Chapter 24

"So, where to, first?" Jennie asked.

They were walking into the depths of the old Hanok village of Ikseon, along the alleyways, passing by the old traditional houses that were turned into dessert cafès and trinket shops lining up beside the narrow cobbled streets.

Lisa's hand was holding Jennie's as they were walking side by side, their arms brushing against each other, their feet were in perfect sync.

"I thought maybe we could check the vintage store first before we explore the place," Lisa suggested. "What do you think?"

"Sounds cool," Jennie said and clung to Lisa's hand more.

The people, mostly were tourists, that they encountered along the way could not help but stare and take a second look at them. Especially at Lisa, Jennie noticed.

Lisa was towering the other women and Jennie by her ginormous height. Well, okay. Maybe not "ginormous", but Lisa was way taller than other women, herself included, that Jennie had to exaggerate Lisa's height. Plus the fact that Lisa didn't look Korean and Western at all, was grabbing the attention from the strangers that she and Jennie have encountered, mostly from the males. Perhaps they were wondering why Lisa was like a walking Barbie but not Barbie-ish at all. What with Lisa's thick winter fleece, a knitted scarf wrapped around her neck and an oversized beanie on her head. And the only part of her that was bare and exposed for anyone to see was half the portion of her face--from the nose up to the lower half of her bangs.

"They're looking at you, Lili," Jennie commented. She was teasing the nonchalant Lisa, who was oblivious of the attention that she was getting.

But Lisa thought otherwise. "Really? I thought they were looking at you," she said, laughing.

Because it was true. It wasn't like Lisa wasn't paying enough attention to the situation, but she seriously found it funny and fascinating that men and women were staring at Jennie. Some were even crude enough to point their mitten-covered fingers towards Jennie, scanning their curious eyes from Jennie's head to toe and made silent remarks about Jennie's overall being with their companions. None of them wasn't looking displeased, though. Which pleased Lisa.

"Perhaps they're wondering how on earth do we smell like barbecues and are audicious enough to strut it down here," Jennie said jokingly.

And it became clear to Lisa all of a sudden. She was wrong when she thought, back inside her car, that nobody ever pays attention to Jennie. Because Jennie, even while wearing something that wasn't showing her body line was grabbing attentions from left to right. And perhaps she was even more mistaken to think that nobody ever asked Jennie out, Lisa thought. Or had the courage to ask her out. Because Jennie was beautiful. Exquisitely and elegantly beautiful, no doubt about it, that everybody would love to pay attention to her. But there was something about Jennie beyond the beauty and sophistication that she possessed, Lisa thought, that made people look at her cautiously and hushed in whispers their opinions about how beautiful and intimidating Jennie was, in discreet. Jennie was something else.

Yes, Jennie was lacking in height, Lisa thought humorously. She's cute and petite and seemed like a little girl holding on to Lisa because she was afraid that she might get lost in an unfamiliar crowded alleyway. And there was also that irresistibly bright gummy smile of hers that would melt anybody's heart, Lisa's included. And those two qualities of Jennie made her cuddly, like a cute teddy bear.

But there was more to Jennie than that, Lisa realized as she looked at how Jennie was looking straight ahead, her mouth was forming between a relaxed smile, a knowing smirk and a curious pout. Those cat-like eyes were set to a half-squint and half-crescent, as if she was eyeing things with utmost curiosity and the way her eyes would lit whenever she saw something amusing made Jennie look like a little girl who wanted to discover the mysteries of the world. But still, Jennie's aura looked a little aloof and slightly haughty that it made her look like someone whom nobody wanted to mess up with, despite how small she was. Perhaps it had something to do with Jennie's chaebol upbringing, Lisa concluded.

"You know, if you keep staring at me like that, you might miss a step and we'll both stumble down, Lili," Jennie said with a smirk, disrupting Lisa's train of thoughts.

"Sorry," Lisa said with a shy smile, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I hope you're pleased with what you're looking at, though," Jennie said, turning her head to the left and raised it look at Lisa and asked teasingly, "Are you, Miss Manoban?"

"You're quite a mystery, aren't you?" Lisa asked amusely, instead of providing an answer to Jennie's question.

"Quite," Jennie agreed and smiled her gummy smile. "So, please stop staring at me while we're trying to navigate our way in this little village, Lili. Because I don't want you to miss a step and fall facedown," Jennie added.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry," Lisa apologized.

"Plus, you're melting me," Jennie whispered inaudibly, that Lisa had to asked, "What?"

"Your stares are melting me, Lili. I might miss a step and fall facedown eventually," Jennie said without looking at Lisa, but her mouth was twitching and curving into a sly smile.

Lisa laughed and raised their entwined hands and wrapped her arms around Jennie's shoulder, pulling Jennie's body closer to hers. Their fingers were still lacing intimately with each other.

"I'll catch you, anyway," Lisa said reassuringly and chuckled.

"You already did," Jennie replied and looked at Lisa before she noticed the glowing neon lights against the glass panel of a pink-painted exterior wall of a shop. "Oh! Is that the shop we're looking for?" she asked Lisa, pointing at the small shop, with vintage jackets and dresses hanging outside, beside the wooden white door.

"Yes. I think it is," Lisa replied immediately.

"Ah! It's so cute!" Jennie gushed while pointing at the neon lights that were outlining of what appeared to be an image of pink heads of two swans that were brought together to form a heart, in the center of the glass panel. Beneath it was a banner in purple neon light, with words in white light, written in bold letters that says: VINTAGEBONNIE, without a space between the letters 'e' and 'b'.

Lisa immediately fished her small handheld film camera from the pocket of her fleece and walked a couple of steps away from Jennie.

"Go on, make a pose. I'll take a picture of you," Lisa said encouragingly, getting her camera ready.

"Do you always have a camera on your pocket wherever you go?" Jennie wondered but did what Lisa told her, anyway. She stood beside the pink neon swans with a poker expression on her face.

"Yes. And aren't you going to smile for me?" Lisa asked, laughing.

"Lili, this is my happy face," Jennie said, pointing at the expression on her face that was anything but happy.

"Oookayyy. But I want to see the happier version, though," Lisa said and laughed.

Jennie smiled. The way she smiled at Lisa when they saw each other back in Tongyeong. Bright, excited, amused and unbothered.

Lisa released the shutter button immediately and captured the smiling Jennie on her most candid and raw version of a happy face.

"Why weren't you taking pictures back in the Seoseo, by the way?" Jennie asked when Lisa joined her as they head towards the entrance of the VINTAGEBONNIE.

"I was so hungry that my brain just stopped working back there and left the camera in the car, unfortunately," Lisa answered with a laugh and held Jennie's hand as they invited themselves inside the premise of the vintage shop.

"Have you been here before?" Jennie asked Lisa, as they looked at the vintage items that were being displayed on the shelves. She was particularly eyeing an old-fashioned silver ring.

"No. I only Googled this few days ago. After Chahee insisted that we should wear retro for tonight," Lisa explained and rolled her eyes.

Jennie laughed at Lisa's eye-rolling and asked, "So, what will you be wearing?" She was now wearing the ring on her finger. And proceeded to pick up another ring and put it on her other finger.

"I honestly have no idea. This kind of thing stresses me out, to be honest," Lisa replied with a slight exasperation. "What about you?"

"You know, I remember attending an 80's party back in college once. Madonna is the 'it' during the 80's era, so most of the girls were wearing a Madonna-inspired fashion. They looked super cool that I thought I was  a little misfit. Although nobody said it to my face," Jennie said and taking off the rings from her fingers and put it back to the tray where she picked it up moments ago.

"Why? What did you wear?" Lisa asked curiously.

"Cyndi Lauper. It was cute, though. With all the clips and bandana on my head," Jennie answered, laughing at the thought of how hilarious she must have looked like when she imitated Cyndi. "So, I thought I would like to wear something classy tonight because I've already outgrown the hairclips," she continued thoughtfully.

"Like, Grace Kelly?" Lisa asked. Grace Kelly was the first person that she could think of.

"I was thinking of Audrey Hepburn, actually. You know, Breakfast At Tiffany type?" Jennie said and walked over to where the shop attendant was at, dragging Lisa by the hand as she did so. "Excuse me. Do you have The Little Black Dress?" she asked the female attendant that looked younger than her or Lisa but was definitely a looker in her own right.

"Do you mean the dress that Hep--," the girl attendant answered cheerfully but stopped midway when her eyes landed on Lisa, who was curiously eyeing a particular rack beside her, "--burn...was famous for?"

"Yes," Jennie answered.

"Do you have a red suit?" Lisa also asked while scanning the pieces of clothing that were hanging neatly and orderly on a rack beside her. "And a pair of red suede shoes, also?"

"Uhm, n-no. Sorry. B-but I can call another s-shop who h-has t-them, if y-you li...like m-me," the girl was stammering while speaking and couldn't keep her eyes away from Lisa. "I mean, if...if you like me to call another shop and ask for the things that you're looking for," she clarified after she cleared her throat. She even ditched the magazine with Emma Watson on the cover that she was reading and completely turned her focus on Lisa. Totally forgetting about Jennie and Audrey Hepburn.

Jennie, who understood completely what the girl was going through at the moment, rolled her eyes and made an annoyed tut-ting sound. There was an unfamiliar acid-like bubble forming at the bottom pit of her stomach that doesn't have to do with the galbi jjim. She then possessively snaked her arm around Lisa's arm and pulled the tall blond closer to her, away from the girl attendant who was obviously crushing on her Lili.

"What's up with the suit and suede shoes?" Jennie asked Lisa, subtly sending the girl a message that Lisa was not someone that the girl should ogle at. Especially right in front of her. The nerve!

"It just hit on me, actually. I thought I'd like to represent David Bowie tonight--,"

"I love David Bowie!" the girl interjected in a loud, excited voice, which made Lisa to look at her direction and nodded, said, "Yeah, okay," and smiled awkwardly which made the girl giggle for no reason. And which irritated Jennie even more. The acidic bubble on her stomach just shot up towards her throat. Jealousy was forming on her mouth.

"Plus, it's Valentine's. So, I think wearing red would be fitting for the occassion," Lisa continued, oblivious to the tension that was slowly building between Jennie and the girl.

"That's an absolutely brilliant idea!" the girl attendant said, beating Jennie from telling Lisa the same thing.

Jennie also wanted to ask Lisa if she wanted a tight suit or a loose one and tell the girl that red was Lisa's favorite color. And that she knew about it because Lisa told her. She was close to telling the girl that she should just shut her mouth for her own good. But instead...

"Excuse me?" Jennie interrupted snarkily. "We," she pointed herself and Lisa "are having a conversation here. Do you mind?" She already had enough of the girl's persistent effort to impress Lisa.

"Yes! I mean, no. No, of course. I'm sorry," the attendant said and looked at Lisa apologetically.

"Thank you," Jennie said curtly, as she watched the girl attendant retreating despondently back to her station and to Emma Watson, while still shooting furtive looks to Lisa. Jennie rolled her eyes for the second time.

"This is not what I expected. We came all the way here but couldn't find what we're looking for. I'm so sorry for dragging you here, Nini," Lisa said, sounding disappointed and looking apologetic to Jennie.

"No, it's okay. I'm glad you brought me here. Besides, it's still 4 PM, Lili. We still have a lot of time to find a dress for me and a suit for you," Jennie said.

"So, where do we go from here?" asked Lisa.

"How about we go to my favorite store?" Jennie suggested.

"Does your favorite store offer a variety of retro stuff?" asked Lisa.

"They most definitely do. I'm sure we can find something interesting there," Jennie suggested. "What do you think?"

Lisa checked her watch for the time, contemplated a little and nodded eventually.

"Okay, let's go," she said and made a customary polite bow to the girl attendant and said thank you.

Jennie clasped her fingers around Lisa's wrist and dragged them both away from the girl's station and led them both outside the VINTAGEBONNIE. They were welcomed with the icy air and a little rain.

The cold, frosty air blew as they retrace their navigation back to the main entrance of the village, towards where Lisa's car was parked. And Jennie's fingers were still clasped around Lisa's wrist, holding Lisa a little too tightly, as if she was afraid that Lisa might be dragged away from her by the surge of people walking from the opposite direction.

And when they reached Lisa's car and both of them were settled comfortably inside, Jennie couldn't stop herself anymore.

"She's into you," Jennie blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Who?" Lisa asked as she maneuvered her Impala away from Ikseon towards Seochu-go.

"The girl at VINTAGEBONNIE," Jennie replied, tasting the acid bubble on her mouth, her words plunging on the acridity of it.

Lisa stifled a laughter and looked at Jennie sideways. There was a hint of chaffing at the way her laughter sounded and the way her eyes lit up.

"Are you jealous?" Lisa asked, a mischievous grin was spreading on her face.

"Of course, not," Jennie responded quickly.

"Is that why you were so keen to leave VINTAGEBONNIE? Because you're jealous? I thought you said the place looked cute," Lisa prodded on.

"I said the neon swan was cute, not the entire shop. And I was keen to leave because I don't want to waste any more time in there," Jennie said. "I wasn't jealous. Why would I even?" she added acrimonously.

"Exactly," Lisa said. "Why would you be jealous when we're not in a relationship and the attendant was just doing her job by being extra-friendly towards me?"

"Okay, first of all: Just because we're not in a relationship, Lisa, doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be jealous. Not that I am right now," Jennie said scathingly. "And second: She was ogling at you with her mouth wide open like an overexcited chimpanz--,"

Jennie stopped talking when she heard Lisa bursting with her loud barky laugh that echoed throughout the interior of the car.

"I hate you," Jennie said in a mopey voice and crossed her arms across her chest after she realized what she just said, which made Lisa laughed even louder.

"Aigoo! Look at the cute baby acting like she was totally not jealous at all," Lisa said in her aegyo voice, even teasingly pinching Jennie's left cheek. "What a baby!"

"I really hate you right now," Jennie reiterated with a pout and dusted Lisa's hand off her cheek. Her eyes were deadset on looking anything but at Lisa.

Lisa laughed even louder and quickly planted a sloppy kiss on Jennie's side of the face, while the red light was still on.

"Did somebody ever told you you're extra cute when you're being sulky like that?" Lisa quipped.

"No," Jennie answered curtly. But a faint smile was already visible at the corner of her mouth.

"Well, I just did," Lisa said haughtily but in good humor.

"I still hate you," said Jennie, but she was now beaming.

"If hate is the new like, then okay. I hate you, too," Lisa responded.

"Please stop acting cute, Lisa-ssi," Jennie said, with emphasis on the suffix, and pinched a portion of Lisa's right cheek.

"'Lisa-ssi'?" Lisa repeated the honorific that Jennie used on her. "Ya! Jennie-ya!" she yelled with mockery as a retaliation.

"Oh my god, stop it!" Jennie said, laughing and spotted something outside Lisa's window. "Oh, please pull over, Lili. We're here already!" she said, excitedly pointing at the store that bore an expensive monogram logo that Lisa knew about.

"So, you're favorite store is Chanel?" Lisa asked as she pulled over at the curb. "Typical," she added in jest.

"The manager and I are friends," Jennie said, as if it would somehow explain why her favorite brand of clothing was Chanel.

"Okay. But before we go in there and get lost in the extravagance and luxury of everything inside, I think we need to talk first," Lisa said, stopping Jennie from opening the door beside her.

"About what?" Jennie asked with a confused look.

"You can't pay my bill, Jennie. I'm serious. I can't let you. I won't let you."

"Lisa, what bill are you talking about? We're just going to borrow whatever pieces we would choose inside," Jennie said.

Lisa blinked twice, looking dumbfounded, and asked, "Is that possible?"

"No," Jennie answered. "But I'm friends with the owner. So it makes it possible for us to borrow something from them today," she said.

"O...kay. But, what do you mean you're friends with the owner?" Lisa asked out of curiosity.

"It means I'm friends with the Wertheimer's. They're a family friend, actually," Jennie said with a wink. "Now, let's go, Lili. We don't want to be late for the party," she continued and finally opened the door beside her, leaving Lisa dumbstruck.

If Jennie was friends with the Chanel owner, then it only means that Jennie's chaebol life was THE chaebol life, Lisa thought to herself. Maybe Chahee was right when she said that perhaps Jennie owns a closet of full of Chanels, after all.

They went out of the car and made their way towards the plush entrance of the store. Where they were greeted in a rather squeaky voice of a small man in an elegant white suit. His hair was parted in the middle and he was wearing a handlebar mustache that was obviously brushed constantly because it looked sleek and well-trimmed.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Jennie! What a pleasure, as always," the small man bowed courteously and greeted Jennie in French. "Are you here to check the new arrivals? You will love the latest winter collection!"

"Bonjour, Monsieur Gustav," Jennie greeted the man back in steady French and they touched their cheeks and exchanged pleasantries in rapid French and Lisa couldn't understand all of it because her French was limited to the common phrases only. She suddenly felt hot in the face when she remembered how she "lectured" Jennie about French culture back in her studio this morning.

Lisa looked around the brightly-lit expensive boutique and noticed the number of people, mostly were women, trying to find the perfect Chanel item for them. All were looking highly-fashionable and with exquisite taste. Like Jennie. Lisa thought she finally had the opportunity of watching a preview of what Jennie's world would be like. Or maybe a part of it, especially now that she knew that Jennie was a regular in this expensive store, based on how Jennie and Gustav exchange conversations.

"Merci beaucoup. But, no. I'm with my friend, by the way. Lili, this is Monsieur Gustav, the store manager. Monsieur Gustav, this is my special friend, Lisa," Jennie said and Lisa and Gustav exchanged polite bows. "Lisa and I need something to wear for an 80's party tonight."

"Ah, oui. Bien sûr," Gustav nodded knowingly and turned his attention to Lisa. "Your friend is model-material, Mademoiselle Jennie. Tall, slender, beau," he said after he assessed Lisa's overall being by scanning his small eyes from Lisa's hair to Lisa's boots and after he pivoted around Lisa, before he settled on staring scrutinizingly on Lisa's face. "Your face could launch a thousand prints and billboards, Mademoiselle Lisa."

"Oh, merci beaucoup. But, no. I'd rather be behind the spotlight," Lisa said and laughed awkwardly. She had never been put under an awkward spot before, with a French man almost half her height, scanning and assessing her like she was a piece of sculpture on a gallery. Good thing she still remember a little of her French, though.

"As expected from a friend of Mademoiselle Jennie," Gustav said, sounding and looking slightly disappointed that Lisa said no to him. "So, what do you have, belles, in mind? Any specific inspiration? Kate Moss? Cindy Crawford? Claudia Schiffer?" he asked and enumerated three of the famous fashion icons back in the days, sounding businesslike all of a sudden.

"I'm thinking of Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast At Tiffany's style, Monsieur Gustav. Simple, yet elegant and classy," Jennie said.

Lisa realized that Jennie was used to this, with how Jennie sounded so sure and knowingly about what she specifically wants with her dress. And Lisa had a funny feeling that Monsieur Gustav and Jennie would discuss about haute couture and the endless posibilities of a fashion innovation if she wasn't there and if they weren't on a tight schedule.

"Oui. The Little Black Dress. And a set of pearls to compliment the elegance of the velvet black dress, yes," Gustav agreed, looking impressed by Jennie's taste and then turned to Lisa and asked, "What about you, Mademoiselle Lisa? Any specifics?"

And Lisa knew exactly what she had in mind.

"Do you have a red suit and a pair of red suede shoes?" Lisa asked Gustav.

"I know what you have in mind, chèri. Mon Bowie in The Glass Spider Tour, 1987. Loose red trouser suit and a beautiful pair of red suede shoes. But, in your case, a five-inch red stilleto would be more fitting," Gustav said.

"Exactly. Wow, you're good!" Lisa said in awe, impressed by Gustav's fashion knowledge.

"Of course, I am, mon chèri. Chanel would never ever settle for mediocrity. The mademoiselle knows that, of course," Gustav said and gestured Jennie. "Besides, David Bowie is a fashion icon and a hero of mine. He loved the gay community so much we all want to cannonize him as the Holy Patron Saint For The Queers," Gustav added and winked at Lisa before he turned and asked Jennie, "Did you bring your stylist, Mademoiselle Jennie?"

"Oh, no, Monsieur Gustav. Lisa and I will manage," Jennie replied.

"Non, non. In that case, Felicia will do the honors of dressing the two of you up," Gustav said, shaking his head and looking aghast at the idea of a no-personal stylist philosophy when dressing up for a party, and summoned a forty-ish petite woman in black cardigans, whom Lisa could only assume was Felicia.

"Felicia will make sure that both of you will be the stars of the party tonight. You know what to do, chèri," Gustav told Felicia before he left them to attend to a newly-arrived client.

The woman named Felicia nodded and bowed to the both of them. Jennie then exchanged kisses with Felicia on both cheeks.

"Lisa, this is Felicia. She's a designer, a stylist and a very good friend of mine," Jennie told Lisa and turned to Felicia, "Feli, this is my special friend, Lisa. I want you to make her the prettiest Bowie tonight."

"Hello, Felicia! It's a pleasure to meet you," Lisa greeted Felicia and bowed before the older woman, who had smooth olive skin and a hair as black as the midnight sky.

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Lisa," Felicia said pleasantly with a friendly smile, showing off her set of small white teeth to Lisa. "Do you want to try modeling? You have the looks and the build of a supermodel, in my opinion."

Lisa laughed and shook her head. She thought it was funny how it sounded funnier when hearing it for the second time in less than fifteen minutes, the idea of her being a model.

"Uhm, thank you. But, I'm not interested. You can hire me as a photographer, instead. That's what I do," Lisa quipped.

"Lisa is a great photographer, Feli. You should see her works. They're all beautiful," Jennie said, looking proudly and affectionately at Lisa.

"I'm sure she does, Miss Jennie," Felicia said and looked Lisa in the eyes. "You have keen eyes for details, I can see that. But I still think you could become a great model, Miss Lisa."

"Why don't we just allow Lisa to do what she loves to do, Feli, and not force our opinion about her on her?" Jennie said rather sternly, saving Lisa from Felicia's persistent possible-modeling-career pressure.

"Of course. My apologies, Miss Lisa," Felicia said and smiled apologetically to Lisa, which Lisa responded with a smile. "So, how was the tour on the House of Chanel, by the way, Miss Jennie?" Felicia then asked Jennie

"It was beautiful, Feli. I've been there a couple of times already in the past, but it still felt like the first time. Coco Chanel was so beautiful in that painting and they gave me a big bouquet of flowers as a compliment. It was surreal," Jennie answered. "Anyway, shall we start? Lisa and I have a party to catch at--,"

"Eight," Lisa offered after she realized that she haven't told Jennie about what time the party at the Orange would start.

"Of course, of course. Let's go this way, then," Felicia said and led them to a white door on her left.

"Are you ready?" Jennie asked Lisa as they followed Felicia's wake, walking hand in hand, their fingers interlacing.

"No. And I have, like, a hundred questions in my mind right now," Lisa said.

"I know. I will try to answer all of that later, Mademoiselle Manoban," Jennie said with a wink, before they entered a large room with rows and rows of high fashion clothes and a large mirror for a wall.