Love's a fragile little flame || Jenlisa Adaption

Chapter 1

Note: I wrote this in February 2022 and it has been sitting in my drafts ever since. I kinda like this story but I guess I was never too sure about publishing it :/

But it's 5am and I can't sleep, so here it is! (Let me know if it sucks :') )

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They meet at the table read.

Jennie didn't know what Lisa Manoban would be like in real life — her years in the music industry have taught her to never take someone's public persona at face value. No one is who they project themselves to be on social media and red carpets, least of all actors.

Especially actors who can sing as well as Lisa.

But Lisa Manoban, Jennie quickly learns, is the exception to the rule. She's a little more sedate in person than she is on talk show couches, but aside from that she pretty much lives up to the hype. She's bubbly and polite and has this cute little laugh that makes Jennie smile every time she hears it.

Which is kind of annoying, because this is Jennie's first acting gig, and she's trying her best to play it cool.

*

Lisa finds her in the corner by the craft services spread before the table read starts. Jennie is so focused on her task of making a coffee as slow as humanly possible, in the hopes of avoiding awkward small talk as she struggles with her first-day nerves, that Lisa has to touch her arm to get her attention.

"Hi! I'm Lisa. You're Jennie, right?"

"Oh, um, hi. Yep, that's me."

"Nice! I mean, I knew that, obviously, but it always feels weird to just start talking to someone famous like you've met them before, you know? I love your music, by the way."

"I do know." Jennie nods, pressing her lips together. "And, thanks. I'm, uh, an admirer of your work too."

Jennie's cringing at herself for being just about the lamest person on the planet, but Lisa lights up like she's never heard that banal compliment before.

"That's so sweet," she says. Lisa squeezes Jennie's wrist before she leans in conspiratorially. "You know, I signed on only after they promised they'd offer this role to you. I'm so glad you took it."

Jennie's lips part in genuine surprise at this piece of information. Lisa's hand is still on her arm and she's suddenly feeling warmer than she did a few minutes ago. She really wishes she wasn't holding this damn cup of coffee.

"Oh, wow, um—" she starts when an anxious-looking production assistant appears at Lisa's side and whispers something in her ear.

"We're about to begin," Lisa tells her once the PA has scurried off. She releases her hold on Jennie's wrist, fingers brushing her palm as she goes. "I'm really excited to work together, Jennie."

*

The whole getting into acting thing was Jennie's agent's idea.

She's been with him — Mino — since she broke into the music industry after high school, and he hasn't steered her wrong before. He's the one who suggested leveraging her voice and her image as a "nouveau punk badass, but in a palatable way" to launch a solo artist career, which she'd use as a jumping-off point to do what she really wanted: producing music.

And it worked. She learned so much — and made so many connections — developing her first album that the transition was relatively seamless. She now spends the majority of her time producing, while still providing vocals here and there when needed.

The public knows her best for the chart-toppers she's featured in, but it's the producing that pays the bills. And that's how she liked it.

Until she hit a rut. She could still work — still make kickass music — but nothing inspired her anymore. Not like it used to.