Chapter 54

"Look at Jisoo smirking at the camera," Jiyeon said with a chuckle and everyone giggled with her. Except for one person.

Jisoo Kim looked remarkably glowing amidst the cacophony surrounding her, as though she found it ridiculously amusing that she was caught in the circumstance and it gave the small audience inside the Orange a reason to cheer and smirk, for whatever valid reasons.

"And then there's Jennie," A-yeon commented, nodding on the screen where Jennie's face was shown.

The camera bulbs started flashing blinding lights rapidly on her face when Jennie walked in. She was clad in a crisp business suit and was followed by an entourage of equally smug-looking men, also in suits. Her hair was pulled in a tight ponytail. Her lips were glossy red but tightly sealed, easily making it obvious for everyone that she'd rather be anywhere than there, in that media-infested room, with the flashes blinding her.

Jennie was standing in the middle of the small podium, looking undoubtedly tiny and yet exudes such irrefutably strong character that made her look indomitable. Jennie took off the dark glasses she was wearing after a few seconds of assessing the situation in front of her, finally revealing those steely cat eyes that seemed to have mastered the art of evading and at some point, piercing through everyone's gaze and piercing through the TV screen, that the small audience inside the Orange had to hold their breath for a second. She looked irate and haughty. Annoyance was etched all over her exquisite face, probably from camera bulbs firing at her incessantly. It was evident with how she was obviously lacking the friendliness that her small audience from the Orange was lucky enough to have witnessed and enjoyed. Jennie handed her dark glasses to the tall man behind her before she bowed stiffly to the media inside one of the conference rooms of the Kim Group of Company's annex building, where her press conference was held. The room went still, except for the relentless sound of the camera shutters. It certainly was annoying.

"Alright, here we go," Jin-Ah said while turning the volume of the TV even louder so that it drowned every other sound inside the bar. Which was unnecessary, actually, considering that everyone fell silent voluntarily when they saw Jennie stepping forward closer to the microphone.

"Good day. My name is Jennie Kim, from the Kim Group of Companies. Recently, my name has been dragged carelessly in a malicious article that obviously was meant to demean my character and the company that I run and as well as the other person involved..."

"She looks scary," Ji-In commented and everyone hushed her. They wanted to hear every word that Jennie would say. But it was true, however, that Jennie looked more petrifying now with her daunting eyes and voice icy and heavy.

"Lisa and I met through a common friend--,"

The small audience inside the bar exchanged funny looks with each other. Few murmured in disagreement but were instantly drowned with hushes and hisses from the others. They wanted to catch Jennie's every word. They spotted a lie but they could discuss it later when Jennie was done talking, they decided.

"She's a professional photographer who is currently based in Europe and only visits South Korea from time to time. Whether or not she is exactly the person that the article says she is, I do not know nor would I disclose it if I am aware of it. Lisa had already fled the country and have not contacted me since then and therefore, I cannot speak for her.

"However, I'm taking this opportunity to address the main issue once and for all. My privacy was violated when those photos were taken and posted on the Internet without my consent. It disrupted my private life, as well as the people around me. Henceforth, we are taking legal actions ad shall bring this matter to the authority. My legal team, including the legal team of the Kim Security Company and the Kim Group of Companies are already preparing a lawsuit against the person and people behind this needless and pathetic attack to my name and as well as the integrity of the company. That is all. Thank you."

Jennie ended her speech with another stiff bow. The reporters immediately started asking her questions, one by one and then everyone all at once and it only added the irate expression on Jennie's face more obvious. Questions like, "How did you feel when you found out about her being a real-life princess, Miss Kim?" and "Miss Kim, what do you think the late Chairman would feel about you dating a woman? Does that affect your position in the company knowing that your father was known for being a traditionalist?" or "What do you think about Korea's stand about same-sex relationship, Miss Kim?" and "Have you always known you like women?" and "There was a rumor going around that your mother is searching for a possible groom for you? Is that true? Is that a cover-up for your being gay?" were thrown carelessly at Jennie.

Everyone wanted to get more from her. They wanted to know more than what she had offered them. But Jennie only ignored all of them and when Jin-Ah was about to turn the TV off, one reporter, a woman and a voracious one, asked loudly and aggressively:

"How will you describe your relationship with Lisa, Miss Kim?" when Jennie was about to turn her back from the chaos and the noise.

"It was nothing more than a fling," Jennie said with a cold voice that seemed to resonate inside and across the walls of the Orange, before she went to Jisoo who was waiting for her. The two of them then started for the exit and their entourage of men in dark suit cordoned them from the blinding flashes and the ever so pesky reporters who wanted to get closer to them, especially at Jennie, while firing questions after questions that were left unanswered.

"Fling? FLING? She called that a fling when she and Lisa were practically all over each other? She's...impossible!" A-yeon was fuming. Lisa was her friend. Chaeng was her friend. And the fact that Chaeng just basically gave way for Jennie and Lisa, only for Jennie to call that a fling definitely did not sit right with her and with the rest from the Orange, apparently, when Ji-In slammed her fist on the table.

"And what did she mean 'was'? They ended it already?" Jin-Ah asked, looking confused and aggrieved.

"I cannot believe it!" Jiyeon said while shaking her head in disbelief. "I just can't believe it," she repeated while everyone have gone quiet. They expected something else, like an exciting announcement, and clearly they were all disappointed.

"What do you think, Chaeng?" Chahee shifted on her seat and asked the only person in the room whose opinion should matter at the moment.

The women of the Orange gathered around a table inside the bar at four in the afternoon, as they all watched Jennie's press con, except Chaeng, and they all fell silent as they turned their heads towards her direction.

Chaeyoung Park had been incredibly quiet throughout the whole time while sitting on a solitary table away from everyone else. Her feet were raised on a chair, her arms were folded tightly on her chest. She had an serious look upon her face and although the rest couldn't tell exactly what's going on inside her head, they knew she was thinking what they were all thinking. And perhaps even more. Because if there was one person in thw room who had all the right reasons to be upset about what they had just heard, it should be her.

Chaeng pushed the chair in front of her after a lengthy amount of tensed silence, instead of responding to Chahee's question. The feet of her chair made an ear-splitting scraping noise against the floor which was both breaking and adding to the tensed air surrounding them. She stood up without a word and went straight to the tight hallway that would lead to her tiny office, leaving her friends exchanging nervous looks behind her. She returned after a short minute with her leather handbag and car key on her hands. She busied herself by fiddling on the buttons and zipper of her jacket, mainly to evade everyone's stare. Chaeng was like that when she was upset. She had that ominous look on her pretty face that her friends seldom see on her, which was an indication that a turmoil was happening inside her head. They were torn between asking her or letting her be, until Chahee took the liberty for them all.

"Are you leaving? I thought we're going to grab some barbecue before the opening?" Chahee said.

"What? Ah, yes. You, guys, should just go ahead without me," Chaeyoung Park replied, looking distracted as she started for the exit.

"Will you be back before our set, though?" Ji-In asked. They had been rehearsing for days for a set that they were supposed to perform later, before they took a consensus break to watch Jennie's press conference. Despite the fact that it wasn't weekend yet and despite the fact that Chaeng had been edgy and distracted these past few days.

"Or we can just cancel it if you want?" Jin-Ah suggested.

"No, no. There's no need to cancel anything," Chaeng said, now straightening the collar of her jacket. "I'll be back before the set."

"But where are you going?" Chahee insisted.

"I need to talk to her," Chaeyoung replied, pausing at the doorway.

"Her who? Lisa? Jennie?"

"Or Jisoo?"

Everyone knew that she and Jisoo had been spending a lot of time these past few days, when Chaeng was not in the Orange, discussing matters and interests that Chaeng was too reticent to share with them yet and which they respect, as long as the two of them aren't jumping on each other's throats all the time. Although she assured them it was nothing sort of romantic, some of her crew was still hopeful because the two of them looked good together and it was a better option that seeing Chaeng getting worked out over the circumstances that surround Lisa and Jennie.

"Lisa?" Chaeng rolled her eyes and snorted. "That idiot has been ignoring my calls ever since she returned to her kingdom. I cannot talk to her, obviously, unless I'll barge in to the golden gates of her kingdom or wherever she is right now," she said with a clipped voice.

"Jisoo then?" Jin-Ah sounded hopeful because Jisoo was the better choice for Chaeng to talk to right now, than Jennie.

Jin-Ah and the rest understood that Jennie and Chaeng had never been exactly friendly friendly towards each other. They were cordial but everyone knew that it was for Lisa's sake, owing to the fact that Chaeng had been forever in love with Lisa and Lisa was her bestfriend. It was an open secret between all of them. And when Lisa started going out with Jennie, they saw how hurt Chaeng was then and because she was that type of person -- sweet, thoughtful, gentle and selfless, unless crossed -- she gave way to the save her friendship with Lisa and for Lisa's happiness. In conclusion, it didn't take a genius to understand that Chaeng and Jennie aren't supposed to talk right now, especially after what Jennie had just said on national TV. It offended the rest of them. Of course it offended Chaeyoung Park as well, more than anyone.

"I'm going to see Jennie," Chaeng replied to everyone's horror.

"This is not good," Jiyeon whispered nervously under her breath.

"How?" A-yeon dared to raise the question. "Her security should be tight around her right now, unless you're someone worthy of her time or whatever." She was still clearly upset about the fling thing and she would support wholeheartedly Chaeng's intention to confront Jennie Kim.

"I don't know. I'll think of a way," Chaeyoung Park replied but didn't look sure.

"Chaeng, do you really think it has to be now?" Chahee asked carefully.

"Yes. I just..." Chaeng heaved a breath and continued "I need to know if I did the right thing," she said.

"About what?" almost all of the girls asked all at once.

"About whether or not I was right when I gave Lisa up just so Jennie can say that 'it was nothing more than a fling' what they have, with a smug face," Chaeng said before slamming the door shut behind her.

"Well... Can't say that she shouldn't," Ji-In shrugged. "She earned that right, I suppose. She loved Lisa first, after all."

"This is exactly the reason why I don't want to associate myself with the rich. They're mostly pain in the ass," A-yeon declared. "Damn rich people!"

"Chaeng is rich," Ji-In pointed out.

"Yeah, but she's different," A-yeon defensively.

"Lisa's rich," Jin-ah butted in.

"Very rich," added Ji-In.

"Which is exactly the reason why they're on a mess right now," A-yeon concluded knowingly.

Chaeyoung Park would definitely agree with A-yeon, although reluctantly, had she still been with the group. But here she was, cruising along the busy highway, speeding past cars after cars, stepping on the gas and on the verge of violating traffic rules and for what, she didn't know. She couldn't tell exactly why she was such in a rush. But she really wanted to get to Jennie, wherever she was right now, as soon as possible. There was that nagging itchy feeling inside her chest, like an animal craving to get out. She wasn't sure if she was mad, either. But she had to know, she had to understand. She had been trying to call Jisoo ever since she left the Orange to ask Jennie's whereabouts but Jisoo wasn't picking up. Which, of course, was understandable. Jisoo's loyalty should be on Jennie. And so Chaeng tried another way after a realization hit her so suddenly. A-yeon was right.

"Alice?" Chaeyoung said over the bluetooth. She was calling directly on her sister's private line. "Hey, I'm on my way to the firm. Are you in your office? Yeah. No. I need my keys. The keys I left you for safekeeping, Alice. Right now, yes," she said and nodded a few times and then bid goodbye to her sister before ending the call while speeding past another car.

She was greeted warmly by the Park's security when she arrived at the building. Her red hair stood out in the sea of sleek dark hairs and crisp dark tailored suits in the lobby. Everyone knew her as the other daughter of the Chairman and so they bowed to her as they parted to make way for her when she went for the elevator. She was greeted even more warmly by Alice's secretary when she reached her sister's floor. Mrs Nam instantly raised herself from her seat the moment she saw Chaeng stepped out from the elevator. Mrs Nam was already beaming. It was a privilege she reserved only for the Park sisters.

"Fourth time this week, Roseanne. I should say I'm honestly glad and I'm quite getting used to this. But where is Miss Kim?" Mrs Nam said cheerfully. She was, of course, asking for Jisoo whom Chaeng brought along with her, twice, when she visited Alice to discuss legal matters concerning Lisa's breached privacy and what they can do about it. Jisoo insisted to tag along the first time after she found out Chaeng's relationship with the PARK & PARK'S after they agreed that there would be no more secrets "because it only confuses the truth and I'm having a headache just by thinking how they're going to solve this mess they're in right now," Jisoo said, talking about Lisa and Jennie, and then revealed shamelessly that she had always been a fan of Alice Park. She had heard about the incredible Alice Park, Jisoo proclaimed and was shocked to know that Chaeng was Alice's younger sister. However, Jisoo was busy gushing over Alice more than she was shocked about Alice and Chaeng being sisters. Which delighted Chaeng, nonetheless. She didn't want it to become like a concern to anyone because it really wasn't. Alice was delighted too, when she met Jisoo. Not because Jisoo was a fan (Alice only laughed when she heard about it and immediately brushed it off, saying she was not a celebrity or whatever) and was incredibly polite when they first met, but because for the first after a very long time, Chaeng brought a friend other than Lisa and the girls from the Orange. It was refreshing to see a new face, a beautiful face at that in the form of Jisoo Kim, Alice thought.

"She's busy today, Mrs Nam. Is Alice inside?" Chaeng asked out of courtesy. She was never the type to just barge in whenever she visits.

"She's inside and waiting for you, dear," Mrs Nam replied with a warm smile. "In fact, she told me to hold off her appointments for you."

"Great! Thank you, Mrs Nam," Chaeng said and gave the woman a courteous bow before she walked past Mrs Nam's desk and towards the posh hallway that leads to Alice's door.

"I'm quite not sure anymore which part should I be surprised more. The fact that you've been a consistent visitor these past days or you asking your keys, despite the fact that I've been waiting for you to do so all these years," Alice said as soon as she saw her younger sister emerged from the doorway looking slightly harassed but otherwise still pleasant and incredulously pretty. Sometimes, it amazed her how beautiful Chaeng was without even trying.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Alice," Chaeng said as she marched in and collapsed herself on the couch. She felt so tried all of a sudden.

"Is this about Jennie's statement earlier?" Alice asked.

"So, you've seen it, too," Chaeng said, sounding unsurprised. "Anyway, not really. Her statement was okay. What she told that reporter after that was not okay. You've heard that too, of course?"

"I did, yes. And I can't say I'm surprised," Alice said and instantly raised her hands when she saw Chaeng shooting outraged looks at her. "I mean, look, Rosie. This is Korea and she's Jennie Kim. She had to dispel and she had grit her teeth and lie if she needs to, in order to protect herself from the harsh reality that Korea isn't as accepting and forgiving. You have to give her that," she said.

"Fine. Okay. Supposed that I get why she said what she said. But did she really still have to say that? I mean, she was doing fine before that until she told that reporter that it was a fling. Everyone who knew about them knew that it was more than that, Alice," Chaeng countered.

"Of course, it was. But can you blame her? She's the president of a top-grossing company, a head of a conglomerate that mostly consists of conservative men who probably hate how she was placed there because she was the daughter of the late Chairman Kim and she's the only offspring to one of Korea's oldest and most influential families. She had to that. I'd do exactly what she did if it was me," Alice explained.

"Why are you defending her?" Chaeng demanded. "And what about Lisa? I thought we agreed that we will protect her? That Lisa should be our top priority."

"Lisa is your top priority, Rosie. My priority is the truth. And I'm not defending Jennie Kim. I'm just trying to think objectively. Besides, you've seen them, her and Lisa. You would know this is probably also hard for her if you'd seen how she is when she's around Lisa. Give her a chance to explain, babe. And as for Lisa, of course we will protect her. But well, we haven't heard from her, have we? And she hasn't exactly ask help from us. But I hope she's fine and as impossible as this may sound, I hope she won't see it."

"You're right, that's impossible. Unless her father tucked her away in a far far away land where technology doesn't exist. I'm hoping they've talked it out before Jennie did what they did. Which is the reason why I need to get my keys, Alice. I need to talk to Jennie," Chaeng said.

"Do you really think now is the right time?" Alice asked cautiously.

"You sound like Chahee. I'm not going to barge in there and pick a fight, you know? And no, now isn't the right time, Alice. I don't even think there's ever a right time. But I need to do it today or I would just go on hating her for what she said without knowing her reasons behind it and surely, you don't want me to do that, do you? We can't crucify and condemn without knowing the truth, can we?"

Alice smirked. "Speaking like a true Park. You know, I still believe you're going to be a great lawyer had you been meek enough to follow the beacon," she said jokingly. She was pertaining to the large PARK & PARK'S logo at the topmost of the building that would light up brightly at night. She and Chaeng used to call it the Park beacon, like a lighthouse that their father and the rest of the Park men would often call it.

Alice pulled one of the chests under her table. She took a small velvet box out, studied it for a moment; undecided whether she would open it or not and in the end decided not to - it wasn't hers, she thought - and placed it on the table.

"Is that why you're here right now? Because you were meek enough to give in to the pressure of being a Park or be casted out?" Chaeyoung challenged her sister.

Alice smiled and shook her head. "No, babe," she said. "I love my job and I'd definitely still choose this job even if I'm not a Park. Call it a vocation. Like how music becomes your religion when you realized you're in love with it." She left her chair behind her table and settled herself beside her sister. She handed the small box to Chaeng who hesitated at first to take it and then closed her hand around it seconds later.

"Does this mean you're going back to the mansion for good?" Alice asked.

The younger Park shook her head. "No. I'm just going to get a few things," Chaeng said.

"It's not Mom's lucky day then?" Alice chuckled.

"She can always try, I guess," Chaeyoung replied with a chuckle and stood up. Mommy Park had been consistently and persistently persuading her to return to the mansion and which she had been refusing politely every time. Citing reasons like wanting to stand on her own feet and that she can't just give up her place just like that. "Anyway, I have to go. Thank you for keeping this," she said, raising the small box on her fist.

Alice nodded and joined her sister to the door. "Why do you need your keys if you still won't stay with us again, by the way? I'm just curious because you promised you will only claim them back when you return? If you return," she said.

"I need a ticket to get past Jennie's security," Chaeyoung said with a shrug.

Alice snorted and laughed. "I knew you still have the Park spirit inside there somewhere, Roseanne Park," Alice was teasing her.

"If being the rebel Park counts, then yes," Chaeyoung replied with a wink. She blew her sister a kiss before she closed the door behind her, leaving Alice who couldn't help herself but shake her head. Alice knew it was hard for Rosie to decide to reclaim those keys of her room in the mansion and the other keys that were a validation of her being a Park. Roseanne had given up all of that years ago when she decided she wanted to do music instead of going to Law school and become like everyone else in the Park clan. But there she was, ready to break an involuntary vow for Lisa. It had always been about Lisa, that sometimes Alice thought her little sister was too selfless and a little too selfish for her own good. But then again, who could ever resist Lisa's charm?

Chaeyoung Park would often pay a visit at the mansion, especially during Fridays for the compulsory Friday dinner, but would never stay overnight. Not because she hated it there in her own house surrounded by the people who loved her more than anything else in the world. But because Chaeyoung Park was a little too proud and stubborn especially when her decision about pursuing music instead of the Bill of Rights and or whatever was in question. Sure, she knew her family had always been so supportive with her. But it didn't mean they wouldn't try to persuade her to "come back to the light", as her Mom would often throw as a joke whenever an opportune comes and which she would always dodge, every time. Hence, she certainly was not a constant face in the mansion but she was always welcome.

And so when she parked her car outside the mansion, she was greeted cordially by the handful of security (handful, because her dad wasn't totally paranoid about security despite the fact that he and the firm were handling high-profile cases) who welcomed her when she stepped inside the high gate. She started climbing the staircase that would lead to the manicured patio in front of the mansion while thinking how her mom would react about her arrival, especially when she came unannounced and specially when she was bearing her own set of keys of the mansion and everything that belongs to her.

"Good afternoon, Miss Park," one of the security greeted her as soon as she pulled the front door open. It internally made her cringe. It was something she probably would never get used to, no matter how she was called Miss Park inside the mansion and in the firm all her life. It was something that she and Lisa would share as a private joke because everyone in her family has something before their names other than being a miss or a mister or in her mom's case, a missus. Alice was Lawyer Alice. Their dad was Chairman Park and their mom was Madam Park, even though her mom wasn't that old yet.

"You'd be Singer Park," Lisa would tease her often. "Or Ambassador Park. Because you'd be representing all the kids who don't have a prefix to their name while everyone in their family has," Lisa would say with a chuckle and they would both laugh about it.

"Is my mom here?" Chaeng asked the man.

"It's not Christmas yet, is it?" Madam Park teased when she emerged from the kitchen.

Madam Park was a homogenous picture of a married woman taken out from a glossy magazine for housewives. Slim, like her daughters. Beautiful and glowing - an indication that her married life was thriving. And rich, that her whole being was screaming of wealth and power and grace. Such grace she was holding that even if she was wearing an apron and a pair of rubber gloves on her hands that were tinted with red-orangey colors, she still looked elegant. She looked surprised at the sight of her youngest daughter but she was smiling from ear to ear.

"Mom!" Chaeng pouted but immediately wrapped her arms around her mother's body longingly.

"I thought I heard your voice and thought it's impossible since my Roseanne doesn't visit unless it's Friday or Christmas and I was pretty sure it's Wednesday today and it's definitely not Christmas," Madam Park jested.

"Am I not allowed to drop by anytime I want?" Chaeng pouted.

"You are, darling. But you choose not to," Madam Park said with her lips puckered, mirroring her daughter's. "I missed you. Have you eaten? I'm making something in the kitchen and if you want, I can fix you a quick meal," she told Chaeng after planting kisses on both cheeks and then asked, "And what brought you here on a Wednesday? This is such a surprise!"

Instead of replying, Chaeng showed her mom the set of keys she was holding.

"Oh, sweetheart!" Madam Parked gushed. "This is great! Is this for good?"

"No, Mom. I'm just going to get a few things in my room and I need to use the car," Chaeng replied guiltily. It wasn't always easy to dampen her mother's spirit.

"What car?" Madam Park blinked.

"My car." Chaeng was talking about the car provided to her by the firm and was tucked away in one corner of their huge garage along with all the other luxury cars that the Park family owned.

"You're not trying to impress someone, are you, baby?" Madam Park.

"Actually, Mom, I am. But it's not what you think. And I need to go to my room now. I'm kind of in a hurry. I need to get back to the bar before our set later," Chaeng said and ran towards the staircase.

"Are you going out on a date?" Madam Park bellowed from downstairs, excitement was hinted on her voice.

Chaeng rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of it. But then again, of course her mom was excited on the prospect of her going out on a date. She hadn't been on a date "date" and well, moms.

"No, Mom!" she bellowed back and then whispered to herself, "I'm going out on a mission," before she pushed the door of her room open and was rushed with nostalgia when she was welcomed by the most familiar scent. The scent of her room she had inhabiting for years before she moved out.

Her room was still how it was since the last time she had been there. The sheets were still creased, her fluffy slippers were still where she left it - near the bed footings; the other was lying upside down - and the mementos she had collected over the years were still on the shelf, still messy, but a pretty mess, she thought with a smirk. It was her domain. Her mom would sometimes fuss about it and would offer to organize it for her, which she would only refuse. She didn't have the luxury of time to be sentimental, though, Chaeng realized and moved.

She walked straight to her walk-in closet after spending a minute scanning the Polaroids she had pinned on the portion of a wall and the doors to her closet. She was shuffling and scanning aimlessly the clothes hanger, pulling one and tgen return it on the rack and pulled another again. She had never one to put a lot of effort on her wardrobe. But she had always have a specific style. And after a lot of shufflings and considerations, she took out a few pair of trousers and a handful of designer tops and suits and a few dresses that she hadn't worn yet and threw them on the bed before she proceed to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

When she was done, Chaeyoung Park examined herself in the mirror. Her hair was still wet and undone but she could let it dry on the car, she decided. She looked different from her usual everyday getup that comprise mostly of just jeans, sneakers or leather boots, T-shirts with her favorite bands printed on the front and leather or denim jackets, or if she was in the mood, she'd wear a long dress where its hems would meet her ankles. But today, she chose to wear something that would command attention and hopefully, influence. She decided to go casual but still with a little touch of herself. She picked a metallic dress that wrapped perfectly around her body. Her small waist was highlighted by a broad belt, accentuating also tye curves of her hips. Its hems were short and dropped seductively on her thighs. The sleeves were ruffled around the wrists. The dress she paired with high black leather boots that emphasized her long legs. If the girls from the Orange would see her, they'd definitely tease her for being "underdressed". She spent a couple more minutes fussing about her look and when she knew that there was nothing more to add, besides her hair that was still damp, and after she strapped her Omega on her wrist and dabbing a few drops of perfume on her wrists and behind her ears, Chaeyoung Park was all set and ready to leave. She hesitated at first but heeded to the stairs, anyway. When she went down, her mom was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Gone were the apron and the gloves. Madam Park looked stern and worried.

"I'll explain later, I promise," Chaeng said before her mother could say a word.

"Just tell me you're not in any sort of trouble, Roseanne Park. Because the last time you wore something like that was when you met with the boards behind your father's back and sold your stocks and then dropped the bomb on us later that day over dinner," Madam Park said.

Chaeng cringed. Her mom didn't have to remind her how she broke their hearts years ago. "I'm not, Mom. I promise. I'm just going to meet someone," she said.

"Who?" Madam Park asked, her curiosity now piqued.

"Jennie Kim," Chaeyoung said ominously.

. . .

"Will you please stop doing that?" Jisoo said after a painfully long silence. "Settle down and try to relax."

Jennie was pacing back and forth in front of her desk inside her large office in the Kim Group of Companies main building. She hadn't yet settled herself ever since their return from the annex, after that press con that she had dreaded all morning. She looked anxious and she hadn't spoken a word. In fact, she might have forgotten about Jisoo sitting on the leather couch that when Jisoo spoke, it startled her and she had to look around to find Jisoo gravely looking at her.

"They caught that on camera, didn't they?" Jennie said anxiously. She looked completely different from the Jennie Kim who spoke to the press earlier. Her face was contorted with fear and her hands were trembling. Her panic attack hadn't subsided yet.

"You made yourself very clear, if that's what you want to know. And can you please sit down?" Jisoo pleaded and added, "Or okay, you don't have to sit down if you don't want to. But please just stop marching back and forth. It's not helping," when she saw that Jennie was about to protest.

"I'm stupid!" Jennie declared when she paused in the middle of the room, as though the realization just hit her right then and there.

"Yes, you are," Jisoo said, earning herself a glare from Jennie which she replied with a smirk. "But objectively, no, you're not. You just did what was asked from you, Jendeuk," she added.

"Yes, by being stupid. Why on earth did I ever say that? It was bad enough that I had to lie out there," cried Jennie.

"The boards were impressed, I've been told. They expected you to not follow the script. It's either you earned their respect after that or they thought you're a pushover," Jisoo said.

"But a fling? A fling, Chu? Lisa will never forgive me," Jennie groaned and started pacing back and forth again. The pointy tip of her heels were denting the carpet.

"Yes, that part wasn't part of the script. And I, myself, was surprised you said that. You didn't have to say it like that. Expect the press to make a headline out of it instead of directing their focus on the entirety of the situation. They love to sensationalize everything," said Jisoo disdainfully.

"I should've just been completely honest out there," Jennie said regretfully. She was shaking her head and looked pathetically defeated -- shoulders were slumped, her head was down and gone was the daunting look on her eyes. "Do you have any idea how it feels like? Gritting your teeth in front of all those people and the cameras, and lie? It's disgusting, Chu. It tastes like a piled-up bile on the mouth. I can still taste it right now and I hate it. I really hate it. Dad would've disapproved all of that. He would never compromise his principles over something like...like..."

"Like saving his company and your character?" said Jisoo. "It's not your fault, Jendeuk."

"No, it's not. But still, I'm partly to blame. I agreed to it. And if Lisa will see it, I bet she can only think all the vile things about me. We--," Jennie paused in front of the huge window where her view of the overlooking city line and the Han river and the sky looked astounding and breathtaking while tinted with pink and orange as the sun was about to set on the west. She would have admired the view yet again like she always would if she wasn't feeling like shit. Truthfully, she was still shaking from head to toe. She really hated it out there. But it was what they had all agreed to do after her meeting with the boards. And after she fired Mr Tuan. At least she got to do that before she was put in the spotlight.

Her advisers told her that it was better to do it quick and concise, her statement to the press. She did what exactly what they had rehearsed before she delivered her statement. But the "fling thing" wasn't part of it, like Jisoo said. And she still didn't know what got into her that she had to say that in front of a reporter from gossip news site.

"She looked peaceful when I left her, sleeping, Chu. I cannot imagine the torment I'm giving her now, after I left without a word and after today. She'll see it, definitely. She'll hate me," Jennie said, sadness was flooding her face. "However, I hope she'll soon realize that I did that for her. For both of us."

"What did the King say?" asked Jisoo.

"He said that Lisa has the power to change her fate if she will learn to stop running away and embrace her truth," Jennie said.

"And does that equate to you running away and hurting Lisa like that?" asked Jisoo.

"No. No," Jennie said, shaking her head. "It didn't make sense to me, honestly, when His Majesty said that. But when I was alone with Lisa and she said that she's willing to give everything up, including her title, just to be with me, I thought I could do exactly the same thing for her but then it wouldn't feel right at all," Jennie said.

"What do you mean?"

Jennie held her tongue when soft knocks interrupted her from explaining to Jisoo. The door was pushed, revealing her secretary who looked between the two Kims. She bowed to both and then addressed Jennie.

"I apologize for the intrusion, Lady Kim. Miss Roseanne Park from PARK & PARK'S is here to see you," the secretary said.

Before Jennie could even wonder why the famous law firm sent a representative when they don't even have a transaction, as far as she can remember, Jisoo instantly sprang up from the couch, alarming her.

"What?" Jennie asked, clutching her chest dramatically.

"Let me talk to her first," said Jisoo and immediately started for the door in long strides.

"Who? Roseanne Park? Do you know her?" Jennie inquired, keeping Jisoo from leaving the room.

"It's Chaeng," Jisoo said pointedly. "It's a long story and I'm sorry I forgot to tell you about it, Jendeuk. But yes, she's Roseanne Park and she's probably here to ask you about what happened in the press con earlier."

Jennie looked surprised but didn't say anything. Instead, she told her secretary calmly, "Let her in, Miss Kang. And please bring in some tea," before the secretary bowed and left her office at once.

"But Ruby Jane! Have you forgotten what Chaeng did at the bar before?" Jisoo now looked panicky.

"I don't think someone who claims to be from a reputable institution like PARK & PARK'S will act impetuously like that, Chu. Besides, I believed she had her reasons why she acted like that before. Just like she has her reasons why she's here right now," Jennie said calmly as she took her seat behind her mahogany desk.

"And what is that?" inquired Jisoo. She still looked nervous and unsure whether Jennie was right to invite Chaeng inside the office. Anything could happen and as far as she was concerned and as much as possible, she didn't want anything untoward to happen. Especially not between a Park and a Kim. The press will definitely have a field day, if ever. It was already enough that they pushed Jennie to make up a story and lie on national TV.

"She cares about Lisa," Jennie replied with a shrug.

"It's not as simple as that, Jendeuk," said Jisoo.

"I know, Chu. She loves Lisa. She's in love with Lisa. I think it's about time that Chaeng and I should talk about it. Woman to woman," Jennie said.

They both looked at the door when they were, yet again, interrupted by Miss Kang's soft knocks. Jisoo looked tensed while Jennie looked implausibly composed.