BREAK THE WALL | JENLISA, CHAESOO

Chapter 32

Two weeks have passed since their arrival in Japan and Jennie and Jisoo were both in exceptionally good moods. The main reason was of course the fact that the therapy seemed to be working and preliminary tests confirmed that Jisoo's condition was getting better. But another reason was that their relationships with Lisa and Rosé were blooming beyond their wildest expectations.

"Okay, everything's ready, now you just have to put on the helmet and begin the game." Jennie instructed Jisoo how to start playing Simlife.

"Thanks, but what do I do at the beginning?" Jisoo was still quite nervous about this new experience.

"Don't overthink it, just go with the flow and you'll be fine." her sister affectionately patted her back. "I'll leave you alone, just enjoy." Jennie walked towards the door.

"Wait, is it just my impression or you're much happier lately?" Jisoo asked and her sister smiled brightly in response. "I guess things are going well with Lisa then?"

"Yeah, I mean I know it's a little paradoxical because we're apart for now, she's in Korea and I'm in Japan, but... we finally talk about personal things, we connect, you know? Our relationship isn't just wild sex anymore, it's more than that." Jennie admitted, too excited to be shy about this confession.

"Good for you, you have no idea how relieved I am. I've been seriously worried about you two, I feared that it wasn't going to end well... but never mind. You're good now and I'm so happy for you."

"And I hope you'll enjoy playing the game with Rosé." Jennie left the room winking playfully on her way out.

Jisoo put the helmet on her head, her hands shaking slightly, she didn't really know what to expect. So far she only talked to her girlfriend on the phone or through video calls, but to be able to meet her in a virtual reality game was something new... and exciting.

Suddenly she found herself standing in the middle of busy street, the sensation was so real that she almost panicked and turned the game off. Instead, she took several deep breaths and calmed herself down. Then in her imagination she started walking and, to her amazement, her character in the game also started moving. The world around her seemed incredibly genuine, almost indistinguishable from the real world. After trying to touch the nearby lamppost, she almost shuddered as she sensed the coldness of metal on her skin...Unbelievable: she knew she wasn't really touching it, but her brain was convincing her that she was.

She walked for a few minutes, astonished by the realism of the virtual reality that was surrounding her, then veered to her right and went inside a French-style café, her meeting spot with Rosé. The decoration was incredibly nice, clearly emanating a Mediterranean vibe, it reminded her of a small, cozy place in Italy, where her family used to go during their holidays a few years earlier. The smell of freshly-baked croissants and coffee entered her nostrils, making her suddenly hungry. She didn't have to wait long before she saw a slim, elegantly dressed girl with long, silver hair enter the café. She was looking slightly different than real Rosé, but it was clearly her and the difference in appearance was smaller than Jisoo expected. Rosé clearly put a lot of effort to make sure her in-game character was similar to her real-life body. "Just like I did." Jisoo thought thankfully.

"Hi, I can't believe it's you." Rosé greeted her and kissed her on the cheek, which, again to Jisoo's amazement, felt unbelievably real.

"This is just... incredible." Jisoo replied and took Rosé's hand. "Do you really feel my touch?"

"Of course I do, that's how it works." the silver-haired girl smiled. "Take your time, it took me awhile to get used to it too."

After ordering a croissant and a hot chocolate each, they talked about Jisoo's health and how there was considerable progress in her therapy, which made Rosé even happier than she previously was.

"I never thought I'd say it, but this is much better than video calls." she said, giggling quietly.

"I'll have to agree." Jisoo answered, still holding Rosé's hand, her thumb caressing the delicate wrist of the girl in front of her. She didn't even feel embarrassed about being so touchy because she missed her so much, although they were only apart for two weeks.

"So who's your character in the game?" Rosé asked, glancing curiously at Jisoo's badass outfit.

"Okay, I'll tell you but promise you won't laugh."

"I can't promise that, what if it's really funny?" Rosé teased. "I'm just kidding, I promise not to laugh."

"I'm an undercover police officer who fights drug dealers in the city. I know it's crazy because my personality is nothing like that, but I wanted to try being a little more... savage than I am in real life."

"Oh, I think you can be sometimes pretty savage in real life, Kim Jisoo." there wasn't even a hint of irony in Rosé's voice and Jisoo had to admit it sounded in her ears like a really sweet compliment.

"And what about you? What does your game character do?"

"Guess. I'll give you three tries."

"What do I win if I get it right?" the brunette asked.

"A kiss." Jisoo's heart fluttered as she saw Rosé pouting her lips half-jokingly, but still in a clearly seductive way.

"Wow, okay, let me think." she squinted her eyes looking at her girlfriend's face, trying her best to predict what could Rosie have possibly chosen as her in-game job. Her gaze slid over Rosé's elegant burgundy dress and the exquisite jewelry she was wearing.

"You're a fashion designer." she took the first guess.

"No, try again." by the tone of her voice Jisoo realized that she wasn't on the right track.

"So... maybe an actress?"

"No." Rosé's reply was less firm than the previous one and Jisoo immediately noticed it: she sensed she was close to the truth.

"A singer!"

"Okay, I'm impressed, you're just too good, I don't know how you guessed that!" Rosé was genuinely amazed. Before she even had a chance to snap out of it, the brunette slowly leaned her face towards her and whispered in a sensual voice:

"What about my prize?"

Instead of replying, Rosé lowered her eyes to Jisoo's red lips, which were slowly but surely getting closer and closer to hers.

"Is it even a real kiss?" she whispered.

"In my mind it is. That's all I care about." Jisoo whispered back and their lips slowly touched. For both of them it was more about curiosity than passion at first, but as they realized the sensation felt as real as a true kiss, they lost themselves in the experience. The virtual world was no longer important to them, all that mattered was that they could relish the taste of each others' lips even though they were thousands of kilometers away.