3 years after the finale of book 1

Lightly tapping her forefinger on the arm rest of her office swivel chair, Jennie couldn't take her eyes away from the white card laying comfortably on her desk. She spent about thirty minutes of her time just staring at it. Thinking. Of what exactly? Oh, there's a lot for Jennie to think about. 

It was sent to her personally by a chauffeur. Not through mail, nor through some courier services. So, she knows how important its content is considering how it was delivered from a country all the way to the other side of the globe. The senders wanted to make sure she'll receive it. They wanted to make sure she'll come.

'You are cordially invited to the wedding of

Lalisa Manoban

&

Jisoo Kim'

'So, the dorks finally decided to get hitched, huh', she thought while a small smile appears on her lips.

Well, it was long overdue, anyway. They have been planning this for as long as she can remember. The two just couldn't find the perfect time to actually do it since the merging of their companies kept them pretty occupied. Glad it's finally happening.

Jennie heaves out a long, deep sigh, and leans her back against her swivel chair. She's genuinely happy for them, and happy that it's finally happening. But that also means that she'll have to come. She knows the two will not forgive her if she ever misses the most important day of their lives.

Is she ready, though? After a long time of running away, is she ready to come back? 

She was lost in her own thoughts when she heard a soft knock on the door of her office. It opened a second after, revealing a gorgeous woman around her age.

"Hi, ready for the meeting?", the woman greeted with a smile as she welcomed herself inside the CEO's office.

Jennie mimics the gesture and nodded, "Yeah, just about to head out actually."

"Ah, good. I thought my little CEO's thinking of cancelling another meeting with another korean investors", the woman teased with a thick british accent.

The brunette lets out a chuckle as she gets up from her chair and fixes the creases on her blazer, "You make it sound like I always decline korean investors."

"That's because you always do. I'm almost convinced you're afraid of interacting with them, or afraid of being reminded of our own country", the woman spoke the last part more softly.

Jennie just gave her a small smile and pointed at the white card still laying on her desk, "Well, actually..."

The woman raises a brow and turned to pick up the card, her eyes widening a little upon reading its content, "Oh...does this mean...?"

Nodding, Jennie walks closer to the girl and answered, "Yes, we might be doing a quick visit to our countryland, Sohee."

The gorgeous woman, whose name is Sohee, places the card back on the desk and takes the brunette's hand in hers, "Are you sure about this? Are you ready? Will you be fine?"

Jennie lets out another chuckle and gently squeezes the hand that holds her, "Babe, I'm not 12 anymore."

"I know, but..."

"And besides, you know those dorks will hunt me down if I don't show up."

"I understand. But what if..."

Jennie totally knows where the girl's worry is coming from. Sohee was there when everything crashed down on her. When she was nothing but a mess. When she almost lost the will to live. The girl witnessed it all. So, she understands the fear.

Because she, too, still has those fears.

"It's all in the past now", Jennie tries to reassure the girl, "I'm okay."

She hopes the slight quiver in her voice  will go unnoticed because she knows she's trying to convince herself more than she's trying to convince her. She wishes she's really telling the truth.

Sohee could only heave out a sigh before nodding, "Alright. You know yourself more than anyone else does. You know when you're ready. So I'll trust you on this."

The brunette muttered a small 'thank you'.

"I can't accompany you for too long, though", Sohee added, "You know how this company could never go a day without me."

They shared a soft laugh at the older girl's remark.

"Now, why are you laughing at such a serious matter, Lady Jennie Kim?", Sohee playfully pinches the other girl's waist, "I'm serious, though. You know I have a lot on my hands now that your dad fully entrusted the London Headquarters to us."

Jennie brings a hand to gently cup the girl's cheek, "I understand. And I'm always thankful that you're doing this with me. So, don't worry, really. I'll be fine."

The woman bobs her head in a soft nod, "So, when are we going home?"

The brunette tips her head a little to glance at the invitation card, "The wedding's next month. But Jisoo wants me to come earlier for the preparations, their week-long bachelorette party, and what-nots. So, we'll have to fly as early as...this weekend."

"Okay, I'll have everything ready."

"Thank you, babe."

"Anything for you, cutie pie."

After two long years of running away, Jennie couldn't believe she's finally going home. She's not fully sure if she's ready, or if she'll ever be ready. But she's doing this for her bestfriends. The ghost of the past shouldn't haunt her anymore.

It shouldn't affect her...anymore.

~•~

For normal employees, lunch time is for having lunch. They leave their desks and their office cubicles to go eat somewhere nice. But for the owners of the company like Lisa and Jisoo, who struggle to find time due to their respective hectic shedules, lunch time is for locking up inside either's office so they could make out.

It was really incovenient how they're about to get married in a month, yet they still sneak in and steal a couple minutes just to have each other. If only Jisoo had known that life as a conglomerate's COO will be as exhausting as this, she would've dragged Lisa with her to a far-away country and lived a normal life. They could be farmers or shepherds, she doesn't really mind as long as they're together.

"So, when can we finally have our much needed vacation?", Lisa asked in a low voice while trailing soft kisses down Jisoo's collarbone, her fingers ing the upper part of the latter's shirt.

Jisoo, who's sitting on the younger girl's lap with arms looped around her neck, answered through a soft moan, "Starting next week. We'll have our bachelorette party in Jeju."

"Ohh, so we're going straight to honeymoon, huh", Lisa teases while gently nipping on her fiancé's earlobe, earning a light shoulder slap from the girl. 

"Can't really keep your hands off me, can you?"

Jisoo lets out a low, seductive chuckle and grabs Lisa's face, crashing their lips together in another steamy make out session. 

It's moments like this where the couple didn't want to be disturbed by any external forces. When they're too engrossed in exploring each other's mouth. Lips never parting 'til they're sore and swollen.

So when the door of Jisoo's office abruptly flew open, making her literally leap off of the younger girl's lap, the couple was raging.

"Lady Jisoo! I have a good new— oh!", the shameless intruder froze on her ground when she realized what she had just disrupted, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!!"

The young woman her back and shuts her eyes close, while the couple got on their feet and hastily fixes their clothes. 

"Secretary Jung, what did I tell you about knocking??", Jisoo blurted, struggling to button her shirt.

"I-I did knock, Lady Jisoo. But you weren't answering so I pushed the door and it was o-open...", the secretary reasoned out, legs trembling in fear.

"And you, Manoban!", the COO ignored the girl and pointed a finger at her fiancé, "Why was the door unlocked??!"

Lisa scratches the back of her neck and turns to plop down on Jisoo's office couch, "My bad. Guess I was too excited."

Jisoo fixes her hair one last time, lets out a breath, then sat down on her swivel chair. This honestly doesn't bother her. It's not the first time this happened. Her poor secretary's always the victim whenever they would forget to lock the door.

"Okay, so what's the good news you're talking about, Secretary Jung?", she asked  the girl who was still facing her back on them, poor girl's eyes are still shut, "And please, you may look at us already."

The secretary carefully opens her eyes and turns to them, heaving out a sigh of relief when she saw them now fully clothed, "I've already found the perfect wedding singer, Lady Jisoo."

Jisoo's eyes lit up at the news. They've been probing the whole country for quite a while now in search of the perfect singer to sing on their wedding. She's normally picky and hard to please so it wasn't easy to look for one. It's her wedding, afterall. Everything needs to be perfect.

"Really? Is she a local singer? What's the name?", she asked with interest and opened Google on her phone, ready to type the singer's name.

Secretary Jung cracks in a very wide smile Jisoo has never seen since the day she hired the girl, "It's Rosé!"

The answer came out as a surprise for both Jisoo and Lisa, the former even dropped her phone on her lap and they shared a look of horror.

"W-What name did you mention just now?", turning back to her secretary, she asked, in case she failed to hear it correctly.

"It's the very famous, very talented, very gorgeous Rosé Park", Secretary Jung replied, still plastering a smile, oblivious to her boss' reaction, "Don't you know her, Lady Jisoo? She's very popular globally."

Jisoo wanted to laugh at the question. Does she know Rosé Park? How could she not? They've spent years being friends. Roseanne Park or Park Chaeyoung, who now goes by her stage name Rosé. How could she not know her?

She saw Lisa got up from the couch, about to say something, but she beat her to it.

"Find someone else", she told her secretary.

"I— what, Lady Jisoo?"

"Do I really need to repeat myself?", Jisoo shot her a glare, making the girl gulp in terror, "Find someone else. I'm not getting Rosé."

"B-But...she's the best I could ever find, Lady Jisoo, " Secretary Jung bit on her lip hesitantly, "And besides...her management already accepted the offer. We've already signed the contract."

Jisoo got up from her seat and slams her hands on her desk, startling both Lisa and the secretary, "You what??"

"I...", the young girl clutched on the hem of her skirt, now close to tears, "I'm sorry, Lady Jisoo, I thought you would like her—"

"You signed a contract with them without consulting me??"

"I'm really sorry, Lady Jisoo", Secretary Jung started dipping her head in apologetic bows, "But I'm not sure if I can still cancel the contract. They're already on their flight back to Seoul. They could sue us if we back out now."

Jisoo slumped herself back on her chair and brings a hand to massage her temples. This is giving her headache, she might start looking for a new secretary. 

As if Lisa could read her mind, the younger girl walks up to her, gave her back a pat and whispered, "Spare the poor girl, Chu. She didn't know."

Jisoo glances up at her fiancé, and she felt herself calming down. The wonders Lisa Manoban does to her. She's thankful she's marrying this woman.

"Alright", she spoke after taking a breath, "I'll deal with them personally. You may take your leave now, Secretary Jung."

The young secretary dips her head in another bow, before excusing herself and left the office.

Lisa plops back on the couch and turns to her fiancé, "Are you really gonna talk to her?"

Jisoo shrugs her shoulders, "If I have to. I don't know. It's been so long."

The older girl leans her head back against her swivel chair and ponders. It's been more than two years since she last talked to Rosie. Although she sees her face almost everywhere because, well, as her secretary said, the singer was popular globally, but they've never seen her again personally after what happened.

Call her a bad person but it was her decision not to invite the girl to her and Lisa's wedding. She has thought about it, but couldn't bring herself to. The damage Rosie has left was almost unforgivable.

"Are you still mad at her, Chu?", Lisa asked again.

She shook her head almost instantly, "I'm not mad at her, Lis. I'm mad at what she's done."

Lisa bobs her head in a nod, "I understand. I am, too."

"The thing is...Jennie's coming, too."

Just yesterday, Jisoo received an email from Jennie confirming the girl's attendance. She's glad her friend's finally ready to show up. After ditching them for two years, Jennie's opening up to them again. 

But knowing that Rosie's back too...she doesn't know anymore.

"I'm just worried about Jennie", Jisoo told her fiancé, "How can she face Rosie?"

They shared a look of sympathy.

"How can she face the girl who stood her up at their own wedding?"

~•~

oopsie 😬 

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