black ribbons (jensoo)

chapter two

'I'm dying,' wheezed Jennie. 'Seriously, Chae. Vision blurring. Black spots. Let me go.'

'No. You know how this works. I'm a squeezer. When I'm happy, I squeeze.' Chaeyoung refused to loosen the hug and her voice stayed muffled in Jennie's shoulder. 'I'm just...I'm so happy, Jen. I never thought they'd take me.'

'I'm - so - proud - of you.' Jennie managed to sneak in a lungful of air. 'It means the world to see you get this. I know how hard you've worked.'

'It's only just beginning. Oh, man, those rehearsals.' After one final squeeze, Jennie was finally permitted to usher her friend beyond the front door of the apartment. 'Everything hurts. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. But she did warn me it would be.'

'She?'

'Jisoo Kim.' The dancer flopped onto the couch and looked as though she was planning to take root. 'I know you won't know who she is, but take it from me, she's the best there is. She's your age, give or take, but she was some kind of child prodigy. Joined the company at fifteen, soloist at seventeen, principal on her nineteenth birthday, and oh my god, Jennie, she is perfect. I only saw her doing barre sets, no actual dancing, but she's so light, everything is just so extended, and her hair, it's like it was bestowed personally by Jesus...why are you smiling?'

'No reason.'

'I hate you.'

'Yeah, well, we both know that's a lie. If you must know, I'm smiling because, one,' Jennie held up a finger as she reached for the wine glasses, 'I'd be a bad friend if I didn't enjoy watching you fangirl adorably over your new woman-crush. And two, because actually I do know who she is.'

'Shut up.' Chaeyoung was surprised enough to raise her head from the cushions. 'Really? How? Your knowledge of ballet is, like, almost literally zero.'

'I have hidden depths.'

'Sure, but I'm going to take serious offence if you've suddenly gotten into ballet because you saw Jisoo Kim somewhere and thought she was hot. Which I would totally understand, by the way, except that you've known me for years and until yesterday you thought a plié was an endangered animal.'

'I stand by that. It totally sounds like some kind of special dolphin. There's a reason, I promise. Just come over here and look.'

Jennie waved a corkscrew towards a picture stuck near the fridge. She did have her own studio, technically, but she had always been terrible at switching off once she got home. Apart from the huge windows which covered one side of the main open-plan area, she had covered almost all the available wall space with photos, fabric samples, even patches of paint, grouped by inspiration or commission. This particular picture was a black and white full-page shot, torn out of one of the stack of magazines she had been couriered when she accepted her most recent job. It was from some feature on the principal dancers at Chaeyoung's new company, but Jennie had liked this photo best; the girl was suspended in mid-air in a perfect split, dark hair fanning out behind her, simultaneously powerful and utterly delicate.

Chaeyoung prised herself off the couch, peered at the photo, and looked up in outrage. 'That's her! That's Jisoo!'

'I know, genius. It's captioned.'

'But she's my woman-crush.'

'We can negotiate for visitation rights.'

'Seriously? I finally get to meet my idol only to find that you've already adopted her as your muse?'

Jennie handed Chaeyoung a glass of champagne and clinked it against her own in celebration. 'You didn't just meet her, Chae, you're going to be working together. I'd call that a win. Was she nice?'