"Jennie Kim, the youngest bidder in the Patek Philippe auction, takes home a historical ladies piece for $599,000. She's also one of Hermes' valuable customers, always in the top 5 of their priority list and this month, she scored a Himalaya Birkin bag valued at approximately $370,000. That's still close to a $100,000 left. Well, she spends it on everyday luxurious living: reservations, reservations, reservations. Partying, socializing, splurging on random stuff like a $1000 bottle of water and a $3500 fountain pen. This month, she has exceeded way off her budget... she has spent more than a million dollars in just a month." Jennie reads off a formal paper at her apartment's balcony, wearing an expensive-looking silk robe over comfortable pajamas.

At the bottom of the letter is a name and signature of the author, and in bold written: "Former private investigator for the government". It was written by someone her dad hired to observe her every move. She folds the paper and shreds it. She throws it in the air, showering the pedestrians under her 10th-floor unit.

She genuinely pouts as she heads back inside her grand apartment: antique artifacts and avant-garde art all over the place. Men in suits one-by-one take each piece. "My babies" Jennie cries under her breath. A man carries an eccentric portrait painting of herself. She blocks his way and caresses its frame, "Must you really take this too?". The man just smiles, steps aside and heads out.

She dramatically sits at her remaining leather couch as she sees her top-branded clothes being taken out. "Why don't you just ing take the whole apartment while you're at it?" she barked. A bearded man stands before her, "Oh can we do that?". Jennie rolls her eyes. Jennie calls him Ahju (short for ahjussi/ahjumma), he's one of her father's many assistants and her manager/assistant. He smiles at her.

 

He takes one remaining dining chair and sits opposite her. He takes out a letter and a pen from his briefcase, he sets it on the coffee table. Jennie just glances at it from afar.

Jennie: What is it?

Ahju: Agreement, Miss.

Jennie: I know, Ahju. What are the terms?

He looks at her then shakes his head.

 

He sighs as he rotates the paper so he could read it.

Ahju: The stuff we collected right now is approximately $532,989. And so, that's a remainder of $500,000 on your end.

Jennie: Bull. $1 million minus $532k is equal to $500k? Where'd they get their calculator from?

Ahju clears his throat.

Ahju: You know your father always rounds everything down... and that includes your expenditure.

Ahju smirks as Jennie sulks.

 

Ahju: The remaining $500k is for you to earn by working at YG Co.

Jennie excitedly leans forward.

Jennie: He's so weird! I've always wanted to work for the company!

Ahju: As a model?

Jennie: 'Course! Did you talk him through this? Thanks, Ahju.

 

Ahju smiles really really wide.

Ahju: You'll be in the inside business. An associate to be exact.

Jennie's jaw drops.

Jennie: Good joke. Go on.

 

He clears his throat.

Ahju: You'll be working under someone named Kim Jisoo with a wage of that of an intern.

Jennie stands up, furious.

Jennie: Are you ing serious? Am I gonna be sitting in front of a desk for the rest of my life?

Ahju: You will-

 

Jennie rushes to her bedroom which is still filled with people. "Get out!" she screams at the top of her lungs and they all do. She shuts the door close and locks it. Ahju knocks but she doesn't respond. Instead, she takes her phone out and dials her dad. He picks up after 10 tries.

Jennie: Dad.

Dad: Jennie.

Jennie: Dad.

Dad: You've lost control, Princess.

Jennie: Dad.

Dad: No. I'm not going to change my mind.

Jennie: Dad?...

Dad: I love you too. Bye!

Before Jennie could shout "Dad!", he hangs up. Jennie throws her phone across the room as she shouts "Those are ing good investments with a much higher resale value!". She walks towards the door and leans on it. She slowly slides down onto the floor, she grips her flawlessly curled hair.

 

Ahju: Shall I continue?

Ahju's behind the door. Jennie closes her eyes shut.

Jennie: Are you gonna cancel all my stuff?

Ahju: Yes and I will no longer be helping you out, Miss.

Ahju: Anyway, you will be entitled to regular perks such as free healthcare stuff blah blah blah and increments. Promotion is also possible but it's rare as you'll be working with really competitive workers.

Ahju: If you wish to terminate this agreement at any given time, "I, myself, will see you in court".

 

Jennie's eyes open wide, chills down her spine.

Jennie: Jesus Christ.

Ahju: I know right?

Jennie runs her hands over her face.

Jennie: Shut up.

___

Ahju opens a Bentley Mulsanne's rear door. Jennie gets out, she's still wearing her robe and pajamas, plus princetown slipper. He closes the door and takes off a plain leather men's wallet. He hands it to Jennie who opens it hesitantly.

She checks the card slots: nothing, just a picture of herself as a toddler. She checks the bills: $10 x 10. She looks up at Ahju.

Jennie: No cards... at all?

Ahju shakes his head.

Jennie: When do I get my next allowance?

Ahju: Never.

Jennie: You're joking.

 

Ahju doesn't move a muscle.

Jennie: I'm gonna end up slitting my throat... My utility bills cost at least $300, Ahju!

Ahju: That's why you're starting work tomorrow.

Jennie: And I'm supposed to buy clothes too? Am I not wasting even more money and resources?

Ahju: No. It's your first step to becoming thrifty, Miss.

Jennie sighs.

 

Jennie glances at the car then at Ahju then again, at the car then at Ahju. He shakes his head after realizing what she's trying to ask, laughing.

Jennie: You're asking me to do the impossible here. I believe the metro costs over $100 for a month.

Ahju: That's why I left a bicycle in your apartment.

Jennie's dumbfounded.

Ahju: It's foldable too!

She nods, putting her hands up in defeat.

___

She walks into the shopping mall and goes into all the regular stores, painfully ignoring her normal brands. But still, there's not much she could buy without going bankrupt ($100). She checks her phone and looks at the list Ahju sent her.

Things you need for tomorrow:

1. Formal clothes

2. Packed lunch (recommended since you're broke)

3. Please wear a blazer. Mandatory!

She sighs and dials Ahju.

Ahju: Yes, Miss?

Jennie: What if I really can't do with just $100.

Ahju: You have no choice, Miss. I'm sorry. 

Jennie: Are you serious?

Ahju: Yes. You know you've still got quite a few things in your possession that you can sell if you ever need to.

Jennie: Like what? My body?

Ahju: Haha!

Jennie sighs, her stomach growls.

 

Someone suddenly comes and hugs her so tight, she drops her phone. It's Rosé, one of her Australian friends, and she's holding a handful of Fendi shopping bags. [* means spoken in English u get me]

Rosé: Unnie! What are you doing here? And what are you wearing? Did you sleepwalk or something?*

Jennie picks up her phone as her eyes twinkle.

Jennie: You have come to save me!*

Ahju: Miss?

Rosé: Save you from what?*

Ahju: Misssssss?

Jennie: Hold on.*

 

Jennie: It's actually okay. I can manage.

Ahju: Don't forget there's always someone watching you.

Jennie looks around.

Jennie: Tell me something I don't know.

Ahju: They'll report it if you ask for favors or money from anyone, especially from your friends. It'll be x5, added to your debt.

 

Jennie puts her hand on her forehead.

Rosé: What's going on?*

Jennie looks back at Rosé.

Jennie: Can I at least take a lift? Even just for today?

Ahju: ...

___

Jennie is in Rosé luxury car. She types on Google: Cheap formal clothes boutique near me. A dozen comes up, she just picks the first one without even surveying. She shows it to Rosé.

Jennie: Take me to this place.*

 

After an hour of driving and asking random strangers for directions, they finally find the place. It looks run down and abandoned. Jennie peeks through the shop's window and she spots an old lady at the back.

Rosé: Are you sure about this?*

Rosé: I can just donate my clothes to you.*

Jennie sighs.

Jennie: Let's go in.*

 

Jennie browses through the clothes, all old-fashioned, plain and tailored for ladies from the 50s. Rosé heads over to the accessory section and tries some on.

Rosé: It's actually kinda cute.*

Jennie picks out a Chanel-looking blazer but puts it right back after checking the price: $35. Jennie grips the fabric, her eyes closed.

Jennie: If I end up slitting my throat here, kindly tell my Dad I hate him.*

 

Rosé walks towards Jennie and pats her back.

Rosé: How much are we working with?*

Jennie: $100. For the whole month.*

Rosé: That's a daunting task... But you're Jennie Kim! You can handle challenges!*

 

Jennie checks out the other clothes way at the back.

Jennie: Yeah but not regarding restraint and money.*

Rosé: You're supposed to buy sets of outfits that you'll be using for a month?*

Jennie: Yeah. It's so weird, I didn't know people from the company wore suits.*

Rosé: Let's limit your budget to hmm... $10?*

Jennie laughs wholeheartedly.

Jennie: I'll be repeating one outfit for 30 excruciating days? No thanks.*

 

The old lady clears .

Old Lady: Maybe if you girls speak in Korean then I can help you.

Rosé claps her hands together, finding the old lady quite cute.

Rosé: My friend here is on a really tight budget, Miss. Could you show us some of your cheapest clothes?

Old Lady: You need to be precise so we can speed this up.

Rosé: Umm...

 

Jennie: $50 for 4 tops, 2 bottoms, 1 blazer and 1 necklace.

Old Lady: That'll be at least $60.

Rosé: $55?

Jennie frowns at Rosé.

Jennie: Deal.

___

Jennie and Rosé are in the supermarket with an empty trolley.

Jennie: Did I just make a huge mistake?*

Rosé: You didn't even counter-offer but oh well.*

Jennie: Gosh. I have $40 left. *

Rosé: That's more than enough, right?*

 

Jennie goes through the goods under the organic section. 

Jennie: Since when were they all this pricey... I will starve.*

Rosé: You're gonna hate me for saying this...*

Jennie: What?*

Rosé: You'll need to ditch the organic lifestyle.*

 

Jennie explodes.

___

Jennie stuffs her gigantic refrigerator with lots of vegetables and some meat. Rosé's leaning on the kitchen island, eating a toasted bread with jam. Jennie finishes and stands up, then turns to look at Rosé.

Jennie: You know I've got limited resources here.*

Rosé: It's just one piece- chill!*

Jennie takes the rest of the loaf and stores it away.

Jennie: You can easily buy a croque-monsieur but here you are.*

Rosé spreads more jam on it and feeds it to the hangry Jennie.

 

Rosé: I guess you won't be attending any shows for a while.*

Jennie chews her food, staring at the window leading to her balcony.

Jennie: It's Paris fashion week in 3 weeks...*

Jennie closes her eyes shut and takes a few deep breaths.

Jennie: Lily-Rose even invited me to go on a road trip.*

Rosé's phone buzzes from a notification and checks it. She looks at Jennie with the look of a guilty murderer.

Rosé: Where's your phone?*

Jennie: Dead. In my room. I'm not in the mood to socialize.*

 

Rosé scrutinizes whatever her phone was showing, then she looks at Jennie. Jennie frowns then shortly leans in from curiosity. A picture shows Douglas Booth kissing Bel Powley. Jennie's heart stops as Rosé scrolls down, showing more and more snapshots. The hot lad, Douglas, is Jennie's ex. Jennie exhales.

Rosé: He's... a .*

Jennie: It's been 4 months, what'd you expect.*

Rosé: You guys agreed on a break. Not a break-up.*

 

Jennie feels a brick fall onto her head and her heart. She urgently searches her whole kitchen for something.

Rosé: What're you trying to find?*

Jennie: Vodka. Vodka. Vodka!*

Jennie kicks the refrigerator as she grips her hair.

Jennie: They took it all... Can I buy any alcohol for $6.50?*

 

Rosé shakes her head, walking towards the screwed girl.

Jennie: This is really too much to handle in one day.*

Rosé: I know.*

Rosé squeezes Jennie's shoulders.

Rosé: There's a PMO party tonight. Shall we go?*

Jennie nods vigorously, not weighing the consequences.

___

Everyone's dressed with lavish goods and flashy jewelry except for Jennie. She's wearing a Vetements hoodie, white shorts, and her beloved princetowns. People crowd around her on the couch as she chugs in shots. So unlike her, she was more of a classy and composed drinker.

Person #1: What's up with the get-up, Jen?

Person #2: Yeah! Where's the bling?!

Everyone leans in, anticipating the reply.

Jennie: I'm broke now so you people need to shut up.

 

Person #1: What happened?

Jennie: I owe my dad half a million.

 

They all burst into laughter. Jennie watches Rosé chat with a guy by the swimming pool. She scans her: Rosé's wearing a casual Vera Wang dress and Christian Louboutin's new Provisore. Jennie cries internally.

Person #3: We warned you about the auction.

Jennie: It's. An. Investment.

Person #1: True.

Person #4: So can we donate you stuff or something?

Jennie looks around, thinking. She's confused herself but she doesn't want to add in more debt. Times ing 5.

Jennie: I don't know. I'm so confused. I don't even care now.

 

They suffocate her with more questions about her new lifestyle which ticked the out of her. She stands up, raising a bottle of vodka and everyone looks at her. She steps onto the couch and chugs the whole bottle, some of it spilling down her chin. She finishes it and throws the bottle on the ground and it breaks. Rosé watches her dreamily from afar, "She's so cool". It was so not like her and everyone is shooketh. They wait as she struggles to keep herself from vomiting. Then she swallows the last gulp, now looking a-ok.

Jennie: LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!*

And everyone cheers their asses off.

___

Wild, rough night has passed and now it's her first day of work. Jennie's laying down on her couch with just her underwear on. An alarm rings and someone quickly turns it off. It's Rosé, she's fully clothed. Another alarm rings, Jennie groans. Rosé turns it off. Another alarm and Jennie finally opens her eyes, scrunching up her nose as she scans the living room. Another alarm.

Rosé: Since when did you have so many alarm clocks?!*

Jennie: Never... Oh, ing Ahju.*

She looks at Rosé who turns the last one off. 5 alarm clocks. Jennie remembers how wild she was last night, she wonders...

Jennie: Did we have ?*

Rosé turns to Jennie.

Rosé: I wish.*

 

Jennie scoffs and heads to her phone. She checks Ahju's message from last night.

Reporting time: 8 AM

Every 5 minutes, $20 is deducted from your salary. I'm not joking. If you're absent tomorrow then that's $1920 added to your debt.

Use google maps. Take the longer route, it's safer.

Have fun. Good luck, Miss!

Jennie checks the time, it's 5 minutes to 9 AM. 

___

Jennie's on the bicycle, wearing a 50s ladies' formal outfit but with pajamas underneath her skirt. Her blazer's the kind extremely old men wear to go for housewarmings. Jennie's panting, peddling as fast as she could. She suddenly stops and gets off the bike. She rushes to a bin and pukes. She's tearing up from how much she's thrown up. Drinking till you drop before the first day of work-- greatest decision ever!

She decides to walk the rest of the journey (1.8km) instead of cycling because it made her feel sicker. She looks like a mess, her hair flying everywhere and her shirt drenched. People look at her weirdly as she walks past store after store after store after store.

 

After an hour, due to puking along the way, she finally reaches the YG Co. building. She gets in and immediately heads to the restroom where she tidies herself up and gargles with a mouthwash. She comes out looking better than before. She receives stares from everyone as she walks past dozens of cubicles, towards the glass door that says "Kim Jisoo". Everyone was really well formally-dressed. Before she could go in, a man exits the office and he's holding a stack of magazines.

Man: Jennie Kim?

Jennie: Yes.

Man: You're 2 hours late on your first day.

Jennie: Yeah, sorry.

 

The man hands her the stack and he gestures her to follow him. He points at an empty cubicle, "That'll be your space". They go on further, he shows her around the whole floor. Then they walk back to her cubicle, she's still holding the weight. Her teeth's clenched, she's angry at the fact that he didn't allow her to put it down when actually that was where she was going to be putting it in the first place.

Jennie: You could've just told me to put it down 10 minutes ago.

The man just looks at her, admiring. He inhales deeply.

Man: You won't be sitting today. You'll go around asking if you could help with anything.

Jennie scoffs, "Like an errand girl?"

Man: Precisely.

The man leaves as Jennie bawls her eyes out internally.

 

After receiving countless requests for photocopies and coffee, Jennie heads to the bathroom. She goes into a cubicle, puts the toilet cover down and sits. She takes a small medicine box out of her pocket, it reads "911". She opens it and takes a Xanax. She meditates and looks relaxed for a while but she breaks down and throws a mini fit. She takes her phone to see lots of calls and messages from tons of peeps. She dials her dad... it goes through voicemail.

Jennie: I'm an errand girl, Dad.

Jennie: How could you do this, old man?

Another call comes through and she answers it without looking at the caller. She just wants to rant to someone right now. "Jennie?"* she hears. It's ing Douglas.

Jennie: I know.*

Douglas: What?*

Jennie: I know you've moved on and that's okay.*

Douglas: What are you talking about?*

Jennie mocks him silently.

Jennie: Whatever.*

She hangs up.

 

She gets back to work and it was lunchtime. Everyone was still at their cubicles, focused on working. A lady comes and asks "You're the new one, right?". Jennie nods, she thought someone's gonna finally introduce themselves. But no, she hands Jennie a paper. What the ? Jennie opens it as the lady goes back to work. 

3 x Bibimbap, 2 w/ extra egg 

3 x Bacchus (Red Bull)

1 x Banana milk

She can't believe her eyes. She never expected the day would come where she'd be buying strangers' lunch. More people come and pass slips of paper to her, then came the man from just now.

Man: You still good?

Jennie: Where the hell am I supposed to get all of these?

Man: Jennie-ssi, you'll need to adjust the way you talk...

Jennie rolls her eyes internally. The man hands her his paper which looks different from the others.

                                             YG Co.

Kim Jisoo

Marketing Director

 

Chicken :P

 

 

Man: Be back in an hour.

___

Jennie cycled her way everywhere. It took her an hour and 45 minutes to get everything: that's 18 meals and 22 drinks. She gets back and she just places all the goods on the long table situated at the center of the room. Everyone looks at her, she's dripping with sweat and on the verge of tears. She sees the man about to enter back into his office again and she quickly approaches him. 

Man: Where is it?

Jennie lifts the paper up and shoves it to his chest.

Jennie: Chicken? Too vague.

The man snaps at her.

Man: If nothing's stated then it means ANY. Do you have any common sense? You're late and you dare talk that way to me? Go get it or else you're fired.

Jennie takes a deep breath as the man enters his office. 

 

Jennie stands there for a long while, calming her nerves down... She decides she doesn't deserve any of this so she fiercely barges into his office. 

Jennie: Do you ing know who I am?

The man's stunned and looks at the woman staring out the window.

Jennie: I'm your CEOs one and only daughter. And-

He looks back at the woman again so Jennie snaps her fingers in front of his face.

Jennie: I'm talking to you Kim Jisoo!

 

The woman slowly turns but Jennie doesn't notice. The man's eyes widen in terror.

Jennie: Just 'cause you're the ing marketing director doesn't mean you're the boss here, . You have no right to treat me like . I'm only here 'cause my dad wants me to learn the value of money and you're giving me a really hard time with your obnoxious presence- I might just end up firing YOU instead. You write "Chicken" again and I'll make sure to get you something raw. Because any will do, right? You even have the audacity to question my common sense... my IQ's 159, what's yours? You're the one with an obvious problem here because you cAn'T EvEN iNG PUT A SIMPLE, SHORT "ANY"!!!

Jennie breathes in and breathes out. That was a badass rap.

 

The lady comes between them and Jennie finally realizes her presence. She had long black hair and bangs. She's not wearing super brands but her clothes still looked very nice. The lady smacks the guy's back and he lowers his head down.

Man: Sorry.

 

The lady faces Jennie completely and she lets out a warm smile. Jennie's still furious, steam coming out from all over her body.

Lady: I'm sorry for all of today...

Jennie looks back at the lady with a soothing voice.

 

The lady holds her hand out for a handshake.

Lady: I'm Kim Jisoo.