The University

Chapter Five

Lisa was sitting in the shade of a huge tree in the university garden, reading a book to complete her assignment, she didn't want to go home alone because today, no one was present with her. Jennie had left early since she and the girls didn't talk throughout the day, Jisoo had to go for the tutoring, and Chaeyoung? she had to help her dad in a meeting today, Chaeyoung's parents were divorced and she choose to live on her own, her mother lives in Australia with her two sisters and she lives here in Korea since her dad was Korean.

Chaeyoung sometimes visits her dad and helps him in handling the Park Industries because he has a lot of work, and today was one of those days. Lisa's phone rang, she looked at the caller ID and picked up. "Good Afternoon, oppa" She greeted. "Good Afternoon Lali" He greeted back, he sounded very impatient, Lisa smiled at that. "Nervous?" She asked softly.

"Very, what if I mess up in front of her?" He asked, she sighed. "Nothing will happen, oppa, believe in yourself, she doesn't judge people in a first meeting" Lisa said. "I have to make a good first impression on her, and then I'm scared because of your previous plan Lali, I think she might know about the lie" He said. "She doesn't know, and stop overreacting oppa, cheer up, this was the moment you were waiting for, right? To talk to her for real and be her friend?" She tried to lift his mood. 

"Okay, but seriously, thank you for everything Lali" He said. "This is nothing, I had to help my childhood best friend eh?" She said, he chuckled. "I'll call you when she leaves" He said. "Okie, enjoy!" She beamed before hanging up. Just as she resumed reading, her phone rang again, she picked up without checking, thinking it might be him again. "Hello?" She asked when no one spoke. The boy on the other line let out a sigh of relief, thanking heavens that it wasn't Jennie again.

"Doll" The boy said, she froze for a moment, she hadn't heard from the boy lately, he hadn't called, nor did she, they became distant suddenly, because of the recent events. "J-Jeon" She stuttered. "How are you?" He asked. "I'm...fine, how are you?" She lied, yes, she had mixed emotions, she wasn't fine. "Not fine actually, I missed you all the time, can't we become one again?" He asked.

"We were never one, Jeon, the chains I wear won't let me reach out to you" She said, she couldn't love him, at least not now. "But I love you" He said. "We just met" She said, "And we both know that's a lie, we had kept ourselves for each other since the first day of the Uni" He said. "You were a playboy at that time Jeon, I never trusted you even when I liked you, you were with a different girl daily, wasn't it enough to break me?" She asked. 

"The reason I never dated you was because you were special, Lisa, I didn't want to hurt you by playing you, that's why I've stopped, I want you to trust me, please" He pleaded. "I can't, you know my situation, I can't let the girls go" She said, but he had enough, he was trying, yet she still didn't trust him. "Look Lisa, I have been trying for too long now, you have to choose, me or the girls, if you choose me, there might be a chance they would forgive you and then you can have both me and your girls, but if you choose them, then fine, break yourself in the name of a weak friendship" He said and hanged up.

"Why is it always me who has to choose?" She asked herself as she wiped her tears. First, she had to choose between Korea and Thailand, then she had to choose between her girls and her two childhood best friends, and now she has to choose between friendship and love? She wanted to quit everything and run away to a place where these people won't find her, she wanted to think about herself too. But if she left, the world here would turn upside down, she was bounded in the chains of friendships, family, love, and her own self, she wanted to escape, but she knew she could never do that, she couldn't leave them behind like that, and then she chose. "A secret relationship, again" She whispered to herself as she closed her eyes.

Jisoo stood at the door of his apartment, she rang the bell after giving herself a last check up. The door opened, her eyes widened, same as his, although he was just acting. "You!?" They asked in sync. "You're my tutor? / You're my student?" They asked in sync again. "Sorry" He said. "Y-You are Kim Namjoon?" She asked. "Yes, you are Kim Jisoo?" He asked back, she nodded. "Come in" He said as he let her in, she narrowed her eyes, not wanting to meet his gaze.

"Would you like something to drink?" He asked politely, he had never been more formal. "No thank you, we can just...start the lesson?" It sounded like a question, but he nodded, and they sat down. She started explaining the chapter, not knowing that he was just looking at her, he studied the chapter already, this was a setup, he failed purposely so that she could meet him everyday with an excuse that she was teaching him (all the things he already knew). 

The things that we do for love, he shook his head with a smile at the thought. Two hours later, the lesson time was over. "Thank you so much Jisoo-ssi, I couldn't have understood this without you" He said as he walked her to the door. "O drop the honorifics, you can just call me Jisoo" She said with a smile, they locked eyes for a moment, but then looked away. 

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" he said, she gave a nod and with a wave, she left. He was friendly, she got comfortable with him so easily. Instead of calling Lisa, he went straight to her apartment to tell her how it went. He rang the bell, the door opened, he looked at her and his smile faded. "Lali, are you okay?" He asked as he came inside, her house was dull, dimly lit, and her face was as gloomy as it could be, something was wrong, this wasn't the usual Lisa. 

"I messed up again, I wanna run away from this world" She said in a hoarse voice, she had cried, he sensed. He hugged her, knowing that she needed comfort at the moment, he was so worried for her. "Don't cry Lisa, I'm here, I'll always be here" He told her, the door of her apartment swung open, making the two turn to the door and break the hug. "Lili" The deep voice said as the boy ran and wrapped his arms around Lisa, she hugged back instantly. 

"I'm so sorry, I just came to know, Jungkook told me a few minutes ago and I came at the speed of light, I know he hurt you, I'm sorry from his side" He said. "I love him, oppa, He wants to date me" She told him. "Then go for it" He said, "I will, secretly" She said, he pulled away and looked at Namjoon. "Lisa don't tell us that you are going to date him without letting them know" He said, she nodded. The two boys sighed, they just wished her the best. "Till how long can you keep yourself in the shadows?" The other boy asked. "Till I can, I can't let them know that we're best friends" She said.

"Taehyung, you are not seeking Jennie, are you?" Namjoon asked. "No" He said, But Lisa saw it his eyes, he was lying. "ANYWAYS! we are staying over so that you won't collapse in the middle of the night with all those stressing thoughts of yours" Taehyung said, making Namjoon and Lisa laugh. "I swear to god oppas, if you two mess up my house again like last time, then you won't be attending the university tomorrow" Lisa warned them playfully before they did a group hug. 

The two boys had been helping her overcome her fears, her insecurities, they always helped her in tough times, they were always there for her, they were, her childhood best friends.