Chapter 20

"Hi!" Lisa said breathlessly and waved her hand and greeted Jennie. Although she wasn't sure if Jennie could hear her from the inside.

Jennie quickly put her phone away and rolled her window down. Lisa was greeted with the familiar scent of strawberry and spring and Jennie's gummy smile. Bright, warm and jovial. She missed that. It's been a week.

"Hi!" Jennie said sunnily, despite the gray skies and cold weather, and casually leaned her body on the window chrome.

Lisa had to stoop lower and hunched her back to accomodate the height difference between her and Jennie's car window. She could almost smell the delicious, expensive smell of  Jennie's shampoo.

"Hey! How did you--I mean, what are you doing here?" Lisa asked, mentally cursing herself because she couldn't wipe that stupid, wide grin off her face.

"Three things, actually. But first, I want to ask you about something," Jennie said with a serious face.

"Oh," Lisa muttered, taken aback by Jennie's seriousness. "Maybe we should talk about it inside? I mean, it's freezing in here," Lisa suggested and gestured the front door of her studio.

"Oh, yeah. Sure. I'm sorry," Jennie said and rolled her window up, grabbed her things from the backseat and stepped out from her car.

Lisa instinctively placed her palm on Jennie's lower back. Jennie did the same. They then walked together towards the front door that was made of wood and square glass panels, where a "CLOSE" sign was hanging from the inside.

"Just a second," Lisa mumbled as she fished her keys inside the deep pocket of her jacket.

Jennie was welcomed with a comfortable, warm scent of Lisa's studio when Lisa had finally pushed the door open. The door chime made a tingling sound that cut through the homey silence of Lisa's studio's receiving area.

"Come on in," Lisa said and stood beside the door frame to let Jennie walked in first.

Jennie walked in and looked around. The room wasn't spacious but enough to accomadate at least ten people.

The ceiling was somewhat low and bare, painted with midnight black and on its surface was a seemingly endless aesthetically-designed crisscross of electrical moldings. Light fixtures were placed strategically, emitting dim and low lights, their beams pointing directly at the framed photographs being hung on the walls on the either side of the receiving area. Like a mini-gallery of some sort.

A set of unmatched sitting chairs were situated on the left side of the room. A Compass square ottoman was placed in the middle of it and above it was a black book with the word "EVIDENCE" written across it. Beneath the furnitures was a round African carpet spread across the wood-designed vinyl floorboard, claiming half of the floor area. And across the furniture set was a small counter made of glossed waferboards and beside it was a built-in shelf that carries books about photography, including Bill Burke's I Want To Take A Picture, a small leafy plant inside a small white vase and some other trinkets from Lisa's travels.

"Can I look around?" Jennie asked, pointing at the framed photographs on the wall.

Lisa nodded and said, "Yeah, of course!" looking slightly anxious but still managed to put a smile on her face.

She was tailing on Jennie's wake, standing just about a convenient distance behind Jennie, towering over the petite figure, as Jennie started with the first picture nearest to her.

"She's beautiful!" Jennie gasped in awe as she was staring at the black-and-white close-up photograph of a beautiful Gypsy woman. Her large, dark eyes were staring intently at the lens. Her hair was long and wavy and a set of hoop earrings were hanging on her both ears.

"That's, uh," Lisa started and cleared her throat and said, "Thank you."

Lisa suddenly felt awkward and conscious. She suddenly realized that it was the first time that she and Jennie were standing in an enclosed room together. The strawberry scent on Jennie seemed to emit a stronger fume that it made Lisa anxious about the approximate distance between the two of them.

"Where did you take this?" Jennie asked, oblivious of the fact that Lisa was starting to feel uncomfortable and edgy behind her.

"In Paris, actually. Two years ago. She's a Romani Gypsy, asking for money from people along Rue de Seine. I had to give her ten euros just so she would allow me to take a snap of her," Lisa answered.

"Was it safe to do this? I mean, they're not violent people, are they?" Jennie asked. She have read stuff about Gypsies and how they were good at swindling money from people.

Lisa stifled a laughter and asked, "Have you been to Paris, Jennie?"

"Actually, I just came home from Paris yesterday. My mother asked me to attend an event on her behalf," Jennie answered.

Lisa thought that that sort of explained Jennie's weary look. The result of the long travel must have crept in on Jennie's petite body. And yet, Jennie was here on her studio, instead of taking a rest after a long flight

"And you haven't been bothered by beggars on the Parisian streets, have you?" Lisa inquired with a half-amused look written all over her face.

Of course, Jennie wouldn't have experienced being approached by strangers on the Parisian streets, asking for money or anything that they could benefit with. She's a chaebol. They don't strut along the crowded Parisian streets wearing their luxuries on their sleeves and being bombarded by Romani Gypsies.

"To be honest, no. I haven't," Jennie answered. She didn't sound proud and haughty. If anything, she felt embarrassed for admitting how secured and sheltered her life is in front of Lisa. She didn't want Lisa to look at her differently.

"Figures," Lisa said kindly and smiled. "They're everywhere on the streets, actually. Not just Gypsies, but also refugees from war-torn countries."

"And they're allowed to beg for money? Publicly, in broad daylight?"

"Begging in Paris is legal, Jennie. At least, that's what I've read. So, yes. I guess, they're allowed," Lisa answered with a shrug. "Anyway, what was it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, yes," Jennie said and dug her hand on the pocket of her plaid overcoat. And when Jennie's hand came back to the surface, it was already holding a Polaroid picture.

Jennie raised it and showed it to Lisa. It was the Polaroid picture of them together while they were standing at a thousand feet high from the ground in Mireuksan Mountain. The Tongyeong harbor was behind them, looking meek and shadowy.

Under the squared photograph was Lisa's scrappy handwritting that says, "Proud of you!" with a tiny heart, lopsided on the upper right, scribbled beside the exclamation point.

"I want to ask you about this," Jennie started.

Lisa was already mentally preparing a logical explanation about why she had to draw a small heart beside the exclamation point. Or why she had to write the words that she had written on the Polariod and put a small heart on it. Maybe she just have to say that it was done as an afterthought, for artistic effects or whatever. That she should have put a smiley on it, rather than a heart, but a heart was more artistic than a smiley. Because she was sure that those were what Jennie wanted to ask about. Because what else could it be?

"I found this inside my pocket when I got home that night," Jennie said, holding the Polaroid between her fingers.

Lisa could not help but grin stupidly, despite of herself. She was staring at the Jennie on the Polaroid. Frightened, a muss, clearly not ready for the camera but still managed to look refined and composed. And breathtakingly beautiful, with her jet black hair looking awry and unkempt.

"What about it?" Lisa asked casually, despite the hard hammering of her against the hollows of her chest.

"I was wondering all week about how and when did you manage to slip this inside my pocket without me knowing?" Jennie asked.

"Oh." Lisa sighed with relief. "During when we were walking inside the Orange, with Jisoo. I was walking behind you back there, remember?"

"But why do it in stealth? Why not give it to me directly so I could put it inside my bag? I could've lost this at the laundry," Jennie inquired with a pout.

"Yes, I could have. But where's the fun in that?" Lisa said and grinned. "You were meant to find it that way, actually."

Jennie laughed and rolled her eyes, shook her head and said, "You're really a dork, you know that?"

"Yeah. But you love dorks, though, you said," Lisa ribbed and followed Jennie as she moved on to the next framed photograph. This time, it was a colored photograph of a Japanese woman, wearing a red Kimono.

"Just one dork, actually," Jennie mumbled in a very low voice, almost talking to herself, while getting lost at Lisa's masterpiece.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. You were saying?" Lisa asked, moving closer towards Jennie so she could catch every word that Jennie would say.

"Nothing," Jennie said with a sly smile and swerved her body so suddenly to face Lisa that both of them had to jump a little away from each other as quickly as they both could.

"Sorry," they both said at the same time, looking at anything but at each other's eyes.

"So, this is, like, uh," Jennie stuttered a little after she recovered herself and cleared her throat, "the receiving area, right?" she asked. Her cheeks were all flushy. Her pulse was racing like the hoaves of a horse on a race track. That was close, she mentally screamed to herself. So close that she could feel Lisa's warm breath fanning on her face already.

"Uh, yes. Uhm, that is where, uh, the transactions are, you know, mostly done," Lisa said, pointing at the waferboard counter at the corner.

Lisa wouldn't be surprise at all if her heart would suddenly pop out open and hit the brick wall because of how violent it was beating painfully inside her body. That was friggin' close! So close that she could even count the tiny freckles on Jennie's nose.

"I see," Jennie breathed, her face was crimson red, and turned her gaze towards the little leafy plant on tge shelf, as if it suddenly piqued her whole interest.

"Hey, Jennie? Would you, uhm, like to take a seat so I can get you a...a cup of coffee or anything?" Lisa asked Jennie and gestured at the unmatched pieces of cushioned furnitures to ease the tension between them, and so that she could calm her nerves. She needed to calm her nerves.

"Lisa, I've told you a while ago that I'm here for three reasons, haven't I?" Jennie said and started to walk closer towards Lisa, who was unintentionally but instinctively backing away as her initial reaction to Jennie's advancing. "First, was because I wanted to ask you about the Polaroid that you slipped inside my pocket..."

"Uh-huh?" Lisa could only mumble, because Jennie was inching closer and closer and all the right words have already left her brain and made her unable to think clearly and coherently.

"And the second reason why I'm here is because..."

Why did Jennie's voice have to be seductively low and lazy, all of a sudden, Lisa wondered vaguely. And why did Jennie have to walk so slowly towards Lisa when she could just stay stationary so that they could talk normally, Lisa was internally asking herself. At least, she would't have to back away. She didn't even know why she was backing away. What. On. Earth?

"I would like to see your actual studio, Lisa," Jennie said, dropping all the seductive, lazy tone on her voice and went back to her usual self. "Can I?"

"Well, I...what?? Why?"

But Jennie could only answer with a lazy shrug and a pleading look on her pretty face, like a cute kitten asking for a rub under her chin.

"I don't usually allow, you know, non-clients to...to wander inside the studio, to be honest," Lisa hesistated, her head was spinning mildly. "But I guess I have to just bend that, uh, one rule today and..."

"Oh, you don't have to. I'm here for that photoshoot you promised me in Dongpirang," Jennie said casually.

"What?!" Lisa said abruptly, earning her a raised brow from Jennie.

"You said you'd keep your studio on standby in case I drop in and--,"

"Yes. Yes, I remember what I said. It's just that--,"

"Are you keeping a lover inside your studio, Lisa?" Jennie asked, her eyes were squinted.

"What? No!" Lisa said abruptly, as if the thought of her keeping a lover was offending her sensibilities. "No. Of course, not. I don't even have a...a lover."

"Good," Jennie said, beaming.

"Good that I'm not keeping a lover inside my studio? Or good that I don't have a lover, period?"

"Both, I guess. So, can we go to your studio now? Please?" Jennie asked in her aegyo voice.

Lisa finally realized what Jennie was trying to do. The spoiled chaebol in Jennie was jumping out and showing off in front of her. Using the chaebol magic or whatever that was that would make the likes of Jennie to get whatever they want. And it was working.

"You're quite the persuader, aren't you?" Lisa said in a jest, a hint of laughter was showing on her face.

"And irresistible, too. So, you better be careful when you're around me, Lisa. I'm quite the charmer when I want to," Jennie said with a satisfactied half-smirk grin on her face and sashayed towards the gray door, where the word "STUDIO" was printed in bold letters.

Lisa just shook her head as she watched Jennie pushing the door of her studio open, envading the last of her forts that haven't yet been invaded by Jennie's sweet strawberry and spring scents.

She then hastily sent a message to her secretary to specifically cancel all appointments for the day and re-schedule everything to the clients' convenience instead, because she had to deal with a very important client.

"I didn't know we had a VIP for a client? The only VIP I know is Miss Doona and she's your teacher," her secretary replied via text.

Lisa knew it was bad for business. But there was no way she would let the opportunity to do a photoshoot with Jennie to just slip by. She just had to do it. Besides, she missed Jennie. It had been a difficult week for her.  What with Chaeyoung not talking to her and Jennie being M.I.A.

"Just do as I say, alright? Talk to you later," Lisa typed and sent the message.

When Lisa followed Jennie inside the studio, she found the latter standing in the middle of the studio set-up. Jennie was looking with interest and curiosity at the bright LED light from the softbox. A contradiction of red in the middle of the blinding white lights, looking ghostly and glowing.

Lisa silently maneuvered her way towards where her camera was. She picked it up, turned it on and adjusted the settings manually to accomodate the darkness inside the studio and the bright white light from the softboxes.

She took a candid snap of Jennie. Twice, thrice, four times. Until Jennie shifted and looked directly at Lisa's lens, raising her brows, as if asking what Lisa was doing. The sound of the shutter apparently pulled Jennie away from her reverie.

"Sorry, I coudn't help it. You look like a vivid contrast against the blinding white light, it was so candid and beautiful," Lisa explained. "And that's a softbox you were staring at, by the way," Lisa said as she casually stride towards the set-up.

"This is so cool," Jennie said, looking at the equipments around her.

"The softbox?" Lisa asked quizzically.

"Everything," Jennie answered earnestly. "So, this is where you spend most of your time, then?"

"Mostly, yes. Here, and in the dark room. When I'm done for the day, that is. That's where I develop and process films," Lisa answered and went around her studio equipments to do some quick adjustments. "Are you ready?" she then asked Jennie.

"Do I have to change or anything?" Jennie asked.

Lisa took a step backward to assess Jennie's overall look. So, this explained why Jennie was wearing a long Bohemian skirt on a winter, Lisa thought. Jennie was prepping up for a photoshoot, apparently. Red turtle neck, long Bohemian skirt and black leather boots, under the gray plaid overcoat. Jennie has got style, Lisa thought.

"No. You look great. Red suits you," Lisa said and positioned herself in a suitable distance away from Jennie.

Lisa stood with her long feet apart. Her left foot took a huge leap forward, while her right took a step backward, carrying her body weight. Her body was facing sideward. She squatted a little to accommodate Jennie and their height difference and held her camera ready. Her left eye was shut closed, while her right eye was looking at the viewfinder. Her index finger was waiting for the right moment to release the shutter.

Jennie nodded with a smile and said, "Alright. Let's do it, then. Just tell me what to do."

The photo session went for about an hour. Lisa asked Jennie to move as naturally as possible. Lisa, the photographer, was all serious and a perfectionist when she's doing her stuff, Jennie soon realized, as she was receiving instructions from Lisa, left and right. She was told how to tilt her head, how to dilate her irises, how to form her mouth. Among all other things to get the right angles and the perfect shots

Lisa wanted everything to be perfect, that she would ask and demand, even, that Jennie would do things exactly as how Lisa would envision a shot should be. She was strict and focused and a visionary and she wouldn't settle for anything less.

Like when they did a close-up shot wherein Lisa specifically asked Jennie to take off her plaid overcoat and pinch the side of her lower lip between her index and thumb fingers and held it a little forward, as if Jennie was pulling it.

"Like this?" Jennie asked, holding a portion of her lip between her fingers stiffly.

Lisa shook her head behind her camera and said, "No. Hold it gently and pull it just a little. But not too tightly because your hands would tensed up and the camera will catch it. I don't want you to look like you're being forced to pinch your lip."

Jennie did as she was told but the perfectionist Lisa was still uncontented and unconvinced.

"Jennie, how about you do it but looking like you're teasing someone? Like, do something with your eyes, for instance?" Lisa suggested.

"Teasing, how?" Jennie asked.

"Teasing, as in you arouse some weird feelings inside them? Like, do it in a sexy way but just use your eyes expressively in a way that says you're trying to tease them," Lisa said, and moved herself closer to where Jennie was standing and aimed her camera just a mere foot away from Jennie's face.

Jennie let out a long breath and did exactly as she was told. But this time, she made sure to work with her eyes while her fingers was working with her lower lip.

"Like this?" she asked in a lazy, low voice, staring at Lisa with those feisty but seductive cat-like eyes of hers.

The effect hit Lisa in an instant as though she was hit straight in the face with a large pillow on a stupid pillow fight during a stupid slumber party.

She suddenly lost her balance and the ability to speak and to breath normally. A sudden jolty feeling shot her like an arrow that lingers just a couple of second or so and disappeared in a jiffy. Her pulse was racing and her mouth suddenly became dry.

"Lisa?" Jennie called, which pulled Lisa back to earth.

"Uhm," Lisa cleared her throat, "Yeah. Yes, that's...yes, hold it still," she said and pressed the shutter button down, despite the shaking of her hands.

And when it was over, she called it a halt and said, "And, we're done!" with a bright smile painted on her face, that could only mean that she was more than satisfied. Although, the effect of what Jennie did just a moment ago was still there.

"Thank God!" Jennie responded with a groan and stepped away from the bright LED lights and asked, "How did I fair?"

"You did great," Lisa answered earnestly. "Sorry if I made it hard for you," she said.

"No, you didn't. It was fun, actually. Exhausting, yes. But fun, overall," Jennie replied.

"Are you hungry? Or would you want a cup of coffee or anything?" Lisa then asked after tucking away her camera inside its bag and securing the film inside it.

"Why? Are you taking me out?" Jennie asked jokingly as they stepped outside the studio.

"Just upstairs. That's where I live, actually," Lisa said after she turned the lights off inside the studio and locked the door.

"Really?" asked Jennie with a disbelief look on her face.

Lisa chuckled and said, "Yes, really. How is that so unbelievable? Anyway, shall we?" she asked and gestured the front door.

Jennie nodded and said, "Okay. Let's go, then."

Lisa then led Jennie outside the front door and toward the brass staircase at the right side of the three-storey building.

"By the way, are you allergic to cats?" Lisa turned and suddenly asked Jennie who was behind her. They were climbing, midway, the brass stairway towards the second floor.

"Why? Do you have a cat?" Jennie asked.

"Two, actually," Lisa said as she pulled the door open after she provided her door security password on the little device attached beside the door jamb.