**
Jisoo and Jennie both looked up from their dinner, surprised, when Lisa blew into their house, a mess of frenetic energy. Before either one could speak, Lisa blurted, "Roseanne Park is shoe woman."
Jennie sat up ramrod straight in her seat at the dining room table, her eyes going wide with delight. "Shut up!"
"Roseanne Park in a grocery store?" Jisoo said sarcastically, turning to look her girlfriend dead in the eye. "Please."
"Shut up," Jennie replied to Jisoo's taunt before she turned back to Lisa. "Are you serious?"
"So serious. This is serious. This is seriously, so awful, what am I going to do?" Before anyone could answer, Lisa said, "Where's Ruby?"
"Soccer," both women answered and Lisa nodded.
"Right," she said, not missing a freak out beat. "James said she specially requested me. How does she even know who I am? Oh my god, does she know who I am?"
"Calm, down," Jennie said. "I told her to request you."
Lisa's head snapped toward Jennie. "You did?"
"You did?" Jisoo followed up.
"Why?" both sisters said at the same time.
Jennie looked between the two women. "Because, P-Corp needs some good PR and there is nobody on Earth more positive than Lisa."
"This is true," Jisoo said, taking a sip of water.
"How can I interview someone I secretly photographed at a grocery store? Does she know I photographed her?"
"Technically it was her shoe," Jisoo said.
"That's not helping," Jennie said quietly.
"What if she recognizes me as that creepy lady from the grocery store?" Lisa said, still panicking. "James said I can't blow this. He said she was really important."
"She is," Jennie said. "She's stupid rich and powerful." Lisa and Jisoo both looked to her. "She is," Jennie said in her defense. "I felt like I couldn't breath for the entire first week I worked for her. It's intimidating."
"That's not helping," Jisoo said quietly to Jennie before turning her attention to her sister. "Look, Lisa, Roseanne Park probably meets dozens of people everyday. Lovely as you are, I am sure she won't recognize you." Jisoo and Lisa both looked to Jennie for validation.
Jennie looked caught off guard by their attention, and she stumbled to assure Lisa. "Yes, she probably won't remember you. And even if she did, people take her picture in public all the time because she's super famous."
"She is?" Lisa asked.
"Lisa..." Jisoo muttered.
"She is," Jennie assured. When Lisa still looked unsure, Jennie continued. "She's easily one of the richest people in the world, she's obscenely beautiful, and she's on the right side of 30."
"Hey," Jisoo said, looking up with her mouth full of food. They had just celebrated her 30th birthday the week before.
"You're fine, Jisoo" Jenny said, patting Jisoo's hand, before turning her attention back to Lisa. "Roseanne Park is terrifying." Lisa visibly swallowed and Jisoo rolled her eyes. "But she is also fair and kind once you get over the fact that she could buy and sell you a billion times over." Jennie smiled. "I can help you prep, if you want."
"No," Lisa said, shaking her head, a bit of determination coming back into her posture. "I don't want there to be any perception of bias. James asked me to do this, and I'm going to show him that I know what it takes to be a cover feature writer."
"OK," Jennie replied. "Just remember: She's a person, just like you and me." Jisoo snorted and Jennie kicked her under the table.
"You know, you can disagree with me without kicking me," Jisoo grumbled.
"You're going to do great, Lisa," Jennie said. "I wouldn't have recommended she do an interview with you unless I knew for a fact that you were going to be wonderful."
"Thanks, Jen." Lisa took a deep breath and exhaled. "Right." She nodded her head decisively. "All night cram session, here I come."
"Good luck," Jisoo said.
Lisa exhaled again. "Thanks." She walked over, hugged both women and left.
Jisoo looked to Jennie with an arched eyebrow as the front door shut and a mischevous grin crossed Jenny's lips. "Can you imagine if Roseanne wears the Louboutins to the interview?"
"Oh my god," Jisoo said and Jennie cackled.
***
Roseanne sat back on her couch, a half drunk glass of wine in her hand. She had hoped the bath she had just taken would help with her mood, yet there she was, still tense and anxious. She idly pulled her tablet onto her lap. She was having second thoughts about tomorrow's interview with the reporter Jennie had recommended. Rosie was a notoriously private person, hated publicity, hated that she had to put herself out there for the public to give P-Corp a chance to right Chanyeol's wrongs. But Jenny had a point: P-Corp needed some good press, and fast. If Jennie was right, her girlfriend's sister could be the first person to give P-Corp a fair shake since she took over. If Rosie had to compromise some of her privacy to get out from under Chanyeol's shadow, than so be it.
Roseanne took a sip of her wine and opened her browser. Lisa Manoban. She swallowed and typed the name into the search bar. A few social media links appeared, and Rosie clicked on the first, taking her to the reporter's Instagram account. The page opened and Rosie nearly choked on the air she was breathing, her eyes going wide as saucers.
Lisa Manoban was the gorgeous woman she had all but stalked at the grocery store days earlier. Rosie had bought pasta she didn't need, had asked the woman a question about sauce that she already knew the answer to, just as an excuse to talk to her. Rosie had almost asked her for her number, but the woman was so wrapped up in a text conversation on her phone that Rosie had talked herself out of it. The woman had probably been texting her boyfriend about what he wanted for dinner. Rosie remembered leaving the store feeling like she had missed a chance that she wouldn't get again.
Rosie exhaled slowly. When was life going to be less complicated? She contemplated clicking through the reporter's pictures before gently tossing her tablet to the side, downing the dregs of her wine, and making her way to bed. Better to be well-rested than not when she inevitably put her foot in her mouth in front of the pretty reporter.
***
Lisa arrived at P-Corp a full hour before her interview, and sat in the lobby, nervously working through the questions she'd hope to ask. She had dressed conservatively in the hopes that it would help remind her that she was being given a serious chance; a pink button up shirt, tan belt, navy blue slacks and a navy blue cardigan. Her hair was swept up in a bun. The only accesories she wore were her pink watch and small gold earrings. She adjusted her glasses as the security guard finally waved her over, and she stood, taking a few steps before she doubled back with a wince to pick up her forgotten pad of paper and purse.
Lisa smiled apologetically and then listened intently as the guard gave her directions to the top floor. Jennie had texted her that morning and asked if she wanted Jennie to facilitate an introduction, but Lisa had politely declined. She needed to do this on her own.
Roseanne's assistant was expecting her, and met her with a bright grin. "Hello Ms. Manoban. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?"
"No, I'm fine thank you," Lisa replied, clutching her pad of paper to her chest.
Ms. Park's assistant nodded. "Right this way." She opened a large wood door and showed Lisa in.
"Thank you," Lisa stammered, smiling to the assistant, who just smiled back and closed the door. Lisa took a deep breath and turned, seeing Roseann Park standing by her desk. Lisa's eyes went wide and she realized she was in serious trouble. Roseanne Park was even more gorgeous than she remembered.
"Ms. Manoban." Roseanne stepped forward, her hand extended. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Yes," Lisa said, snapping from her trance and moving forward. She grasped Roseanne's hand and shook it, swallowing hard at the contact. She met Roseanne's eye and tried to hide her disappointment that Roseanne didn't seem to recognize her.
"Jennie Kim speaks highly of you," Roseanne said, her eyes never leaving Lisa's face as they ended their handshake.
Lisa laughed, her eyes averted as she adjusted her glasses. "Ah, well, that's Jennie for you." She looked up, her face heated through with a blush. She had badly underestimated how attractive she found Roseanne Park, and the realization flustered her. "Uh, full disclosure, Jennie is-"
"Your sister's girlfriend, she mentioned." Roseanne smiled. "Do you need anything? Coffee, tea? I could validate your parking."
"Oh," Lisa said, surprised that the CEO of a multibillion dollar company was offering to do such a mundane task. "No, that's OK, I walked."
"Well," Roseanne said, her fingers coming together before her. "Would you like to..." she pointed to her office couch and then the chair across from her desk.
"The desk is fine," Lisa said and Roseanne smiled, the two women making their way to sit. Lisa got settled, putting her pad of paper on her lap and smiling again. "Thank you, for giving YGEnt this exclusive."
"You're very welcome," Roseanne said, leaning forward to put her forearms on her desk. "As you know, things have been a little rocky and I'd like to be upfront with the public about how I plan to move P-Corp forward."
"Starting with a corporate name change."
"Yes," Roseanne said. "Nothing against ParkCorp-it was the name my father gave the company when he founded it-but we've move well beyond being a small family business. It was time for us to acknowledge our broader vision."
"A vision that is different than your brother's," Lisa said.
"Yes," Roseanne replied, slowly.
"And if Chanyeol comes back?"
"Chanyeol isn't coming back," Roseanne said with a patient smile.
"You seem very confident in that statement," Lisa said. "You think he'll be on the run forever?"
"I certainly hope not," Roseanne said. "Chanyeol committed crimes which he should pay for. I meant more, he'd never be coming back to work here."
"Is that why your two board members quit yesterday? Because they want Chanyeol to fight the charges against him and resume being CEO of the company and you fought them?"
Roseanne smiled tightly. "There was a difference of opinion about the next phase of P-Corp's developement. I think Jeon Jungkook and Sandara Park served the company well and I hope they enjoy the next phase of their lives."
"Pretty benign statement in reply to the memo Mr. Jeon sent." Roseanne's eyebrow arched at the pointed statement. "I think he called you a." Lisa cleared her throat. "'Priviledged ice princess who would look better on a pole than behind a corporate podium.'" Lisa's face burned bright red as she quoted the memo that had been leaked, and she instantly regretted it once she saw the hurt look in Roseanne's eyes.
"How did you get a hold of that memo?" Roseanne asked, her face sporting a tight smile and bright red blush.
"It was sent to everyone in the company," Lisa said carefully, her discomfort with her Snapper-light approach growing. Roseanne's eyebrows arched and Lisa stammered in reply. "It was leaked, on Reddit."
Roseanne took in a deep breath, her gaze on her desk. She looked back up and her eyes narrowed. "I think I thought this was going to be a different kind of interview."
"Because Jennie Kim is living with my sister?" Lisa asked and she watched as that registered with Roseanne. "I was sent to write an article. A cover feature."
"And I was told to expect an interview, not an interogation."
Lisa's face fell. "I, I'm sorry if you feel like I'm interogating you," she said. "That's not my intention."
"What is your intention?"
"To show who you are, in relation to the world you live in," Lisa said, her hands tightening around the pad of paper in her hands, her nerves getting the better of her.
"The world I live in..." Roseanne said, looking away. She looked back to Lisa. "Three weeks ago I was the CEO of a small garage start up in Gangnam, working on specialty tech that would likely never see a manufacturing line, and now I spend my days dealing with rich jackasses who don't care about anyone other than the people who can grow their already disgustingly large portfolios."
"Can I, can I quote you on that?" Lisa asked, unsure if she should press pause on the interview as Roseanne obviously steamed.
"You can quote me on anything you like," Roseanne said coldly. "Everyone always does. You can even make quotes up, if you like-god knows the press in Gangnam did."
Lisa frowned and looked down at her hands. Her stomach twisted at Roseanne's biting tone. "I would never do that," she said softly, and when she looked up, Roseanne was looking at her with a tight jaw and hard set eyes. Lisa shook her head, determined to get back on track. "Well, what do you do in your spare time?" She bit her lip, her eyes hopeful and she watched Roseanne's jaw flex.
"I find that I don't have much spare time these days."
Lisa ducked her head.
"You know, Ms. Manoban, would you mind if we finished this interview via email?" Roseanne said through a tight exhale, her eyes darting to her desk. "I just remembered I have a lunch meeting with investors that I need to prepare for." She looked up and stared down Lisa.
"Of course," Lisa said quickly, her face blushing fiercely.
"My assistant can give you my email address. Feel free to contact me with whatever follow up quesitons you might have."
"Of course," Lisa repeated. Her stomach was churning as she realized how much she had messed up. She paused. "Ms. Park, if I said something to offend you-"
"Of course not, Ms. Manoban. You're just a reporter doing your job. I understand."
Lisa sighed and nodded. When Roseanne didn't stand, Lisa ducked her head and showed herself out. She made it to the lobby before her shoudlers fell and she groaned. "Crap." She spent the rest of the day upset, wondering how she could have messed the interaction up worse.
***
Rosie looked out on the city skyline from her office. The sun was setting, and the downtown high-rises were all reflecting red and orange. She could see YGEnt's building from her office, peeking out slightly from behind the Edge building and she frowned. She had overreacted during her interview, blowing any second chance she'd hoped to have when Lisa had walked through her office door looking even more beautiful than she had at the grocery store.
"You wanted to see me?"
Roseanne turned to face Jennie. "Yes." She nodded to the chair opposite her desk and Jennie sat. "I met with your sister-in-law this morning."
"Oh, she's not my sister-in-law," Jennie said quickly, before her brow knit. "Yet?"
"I thought, when you recommended her, Ms. Kim, that you understood that I was agreeing to the interview because I thought it would be one of those obnoxious puff pieces YGEnt was famous for." Jennie met Roseanne's eye. "'CEOs are just like you and me' sort of thing."
"It... wasn't?" Jennie asked, confused.
"No," Rosie said, her brow wrinkled. "No, your not-sister-in-law decided to grill me about the board distruptions from this week. She even quoted the Jeon memo back to me."
"Oh my god," Jennie muttered. "I am so sorry Ms. Park. I." Jennie was at a loss for words. "That's, not what I was expecting. Lisa is the queen of heart-tugging click bait stories. I mean, did you read her article about that golden retreiver that boy pulled from the Bay last summer?" When Rosie stared back at her blankly, Jennie waved her hand in front of her. "Nevermind. I'm. I'm sorry. What can I do?"
Rosie worked her jaw. She thought of how she had felt in the pasta aisle at the grocery store, the sweet smile Lisa had given her when Rosie had played dumb and asked her about jars of sauce. About the person Jennie had described. Rosie took a deep breath and then spoke. "Would you be willing to share her phone number with me?"
"You want her number?" Jennie asked slowly, her eyebrows coming together.
"I'd like to text her and offer to answer more questions." Rosie paused. "I was likely more defensive than I needed to be when she mentioned the memo. I figure texting her would be a more personal olive branch than an email from my corporate account."
"Sure," Jennie said quickly. "Yes." She dug her phone from her pocket and thumbed to her contacts. "Sending to you now."
***
Tbc 🤗
Ctto THISOLDTHING.