Breathe | Jensoo

"Darling, how do I look?"

"Hm?" Jennie tore her attention away from the papers on her desk to look over her shoulder. He was standing in front of the mirror in his new tux with his arms open and a big smile on his face -- he always brightened up when it came to business trips, sadly more than he did when it came to her.

She wished she could share some of this happiness, but even if she couldn't find it in her, she wouldn't let it show. It might ruin his mood.

She took off her spectacles and smiled, "You look great, happy."

"Yeah?" He beamed, straightening out his sleeves as he strode purposefully over. "That's because," he bent down and kissed the crown of her head, "you make me happy."

She stood and leant against her desk, before reaching out to adjust his collar and tie.

"There, all set," she patted his shoulders and ran her hands gently down his arms to intertwine their fingers. He was tall, handsome, and charming, and he was eyeing her with that adoration she had always associated with happily-ever-after.

But was he hers to love? For how long could she look past his flaws?

A sigh escaped her lips unintentionally.

Thankfully, he took it the wrong way, "Aww darling, I'll be back before you know it, and I'll miss you everyday till then."

Not wanting to upset him, she smiled back, "I'll miss you too."

The wash of relief as she closed the front door after him made her feel like a sinner. A cheat. How ironic.

Deep inside, she acknowledged the fact that she should be talking to him about this... situation. Confronting him, even. But the fear of repercussions was too much to handle, a hurdle she had not been able to leap across.

Refusing to dwell on it anymore, she put her spectacles back on and returned to her homework: reviewing her patients' cases.

She penned down a couple of points on the paper she was reading before closing the folder and setting it aside. Then, she reached for the next few folders in the stack. They were different shades of faded yellow with worn edges, and in fact they were cases already closed from a long time ago, when she had just graduated from medical school and joined the pediatric psychiatry department at a large public hospital situated a stone's throw away from the national police headquarters -- Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

She had brought these files home for study because they contained mentions of a particular 'Jisoo'. She opened the first folder and began reading, memories replaying vaguely in her mind's eye.

"Games Day was so much fun!" An 8-year-old boy diagnosed with early stage leukemia exclaimed, bouncing on the recliner.

"Well, well, look who made it in the end!" Jennie laughed, and gently combed his thinning crop of hair, "Did you win?"

"Yeah!" He pumped both fists in the air like a champion, "Jisoo unnie was so awesome!"

"Jisoo unnie?"

"Yeah! She's really cool, she's a policewoman!" His eyes lit up with an unprecedented amount of joy.

"Is she Daddy's friend?"

At that question, the spark dimmed a little and he lowered his hands, his big grin shrinking into a small smile, "No, she's not Daddy's friend. I think he doesn't like her too much. B-but I like her! She does magic for us in the wards on some Fridays, and she's like, my best friend for now!"

"I see! Jisoo unnie sounds like a very good friend indeed," Jennie chuckled as he nodded eagerly in response. "And um, where was Daddy?"

His eyes dodged. He scratched his forearm with one hand while the other played with the hem of his shirt, "Daddy couldn't make it."