A/N: Hello! An update is ready~ Enjoy!

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Angered by the lack of understanding from Jennie and how she was badly viewed as a power-hungry person, Jisoo storms out of the college dorm. She drives back home, speeding beyond the limits. While driving, she is constantly distracted by how Jennie looked at her. The fear evident in her eyes and the sadness aches her heart. However, Jisoo believes that she is entitled to have the company. After a while, the emotions settled down after zooming past buildings. After reaching her residence, she sits in her car for a while, before heading up to her penthouse. As soon as she enters, Chaeyoung and Seulgi looks at her full of concern and they ask, "Is everything alright?"

She shakes her head, replying, "not really. She overheard our conversation and I can't even get within arm's length to her. She tells me to stay away from her."

Not that the incident still affected her that badly, Jisoo still sighs. She is a little disappointed that things have gone this way when it was all good. Seulgi pats on Jisoo's back as the latter sits on the couch, in between the monolid and the blondie. The legal consultant comforts her, saying, "don't worry, this happens. The girl is too young to understand the reality of the harsh corporate world. Give her some space and everything will work out fine."

The slightly younger one nods, then say, "let's just focus on the presentation that I have to give on Monday."

Her relationship isn't of a priority now.

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In a blink of an eye, it is already Monday. It is the day Jisoo has been waiting for. Her meeting with her father and the board of director is scheduled right before lunch. As she has nothing scheduled for today other than the board meeting, she doesn't have much to do after reaching the office really early. She decides to be a nice person to get some breakfast for Chaeyoung.

While waiting for the lift, she laughs bitterly as it is the lift where she and Jennie kissed opens in front of her. Still, she steps in the lift, staring at the buttons. She knows that she has to press the 'C' button to head to the cafeteria. Instead, her hand decides to press the 10th floor, where The Black Label is. As the elevator doors open, she sees Jennie walking out from the other elevator. The girl is walking towards the glass door to enter The Black Label's office.

Jisoo misses Jennie so much. She wanted to make everything right, to go out and give her a back hug. She wants to whisper a sincere apology into her ear but she doesn't know why she lacks courage. Instead, she quickly presses on the close button hard, then on the 'C' button.

On the other hand, as Jennie walks out of the elevator, something inside her is telling her to turn around. Trusting her gut instinct and also curious, she turns around. However, she notices the other elevator doors close shut instead. Shrugging the feeling off, she heads into the office, ready to start her day at work.

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- Meeting -

CEO Kim Jiyoung starts the meeting after entering the meeting room. He is smiling so widely, happy that he is going to retire soon.

"Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to attend this meeting. As you all are aware that I will be retiring soon. I will hand over this company to my children, but there is only a spot for CEO. Both of them have worked really hard for the company. It is hard for me to choose, so we will have this meeting for them to showcase themselves. They will share the five-year plan for the company. I am sure that the plans will be exciting and unique. I can't wait to listen. So let's begin, shall we?"

While CEO Kim is delivering his speech, Jisoo is silently laughing at how eloquent her father is with words.

"As expected from CEO Kim," she says sarcastically in her heart. After the speech, she sees him turning towards her, gesturing her to make her pitch first. She is rather caught off guard, thinking that Mino will be the first one to go. Anyways, it doesn't matter to her since she is prepared for this moment.

She stands up, bowing to the board of directors before starting the presentation. After outlining the main plan and elaborating it succinctly, she starts to see many of the board of directors agreeing to it. Also, there were not many questions that they have to clarify. Still, she manages to answer any question confidently. After she is done, she ends her presentation and smoothly hands it over to her half brother.

As Mino starts his presentation, she is not really impressed. His plan is rather conservative, mainly working with the same partners or re-establishing the connections with brands that they have worked before. Seeing that there is no clear expansion of the company or any list of companies that they can invest in, it is totally a far cry from hers. She is rather assured of her position as the next CEO. Instead of putting much effort into listening, she decides to just passively listen while scanning through the copy of Mino's handout.

After the presentation, CEO Kim says, "now that we have heard what they have to say, I am very impressed by the effort they have put in. But still, we only have one spot. I am sure everyone has a candidate in mind and that you all are supportive of this person, right?"

Jisoo is expecting her father to take votes. Instead, he is ready to reveal a name. She is somewhat anticipating for her name to be called but tries to maintain her neutral expression. However, it is soon replaced with evident sourness as the revelation comes as a shock.

"Director Kim Mino is the next CEO."

The room is filled with murmurs. Jisoo can't hear anything. Her mind rewinds to what was mentioned seconds ago. Mino's name and the position as CEO repeating in her mind irk her. When Mino stands up ready to give his acceptance speech, the deafening silence has made it clear to her. She grips on the armrest hard, trying to keep her cool while her half brother is delivering his speech. Halfway through, she has enough already. She stands up, walking out of the meeting room, not bothered by the stares or the consequences of her actions.

She then hears her brother ask, "Director Kim, where are you going?"

She turns around, replying in a firm voice, "I quit, Director Kim or should I address you as CEO Kim now?"

Jisoo walks out of the meeting room, with her head still held up high. It is just plain favouritism and she is just a victim. She has been played around by that old man of hers. She would rather quit than to stay without getting the due recognition that she deserves.

Heading to the elevator, she presses on the basement level, waiting to just leave the company immediately. Instead of heading straight to the basement, the elevator stops at the 10th floor. Doors open revealing Jennie. Jisoo almost smiles at Jennie, slightly heartened to see the other after the bad news. But, she remembers that they haven't resolved anything. She just holds onto the lift door while acknowledging Jennie's presence. Seeing that the other is not entering, she asks, "you are heading down right? Aren't you getting going to get on this elevator?"

As for Jennie, as the elevator door opens, she didn't expect to see Jisoo there. She is also glad to see the other but she still feels the awkwardness. Upon hearing Jisoo's question towards her, she snaps back to reality, replying, "Yes, Ji- director Kim, I will take this lift."

Entering the lift, she is glad that they were talking a while ago. However, the awkward silence between them is something that she is not used to. Her back, leaning on the back of the lift wall got her thinking about the time they kissed. She tries to discretely look at Jisoo who is beside her. Underneath that poker face, she could see that Jisoo looks a little distressed. She has so many things she wants to ask but decides to stay silent, at least to enjoy what little shared moments they have left.

Jisoo, on the other hand, is trying too hard to not look at Jennie. So many thoughts are racing through her mind. One thing for sure is that she just needs the younger to comfort her. However, the resentment of her failed life at work and love makes her blood boil. Soon, the elevator reaches the ground floor. Jisoo presses on the lift button to let Jennie out.

As soon as Jennie steps out, Jisoo quickly presses on the close button. But, her eyes never leaving the younger's back. Soon, something dawns on her. As the doors inches closer and closer, she has no desire to pursue it, letting the door close. It also signals to herself that she should close her heart for her own sake.

As for Jennie, she is very unwilling to leave. She wants to say something. As soon as she steps out, she turns around, hoping to say whatever is stuck in . But it is too late, the elevator door closes shut on her. She quickly presses on the lift button, hoping that it would open. Instead, the lift has already moved downwards heading to the basement.

Maybe it is fate. Maybe, she is too young for Jisoo and that Jisoo is just beyond her league.

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Jisoo leaves the office building, driving without a destination in mind. Soon, after a few rounds of driving aimlessly around the Gangnam area, she decides to head back home.

On the way home, she receives a few texts from Chaeyoung but she doesn't care to read it. Once she reaches home, she kicks her heels off her feet, dragging herself to lie down on the bed. She stares at the ceiling, replaying the events in her mind. She feels all the emotion inside of her. She feels like a loser who has lost everything overnight. It scares her so much to fail so badly in life. She has lost her job and her lover within a matter of days, but at what expense?

She thinks about how awkward her relationship with Jennie has become. If she didn't insist on wanting the company given how her father favours her brother so much, maybe she would still be successful in her love life. Still feeling all the negative emotion within her, she screams in frustration.

Unable to cope with the negativity, she rolls out of bed, heading off to the living room. She takes a bottle of wine out, pouring herself a little glass of wine, hoping that this would calm her nerves. One glass becomes two and soon, she has finished the entire bottle. She is feeling tipsy but decides to have one more. But not even a glass of the second bottle has got her drifting to sleep.

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Jisoo wakes up from a nightmare. She crouches on her side, thinking about what she has dreamt earlier. Her falling down an endless pit has scared her so much. Given that she is still aware of what is going on in her life, she sits up, feeling dehydrated and tired. She notices the time that reads 9 am in the morning. Not that she has anywhere to be or anything to do, her mind begins to bug her for another round of drinking.

This time she continues drinking in her room. While drinking, she switches on her phone, realising the countless missed calls and texts from Chaeyoung. It is mostly about work stuff. Since she has called it quits, she doesn't bother about it. Her finger hits the KKT app, clicking on a certain someone's contact. She stares at Jennie's display picture.

"So... what are we now?" she says out loud as she stares at the beautiful face. Finger lightly caressing the picture. She proceeds to type whatever she wants to say to Jennie.

To Jendeukie:

I'm sorry, I miss you so much. I know that I am a monster but please, don't be afraid of me. You are the only one I have left.

She then hits the backspace button, staring at a shorter message that she has crafted.

To Jendeukie:

I'm sorry, I miss you

She throws her phone onto the left side of the king-size bed, then chugging down the remaining wine from the bottle.

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Jennie receives a message while at work. Since she is working on some admin work for Nayeon, she takes a peek at the notification.

Her heart beats quickly. It reveals a message from Jisoo and it reads:

From Jichu:

I'm sorry, I miss you

She stares at her phone for a while, thinking whether to reply or not to reply. Since that day, their relationship hasn't been clearly defined. Did they just have a fight? Did they break up? Soon, her screen turns black again, bringing her back to reality. Rather than ruminating over it, she decides to finish her work to take her mind off the message.

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After a short nap from chugging down yet another bottle of wine, Jisoo feels lost and empty, still not knowing what to do. With all the time in the world, her mind tells her to kill time by using her phone. She picks up her phone and after unlocking it, it brings her to KKT page. She realises that the message that she crafted earlier has been sent. She doesn't remember sending it but remembers that she had tossed her phone aside earlier. The message might have been accidentally sent during that moment. She slaps herself on the forehead, feeling really embarrassed of the terrible faux pas she has made. Noticing that the other hasn't entered the app to read the message, she heaves a sigh of relief, deleting the message right away.

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"So, have you heard about it?" asks Nayeon, while they are waiting for their lunch after a meeting with Once&Twice.

"What is it?" Asks Jennie, wondering what the news is about.

Nayeon says, "Jisoo's brother is the next CEO. Is Jisoo alright? Chaeyoung said that she left half-way through the meeting yesterday and hasn't responded to her text for the entire day. She hasn't responded to mine too. I am wondering if you know anything."

"We fought the weekend before the meeting. We haven't properly talked for a while now," replies Jennie, looking at Nayeon with downcast eyes.

"Fights are unbearable and you know it gets resolved when one waits for the other to apologise and explain but the news yesterday must be a huge blow to Jisoo. Maybe just take a step back from this fight and comfort Jisoo. She really needs it. The last thing she wants after a bad revelation is to be griefing alone."

Looking at how the other becomes too so quiet, Nayeon changes the subject.

"So, are you excited that your modern hanbok collection will in the market very soon?"

"Can't believe it. Thank you for giving me the chance to work for you. Also,  helping me to showcase my own work," Jennie replies grateful, really heartened to have such an experience.

"You earned it with your own effort! You are a great designer. You know I never regret my decision after Jisoo showed your sketch," replies the fashion designer. She flashes Jennie a smile, which shows how proud she is of the young student.

Jennie realises that all this is thanks to Jisoo. If she didn't meet the older woman, all these opportunities would not have happened. Maybe it is her fault for forcing the other to choose between her and the company. Maybe she shouldn't intervene. She should just support and respect her. Jennie resolves to be courageous, putting aside whatever is going on and visit Jisoo after work.

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Jisoo is zoning out. Soon, the apparent sound of the doorbell ringing snaps her out from her trance, bringing her back to reality. Rather than entertaining it, she decides to ignore it. After 5 minutes or so of constant ringing, she hears forceful knocking on the door, with each knock much more forceful than the previous. She continues to ignore it until the knocking becomes too loud and forceful.

She unwillingly drags herself to the door, throwing a glare at the person who has come to visit her uninformed.

"Your glare doesn't work on me. Get your act together," says her visitor.

The opened door reveals Taehyung, who is unfazed by the glare. He invites himself into Jisoo's place, taking off his shoes, neatly placing it by the shoe rack. After closing the door, he takes off his coat, taking a seat on the couch next to his friend.

"Dropped by your office but you weren't there. I heard what happened from Chaeyoung earlier."

"Are you here to talk about my tragic life? If yes, you can either sit here alone or leave."

"Come on, it is not so bad. At least you left the company on your own accord. You are finally free from striving to meet the expectations of your father."

Taehyung tries his best to comfort his long time friend who looks terrible. His heart aches at a sight he has never seen before.

"My pride is crushed," replies Jisoo defeatedly.

"Is it so important?" asks Taehyung, staring at Jisoo.

Jisoo keeps quiet. Even Taehyung questions her priorities in life.

''You look terrible, so dehydrated. Just sit. I will get water for you."

Taehyung goes off to the kitchen to get a jug of water, pouring a cup. Afterwards, he gives it to Jisoo, making sure that the other drinks it up. After sitting in silence for a while, Taehyung decides to ask, "have you ever decided to start a company? Given that you have the money and connections."

"Not really, you do know that my goal in life is to run Blackpink Inc right? It was my purpose in life," Jisoo replies voice devoid of any emotions.

"As the wise say, you do not let anything or anyone be your purpose in life. But, this is not the point. Now that you are out of the company, your experience would come into good use for entrepreneurship. You can take this chance to prove to yourself of your own worth. And, if you are willing, I want to invest."

Jisoo doesn't give much thought. She is currently out of a job and that has lost her meaning in life. Maybe starting a company would take her mind off everything that has happened. The two begins brainstorming for some ideas.

Taehyung suggests, "you know, since education is an important part of our culture, we can think about having a system that stores information of all hagwons. Users can filter the type of hagwons and different locations."

Jisoo thinks for a moment. A tech-based start-up may seem risky given that she doesn't have much background in this area. But till she is interested. She clarifies, "a serviced based app? Not within my scope but it seems interesting. Don't parent usually enrol their children into the various hagwons by word of mouth or even their own research?"

The guy then explains, "every need of the child is different. Rather than having parents to research it themselves, wouldn't it be easier for them to download the app and filter down to the right hagwon for their children? Besides, it will be lucrative especially for those lesser-known hagwons. They would pay for the platform service."

After giving thoughtful consideration, Jisoo decides to take on this new challenge. Not that she has anything to lose.

"I will work on it and maybe prepare a proposal. I have some contacts from Blackpink Inc. I can probably convince them to jump ships or even get the board of directors to invest."

Since they are done discussing, Taehyung tells Jisoo to go freshen up. He intends to bring them out for snacks seeing that the woman is looking much better. While waiting for Jisoo to be done getting ready, he sits on the couch, looking around. He soon notices Jisoo's phone that is on the table, face down. He stares at the phone case.

He wonders where is Jennie given Jisoo's current state. Soon, that feeling is replaced. He is glad that he can give Jisoo the support that she needs at times like this. His train of thoughts is soon broken by the ringing of the doorbell. Knowing that Jisoo would not be able to attend to the door, he opens it, revealing Jennie.

"Oh, erm Jisoo isn't in?" asks the girl.

The guy shakes his head, replying, "no, she is taking a shower. We are going out later for some snacks. Would you like to join us?"

"It's fine. I just wanted to see her. I will erm, give her a text later," replies the girl. Afterwards, she quickly turns around leaving almost immediately.

"Alright then," replies Taehyung softly, watching the girl leave. He closes the door then returning to his seat.

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Jennie is pretty nervous. She is worried about Jisoo but also of the awkwardness that she might face later. She stands outside of the door, not sure to whether to ring on the doorbell or just walk away. Her head tells her to leave but her heart tells her to just face Jisoo. She should be there to comfort the other. Even if they have fallen out, it is still her responsibility to show some concern.

She braces herself anticipating to see Jisoo after pressing on the doorbell. However, it reveals Taehyung instead. There is a small smile on his face, head tilted to the right, wondering as to why she is there.

"Gosh, it is you again," she thinks to herself. Not that she hates the guy, but he has become slightly annoying over the past month at the guy who has been third-wheeling their relationship. Instead of voicing her disdain for the guy, she asks, "oh, erm Jisoo isn't in?"

He replies, "No, she is taking a shower. We are going out later for some snacks. Would you like to join us?"

If it was before they have fallen out, she would like to join them but given how Jisoo isn't really doing up to do anything, she decides to excuse herself from this invitation, the situation and the place. She needs to leave immediately.

She decides to give an excuse, saying, "It's fine. I just wanted to see her. I will erm, give her a text later."

After that response, she quickly makes her way to the lift lobby, disappointed by everything.

"Maybe Taehyung would be better for you," she thinks to herself.

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After taking a shower, Jisoo feels refreshed and is feeling so much better. She decides to dress decently to also lift up her mood. However, while in the showers she could hear the doorbell just now. She decides to ask Taehyung later. She walks out of her dressing room, noticing the guy sitting on his couch, looking at his phone.

She asks, "Tae, I kinda heard the doorbell just now."

She notices the guy shaking his head. He replies, "was there? You must be dreaming."

Maybe she must be dreaming. Jisoo thinks that Taehyung's constant ringing of the doorbell and banging on the door earlier has caused perceived tinnitus in her mind.

"There wasn't? I guess I must be dreaming. I should blame you for constantly ringing and banging on my door just now."

"You should thank me. Else, you will be moping on the bed like a slouch."

"Ouch."

"Come on, let's go."

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A/N pt 2: Time for me to hide myself *fingers crossed*