Chapter 9

 

 

 

 

 

 

In one of the nightclubs on Jeju Island. The place where all the boys and girls gather in search of pleasure and a good time. Amid the wines and drugs and under the influence of high music, they dance with each other without awareness of what surrounds them or even with who they dance.

 

 Matthew enters the club and stands looking around the club, looking for someone. After he finds him, he heads to the center of the club as he tries to cross from among the people that are busy dancing until he reaches the bar and takes a seat next to another man who is a small distance away from him.

 

 After asking for a beer, he reaches out to the pocket of his jacket and pulls out an envelope, placing it on the table without looking at hia side or raising his eyes from the drink that was placed in front of him. He slides the envelope to the man on his right.

 

 "This contains all the details you need about the person."

 

The unknown man takes the envelope and Matthew takes out another envelope and places it in front of the man.

 

 "This is half of the payment in advance. The rest of the payment will be sent once the work is done." Matthew says in a firm tone, drinking from his glass.

 

 The man takes the other envelope.

 

 "When will you start?" Matthew asks, pretending to be looking somewhere else.

 

"You will know when you know." The unknown man answers simply.

 

 "Make it soon."

 

 Matthew says then he takes a sip and gets up from his seat, heading out from the club.

 

 

. . . . . . . . . .

 

 

 Jisoo goes down to the dining hall as it's time for dinner and finds the plates are already put on the table, and Lisa and Chaeyoung have both taken their seat at the table. Of course, Jennie isn't here again.

 

 

 "She's not coming again?" Jisoo asks, a little bit annoyed.

 

 Lisa shakes her head, no.

 

Jisoo stares at them sharply, her lips closed tightly and her gaze intimidating. She seems to be angry although it's not really the case, but that is how she looks when she becomes serious.  

 

 

 "Ma'am, sit down and I'll go-" Min Yoo declares when he sees her expression and before he completes, Jisoo ignores him, turns around and rushes up towards the top floor.

 

 

 To Jennie.

 

 

. . . . . . . .

 

 

 

Jisoo arrives to Jennie's room. She was about to open the room directly when she stops herself with her hand near the door handle. She takes a breath to calm down as she was walking fast and knocks on the door. 

 

Jennie was lying down on the bed, still feeling fatigued from what happened in the dance hall.  With difficulty, she gets up when she hears the sudden knocking, wondering who this might be.

 

 "I'm Jisoo.. could you please open the door?"

Jisoo says in clear determinded tone.

 

Confused about the reason why she's here, Jennie opens the door and sees Jisoo standing with one hand against the wall on her left. 

 

Jisoo keeps wearing the same serious expression when she lifts her hand off the wall and passes by Jennie's side inside the room and stops when she becomes at the middle of the room.

 

 "So.. you didn't have breakfast or lunch, and even though I previously told you that this was the reason for your physical weakness, you still don't want to come to dinner?" Jisoo says as she turns around facing Jennie.

 

"What is happening with you?" She adds with her eyebrows furrowed.

 

Jennie moves away from the door and leaves it open, walks closer to Jisoo and stands in front of her at a distance. She stares back at Jisoo for a moment to then she turns her gaze to the other side, not knowing what to answer and how. She looks back at her, silence is her only answer. And it's not like Jisoo is waiting for a verbal answer from her.

 

They keep staring at each for another few moments until Jisoo decides to cut to the chase.

 

"I don't know what disturbs you like this, nor do I know what happened for you to stop eating suddenly," she states firmly and with every word she approaches a step closer to Jennie making sure not to lower her eyes from Jennie's eyes and to keep a safe distance between them. Trying to figure out her problem. 

 

"nor what happened before you came here and honestly..I don't care." She tells her the last sentence with a dry tone. To then she follows:

"But whatever that is, it doesn't mean that you neglect your health like this.  Since you have become living in my property, this means that you have become my responsibility and I cannot ignore your bad behavior toward your self." She finishes looking sharply and deeply into Jennie's eyes. 

 

 "Now let's go."

 

Jisoo adds suddenly and holds Jennie's arm, dragging her, causing Jennie to turn around. But Jennie, whose the sentence 'I don't care' disturbed her and got on her nerves, refuses to move and freezes in her place, causing Jisoo to stop. 

 

When she sees her like this, she turns her head towards her.

 

 "What? Let's go."

 

 Jennie releases her arm free from Jisoo's grip and crosses her arms together, looking displeased.

 

 "I said. Let's. go."  Jisoo says each word slowly and separately.

 

Jennie shakes her head, no, letting the silence reigns between them again, staring at each other. It's a battle over who is the most stubborn one.

 

Jennie is more than pissed with her attitude, why is she behaving like this? So carefree.

 

Always wearing the same damn expressions, calm and smiley.

 

Why is she always behaving like the world is all pink and rainbows? And like everything is fine? Spending her life in so much welfare that missing one of the meals become her biggest concern.

 

Sorry, but some people out there might be killed at any moment! And they have no time to think about food.

 

Does she think if she smiled, everything will be better?  Does she think that all people live in rich and happiness like her? 

 

She irritates her to no end!

 

It's when they see you sad and say 'it's okay', you are expected to become better after that.  As if all what you needed is that word, as if you needed them to say it to you. They don't understand and that's what bothers you, and their attempt to understand your situation is bothering you even more. 

 

Jennie was overwhelmed by these feelings, which made her forget an important fact; that feeling like this doesn't necessarily mean that what you feel is true.

 

And yes, Jisoo doesn't understand. she doesn't understand her.

 

Isn't she supposed to be more...obedient?

 

Jisoo doesn't want to seem like an arrogant person, but.. why is she behaving like she owns the place?  Like she's doing her a favor by staying in her mansion.

 

Like..she can literally throw her out if she wants to! 

 

'God..the audacity.'

 

Why is she trying to look so strong and unbreakable? Always so defensive, as if she would hurt her any moment. 

 

She hates her hotheadedness!

 

But no..she can't let her get on her nerves.

 

She is not unaware of the fact that some people sometimes need to stay alone, but when it comes to harming their health, certainly these people are not in their full right mind and leaving them to their liking is not the solution.

 

 "Why so stubborn?"

 

Jennie's reluctant expression disappears when Jisoo asks her suddenly, looking at her with great confusion. She can see how truly confused Jisoo is just from her expressions.

 

 She decides to clearly tell her that all the matter is just her not feeling the desire to eat anything,  so she relaxes her arms, points to her stomach, and then shakes her head negatively, with her eyebrows curled and face wrinkled.

 

Jisoo understood what Jennie wants to convey to her, but she was determined from the moment she went up to her that she would never go down unless she is with her.

 

 "Well then..  I won't have dinner either." 

 

Jisoo says shrugging and then goes to sit on the edge of the bed, resting her elbow on her knee with her cheek against the palm of her hand as she looks forward, carelessly.

 

 "And I will stay here too." Jisoo adds nonchalantly.

 

Jennie looks at her with wide eyes and raised eyebrows, surprised by what Jisoo just said.

 

 "What? You think I'm joking? Just watch me." 

She confirms with a playful tone.

 

 'Stays here?' 

 

She cannot allow this! She can't stay here, and she's crazy. she does it!

 

Jisoo looks up to Jennie and then brings her gaze back to the void. looks at her again, but this time she looks at her wondering. There is something different in Jennie's outlook but she doesn't know what it is.

 

Her face is the same..

 

Her clothes are the same..

 

 Her hair-

 

 'Yes, her hair.'

 

It wasn't held up like this before, it wasn't tied up in a ponytail.

 

Jisoo gets up and turns towards Jennie, and this time her expression is more serious, as if the thing she's about to do is more important than Jennie's health.  She extends her hand behind Jennie's head and pulls her hair tie in a smoothly making her hair fall over her shoulders, then runs her hands gently through Jennie's hair to tidy it up and restyle it.

 

 

 "Yes..this's better." 

 

 She says, looking at Jennie generally and goes back and sits on the same position previously, looking satisfied.

 

Jennie really became speechless at that, her mind went blank and her heart is beating fast.

 

She really doesn't understand her, and she no longer understands herself either.

 

 

. . . . . . . . . 

 

 

Everyone at the dining hall was in complete silence, waiting for Jisoo to come. They didn't pour the main dishes yet and Lisa was trying hard to tie Chaeyoung's hands so that she won't attack the side dishes.

 

Finally, They hear the sound of footsteps approaching them. It's Jisoo, coming with a bright smile on her face or rather a smile of victory, and behind her there's Jennie walking sheepishly, looking exactly like someone who had been defeated.

 

Jisoo sits at the head of the table, and Jennie sits on her left next to the girls.  Jisoo tells Min Yoo to start pouring food and start their dinner.

 

During dinner, Jisoo kept slicing the meat for Jennie and putting it on her plate first, then slicing it to herself, making sure that the rest of the dishes are in her reach and constantly looking at her with a warm smile. Practically, treating her like a child who had just thrown a tantrum.

 

Lisa and Chaeyoung were in their own world talking with their eyes and facial expressions about how the food is delicious and tasty with long groans, Lisa was arguing with Chaeyoung that one of dishes is more delicious than the other and Chaeyoung was disagreeing with her and this was all a hot debate between their facial expressions and signs.

 

Jisoo who was watching the whole thing, laughs with an open silent laugh as she changes her attention towards her plate.

 

And Jennie, after implanting her fork inside a small piece of meat and is about to eat it, takes notice of Jisoo's laugh and she stills for a moment.

 

This is the first time she sees her laugh like this.

 

And it's beautiful.

 

It was so beautiful that it took all Jennie's attention with her eyes focusing on Jisoo and instead of putting the bite in , she directs it towards the corner of causing it to fall in her lap while is still slightly open, waiting for the bite. 

 

Jennie freezes a little and closes her eyes while cursing herself inside and then she completes her dinner, pretending that nothing has happened.

 

Jisoo noticed the bite falling, but ignored it as if she had not seen anything. She doesn't want Jennie to feel anymore embarrassed.

 

As for Jennie, she was fed up. Her soul had already went up to heaven multiple times from the repeated embarrassment. Very angry with herself, she doesn't know what's going on with her.  She is angry at herself but more at Jisoo because she was the reason every time.

 

She makes her do stupid things. She really can't stand her!

 

Her continuous kindness with her makes her feel guilty, makes her..hesitate.  This is something she can't deal with, not anymore and so, she closes her heart. Each time she finds herself on the gates of weakness, she closes her heart tightly again, leaving her mind and her priority to survive in control.

 

 She finishes her food quickly and gets up, turns toward Jisoo and bows to her indicating that she will leave now.

 

Before Jisoo could abject, her phone rings. She lifts it and sees it is from her father to then she picks up the call, looking at Jennie. Seeing that, Jennie walks off the table and goes to the top floor.

 

 "Yes, Dad.. just a moment, until I get to the office."

 

. . . . . . . . .

 

/"How are you dear?  How are things there?"

 

 "Everything is all right. You?" Jisoo answer as she sits in her chair behind her desk.

 

"Good, they're waiting for you to return and make them better." With a gentle tone, he says, making Jisoo smile weakly. 

 

 "I can manage things from here, dad.." she comments playfully.

 

"Oh right, did the JYP representative call you about our coming project in Seoul?"

 

"Yes, he called me yesterday and we spoke a little." She says swinging in her chair, looking up to the ceiling.

 

"I contacted him before I called you, he will come to Jeju Island tomorrow to discuss the project and sign the contract." He states.

 

 "Oh..good, then..I will decide with him later on a date, you can take charge of the rest after I send you the files."

 

"Ok," he pauses a little then he departs, hesitant. "Everything is going fine, right?"

 

 "Yes, I already told you.." Jisoo answers, a little bit surprised by his question for the second time.

 

"Did you get something?"

 

 "Something like what?"

 

A moments of silence pass and then:

 "Oh, never mind, it's nothing. Well then, I'm going to close now. Good night."

 "Good night." \ she says in a low tone then hangs up.

 

 

. . . . . . . .

 

After Jisoo had called him, Min Yoo heads towards the office, Lisa and Chaeyoung were in their way to their rooms behind him.

 

When He enters the office, Lisa stops and tells Chaeyoung that she will go and bring some snacks from the kitchen to eat in the room. Easily convinced, Chaeyoung nods and continues her path. Lisa waits for Chaeyoung to go upstairs then looks around to make sure sure that no one is around her. She walks closer to the office door and puts her ear against it carefully.  She hears Jisoo and Min Yoo talking, their voices are low but clear.

 

 

 "Did you agree with him on tomorrow?" Min Yoo asks.

 

 - "Yes, at eight o'clock in the evening, and you're coming with me too." Jisoo informs him firmly.

 

 "As you say. Is there a need to bring out the project xxx' files?"

 

 - "No, our meeting is for another project, what I want from you is to prepare the projector, we will need it and also withdraw the presentations on the flash memory."

 

 "Okay."

 

 - "This is it, you can go."

 

 Once Lisa hears that, she quickly moves away from the door and heads down.

 

. . . . . . .

 

 "Is there anything else you want before I go?" Min Yoo says standing in front of her desk.

 

 -" No, there is not. "

 

 She says while she is standing behind her desk, arranging the papers. As he turns around and heads to the door, she suddenly stops and calls him who before he exits.

 

He turns back, looking at her questionably.

 

 "Actually, yes. There is something I want you to bring to me." She says looking amused.

 

 

. . . . . . . .

 

 

 Lisa enters the room with a bag of chips and some nuts, and finds Chaeyoung lying in bed.

 

 "You are late!" Chaeyoung grumbles as she snatches the bag of chips from Lisa's hand and looks at her angrily.

 

 - "Calm down, Jeez! I'm late because I didn't know what to bring." Lisa defends, in disbelief to then she sits on the mattress. She waits for a few minutes, and then she takes a bag of nuts and gets up.

 

 "I'm going to Jennie to give her this," Lisa says, trying to be subtle."she was recently frustrated and maybe this will cheer her up a little..you know.."

 

Chaeyoung nods to her without even looking and Lisa heads out of the room, hastily.

 

 

. . . . . . .

 

 

 "Are you sure?" Jennie asks, squinting her eyes, with her arms crossed.

 

 - "Yes! I told you, I heard them with my own ears." Lisa says in matter of fact.

 

 "Good, this is a great opportunity to try to figure out the password.." Jennie says as her eyes wanders in the empty space, thinking.

 

 - "Do whatever you gotta do, planning or thinking." Lisa adds as she gets up from the bed in a hurried tone. "I have to go before Chaeyoung starts asking. Tell me tomorrow."

 

 " Okay "

 

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 Before midnight around eleven o'clock, Jennie in her room sitting in the middle of her bed with her legs crossed, thinking about what Lisa had previously said.

 

That's when she hears knocking on the door, breaking her thoughts.

 

Wearing an annoyed expression, she gets up and heads towards it.

 

'Now what?'

 

She opens the door and furrows when she doesn't see anyone there, pops her head a little outside the room, looking around, wondering, but there is no one. When she intends to go back inside, her eyes lay on the floor and sees a bucket of medium size with a spoon over it at the doorstep.

 

 Squatting and lifting it from the ground and getting up again looking at the bucket.

 

 It is a family size ice cream bucket with chocolate flavor and strawberries.

 

 She takes it with her as she closes the door, walks towards the bed, wondering for a moment who put it there when she remembers that there is only one person who can do this.

 

 "Jisoo.."

 

 She glares at the bucket and then goes and puts it on the makeup table, leaves it there and goes back and sits on the side of the bed, crossing her arms as she keeps staring at the bucket and pouting.

 

 "What was she thinking for god's sake? Does she think I'm a child or something? I certainly won't eat it!"

 

. . . . . . . .

 

Amid the silence that fills the place, the door of Jisoo's room opens slowly.  Jisoo pops her head slantly glancing from behind the door, only her eyes showing, looking at Jennie's room.  When she sees that the bucket has disappeared from the doorstep, she smiles and re-closes the door.

 

 **

 "An Ice creem?" He says confused.

 

 -" Yes! "

 

 "But why now suddenly?"

 

 - "Min Yoo, no matter how sad and depressed one is, they can't resist a bucket of ice cream with chocolate flavor." She tells him playfully in a matter of fact as she sits back in her chair.

 

 **

 

. . . . . . . .

 

 

 "Does she think that the ice cream will solve everything?  For real! I don't understand her!"

 

 Jennie mumbles as she digs the spoon again deep into the ice cream and puts it in , sitting with her legs crossed in the middle of the bed.

 

 "Ugh! it's so delicious!"

 

 

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The next day passes normally and calmly; Jennie was with them at breakfast this time and at lunch too, as she can't stand Jisoo watching her all the time, Jisoo spent her time working at the office and Lisa and Chaeyoung, either wandering around the garden or watching TV.

 

Around eight o'clock, Jisoo had finished preparing herself and is now in her room extracting the important files she will need in the meeting.

 

 It's common for Jisoo to organize the files in two separate bags, to reach them easily when needed.

 

 After finishing organizing the files, she puts them in the designated bag, closes it, and puts it next to the makeup table.  She looks at the mirror for the last touches when her phone rings and lifts her it to see who's calling. 

 

It's her partner in the project, and it's seems he's calling to ask about the meeting.  After completing her conversation with him, she takes the bag and heads out of the room and closes it behind her.

 

When she comes out of the wing, she finds Min Yoo waiting for her.

 

 "So ma'am, shall we go?"

 

 -"Yes"

 

 Jisoo and Min Yoo get out on their way to the car that is waiting for them in the front yard.

 

 A few moments after they got off the third floor, Jennie comes out of the wing and looks around. Making sure no one is around, she goes to the window at the end of the corridor, which overlooks the front yard, and sees a black car parked outside.

 

 

. . . . . . . . 

 

 

Once Jisoo and Min Yoo reach the front yard and get into the car, the car starts to move and goes on its way out of the mansion door.

 

Jennie was watching them from above, as soon as she saw the car had moved and is about to leave the gate, she moves away from the window and runs hurriedly inside the wing and closes the door behind her, unaware that it didn't close completely.

 

She knockes on the door of Lisa's room two consecutive knocks as a sign they agreed on. She waits a for a few seconds walking forward and backward until She feels the door is opening.

 

 Lisa gets out of the room, walking slowly so she doesn't wake Chaeyoung up.

 

They head to the chest of the wing and sit on the sofa, facing each other.

 

 "Okay. They left, We don't know how long they will stay outside, so we have to move quickly!" Jennie starts in determined tone, clasping her hands together.

 

 - "Well then, let's repeat the plan quickly." Lisa says nervously matching Jennie's tone.

 

 "As far as we know; the password either it was sent to them by mail aor by a phone call, so it must be that Min Yoo wrote it down. Of course there is a possibility that he didn't and it had been printed in his memory but I excluded that because he's an old dementia, he cannot remember the password from merely hearing it."

 

 - "You really don't like him, don't you?"

 

 "In any case.." Jennie digresses, ignoring her remark.

 

"What we will do is the following; we will search the office and search for any paper, envelope or notebook that might have been written on it. If we find nothing we will move to Min Yoo's room on the first floor."

 

 - "Okay, but do you know where his room is?" Lisa says, getting more worried and suspicious by the second.

 

 "No, that's why we have to move quickly. Now let's go!"

 

Jennie gets up quickly and intends to walk when Lisa gets up and grabs her arm and stops her.

 

 "Jennie wait a second! we have to talk about something.." Lisa says wearing a serious expression.

 

 -" What is it?"

 

 "Don't you think that there is something strange about all this?" 

 

 - "Something strange? how?" Jennei asks furrowing.

 

 "I mean, don't you find that our plan is working well and without hindrance, is something strange?" Lisa says in worried tone.

 

 - "Why not? Doesn't this mean that it is a good thing? Maybe God wants to help us." Jennie says releasing her arm free.

 

 "What I mean is..You entered Jisoo's room, the owner of this mansion, and you got out and nothing happened, as simple as that! Not to mention, there are no cameras in the mansion, I mean, mansion of this size and someone of such importance, has such weak protection?" She tells her in a suspicious tone.

 

Jennie stays silent for a moment as her face turns to the other side.  She knows that it's  strange, but she is desperate and doesn't know any other solution. Her feeling of fear around the clock is very exhausting, and all she thinks of is to save herself and to escape far away..very far, so she cannot back down now. She can't Lisa's words get into her mind.

 

 She looks back at Lisa and she's more determined now.

 

"Lisa, although it is a big mansion but it's more like a regular home. I mean Jisoo doesn't have those jobs that require maximum protection. It's just big in size, it's not a hotel or resort for them to put cameras everywhere! Now let's move!" 

 

 Jennie starts walking but stops when she notices that Lisa is still standing, hesitant. 

 

 "Lisa, I thought you were serious about this..It seems I was wrong." Jennie tells her in a scolding tone, disappointed and scared that she changed her mind.

 

 - "I am really serious, but I can't take this discomfort out of me." Lisa says in a stressed tone, still not convinced.

 

 "Don't worry, nothing will happen.." Jennie assures her as she walks back to Lisa a few steps. "We'll just go and look at the papers if we don't find anything , we come back here as if nothing happened." She says, nodding slowly.

 

"Even if we find the password, Jisoo is too busy on her dates to even notice! And in any case, I won't stay any longer here, even if I can't steal the safe. I'm leaving from here! Now please mov-"

 

 

 "Wh-what am I hearing?"

 

 

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To be continued 

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