Chapter 13

Lisa smiled behind the tall glass of chocolate milk, on the pretense of the red straw in between her lips, because Jennie's question, she realized in an instant, was a no brainer.

What's on her mind at the moment?

Jennie.

Jennie and the way her cat-like eyes would chink and lit up whenever she would laugh. And the way her jet black hair was emitting a brownish light color because she was leaning a little closer to the glass window and the dull beam of sunlight was playing tricks on her mane. Or the way Jennie would brush up her hair with her hand habitually and how the million silky strands would lazily fall back in place in a perpetual slow motion.

And that gummy smile! Who could ever resist and wouldn't melt on that one? Lisa had never seen anyone so exquisite and sophisticated like Jennie but would smile like a baby. Because Jennie definitely looked so squishy like a baby whenever she would show off her gummy smile. And oh, yes. The singular mole below Jennie's left brow was sexy.

But she could not just tell Jennie about that, about all of that, could she? Lisa thought. Because that would be weird. And because she was never really the type to wear her heart on her sleeves. Especially if it's something as beautiful and confusing and galvanic as her liking everything about Jennie.

"This chocolate milk is delicious," Lisa said, unable to meet Jennie's eyes, because she was afraid that Jennie's cat-like eyes would see right through her and would be able to read her like a book.

Lisa was frightened of the possibility that Jennie might possibly knew that she, Lisa, was appreciating every aspect and every corner of Jennie's pulchritude. They said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Well, Lisa wasn't ready to bare her soul to the woman sitting in front of her just yet. Especially if her soul was dancing the conga while secretly wishing that Jennie's soul would dance alongside hers. The thought was weird in itself,Lisa realized, because Jennie, with her chaebol persona doesn't look like someone who dances the conga. A waltz would be more appropriate.

Lisa heard Jennie chuckled softly which brought her back to earth. That melodic, tingling kind of tittering that would shower stardusts of warm fuzzies to anyone within earshot. And within earshot meaning her, Lisa.

"I thought you'd be talking about those little hearts up in there and how cute they seemed to you," Jennie said as she pointed the little heart-shaped cutouts above their heads.

It had been a week since Lisa last saw Jennie. It wasn't like she did not notice the number of days but Lisa was never really the type to count days or months or years. But still, she noticed the absence despite the busy days she had on her studio. But she was simply hanging on to the last memory of her drunk-kissing Jennie on the cheek before she got off from Jennie's Porsche the last time. And the hope that she would meet Jennie again somewhere, sometime, like the last time.

And maybe talk to her a little more longer. Because she liked talking to Jennie. She liked the way Jennie would look at her intently and listen attentively while she talks. As if there was nothing more important in the world than for Jennie to catch every word that Lisa says. At least, that's how it all seemed to Lisa on her drunken state of mind when they were inside a pojangmacha last week.

"Why did you think so?" Lisa asked curiously.

"Because you've been looking at it the very second we stepped inside this cafe, Lisa. Plus you have that look on your face," answered Jennie.

"Look? What look?"

"The happy kind of look? You're smiling while looking at those tiny hearts," Jennie said.

"I did that? Really?" Lisa asked in disbelief and astonishment. Never had she known anyone in her life who have payed attention to her that much, in a span of just a short period and noticed the details keenly. She was impressed and flattered.

Jennie nodded and brought a ggulbbang on her mouth casually.

"Really," said Jennie in between chews.

"I just..." Lisa started, wanting badly to deny Jennie's allegation, but failed. Because Jennie was right. "Okay, fine. You're right. I think they're ridiculously cute," Lisa said truthfully and smiled apologetically. "Sorry," she added hastily.

"Why are you apologizing?" Jennie asked, looking confuse and curious at the same time.

"I don't know. Maybe because I think you find those little hearts up there offensive?" Lisa answered with uncertainty.

Jennie laughed. Lisa thought it should be banned sooner, the velvety sound of it. Because it's making all the butterflies in her belly do cartwheels every time. It made her feel woozy and queasy at the same time. And Lisa thought it was a ridiculously quirky, happy feeling, the way her stomach would do flips and turns whenever Jennie would laugh. Or smile. Or pout. Or look at her. Or just about everything that Jennie does. She's going crazy, Lisa concluded.

"Quite the observer, aren't you?" Jennie was teasing her, raising her brows to Lisa.

Lisa grinned and flushed. She was, of course, an observer. Hence, the love for photography. Hence, her love for art. She have always been a keen observer, even before she knew she wanted to pursue something that needed keen eyes, like photography.

So, no. Lisa was not blushing because Jennie said she's quite an observer. She was blushing because of the way Jennie was looking at her and teasing her with those cat-like eyes, while Jennie's chin was resting on one of her hand, her elbow was resting on top of the table, and staring at her as if Jennie was assessing the level of her sanity.

"So are you," Lisa quipped and swallowed a mouthful of her choco drink to calm her nerves.

"Hmm, depends," Jennie answered. "Anyway, you don't have to be sensitive around me, Lisa. You can say what you want to say, whatever that is. It's okay."

There were, like, a million things that was going through Lisa's head at the moment. Things that she would want to tell Jennie. Things that she thought might interest Jennie; that would probably make Jennie laugh, because Lisa loved hearing Jennie's laughter. It was addictive. But she narrowed down her choices to just one most fundamental reason of all the why's she just couldn't take her eyes off Jennie the moment she first saw her.

"I think you're beautiful," Lisa blurted out and almost choke on her chocolate drink immediately.

"You think?" Jennie asked, brows raised, smirking and playfully stroking the tip of her hair with her fingers.

"No. I mean, you're beautiful. And you're worth a roll of film, if you ask me," Lisa said. "Free of charge," she added jokingly to ease her going crimson in the face.

"Thank you," Jennie beamed. "Is that how you invite people for a photoshoot or something, Lisa?"

"Normally, no. I usually hand out my card. But I'll have my studio ready in case you might want to drop by anytime," Lisa replied, trying to sound all business-like when the fact of the matter was she was screaming internally and turning into a jelly inside. Because how awesome would that be to do a photoshoot with Jennie? The mere thought of it excited Lisa.

And that's one of the many things that Lisa realized why she liked being around with Jennie and talking to her. The way they would exchange banters casually, as though they've been exchanging banters for a long time, felt like...well, normal. But still excited her. It's as though they've known each other for a long time that talking to Jennie and exchanging banters and ideas and whatnots with her already felt familiar. When in fact, it was only their second time hanging out.

And Lisa liked that. She liked the fact that she doesn't have to act cool or pretend to be anyone or anything when she's around Jennie, even though it's only been twice that they've seen one another. They were acting like two long lost friends meeting for the second time after being reunited after a long time because the first time was never enough and they both knew that there were still so much to talk about. About themselves. About random stuff. About why the universe have brought them together. And conversing was made easy because they both felt like they were just picking up the pieces where they left them.

And it was good. It felt good being in a company of a stranger who didn't feel like a stranger at all because the familiarity and comfort were already there. And all that they had to do was to plough and tread deeper towards the unknown allyways of each other's roadmaps in order to slowly understand why the universe decided to cross their fates.

"Well, then, perhaps I should drop by one of these days," Jennie said thoughtfully.

"Really?" Lisa asked excitedly, almost spilling the contents of her glass on the table. "I mean," she said, clearing her throat, "really? You'd do that?"

Jennie nodded enthusiastically.

"Uh-huh. I think that would be fun. So you better give me the address before this day ends," Jennie said.

"I'll do that," Lisa said, beaming while thinking of all the things that she must do to tidy her studio before Jennie would decide to drop by. "Anyway, hey, Jennie? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Lisa. What is it?"

"I mean, I really don't mean to pry and everything but I'm just really curious, because this might just be the first time that I get to mee--,"

"Lisa, you can ask me anything without explaning to me why you want to ask me something. It's okay, I won't mind. Really," Jennie interrupted gently.

"Right, yeah. Okay. So, why do you hate those tiny hearts up there?" Lisa asked while looking up at the draping tiny sea of red cutouts above their heads.

"Hate is a strong word," Jennie replied after a moment of contemplation. "Maybe I just don't like it, the idea behind it. I mean, they look cute and all, but maybe I just don't like the idea of people jumping into Valentine's Day mood just because everyone else does, you know what I mean?" Jennie said. "Or maybe I'm just really not into this kind of stuff anymore, I think."

"Or maybe they're just really looking forward to celebrating Valentine's Day? So much that when they see a thing or a person, even, that reminds them of it, like those tiny hearts up there, they get excited or whatever," Lisa said.

"Do you?" asked Jennie.

"A little, I guess. I'm not being romantic or anything, though. I just think they're cute and done with so much effort. The owner must have spent the night hanging all these," Lisa said, eyeing the cut-out hearts with affection.

"Or maybe this is just marketing strategy to lure costumers inside this cafe," Jennie said nonchalantly, "Business owners do that a lot, Lisa. Especially on places like this."

"Maybe. Or maybe the owner was simply too excited for Valentine's Day?" Lisa suggested.

Lisa thought they could go on like that until the sun will set in Tongyeong. And the evening lights would start to illuminate the area, especially in the overlooking Gangguan Port. They could talk about all the maybe's in the world over another set of ggulbbang and latte and chocolate drink and would laugh about their ridiculousness and their stubbornness later when they would call it a day. But Lisa was curious about something else.

"Anyway, how did you spend your Valentine's Day last year?"

Jennie looked at Lisa hesitantly and let out a sigh after.

"I didn't, actually," Jennie answered, looking serious. "I was in Auckland, in New Zealand. Alone. I can't even remember what I did that day, now that I think about it," she let out a hollow laugh.

"What were you doing in Auckland?" Lisa asked curiously.

"Nothing, basically. I just wanted to get away from everybody else that time. I was still grieving about Dad's death, you see. So..." Jennie's voice trailed off.

Lisa brought her hand to her mouth and looked at Jennie apologetically.

"Oh my god. Jennie, I'm so sorry," Lisa muttered while internally regretting what she did. She should have known there was a certain reason why the smile on Jennie's face have faded and how her eyes have turned somber while she was talking about Auckland and Valentine's Day, Lisa told herself.

"No, Lisa. Please, don't be," Jennie told Lisa, shaking her head, "I hate it when people say they're sorry when they hear about my father's passing. I mean, it's nobody's fault."

"Oh, right. Yeah. Sorry," said Lisa, which earned her a chuckle from Jennie. The light on Jennie's eyes have come alive again, which was a huge relief on Lisa's part.

"So, what did you do on Valentine's Day last year?" Jennie asked.

"Oh, I was FaceTime-ing with Chipmunk. I was somewhere in Thailand that day with my parents and she called to show me tiny hearts like these,"--Lisa waved her hand above her head--"inside the Orange after she and her crew decorated it for the occassion--you know, the bar in Hongdae where we met last week?--because she thought I might like it, which I certainly did, and greeted me a Happy Valentine's. It was fun."

"Who's Chipmunk?" Jennie asked.

"Park Chaeyoung," Lisa answered. "My bestfriend in the world. I call her Chipmunk because she loves to eat and she's unbelievably cute. You saw her already. She was with me that day at The Era."

"The singing redhead?" Jennie inquired, thinking about how sultry the voice of the redhead was while singing a Frank Vinilli classic, her favorite.

"Yeah, no other," Lisa beamed with pride. "'The singing redhead.' That's a nice way to describe Chaeng. She'll love that."

"She's pretty," said Jennie.

"Oh my god! Yes, she is! And the sweetest, especially to my parents. I sometimes think that my parents deserve a daughter like Chaeng," Lisa joked.

"So, how long have you been friends with her?" Jennie asked.

"Hmm. Since sixth grade, I think? We were neighbors when my parents and I moved here in Seoul for the first time. Chaeyoung helped me with my Korean and everything. She still does, actually."

"You're lucky. My bestfriend is..." Jennie started but paused. "I honestly don't know how to describe Chu," she said, laughing. "She's most of the time funny and sweet. She's smart but would sometimes act dumb just for the heck of it and a full-time nagger. Like, she would annoy the hell out of me when she's in the mood. And she's always in the mood, to be honest. I don't even know where does Jisoo get all her energy, seriously. But despite all that, she's a good person. She helps a lot of people. She feeds hungry children through charity. And she has my back. I could count on her, always, " Jennie said. "I love her for that."

"Wow! I think she's cool," Lisa said. "Wouldn't it be great if we'd hang out sometime? Like, the four of us? Is that even possible?"

"Why not? Chu will definitely love that," Jennie said. She almost told Lisa how eager Jisoo was to meet her. "So, anyway, tell me, Lisa: Why Dongpirang of all places? I mean, I understand that photographers such as yourself are fascinated with beautiful and interesting places. But there are other more beautiful and more interesting places to explore, aren't there?"

"Oh, I love it here! This place is actually gold for photography lovers. This is my second time here, by the way. The first one was two years ago, for a photoshoot for an art magazine. And I was told by one of the local artist here who I've done a shoot with, that they're bound to re-paint the walls every two years. So, I thought I'd check out the murals this year," Lisa explained.

"You love art, huh?" Jennie sound fascinated.

"Yes, I do. But who doesn't?" Lisa quipped. "I seriously cannot think of anyone who wouldn't be fascinated with any form of art. Do they even exist?"

"You should meet my mom, then. She actually exists," Jennie said, laughing and suddenly turned serious. "I sometimes think that's the reason why she was never really ecstatic when I went to New York to pursue my interest in fashion. She wanted me to follow Dad's footsteps and study business. She's more of an academic type, you see."

"That's impossible! Maybe she's just not showing it? After all, art, like love, is a many-splendored thing. And I personally believe that we all have an artist inside us. Frustrated and struggling most of the time. Just waiting to be prodded on, waiting to be unleashed," Lisa said.

"I don't think so. My mom is a different breed," Jennie quipped. "And I grew up watching her getting more concerned about being the perfect wife to Dad when he was still alive and the perfect daughter to my grandparents. And now that Dad's gone, she now sets her eyes on me and my social activities, especially on the dating department," Jennie said, laughing.

"Like a mat-seon kind of thing?" Lisa asked.

"Exactly. But Gangnam-style mat-seon. She has her eyes set on a particular boy already. She thinks that Yi Eun is the perfect match for me. But I really don't want to talk about that right now," Jennie said. "What's your mom like?"

"Definitely not a fan of mat-seon," Lisa answered, laughing. "She's Thai and totally not the conventional type. In fact, she doesn't even care who I date or whatever," Lisa laughed. "Just as long as I'm happy and eating well. She and my dad stress on the 'eating well' part, by the way. They're both chefs."

"You're mom is cool. I think I like her already," Jennie said, stopping herself from asking Lisa if she's dating anyone right now. Or if Lisa has ever dated anyone at all.

Because if Lisa did, then Jennie would not be surprise at all, Jennie thought. Lisa was beautiful and charming. She's funny, witty and she's seriously making Jennie weak in the inside. And apparently, tall, beautiful, artistic blond women with a camera was the new favorite nowadays, based on the glances and attentions that Lisa was getting from the people inside the cafe and from the passersby alike. Clearly, Lisa was a head-turner, especially because she looked like a living doll.

But Lisa was either oblivious about it or was already so used to the attention she's getting that she was paying no mind to it. Because Lisa had only got her eyes fixed on the woman sitting in front of her.

"She is. But, you still haven't met her yet, though," Lisa said.

"Exactly why I like her," Jennie said.

"Because you haven't met her yet?"

"No, Lisa," Jennie chuckled. "I think I like your mom because even though I haven't met her yet, you talk about her with genuine fondness, which made me think that she's a cool and likable person. And because you're cool. I guess that says a lot about how cool your mom is."

"Oh," Lisa muttered, blinking her large, round eyes. "That's...that's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me about my mom, to be honest. Thank you so much," Lisa said, getting shy all of a sudden. Because Jennie said she's a cool person, right?

"You're welcome," Jennie smiled affectionately.

Lisa then stood up so suddenly and offered her hand to Jennie.

"Come on. Let's go," she said.

"What? Go where?" Jennie wondered but still put her hand on Lisa's. And a sea of tingling sensation came gushing over her the moment the soft tissues of their palms met.

"We can't just be sitting around inside a cozy cafe all day, discussing some maybe's and comparing our moms, when it's your first time here in Tongyeong," said Lisa and pulled Jennie up. "This is your first time in Tongyeong, is that correct?"

Jennie nodded.

"Yes. But, where are we supposed to be going?"

"Anywhere our feet and our curiosity will take us, I suppose?" Lisa answered with a laugh.

They stopped by the counter where the cashier was sitting so Lisa could pay their bill. Jennie insisted that she should pay but the cashier doesn't accept credit cards and Lisa had a handful of bills on her pocket. Plus, Lisa insisted.

"You have to let me pay next time, Lisa. I'm serious," said Jennie as they stepped out of the cafe and welcomed back again by the dry February air in Dongpirang Village.

A pack of tourists who passed by them could not help but took a glance at them both. Appreciation and admiration were visible on their eyes. Both Lisa and Jennie possessed undeniable beauty and characters that they're causing quite a stir and second glances.

"Does that mean there will be a next time?" Lisa asked. Again, oblivious to the attention she and Jennie were getting because she got her eyes set on Jennie.

"Of course. And you will let me pay when that happens. Deal?" Jennie answered.

Lisa grinned from ear to ear and nodded.

"Deal!" she said and took Jennie's hand again and holding it gently but tightly enough towards the main street that would take them outside the village.

Jennie's hand against hers was soft and warm and comfortable and everything nice, Lisa thought, as the chilly February air blew yet another cold breeze. They were striding past the quirky and colorful murals on the walls, which Lisa was gushing over, while Jennie's heart was beating synchronically with their every footsteps.

"Hey, Jennie," Lisa whispered all of a sudden. An idea have struck on her mind. "Do you, maybe, want to do an impromptu photoshoot?"

Jennie's face lit up curiously and laughed.

"What? As in here?" she asked. The spontaneity of Lisa have never ceased to surprise her.

"Here, there and everywhere!" Lisa answered, singing the last word with an off tune voice and laughed awkwardly, "That's a Beatles song, by the way."

"Oh my god, Lisa! You're such a dork sometimes!" Jennie said and pulled her hand away from Lisa's grip.

"So?" Lisa asked, frowning, looking at Jennie who was now walking ahead of her. She looked a little hurt and offended.

Jennie halted a few steps away from Lisa. She then turned around and looked at Lisa with a straightface.

"I love dorks," she said with a coy smile before resuming her steps, sauntering along the concrete pavement, leaving Lisa alone--immobile and smiling from ear to ear like an idiot.