July 2019

. . .

Three days after receiving her husband's letter and writing a reply, Jisoo was scheduled to meet her virtual husband.

It was early in the morning and Jisoo was tasked to prepare for herself without a prep team. The last envelope she read inside the Blackpink House had instructions for their special first meeting.

"Now that you've written your letter to your husband, here are your instructions for your special meeting. You'll meet him in three days at a nice bookstore. You won't have staff with you, so you won't have anyone to dress you up and do your makeup. Please do well."

She was currently putting on her makeup. She decided to go with a natural look, opting to focus on lashes and lips. The problem she was facing was her clothes. She was Blackpink's visual, yes, but when it came to fashion, she wasn't that good at dressing herself up. This was Jennie's expertise.

"Jendeukie?" Jisoo peaked inside Jennie's room. Kuma was sleeping beside her, but he woke up when Jisoo opened the door.

Jennie stirred in her sleep. "Unnie? Aren't you supposed to be preparing for your date?"

"Yes," Jisoo said. "Can you help me pick out my clothes?"

Jisoo knew Jennie was sleepy, but her friend shot up from bed and went to Jisoo's room.

"Unnie, you don't have a lot of cool clothes..."

. . . 

Fiddling with her necklace, Jisoo gave a long sigh. Their manager was driving her over to the café where she will meet her husband for the first time.

Husband. Jisoo still can't wrap her head around it. For a year, she's going to be in a virtual marriage with someone. She's going to live with him in a house that she's never been to, she's going to spend her mornings and evenings with him, they're going to share a bed-

"Ya, Jisoo-ya," her manager caught her attention. "Are you nervous?"

Jisoo put on her brightest smile. "Yes. But I'm also excited."

"Don't be nervous, you look pretty. Your outfit is nice."

"Thank you," Jisoo said with a laugh. "Jennie dressed me today." Jendeukie did a great job with her outfit. Jisoo was wearing a fitted brown crop top under a white slip dress. She was wearing her favourite Chucks with socks that had dogs printed on them.

She bounced in her seat, trying to lighten the mood.

"Will you wait for me outside the bookshop?"Jisoo asked her manager.

He nodded. "Yes. After your bookshop date, you'll go to another location. We'll be around to keep the crowds from going near you."

"Oh, okay. The cameras are rolling once I get inside, right?"

"Yes."

Jisoo took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

You can do this, Kim Jisoo, she thought to herself. Just smile brightly and everything will be okay.

After a few minutes of zoning out, her manager spoke. "We're here. Time to put on your mic."

. . .

The bell chimed as Jisoo took a step inside the bookshop. It was absolutely beautiful. Cozy and small, the bookshop sent a vintage vibe that Jisoo was in love with. If it weren't for the cameras all around the place, she would have forgotten what she was meant to do and would just get lost in all the books.

"Hello," she greeted the old man by the counter. He smiled and handed her an envelope with instructions.

She was instructed to choose three books she wanted to buy and go to the corner with the daybed and read for a while. Jisoo took her time choosing what she wanted to read. Carefully reading the titles one by one, she slowly walked around the shelves.

Fifteen minutes had gone by and she still hadn't chosen the third book. She was torn between two other titles and couldn't decide.

"What do I do," Jisoo murmured. "Even if it's for books, I have no love for shopping."

Suddenly, the bell rang again, announcing another customer. Jisoo's hear started to pound against her chest. There was no one else inside the shop – she knew that the producers probably booked it for the day. That means whoever just came in was her –

"Hello," said a smooth, deep voice.

Jisoo panicked and ducked under the shelves. She tried to peak through the books and see who it was, but there were too many shelves between them.

"Who is it," Jisoo whispered. "I can't see."

She continued to creep around the shelves, trying to get closer to the entrance. She put her hands out as if they were claws and she was a monster creeping on her prey.

"I'm going to catch you," Jisoo whispered in a monster voice.

She jumped from behind the shelf. "Waah," she said, still in her monster voice.

But the old man from the counter was the only one surprised.

"Huh? Where did he g-"

Jisoo saw movement from the corner of her eye and turned her head. The first thing she saw was a broad man's chest clothed in a brown, long sleeved shirt.

She looked up and saw a familiar face.