Jennie
I slip into my room. I'm guessing this used to belong to one of Bambam's sisters, because the walls are pastel and the bed is a four-poster, poufy thing with draping awning. I drop my bag and flop down on the bed, letting the mattress sink underneath me. My God. It's like lying on a cloud.
I close my eyes for a moment. I try to picture the house's exterior. Okay, so maybe it's not the beautiful, white-columned plantation house that I wanted. But that doesn't mean I can't make something extraordinary of it.
A voice in the back of my head nags, What have you gotten yourself into, Jennie? You're asking for another breakdown.
No. I can do this. I can handle this.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I fish it out and glance at the screen.
My heart drops. It's Taehyung.
Should I even pick up his call? Or just ignore it?
Remember what Ren said. Boys are nothing but terrible distractions. I hit the red button and end the call. He doesn't leave a voicemail. Of course not. Why give me anything permanent?
The coward.
I hesitate and then find myself dialling Ren. I put the phone to my ear and hear it ring a couple times before his voice comes on.
"Yes?"
"Hey." I toy with a loose thread on the bedspread. "I think I'm spending the night at the ranch. Mina is feeling a little out of place... I think she could use the company."
"Don't worry about us, then. We'll hold down the fort here."
"Great. Thanks."
There's a drawn-out pause, and then Ren asks, "Is everything okay?" Straight to the point. He can tell when something's up.
"Yeah... it's fine." I roll my ankle around in circles. "What do you think about the farmhouse?"
"It's a bloody disaster."
"I know it's not quite the picturesque farm that we were looking for, but... we have enough pieces to make it work. All we need to do, is find the right crew to pull it together."
"I know that." he says. "And you know that too. So why are you really calling?"
I twist a strand of hair between my fingers. "Taehyung has been calling me, and it's just..."
"Jennie." he interrupts. "I'm going to stop you right there. Ignore him."
"Yeah, I know. It's just..."
"Was it too early for Jessi to give you an assignment? Because I can call her, if you'd like. Take it off your hands."
Alarms go off in my head. "What? No! Not at all."
"Then ignore him. The Bhuwakuls are a big account. Is it quick? Yes. Would most planners would collapse with the pressure of organising a wedding in a week? Yes. But you're not most planners. You're Jennie Kim."
"I can handle it." My resolve turns my internal organs into cold, hard steel. "You're right. I've got this. I promise."
"That's my girl. Call me if there's a real emergency."
My phone beeps twice, alerting me that Ren has ended the call.
I needed a good, hard kick in the rear. And that does it.