C H A P T E R  4   

“Ah. Blackvelvet. I heard your showcase in Japan was successful. Congratulations  You must have worked hard” The host chirply said, trying so hard to sound lively and Jennie almost bought it if not for the haggard face of the host. They were in the cold room of a radio broadcast station and Jennie regretted not bringing a jacket.

Blackvelvet agreed cheerfully. They rested well yesterday so they were all in a good mood, well, except for Yeri. She looked horrible. Her eyebags were screaming for help. Jennie didn’t have the slightest idea of what happened to the maknaes last night.

“Lisa-ssi, what do you think about the showcase?”

“I feel happy and nervous at the same time. Our fans have been waiting for a long time for our promotions and I am happy to see all of them. I want to gift them with a wonderful performance”

Soon, they talked about their promotion,  the culture of Japan and the people. The girls were happy talking about the funny stories they experienced in Japan and more importantly, sharing how overwhelmed they were from the love and support that they received.

When the topic died down, “Oh. There are many comments today”, the host said while looking at his screen.  The girls looked at their screen. Jennie had took a liking of reading comments. During their previous broadcasts, she would read the comments as much as she can. Today was no exception. She slid her thumb against the tablet gently. There were indeed a lot of comments. Some were compliments, some were ‘Jennie, please speak in English’, some were ‘Do you know BTS?’ (Jennie wondered why she even bothered reading that), some were ‘Jenlisa pa din mga ulol’ (she never understood that but it was probably about her and Lisa). Her reading session was interrupted when the host cleared his throat and said, “It’s time to answer the viewers’ questions”

The girls prepared themselves for the questions

“From LisasForehead : If you were a guy, who’s the member that you’re going to date? Wow. Now, I’m wondering too. Who wants to go first?” The host asked but none of the girls raised their hand since they were still thinking of the answers. “Okay so I guess Leader Irene can go first?”

The ever collected Irene smiled, “If I were a guy…” Irene trailed off, seemingly thinking of an answer. Suddenly, Jennie felt her chest constricting. Somehow, a little part of her wished that Irene would say that it’s her. That it’s not Lisa and Yeri. That it was her. Kim Jennie and no other else. And even though she was hopeful, she forced herself to look calm.

“Well, I guess… I guess I will date Jennie” Irene turned to Jennie and beamed a smile; And broadcast be damned as Jennie smiled back, a smile that reached her eyes. Her heart beating so crazy fast that she started to question if this was happening for real, if what she heard was the truth and not her mind playing games with her.

Irene moved her head back to the host when he asked the reason for her answer. “Yeri and Lisa… I watched over them ever since they were kids so I  don’t think it’s right to date them. So I think it’s more appropriate if it’s Jennie” Everyone laughed, well, except for a certain cat-eyed girl whose heart broke as fast as it started to beat earlier. Oh Kim Jennie, what were you expecting?

“Oh! And Irene unnie really likes Jennie unnie’s cooking” Yeri shared comfortably, added by a nodding Lisa who raised her thumb to emphasize the quality of Jennie’s food.

“Ah! Yes, and that. She cooks so well” Irene nodded proudly. And there it goes again, the butterflies in Jennie’s stomach. Irene Bae was a rollercoaster of emotions.

“Irene-ssi, I like to cook well too” the host joked and everyone froze for a second and stared at the leader, who was also taken aback with the idiotic remark. But Irene being Irene, she quickly composed herself and smiled. “Okay” she said sweetly and that was honestly the best thing one could possibly do at the moment. The host thankfully took it as a chance to change the topic.

“Jennie-ssi, if you were a boy, are you going to date Irene back?” the host just had to ask.

“Ah, yes, of course I would” Jennie immediately answered back.

“May I ask why?”

Because she's so selfless…

She thinks about the other members first…

She washes our clothes even when she's tired...

And the way she tries to hold back her tears when it gets to hard just so she could comfort us

“Because Unnie is so cute, like a small bunny” Jennie deadpanned.

“Kim Jennie!” the said unnie pouted.

Goodness, she’s so perfect.

Tonight is the night, Yerim repeatedly told herself. After their whole day of radio broadcasts and live performances, she quickly went to her room and dressed in all black, finishing it with a black cap and a black mask. Invisibility mode on, she thought to herself proudly.

The night came and Lisa was tiptoeing once again, heading for the door to go to who-knows-where and little did she know that she was being watched.

When Yeri was sure that the giant had stepped out, she followed the latter, fast yet quiet enough to remain unnoticed by Lisa. If anyone was seeing Yeri, they could have easily mistaken her for a ninja.

Lisa walked along the shopping district, her disguise remaining intact and still. The said district was busy and was filled with vendors, couples and even old people. Yeri’s heart was thumping so hard at the thrill of being caught and for the mystery of Lisa’s whereabouts when the clock hits 11 PM.

The giant stopped abruptly and Yeri sweared she thought that Lisa had caught her, but when the giant turned to her side and looked forward, Yeri knew, this was it.

What Lisa was staring at was a big makeshift stage. The people seemed to be drawn to it seeing the vast amount of people in the area. The two Blackvelvet members blended well with the crowd, although some were giving Yeri some weird looks since she was dressed in all black. Lisa found herself a spot to stand, a spot that was quite hidden and far enough from the stage. Yeri took it as a chance to run towards her giant unnie, tackling her into a headlock.