Circles and Circles || Jensoo

Chapter 4

Jisoo stood up sharply, knocking over her chair in the process.

“Where is she?” she demanded, her eyes flashing with vivid anger. “Where the hell is she?”

“Ms Kim, please,” Rosé looked suddenly unsure, her composure slipping, and worry creasing her brow. “If you can just sit down -”

“Like HELL I will!” replied Jisoo vehemently. “Tell me where she is!”

And with that demand, she strode out of the board room into the hallway. To the surprise of everyone, she began randomly opening doors. She stopped abruptly when she realised how crazy she was being. Jisoo turned on her heel and strode back towards Rosé, who was watching her warily. The other people from the meeting were grouped behind the imposing raven haired, staring at Jisoo in amazement, unwilling to move in case they missed the show. Ella, however, was standing to one side, a worried look flitting across her face.

“Tell. Me. Where. Jennie. Is,” Jisoo fired at Rosé, enunciating each word clearly and carefully. “Tell me NOW, or I will create some major trouble for you”.

“Ms. Kim, please, calm down, I’m sure this can be all sorted out quietly and easily, if we just sit down -”

Jisoo folded her arms and stared down impassively at the other woman. “This will only be sorted out when you take me to Jennie,” she replied.

“Please, I will. I’m, uh, sure I can. I’ll call -” She fought to maintain her composure. “Please, if we can just sit down.”

Jisoo did not move until she heard Ella’s timid voice from next to her. “I’ll get her for you,” the girl offered.

Jisoo looked at the young musician, her face softening.

“I, I didn’t mean to make you angry,” Ella added.

“No, no, it’s not you, Ella,” Jisoo reassured her. “And I think Ms. Park can sort this out very, very quickly.” The emphasis placed on the second ‘very’ caused Rosé to blanch. In fact, she looked as if she were about to faint.

She opened the door to the board room and weakly waved Jisoo in with the file in her hand.

“I’ll call her, Ms Kim, right now. Just, please, wait in here.”

Jisoo stood for a few moments, her arms folded, a stony look etched on her face, before she finally acquiesced and went into the board room. She sat in one of the chairs, folding her arms again.

“I think you can tell your lackeys to go,” she muttered, not looking at Rosé.

The raven haired nodded resignedly and her minions disappeared. She looked at Jisoo, somewhat imploringly, one last time, and sighed, “I’ll go and make that phone call.”

Jisoo waited until the woman had walked out of the room, and then put her head in her hands. The emotions were whirling through her. Her heart felt like it was pumping a million miles per minute, and all she could think of was the name Jennie, over and over again.

She’d survived eight long years, during which she’d successfully managed to push all her memories aside, and now everything felt like it was exploding around her again. She was furious. Wasn’t she? Although she felt the anger bubbling through her, under the seething rage, there was something else, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on right then.

She heard a noise beside her and looked up. Ella was looking at her from the door, apparently not having moved since Rosé had left. She looked frankly petrified, and somewhat ashen. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, and then shut it, as though she thought better of it. Jisoo took pity on her.

“It’s okay, you can sit down.” She smiled wryly. “I promise not to bite.”

Ella sat down uneasily. “Are you really mad?”

“Yes… No… I’m not sure,” Jisoo admitted.

“I’m really sorry, Ms Kim,” Ella began, earnestly.

“It’s Jisoo.”

“Jisoo,” Ella tried out the word, softly. Jisoo smiled again, and the young girl relaxed a little. “Ms Ki- Jisoo, I’m really sorry, I thought you and Jennie were friends. I-”

“She told you that?” Jisoo interrupted with a frown.

“No, no, she never said anything. I just assumed.” Ella looked confused.

Jisoo sighed, and sat back against her chair before responding, “It’s a very long story, Ella, and it’s all history, in the past.”

“I’m sorry if -” Ella stopped short.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Ella. This really isn’t your fault in the slightest.” Jisoo shrugged one shoulder. “You’re just… Well, this should really be about your album, your music. That’s what you’re here for. That should be all any of us are here for.” Jisoo muttered the last bit under her breath, but Ella heard anyway.

“Most of us are here because of Jennie,” Ella offered. Jisoo raised an eyebrow. “I mean, she -” Ella was interrupted as the door opened, and a rather frazzled Rosé stepped through.

“Ms Kim, if you would be so kind as to come with me.”

Jisoo rose from her chair.

“This had better be good.”

“Don’t worry, Ms Kim, it’s as you asked.” Rosé stood back to let Jisoo pass into the corridor before her. “Ella, why don’t you head back to the studio, and I’ll come find you later?” Ella nodded, and Jisoo smiled a quick goodbye to the young girl.

Rosé led Jisoo up the corridor and through the door at the end. Jisoo followed her up a set of carpeted stairs that led to a small landing with glass-to-ceiling windows. It was tastefully decorated, with a set of couches and a reception desk. An attractive young redhead manning the desk looked up, flashing Jisoo a smile. She saw Rosé, and the smile dropped from her face. Rosé ignored her completely and turned to Jisoo.

“Please, Ms Kim, have a seat. I’m sure it won’t be long.” With that, Rosé swept off towards a set of double doors.

Jisoo found herself with little choice but to stand around looking like an idiot or to sit down, so she chose the latter. She had barely taken her seat when Rosé appeared again from behind the double doors, looking harrowed. Shutting the doors behind her, she walked over to Jisoo.

“Please, go on in,” she commented and then turned on her feet and walked away.

Jisoo watched her go, confused, and then turned to face the doors. Her heart was thudding so hard she could have sworn that it would have deafened anyone nearby. Taking a deep breath and gaining a hold of herself, she strode towards the doors with as much confidence as she could muster. She got to the doors, stared at them for a good ten seconds, and then practically wrenched one of them off its hinges, marched in and closed it behind her.

The room was large but comfortable. There were floor-to-ceiling windows covering one wall, with a large desk in front of them. Off to one side was a set of couches with low-slung chairs and a coffee table, and, in the other corner, a simple set-up with a few guitars and various other pieces of equipment.

Jennie Kim was standing in front of the desk, leaning back against it, propped back on her hands. Jisoo stared at her, speechless. She looked…. She looked just like Jisoo remembered her, only slightly older. Her beautiful brown hair still curled around her shoulders, and her face was still as perfect as Jisoo could remember. Unlike the clothes of her youth, she appeared to be dressing in a more refined manner these days. She wore tailored pants with a matching shirt.

Jisoo stared at Jennie, completely dumbfounded. Jennie stared back, taking in the sight that she had longed for. She was unwilling to make the first move, for fear of totally screwing it up. Well, for fear of screwing it up more. The silence between them became tense and, finally, Jennie spoke, reasoning that one of them had to break the ice.

“You managed to completely fluster Rosé. That’s impressive. I was sure she was made of pure ice chipped from the Norwegian fjords, but you managed to rile her.”

Jisoo took another deep breath.

“You -” she stopped, not entirely sure what she wanted to say. “What the hell were you thinking, Kim?” The question slipped out, and Jennie stood up.

“Chu…”

“Don’t CALL me that,” Jisoo threw back, her voice full of emotion. “You don’t get to call me that! You can’t just do this, Jennie You can’t just -”

“Jisoo, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean -”

“You never mean, do you? How long did you think you could keep this a secret?” Jisoo waved her arms around the room. “How long before I realised you were behind this ridiculous job offer? What, you thought you could just waltz in to my life, and offer me a goddamn job and make it okay? You thought that I’d find out it was you and, what? Be so taken in by your little protégé down there that I’d suddenly like you again?”

“Jisoo, no,” Jennie replied, her face creased with a whole gamut of emotions. “I know you don’t like me very much.”

“Not like you?” Jisoo interrupted angrily. “Jennie, I hate you”.

* *©clomle44* *