A/N: Amy Shark – Adore. You’re  welcome. Also, thanks everyone for all your comments. I only read what I want to read ;)   (Jisoo style)

"Stuck in the office, urrgh." I grumbled as I pressed the pause button on my iPhone and slid the headphones off to rest on my neck. Stifling a yawn, I continued to trudge across the studio towards my usual corner.

Short of drowning myself in coffee, brain-pounding music was the only thing keeping me awake in the mornings.

Remember the little chat I had with Dara during the press conference? Well, it had given me the impression that the manager had decided to uproot herself and ride into the sunset with her beloved professor. It turned out, however, that she would only be away for two weeks.

Of course, this begged the question: what made the woman think that just two weeks with the professor in Egypt would ensure that she gets married?

But on the other hand, the woman is Dara Park . I wouldn't be surprised if she employs some methods to, umm, persuade the professor to marry her.

Shrugging away the image of Dara clubbing the professor on the head and dragging him back to her lair, I dumped my bag on the chair and straightened my back, pulling my shoulders behind me so as to stretch my aching muscles.

Anyway, though it wasn't necessary to get someone to replace Dara, the absence of Jisoo's manager did translate into a much heavier workload for me, leading to more late nights in the studio.

Another yawn.

As I tilted my head and massaged my sore neck, I spotted an unfamiliar face in the studio. The stranger, who was engaged in a conversation with one of the members of the crew, appeared to be in her late twenties and sported a fashionable short crop, with the longest legs that go on for miles and miles.

When the member of the crew pointed in my direction, she turned and hurried towards me.

"Hello," she said in Korean, "are you Jennie Kim?"

I rose from my chair slowly and replied in the same language. "Yes."

"Thank goodness!" The woman beamed as she latched her arm around mine and tugged at it. "Please come with me. I need your help!"

Before I had the chance to blink, Long-legged Lady was pulling me out of the door. Now, I wouldn't usually allow myself to be dragged off by a strange woman, but I was so groggy that by the time my mind put two-and-two together I was already in the next studio.

"Excuse me, where are you—"

I halted mid-sentence when I saw the girl sitting on a barstool in front of a white backdrop, while the makeup artist and hairstylist worked on her eagerly.

The first thought that popped up in my mind was: Jisoo?

The second: a photoshoot?

She looked up and our eyes met for a split-second before I averted my gaze in awkwardness. To say that my recent behaviour towards her had been erratic would be an understatement, but I couldn't really help myself. One moment I would feel some invisible force pulling me towards her, and the next moment I'll be scrambling to keep my distance.

I decided to direct my irritation towards the woman who still had her arm firmly around mine. "I'm sorry, but you are?" I asked rather gruffly.

She turned and looked at me with a bemused expression. "You don't know?"

"I shot the cover for last month's issue of Vogue?" She gave me a wink.

I frowned, feeling even more irked. "No."

On seeing the genuine look of dismay on her face, however, I felt a little sorry for her. "Umm… I'm not from Korea, so I'm not familiar with—"

"You're not from Korea?" The woman reached into the front pocket of her vest and retrieved a pair of rimless glasses. After putting on her glasses, she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Ah… But you speak Korean really well!"

I gave a small smile. "Not really. I only know some simple phrases."

"Where are you from then? America?"

"From New Zealand actually."

"Great!" She immediately switched to English. "We can speak in English then!"

It was my turn to be surprised.

"I grew up in Australia," she explained with a chuckle. "Anyway, Sunmi, at your service! I'm the photographer for Jisoo's photoshoot."

"Say…" The photographer took a step back, adjusting her glasses as she gave me the once-over. "Would you be interested in doing some modeling?"

"Sunmi!"

We immediately turned in the direction of the barstool, where Jewel girl wore a look icy enough to create ten glaciers.

"Just asking, just asking!" the photographer squeaked as she hastily turned me around and leaned closer, whispering into my ear. "My goodness, Jisoo is in a terribly bad mood!"

I sneaked a peek from the corner of my eye at the girl in question, who was the epitome of grouchiness as she slouched in her chair and glowered into the opposite direction. It was true, Jisoo did seem to be in an even fouler mood than usual. Could it be… due to the way I've been blowing hot and cold at her?

I shook my head slightly at once, not allowing myself to delve into the thought. It was far too presuming of me to think that I could have such an effect on her. Even then, I did feel bad about the cold treatment I've been giving in a bid to distance myself from her.

It was not her fault, after all.

"Jennie-ssi?"

I turned my attention back to the woman in front of me and smiled. "Just call me Jennie."

"Sure," she replied with a smirk, "you can call me ‘just Sunmi’ then."

"So Sunmi, you were looking for me because?"

"Ah yes. Dara told me to look for you if I've any problems, uh, handling Jisoo."

I quirked an eyebrow in amusement. Who does Dara think I am, a lion-tamer?

"And the problem is?"

The photographer appeared embarrassed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Umm…" She glanced at the Ice Princess, who was still scowling away. "I'm having problems getting Jisoo here to smile."

I had to resist a chuckle. "Smile?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think that's a problem at all."

Sunmi instantly brightened up. "Really? How?"

I spun on my heels and strode towards Jisoo, who seemed bewildered by my sudden approach.

"Well, you can always do it physically." I smirked as I placed my forefingers against the corners of her lips and pressed them upwards.

Jisoo's eyes widened.

"Y-Yaaah!"

I laughed, and she swung her arm to swat my hands away. But I was fully prepared for her reaction and hence caught it midair. I held on firmly to her arm, pulling her close to me.

Closer than what was necessary.

"I—idiot," she muttered as her gaze darted elsewhere.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I tried to placate her even as I wore a gleeful smile on my face. "Don't be angry."

She gave a half-hearted snarl while her cheeks grew redder. "Then stop doing that."

I gazed at her intently. While it wasn't the first time that she had blushed in front of me, I had never realised how adorable… and mesmerizing it was.

"You mean messing around with your face, or holding your hand?"

"Messing around with my face."

"So it's okay to hold your hand?"

There was a flash of panic on Jisoo's face. "I—I mean both," she said quickly.

Without thinking, I leaned even closer to her and lowered my voice. "If you promise that you'll smile properly, I won't do that."

The girl's head was bowed but I could see the crimson darkening. "Mmm…"

There was a coughing sound, causing me to snap out from my trance. I hurriedly took a step back and turned around, releasing Jisoo's hand in the process.

Dammit Jennie, what were you doing?

"Ah—h," Sunmi coughed again, before making a gesture of pressing the shutter button on her camera. "Shall we?"

I nodded and quickly moved out of the way to stand behind Sunmi.

"Remember to smile, Jisoo," I said as lightly as I could, trying to repress the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Although I had always been fond of teasing her, what I did was clearly in the no-fly zone of flirting.

This is not good.

Jisoo jumped off the barstool and shifted her weight awkwardly. "Can we just take those shots like we always do? The ones where I don't smile?" she asked, though she sounded a lot less annoyed.

"Well Jisoo, the brief this time is to project a, err, cheerier image."

"Then they shouldn't have asked me to do it." The girl sulked.

Shoving the disconcerted thoughts to the back of my mind, a sly grin crept on my face as I bounced on my heels. "Now, now, Jisoo… You won't want me messing around with your face, do you?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. But when the gummy smile on my face merely grew wider, she let out an indignant huff and reluctantly took her spot in front of the camera.

"Okay Jisoo," Sunmi proceeded to sweet-talk Jisoo as she moved about, her camera clicking continuously, "look to your left…"

"Give me a smile…"

The girl's lips were pursed, and she seemed more to be frowning than smiling.

"Smile wider please?"

In response, the corners of her lips did the teeniest twitch.

"No, wider. Wider please."

I could clearly sense the frustration building in both Sunmi and Jisoo as the latter looked like she was experiencing a facial cramp.

"A bright smile! With your teeth showing!"

She bared her teeth indeed. And it took all the self-control I had to prevent myself from guffawing.

"Jisoo," Sunmi said exasperatedly, "you look like a psychotic murd—"

"Ah Jisoo," I quickly cut the photographer off from her suicidal speech. I wasn't interested in cleaning up the crime scene later. "Let's do it this way. Look at me?"

Jewel girl looked at me curiously.

"I'll stand behind Sunmi," I explained as I moved towards the photographer. "Just look at me, okay?"

"We'll have a conversation as we go along, so it'll be all over before you know it."

I scratched my chin thoughtfully. "Let's see… Hmm…"

"Hello," I said as I flashed a megawatt smile at the girl. "My name is Jennie Kim. And you are?"

Ice Princess shot me an incredulous look. "Idiot," she said, despite her lips curling up involuntarily.

My eyes widened, and I gasped. "Your name is 'idiot'?"

"No!" This time she broke out in a chuckle.

Sunmi finally caught on to what was happening and quickly adjusted her camera lenses. There was the sound of the rapid clicking of the shutter before she took a few steps to the right. I quickly followed suit.

"So what's your name?" I pressed on.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Kim Jisoo ," she answered with a wry smile.

"It's a very pretty name, Jisoo. What does it mean?"

"Now, Jisoo, lean against the back of the chair and turn your head to the left… That's it…"

"It means… 'plain wisdom', I think…"

I raised my eyebrows, genuinely intrigued by the revelation. "Plain wisdom? Because your parents liked books?"

"Yes, I guess."

I was about to fire another question when I was interrupted by Sunmi's delighted whoop.

"Fantastic, Jisoo!" She was grinning from ear to ear. "We can take a break now."

And that was how I spent the next few hours, chatting lightly with Jisoo as she went through a mind-blowing number of costume changes and struck a myriad of poses before the camera. To her credit, she did not show any outward signs of weariness, tiring though it must have been.

My stomach was growling by the time Sunmi decided to wrap up for the day. As Jisoo went to change out from her dress, the photographer stood in front of the white backdrop and reviewed the photos on her camera.

I peered over her shoulder. "Are they good?"

I haven't gotten a good look at the photo when the woman spun around and grabbed my left shoulder, giving me a start. "Good? Gooooood?

Seeing the hyper look in her eyes, I swallowed thickly. Did I just step on a landmine?

"This is…"

"This is… EXCELLENT!"

I winced at her loud voice, before breaking into an amused smile. "Is it that good?"

"Yes!" she replied enthusiastically and grabbed both my shoulders. "They're actually the best pictures I've taken of her. Ever!"

"To tell you the truth," her voice dropped to a whisper as she leaned towards me, "it's a pure nightmare trying to take pictures for Jisoo. I wouldn't do it if not for the fact that she's one of the most popular idols in Korea."

She took a step backwards and clasped my hand, shaking it vigorously. "I don't know how you thought of it, Jennie, but you're a genius! Thank you so much!"

I chuckled and waved my free hand dismissively. The photographer's eyes were practically shimmering with tears of joy. What a cutie.

Turning around, I saw that Jisoo had changed back into her ensemble of a t-shirt and jeans. I thought it was a bit of a pity, as she looked really pretty in the flora dress, with her long purple hair cascading down the lovely back. Not that she wasn't as attractive in her usual attire. Heck, I suspected that given how my brain was wired, she could be wearing something hideous and I would still give her a standing ovation.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed.

Just as we turned our heads this way and that, trying to figure out what was going on, the entrance to the studio was flung open and light flooded in from the doorway.

A girl with striking orange hair marched in carrying an elaborately decorated cake with a single candle on top, while a smaller girl bounded behind like her pet.

Wendy? Yeri?

Don't tell me…

"Happy birthday, Jisoo!" A chorus rang out in the air as the crew materialized.

Oh.

Jisoo gaped, hanging slightly open. I probably wasn't doing any better.

"Don't tell me you're getting senile already," a blonde purred as she sashayed to the front of the crowd.

This was sufficient to shake Jisoo out of her stupor. "CL…" she growled.

Cleopatra giggled, but any verbal lashing from Ice Princess was promptly stopped by Wendy wrapping her arm around her.

"Now CL, play nice. Everyone, let's sing Jisoo a birthday song! One, two, three…"

At once, the studio broke out in a loud rendition of Happy Birthday to You. Jisoo's efforts at wriggling out of Wendy's iron grip were in vain, and eventually she settled for staring at her feet.

"…Happy birthday to Jisoo…Happy birthday to youuuuuu…"

There was the sound of applause as Jisoo blew out the candle. Eventually I got out of my daze and clapped along rigidly.

"Let's cut the cake!" Wendy happily announced. The birthday girl had no choice but to reluctantly slice the cake into uneven pieces so that they can be dished out.

And that was when the prettily wrapped boxes miraculously appeared.

Oh my god. Find me a hole to hide please.

I poked Bom hard in the ribs, extracting a squeak from the blonde. "Why didn't you guys tell me?" I whispered harshly.

"I'm sorry, Jennie," Bom replied apologetically, "we thought that you knew, since you were her PA."

"Well I don't," I shot back irritably, even though the irritation was more with myself than with Bom. A quick google search would not have hurt, I guess.

"It's a small matter Jennie, I'm sure Jisoo doesn't mind."

"Who says it's a small matter—"

Bom looked at me curiously.

"I mean—I mean I'm her personal assistant. What kind of personal assistant forgets her boss' birthday, huh?"

The blonde merely gave me a meaningful smile (not that I knew what the meaning was) and went off to present her gift to Jisoo.

For the next half an hour I slunk in the shadows, torn as to whether to escape or continue watching the steady stream of people convey their well-wishes to Koreas Jewel. Finally, the last person stepped up.

Yikes.

"Ha—happy birthday, Jisoo." Jinyoung said as he gingerly removed a small velvet box from the inner pocket of his jacket.

My eyes grew wider and I literally panicked.

Are you kidding me? Is he's trying to propose or something?

Aren't you kids too young to be getting married? !

Even though Jisoo frowned, she accepted the box.

"O—open it?"

If Jinyoung were nervous before, he was clearly on the verge of freaking out now. He fidgeted with his tie for a while and, having probably figured that he wasn't projecting a cool image, shoved his hands into his pockets instead. But then his legs started to twitch.

The rest of the studio waited with bated breaths as Jisoo opened the velvet box.

She took out a key.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Wait a minute. A key?

"It's p—parked right outside, Jisoo."

After a moment of stunned silence, excited squeals filled the air. Even the guys were gawking in astonishment. For my part, all I could think of was whether they kept a shovel in the studio. I could dig myself to the center of the earth pronto.

"I don't want it," the girl said coolly as she snapped the box shut and pressed it against his hand. Everyone else in the studio froze.

"B—but," Jinyoung stuttered, "it's the same one you rode in the other movie—"

"Thank you, but no."

With that, she strode out of the studio, leaving a clearly devastated Jinyoung in her wake.

Badass Jisoo is an impressing Jisoo.

As soon as I got off work, I rushed to the departmental stores to see if I could find a present for Jisoo.

Get a necklace? Wendy bought it.

Get a book? Bom gave it.

Get a game? CL had it covered.

And obviously I couldn't afford a Ducati.

I groaned, attracting plenty of weird looks from the passers-by. Is there anything that is nice and affordable and has not been bloody bought by someone already? !

Three hours and two blisters later, I stood outside Jisoo's apartment, panting lightly.

Just my luck that Jisoo decided to house herself in a modern day equivalent of a castle surrounded by a moat. The oh-so-exclusive apartment was at the very top of a hill overlooking the city & was not accessible unless one had a car or was willing to splurge on a cab ride. Since I did not fall into either category, I had to rely on my trusty feet to trek up the long and windy path to Kim Kingdom.

And that was after a lot of shopping.

I nervously bit my lips as my hand pressed the doorbell. When there was no answer, I knocked on her door. Tentatively at first, but subsequently harder.

"Ugh…" I mumbled as I leaned sideways against the door. A quick glance at my watch told me that it was just three minutes to midnight.

Where is she?

Isn't it obvious? She's probably out celebrating. You don't expect a superstar like her to be at home on her birthday, do you?

Nevertheless, the stubborn streak in me meant that I wasn't going to give up so easily. I thumped my fist against the wooden frame. "Hello? Jisoo?"

One minute left.

Darn!

As my knuckles were about to reconnect with the door, there was the sound of locks being pulled open. I barely had time to straighten my back when a figure appeared at the doorway.

"Jennie?"

"J—Jisoo?" I sputtered, not having expected to actually see her.

What are you waiting for? ! I snapped out of it.

"Ha—ppy Birthday, Jisoo!" I managed to choke before frantically checking my watch – there were still 15 seconds left. I made it!

After giving her a smug smile, it dawned on me that she was wearing an oversized t-shirt and shorts, while her hair was slightly tousled. "Sorry if I woke you up," I added hastily.

"It's okay, I was reading."

"Reading? You don't strike me as the bookworm kind, you know."

She gave a casual shrug and raised one eyebrow. "So... You travelled all the way here to wish me a happy birthday?"

I blinked, suddenly realizing the absurdity of it all. Crap.

"Ah—h, I wanted to pass you a present as well."

I fished out an envelope from my jacket. "Here you go."

She took it with a quizzical expression.

"Go on... Open it."

She carefully tore the flap open and retrieved a piece of paper. Her eyebrows rose in unison.

"A wish from Jennie!" I said merrily.

Her gaze traveled sideways as she read the fine print out loud. "…provided that it is within legal, moral and financial constraints..."

My grin grew broader. "Still, isn't it awesome? A wish from me you know!"

Jisoo folded her arms and leaned against the doorway with a skeptical expression. "Aren't you afraid that I'll ask you to be my slave for the day?"

"Well, hasn't your majesty enslaved me already?" I scoffed, referring to my run in with Ice Queen sometime back. I was instantly reminded of a song by Britney Spears.

"I'm a... slllllaaave for yooouuu..."

Jisoo immediately covered her ears with her hands. "Don't make it sound so wrong!"

I merely let out a cheerful hum. But I was pushing my luck, as my calf muscle promptly suffered a painful spasm. I winced, bending forward to grab my leg. "Oww…"

It was Jisoo's turn to chuckle. "You… Wanna come in?"

I looked up at the girl. It was pretty late already, but…

How could I say no?

"Sure."

Jisoo nodded and supported my shoulder as I half-limped and half-hopped into the dimly-lit house.

“I’m a cripple for yoouuu”, I murmered, making sure she didn’t hear me.

The living room lights were switched off, leaving the balcony lights to provide the illumination I needed to stumble towards her sofa.

I collapsed on the sofa and continued to massage my leg while she sat placidly next to me.

This is getting a little awkward.

"Sooooo…" I desperately tried to find a conversation topic, "it's dark in here huh?"

Koreas Jewel shot me a look that is best described "really?" as I resisted smacking myself on the head.

Why thank you Jennie, I swear that your IQ is questionable these days.

"I—I mean, didn't you say you were reading? The lights are all off."

"I was reading on the balcony," she replied evenly. I trailed her gaze to the large open-air balcony where there was indeed a book lying on a comfortable-looking recliner.

Before I could say another word, she stood up from her seat and strode towards the balcony. Her mood seemed more subdued than usual, thus I silently followed her out and leaned against the railings. For some time we did not speak, and there was only the recurrent sound of crickets in the background.

In the far horizon I could make out the dazzling lights of the city, seemingly a universe away from the peace and serenity surrounding us. But alluring as the lights of Seoul may be, we all desire some quiet at some point in time.

"The reason that I bought this apartment, is this."

I turned to the girl next to me, who was staring thoughtfully at the night sky. As the moonlight illuminated her profile, her pale skin seemed to shimmer, and I was reminded of the first time I had set eyes on her.

She hadn't changed, but something in me has.

Once again, I felt the now-familiar stirring in me.

If I tell you I have an itsy bitsy teeny weeny crush on you, what will you say?

"Ji—Jisoo…"

Bravo, Jennie. Are you trying to address that ant over there on the ledge? Because I'm sure that even the ant can't hear you.

I shifted my weight uneasily and cleared my throat.

What's the worst that could happen?

"Jisoo," I said again, my voice louder this time, "I—"

Just as she turned around to face me, a jarring sound broke into silence of the night. It took me a moment to realize that my phone was ringing.

"Ah—h sorry," I muttered as I fumbled in my jeans pocket for the annoying device.

Who would be calling me at such a late hour?

Finally, I pressed a button and held the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I said rather irritably. It'd better not be that irresponsible manager again!

"Hello. Unhappy to hear from me, darling?"

My mind went blank.

"M—mom?"

A/N: Yes, in this story Jisoo has her birthday in the summer.