『JenSoo Short Stories』 - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Winter
Jennie is an overthinker. Jennie spent all morning deciding whether to wear the blue blouse or the green sweater. She contemplated too long on which shirt would make her look effortlessly casual and after much internal debate, she settled on the blue. As she walked out of her apartment, it just felt wrong so she turned back to change into the green sweater. She's behind schedule now but she feels better in green so it was worth it.
Hi, I'm Jennie, the internal monologue rushes her along the street.
It's a beautiful day isn't it. I'm sure you hear this all the time, but your produce stand is by far the best one at this market.
Jennie repeats the mantra repeatedly as her feet pull her towards the market by the water. The breeze picks up and the words fly around as she struggles to keep them contained on her tongue.
Jennie is late to the market as a result of the agonizing shirt decision. Her favorite (popular) produce stand is out of the Cara Cara oranges and she wonders if the green shirt was worth missing out. She's never this late to the market and everything good has been claimed and off to their next destinations including Jennie's favorite cashier, Jisoo. She glances around the stall and rocks on her heels.
"Can I help you find anything today?" Jennie is motioned over by a guy with a name tag that says "Simon".
"Hello," Jennie breathes out, "are you all out of the Cara Caras?"
Simon winces. "Ah, yeah I just sold the last few. We have some regular navels though if you're interested."
"Can I please get 2 bags?" It's hard for Jennie to hide her disappointment about the oranges and otherwise.
"2 helpings of navels coming right up," Simon leaves to bag the oranges and returns with a grin, "that's a lot of oranges for one person."
"I'm making chocolate dipped candied orange peels for my book club," says Jennie as she retrieves the bag from Simon, "and they're addictive so you need a lot of them. I'm going to make juice with the actual fruit and Cara Cara juice is just superior."
"Sounds delicious! Our Cara Caras are very popular but better luck next time, right? It's going to be $6.50 for two bags of navels."
Jennie hands the bills over but stutters when she looks up to see Jisoo standing next to Simon. Like she appeared out of nowhere.
"Hi there! I didn't think you'd make it today," Jisoo beams as she takes the money from Jennie.
Jennie blushes. Was Jisoo waiting on her? Does Jisoo notice her?
Hi, I'm Jennie. The words are on the tip of her tongue.
"What do you plan to do with all that citrus anyway?" Jisoo looks at the oranges clutched in Jennie's hands.
Jennie opens her mouth to respond and nothing comes out. She's obviously a fish out of water and she's never been more grateful to hear Simon's voice say "they're for chocolate dipped candied orange peels."
Jisoo quirks her eyebrow first at Simon and then at Jennie. Jennie could say anything at this moment to make things less awkward but Jisoo's curious smirk is too loud for her to figure out how her mouth works.
Simon notices and saves her again. "They're for her book club. Can you believe we've never gotten an invite? And she actually came for the Cara Caras but we just sold out."
Jennie nods, confirming that Simon has all of the right information. She manages to smile at Jisoo and hopes that it didn't come out as a grimace.
It's a beautiful day isn't it. I'm sure you hear this all the time—
"Well, you know, I was saving these for me..." Jisoo bends down and re-appears with a grotesque citrus that looks like mangled fingers, "but you might actually get better use out of them. These are called Buddha's hands and they are absolutely perfect for candied orange peels because of the lemon-y citrus scent and they don't even have any pulp or fruit. It's all peel." Jisoo looks proud and offers the strange fruit.
Jennie takes the fruit and can only manage two words: "Thank you."
It's not her fault, she thinks. She had everything she was going to say planned out but then Jisoo wasn't here to take her order and then Simon answered all her questions and now Jisoo is being so smart and generous that she can't think anymore. Jennie sees Jisoo's face fall at the impersonal nature of her response.
"I mean, unless of course you want the navels then just go with that, ya know," Jisoo is chuckling, hoping that will ease the nerves all around.
"No, this is great," Jennie re-assures her, "really, thank you. I'll let you know how it turns out. How much do I owe you?" Jennie addresses her question to Simon.
"Alright," says Jisoo, "well good luck and please do keep us posted."
And just like that, everything went absolutely opposite to the plan.
Spring
Jennie works from home. It's nice because she gets to choose her own schedule and she doesn't have to waste her energy making small talk around the water cooler with her colleagues. It's not nice because she doesn't actually use her voice all day and then when she really should (like when a pretty girl is offering her rare citrus) it's almost like she's out of practice.
An instant message rings in her headphones.
Rosé: So did you ask her?
Jennie: Ask who what?
Rosé: Stop - you know who and what. You should bring her some dessert. Everyone likes sweets.
Jennie: I'm not going to discuss this with you on a work chat.
Rosé: Okay fine - we'll talk about it at book club. But seriously, just say something. Anything. You never know!
Jennie logs off.
It's like clockwork. Put on the sweater, check the mirror for flyaways and repeat the mantra: "Hi, I'm Jennie. It's a beautiful day isn't it. I'm sure you hear this all the time, but your produce stand is by far the best one at this market."
Jennie finds herself at Jisoo's stall and she has two slices of pound cake in her hands. She's going to hand over the container and say the words.
Except Jisoo says, "Well hello there! What's it going to be today? We have an excellent batch of strawberries...big, juicy and ripe as ever."
Jennie stutters. How did she know that she came for the strawberries? She's making a rhubarb strawberry pie for the book club and she already knows that Jisoo has the best berries.
"Did you know that strawberries are the only fruit that wears its seeds on the outside?" Jisoo grins as she says it.
Jennie hesitates because not only did Jisoo grin at her, but she's spewing facts about fruit and who could possibly form sentences when that's going on.
"I'll take 3 cartons, please," Jennie chokes it out and she's disappointed because it's not at all what she planned on saying. Jisoo doesn't even know her name. She thinks about how this isn't an even playing field because Jisoo has a name tag and confidence and all Jennie has is her words dying as they reach her shy lips.
Jennie thrusts the pound cake in Jisoo's direction. Jisoo raises her eyebrows, obviously waiting for explanation.
"This is for you," says Jennie.
Jisoo grins again and accepts the container, "what is it?"
"It's my pound cake. Maybe you can top it with your excellent strawberries." Jennie is proud of herself. Actual words coming out of her mouth and into Jisoo's direction.
Jisoo looks gleeful (and maybe a little surprised) and Jennie decides that she's addicted to that feeling. That feeling of seeing Jisoo happy and excited about something.
Jisoo bags up the strawberries and Jennie leaves. Jisoo doesn't even know her name but she loves her pound cake.
Summer
Jennie is back at the market and this time she needs blueberries. She's wearing a blue tank top because she's trying to have fun with it now.
Jisoo banters and Jennie smiles. Jisoo never expects much from Jennie. Jisoo just enjoys getting treats from Jennie and hearing her say a few words before she's off with her bounty.
Jennie makes treats with Jisoo's produce. Cherry pie, apple streusel and sometimes peach cobbler. She hands it over and Jisoo looks surprised every time and it's like their little routine. It's rehearsed and Jennie can manage that.
But sometimes, Jisoo likes to deviate from the script. Like today.
"I bet your husband must love that you're making these treats all the time," Jisoo has a little bit of mischief in her eyes.
Oh no, Jennie thinks. She doesn't have anything prepared for that kind of statement. But she also cannot possibly let Jisoo believe she has a husband.
"Husband?" It's abrupt and a bit sharp, but it's clear. Jennie tries to save it with a light smile.
Jisoo appraises Jennie and her response. Like she's trying to parse something deeper from that statement. It makes Jennie want to clarify.
"I don't have anyone," she backtracks, "I mean, I'm not married. I'm single. And my name is Jennie."
"Jennie," Jisoo lets it roll off her tongue, "Wow, I can't believe I finally get to call you something more than my treat fairy."
"Treat fairy?" Jennie laughs lightly.
"I like Jennie better." Jisoo says.
And because she's on a roll, Jennie decides to finish the mantra.
"It's a beautiful day, isn't it? I'm sure you hear this all the time, but your produce stand is by far the best one at this market."
Jisoo lights up and Jennie thought that she liked the feeling of seeing Jisoo happy, but she actually thinks this might be better. The pure elation that Jisoo lets come out of her chest and eyes because Jennie is talking to her and it's not clipped or short and maybe Jisoo is a little addicted as well.
"Well, thank you, Jennie," says Jisoo.
"Anytime."
And with that, Jennie leaves and feels better than she has all year long.
Fall
"Beautiful day, isn't it?"
Jennie looks up from her book. She's situated across from the farmer's market next to the water, enjoying the crisp fall air as it settles around the people milling about the docks.
"It is," says Jennie succinctly.
Jisoo sits across from Jennie and settles her chin in her hand, propped up on the table.
"So," Jisoo starts, "I'm on break and I saw you over here. So thought I'd say hello."
"Hello," Jennie is smiling and closes her book softly, "I wish I had a treat for you but I wasn't prepared to see you today."
"That's okay. I like surprising you for a change."
Jennie doesn't know what to say. She never rehearsed what to say to Jisoo when they're not at the stall. When they don't have carrots, grapes and lettuce standing in between them. Now it's just a table and Jisoo's soft eyes staring at her and words begin to die again.
"You know, I've noticed something," says Jisoo. "You don't talk much. Unless we're talking about fruit and desserts, it's very hard to know what's going on in that head of yours."
Jennie is unsure. She feels clammy under her gaze and wishes she was back at the stall where she has her lines and her desserts to defend her.
Jisoo goes to stand. She knows that Jennie is spooked. Jisoo is bold but she's learned to be cautious with Jennie and maybe this was too much.
"Well, I hope to see you this Sunday," Jisoo gives her best smile and begins to walk away.
Jennie has to riff. Improvise. Say anything that might make Jisoo think that it's okay to approach her outside the produce stand.
"Do you like dancing?" Jennie is abrupt and stands as she says it.
Jisoo stops and quirks her eyebrow, "do you dance?"
"Dancing doesn't require talking. We could go out dancing. It could be fun." Jennie shrugs and she's losing that little bit of confidence that caused her to even start this conversation.
Jisoo clicks her tongue and looks up at the sky. The air is crisp and a breeze brings the words to her mouth, "Dancing sounds fun. It's a date."
Jennie grins and now Jisoo is definitely addicted. Addicted to that feeling of seeing Jennie happy and excited about something.
It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
Winter
"What can I get for you today?" Jisoo asks Jennie like clockwork. The winter breeze bites at her hands that hold two coffee cups as she studies the fruit strategically placed on the stand.
"Hmm," Jennie pauses, "do you happen to have any persimmons? Hachiya, specifically."
"Oh no, Jennie, I just sold the last batch," Jisoo's ear-to-ear grin contrasted with the bad news.
Jennie sighs, "Well that blows...I planned on making persimmon pudding cake. It's my girlfriend's favorite winter dessert."
Jisoo clicks her tongue and contemplates as she makes a show of looking underneath the tarp behind her, "Well would ya look at that — 4 perfectly ripe Hachiya persimmons that seem to have gotten separated from the group."
Jennie laughs at the faux surprised look on Jisoo's face. Instead of taking the persimmons from Jisoo, she moves behind the produce stall and trades them for the coffee cup in her left hand.
"How much do I owe you?" Jennie asks.
"Oh, for you? It's on the house," Jisoo smirks over the rim of her paper cup, "as long as I get some of that lovely pudding cake."
"I think we can probably arrange that," Jennie smiles lightly before leaning in to softly place her lips against Jisoo's. Jennie thought Jisoo left her speechless before, but that was nothing. This is speechless. This is breathless and speechless wrapped up in one and she's more than addicted at this point.
"Did you know," Jisoo pulls back slightly, "that there are over two thousand varieties of persimmons, but only two types are available commercially—"
"Morning ladies," Simon coughs from behind Jisoo. Jennie watches a blush creep over Jisoo's cheeks.
"Hi Simon," Jennie hands over the other coffee to him, "this is for you."
"For me?" Simon feigns shock.
"It's the least I can do for subjecting you to this all the time," Jennie motions between the small space separating her from Jisoo.
"That's very generous," Simon nods, "and you're welcome. For saving you when you were too useless to do anything about your crush."
Speechless, breathless, useless. All of the above if that means Jennie gets to make treats for Jisoo everyday.
Jennie blushes.
"Oh don't worry," Simon adds, "she was just as useless as you. I'm just glad I don't have to hear her agony as soon as you leave anymore."
Simon ducks as a grape flies towards his head, "And with that, I'm off. Have a nice Sunday, ladies."
"That guy," Jisoo shakes her head and turns back towards Jennie. "Now, where were we?"
"You were telling me about persimmons," Jennie is cut off by Jisoo's lips again.
"Ah yes, not important," says Jisoo, this time while placing butterfly kisses on Jennie's cheeks.
Jennie pulls back, "Well, I better go and get started on this dessert for my girlfriend. Where are you headed?"
"Closing up shop to go eat some dessert with my girlfriend. Strange coincidence."
Jennie grins and leaves without another word. It turns out that every day with Jisoo is a beautiful day.