Present Day

A noticeably nervous Jennie struggled to keep still as her mind milled over the entirety of what was about to ensue this morning. The time had just passed nine o’clock, and after what felt like an eternity of the poor make-up artist on set dealing with her agitated state in an attempt to get her look together, they were finally nearing completion. And thank goodness for that, because she wanted as much time as possible to prepare herself and get her currently racing mind at ease.

Jennie wasn’t quite sure why she felt so unsettled. It wasn’t like being filmed was something foreign to her. Afterall, prior to her break, she’d been the star of her own style show on FLEUR TV, seasonally posted her own filmed content on her blog and had done many interviews over the years, so why this particular gig was weighing so heavily on her chest she had no idea. But in fairness, nerves were to be expected. Firstly, this was pretty much her major comeback. It had roughly been a fortnight since her return to Korea, and the only thing she’d released since then was a handwritten letter published on FLEUR Online officially announcing that she was indeed making a return to the magazine and industry after the major buzz – and confusion – that her fashion week appearances had caused. With the response to the letter being so grand and overwhelmingly enthusiastic, there was bound to be a little pressure to live up to everyone’s high expectations.

Deep down, however, the vast majority of the nervousness she was feeling was probably due to the format of the show in which she was making her return. Once again, she was no stranger to the camera, but having been in the industry for as long as she had meant Jennie had been able to build and perfect a character for herself. She had a very specific public image, and it was one that she applied to every aspect of her job. She was used to knowing almost every single detail concerning every gig she took on, that way she could control as many variables as possible, but this show was different. This show would pair her with another public figure in another industry, she’d have no idea who they were until the very moment they’d meet on screen, and for three weeks they’d get a taste of what each other’s professional and personal lives entailed.

This terrified Jennie because for so long the world was only privy to her professional life and image. Now all of a sudden, after an especially public breakdown and hiatus, she was going to have open herself and her personal world up to a complete stranger in ways she had never imagined she would ever have to.

Why on earth did she agree to this?

The question swam around her mind in circles over and over and over again. As the make-up artist tapped her shoulder to signal she was done and Jennie made her way to wardrobe though, the answer to “why” also began its own swim in her mind, only in the form of Jisoo’s voice:

“[Because] this will be the edge you need to get yourself that editor-in-chief seat. This will be how you make yourself the number one pick as Jinhee’s successor.”

Jennie thought back to the fateful meeting two weeks ago that had led to the decision that had her in this current predicament. As many had predicted, it was indeed a major one. She had made her return to the FLEUR office for the first time in months and was greeted by all – well, most – with warmth and love. And then it was back to business. As expected, the meeting had gone over a few