The Tiger King (Chaelisa)

87| Tell Me (No) Lies Pt.2

"No. They don't need to know. Not knowing will keep them out of harm's way," Jennie said tersely, repeating what she had been telling herself to stop the twinge of guilt from turning into a tidal wave that ripped her apart. "Chanyeol, I have to do this alone. I'm already asking the others to make a big sacrifice. There's a big chance they won't see me again already. And seeing Rosie just now...she's in shambles but still, she's holding on so strong. And so is her daughter.

Jisoo...Jisoo will hurt the most but I'm hoping she will come to understand that I'm doing this because I care about her. I love her so much. It will hurt me too, but I can take it, as long as she's safe. And Hani...she's out of control. Jinyoung too, all the mobsters he's slaughtering while linking up with politicians. All this madness has to stop. And if I can do something to finish it, I will."

Chanyeol was silent for a beat. "Dasoni could hurt your friends," he said softly.

"Which is why I'm counting on you to protect them," Jennie said.

"How?"

"Sticking close by from now on. Even though you and Hani are fighting. We need to hide the girls from her somehow."

Chanyeol didn't reply right away and Jennie braced for his response.

"Jennie, this is a dangerous game you're playing. You don't strike me as the rash and hasty type when it comes to planning so we shouldn't rush into this with only some vague idea—"

"Whenever we plan, nothing works out."

"You mentioned last night, yes, but this is—"

"My friends' life on the line. I know. I fucking know, okay?" Jennie hissed in agitation. "I'm just—I'm trying to keep it together and prevent more deaths. We're running out of time. If Rosie or Jisoo or Ella are hurt, I don't know what I'll do. I don't...I don't—"

"Slow down. Take a deep breath. Go on, breathe right now. That's it. Keep it up. In and out. In...out...In...out...It's going to be okay. We'll plan it out. Planning helps, it always does, even when things go to shit. Especially because things go to shit," Chanyeol said softly.

Jennie heaved a sigh, significantly calmer after the impromptu breathing exercise but no less anxious. She had spoken her fear out loud, and Chanyeol basically confirmed her worries: she was being too rash and hasty. Her decision-making suffered when she was cornered but she couldn't afford to make poor choices this time, not when the lives of people she cared were on the line.

She couldn't repeat mistakes.

"Is this the right choice?" Jennie whispered, the paper in her pocket grazing her hand like odious fingers beckoning her towards doom. "Am I making a horrible mistake?"

Chanyeol took even longer to reply this time. "I think the only mistake is leaving the other girls in the dark. Because otherwise, being brave and doing the right thing is always going to be scary and oftentimes dangerous. Because doing the right thing is rarely easy."

Jennie shook her head, forgetting that he can't see her. Telling the others was out of question. They would only make her drop the idea and press her not to give herself up and take the fall, pushing them back to square one and still being under the Dasoni's thumb.

You don't make a cake without breaking some eggs. And if something needed to break to free them all, Jennie decided that it would be herself.

"Did Dasoni come by today?" Chanyeol said.

"Yeah. Both of them dropped by, gave the others their new identities and documents. Like I said, we need to figure out some plan to smuggle the girls out and hide them, let them restart. Hani letting me go out of the condo this morning was a big exception, and it's only because she trusts you with me. She won't let the others just go out."