"YOU WHAT?"

Chaeyoung winced at Lisa's loud voice, inwardly thankful that she invested in soundproof walls

"I told you to tell Jennie how you feel, not propose to her!" Lisa exclaimed

"I know" Chaeyoung gulped, "but I acted on instinct, okay? I just couldn't stand the thought of her losing everything"

Lisa rubbed her head in frustration and Chaeyoung gave her best puppy-eyes to pacify her friend

"No offense, Chae. But this is the dumbest decision you have ever made!" Lisa chastised

Chaeyoung grimaced — she understood her friend's exasperation, really. But the moment she saw Jennie’s crestfallen face, there was never an option

"It might be" she acknowledged, "but I'll make the same choice all over again if I have to"

Lisa sighed and relented, "Fine. I'll support you!"

"Thank you, Lisa, you're the best!" the blonde hugged her friend, "let's go back to the room now, Jennie and Jisoo are waiting for us"

---------------------------------

The pair went back to the room and Chaeyoung was greeted by Jisoo's amused face

"Well, well, well. Who would have thought that these two lovebirds would have married before us, honey?” Jisoo pecked Lisa's cheek and teased

Chaeyoung blushed and Jennie groaned, "Jisoo! As I've said multiple times, it is not real!"

“Okay, if you say so” Jisoo chuckled, and turned serious, "But how do you guys exactly plan to do this?"

"Well, it should be pretty simple" Chaeyoung replied, "Jennie and I will do the paperwork as soon as possible, and I'll immediately announce our marriage to the media afterwards"

The blonde continued, "Once Jen and Kim Corp's reputation improved after the news, we will just quietly file a divorce"

"Chae, that plan won't work" Jisoo bluntly stated

"What? Why?" Chaeyoung asked in a perplexed tone

Jisoo handed her phone to the group, and its screen was showing an article from a tabloid

The article had the headline, 'Possible Romance Between Park Chaeyoung and Jennie Kim?' and proceeded to speculate a relationship between the two CEOs — obviously a tip-off from the board meeting prior

"Scroll down to the comments" Jisoo advised

'I love CEO Park, but this feels like a cover up for Jennie’

'Smells like fake PR, must be a paid article from Kim Corp's marketing team'

'Immediately after the scandal? This is obviously fake'

'Seems scripted, I bet they are not really dating’

Chaeyoung's face fell at the skepticism in the comments. She scanned through the rest and majority shared the same opinion

"And that is how the public will react if you announce your marriage out of the blue" Jisoo declared, "Most will not believe it because of the timing"

She continued, "If people think it’s scripted, then that won't help Jen or Kim Corp's reputation at all, even if they love Park Corporation”

Tension filled the room as everyone realized the complexity of the situation

"But…what do we do then? We can’t just give up!” Lisa agitatedly asked

“For this to work, we have to convince the public that Chae and Jen are genuinely in love" Jisoo stated. She then gestured at Chaeyoung and Jennie, “And no offense, I don’t think we will be able to do so as is”

Chaeyoung felt Jennie tensed beside her, so she quickly remedied, “I’m sure we can work on something”

"Oh, I do have a plan" Jisoo held her chin up and spoke

Everybody looked at the girl expectantly

"But for it to work, I need to ask you two again — Jen and Chae, are you really sure about this?"

Chaeyoung met Jennie's eyes and the older girl nodded

"Yes" Chaeyoung stated firmly

---------------------------------

"First and foremost, we have already established that announcing your relationship prematurely won’t work” Jisoo stated, “So instead, we will do the opposite”

"The opposite?" Lisa echoed

"Yes. Rather than an in-your-face approach, we will make it seem like we’re hiding something"

Sensing the group's confusion, Jisoo expounded, "Truths easily obtained are not enticing, people like to be privy of secrets. Let them think that we’re hiding something, and soon enough, they will convince themselves that there is something”

“We will drop hints to fuel rumors, but we will keep the public guessing by never confirming nor denying anything. That will make your relationship look realistic”

“Only when the majority are already convinced at the authenticity of your relationship, do we drop your marriage announcement to seal the deal”

The group fully agreed on Jisoo's strategy

"So, what exactly do we do?" Chaeyoung asked

Jisoo smirked, "Here's the plan..."

1. Chaeyoung and Jennie will start visiting each other at work multiple times, making sure that others see them. This will fuel the gossips

2. Once the rumors are gaining momentum, Chaeyoung will hold a press conference to release a positive statement for Kim Corporation. But she will refuse to answer any personal questions regarding Jennie

3. After the press conference, the two will start mysteriously appearing in the same events. But they would look like they are avoiding each other, so it will seem even more suspicious

4. At the height of the speculation, Chaeyoung and Jennie will be accidentally photographed kissing in public. Of course, looking blissfully unaware of the paparazzi to make it appear genuine

"Kissing?" Chaeyoung croaked

"Yes, kissing" Jisoo raised an eyebrow, "you'll have to do it sooner or later, regularly even"

"But..." Chaeyoung weakly argued, she was sweating bullets now

"Accidental public affection is the key for this plan to work, Chae. You said you’re sure a while ago, are you having doubts?” Jisoo challenged

Chaeyoung gulped, and she felt Jennie reach for her hand

"Jisoo's right, Rosie. We need to kiss to be convincing" Jennie said gently, "I'm so sorry to be asking this from you, I'll understand if you refuse"

Chaeyoung ducked her head, "No, I'm okay with kissing"

If Jennie’s okay with it, then Chaeyoung will force herself to be too

"Perfect!" Jisoo said with glee, "I'll continually monitor the public’s perception of your relationship. Once I deem that majority are already convinced, I'll drop your marriage announcement. Is everything clear?"

Everyone nodded

---------------------------------

To be fair, Jennie found the initial phase of Jisoo's plan to be easy

She has always liked hanging out with Chaeyoung, and the blonde’s regular visits now is a welcome distraction from her exhausting schedule

Judging by the way her colleagues are giving her weird looks, the plan must also be working

She is now at her office watching a livestream of Chaeyoung's press conference

In the monitor, Chaeyoung is standing tall and confident — looking every bit of the CEO she is

"As the CEO of Park Corporation, I would like to express my full support for Mr. Kim on his ongoing case. I am also proud to announce the joint business partnership between Kim Corporation and Park Corporation"

Several questions were thrown about the venture, and Chaeyoung answered each authoritatively

A reporter suddenly asked, "what about your rumored relationship with Jennie Kim? Is that real?"

A glimpse of the softness reserved solely for Jennie momentarily appeared, and Chaeyoung's eyes glinted with love at the mention of her name

The blonde gave a shy smile, "we're just good friends"

Others proceeded to push more questions about Jennie, but the CEO resumed her stern demeanor, and firmly deflected them all

Jennie watched Chaeyoung in awe. The blonde perfectly captured Jisoo's instructions — even Jennie herself was briefly convinced that there is really something going on between them

Has Chaeyoung always looked at me like that?

Jennie wondered, but she quickly shook off the thought

No, it must be just good acting!

---------------------------------

The effect of Chaeyoung's press conference was immediate. Less people have been giving Jennie snide remarks about her father's scandal

But unfortunately, there are still many exceptions — in fact, one in the event Jennie is attending now

"Fancy seeing you here, Ms. Kim. I wouldn't even dare to show my face if I had a scandal like yours" Ms. Lee, a rival of Kim Corporation, said condescendingly. "Your bravery is truly astounding"

Jennie resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and was about to retort when she suddenly felt a hand placed protectively around her waist

"Is there a problem here?" Chaeyoung joined them and frowned at Ms. Lee

"N-no, I’m just looking out for Ms. Kim as always, Ma'am " Ms. Lee hastily lied

"Thanks Ms. Lee. But if you'll excuse us, I need to talk to Jen privately" Chaeyoung replied

The woman scurried away, leaving the pair alone

"Rosie, you don't have to keep on looking out for me" Jennie softly said. "Besides, Jisoo also asked us to be subtle"

Chaeyoung gazed at her, as if making sure that she's really okay

Jennie lightly urged, "I'll be fine alone. You should mingle with others"

The younger girl nodded and left, but not before looking back one last time

Jennie proceeded to grab a drink. While she was sipping at a champagne, she heard a voice beside her

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Nayeon, a business partner, commented while staring at Chaeyoung

Jennie's eyes went back to the blonde. The girl was wearing a captivating black evening gown that made her look ethereal

All eyes in the room were involuntarily drawn to Chaeyoung

She does look beautiful, Jennie mused, and she felt a tinge of pride at the information

"Sadly, I don't think any of us has a chance though" Nayeon uttered dejectedly

At her statement, Jennie's head whipped around to the other girl

"What?" she asked

"Just look at her, Jen! She's clearly in love. Her facial expression and body language screams 'I'm taken' " Nayeon spelled out

Jennie pursed her lips at the comment

"Whoever that girl or boy is, they are extremely lucky!' Nayeon noted with envy

Chaeyoung is in love with someone? Why hasn’t she told me?

Jennie clenched her jaw and pushed away the unpleasant feelings in her stomach

---------------------------------

Jennie and Chaeyoung are currently holding hands and walking side by side at a park, executing the supposed 'date' that Jisoo planned

Truthfully, having a romantic date with Chaeyoung threw Jennie off guard. She had always looked at the blonde platonically, never even knowing that the possibility of going