The room is filled with some soft, light music, but the shutter of the camera can still be heard. There’s light coming in from the large windows on the side of the room, not that it matters, counting the big lights and reflectors pointing at Lisa.

Lisa is moving according to what the photographer, a Korean man a few years older than her named Min Yoongi, is telling her to do.

He never seems to be satisfied with her poses, for he often purses his lips or annoyance gets shown on his face. But Lisa is doing her best, expressing her emotions with her body just like she learned over the two years she’s been in the industry.

“Would you smile a little less, please?” Yoongi asks her, sighing, since it’s he nth time he’s told her that today.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” Lisa bows, and does as she’s told.

She lets her body move according to the directions she hears, different from how it used to be back when she was a dancer and let the music guide it.

Lisa has always wanted to be a model. There isn’t a specific reason behind it, just that she grew up watching the Victoria’s Secret fashion show every December with her family, and she would imitate the models, walking around the house in thin clothing and making her parents laugh.

Growing up, she was lucky enough to be blessed with an okay height, really long limbs and a proportioned body and a pretty face, and her friends, who were aware of her dream, always encouraged her and told her that she could make it.

So it wasn’t a surprise for anyone when on a Semptember day, just when she was walking back home from school, an older woman stopped her and casted her in an agency.

It’s been a long time since that, two years, to be precise, and Lisa has been on almost every important Thai magazine. She’s quickly become the face of Thailand, and everyone around her couldn’t be more supportive.

She’s currently shooting for Queen, wearing Saint Laurent clothes, one of the most important Korean fashion magazines, and for that, she had to leave Thailand for the first time and fly to Seoul.

Growing up, she’s always been quite poor. Her family couldn’t really afford to send her on trips across the world, and South Korea might now be across the world, but still it’s a win for Lisa. Next month she’s scheduled to head to Tokyo to shoot for Popeye, and she couldn’t be happier.

“Stop smiling!” Yoongi reminds her with his gruff voice, “this is supposed to be y! Not cute!”

“Yes, I’m sorry,” Lisa says, bowing again. She keeps messing up and this can’t be good. She shares a look with her manager, Chaeyoung, from across the room and the other sends her a confused look, a mix of ‘what’s-wrong-with-you’ and ‘what-the--are-you-doing’.

Chaeyoung has been her manager ever since she got into the agency. She’s half-korean, so she taught her the language earlier on, that’s how Lisa is capable of understanding what Yoongi is telling her.

Chaeyoung at first was really determined and focused on her job, which made Lisa scared of her for a good part of an year, until they got drunk together at a after-party for some magazine and bonded over the terrible food and boring people.

Now, Lisa considers Chaeyoung as her best friend, the person she can depend on for everything and the one who’ll always have her side. Funny how things change in the span of a year.

“We’re done,” Yoongi mutters under his breath, “I hope I can find something worth using in her,” he says pointing at the camera.

“I hope so, too,” Lisa tries to smile at him, “and I’m sorry for being difficult.”

“Don’t be, kid,” Yoongi tells her, smiling back, “you have a lot of potential, you just tend to get into your thoughts and lose control of your body.”

“Thank you for your hard work,” Lisa bows once again, and reaches Chaeyoung’s side.

“What’s up with all that smiling?” Chaeyoung sighs as they head to the room Lisa was given to for changing clothes, “You looked like a kid at an amusement park.”

“That’s.. oddly specific,” Lisa comments, getting rid of her top and placing it carefully on a hanger, “and I’m just excited, aren’t you excited, Chae?”

“Sure,” Chaeyoung laughs, with that sweet laugh of hers that reminds Lisa of home and arms around her, holding her tight, “why are you so excited?”

“This is my first time being in a foreign country,” Lisa explains, taking off her jeans and hanging them as well, “and I managed to score a shoot with one of their most important magazines.”

“You mean I scored you a shoot,” Chaeyoung rebuts, “you did nothing, you lazy-.”

“Sure, sure,” Lisa laughs as she puts on her own clothes: a pair of black, ripped jeans and a white sweatshirt with writing on it.

She puts on her shoes, looks at herself in the mirror and to take a look of how she looks with the heavy make-up the artists put on her, so different from what she’s used to, fixes her red hair and heads outside, placing her arm arounf Chaeyoung’s narrow shoulders.

In the room where they were earlier, there’s another shoot going on, and Lisa stops to see who’s the model who’s doing it.

She’s tall, even though not as much as Lisa, and she has long, brown hair that curl softly and reach just under her cleavage. She’s wearing a multi-coloured dress and some impossibly high red heels and her make-up is heavy. Her features are sharp and clean-cut, even though her cheeks seems soft.

Lisa doesn’t know her, but that doesn’t mean much, because Lisa doesn’t know anyone in the industry, especially in the Korean one.

“You’re doing amazing, sweetie,” Yoongi praises her and Lisa can’t help but be a bit put off by his change in demeanour, “Remember that you’re going to be on the cover!”

Lisa notices with a pout that Yoongi is smiling warmly, showing his gums and everything, and she turns to look back at the model to see if she’s really doing that well.

The model is posing, which looks kind of normal to Lisa, but the thing that impressed her is the look in the model’s eyes.

Those warm, brown eyes that Lisa took notice of earlier during a break are gone and now there’s so much force behind them, so much determination, that Lisa can’t help but hold in her breath in awe.

“And we’re done!” Yoongi laughs, “it just took you under ten minutes, you’re getting better, Jennie.”

Jennie, so that’s her name. Lisa decides that it fits her.

“It’s all thanks to you, Oppa,” Jennie answers, and Lisa is surprised at how soft her voice sounds.

She assumes that the two must know each other, and she wishes she also had a photographer she could trust so that she could give her one hundred percent.

“What are you still doing here?” Chaeyoung asks, reaching her side and guiding her out of the room, “let’s go, come on.”

“Who was that?” Lisa asks once they’re outside.

“How do you not know?” Chaeyoung whines, “That’s Jennie Kim, you know, just the it-girl of the moment.”

“The it-girl?” Lisa asks, seeking for explanation.

“She can do it all,” Chaeyoung explains, “model, act and I heard that she can also sing and dance. She’s signed with YG, after all.”

“Wow,” Lisa comments, “she must be super-talented.”

“She is,” Chaeyoung comments, “and she’s been in the industry ever since she was a child. Why are you so interested in her, by the way?”

“Just.. you know,” Lisa shrugs, “just looking out of competition.”

The modelling industry, Lisa has learned, is all about competition. Some models are friends, sure, but it’s hard being friends when someone else’s success means your loss.

But she doesn’t really see Jennie as competition, as Chaeyoung says, she has far too little experience compared to the other.

She doesn’t know what took over her, but she wants to know everything about Jennie Kim, for the other had an aurea around her that made er irresistible to Lisa’s eyes.

“How can you even speak about competition?” Chaeyoung exclaims, “your shoot took over an hour and hers just ten minutes!”

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” Lisa wonders.

“How can I when you speak such nonsense?” Chaeyoung rebuts, “come on, let’s go eat something, I’m starving.”

They head to a japanese restaurant nearby, Asodan Udon Gagnam, and when they enter, they’re met with a cozy atmosphere.

The restaurant has two floors, and Lisa and Chaeyoung head to the top one. They find out that it’s pretty full, and they just barely manage to find a seat.

When the waiter comes, Lisa orders seafood yaki-udon and Chaeyoung cold udon, which come in a matter of minutes.

“Does this have ice cubes inside?” Chaeyoung asks, looking at her plate.

“Well, it is cold udon,” Lisa deadpans.

“No need to get sassy with me, young lady,” Chaeyoung scolds her.

“We are literally the same age,” Lisa reminds her.

“It’s hard to remember,” Chaeyoung sighs dramatically, looking out of the window, “with how hot-headed you are sometimes.”

“I’m not hot-headed!” Lisa yells.

“What did I just say?” Chaeyoung deadpans.

“Anyway,” Lisa changes the topic, “how do you think the shoot went?”

“It went well,” Chaeyoung shrugs, “you’ve done better, sure, but it wasn’t terrible.”

“Geez,” Lisa says, taking a sip of her sparkly water, “way to cheer me up!”

“I’m just telling it as I see it!” Chaeyoung defends herself, putting her hands in front of her, “you seemed to be in your head most of the time, but don’t worry, they liked you.”

“Did someone tell you that?” Lisa asks, curious.

“Yeah, while you were staring at Jennie Kim,” Chaeyoung says with a smirk and Lisa blushes, “I talked to some members of the staff, they’re thinking of casting you again, who knows, maybe one day you’ll make the cover!”

“I hope so..” Lisa murmurs as she looks out of the window. 

The shop is right in front of the Queen headquarters, and Lisa catches a glimpse of Jennie Kim exiting the place, walking with an air of confidence around her, in some tight jeans and black off-the-shoulders top.

Lisa can’t put her finger on what about the other makes her so curious, maybe it’s how the air around her seems to shift as if she’s some sort of goddess, but she knows that she definitely wants to talk to her.

“Ah, I forgot to tell you,” Chaeyoung says after a while, distracting Lisa from her thoughts, “but the after party for Queen is in three days and we have to go, obviously.”

“Yeah, sure,” Lisa agrees easily.

“Well, then,” Chaeyoung smiles, “let’s make the most of these three days!”

They do end up making the most of the three days.

On the first day, they rent hanboks to visit the Gyeongbokgung Palace and Lisa takes load of pictures to upload on her social media. Gyrongbokgung Palace is huge, Lisa notices, and 
so traditionally Korean. They even catch the guard changing ceremony.

After that, they eat the famous ginseng soup at Tosokchon. Then, they head to Dongdaemun Design Plaza, where an Andy Warhol exhibition is showcased, and they quietly walk through it.

The night, they roam through Bukchon Hanok Village, and find all the little hanboks very attractive.

They spend the majority of the second day at Lotte World, the amusement park, and even though some of the attractions which use water are closed, since it’s winter, they still manage to have loads of fun.

In the evening, they take the cable car up Mount Namsan and they get a view of the entirety of Seoul, which looks breathtaking.

The third day, they dedicate it to shopping through the streets of Myeongdong. Lisa buys new make-up and a new suit, which she is going to wear to the party. It’s a velvety black suit, with white pearls on the front.

So taken by the fun they’re having, they don’t even notice how fast time has passed, and before they can even realise it, the night of the party comes.

Their hotel is the fanciest place Lisa has ever been to. It’s huge, with wide corridors and large rooms and it’s all decorated in red and gold which gives it an almost royal atmosphere, Lisa has never felt more like a princess.

Apart from the vast restaurant, the hotel also offers a gym, which Lisa has already visited on the day of the shoot, and a sauna.

Lisa uses the sauna on the day of the party, before getting ready and when she heads to her room, Chaeyoung is waiting for her outside of the door.

“So that’s where you disappeared to!” she exclaims, “you need to hurry, or we’ll be late.”

“Isn’t being fashionable late a thing in the industry?” Lisa asks as she unlocks her room and Chaeyoung lets herself in.

“Yeah, but no too late,” Chaeyoung scolds her as she settles on the bed, “which is what we’re going to be if you don’t hurry the up.”

Hearing Chaeyoung swear is a rare event, Lisa knows, so she figures the other must be really stressed about all of this, so she does her best to get ready in a short time.

She wears the suit she brought the other day, accompanied by a Saint Laurent shirt she was gifted and some dress shoes.

She hurries getting her make-up done, just applying her foundation, mascara, eyeliner and a red lipstick which matches her hair.

“I’m ready!” she exclaims, twirling to show off to Chaeyoung.

“Yeah yeah, you look lovely and all,” Chaeyoung rolls her eyes, “let’s go now.”

They hop on a cab that Chaeyoung previously called and tell the driver the address. The local Queen has reserved for the evening is in Hongdae, not too far from where they’re staying, so it doesn’t take long.

When they go out of the cab, Lisa takes a deep breath and then they reach the local. 

“Names?” 

“Lalisa Manoban and Park Chaeyoung,” Chaeyoung says and the bouncer lets them in after looking for their names in the list.

When they enter, Lisa holds her breath, for the place is decorated in such a fancy manner. It’s the epitome of luxury, and Lisa has never been to such a place, which makes the locals she’s been to in Thailand look like rubbish.

“Oh! There’s Min Yoongi,” Chaeyoung says, pointing to the man who’s currently drinking some champagne at the bar, “Im going to talk to him about the shoot!”

“Hey don’t leave me alone!” Lisa yells after her, but Chaeyoung is long gone.

Lisa takes a moment to stare at her friend, she’s wearing a coral pink dress and some high heels, she has straightened her brown hair and her make-up isn’t too noticeable. She looks lovely and like she fits in perfectly.

Lisa doesn’t know if she fits in. With her vibrant red hair and big, doe eyes. She shrugs at the thought, honestly who cares about fitting in, and grabs a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. She downs it in one-shot.

“Planning on getting drunk tonight?”

When Lisa turns around, she’s met with the last person she expected to see.

Jennie Kim is standing there, looking more like a goddess that she did that afternoon of three days ago, in a tiny, black dress, high heels and straightened hair.

“Why?” Lisa manages to reply, “planning on joining me?”

“Alcohol has many calories,” Jennie explains, shaking her head, “planning to hit the gym tomorrow?”

Lisa shakes her head, “I have a fast metabolism.”

“Lucky you,” Jennie comments, “Lalisa Manoban.”

“It’s just Lisa,” Lisa corrects her, “you know who I am?”

“I know the names of everyone in the industry,” Jennie explains with a shrug, “you’re not that special.”

“Ouch,” Lisa smirks, “how will my ego ever recover from that.”

Jennie is exactly how the media represents her, cold and aloof. She seems to think that she’s too good for everyone else around her and always has an air of superiority to her. Lisa isn’t sure she likes her, but there’s something intriguing about the other. Lisa wants to know what made her this way.

“How old are you?” Lisa asks her.

“Older than you,” Jennie just answers, “Oh! I’m Jennie Kim, by the way,” she says holding out her hand.

Lisa grabs her hand to shake it, and is a little surprised at how cold it is.

“You’re on the cover of the magazine, right?” Lisa asks, even though she already knows.

Jennie nods.

“Congratulations!” Lisa smiles, “you must be used to it.”

“I am,” Jennie confirms.

“One day I hope to make the cover, too,” Lisa confesses.

“I saw you on the cover of Elle Thailand,” Jennie says.

“Oh yeah, that,” Lisa scratches the back of her head, “I meant on the cover of a foreign magazine.”

“You need to work hard for that,” Jennie advises her.

“I am working hard!” Lisa exclaims.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Jennie smirks, “just not hard enough to be on the cover of a foreign magazine.”

“Sunbae!” Lisa exclams.

Jennie bursts out laughing, “I’m sorry, but teasing you is so fun,” then she shrugs, “and you can call me unnie, by the way.”

Lisa wishes she could understand Jennie, because for the moment she really can’t put a finger on her personality. At first she seemed horrible, but now it turns out she was teasing her for the whole time, which makes her more bearable.

“Your sense of humour is kind of ed up,” Lisa comments.

“I’ve been told that, already,” Jennie smiles.

And Lisa, Lisa wants to get her sense of humour, for some reason not yet clear to her. She wants to listen to Jennie’s jokes and laugh with her. She wants nothing more than to get to know Jennie better.

She doesn’t think about what that might mean, or what that implies, even though there’s a voice in the back of her head telling her exactly that. But she doesn’t listen, isn’t ready to.

“What do you do in your free time?” Lisa asks, changing the topic.

“What free time?” Jennie scoffs, “I don’t have such a thing.”

“I dance, occasionally,” Lisa shrugs.

“Really?” Jennie asks, then scrutinises her from head to toe, “well, I suppose you do have the body of a dancer.”

Lisa blushes at the other’s attentive eyes.

“Want to show me?”

“What?” Lisa asks, shocked, “in here?”

Jennie bursts out laughing, “No, silly, let’s ditch this and go to a club. We’re in Hongdae, it’s full of them.”

Lisa looks around for while, trying to find Chaeyoung in the mass of people, “Sure, let me find my manager and then we can do.”

“No,” Jennie protests, “let’s go without her. Just the two of us.”

Lisa doesn’t know what to do; on one hand she hasto at least tell Chaeyoung where she’s going, on another the thought of going somewhere secret with Jennie excites her and at this point, she’d probably follow Jennie anywhere since the older seems to have put a spell on her.

“Let’s go!” Jennie urges her, and Lisa nods.

They head out using the back door and then they’re in the streets of Hongdae.

The streets are packed of young people in sparkly dresses, heading from club to club and Lisa’s excitement slowly builds up. Jennie takes hold of her wrist to guide her and Lisa finds that she doesn’t mind.

Jennie takes her to a club called Club Labris, claiming that she’s been there before and the she knows it’s good. Lisa just follows after her.

The first thing that hits Lisa are the hot pink lights and then she takes notice of the loud club music.

The club is packed, and Lisa notices that there are exclusively girls. She turns to ask Jennie why is that, but the other is already ordering at the bar. She shrugs it off.

“And what can I get for you, honey?” the bartender, whose name tag reads Yuju, asks her.

“A rum and coke, please,” Lisa smiles.

“Coming right up!” Yuju exclaims as she begins to mix.

She hands Lisa her drink a few seconds later and Lisa thanks her.

“Are we not going to dance?” Lisa asks, feeling pumped up.

Jennie shakes her head, “We are not going to do anything, you are going to dance.”

“All alone?” Lisa pouts.

Jennie nods, as she sips on her whiskey.

“Okay,” Lisa says, determined.

Lisa, Jennie still doesn’t know, is never one to back down from a challenge, and dancing is the thing she’s most confident in, so she has no trouble going to the dance floor alone.

She finds a spot where Jennie can clearly see her, and starts to let the music move her body. Dancing is not about controlling it, it’s about letting the music control it, and Lisa has learned how to master that over the years.

She starts sensually moving her hips, at first, then she moves her arms around and after a while, she feels a pair of arms grabbing her waist.

She turns around and is met with the smiling face of a woman, not much older than her by the looks of it, who starts to grind against her.

She raises her head to look at Jennie, who’s staring at her with a frown. Lisa winks at her.

Come and get me.

And Jennie seems to get the message, for she finishes her drink with one big gulp, hands the glass back to Yuju who’s watching the scene with a knowing look that Lisa doesn’t quite get, and heads over to where Lisa is.

“Back off,” is the first thing Jennie says, “she’s mine.”

And Lisa feels something warm in her lower regions at the dominance in the girl’s voice.

“Sorry, I didn’t know,” the girl behind Lisa says, stopping her movements and going away.

Jennie smirks, “Let’s have some fun.”

Jennie, Lisa learns, is a damn good dancer. She might not have Lisa’s technique, but she sure knows how to move her body. She’s the iest person Lisa has ever seen.

Lisa takes hold of Jennie’s waist and turns her around, grinding on her behind. She think she hears Jennie moan, but the sound is covered by the loud music. A shame, really.

They dance the night away, all alone in their little space, and when they head back to the bar, Lisa takes out her phone and finds out that it’s four in the morning.

“, I have to get back, I have fourteen missed calls from Chae!” Lisa exclaims.

“Chae?” Jennie asks.

“Chaeyoung, my manager,” Lisa explains.

“You two seem close,” Jennie comments with something in her voice that Lisa can’t quite place.

“We are,” Lisa agrees, “but now I have to go, come on, unnie, let’s go back.”

“Unnie?” Jennie asks, eyes widening.

“Was I not supposed to call you that?” Lisa asks, as they head out of the club.

“No, no, it’s fine” Jennie insists, “you can call me that.”

Lisa stops for a second, looking around in the now less crowded streets to try and figure out where they came from.

“It’s that way,” Jennie says, pointing to her left.

Lisa notices that she’s shivering, how could she not, since it’s winter and she’s only wearing a thin dress. Lisa doesn’t think twice about it as she shrugs off her suit jacket and puts it on her shoulders.

“What?” Jennie tries to ask.

“Just accept it,” Lisa says, “you’re shivering.”

Jennie stays silent for a while as they walk, then when they arrive in front of the local where the party was held, she stops and smiles at Lisa, “Thanks.”

“It’s nothing,” Lisa assures her, “gosh, where’s Chaeyoung?”

“Is that her?” Jennie asks, pointing to a figure not far away from them.

“Oh yeah, it’s her,” Lisa says, “well then, I’ll go first, unnie.”

“Wait,” Jennie stops her by grabbing her arm, “what about your jacket?”

“You can give it to me when we see each other next,” Lisa smiles at her, waves her goodbye once again and goes where Chaeyoung is.

“You’re dead meat,” is how Chaeyoung greets her.

“I’m so sorry!” Lisa exclaims, “I was with Jennie-unnie and..”

“You have no excuses!” Chaeyoung scolds her as they enter the taxi, “what were you even thinking? Disappearing like that without even telling me, I’m so disappointed in you, you’re not a kid anymore and.. wait, Jennie-unnie?”

“Yeah,” Lisa smiles, “I met her at the party and we just.. went to a club.”

“You went to a club?” Chaeyoung repeats, “what club?”

“I think it was called Club.. Labris? Or something like that,” Lisa shrugs.

“Isn’t that a notorious lesbian club?” Chaeyoung asks.

Lisa turns to look at her in shock. Just what has she gotten herself into?