."

Once again, Jisoo turns around to flee, but something stirs within her. Curiosity? Pity? Bravado? All she knows is that she cannot get past it.

She exhales in defeat and looks behind her shoulder, before retracing her steps slowly back to the luxurious sedan. Twiddling with her thumbs and wrinkling her leaflets in the process, she plucks up whatever courage she has and tiptoes towards the sobs that have now dwindled to little sniffs.

"Umm...," Jisoo quietly starts so as not to scare whoever is there. She scuffs the tip of her sneaker against the road surface, feeling awkward to be talking to someone she cannot see. "I uh, I've some... tissues." She takes a deep breath, crosses the imaginary line and peers around the expensive car.

Leaning against the car door stands a woman in a shimmering black cocktail dress and sleek red stilettos. Her brown locks tumble over a bare shoulder in cascading waves, hiding her face from view. She has her arms crossed, hugging herself from either the night breeze or the invasion of a stranger.

As Jisoo carefully pushes the open packet of tissues forward, the woman lifts her head to glance at the item and then at its owner. And Jisoo instantly forgets what was the prettiest thing she remembered seeing, left mesmerised and wondering why such a beauty is here crying all alone in the moonlight.

"Thanks," the woman rasps softly, her voice hoarse from crying. When she takes the tissues from Jisoo's hand, she is unaffected as their fingers brush carelessly, unaware of the jolt rushing through Jisoo's body.

Jisoo has no reason to be nervous, so she is absolutely baffled and embarrassed that her palms are perspiring like there's no tomorrow.

The stunning lady has taken a piece out of the packet and dabs it around her eyes silently, accompanied by the occasional sniffle. She pushes off the vehicle and straightens, her heels clicking twice against the asphalt but she remains wordless.

In the uncomfortable quiet, Jisoo fidgets awkwardly and clears her throat, as she racks her brain for a conversation starter and eventually settles on honesty.

"Umm, I have to admit I don't know what to say right now, but... I hope this helps," with that, she removes her jacket and drapes it over the lady's bare shoulders.

The action seems to stun the woman, who whips her head around with wide eyes, but she recovers in the next moment and tilts her head in the slightest of nods. A way of thanks, Jisoo figures. For once, Jisoo gets a good view of her features, and she cannot help thinking how someone can look so captivating even in sadness.

The woman pulls the black leather jacket closer and Jisoo is pleased.

Exhaling, the woman leans her head back and closes her eyes, tossing her hair in the wind and missing the awe of the starry black canvass hung above them.

This moment is picture-perfect, straight out of a painting.

Jisoo stares like a creep until she decides not to overstay her welcome, and so she puts a full stop to their encounter, "Welp, I guess that's that. If it's any consolation, things often work out sooner than we think."

She gives a sincere grin when the woman briefly glances at her. And this time, when Jisoo turns, she does leave the scene.

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A/N: Big thanks to @byongkim for the amazing cover!!! <3